#drawing one character at a time? like there's only room in my mind to understand one set of proportions at any given moment???

[s-lverwing]

DEATH KINK

pairing. emperor caracalla x empress!reader.

summary. Devotion between you and Caracalla is measured in blood.

word count. 1.5k (short one :3)

warnings. dark themes. blood. toxic relationships. slaves and concubines? weird relationship dynamics i guess. character death ? ig (not reader or caracalla dw). english isn’t my first language.

a/n. i don’t remember the scene very clearly so you have to bear with me. wrote this in like two hours so it’s not edited no nothing we die like the twins. please if you enjoyed this leave a comment, reblog, whatever u want 🐛.

It was no surprise that you, the recently crowned Empress, would draw every single gaze whenever you walked into a room; draped in the empire’s most expensive silks, your skin gleamed beneath the weight of Rome’s all gold—rings encircled your fingers, necklaces coiled around your throat and chest. Even when you entered the triclinium, side by side with the Emperors.

As always, you were seated close to Caracalla, always beside Caracalla, but never within his brother’s reach. There, you were often seen as a prize —though inaccessible— and a curse.

The scent of sweat and blood thickened the air as the clash of steel echoed through the hall. You weren’t even paying attention. Caracalla shifted in his throne, restless, predatory, his lips twitching with dark amusement. And maybe Geta did the same.

Then came the gladiators.

“Swords,” Caracalla groaned, his voice slurred. Childlike in its craving. His eyes, hazy with intoxication, shone with a dangerous hunger. “I want swords.”

He let out a mocking laugh, his ringed fingers caressing your leg with a pressure that could only mean he was far from consciousness; his touch heavy and unsteady. Like he was most likely trying not to slip away. The intoxication mixed with his own disease blurred his senses, yet his grip remained intense.

You couldn’t help but laugh, your lips curling into a mischievous smile. His need was so raw, so unrestrained. “A fight to the death! No quarter to be offered, or given” you raised your voice as a sadistic thrill dancing in your chest. You leaned against him, feeling the warmth of his body, the unpredictability of his madness seeping into your bones.

You loved him to death.

It was almost amusing to see how they all believed—how they fantasized—that you, a noble-born girl, now a woman, could ever hope to civilize a creature so deranged and unhinged as Caracalla. Kicked and left alone at such a young age, rotten to the core and probably to his mind too. Citizens whispered among themselves, imagining that love, care, tenderness, could redeem the blood-stained mind of Caracalla. How sweet was their foolishness. Their faces—so full of hope, of pity, such a beautiful lady trapped in such destiny—always crumbled in disbelief every time you spoke, every syllable that escaped your lips reminding them of your control over a man who could burn an empire with but a whim.

They fantasized about you being his tamer, as though you could tame what was never meant to be tamed, and cure what had long been beyond healing. The truth was bittersweet. For what they all failed to understand, or what they would never understand, is that you weren’t a healer of broken things. How could you explain that your heart warmed at the sight of him relishing in violence? His madness now belonged to you, woven into your very soul. And love? Love could never soften the edges of such brutal spirit—it could only feed the fire.

You adapted. You survived. You thrived in the shadows of his cruelty, and the power it gave you. You learned to enjoy and yearn for the taste of blood, the sound of a life taken with a mere word from your lips. You reveled in the control, the pleasure, the satisfaction. It almost wasn’t a mad thing under your eyes. It was an act of love. Even Macrinus, so quick to label you as bloodthirsty, so eager to brand you as a woman gone mad and turned dangerous, could never understand and always shows himself surprised.

The fight started and you had to roll your eyes at Hano’s words. It felt like an intrusion, a stain. It ruined everything for you.

While everyone was enjoying the fight, one of Caracalla’s discarded concubines—a slave you’d thought long forgotten—had dared to reach for the emperor’s knee, his delicate fingers grazing his upper leg with insolent familiarity. Caracalla did not pull away. Instead, his body softened, inviting the touch with ease, indulgent in a way that twisted something sharp and venomous inside your chest.

Jealousy came to you like a big black wave, something sharp and unyielding; carved from the same iron as the swords that painted Rome’s conquered territories red. It lodged itself beneath your skin, festering, until it became as familiar as brething—a constant ache you could neither purge nor embrace fully. It wasn’t simply desire or the hunger for possession. It was something wretched: the need to be the only one Caracalla turned to when the sickness in his mind became too loud to bear. To be the only one he desires and needs every single time. It often felt like a wound that never healed — and it never would.

He was pure chaos wrapped in imperial red—a creature of untamed anger, both cruel and relentless—but he was yours. Not because he loved you in the way poets sang of, nor in ways little girls dreamed of, but because you understood the shadows that devoured him, ones that fed on you both. Your bond was forged in the smothering heat of violence, in whispered commands that condemned lives, in glances exchanged over bloody arenas where human lives were torn apart for sport. It was a language you both spoke so effortlessly, the language of violence.

While Caracalla never promised fidelity, never whispered of devotion. He understood long ago he didn’t need to. Your understanding went beyond mortal vows, or words. You stills remember the first execution that had twisted your stomach, nausea clawing at your throat as the blade struck flesh, severing a life at your own whispered command. It was a slave; a gift from his twin brother Geta. The only thing she had done wrong was to stare for a second longer in Caracalla’s way. He’d found you later, hands still stained with blood, and kissed you like he was trying to consume your bare soul. And you had let him, because surrendering to him just felt right. Dreamy even.

By the second time it happened, for you it was a lot easier. By the third, you no longer turned away. And then Caracalla simply no longer lusted for carnal pleasure outside your marriage. You learned to savor it—the thrill of power, the satisfaction of everyone’s disapproving glances, the realization that you, too, could be merciless. Whispers said that bloodlust, it seemed, could be contagious.

And Caracalla needed you, as you seemed to be made from the same shattered pieces he was. You were forged in the same merciless burning fire, twin flames consuming everything in their path.

“Careful” You whispered as your hand shot out with precise cruelty, striking the boy’s wrist hard enough to sting, though he didn’t knew the true punishment would come later. Your lips curled into a cold, satisfied smile when you saw the concubine’s startled expression, quickly masked by a defiant laugh. Good, you thought. Let him believe he had won something. Let him feel safe.

Later, when the games were done, when the blood-soaked marbled floors had cooled, you went to Caracalla—not to beg, but to demand. You crawled into his lap, as you have done many times, let him bury his hands in your hair, and whisper what you wanted like it was a sacred invocation. Gods’ spoke through you. He easily obliged, giving it to you, not only because of love, but also because your voice was the only one which could still the storm in his head, the way you could channel his fury into something he deemed purposeful.

“Him.” Your voice cut through the cinnamon scent filled air. You didn’t even bother looking at the concubine—his fate was already sealed. Instead, your eyes remained fixed on the faces around you, enjoying the flickers of recognition and fear that bloomed like flowers. A sardonic smile tugged at your lips, as an unspoken reminder of who actually held their lives…

Caracalla was always watching you, always listening, always poised between affection and destruction. The small crowd of concubines and imperial guards, and maybe the citizens too, might have believed Rome’s fate rested in his hands, but you knew better. His power was tempered and magnified by your will.

Without a word, he reached for you, tracing the curve of your jaw as though in reverence—maybe to ask for forgiveness. His lips brushed your forehead. This was his acknowledgment, his devotion in the only way he knew how. You were bound by something the Gods themselves wouldn’t dare name.

He turned slowly, his eyes locking onto his guard. The command that followed was calm, almost indifferent—“His head.”

And when the concubine’s lifeless body was dragged through the dirt at her feet, Caracalla’s dark eyes gleamed with understanding. As he pulled you close, their breath mingled like a shared secret, and you knew you were his. But not because you had tamed him—as no one could. But because you had matched his cruelty with your own, answered his violence with your own form of devotion.

You would eternally consume each other—because love, in its purest yet darkest form, was conquest.

a/n 2: hi again i just love a reader who would match caracalla’s freak 🫦🫦🫦

[unintentionalseductress]

Reading While Cockwarming Them

Warnings: MDNI, PIV, general sex, teasing, some name calling and sadism in Geto's part. A/n: Found an old WIP that I half wrote then gave up on because I couldn't find the inspiration. I'm glad I got back into it because I almost feel like my JJK writing has become rusty nowadays, and I'm thrilled to find some ideas that might still feel new.

The book is open on the bed, right under your pretty, flushed face as you kneel on all fours, Satoru’s cock nestled comfortably in your slick pussy. 

Your mouth is moving, and you see the little black characters on the page, but your speech is slurred and syrupy as you try to form intelligible sounds. 

“The…he-he-ro…isn…ways…to…”

“What’s that baby?” Satoru taunts as he slides out of your drooling cunt, all patience and sweet smiles. He feels how your walls clench in protest as you try to keep him in, his tip almost out of your tight, wet, hole.

“Toru please…” you whine, knowing his enticing length was right there, but he was getting off on seeing you swallow your words. Determination that had been ample in hand at the beginning of this session had now gone flying out the window. You just had to insist that Satoru couldn’t fuck you dumb with his cock, denying his claims, and now you’re forced to swallow your pride as you realize you can’t focus on a damn thing. The letters all look like squiggles to you and your tongue refuses to cooperate, only allowing you to pant and babble nonsense.

“You’re the one that said you would read me a bedtime story.” He arches his hips away from you as he feels you lift your ass, hoping to slip him back in. “And so far I can’t understand a word you’re saying. I’m hoping this helps.”

You moan in frustration and try to focus your hazed mind on the print. “The hero isn’t always right. As told in the story we’re about to embark on-” Your breath hitches as Satoru glides back into your warmth as you started to read. The hot length of his cock spreads you apart so invitingly messing with your head.

“Oh don’t feel like you have to stop on my account sweetheart. Keep going. Just testing how deep I need to go before you start going dumb again.” Not very deep based on his observations. He’s barely halfway sheathed and your speech had already become halting and incorrigible. He slips out slightly and you clear your throat trying to not to sob and admit defeat. 

“Our story takes place in a time of old and ooohhh…” The sensual groan leaves you unrestrained as he pushes further in.

“Hmm so about three fourths of the way,” Satoru muses, looking at how much of him was buried inside you. “Keep reading. Trying to fine tune this pussy. I was promised a bedtime story.”

He starts to thrust slowly, letting you feel each inch of him as he withdraws before sliding back in, never bottoming out and leaving you aching with the knowledge that you're only half full. You're not even trying to focus on the words now, just moaning and knowing you'll likely have to let him win if you wanted anything tonight. 

“Satoru please…” You whine as he starts to drag his fingers along your moist slit, finding your bud and circling it expertly. 

“Aw. No bedtime story for me tonight?” he asks mockingly as he draws out a moan from you. You shake your head and he grins triumphantly. “Next time then. We'll train your pussy to not disconnect from your brain.”

Kento can’t stand the thought of not having physical intimacy. Cockwarming was his way of reconnecting, of being able to touch you, feel your soft skin and the warmth of your body, even if he was too tired for sex. 

The bed is so inviting, and your back rests against his chest as his cock pulses with life inside you. Warm sheets are wrapped around your bodies as you sit on his thighs with a book on your lap. Kento's chin rests on your shoulder as you read, his eyes tracking the words as the story flows from your lips, his breath tickling your neck. The atmosphere in the room is almost balmy as his hands massage yours, fingers molding to the spaces in between. Your pussy occasionally clenches around his velvety cock, enjoying the way he filled and stretched the space inside. 

“Are you paying attention?” You tease and pat his cheek to draw his attention back to the story. His large hands had started to wander from yours and were flirting with your ribcage, cradling your breasts in his palms and squeezing enticingly. After a long day, the massage felt more relaxing than arousing and you indulge him for a moment before asking again. “Kento…the story.”

“I am paying attention darling. It looks like our protagonist accidentally discovered something he wasn’t supposed to.” He thumbs your nipples, which had already pebbled from the squeezing, through the sheets and you throw your head back onto his shoulder, biting your lip and letting out a hushed sigh. Your juices had steadily dripped from your core and were pooling at the base of his cock, leaving a ring of wetness on his hard shaft.

“Are you sleepy?” Kento’s lips ghost the shell of your ear and you mumble a tired yes. His chuckle resonates in your ear, deep and rich, and he takes the book away and places it on the nightstand. “It’s all right,” he reassures you as he starts to lay you both down on the bed. “We can find out what happens tomorrow.” He rearranges the sheets while you settle your head down comfortably on the pillow. Sleep overtakes you quickly but you can feel Kento pressing little kisses down your neck.

“Do you mind…?” He whispers, and your half-awake brain manages to slur a yes. You knew what he was asking, and you honestly didn’t mind. His snug cock thrusts ever so sweetly inside you as he tries not to rouse you too much from sleep, breathing steadily into your hair as he tries to orgasm.

The slick heat from being inside you for so long helps in his efforts, lazily stroking your inner walls at an unhurried pace. Your languid body barely stirs as he sets up a deliciously slow pace, quiet squelches issuing from your pussy as he rocks his hips against your ass. He bites his lip as he nears his climax, letting out a muffled groan as his hot cum is released into your warm canal. 

“Darling…focus…” His clever fingers which were playing with your pulsing clit halt, and his cock, snug in your pussy, remains there, barely providing any friction. You whine and look at him pleadingly but he tuts at you, waving the little study booklet in front of your face. “Can you repeat what I was saying?”

Why had you agreed to let him help you study for the bar? Your lawyer boyfriend, so sinfully handsome and smart, was obviously worried about your progress. He accused you of getting too distracted, and the solution was to force you to study with nothing but distractions, hoping to improve your recall abilities. 

What he hadn’t specified was that it would involve sitting on your bed with his cock stuffed in your pussy  while you straddled him, repeating little vocabulary definitions and basic terms of law. Your poor, sloppy, pussy couldn’t stop dribbling, spilling all over him, as you tried to recall the words.

He smirks at your hazy expression, seeing your mind trying to gather itself back into a cohesive state. “Well?” he prompts you again. “Can you explain the concept of intent for this?”

“Ah…” your mind is fuzzy as your walls clench around his cock, still hard inside you. How long had he been doing this? “Mmm…intent…matters because…” Because why? Why did it matter? All that mattered was fucking. Fucking him, riding him, getting filled to the brim with his seed. 

“Tsk. Oh honey. You're never going to pass the bar at this rate.” His hands firmly hook themselves underneath your fleshy thighs. “Now repeat after me.”

He begins to pick up your frame, easing you off his cock before loosening his hands and letting you fall back into his throbbing erection with force, your ass cheeks slapping his thighs as you slide down all the way to his base. 

"It. matters. because. The. Mental. state. Of. a. client. Affects. Our. Ability. To. Prove their. Innocence.”

Each word is punctuated with his hands picking you up and letting you slide, the sound of your ass pounding back into his lap echoing through the room. Each time, the bulbous, mushroom head of his cock kisses your cervix and you swear you're seeing stars each time. You sob each time, your cunt squelching as it takes him all the way in, desperate for an orgasm that wasn't likely to happen. 

“Hiro… Please… Need to cum… study later…”

“You'll never improve if you can't study through the distractions.” His eyes are hooded and dark, barely able to restrain himself from wanting to fuck your brains out until you're spilling all over his thighs. Oh the sight of you, struggling to remember basic words, thoughts too occupied with his cock to remember even the most basic concepts relating to your job. 

“Tell ya what. I'll give you a scenario. If you can explain intent based on that I'll give you an orgasm. How's that?”

You look at him hopefully, still shivering from the intensity of his last movements, and nod. 

“Explain the intent behind a young woman who invites her boyfriend over to help her study for the bar but decides to answer the door in just her underwear.”

Oh the bastard. Feeling your patience snap you admit your motive.

“Clearly she wanted to get fucked nice and good but her boyfriend is a naive moron who really thought she wanted to go over flashcards.” 

“You’ve got the flash part down spectacularly darling.” Hiromi fondles your nipples and you whine, your cunt clenching around him like a vice. 

“Hiro please…”

“I suppose I could count that as an acceptable answer. Nice work.” He spanks your ass in appreciation. “Admission of guilt always helps. Now show me how you plan to alleviate it.”

Your boyfriend was mean. You hadn’t really noticed it until just now. He was more of the type to tease you than anything else. Until you had suggested reading to him while sitting on his cock. 

For some reason, you had assumed he was going to be sweet about it. You hadn’t anticipated how hard he would make this for you. Your lips tremble and you’re a quivering mess as you hold up the book with shaky hands. Tears streak your cheeks as you try again, feeling Suguru’s thumb relentlessly playing with your clit, depriving you of just enough stimulation to keep you focused. 

“T-t-t-the for-forest i-is the…” You wet your lips trying to concentrate. “The fas-test way to the…hi-hi-hidden-”

“Too slow.” You squeal as Geto spanks your already swollen clit, the sting bringing back clarity to your senses. “I thought you were better than this. Are you so fucked out on my cock that you’re taking an hour to read a sentence?” The harsh slap of his hand on your wet folds makes them pulse and you squirm, and you close your legs to avoid the reprimand.

“Tsk. You really are a dumb whore right now.” A cry leaves your lips as he harshly pinches your nipple, twisting it cruelly. “Who told you to close your legs? You seemed pretty confident when spreading them open for me earlier.” Sniffing, you reluctantly part your legs and then let out a noise of discomfort as he slaps the little bud again. 

“Suguru…” you whimper pathetically only to have him roughly rub your clit again.

“Suguru.” He mimics in a high-pitched mocking tone. “What, you thought I would sit here all night while you take your sweet time? You haven’t even finished a page yet. Your cunt is going to be as empty as your brain if you don’t get it together.”

You whine and try again. “The solder…wanted to raid the amry… to get a sard- OUCH!” Suguru gave you a truly hard whack that sent you reeling, a confusing haze of pain and pleasure running through your body like an electric shock.

“What was that? Are you sure that’s even a word?” Slap. “Solder?” Slap. “Amry?” Slap. “Sard?” Slap. “The words are soldier, armory, and sword you stupid slut.” Each spank to your clit is punctuated with a yelp of pain from you. 

“Suguru! I’m sorry please-!” 

He pulls the book from your grip and tosses it aside. “This is why little whores shouldn’t try to brag about talents they don’t possess. Now why don’t you showcase the only real skill you have and cum on my cock like the desperate little cocksleeve you know you are?”

© nanamiscocksleeve original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

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[lilaceatingsnow]

What if the fae boys go into heat unexpectedly and the reader is the only one that can help their problem?

╰┈➤ ❝ [Heat] ❞ 【Headcanons】

Summary ► characters get into heat! how do they get help with it?

About Reader ► AFAB, people use they/them to refer to you.

Warnings ► smut, receiving oral, period sex I think, fingering, author never wrote about heat

Characters Featured ► Malleus Draconia, Lilia Vanrouge

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

NOT PROOFREAD.

Malleus Draconia ►

it was early in the morning when you got a text from THEE Malleus Draconia. asking you to come and meet him up for something in his dorm room.

“Child of Man. I need you to come immediately to my room. it is an emergency.”

naturally, you were concerned about the matter in your hands early in the morning. so you rush out of Ramshackle to meet up with the dragon Prince asap.

once you reach Disomnia, you immediately run to Malleus' room and knock on the door to his room before he allows you in.

“Malleus, I got your message! What's the matter!?”

“....I've gotten into heat. I need your assistance with that.”

this caught you off guard, but you didn't complain, no. who would complain when a dragon Prince is begging you for help.

“Of course, I'll gladly help you out!”

the dragon Prince smirks and gives you a come here gesture with his finger, which you immediately obey and come over.

“Strip for me, my dear.”

the tone of his voice melts in your ears at how soft it was. his words and tone make you want to obey his every word, and so you strip off your clothes as you look away from shyness.

he grabs your hand and pulls you in his bed as he begins to shower you in kisses on your whole body.

whole body means pussy included. and so he loves the smell of your arousal. dear Sevens, it's such a sweet and addicting smell for him addicting enough for him to eat you out.

his forked tongue teasing your clit had you seeing above and beyond. it was such an addicting feeling that couldn't help, but grab his horns as you ride his face.

he didn't mind that you wrote his face, no no, he was so happy as he got to eat, lick and suck you of your juices.

his tongue did wonders and tried to reach such levels that no normal human would. it was an amazing feeling to feel him eat you like a starved man, like you were his last meal.

his hand was groping your chest for the sake of keeping his hand occupied as well as kneeding your ass gently.

your orgasm didn't take too long to happen, thanks to his tongue teasing your clit so much. though he doesn't give you the chance to let out your orgasm, he backs away halfway there.

you whine, and he laughs at you for the state he brought you through.

“Forgive me, Yuu, but I am far from done, and that means you too are far from done.”

Lilia Vanrouge ►

it's that time of the month when the smell of blood is around and a vampire such as Lilia could smell it around.

and who else other than you would have a smell such as that? the smell of your cycle was strong enough for Lilia to go into heat.

he needed to feast, breed. he needed to do so much with little time. and he makes sure not to waste any time by asking you to meet up in his room.

having to deal with a raging boner during school hours was impossibly hard for him, but he made it through out and that's what matters.

upon meeting him, Lilia apologized for his behaviour and, of course, asked you for permission to do as he wished. when you gave him permission, he was so happy to have a mutual understanding.

he immediately pins you down and bites your neck to suck some of your blood. his eyes rolled all the way back at the taste of your blood. he almost nutted right then and there.

he knew that cycles were a pain, and so he decided to ease that pain by teasing you. while he drinks your blood, his hand is in your pants, drawing gentle tight circles on your clit, making sure it was enough to distract you from your cramps such a nice gentleman.

not only was his thumb glued to your clit, but his fingers were inside you, taking the pain off for your mind.

he's an old man who knew how to treat you so well.

he makes sure to be very gentle with you.

A/N ► sorry that Lilia's part was short, he's like a grandpa figure for me so idrk how to write for him— also this is like the first fic I write after my surgery and it being smut is WILD. hope you enjoyed it tho :33

[dicipher]

F it we ball here have my character studies of the homicipher boys bc my ass has been knee deep in this game for making the mod and i need to place my notes somewhere anyway. Call me homicipher matpat...

SPOILERS. Obviously..

Crawling

Goal: stay with Adami

Abilities: intelligence, knowledge of the layout of the other world, knowledge of how to survive encounters with aggressive entities, physical strength [strong upper body, able to kill Stitch with no weapons],speed [can go as fast as a person running while crawling]

Crawling works as Adami's primary tutorial trough the otherworld. It's not clear what exactly caused his infatuation with her since it's near instant after seeing her for the first time. He has an understanding of many locations and people, as well as how the world works and what Adami wants to ask of him. He's playful, defaulting to a smile as his neutral state, and he's amidst the few characters to produce sound in-game. Usually giggles or cries. He's also acting as the male lead, and most of his endings and interactions can be read as romantic, being one of the only characters to say he likes Adami. (Other being Scarletella)

Extra: Crawling is able to stand but he refers to being bad at using his legs. When he does stand, he walks slowly and sluggishly as compared to his ability to nearly sprint while on all fours. Confirming this.

Extra: Yatsunagi said in a tweet that if you choose to exit the otherworld whitout Crawling, he will remain waiting there forever waiting for Adami to return., which is reminescent of the story of Hachiko the dog, who waited at the station for his owner to return forever.

Extra: in some concept art, Crawling is shown to be a similar height to Silvair when standing up

Scarletella

Goal: obtain Adami's name

Abilities: projection, reality warping of some sort, illusions, telepathy, teleportation, creating and controlling sub spaces or larger illusions [blood dimension, ghost apartments], free roam between worlds [his projected body only]

Scarletella works as the main antagonist of the game. He is the reason Adami happened across the otherworld, scaring her towards an entrance. He was an urban legend that haunted the ghost apartments, a location that only appears on rainy days, where Adami was presumedly dumping bodies or leading people there to kill them. This causes Scarlet to grow an infatuation with Adami, as he would feed on the corpses she left there, and for him to mistakenly assume she was courting him by feeding him corpses. Scarletella mostly affects Adami through afflicting her mind, trying to break her into giving him her name.

Extra: he's possibly inspired by a Kasa-obake, a type of yokai that's thought to be a tsukumogami, an object that if left abandonned long enough, will gain life. The Kasa-Obake is a living red umbrella, though those umbrellas are usually traditional umbrellas and take the shape of an umbrella with a single leg and an eye.

Extra: Yatsunagi said she wanted to draw a woman with a red umbrella but ended up making a guy after all.

Extra: Yatsunagi said that Scarletella knows the realworld language despite being born a monster, and that he possibly learns other languages trough reading minds and absorbing that knowledge. She also says that knowing a language and communicating are different, and that Scarletella only thinks for himself.

Extra: Scarletella is inspired by the idea of japanese urban legends (like Kuchisake-onna, Hanako-san, Hasshaku-sama, The red room, Gozu, Aka manto, etc).

Extra: Gap reffers to the ghost appartments as 'his world'. This is also taking place in what seems to be a dream sequence or an alternate location since Adami will either wake back with crawling or in another otherworld location, and not in the real world. So it's much more likely gap reffers strictly to the alternate plane of the Ghost appartments and the blood water domain as Scarlet's world and not the overall otherworld, since it continues to exist independently from Scarlet after he is defeated, and most characters don't seem to be aware of his existence at all.

Extra: In the videogame Ghostwire tokyo you can encounter a quest that will lead you to meet a variation of the Kuchisake-Onna that is completely red and in a red trenchcoat which is reminescent of Scarletella's design. There are also locations of infinite shallow water simmilar to the location you fight him in.

Silvair

Goal: research and study the unknown (primarily how realworld beings are affected by the otherworld)

Abilities: intelligence, medical knowledge on other species [unlike nurse], knowledge of explosives, physical strength [lifts a heavy weapon easily], regeneration

Silvair works as Adami's main source of information in the otherworld. His knowledge of everything including language as well as how to effectively teach things results in him being one of the better sources for finding words early game. While he's shown as curteous and polite, he also shows no remorse in brutalizing others for his own morbid curiosity or research. He treats others in reaction to what helps him moreso than out of kindness.

Extra: when prompted wether he likes Adami, Silvair responds with 'not understand like', this could point to the idea that Silvair doesn't feel or at least understand the feeling of liking/loving something/someone. His lack of empathy or compassion regarding brutalizing Chopped and Adami seems to reinforce this idea, as he's confused as to why Adami is angry at him breaking her body. Simmilar in how some humans cannot or struggle to feel empathy or love and will see relationships moreso as transactions, though that can be typically learned and worked on.

Extra: The cut hand seems to be another entity that Silvair brutalized, while it's first met with Chopped, it does not leave Silvair's home and is the one to lead you there, it also is not Chopped hand's since he notes it to be a different entity.

Extra: when questionned regarding his knowledge, Silvair responds that someone taught him. This could point to Silvair having been on at least good terms with a human wiht medical knowledge in the past. Or it could point to him being a human pre-game and having done medical studies in his past.

Chopped

Goal: to be in a safe environment (with safe people or in a safe place)

Abilities: none [he uh.. he can roll around if he tries real hard maybe?]

Chopped mainly works as one of Adami's friends, unlike other characters he stands out as needing to be protected instead of being a protector. His incredible vulnerability means he's often picked on in some way. He's usually shown with Silvair, though he also often seems to get lost on his own somehow.

Extra: Chopped enjoys being clean and put together, he seems to know the hairdresser on a basis simmilar to Silvair.

Extra: Chopped recovers not by eating human flesh but by sleeping (supported by his dialogue when leaving Silvair's apartment and how often he sleeps). Chopped dislikes being handled against his will, and his vulnerability at being essentially completely disabled makes him easy prey for other residents to pick on.

Extra: Chopped is implied to have been a human like Adami pre-main story. Silvair's treatment of us is reminescent of him and Chopped is amongst the most expressive and human-like of the cast.

Hood

Goal: to help Adami be safe

Abilities: strength [carries a heavy weapon], proficiency in executing ennemies, intelligence

Hood works as Adami's first proper introduction to the game and it's mechanics. He also works as some sort of passive protector to humans who enter the otherworld. Though he isn't interested in keeping them safe long term and would rather be on his own most of the time.

Extra: Hood allegedly has no head, but his body is.. squishy.. ish? He's seen handling weapons with a hand, so it's unclear what of his body exists and what does not.

Gap

Goal: to obtain various human body parts trough trade or request

Abilities: teleportation, manifesting trough any space so long as it is dark enough and is being observed [schrodinger's gap], free roam between worlds, intelligence, 4th wall breaking

Gap is the first real threat encountered by Adami. He also works as the main source of lore and progression of the main storyline. He also works to actively help Adami break free from Scarletella. Though this doesn't seem to be out of kindness but out of boredom, as if he has nothing better to do.

Extra: Gap says he has no reason for wanting body parts. Gap says he has no heart, or most things for that matter. He's only shown having hands/arms and a head/face.

Extra: though gap says he has no particular reason for wanting body parts, he only seems interested in human parts, and his specie presumedly eats flesh. Gap is never explicitly implied to eat the body parts he's given, though, and the idea that he lacks a heart could mean he lacks a digestive tract, like Chopped, and recovers energy in a different way, like him.

Extra: Gap is much more aggressive in chap 1/beta than he is in the rest of the game. This could be due to a light change in the writing of his character later down the line, as he's much more simplistic and actively hunts Adami trough gaps, while full release gap appears ever so often in holes Adami looks trough to poke fun, show off his collection or ask permission to take body parts.

Hugeface

Goal: to capture smaller living beings to use them as dolls/pets

Abilities: strength, size, ability to exist 'outside' the bounds of the otherworld [ in the void above/outside rooms]

Hugeface is a looming threat encountered troughout the otherworld. He treats any character smaller than him as some sort of pet, handling them clumsily and roughly like an infant would a new pet hamster. He also is implied to collect ones he finds cute as pets, placing them in little fake environments.

Extra: Hugeface is implied to exist in a space simmilar to what would be 'out of bounds' in a videogame, the space only seems to appear in rooms with missing walls, ceilings, or windows in some way. Such as the door in chap 1, the giant ravine in Machete's story, and in locations without ceilings.

Machete

Goal: to do whatever he wants with no one in his way

Abilities: strength, speed, fighting proficiency

Machete is an extremely aggressive entity, he will fight Adami unprovoked, though he seems much more interested in the actual fight than in killing or eating her. He thinks her and any who fail at defeating him as weaklings.

Extra: Machete's aggression might stem from him misinterpreting someone others do as someone trying to pick a fight. He's also overconfident in winning every fight, so he isn't afraid to fight, unlike Stitch who does not fight even when attacked directly.

Extra: Machete's skin and overall affliction could be similar to Adami's [red blotches on skin], this could also be dry and fresh blood stains though..

Telephone

Goal: to help Adami to avoid death

The telephone is an entity that will call any available phone to transfer information to Adami. This is usually advice on how to avoid upcoming monsters (scarletella, Hugeface) or navigate areas (maze), making it one of the few beings to actively be good, having no known of ulterior motive.

Extra: Telephone seems to be able to speak trough any sort of telephone, unclear where the line is drawn. (Would two cans and a string work??)

Stitch

Goal: to entertain himself

Abilities: intelligence (quick to learn how new things work, knowledgeable of a variety of things and locations including things from the real world, one of the few to recognize us as human)

Stitch acts as a mild antagonist due to his habit of forcefully showing Adami things he finds interesting or dragging her to places to amuse himself. When he has nothing to do, he mopes around depressingly until he comes across something new. He's upbeat and playful, not bad intentioned but he doesn't consider others much.

Extra: Even when threatened or attacked (Adami or Crawling), Stitch doesn't fight back.

Wheelchair

Goal: to heal from his injuries

Wheelchair is encountered twice, he's a rude, aggressive and demanding entity that will demand Adami fixes him. If Adami outright refuses to help him, he will kill her.

Extra: it's unclear what exactly he suffers from. He points to his eye being missing as well as his mouth being split. His skin appears to be corroding in some way, and he seems completely unable to use his legs to move. His affliction is not like Chopped or Adami's, and Silvair either has not met him or did not find him interesting or cooperative enough to care for him. It could be that his disease is unique in some way, or that it's incurable. It could also be that it's resulted from a fight, since his mouth was cut open, presumedly by someone else.

Masque

Goal: to entertain others

Abilities: teleportation [of himself and others/other objects]

Masque is a peaceful entity, he will appear and offer to show Adami a magic trick, either way leads to him leaving.

Extra: Masque is not aggressive even if you refuse to watch his magic tricks.

Human

Goal: to escape the otherworld

Human is a human met near the end of the game. He's scared of Adami, presumably because she's nearly fully a monster at that point, or because her own urban legend is circulating now. Or maybe it's the blood and crowbar. Either way he doesn't fully trust her, and he's nervous of her. He's killed off screen shortly after meeting Adami.

Extra: in the original Jpn version of the game, he's an english speaker, in the eng ver this is reversed to him speaking jpn while adami speaks english.

Extra: the only way of falling to the otherworld that we are shown is the elevator, or falling into it [backrooms style]. Ot could be that the Human fell out from another, english speaking country, or it could be that he was a foreigner in Japan when he fell.

Extra: Human speaks some otherworld, pointing to the idea that he was taught by some benevolent characters like Silvair or Hood pre-meeting Adami.

Adami Adashino

Goal: escape the other world/ break Scarletella's curse

Abilities: strenght, changing size (temporary), regeneration

Adami is a human japanese woman, while she appears as a more shy and ditsy amnesiac girl, it's revealed she's a murderer who had been dumping bodies at the ghost appartments, attracting Scarletella's attention

Extra: one of the symbols in Adami's name is the same used for 'monster', foreshadowing.

Extra: in Blissful love life end, Adami is shown to live alone, presumably without parents or family. She also does not mention missing her family or worrying about her friends and family looking for her. So it's unlikely she has any.

Extra: Adami Adashino is the 'default'/'canon' mc name, as it is the name already in the field you need to fill out when you remember your name.

Extra: Adami goes trough various appearance changes trough out the story:

She starts in a japanese sailor school uniform (hinting to the fact she was most likely a high school student) and had longer hair

This is changed to a white dress (given by bride),

Then her iconic white raincoat (given by bride).

Her hair is cut shorter and it turns white/grey by the end of the story. (Cut by gap, turns white from exposure to the other world)

Her face gets covered in bandages by nurse, her eyes presumably turn red at some point that is never specifically mentionned

General stuff

Extra: lots of characters are seen using their left hands (Silvair is often drawing holding his syringe+weapon in his left hand, but occasionally his right) (Crawling points to things with his left hand) (Scarlet holds his umbrella in his left hand) (Hood holds his weapon in his left hand as well as his right). This could be a continuity error in how they are drawn, or it could be that they're ambidextrous (it's more common for lefties to become ambidextrous). This is not the case for Gap though who is mostly shown using his right hand.

Extra: some characters are not able to recognize Adami as human (Chopped, wheelchair) , while others immediately do (Hood, Silvair, Stitch)

Extra: Yatsunagi said the otherworld language comes from birth to monsters (not humans turned to monster)

If you have any corrections or thoughts feel free to comment them so i can fix anything accordingly, reblogs are harder to answer to

[myladysapphire]

His Sapphire Princess (IX)

After the night in the brothel Rhaenyra is married to Laenor Velayron to protect the birth of her child. who in the years to follow is the only one of Rhaenyra's children that is believed to be his, she is loved by all in the red keep, even queen Alicent adores the girl, so when Rhaenyra proposes a marriage between Aemond and Rhaenyra's daughter Visenya, Alicent happily agrees.

The children having been best friends in their youths are more than happy to be wed but when the incident at drift mark occurs things change, will it be for better or worse?

word count: 2,455

CW: angst? some fluff (like they reunite and don't hate each other and decide to start over), tensions, refrences of past SA, not proofread!

Fem!oc x Aemond Targeryen

Masterlist | series masterlist | previous part | next part

disclaimer:  i do not own any of claim any of the A song of ice and  fire characters, all rights belong to GRR MARTIN, all characters are his except for my OC

a/n i hate this, but it's kind of a filler chapter anyway

Aemond

Aemond had been both eager and nervous for her return.

Though counting down the days, planning on how he would greet you, he also was scared.

He know she felt ignored by him, betrayed by how he had just stopped replying to her letters. Ignored her name days, ignored her completely.

But that was not entirely true.  He had wanted so badly to reply, writing letter upon letter, though some were just mindless scribbles. But not once did he find he wrote a letter worthy of her, worthy of the emotions he felt. He needed space and he had shown he needed it in the worse possible way.

He had hated how he knew some version of her, a guarded version. Her letters expressing less and less, over time just mere updates of her life before stopping altogether. And he hated that the version she knew of him was the scared little boy he had tried so hard to get ride of.

The version of Aemond he had gotten ride of, in all ways but with her. He wanted to be the old Aemond with her, but hated that he did. It was why he needed the space, the time to heal, the time to become the man he is today.

But as he stood in the training yard, staring at her as she talked to him, so ddiffernt, so cold.

He knew he made a mistake.

She was so different, she had changed, and not just her personality.

But her looks also. Gods she was the most stunning and beautiful woman he had ever seen, he had always thought it impossible for her to become more beautiful.

But her beauty was clouded by the look in her eyes, the anger, the hurt and the loneliness.

She looked so alone, even as she walked out the courtyard with her brothers, laughing. She same old melodic laugh that could capture a room. The loneliness ceased slightly when he looked into them, as if she was finally being seen.

He understood. There eyes always talked to each other, expressing their true emotions, it why he knew his eyes mirrored hers, but they also showed another emotion, regret.

Regret for reading your letters time and time again, annotating them as if they were quotes from his favourite novel. Regret from the stack of unsent letters he kept in his bedside draw.

Each filled with his thoughts. Most mindless scribbles, unfished letters ending with angry scribbled out words as words escaped him, as  fear filled him.

He had tried to write of the events in his life even detailing his fights with Ser Criston, his rides with Vaghar, the books he read. And yet he could never send them, fear of her seeing his liefe and not understanding why he needed the space, or fear that he would see the darkest parts of his mind grew as the years went on. The sweet kind boy she had once new fading, and a cruel, vengeful man taking his place.  

He had once longed to be a protector, her sworn sword, doing good in her name. now…now he revelled in fear. He loved how the woman would run at the sight of his sapphire eye, a sight he knew deep down she never would. He revelled in revenge, revenge by going to the brothel, the place of his hurt, and burning it.

It was ruthless, but the second he had done it, he felt free, healed.

And yet fear still gripped at him, fear of wheat you know thought of him.

Fear that she would not accept the new him, but as he had started at you he felt like the old sweet Aemond was still in there somewhere, but only for her, his Sapphire.

Watching her sway away he knew he had limited time, this week was the first week of their official courtship, but the week after they would begin the moon long celebrations for their wedding.

Celebrations were they would spend day after day, hour after hour together being the perfect couple.

And he didn’t want it to be an act.

He had returned to his rooms, opening his bedside draw, but instead of reaching for her letter he reached for his own, and realised what he wanted to do.

He waited, two days. Two days of agony.

He had somehow hoped those two days he would be able to approach her, talk to her. But now, all he could was watch her. Watch her spend day after day in someone else’s company

Whether it was one of the tens of ladies begging for her favour and chance at becoming her lady, or her brother Jace, or even Aegon.

Gods he had forgotten about Aegon’s obsession with her. He knew they wrote, Aegon often bragging about it. With Aegon telling him about her, their little jokes, their shared secrets.

Not that he was jealous, no. He was not jealous of how Aegon seemed to act as if they were betrothed to each other. For two days they seemed to walk everywhere together, sit with each other at dinners. Though her eyes were often searching for Aemond’s, Aegon’s eyes were always firmly planted on her. And whenever she wasn’t with him, he was like a lost pup, waiting for her to appear.

Those two days, though never alone they often found the other staring, their mouths would being to form words that they were never able to form. And so he finally built up the courage and sent her his letters.

Visenya

When she had received Aemond’s letters she did not know what to expect.

They had appeared on her dresser, all 112 of them. Though some were scrapes of paper with random thoughts scribbled across them. One just one word repeated, 110 times.

Her name written, again and again, in the same neat, perfect handwriting Aemond had always had.

She then realised what this was, an apology.

She found the first letter he wrote that was left unsent, and she felt her heart break.

Dearest Visenya,

I am so sorry, I can not say why it has taken so long for me to only now reply.

Prepahs it was the guilt.

I never should of come to Winterfell, You had been kind and sweet, but I fear your kindness is unwarranted. I do not desire pity, I regret coming that night, I regret allowing you to see me so weak and scared. My whole life I have sworn to be your protector, your sword. And that night as I cried in your arms I felt like a small child, I felt smaller than when I did when Lucerys tore out my eye. And I hated it.

I have tried to look past it, look at it in away where I do not come across a whiny little boy and I am nothing but ashamed.

I had hoped to write you, bragging of my successes and yet all I can do I wallow In self pity at how I acted that night.

It matters not that I bested ser Criston for the first time, or how often I ride Vaghar.

For all I can think about it the look of pity you gave me.I do not need nor want your pity, my sapphire.

You gave me a place to stay and a place to cry, but I shall make it clear to you that the Aemond you saw that night is long gone. And shall never return. He can never return, not for you not for anyone.

So sweet, I shall not answer your request to come to Winterfell, I need the space, the time and so do you.

I fear distance is what we need, though we may hate it, I need to become Prince Aemond, and not just scared little Aemond, the boy who lost is eye, the boy who cried in your arms.

Yours, whether I say it or not,

Aemond

Dearest Visneya,

It has been near six moons since I last wrote you, and you are writing less and less.

I have been cruel, I know. I have ignored you in the favour of bettering myself.

I do not deserve you, or your kindness even still.            

You seem to be doing well, a fact I envy not too see. But I myself am not.

I miss you more and more each day, I find myself looking for you ate very turn. And yet it has been over a year since you were at the red keep.

So much has changed, Aegon and Heleana are to wed soon, I have started training with a real sword.

I no longer wake in sweats from that night.

So much has changed and yet I have so little words to say, I hate it!

I used to have all the words in the world for you, never once fearing how you viewed me. For I knew how you viewed me then.

And now I fear you will judge me.

Hate me.

Resent me.

I fear I have become a stranger, and yet I have a dozen unsent letters all addressed to you, read and read time and time again your own.

I know you, and I fear you.

Fear your opinion of me, how you view me.

I fear-      

Most of his letters just ended, frustration finding him far to quickly, some were just mindless words and phrases.

Visenya,

I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you  I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you .

Some were hateful, words said in anger, at how she still cared.

Dear Visenya,

Stop writing me.

How long must I ignore you to realise I want not to know you as we once did.

How am I to become the man you desire we spend all our time writing each other, stuck in our silly little heads!

Then gossip filled the red keep, gossip that Cregan had asked for your hand.

Visneya,

please, my sapphire, I beg of you do not marry him!

Your mother bids it but I do not!

Please.

And then her letters had stopped and he left once last letter to her.

Visneya,

Please, don’t stop writing me!

I know I have not been a friend to you but a stranger but without your letters the world has stopped.

I now I am a hypocrite, a hypocrite who cannot find the words. Who never has been able to speak his feelings, but show them.

I know not of a gesture to prove I want you till, I crave you and I need you.

but please, I cannot live without you, knowing you, please.

Please!

forever your Aemond.

Gods, she thought, he had to been hurt. Though not by her, and she had resented him for it. Resented how he had opened up to her, and then abandoned her ignored her for so long.

She knew it was hard for, he was never one for words. Gestures yes, but words? They always frustrated him, he could never formulate his feelings and yet this, the scribbled erratic thoughts and letters, unedited and rushed. They showed so much but also so little.

She has spent the whole day reading those letters, seeing no one bar her maid delivering her meals. And had it not been for her mother coming to grab her for dinner, demanding her presence, she would have sat on her thoughts all day and night.

But as she was sat next to Aemond she realised she would have less time to think on what Aemond’s gesture meant and what it meant for them.

“Aemond” she greeted, flipping her hair to the side as she sat.

“Senya” he greeted in response, eyes firmly on her.

 She squirmed in her seat, unsure on where to start. “Senya” he said again, capturing her attention, as they made eye contact some tension left her body.

“why?” she asked, its all she could think of, why?

He coughed awkwardly, clearly not expecting this conversation now, “I was never one for words, Visneya. But gestures, have always been something I excel at.” He moved his head closer to her, their conversation too private for prying eyes. “ I never should have ignored you, I know realise, it hurt us both, more than I ever thought” he shifted in his seat “seeing the look in your eyes when you arrived and realising I had made a mistake”

She nodded, urging him on, as she began to plate up her food.

“I focused solely on myself, I was selfish, but I won’t lie to you, my sapphire”

My sapphire, she liked that.

“I have become selfish and cruel, I have become a man who craves fear, but not from you, never from you”

“then what do you want from me?” she asked softly, before nervously looking to make sure no one else was listening to their conversation. “you did not want companionship from me, you ignored me for years on end, and yet by the end of the moon we will be wed!” she took a breath ���if you have truly become selfish, and cruel, how do I know that it is for your betterment? And how will I know that you wont ever make me fear you?”

“because I became that person, so that I never have to feel fear again, feel the fear I felt at Driftmark, at that… at that brothel” she sighed, taking her hand in his “ I want to be your protector, it is all I have ever wanted, and how could I become that if I remained that scared, naïve little boy?”

Everything he was saying was true, but it also made her realize she did not know him anymore.

She breathed in “perhaps we should start over? Get to know one another again?”

He nodded, “I would like that”

next part

Taglist

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[hana-no-seiiki]

I saw that you need ideas, so how about a yandere from the Neons? I mean, I would like to see more content from them since they represent the elements in Honkai star rail, by the way, sorry if you don't understand, my English is bad... I leave you a little drawing of a masculine makima (it has nothing to do with it, but as a gift ) xd Also, I don't know if I'm the only one, but Nanook makes me handsome >///<

(Sorry, I had already finished it but the work was stained hahaha and I did it again)

Yus the Aeons are so cool looking!! You really feel like they’re actual gods of the universe, especially since you don’t see them first hand (at least for now). Also Masculine Makima reminds me of Karma Akabane lol. I’ll draw it in my style, and add it here as an extra for you ♥️

Hb we mash those two topics up together actually?

warnings: mild yandere themes. mild spoilers for csm. major canon divergence. reader takes the shape of a masc/amab character but it isnt their original form.

status: unedited. updated art.

YANDERE! AEONS + VARIOUS! HSR x AEON OF FEAR/CONTROL! READER

You have no memory of your conception, only that you started existing for what felt like an eternity.

You represented fear and despair, but unlike IX whose mere presence drove humanity into insanity, or the rest of your fellow aeon’s godlike status amongst the world,

you walked around as a normal, ordinary human being.

As normal as an Aeon can get anyways.

In your current lifetime, you took the shape of Himeko’s “brother”, planting fake memories into her mind and being the one that urged her to travel the stars. While she was the navigator, you took the role of conductor before creating Pompom to supplant you.

Welt always knew you weren’t just a regular person. Your eyes always felt distant, so far off that not even a century’s worth of trail blazing would allow him to come close. As such he mostly kept cordial relations with you.

The youngsters of the bunch on the other hand, never seemed to realize the sheer magnanimity of the danger you held and always hung around you.

Particularly that Caelus. The newest addition to the crew. The stellaron within him always pulsed in some sort of giddiness and excitement whenever you were around. The boy couldn’t help but be a nervous wreck when he was around you. Stuttering and stumbling was a common occurrence whenever you so decide as to just breathe at his direction.

You knew what those Stellarons are, their nature, their purpose, the way they were created. In fact if you wanted to, you could have taken the Astral Express straight to the source of it all, your partner: Nanook.

However that would have ruined the fun of it all. So you chose to let them have their little adventures before the final confrontation.

Also because you signed a contract to not meddle with Nanook’s business in exchange for your freedom. But that was another story to tell.

“Why . . . why do you continue this farce? This utterly worthless play?”

IX’s voice rang within your ears and no one else’s. You were the only being it ever gave the time of day to. You imagine it to be the reason why insanity slowly built itself within the recesses of your head.

“You may see the entire universe as worthless . . . but I,” You breath hitched. You looked around your room. Time was frozen. Everything turned grey. You weren’t afraid of the others in the express hearing you, just that the following words you were about to spout out felt like bile on your mouth. “I suppose I’m still a bit like them in a way. I wish to see the world without its evils.”

“And destroying them. That is my first step.” You summon an orb of golden light. Stellarons. The creation of the very thing that made you loath all evil. Including yourself. You will eradicate these and then Nanook yourself. One day.

“Is that why you send those hunters out?”

“Perhaps.” The orb within your hands get covered in chains, quickly getting crushed within the metal like substance as it soon disappeared.

“Do as you wish. Just do not bother me like that imbecile.”

“I promise. I will be much worse than Yaoshi.”

IX remained silent for several seconds, no doubt regretting its decision of associating with you before adding, “. . . And do not die.”

“That one I cannot guarantee.”

Your room’s color returns, time continues. Signaling the end of two Aeons’ encounter.

Nanook, the Aeon that threatened to eradicate all that you love. All so they could have your soul once more. Within your gilded cage. Within your original body that lied dormant.

The Destruction will no longer be a path. That is a guarantee you write upon the stars when your Trail Blazing lifetime eventually comes to a close.

The stage is set, your actors ready.

All you needed was the cue.

Your gloved hand arose, pointing towards the express’s windows in the shape of a gun.

“Bang.”

[deanscherrypie420]

Her Protector <3

A/N: I said I was inspired.. I couldn't help itttt.. Enjoy this little mess <3

Characters: Castiel, Reader Y/N, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

Paring: Castiel X Reader

Warnings: Fluff, PDA, teasing, arguing, obliviousness, SPN hunting, mentions of spirits, mentions of murders, injuries, brief description of injuries, (Let me know if I missed something!)

Summary: After joining the Winchester brothers full time on their hunting journey, you are quickly introduced to Castiel. Now, he won't leave you alone. Everyone notices it, and now you have to figure out how to bring it up.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

She'd only been on the road with the Winchesters for a few months now. Living in the bunker was nice, but she never truly got comfortable. She always felt like it was too good, too nice, too... too normal. Well, as normal as a hunter could get.

Currently, they were in a diner eating breakfast. They had been brought to California because of a spirit who killed young women, angry for a reason they didn't know yet. She didn't know why, but she was determined to figure out the motive.

Pulling her away from her mind, Dean snatched the book she was reading out of her hand. "Seriously, we're eating. Put the book down." Dean sassed. Y/N rolled her eyes, "Since when did you give a damn about manors?" She retorted. He chuckled and shook his head.

Sam was about to speak when a man appeared in the seat in front of Y/N. She nearly spit out the mouth full of Sprite she just sipped, covering her mouth with her hand. She swallowed and turned to look at the brothers. Dean just chuckled and wrapped an arm around the man, "Y/N, meet Castiel, Castiel meet Y/N."

Castiel sticks his hand out to shake hers, and she awkwardly accepts. "Nice to meet you." Her voice was raised at the end, almost as if it was a question. Castiel nodded eagerly and pulled his hand away.

After a few minutes of awkward conversation, she noticed how Castiel hasn't stopped looking at her. "Do I have something on my face?" She asked with a playful tone. Castiel raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "No, your face looks pleasant."

Sam and Dean broke out in a fit of laughter and Y/N couldn't help but laugh along. The angel looked around at the group, confused as to what he didn't understand. "What? Was that supposed to be humorous?" He questioned.

The group laughed and teased him for some time. It was nice, relaxing even. Castiel did not feel that way though, he was so confused and trying desperately to understand the humor in it.

Such an interesting first impression.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

She'd known Cas for a few months now. They had gotten close, he often spent time with her in her room, reading or just sitting and watching her while she occupied herself.

Right now, she was reading on her bed. She was laying on her stomach, her ankles crossed in the air behind her. Castiel had appeared in her room without her knowing, sitting quietly at her desk.

He began studying her area, looking at all her different items and possessions. He lifted up one of her notebooks, them all being stacked neatly on the corner of her work surface. Opening it, he scanned the doodles that circled the words. A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

He set the notebook down on his lap, glancing over at Y/N to make sure she was still engulfed in her book. Satisfied, he reached over to grab a pen from her collection. He studied the ink inside of it, a beautiful storm of baby blue ink mixed with sparkling glittery stars.

He began creating little drawings next to hers, small clouds and a smiley face that mirrored the ones she had drawn previously. He smiled, an odd sense of pride washing over him.

He closed the journal and set it back down. Then he reached over and set the pen carefully back into its container. When he pulled back, the sleeve of his trench-coat caught on a pencil and caused the case to knock over.

Immediately, she jumped back into an awkward crawl looking position, groaning when she realized it was just Castiel. "Cas, what did I tell you about randomly showing up?" She said as she got up, walking over to her desk to clean up the mess. "Please, and I can't stress this enough, knock on my door."

He nodded, a frown playing on his lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." He moved to help her, quickly setting the container up right as she gathered the utensils and placed them neatly back in.

She sighed and faced him, "It's okay, just be more careful." She turned to walk away and tripped on Castiel's foot, falling to the ground and grunting.

Castiel quickly got up and pulled her back to her feet. "Are you okay?" He hurried, turning her to face him. She laughed dryly and waved his hands away, "I'm fine, really, I'm fine."

"I just need to be more careful."

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Ever since that incident, even though it was such a small thing, Cas has never left her side. Even more so when they're on hunts, and especially when she gets hurt.

"Fuck! Sammy!" She groaned, her head falling back onto the cold tile of the abandoned hospital. Sam quickly rushed towards her, lifting her head from the floor and into his lap. "Damn it, Y/N." He muttered, stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her.

She groaned as Dean put pressure on her abdomen, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. "Dean, that hurts!" She spat at him through bared teeth. He scoffed, "Yeah, I bet it does."

Cas appeared, back towards them. He looked around, turning his body and realizing what was happening. "No." Was all he could say before he was down on the ground, nearly shoving Dean away from her.

His hands pressed down on her stomach and she hissed, pain shooting through her body. When the white light appeared beneath his hands her brain got foggy and she couldn't exactly recall what was happening.

After a moment, Castiel had picked her up off the ground and was carrying her to the Impala. He gently stroked her back, his hand tracing the same clouds he drew in her notebook months ago onto her skin.

She recognized instantly that's what he was creating and she let out a breathy laugh, "The clouds.." He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, the clouds. I figured you would like them."

He was correct.

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"I'm fine! You guys don't need to baby me!" She groaned as Cas walked her into the diner, his hand gently squeezing hers as she whined. "We aren't babying you, we're taking care of you." Sam retorted, rolling his eyes at her complaint.

As they sat down, Cas sat down next to her, still holding her hand. Both the brothers looked at each other and then Dean stared her down. She hated that secret language they spoke with their eyes. She tried relentlessly to decode it, but always failed.

"What?" She questioned, and Dean's mouth flattened into a thin line, raising his hands before slapping them against his thighs, all in one swift motion. "Look, whatever you and lover-boy got going on, it's none of my business." He said with a nod towards the angel.

"Dean, really?" Sam said in an instant response to his brother's comment. Cas's eyebrows were raised before he spoke, "Who's lover-boy?" Y/N rolled her eyes, squeezing his hand in a reassuring way, "Nobody, he's teasing you - us." The older Winchester laughed, his first hitting the table as he glanced at his brother. "Is Cas feelin' a bit jelly?"

"Jelly..? Like.. the-" Cas started, but he was cut off Y/N, "Castiel, do not entertain him and his bullshit." She warned, finally pulling her hand away from his. Cas's face shifted, a small frown dragging down the corners of his mouth. His hand explored up her thigh and connected her hand back with his. She glanced at the vessel before sighing with an eye roll, "Cas-"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Castiel was laying on the bed next to her, trying to understand the comicality of the film they were watching. Y/N was a laughing mess, and even though he didn't understand, he loved her laugh.

It was so beautiful to listen to. So beautiful to see. The way her cheeks bloomed with red, the way around her eyes crinkled, the way the T.V light lit a sparkle in her eyes.

He noticed that about her, how she just glowed. Her smile, her kindness - oh and his favorite - her touch. When she hugged him or ruffled his hair he adored it. Craved it, even.

He talked to Dean about it, figuring he would be able to explain it. He was so confusing. Sam had to simplify his brother's version and dumbed it down for Cas.

He felt romantically attracted to Y/N.

"Cas?" Her voice cut through his pondering mind. He looked over at her, the soft expression on her face causing a tingly feeling within his stomach. "Yes?" He responded simply.

"Sam talked to me earlier. Said I should tell you how I feel." She stated, returning her focus back to the movie. He cocked a brow, his eyes squinting a bit. "Feelings? What feelings?" He felt that familiar nervousness he usually felt when she got more intimate with him. It wasn't a bad nervous, but a jittery, kind of excited type of nervous.

She looked back up at him, a gentle smile on her face. "Have you ever kissed anyone, Cas?" He thought for a moment, a warm feeling flooding his cheeks. "No, but I've seen people kiss. It's really interesting actually. The way two humans show affec-"

He was cut off by her lips crashing onto his. He froze for a moment, but he quickly grasped onto her hips and pulled her up to his lap, his fingers digging into the plump flesh.

"Fuck, Cas," She murmured and his eyes darted to hers. "Did I hurt you?" He frowned and she giggled, "I don't think you ever could." He smiled and continued savoring the taste of her mouth, his hands moving to her waist.

Suddenly, she was flipped onto her back, a gasp escaping her lips, followed by a giggling fit. He groaned, a primal urge flooding his senses. His lips eagerly moved down to devour her neck, small kisses and bites causing her giggling to increase.

That only fueled him more, peppering kisses down and into the crook of her neck. He then trailed them back up and claimed her mouth once more.

This was a different, more passionate kiss than before. Her hands trailed to the back of his neck, gently tugging on his hair to pull him away from the kiss. "Cas," She giggled, and he just murmured something in response, continuing to worship her mouth.

Once he finally pulled away for air, he nuzzled his face into her chest and she smiled down at him. "Mmm.. You taste exquisite." He praised, his lips placing another kiss to her collarbone. "Exquisite?" She teased, and he nodded wholeheartedly.

She laughed and kissed the top of his head, her hand gently scratching the back of it, her fingers occasionally twirling strands of his hair.

Within a few minutes, she felt herself dozing off. She wished Castiel was able to actually sleep with her, but she knew he'd stay beside her anyway.

"You're tired." The angel stated, resting his chin against her chest. "Yeah, I'm sorry." She didn't know why she apologized, but she felt bad. He would have to lay there on his own while she slept.

It was as if Castiel could read her mind because he quickly switched their positions. Y/N was now resting on top of him and she let out a quiet whine in protest. He hushed her and stroked her hair.

"Sleep, you need rest." He insisted. She tried to push herself off of him, but his arm squeezed her waist, pulling her back down. "Cas, I don't wanna-"

He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer, "Yes, you do. Sleep. When you are relaxed, I am relaxed." And with that, she fell into a blissful, peaceful sleep.

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Y/N woke up earlier than usual. She rolled over, stretching out her legs with a soft groan. She felt the angels arms pull her back into him, resting his head on top of hers.

A smile crept onto her lips when she realized the man next to her was asleep. He had put himself to sleep so he could rest with her.

...

She knew it wasn't normal to be in love with an angel, hell, it was far from it. Nothing in her life was normal, but she knew that how she felt with Cas was good, and it was really, really nice.

And that was all she needed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Okay so hear me out.. I am so exhausted right now, it is 2:52 AM.. You don't wanna know how long I worked on this..

I HAVE HAD THIS OPEN AND WRITING SINCE 10:30 (more or less.)

Please. Send help. I KEPT GETTING DISTRACTED, AND THEN WRITERS BLOCK AND OH IT WAS JUST SO BAD. I had so many ideas I wanted to write with my midnight motivation (I should trademark that) BUT NOW IM READY TO SLUMP.

I hope you enjoyed! GOOD NIGHT.

[player279achlys]

The golden rabbit’s legacy (Hwang In-Ho x fem! reader)

Il-nam’s granddaughter taking his legacy and falling in love with the Frontman.

Pairing: Hwang In-Ho/Frontman x Original!female!Character

Summary: In the shadow of her grandfather’s empire of death, Melinoe, the brilliant granddaughter of Oh Il-Nam, steps into the blood-soaked legacy of the Squid Games. Determined to honor her family’s name, she rises as the most cunning and ruthless hostess the games have ever seen. But with power comes danger—not only from the players and scheming VIPs but from Hwang In-Ho, the enigmatic Front Man whose obsession with her knows no bounds.

As Melinoe reshapes the games into her own vision of twisted justice, she must navigate deadly alliances, unrelenting VIP attention, and In-Ho’s possessive devotion. When her grandfather enters the arena and Gi-Hun fights to survive, the stakes reach a breaking point.

Can you control the games without letting them destroy you—and will love be your salvation or your undoing?

Previous chapter: Introduction

Next chapter: Chapter I

Warnings: afab!, angst. Fear of losing someone. Smut (light kinda), grumpy x sunshine, dark romance, age gap, possessive, obsessed, paranoid and dominant In-Ho, daddy issues, yandere behaviour, jealousy, violence, murder, typical squid game stuff.

English isn’t my first language, if there are any mistakes, please forgive me. :)

Prologue:

The year was 2019, and the 32nd Squid Games loomed like a specter over a remote island cloaked in secrecy. Within the cold steel walls of the control room, Hwang In-Ho sat in his dark brown leather chair, the geometric lines of his mask casting sharp shadows against his pristine black suit. His gloved hands drummed rhythmically on the desk, though his thoughts were far from the screens flickering before him.

Ever since Oh Il-Nam had mentioned her, the granddaughter he adored, a storm had brewed within In-Ho’s chest. Melinoe. The name rolled through his mind like a haunting melody. A law graduate, fiercely intelligent and ambitious, and now, his obsession. For two years, he had watched over her from the shadows, keeping her safe from the treacherous world he inhabited. No boyfriends. No suitors. No threats. He ensured that. Every time someone tried to draw near, they vanished, erased from her life like an ink smudge wiped clean.

And now, she was here—on the island, no longer a distant specter but flesh and blood. She had arrived to take her place as her grandfather’s successor, a role that made his blood run cold. She couldn’t be part of this. Not her.

Melinoe gazed out of the helicopter window, her heart a mixture of dread and determination. The turquoise waves below seemed endless, their beauty a cruel irony against the darkness she was plunging into. Beside her, Oh Il-Nam sat, his frail frame betraying the vitality of his sharp mind. He was explaining the games, their origins, and their grim purpose with a calmness that unnerved her.

“I know this is overwhelming, Melinoe,” her grandfather said, his voice rasping. “But this is our legacy. It’s what we’ve built for generations to come. You’ll understand.”

“I already understand,” she replied, her tone resolute. “But I want to earn it. No favors, no shortcuts.”

Il-Nam’s lips curled into a smile, both proud and wistful. “You remind me of myself.”

As they landed, Melinoe’s sharp eyes scanned the compound. Guards in crimson suits stood at attention, their masked faces obscuring any hint of humanity. Among them, one figure stood out. A tall man clad in black, his geometric mask as foreboding as the aura he exuded.

In-Ho.

He stepped forward, his presence commanding attention, though his voice was measured when he greeted them. “Welcome. Everything has been prepared for your stay.

Melinoe felt a shiver run through her. His tone was polite, but there was something in it—a weight, a gravity that spoke of authority and… something else. Their eyes met briefly, and though his mask hid his face, she swore she could feel his gaze piercing through her.

In-Ho’s footsteps echoed through the sterile halls as he made his way to the control room. The image of her lingered in his mind—her bright eyes, the way she carried herself with an air of determination that only deepened his obsession. She was sunshine, pure and radiant, and he was the storm cloud that threatened to swallow her whole.

He didn’t want her here. She didn’t belong in this hell. But she was resolute, and In-Ho knew better than anyone that once a player entered the game, there was no turning back.

Hours later, he found her in the observation lounge, studying the compound’s layout on a tablet. The room’s dim lighting cast a soft glow over her, accentuating her features. She looked up as he entered, offering him a polite smile.

“You must be the famous Front Man,” she said, her voice teasing yet respectful.

“And you must be Melinoe,” he replied, his tone neutral.

“Eun-Seol,” she corrected, her lips curling into a smirk. “That’s the name I’ll use in the games.”

“You’re not joining,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. It wasn’t a question. It was a command.

Her brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not joining,” he repeated, stepping closer. “This isn’t a game for someone like you.”

Her temper flared. “Someone like me? You mean someone who isn’t desperate? Someone who doesn’t fit the narrative of redemption or revenge?” She stood, her chin held high. “If you think I’m going to sit on the sidelines while others risk their lives, you’re mistaken.”

In-Ho’s hands clenched at his sides. He loomed over her, his voice a low growl. “Do you have any idea what you’re stepping into? What these games will do to you?”

“I know exactly what I’m stepping into,” she shot back. “And I’m not afraid.”

Their gazes locked, the air between them charged with tension. For a moment, In-Ho allowed himself to admire her fire, even as it stoked the flames of his own desire. She was intoxicating, infuriating, and utterly irresistible.

Still not used to write on tumblr but HOPE you like this. On the previous story over 50 people liked it. I love you all so much <3

I hope to see you in here too. Hopefully you like it.

[jaylleoo14]

"Can I kiss you?"

Octavinelle x gn!reader

A/N: Simple. The sea trio has corrupted my mind and so here I am writing this at 1:03 AM and finishing this up two days later LOL. I actually took forever because I kept squealing and getting off track during the writing process. "I NEED TO DRAW THIS" I would say to myself haha. I wrote them without much consideration on how long each might be so one of them may be shorter compare to the others or it may be longer, but please do enjoy^^ (May or may not do the other dorms, unless...)

[Disclaimer] TOO MUCH FLUFF

[characters] Floyd, Azul, Jade

Azul

3:24 PM - The Mostro Lounge sits under blue and silver burnished lighting as the sound of music fills the air. Accompanied by voices and the clinks of dishes, there you sat in the more private area of what adds to Octavinelle - Azuls office.

Something you both have learned to get accustomed to was to just do work alongside each other without the need of having to talk. It was just work. Nothing more. Of course some small talk here and there, asking opinions or maybe asking for help- though it was usually you who asked for it and less of Azul- but regardless it was back off to work. It's quite simple really, Azul is a busy and hard working person so he'd naturally have a lot to manage with. You had to keep up with your studies and try to manage how to handle your money and savings accordingly, along with planning events into your calendar for upcoming school occasions.

You and Azul have been dating for about half a year now, and although not all the time, most of the time you spend your free time here doing your work accompanying Azul as he does his. You both simply enjoy each other's presence, the silence between you two which is filled with the scritches and scratches of his fish-bone felt tip pen and your pencil against the many pages of papers were not at all awkward. It showed a sense of comfortability and familiarity, a tranquil silence in the room. Though of course, like almost any couple you begin to crave some attention from your dearly beloved.

3:27 PM - Placing your pencil down, it now rolling off to the side a little due to the momentum, you lean back onto the back cushions of Azuls couch placed in the middle of his office. Working for about 15 minutes now you decided you needed a break, stretching your arms back as you release your breath through your nostrils.

"Going to take a break Angelfish?" Without even having to look up, the sound of you leaning into his leather cushion and your stretched out groan already tells him enough information that you're ready to just try and relax and rejuvenate yourself.

"Mmmh yea, I think 15 minutes of work is good enough for now. I'll go back to it once I rest up," is all you say in response as you lean your body over to lay on the couch. He only lets out a hum to let you acknowledge that he was listening. Now that you weren't focused on your own work, you can hear him writing with a rich shink-like noise and papers constantly flipped and turned every 30 seconds.

I wonder what he's working on, you think to yourself as you stare up at the dark blue arched ceiling. You prop yourself up with your elbows, pushing yourself up as you move your legs off the couch. Springing off, you head on over to where Azul was working around behind the desk and peered over towards him. "Whatcha working on?" Voice soft and curious, an undertone of boredom.

"Just some useful material intended to aid students," he says in a gentle manner, his eyes still glued onto the papers. "Oh yea? How much longer till you finish up with those study guides?" You lean over a bit closer as you stand next to him, his handwriting as intricate and beautifully cursive as ever; yet still eligible for those who have a harder time understanding.

He lets out a little inquisitive hum as if trying to accurately calculate when he'd be finished by. "About in an hour or so," he says finally after seconds worth of time. "I'd say make that an hour-thirty to two from now" you say with a little soft laugh escaping your lips.

3:30 - Standing next to Azul as he preps material, you slowly come to look at Azul himself instead of what Azul was working on. Being able to see the sight of his silver crowned locks of hair that curls into beautiful waves. Only after making your comment does he stop his hand and turn to look up at you from where he sat.

After finally not being able to properly see Azul's face the entire time you were working, seeing his face was a sort of refreshment to your heart and the soft smile on your face shows that. "And what prompts you to assume such a thing my dear?" He can only be met with a giggly response, his serious and quizzical face only prompting you to let out more chains of giggles.

"Tell me what you are suddenly finding so funny? I certainly am positive that I haven't done anything humorous." You tilt your head a little to the side, your grin getting slowly bigger as you clasped your hands behind your back. Azul can already pick up that you're trying to whip something up.

"You know Azul, when was the last time you kissed me?"

And there he goes, short circuiting as the sudden change of mood drifts him like the ocean currents. "I-Is this what you're on about?" He certainly has picked up by what you meant with your earlier comment now that you've voiced your question. "Oh dear, do you perhaps feel neglected since i've been working so much Angelfish?"

"Don't try to act smug. Answer my question, when was the last time you kissed me?" You immediately shoot down his question as you direct it back to yours and it sends his cheeks a pigmented red while he tries to keep his cool. He understands that you wont stop asking him this question and so he answers away.

"I recall it to be a few weeks back."

"And where did you kiss me?"

"I-I don't see how that- hah, on the cheek. Seriously (y/n) what is the relevancy in asking such- "

"Ah! Hold it! So you're telling me you've been giving me kisses and I've been giving you kisses but we've never actually kissed at the same time?"

3:33 - Here you are facing Azul as you look at his tinted red face, picking up where your suggestion leads. What awaits is permission to boldly take your relationship to the next level.

"Can I kiss you Azul? And not on the hands or on the cheek like we usually do." You give him a soft pleading look, your cheeks also decorated in a lovely shade of red as you wait for his response patiently. Clearing his throat and having the need to suddenly fix his not crooked glasses, he gives you a very shy yet still doing his best to be serious look. Before answering, he quickly resolves himself and a more confident smirk is plastered on his face. As he pushes himself up from his chair he closes in the distance and comes in close towards you, wrapping an arm around your back.

"Ask and you shall receive, a small kiss is worth the price of my time for you my Angelfish," he says it ever so calmly and confidently. Though the redness of his cheeks give away that he was otherwise and it makes your heart squeeze and beat crazy because of how cute he was being right now.

"You're being so cute right now you know that? You don't have to force yourself, you know." Your voice is gentle and smooth as if it were raw honey. Bringing a hand to tuck the longer piece of hair that made up his hairstyle, you give him the most adored stricken smile ever and he can only feel his heart beating out of his chest.

"No no, it's about time we started to get more intimate considering how long we've been together now. Thank you for going at my preferred pace, I'd like to give you an honorarium payment." You let out an amused chuckle and let him prepare himself, closing your eyes as you wait for him to go in at his own pace. Though you least expect it when he suddenly goes in very quickly. His lips are stiffly pressed against yours for a couple of seconds and it has you opening your eyes in surprise. You're met with a red faced Azul -which can be compared to a steamed and cooked octopus- looking flustered and a little awkward as he seemed to have a little dissatisfactory expression on his face. "That... Did not go as well as I had hoped it to be."

A jovial and convivial laughter fills up the room in your sound and it only makes Azul shrivel in embarrassment. You can practically see the steam coming from his head as well. "Well that was a little anticlimactic don't you think?" Wrapping your arms around his neck he can only let out an embarrassed groan at your little comment. "What do you expect from someone who's inexperienced with committing such an act? I'm positive however that with enough practice I can redeem myself and satisfy you." He tries to sound all the more reasoning, which only prompts you to laugh even more.

"You want to kiss more?" Saying through slips of giggles. You feel his hold on your back tighten a bit more, still applying gentle and reaffirming pressure as he presses you both together. "How else do you suggest I be better then?" You turn and motion your body over to the desk, leaning your lower back against it as Azul follows along. "Hmm, I'm absolutely positive that it'll take you two hours to finish those study guides now." You pull a little amused laugh out of him as he slowly goes in once again, tilting his head to the side and his eyes looking to align with yours. "Mmm perhaps. I guess we'll have to see just how long it'll take for me to get better then." And in he goes, the kiss feeling much more natural and a mark of showing a deeper significance in your ongoing relationship.

Jade

The nights on campus here were unusually less disturbed and a lot colder now, which makes sense considering that it is now winter break. The students here at Night Raven College had all gone home to reunite with their families after departing to pursue and complete their highschool education. However a certain group of individuals tend to stay during this time period, and that being the dorm leader of Octavinelle, the vice dorm leader, and the vice dorm leader's twin brother.

Like a lot of teenagers, its normal to come across at least 10 students at night since many are nocturnal people and they share the hobby of walking around. Especially when the sky is dark. You are one of those people. Someone who indulges themselves into the canvas of black paint littered with shining splatter of stars. Regardless of what the weather is like, you willingly go out of your way to enjoy the peacefulness of the night, watching it as it goes through the different seasons. Walking around in the winter's night air you can see your breath whenever you huff out, a shiver going through your shoulders. A little reminder that its the cold season now.

The chilly weather seems to be getting to you so you turn back from where you presently are and walk back to your good ol' home, Ramshackle dorm. As you make your way back from the main road you can make out a tall dark figure up ahead, prompting you to slow down and start to get wary. Upon getting closer and squinting your eyes a little, you can see teal hair shining a bit under the orange light which was radiating off a nearby light pole. Oh, it's Jade! You remember Jade mentioning that he liked to also go out late at night, though this is your first time ever encountering him on your usual walks. Perhaps he too is taking advantage of the quieter nights.

You and Jade have been a little on and off. You cant quite describe it, its complicated really. Sometimes you feel like you cant understand Jade because he's always making things open-ended, leaving them up to your interpretations. You like him, that much is obvious. But there are plenty of times where he's shown interest in you, and other times where it may not feel as so and it throws you off. Its frustrating not knowing how he feels about you, as if its some sort of game you two play. Regardless of his little plays though, you continue to enjoy yourself in the game.

A slight breeze hits your figure and it causes you to shiver, rubbing your arms to enforce friction in hopes of warming you up. You figured it may be best to leave Jade alone so he can enjoy himself in peace doing whatever he was doing. And off you go, turning on your heel and continuing your venture.

The sky is so pretty, you think to yourself. It has you arching your neck up and leaning your head back as you stare at the night sky, continuing your walk. You cant help but look at how pretty the stars are knitted together in a beautiful cluster, zoning out a bit as you continue forward.

Suddenly a hand is placed on your shoulder and it causes you to jolt up like a scared cat, making you break out of your trance. A yell is ushered out of you as you quickly turn around to see who this person could be, and you're only met facing Jade.

"Oh dear, I do apologize for my sudden notice. But your voice sounds lovely even when out of fear fufu"

Your heart is still pounding and your eyes are opened widely, staring at him with disbelief and shock. "J-Jade! What are you doing?! God you freaking scared me oh my gosh." Your little scared moment certainly has him entertained as he lets out another chuckle.

"You seem to be so infatuated with the sky that you failed to notice your surroundings. I was only doing my part in trying to help you realize that."

"What do you me-?" As you turn around your quickly met with a lamp pole right in front of your face and it causes you to flinch back a bit. "Oh." Turning around to face him again you feel yourself feeling a bit embarrassed that he caught you about to do something embarrassing. "Thanks Jade... What are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I was just taking advantage of the quiet night and looking at the nature of the trees." He looks over you, a genuine smile on his face plastered as what you can assume to be looking at the area around us. "However I stayed aware of my surroundings despite having my own infatuations." His little snarky yet calm remark causes you to let out a groan, a pout slightly forming on your lips.

"I was also taking advantage of tonight as well thank you very much." Straightening your back, you cross your arms and give him a slight frown as if trying to regain back your little pride. Then quite suddenly a gust of wind howls a bit in your direction, causing you to shiver and quiver a bit. "Tonight is quite cold I must say." His slight remark makes you shiver even more as you are reminded of the cold.

"Yea, no kidding. I didn't prepare well enough so I'm going to head back." Your face is cold to the touch and your nose and cheeks can be seen slightly red under the pale moonlight. "Oh I see, perhaps I can accompany you then." He offers yet you turn him down in a polite manner. Your reasons? It's obvious you like Jade. You really like him, though because of all these mixed signals you can't help but feel like you need to stop. It already frustrates you enough and so you need to let these feelings die down even though sometimes you really do get a kick from the things he does.

"You seem to be quite cold indeed (y/n), if I can't accompany you back then please allow me to warm you up for your trip."

His words seem to catch you off guard and you look up at him quizzically. He doesn't seem to be wearing any sort of jacket, how can he offer you warmth? He chuckles a bit, amused to see your confused scrunched face. Gently bringing a hand to your cheeks your eyes can't seem to help but widen in shock a little from the sudden gentle advancement, your brain going blank.

"Can I kiss you, Prefect?" He says it ever so softly, his voice wrapping you up like a soft blanket. Did Jade really just ask to kiss you? What's going on, is this even real right now? Are you dreaming? Is this another one of his games? You feel your face starting to heat up and your heart is starting to race.

"W-Wait, what? Did I hear that right?" You say in disbelief, but he knows you heard it correctly because of your red face. His hands cupping your face causes you to freeze in the moment and all you can hear is the loud drums of your heart. Leaning down a bit more you can see his eyes perfectly now, his heterochromia jewel like eyes shimmering. "I must admit i'm a little hurt to see you trying to avoid me recently Prefect. I apologize for beating around the bush for so long, I hope you can take this kiss as a form of acceptance for my feelings and my apology."

This eel.... THIS EEL! He knows what he's doing, he knows! You're left stammering a bit before you could answer, the feeling of your head spinning. "I...accept your apology." And with that he goes down in one smooth motion, his lips in contact with yours with a perfect fit. Once he leans back, your eyes are met and he lets out a content hum. "I'm glad to see you're quite warmed up now. And if I must add, happier too." A big goofy smile is placed on your face as if you just won the lottery, your face all red and heated. "You know, I actually wouldn't mind if you were to accompany me back now. Who knows what might be out here."

You seem to be in a giddy mood, no longer holding back. Finally, you can understand Jade's true feelings for you now. It makes you overjoyed, a feeling of happiness now that you understand. And with a smile on his face he agrees, playing along with your little game of words. The feeling of warmth and fluffy happiness fills you up, and the cold cant compare with that as you make your way back with Jade, his little darling Pearl.

Floyd

"WHAT THE HELL FLOYD?!"

Crash!

Ah yes, just another regular day. You, Floyd, your phone in his hand, breathless, a cheeky and amused grin on his face, and just constantly trying to snag your phone back in the spacious long hallway. Call this a regular day occurrence considering how many times he's come to bother and mess with you now.

"Floyd, give me back my pho- STOP SCROLLING THROUGH MY CAMERA ROLL!" Running up and trying to snatch it away by jumping, only to fail because he's now outstretching his arms away and tip-toeing to refrain from you reclaiming back your item.

"Haaah? Your camera roll is so boring, just full of pictures of the sky. We see that everyday, you should take more pictures of other interesting things!" You really were running out of breath here and he seems to take great amusement with it since he's still here messing with you.

The sun shined brightly against the two of you, the open wall of the hall letting the air roam freely.

"Ahaha! What a funny picture of Crabby-chan! Oh, and you got one of little Mackerel too." Floyds not listening to your words, enjoying himself as he indulges in your camera roll. You let out a tired and heavy sigh, heaving a bit as you try to catch your breath. "F-Floyd, why are you doing this? Argh, I swear you've been bothering me so much lately." He only give you a little "hm?" in response as his smile now fades, turning to something more neutral and casual as he continues to indulge himself in your selective memories.

"Ya have soooo many pictures of other people lil' shrimpy. Ah! You even have a picture of Jade and Azul! No fairrrr!" Letting out a whine, you can see his prominent pout as he pinches his fingers on your screen to zoom in on you which was in between Azul and Jade. His eyes stick to the screen as he stares at the picture of your sweet smile looking as if you just finished some heavy and tiring labor just before.

"That was when we went camping during Vargas's stupid camping trip. Of course you weren't there!" You huffed out as you wipe a sweat off your neck, placing your free arm on your hip while you just watch him on your phone. At this point you just gave up and let him do what he wanted on there, of course as long as he's in the camera roll and nowhere else.

"But i'm here now aren't I? And you were even there when I went camping, jus excuses." His slightly upset voice makes you feel a bit guilty yourself, but you try to find a way to dispute his words anyways.

"Not true! If you keep scrolling more you'll see yourself in one of the pictures I took with Ace!" A huff escapes your mouth as you try to stay strong on your claim and he only lets out a disappointed groan. "I'm in the background Shrimpy, and you cant even see my face properly. Ya dont wanna have people mixin' me with my brother now dontcha?" His eyes look over towards you now as he drapes his arm down, just very offended with the lack of pictures you have available of him.

"It's not like i'm gonna show anyone Floyd. No one's gonna know its you except for me." You try to reassure him but he still isn't satisfied at all with your response. The sun shines in as its rays changes its direction and hits Floyd in the eyes, causing his already sour mood to worsen and he lets out an annoyed huff. The shadow of the pillars drapes over you like a veil and the sun hits him like a beam, so he then places his hand over his forehead to block the sun out while walking closer to you in venture for refuge. The light reflects into the phone causing a gleam hitting your own eyes and so you step back, squinting your eyes away. For a moment you actually forgot he had your phone if not for the reminder the gleam gave you.

"Floyd, could you please hand me back my phone now?" You say in a more gentle voice in consideration to his sour mood. His droopy eyes meet yours as a slight pout forms on his face which then looks over at your phone in his hand. Suddenly, his pouty face lifts up into a gleeful smile, his toothy lop-sided smirk giving you unease as if he's planning something not so great.

"Ya know, why not jus' take some pics right now? Say cheese~!" Suddenly, with his longer legs he quickly makes his way over next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling close.

"Wha-? Hey-!" Before you could even ready yourself though, he brings the phone above you two, angling the camera as he tilts his head against yours and maneuvers his thumb over the camera shutter button, pulling your bodies together.

Click! Click! Click!

"Hey stop taking so much! You're going to take up my storage!" Quickly swiping up your phone you press on the little square in the corner to open up the pictures. His arm continues to drape on your shoulder as he looks over at the pictures with a happy hum. Floyd looked as photogenic as ever when he wants to be, his silky skin reflecting in the pictures as his smile radiates and shine while his cheeks being a dusty pink. You on the other hand....Not so much. You were even blinking in one of them, most of the pictures of you looking off and funny.

"I wasn't ready Floyd." A stern look is scrunched on your face as you swipe and look at the pictures with a judgmental stare. A giggle can be heard right next to you as Floyd also looks over you in the pictures, a tinted pink running on his cheeks and a soft look in his eyes; his heart speeding up just slightly as he continues the close and intimate proximity.

"I think you look cute anyways." He says it ever so casually and in a gentle voice, causing you to look over at him. Upon turning your head to face him, its only then did you realize just how close he was. How intimate you two were being right now. His side profile looking perfect as ever, his olive colored eye locked on the screen staring only at you, his arm draped over your shoulders, your bodies practically meshing together right now as his pecks touch your back. You feel your cheeks starting to heat up, your heart begins to speed up as if you are starting a morning run the more you begin to get conscious. His eyes suddenly dart to look at you and you flinch back, jumping a little due to being startled; however his arm keeps you in place from moving any further.

"Seriously, you've been messing with me too much..." You grumbled out as you turn your face back to look at the now black screen. It shut off due to the lack of inactivity, and in the reflection you can see your furrowed brows and tightlipped frown. Though from the side Floyd can only give a bigger grin upon seeing your velvet cheeks.

"Cus' I like ya, aint it obvious?" The speed to which you flip your head can be compared to one of a bullet train and your jaw drops, mouth wide open and agape as you're left with no words. "HUH?!" Your whole face is now a full on red, your eyes filled with shock as if he just dropped the most jaw dropping information ever. Well, technically he did.

Tilting his head to the side a little, his face also grows a darker shade of red, though he lets out a giddy chain of giggles to your reaction. "Eh? You're quite bold Shrimpy, movin' kinda fast there huh?"

"W-What?" He can practically see question marks floating around your red beet face, his toothy smug face still apparent as he wraps another arm in front of you. He's basically giving you a side hug right now -a sweet and tender one.

"Hehe, nothin,'" smiling as if its something only he knows makes you a bit bothered and curious, but then he suddenly swings himself in front of you now. The sun hits the back of Floyd, making him radiate ever so brightly. "How bout' we start off a bit slower hmm? Whats it to ya Shrimpy, do ya like me back?" His soft and droopy slanted eyes adoringly stare into yours and you cant help but feel your heart turn into a big wet sopping pillow. Adverting your eyes down, you can only give a little nod. "Well i mean, I don't hate you. So yea, I.... I do in fact, Like you too."

Honestly, Floyds been nothing but smiles now and its as if he found the most pretty set of flowers ever on a grassy field. "Is that so? Ya really like me huh?"

My hearts beating so fast right now.

"Yea, I really like you."

"Shall I give you a kiss then Shrimpy?"

Tilting your head back up at him you can only give him a shy and flustered face. But with the silly state you're in right now, you let out a slip of a tongue response.

"C-Can I kiss you?" Totally unexpected to Floyd, his eyes widen for only a moment till he's flinging his head back with laughter and squeezing you into his chest.

"Hahaha! Will you kiss me?" Calming himself down a bit he looks back at you with you in his arms now, the suns rays slowly shifting over.

"Will I kiss you?" saying almost in a smug manner now, feeling yourself succumbing into his giggly state of self as you yourself now start to get giddy with your red cheeks.

"You will" He says it with a reciprocal teasing tone as he leans forward, the comfort in his lean arms making you feel as if you've been lovers forever.

"I will?"

"I will" And with that he softly goes in to press a kiss on your lips, the sun shining and hitting the both of you and its as if you two were getting the spotlight of a movie.

Click!

Huh? As you turn to slowly pull back from the kiss, slowly opening your closed eyes you see Floyds phone out. His arm is outstretched and propped in the middle of you two from the side to capture the kiss perfectly and you can only let out a gasp.

"A picture for me hehe~"

"FLOYD-"

[flowerandblood]

Pride | Promise | Price

[ modern! • Aemond x stepsister! • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, sexual tension, angst, smut, kind of incest but not really, brat taming, violence, swearing ]

[ description: After their joint decision to be together, Aemond and his stepsister try to arrange everything to create as normal relationship as possible. The problem arises when Criston begins to suspect that his sweet little daughter has a boyfriend. The power of angst, ironic, protective, bitchy Aemond. Anon request. ]

Part 1 − Rage | Revenge | Relief Part 2 − Guilt | Greed | Grace Part 4 − Blame | Betray | Bliss

Series & Characters Moodboard

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

My other works: Masterlist

_____

He had no idea what had crossed his mind to ask her if she would become his girlfriend − it seemed to him to be the most embarrassing and desperate question one could ask the opposite sex, but yet in that moment, as she lay in his embrace, his nose pressed against her hair, their hands and legs entwined together, he thought that he didn't give a shit.

That he really wanted her to be his.

His little girl.

Her answer and her complete lack of hesitation surprised him as much as the question he asked her; he couldn't get out of his awe at how lightly she approached it, that even if she was afraid of the consequences she enjoyed being in a relationship with him, and what's more, just like him she wasn't going to stop.

He was unable to understand why certain things came naturally to them − he figured that the fact that she wasn't forcing anything on him, that she wasn't putting perpetual expectations on him made him finally open up to what he himself wanted, and by some miracle their needs began to coincide.

Above all, neither of them talked about their choice, simply recognising that they had already decided and there was no reason to explain anything further.

He watched with satisfaction as he drove her to her classes how she greeted her friends knowing that none of them would touch her again because she was fucking his.

His little sister.

At that thought a dangerous grimace appeared on his lips that terrified him as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror; he drove off with a squeal of tyres, certain that she had turned over her shoulder to look at him.

What surprised him most was that he was focused on his lectures like never before − neither of them disturbed each other during their classes with messages with only a few exceptions when they were figuring out what they were going to do in the evening.

Her gentle, cheerful, warm character suited him.

She didn't run after him seeking his attention all the time.

She accepted when he needed to study in silence or just sleep off a day full of activities.

When they passed each other in the corridor, came across in the kitchen or the living room and there was no one around but them, he would draw her to him, hugging her waist and clinging to her lips, uniting with her in a warm, moist kiss − she would then throw her arms around his neck while the tips of their tongues teased and licked each other with a quiet click.

Usually that was enough to make him completely hard, and it was usually just then that they heard someone's footsteps, so they pulled away from each other, looking at one another with this type of gaze he had never shared with anyone before, filled with desire, heat and longing.

They fucked whenever they could, in his car, in his living room, in his kitchen, once in his bed and once in hers, waiting patiently for his mother and Criston to fall asleep; they would visit and throw themselves into each other's arms, exhausted from waiting all day to touch each other, experiencing hot, sticky, intense pleasure together.

Afterwards, they stroked their naked, sweaty bodies, kissed each other and involuntarily fell asleep, forced to part before dawn, before anyone realised either of them was not in their room.

On the one hand it was exhausting and drove him mad, on the other it made him want her more and more every day.

It made him miss her, even though she was in the next room.

They wrote to each other when they were at home almost all the time even when they were sitting at the dinner table together; they commented on what was going on, told each other stories, sent each other memes or decided what they were going to do in the evening.

Sometimes they would play games together or watch movies on his laptop and lock the door from his room so no one would accidentally see them lying down and embracing.

However, in his eyes, the turning point for him was the day he told her about Alys.

The subject was completely different at first − his stepsister was telling him about how she dealt with Criston's arguments with her mother, that she would leave the house for hours and have nothing to do with herself, hanging around the nearby park and reading books, not wanting to return home to a house filled with their perpetual resentments feeling that there was nowhere for her to go.

He never confided in anyone about what he had done.

"At first it was supposed to be a one-night stand. Just to do something against the will of my mother, with whom as a child I went to mass every Sunday and prayed nicely before going to bed like a little good boy." He snorted, shrugging his shoulders.

"But, I don't know, when I came back here I always felt that she was looking at me with those eyes begging for forgiveness, that she would fall to her knees in front of me if she could, but I don't want her apology. I just wish she wasn't a fucking hypocrite.

So I ran away, to Alys, and fucked her in every possible way you can imagine, the kind that I'm ashamed of now. I think I took it out on her in some ways." He muttered thoughtfully, running a trembling hand over his chin.

He was afraid to look at her.

He was afraid of what he would see in her gaze.

He shuddered when he felt her lay her head on his chest so that he could nestle his cheek against her hair, her hands embraced him instantly − he wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back with trembling fingers.

He knew she could feel how fast his heart was pounding.

"My dad believes I'm an angel too. He's convinced that I've probably never kissed a boy before. I know I'll be a disappointment to him, another one in his life, when he finds out." She mumbled, and he felt a squeeze in his throat at her words, his hand slipping into her hair, his lips kissing the top of her head.

"We don't live to fulfil our parents' expectations." He whispered and she lifted her sad, warm gaze to him, her fingers brushing his cheek before their lips joined in a slow, loud, sticky kiss.

He took her that night lying with her on her side, her thigh set high on his hip, her soft breasts pressed against his chest. He was rooting into her in a quiet, steady pace, teasing the spot inside her from which a sigh of bliss escaped her lips, their hands trailing over their naked bodies, stroking each other's shoulders, hair, necks, cheeks.

They kissed with their eyes closed, sucking and licking each other's lips, running their noses over the hot skin of each other's faces before their mouths connected anew with a wet click, his length stretching her throbbing, moist entrance with each of his deep thrusts.

He was horrified by what was happening to him then, how helpless and vulnerable he was, how much he needed her tenderness, acceptance and understanding, what relief he felt when she gave him more than he could ever hope for.

At last someone saw and wanted him as he really was.

That's why instead of being bored with her, their relationship went from being hilarious and ironic to something serious and surprisingly real.

He licked his lower lip feeling his cock throbbing hard as he read her last message.

While she never sent him naked pictures of herself like Alys did, she drove him crazy with pics of herself when she was dressed so that he could almost see her panties, buttocks or bare breasts.

It was only his pride that made him not beg her to send them to him more often, and apart from that he didn't want to sit with a swollen erection all the time.

He let out a loud breath, tightening his lips, feeling his cock get completely hard at the sight of her in the long, light-coloured sweatshirt and high woollen socks he loved to fuck her in, certain that she was now wearing no bra or panties.

Fuck.

He looked at his screen, but no more answer appeared on it. He licked his lower lip and, with a dangerous grin, left his room quietly, walking down the corridor past their parents' bedroom.

He walked inside her room without warning, locking the door behind him, staring at her for a moment − his stepsister was lying on her bed with a book in her hand, one of her knees raised, looking up at him with those big, warm eyes of hers.

He reached for the belt buckle of his trousers, looking at her like an animal watching its prey; he could see in her gaze that she knew what was about to happen.

"Take off everything except those slutty socks." He ordered coolly; he saw her swallow loudly as she put the book aside and with trembling hands pulled her sweatshirt over her head, with neither bra nor panties underneath, placing her hands on either side of her head. He chuckled at the sight, undoing the button and zipper of his trousers.

"Fucking knew it."

He walked over to her and knelt in front of her on her bed, taking her thighs in his hands, spreading them wide to the sides. She made no resistance to him, looking up at him with misty gaze, her pink lips parted slightly in quickened breath, puffy and glistening in the light of her bedside lamp.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? For your brother to come and teach you a lesson?" He asked dryly running his thumb over her hot, throbbing womanhood, sticky with her moisture, her whole body trembling − she nodded shyly at his words, as if she was ashamed.

"You're leaking, kid. Tsk-tsk." He shook his head disapprovingly, his hand with a sure, rough, short movement slapping her between her thighs − she flinched and squealed, but pressed her lips together immediately when she saw him furrow his brow.

"Quiet. Understood?" He asked coolly, and she nodded quickly.

"− I'm sorry −" She mumbled quietly. He sighed feeling that he wouldn't be able to hold out for too long, his fingers trailing around her puffy clit, not giving her what she needed.

"− good you're sorry − fucking brat − you've been looking at me all day with those big eyes of yours begging me to fuck you − yes or no? −" He growled and slapped her again, harder and louder, she stifled her moan and nodded her head quickly.

"− y-yes − please −" She babbled with difficulty, her breasts rising and falling in accelerated, raspy breaths, her hands clenched on her pillow on either side of her head, in her gaze the heat and pleading he loved, his heart pounding like mad, his fingers teasing her slit.

"− please, what? −" He hissed warningly and she swallowed loudly, already having obvious problems putting full sentences together, her thighs twitching before him.

"− please, big brother − I want you inside me −" She mewled writhing in front of him in impatience − he licked his lips looking at her in satisfaction and hummed under his breath, spreading her moisture over her folds.

"− good girl − come here − yeah, there you go −" He murmured, turning her onto her stomach and lifting her buttocks higher so that she hugged her cheek to the pillow, bucking her hips towards him, her entrance pink and throbbing, glistening from her juices.

He leaned over her and ran his tongue over her clit slipping his trousers lower, a quiet groan of delight came from his throat at how good she tasted − he knew she must have taken a bath before he came, her whole body smelling of feminine shower gel.

He saw her press her face against her pillow and stifled her loud moan with it, her hands clenched tightly on its material. He chuckled under his breath as he saw her state, squeezing himself several times with his hand in a quick motion, enjoying the view.

"− desperate? −" He sneered with amusement and she nodded, her whole body tensing as he guided the head of his cock against her slit − he pushed into her meeting resistance, her tight walls clamped down on him greedily, he could feel she was close to orgasm.

"− no − take it − all of it − that's right, there you go −" He exhaled with a sigh of relief, with a determined thrust of his hips forcing himself into her as deeply as he could, filling her whole, his hands clenched on her trembling hips.

He couldn't stop himself, he began to slam into her with quick, sure, sharp movements, his thighs slapping loudly against her buttocks − he could hear her quiet cries and sobs muffled by the fabric of the pillow she pressed her lips to.

"− be fucking quiet −" He growled low after a moment fucking her with all his strength, fast, brutal, loud − they were both panting involuntarily, they didn't stop even when they heard the door in the next room open, that someone had turned on the bathroom light.

He felt like they both sped up their pace even more at the thought that they might be caught, her hips responded greedily to his every thrust, her hot muscles clenched painfully hard against his cock wanting to keep him inside.

He clenched his eyes cursing in his mind, knowing he wouldn't last long, her muffled moans with each of his thrusts brought him closer to his orgasm.

"− baby − oh God −" He mumbled softly feeling the sudden fulfilment shake her body, she writhed and quivered beneath him like an animal, breathing loudly, her fleshy, hot wall sucking him inside.

He tilted his head back closing his eyes and just cum inside her, falling on top of her, pressing his lips to her sweaty neck trying to stifle his low groan, their bodies quivering and writhing beneath each other, unable to calm down.

"− shhh, little one − it's okay − shhh −" He hushed her in a soothing voice stroking her soft hair, kissing her tenderly on her temple, her cheek, her jaw − she turned her face towards him and their lips joined in a sticky, helpless, dirty kiss.

"− fuck −" He exhaled pressing his forehead against hers; they both closed their eyes intertwining their fingers together and lay in silence, their bodies rising and falling in heavy breathing.

They heard someone's footsteps and the sound of a light being turned off followed by a door opening and closing. They breathed quietly, his little sister hissing in discomfort as he slid out of her with a soft movement of his hips.

"I know, little one. Do you have tissues here to wipe yourself off? Bring you something to drink?" He asked in a whisper and she nodded, lying with her eyes closed completely without strength.

He covered her with a blanket, buttoned his trousers and ran downstairs to the kitchen to pour her some water; he took a glass from the cupboard above him and put it under the turned-off tap. He jumped back and doused himself, almost having a heart attack when he saw Criston right next to him.

He turned off the tap quickly − Criston scratched his head and grunted, as if he didn't know himself what he wanted to say.

"…listen. I know you and my daughter have been close lately. After what happened…you know…she doesn't trust me or confide in me. It seems to me that she has someone, that someone comes to her, I hear sounds from her room sometimes and I just − I just worry about her." He finished embarrassedly, rubbing his chin, lowering his gaze.

He stared at him with his eyes wide open and swallowed loudly, feeling his heart pounding hard.

She and he had talked many times about what they would do if someone caught them or asked them about it, but now that it had happened he was terrified of what he was about to do.

They had promised each other not to be like them.

That they wouldn't be cowards and liars.

He licked his lower lip, feeling the cold sweat on his back.

"Yes, she has someone." He replied coolly, taking a loud sip of cold water from his glass, looking at him with his heart beating fast.

Criston twisted uneasily in his place, looking at him uncertainly, putting his hands on his hips − he nodded, probably not knowing himself what he thought about it.

"Do you know who it is? Is it some boy from her studies, someone decent?" He muttered, running his hand involuntarily over his face in a nervous gesture.

He pressed his lips together before forcing out what he had wanted to say to his face for a long time.

"We've been together for almost two months."

Criston blinked, as if something in his sentence puzzled him, as if he had accidentally used a word incorrectly − his eyebrows arched in amusement, recognising it as an obvious mistake on his part.

"We?"

"Me and her."

The amusement disappeared instantly from his face; he saw that his lower lip twitched. He turned pale all over, his hand dropped as if without strength, he had the feeling that he was about to faint.

"This is not funny, Aemond." He said dryly, and he involuntarily chuckled under his breath, taking a deep sip of water, feeling suddenly confident again, knowing that he had him in his grip.

What the fuck could he do to him?

"That's my opinion as well. I take this relationship seriously." He hummed and Criston was suddenly right beside him − his fists was clenched on his sweatshirt, pressing his back against the fridge with a hard thud, his nostrils twitching in rage.

"Aemond, for fuck's sake, what are you talking about? Is this your revenge on me? Are you mocking me to show me how disgusted you are with me? You're entitled to it, but I swear if you touched her…"

"I love her."

Criston stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, then snorted with nervous laughter, shaking his head, his hands clenched warningly on the material of his clothes.

"What the fuck are you talking about? You fooled her and seduced her, took advantage of her naivety to get back at me? Hm?" He growled in rage while shaking him, an involuntary wide grin of superiority appearing on his face.

"I feel sorry for you if you think this is all about you. You and my mother can fuck as much as you want and beg for forgiveness like the true Christians you certainly are, I don't care. I don't give a fuck about you, pal. I want her."

Criston let go of him abruptly, running quickly up the stairs − he cursed under his breath moving immediately after him, remembering that she was lying under the blanket almost naked and that he had no way to warn her what was coming.

He heard her squeal and scream in terror as her father burst into her room turning on the light − she covered herself helplessly with the same blanket he had covered her with earlier looking at them terrified, breathing loudly through her mouth.

"What have you done?" Cole asked in disbelief, shaking his head. He moved suddenly from his place opening her wardrobe, pulling out her backpack, haphazardly packing her belongings into it − his mother appeared in the entrance to her room, rubbing her eyes, apparently snapped out of a deep sleep.

"Criston? What's wrong?"

"Get dressed. I'll take you to your mother." He said to her huskily; his daughter sat still, shaking all over and glanced at him with tears in her eyes. He swallowed loudly and looked indifferently at her father.

"She will stay with me."

Her father turned to him and looked at him with fury.

"Don't speak, brat, or I'll really fucking kill you!"

"Criston!" Cried Alicent, horrified and bewildered.

"What's going on here, how can you say something like that?" She asked spreading her arms and he pointed a finger at her son with a look full of accusation and pain.

"This little bastard is fucking my daughter to get revenge on me. He used her and he's fucking proud of it." He said clasping her backpack, his mother grabbed his arm, looking at him in disbelief.

"Aemond, what is he talking about?"

"He used me? I wanted it, Dad." She sobbed out in a breaking voice, and he felt a squeeze in his heart at the thought that she had not turned away from him, that she had defended him.

Her father shook his head, not listening to her at all, recognising that she was not thinking soberly, that he had manipulated her so much that she was saying what he wanted to hear.

"Get dressed." He growled and tugged on her arm so hard that the blanket slipped out of her hand exposing her breasts − she squealed and wept loudly, helplessly trying to cover herself again.

Seeing this he moved on him in involuntary reflex and pushed him away from her so hard that Cole hit the back of his head on her wardrobe.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!"

He fell to the floor, losing his hearing and sight for a moment when Criston hit him in the face with his fist − he heard her muffled crying and screaming, heard her quickly put her sweatshirt on and run to him, trying to help him up, her father pulled her to move behind him despite her crying.

Alicent looked at them with horror and tears in her eyes, pale, covering her mouth with her hand, Daeron stood beside her in his childish pyjamas not understanding completely what he was looking at.

"Mummy, what's going on?"

"− dad, stop, it hurts −" She cried all red with tears, breathing loudly, trying to get away from him.

"− you should have thought of that earlier −" He growled pulling her towards the door, but she resisted, finally biting his hand and he groaned, letting her go at once.

She escaped and ran to him, falling to her knees, hiding in his arms, with which he immediately embraced her tightly, panting loudly along with her − he looked at her father with rage, seeing the bruises on her arms, her body trembling in convulsions as she sobbed loudly, terrified.

Criston looked at them in disbelief and shook his head − he looked at Alicent as if he had suddenly realised something.

"Did you know about this?"

His mother looked at him as if he was mad.

"What, of course not, God, Criston!" She mumbled helplessly and burst out into a loud sob herself − Criston ran his hand over his face, walking with a quick, anxious step around her room.

He stood over them impatiently, and he felt his stepsister snuggle tighter into him, clasping her fingers painfully tight on his back, begging him silently not to let her go.

"Get up. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. That's enough fooling around, we're going to your mother's. Come on." He said a little more calmly, but met with no reaction from her − his large hands were stroking her soft hair and back, his lips placing a gentle kiss on her head.

Criston hid his face in his hands, holding back the urge to kill him in front of his mother.

"You won. Okay? You won. We'll move out, you'll get your house back, we won't bother you. You'll never see me again, I promise. Just let her go already." He said powerlessly as if he understood exactly what he meant and what he wanted.

Normally he would have been amused by this, but now all he felt was tiredness.

He was tired of them.

He snuggled into her tighter, pressing his forehead against her shoulder, burying himself in her soft, sweet-smelling flesh, feeling her hold him tighter, her nose and lips nestled into his neck.

He heard Criston move from his place after a long moment and laughed, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, walking out of the room, Alicent moving behind him.

"These kids are completely out of their fucking minds. I'm calling her mother."

He felt her flinch in his arms as she looked up at him in horror, his mouth forming a voiceless "We're leaving."

After five minutes they were both downstairs in front of his car − Criston hearing the front door open ran quickly down the stairs, looking at them in horror.

"…calm down, I know it's my fault, but you just have to…I know, I understand, like…fuck, stop, what are you doing? Get out!" He shouted loudly, furious to see her immediately get into the car, closing the door behind her, panicked. He got in from the driver's side and immediately started the engine, backing out of the driveway, moving forward with a squeal of tyres, leaving Criston and his crying mother behind.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye letting out a loud breath, shaking all over, her figure seemed even smaller to him than normally.

She sat curled up covering her mouth, her eyes clenched in pain, a sea of tears running down her cheeks, she was struggling to catch her breath.

He quickly grabbed her hand that was lying on her thighs in his, and she squeezed it in a panicked gesture.

"I know, little one. It was very scary. I know, breathe." He whispered in a trembling voice, trying to calm her and himself at the same time, looking in the mirror to see if by any chance someone was following them.

They did it.

They ran away.

They showed them the middle finger and fucking left.

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[spoilers below cut]

I KNEW IT!!! I knew that one of the two episodes left of the year had to be a holiday one aha!! *LE GASP* does that mean the last one will be sonic 3?

*nods* respect 👏

A Christmas special with TARI, oooh! and noticeably a shorter one too, huh. alright, let's-a GOOOOOOOO

(the following is my live reaction:)

aww, look at Tari being adorable (see that's how you get me, have my favorite characters do cute little hops and my life is yours)

bringing back the side characters LET'S GOOOO

CLENCH omg you're back I hope you can stay for the whole episode

ooooh tari's christmas list just dropped. hmmm let's see...

Saiko = KFC Theme Guitar (honestly slay) Mario = Spaghetti Necklace (whether he's going to wear or eat it, he'll enjoy it regardless) Kaizo = Scythe Polish Luigi = Gardening Kit SMG4 = Body Oder Spray (my man can't catch a break, "he stinks" canon) Belle = Nintendo Switch Case SMG3 = Dog Grooming Kit (for Eggdog awwww) Melony = How to draw Manga book (nice callback to "SMG4 and SMG3 Shop For Cursed Items" episode for Christmas shopping) Whimpu = Glasses Repair Kit Boopkins = Body Pillow Cleaning Kit (...) Bob = Karaoke Machine (that's actually sweet considering he is a rapper and the obvious choice would be a gun or smth, tari's a good friend) Rob = Corn Keychain

the cliche superhero transition *wheeze*

can I just say I love the fit Mario has on

1920's spaghetti?

i did not expect to see Sonic 06 (foreshadowing, eh?) and as a sonic fan, i gotta respect the hustle

now, i know it's supposed to be disgusting and you obviously have to put gross things here to convey that but... there's that eye imagery again.... *flashbacks ensue*

oooh Christmas party! I wanna see that!

aww tari did get clench a glove, maybe she didn't want to spoil the surprise too soon

also let's take a moment for that board in the bg:

"Random Text Here Shameless Advertising Happy Birthday smg4!" then something signed by a "Fan"

gotta love the small details

gonna be using this as a reaction pic for now on

Mario, don't you guys have a basement? pretty sure no one will grab the bag in there

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OMG OMG THERE'S NO WAY THIS IS REAL THEY ACTUALLY USED CANTRO'S OUTFIT DESIGN FOR THIS EPISODE THAT'S AWESOME DUDE (am aware that the Team used the model before in a previous ep but it was only shown for a few seconds, this is BIG)

new merch, eh?

...i'll take your entire stock

Oh Tari, it's okay to say no. Four did ask if you had time

beautiful commercial....wha? Bob, da hell are you doing? oh the usual

charity? understandable, have a good day

PFFT HAHAHAHA that grenade bit somehow got me

oh Four somehow teleported outside, chair and all

*wheeze* the way they just latch on the back of the cop car like that

BOOPKINS? ...yeah I should've seen that coming. and he's on a toddler seat too

question for the people: is UNO a board game? if not, then boopkins, you got it wrong buddy

RIGHT NOW?! boopkins she's got her hands full

GEEZ even I'm getting stressed

gonna be real here: it was actually a good choice to have the plot at a faster pace just so we could feel Tari's stress rapidly building up

oh hey Meggy's matching with Mario (love that for the M&M siblings) but Saiko, girl, please get yourself a coat :( you're gonna freeze

OH GOD Tari, i need you to breathe please! all of this is stressing you out, it's okay to say no

...oh no

i can't look dude, i know Tari's technically fulfilling everyone's wishes but this isn't the way to go :(

C'MON TARI, HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT IN TIME PLEASE

NO NO NO *flips table* oh poor Tari

OH NO CAN I GIVE HER A HUG PLEASE? *shakes my laptop screen* LET ME INNNNNNN

WTF NO SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS

TARI DON'T LISTEN TO THOSE VOICES IN YOUR MIND, YOU ARE A GOOD FRIEND

...three? let me turn the brightness up

yeah that's Four's model but for some reason has Three's voice and line.... huh... (I'll come back to this later)

dude, i literally had to pause and leave the room

fuck you got me tearing up. Team, is that what you wanted from me?

no tari, it wasn't your fault :( you didn't ruin anything

YES TELL HER, SAIKO

STAWP I'M THIS 🤏 CLOSE TO FULL-ON SOBBING WTF

FAMILY IS FOUND 👏👏👏

...wha? Three?

wait, this whole episode was you were retelling what happened to Tari, to Eggdog?

...that actually puts things in a whole new context (I'll talk about it later)

*gets hit by the book*

AY Congrats to Mango for your art being featured in the end credits! 🎉 what an awesome Christmas gift from the Team honestly

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

This was a fantastic Christmas special! This really punched me in the gut (but in a good way). Everything, as always, was amazing. Excellent job, Team!!! Too bad Clench couldn't be in the whole episode.

Oh Tari, my girl :( I felt the emotional rollercoaster along with her and I just wanted to give her a giant hug.

Me 🤝 Tari → people pleasers with a dose of abandonment issues

Tari, I've been there and I promise your friends aren't gonna leave you. What you can offer, what you're able to, that is worth something. It doesn't need to be material, just being a part of their lives is enough. No matter how big, because to them, it could mean a lot more than what you think.

It's what I've been struggling too, that the people who have approached me only wanted what I could offer, but not as a person. And it takes time to heal and open up again to people who are worth opening up to, but you'll get there.

So, to remind you (yes, the one behind the screen): you are enough. We are enough. What you do, means a lot more to other people than what you think. You'd be surprised how much a second of your presence means to people, and they value that. It's why it's okay to say no when you aren't able to, they'll understand if they truly do care for you. I promise, time will come around for you to find the good ones.

That's why I love this show. It isn't just a "silly meme show", it's so much more than that. Yes, it does have its funny moments but it can be emotional, dramatic, exciting. And even relatable. That's the point of stories. Like I said countless times before:

Every story, no matter how outlandish it seems, is grounded in reality.

That's why I'm glad this was one of the last episodes of the year, to bring it all back that it's a story that we all can relate to in some way. That we aren't alone. Grab each other by the hand and take one day at a time.

Oh boy, sorry for that emotional stuff. Just wanted to bring some comfort 💙 With that, I'm gonna bring back what was the most interesting of this episode: SMG3

It wasn't until the very end that we realized this whole episode was Three retelling Tari's story not only to Eggdog but also to Terrance.

(If I remember the layout correctly, right in the same nook above the fireplace is where Terrance's photo is placed)

So, yes, he is reading a bedtime story to both of his sons. (just gonna cry in the corner for a second) He's such a dad 🥺

Anyway, i shall put my theorist goggles on:

Back in the part when Tari was too late to buy the Crew presents and the voices in her head were bashing her for failing, we have SMG3 for some reason come in:

To be clear, that's Four's model (notice the lack of chip of the cap) but Three is the one saying: "And I thought I was evil..." Other than being the narrator, Three wasn't in the story, so the question is why?

The obvious would be that the Team simply made a mistake and forgot that they placed this in. Ok, sure, that's if it was on accident. But what if they did it on purpose?

As Three stated in the episode "Trash Friends", he truly believes he's "the worst version of SMG4"

Think about it: the basic roles for them are Four as the hero and Three as a villain.

If Three was ever in an episode all of a sudden is because he is the negative force of the story. Recall back to the episode "Meme Hunters" when Three was forced to be "the conflict" of the episode.

Now, it may seem harmless but to him, he was afraid to be perceived as nothing more than "SMG4's cheap and worst copy"

And also in "You Used to Be Cool", people have noticed when he does lay back a bit from the usual villain/rival role and bash him saying, "This isn't you."

Hero or villain, you're seen differently by everybody

Then there was the whole "moral of the story" part:

Ofc, it's a whole thing that Three refuses time after time that he's not friends with the Crew

Now with the context that we have, we just got a peek into Three's fears/insecurities. Basically: if he opens up and accepts that he has friends, they might try and take advantage of him. So, what should he do? Close himself off, be an asshole, and deny, deny, deny.

Despite risking literally everything, INCLUDING HIS OWN LIFE, for them, he's doing this to protect himself from emotional harm when he's the most vulnerable.

There's indeed a trope that villains, especially redeemed ones, would have a sense of empathy of some kind. They know what's like to hit rock bottom, it's why they can empathize with the people who least deserve it, like Tari. (Even with Four back in IGBP.) So yes, as much as this is a story about Tari, it also relates to Three.

How can you have what you want when you're the one holding yourself back?

Three: "I also need love, understanding, and tenderness." [IGBP movie, Spanish dub] Three: " I just want the USB in that spaghetti in your stomach so I can use it to gain fame and love that SMG4 has too much of, okay?!" Mario: "...Is that it? Silly SMG3, you could of just told Mario instead of suppressing your inner emotions and your fear of being forever forgotten." [Trash Friends]

I mean, look at the last episode, he was so happy to know he got fanart.

The pressure he has, the role he has to play, what he's perceived as. It all affects him. Sure, he doesn't care that he's not perceived as the standard definition of a villain but he is really as human as he can be, with fears and desires.

Another way to see the "failure" part of the episode is that Three could never see Four in a negative light. Sure, Four has made terrible mistakes but past the YouTube Arc, Three has never seen Four as a villain (again, the role of the hero thing). Four is flawed just as he is, but since he's the one telling Tari's story, he replaces Four with himself in the narrative.

It's not confirmed it's because he cares about Four in this instant but it's obvious he has done it on purpose. All because that's the role he plays, one he absolutely fears, "an evil and worst copy of Four".

(For all we know, he might've altered some other things in the story we haven't even known about.)

AND the fact that he's telling it like a bedtime story to his son(s) as a warning, so they don't go through what he went through when he was younger (his whole parenting of reminding them that they're loved and appreciated for even the smallest things)

So, long story short: me 🤝 Tari 🤝 SMG3 → underlining abandonment issues

I've been noticing that a lot of points from past episodes are starting to resurface again (like IGBP) and I do hope we get to bring back what's going on with Three. Then, we might get Three having the same conclusion that Tari went through: as much as he wants to deny it to protect himself, he'll realize that it's okay to be vulnerable and have friends.

And he'd be surprised how much of what he did was valuable to them. That what he seeks is already right in front of him. After all, he's already part of the Crew :)

He would just have to let himself avert his view and see the truth.

[writingfics-passingtime]

Hi! Just want to say I love your blog and this the first time I’ve ever asked regarding a prompt. Stairway to Heaven is my favorite Led Zeppelin song (if it’s too long, I have a back up song) and my marvel character would be Loki. Thank you, this is such a cool idea!!

The Road You're On

This one-shot is part of JJ’s Mixtape - a mini series based on my followers’ favourite songs and characters. You can read more of them here!

Song Prompt: Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Pairing: Loki x female reader

Word Count: ~3400

CW: swearing, innuendo/sexual jokes, discussions about sex, mentions of death, alcohol

Minors DNI: this work does not contain smut, but contains a romantic/sexual relationship between the reader and an adult-aged character. I am not comfortable with engagement from anyone under the age of 18. Thank you for your understanding and respect.

Note: Hi @princessdragon23 ~ thank you very much for sending this song in, and for your lovely message. It's hard for me to describe the way this song made me feel, except to say that this story truly unfolded before my eyes as I listened to it on repeat. I hope you like it x

The streets of the coastal town were eerily quiet as you made your way home, the damp cobblestones glistening under the dim light of the street lamps. The weight of the night clung to your skin, mingling with the faint scent of salt and smoke from the bar where you’d just finished your shift. Your boots scuffed along the uneven ground, a rhythmic reminder that you were still here, still alive, still kicking despite everything.

You hated this walk. Too quiet. Too empty. Too much room for your mind to claw at the past.

A group of locals had been arguing about something at the bar tonight - a football match or politics, you hadn’t cared enough to listen. But their raised voices had sent a pang through your chest, reminding you of the way the Avengers used to argue over mission strategies. It was stupid, really. You'd never been perfect, but you’d convinced yourself you were unbreakable. Found family, or whatever bullshit term people threw around these days.

Until it all fell apart.

Your jaw tightened, and you shook the thought off. No sense picking at old wounds when they were still festering. Instead, you focused on the here and now, the comforting weight of the dagger tucked up your sleeve, the streetlights’ flickering glow, the faint hum of distant waves.

And then you felt it.

A prickle of awareness shot down your spine, and you slowed your steps. Someone was behind you.

You didn’t stop, didn’t look back right away. You kept walking, casually adjusting your sleeve so the blade was easier to draw. Your senses honed in on the sound - soft, deliberate footsteps matching yours at a careful distance.

Not a drunk. Not a thief. Someone who knew what they were doing.

When you reached the corner of a dark alleyway, you pivoted sharply, hand twitching toward your weapon.

“Alright, asshole,” you growled. “If you’re looking for trouble, you’ve fucking found it-”

The words died on your lips as a figure emerged from the shadows, moving with a fluid grace that was both menacing and magnetic. The streetlamp cast a halo of pale light over him, illuminating the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the curve of his smirking mouth.

“Loki.”

You said his name like a curse, but the breath hitching in your throat betrayed you. He’d always had that effect - chaos wrapped in charm, danger dressed up as desire. And here he was, standing in the middle of your carefully constructed exile, looking as smug as ever.

Your heart slammed against your ribs, not in fear, but in something far more dangerous.

He stepped closer, his black coat sweeping around his legs, the faint scent of leather and ozone curling in the air between you. “Imagine my disappointment,” he said, “returning to this wretched realm only to find its so-called heroes scattered like ashes. It seems I missed quite the spectacle.”

His words hit their mark, as they always did, but you refused to flinch. “You’re late to the party,” you bit out, your voice laced with venom. “It all went to hell months ago.”

“And yet, here you are,” he said, his gaze sweeping over you, slow and assessing. “Playing bartender. Hiding in plain sight. How... quaint.”

You scoffed, though your pulse betrayed you, quickening under his scrutiny. “Cut the bullshit, Loki. How the hell did you find me?”

He smiled - a sharp, wolfish thing that sent a shiver down your spine. “Do you really think there’s a corner of this universe where you could hide from me?”

The weight of his words sank deep, pulling at something you weren’t ready to face. You clenched your fists, feeling the cold press of the blade against your wrist. “Why are you here?”

“For you.”

The words were simple, but the way he said them - low and deliberate, with just the faintest trace of vulnerability - made your stomach twist.

“Don’t,” you said, taking a step back. The cool night air suddenly felt too thick, too heavy. “Don’t come here and start with that shit. I’m not in the mood for games.”

“Neither am I,” he said, stepping forward, closing the distance you’d tried to create. “But you, my darling, are nothing short of a temptation. One I couldn’t resist.”

Your breath hitched, heat flaring in your chest and spreading like wildfire. His gaze pinned you, dark and electric, his presence filling the empty street until it felt like there wasn’t enough air to breathe.

“No. You're carrying yourself differently,” you said, desperate to shift the focus, to wrest some control back from him. “Something happened.”

His smirk faltered, just for a fraction of a second.

"What happened, Loki?"

His eyes flicked away, then back to yours, and for the first time, you saw it - the crack in his armour, the weight pressing on him. Whatever had brought him here, it wasn’t just you.

You glanced around, your gaze darting to the shadowed streets around you. Too exposed. Too vulnerable. "Fuck," you grunted under your breath, passing a hand down your face. “Come on,” you said, nodding toward the alley that led to your apartment. “We can talk at my place.”

“An invitation?” he asked, tilting his head, the smirk returning, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “How scandalous.”

You gave him only a severe and warning look in return. One that dared him to hide the truth from you. One that dared him to try and deflect from whatever horrific news he'd come to deliver by rekindling some old flirtatious banter.

Whatever storm he’d brought with him, it was about to collide with the chaos you’d been holding at bay.

Your apartment was a sanctuary you hadn’t realised you needed until it became yours - a quiet haven tucked into the upper floor of a modest building overlooking the Spanish coast. It was small, cozy, and uncomplicated. The exact opposite of Stark Tower.

It was everything you’d craved since your life had gone to hell. No mission briefings, no JARVIS, no one barking orders at you. Just you, the sound of waves crashing in the distance, and the occasional hum of the town below.

You hung your jacket on the hook near the door, left in nothing but a tank top and your worn jeans, both smelling faintly of the beer you'd been pulling all night.

The apartment was small enough that you could feel Loki's presence fill it the moment he stepped inside, bringing with him that same palpable energy he carried everywhere.

It was stupid, inviting him here. Bringing a piece of your old life into a place you'd so carefully curated to banish all thoughts of what you used to be. And who you used to trust.

You didn’t look back at him as you moved to the kitchen, flicking on the warm overhead light and reaching for the bottle of liquor you kept on the counter.

You grabbed the bottle of gin without turning around. “If you’re going to bust your way back into my life, at least make yourself useful. Lime’s in the fridge.”

Loki chuckled, the sound low and dark, vibrating through you like a physical thing, as he walked past and retrieved the lime. He came up beside you, setting it on the counter. “It's fascinating, this domesticated version of you. But it's almost... disappointing.”

“Oh, you're disappointed?" You sliced the knife into the lime, then looked up at him with something equally as sharp, refusing to back down even as he loomed closer. "Must be rough, dragging your sorry ass across the universe just to insult me in my own fucking kitchen.”

His grin only deepened, eyes glittering with something sharp and dangerous. “You’ve always had such a filthy little mouth. Has no one here put it to good use?”

The air between you snapped taut, his words hanging there like a dare. Heat flushed through you, but you wouldn’t let him see how much he got to you.

You’d always stuck to your guns of never mixing business with pleasure; anyone remotely related to work was off-limits. Loki knew this - your infuriating little rule as he called it - and found much entertainment in tempting you to break it. You, in turn, had found a great thrill in the game. The flirting, the teasing, the desire. A welcome distraction from the heaviness of the work.

“Maybe,” you said, raising your glass to your lips and taking a slow sip, testing it. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Loki laughed, a rich, dark sound that made your stomach tighten. “Darling,” he said, leaning against the counter beside you, his voice dropping to a murmur. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Instead, you turned back to your drink components and muttered, “It’s hard to trust strangers when you know what humanity’s capable of.”

"Humanity... or your former comrades?"

You didn't turn to glare at him again, but the weight of his words lingered. What you said hadn’t been a total lie - not really. You didn’t trust anyone enough to let them close, and the few who had tried didn’t come anywhere near the bar Loki had set just by existing. But you weren’t about to admit that to him.

You pulled a glass down from the cabinet, and began mixing another drink.

You didn't need to respond about your former comrades. He could see the answer in the half-empty bottles littering the windowsill. In the way that everything about this place - about your new life - was the exact opposite of the one you used to lead.

By the time he leaned against the counter beside you, you could feel the heat of his gaze, and you handed him a drink without making eye contact, focussing on replacing the bottles as he sipped.

He hummed slightly as he pulled back, the faintest sound of approval in the voicing.

“Impressive,” he admitted.

You smirked and picked up your own drink. “Killing isn’t the only thing I’m good at.”

Before he could respond, you hopped up onto the counter beside him, letting your leg rest casually against his. The contact sent a flicker of heat up your spine, but you masked it with another sip of your drink, watching him over the rim of the glass.

“We could’ve used you here, you know,” you said, your tone quiet but pointed. “... I could’ve used you.”

Loki’s jaw tightened, his smirk fading as he looked away briefly. “Asgard needed us,” he said after a moment, his voice lower now. “I always intended to return.”

You raised an eyebrow, tilting your head as you brought your glass to your lips. “Would’ve been nice to know that when I was rotting in an off-grid prison,” you said bitterly, letting the words hang in the air like smoke.

Loki flinched, but only slightly, and his voice softened. “I didn’t know.” He looked at you then, fully, his eyes heavy with something that almost resembled regret. “If I had... I would’ve come for you.”

The weight of his words pressed against your chest, and for a moment, you couldn’t breathe. You believed him. The edge in his voice, the way his gaze lingered on you - it cut through your defences in a way nothing else could.

You took another sip of your drink, trying to swallow the lump in your throat. “Doesn’t matter,” you said finally, shrugging as though it didn’t ache to say it. “Steve didn’t take that long to bust us out.”

He didn’t reply, just sipped his drink, and for a moment, the two of you drank in silence. The warmth of the liquor settled in your stomach, mixing with the heat radiating from his proximity.

Then you set your glass down and looked him in the eye. “Why are you here, Loki?”

His gaze locked onto yours, sharp and unflinching, as he drained the rest of his glass. He placed it on the counter with deliberate care before answering. “Thor and I stopped an apocalypse, known as Ragnarok,” he said, his voice measured but edged with exhaustion. “It would have destroyed Asgard, and all its people. It very nearly did.”

Your stomach dropped, shame crawling up your spine. All your bitter complaints about his absence felt suddenly small and selfish in the face of what he’d been dealing with.

But he wasn’t done. “But that doesn't matter now. Thanos is close,” he continued, his tone darkening. “He is coming to Earth to hunt the remaining Infinity Stones. And he will tear your world apart to get them.”

You stiffened, the weight of his words sinking in. You scoffed, more out of instinct than disbelief, and reached for the bottle to pour yourself another glass. “Sounds like a problem for what’s left of the Avengers,” you said, forcing a note of bitterness into your voice. “Talk to Tony. Or Natasha, or Fury-”

“Thor is with them already,” Loki interrupted.

Your hand froze mid-pour, and your stomach churned again. You set the bottle down, gripping the edge of the counter as the realisation hit you. “They sent you to find me.”

“No.” Loki’s voice was firm, steady. “I came because you need to understand what is coming. Anyone who can fight... must.”

The words hung heavy between you, cutting through the faint hum of the night outside. You swallowed hard, then grabbed the bottle again and poured a shot straight into your empty glass.

"You don't know what you're asking me."

"I do."

You downed it in one go, letting the burn distract you for a fleeting second before setting the glass down with a sharp clink.

"No, you fucking don't. They watched. They stood there, and watched as we were being cuffed, sedated, carted away to the Raft-"

"I understand-"

"I was arrested for treason, Loki!" Your fingers tightened around the bench as that familiar burning fear raced through you. You shut your eyes and breathed through it. Trying to figure out a way to explain... "Treason carries the death penalty. And... they stood by and watched."

Loki's hand slid over yours, and you felt your grip ease. Felt the fear ease, too. Into something much more like the lingering scar of betrayal.

“After Steve got us out,” you said, your voice quieter now, tinged with something raw and broken, “all I wanted was to leave that life behind. To be normal. Have a dead-end job. Read books on the beach. Drink coffee on long mornings. Have meaningless sex with hot strangers. Just... exist. Enjoy humanity.”

Loki's thumb brushed over your hand. “If you don’t want to fight,” he said, his voice soft but serious, “I will get you somewhere safe.”

You scoffed, giving him a sharp look. “Don’t be stupid,” you said. “Of course I’m going to fight."

A slow smirk tugged at his lips as he pulled his hand away, and you rolled your eyes, running a hand down your face. “I’m not really in fighting shape, though,” you muttered.

Loki’s gaze raked over you, and his smirk widened. “You look as deadly as always,” he said, his tone dripping with suggestion. "I've certainly no complaints."

You shot him a glare, though the heat rising to your face betrayed you. “Sure,” you said dryly. “Cause how I look will help take down an intergalactic warlord. Asshole.”

He chuckled, low and rich. “Did the meaningless sex at least help?”

A laugh slipped out before you could stop it, and you shook your head, smirking. “Never got to that part,” you admitted. “I guess you could say my former life left me with some trust issues."

Loki let out a low breath through his nose, allowing you to voice your bitterness. You shook your head, bumping your brows as you looked at your empty glass, then back at him. "You’re actually the first person I’ve let into this apartment.”

Loki’s smirk shifted, softening into something more thoughtful. “But obviously, you're not here for that,” you added quickly, your voice tinged with defensiveness.

“Obviously,” he echoed, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. “But you never know. This could all be an elaborate ruse to make you agree to one night of passion and fun before our inevitable demise at the hands of the Mad Titan.”

You flushed deeper, glaring at him even as a laugh escaped you. “That would be an elaborate ruse indeed.”

The tension between you thickened, charged and electric, as his smirk lingered. His gaze was unwavering, piercing through every defence you’d built over the years.

Finally, you broke the silence. “Do you really think it’s inevitable?” you asked, your voice quiet, the weight of the question heavier than you wanted to admit. “That Thanos will win?”

Loki’s smirk faded, replaced by something far more somber. He held your gaze, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t know,” he said finally, his voice low and steady. “But knowing you’ll be fighting... tips the scales in our favour.”

The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating, broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator. You tilted your head, biting back the flood of emotions threatening to spill. “We’ll leave in the morning.”

His sharp gaze didn’t waver, but the set of his jaw tightened.

“Tomorrow, we’re back to being allies,” you said, the word tasting bitter in your mouth. “And my rule goes back into play.”

"Ah, yes. Your infuriating little rule." His lips quirked into a faint smirk, but his eyes stayed on you, unrelenting. “A sensible boundary, I suppose. Though hardly foolproof.”

“Yeah, well,” you said, shrugging as casually as you could. “It’s kept me out of trouble so far.”

His gaze dipped, flickering over you in a way that made your skin flush. “Has it, though?”

You ignored the jab, focused instead on setting the glass on the counter. Then, before you could stop yourself, you said, “So, if tonight’s my last night of normal…” You met his eyes, your mouth quirking into a bitter smile. “You up for helping me fulfil my dream of having some meaningless sex before I give up this life?”

Loki stilled. The teasing glint in his eyes dimmed as his expression shifted, unreadable. He set his own glass down deliberately, his long fingers tracing the rim as if to gather his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, deliberate, and edged with something you didn’t dare name.

“Let me be very clear,” he said, his eyes pinning you in place. “I would gladly give you anything you desire in the bedroom. Anything. I would show you things that would shatter your mind, ruin you for anyone else. Pleasure so profound, so exquisite, you’d never be able to look at another lover without laughing at how pitifully inadequate they are.”

Your breath hitched, the heat in your cheeks spreading down your neck, but you refused to look away.

Heat prickled up your neck, but his eyes pinned you in place, his tone softening as he added, “But the one thing I cannot give you, is meaningless. Not with you. Never with you.”

Your heart stuttered, the weight of his words landing like a blow. He wasn’t teasing. He wasn’t mocking. He was standing there, raw and unguarded, and it made you want to take his hand, run far, far away, and leave the universe to defend itself.

You exhaled sharply, grabbing the edge of the counter to steady yourself. “Maybe,” you started, your voice softer than you intended, “after this whole Infinity Stone bullshit is over, we can indulge in something that’s just about us. Not about the universe. Not saving it. Just... something we've both wanted for a while.”

His eyes darkened, and for a moment, you thought he might kiss you right there. But instead, he nodded, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. “If that promise keeps you alive,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “I’ll happily make it.”

You huffed a dry laugh, shaking your head as you pushed off the counter. “Well, aren’t you a hero,” you muttered, grabbing your jacket and slinging it over your shoulder. “Let’s get this over with.”

Before you could brush past him, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping around your arm with a grip that was firm but not rough. The contact stopped you cold, and you turned your head to look up at him.

His face was inches from yours, his voice a low murmur that felt like it was slicing through the air. “You will stay alive, won’t you?”

The sincerity in his tone knocked the air from your lungs. He wasn’t taunting you. He wasn’t playing games.

You forced a smile, one that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Hell isn't ready for me yet,” you said, your voice steadier than you felt.

He held your gaze for a moment longer before releasing your arm. His hand lingered, just slightly, as if reluctant to let go. But his hand fell away, and you felt the loss of his touch like a physical ache.

You took one more deep breath, one more indulgent glance over his face, before turning headed for the door. “Come on,” you said without looking back. “Let’s go save the world.”

Behind you, Loki followed, and the quiet promise lingered between you both: something more, something meaningful, if the universe allowed it.

[valentine-cafe]

Oh to be a male reader who seems like nothing gets to him, charming and playful, only for your character to find him in a room all teary, and when pressed he just mumbles about the false rumour he thought was true, quiet and defeated and not meeting their eyes,

"are you really going to date <name of person>...?"

(order of: Tiramisu, mango pancakes, revani, key lime pie, rhubarb and strawberry crumble. I understand they're more than the average request so please don't feel pressured to answer❣️)

˖⁺. “ rumour has it ” : 

﹙ multi m. characters x male reader ﹚.𖹭 ݁

. . . various men x male reader !! 🍓 : ﹙ antihero ˖ immortal ˖ mercenary ˖ god ˖ grim reaper characters ﹚

what happens when the confident, cocky man they know and love ends up in tears over a fake rumour about them?

﹙ cws ﹚: none!  | wc : 1.2k 

﹙ receipts ﹚: this is soooo sweet we need more content for m readers like thiiiss :((

꒰  other treats : guidelines ˖ m.list ˖ characters ˖ our lore  ꒱

﹙alessio 781. ﹚. . . !! 🍓 : a look of confusion would flash before his eyes. had he ever seen you cry? the sight of your tears and the ache of his heart that came with it answered the question.

his mind scrambles for answers. where did the rumour come from? why were you upset over it?

for once his mind decided to click for him. he could practically feel the small lightbulb go off above his head. without a second to waste he advances forward to stand in front of your teary self. hands stuffed into his pockets and his hair catching in the wind of his lean. his tall form casts a shadow over the wooden desk that you sit at.

“now why’d I be on a date with ‘em when we’re going out for milkshake huh?”

your eyes spring wide and the tears halt together. your shaky voice brings a twitch to his brow and he has to restrain himself from pulling you into his arms altogether.

“wh-what - since when -”

“since now. come on pretty boy.”

he’s yanking you up in seconds with that big grin on and affectionate eyes. a large hand cupping your face to stroke a thumb along your cheekbone.

꒰  mercenary ˖ immortal ˖ antihero ˖ punkgoth character  ꒱

﹙rasui 9948e. ﹚. . . !! 🍒 : it only took one glance from him at you and then out to the hallway of his syndicate. the false flames licking away at the walls as per usual.

what strange rumors. such pathetic way to put someone’s confidence down. and the someone is you, of all people— why would someone do that?

“don’t just stand and look at me like that.” the mumble hits his ear, and immediately a brow raises slowly, creating that little forehead wrinkle that makes his face look ever the more handsome. damn this fire elemental.

“well if you insist.” he chuckles softly.

his hand sweeps across the open door to close it. before the soft, singing sound of his footsteps would pass towards you. head tilted in concerned confusion.

“i’ve never spoken to them about such.” he scoffs, long, brown hair standing blue with flame by the edges.

the small glance at his hair you catch out the corner of your eye indicates well enough his concern for you. tinges of sadness.

“rasui. . .”

“shhh.”

slowly, his hand finds the bottom of your chin, and slowly lifts your head to tilt it. make the saddened eyes of yours meet his fiery gaze, that hold such passion for you. had they always had that? you’d never noticed. . .

“i’d rather not waste my time with the likes of such.” he croons into your ear honestly, pressing a little smooch to your temple gently.

“you have, always, my undivided attention, habibi”

꒰  mercenary leader ˖ fire elemental character  ꒱

﹙haitao 9948e. ﹚. . . !! 🍓 : “oh don’t be so solemn dear.” he huffs softly, entering the room properly and drawing the door shut.

“there are no corpses to be mourned in the morgue today, after all. not yet, at least.” ah, humor continues as life goes on.

it is one of the things you find yourself so very fond of with him for. his morbid character oddly endearing in times of dull light.

“I am. . . failing to understand?”

in such confusion would your eyes meet his, as you heard the snort that emerged from his nose. the slightest of eerie laughter creeping out past his lips.

“don’t you wanna be with them instead?”

“no.” he’d answer blunty, smiling widely at you. shrugging casually before grinning at you in the usual, morbid fashion of his.

“i’d rather manage their funeral than do that.”

the bark of laughter that left him as he walked over to you sat your heart aflame, it was warm, a bit of a cacophany as usual but you loved it nontheless.

with a small wink from him, he gently takes your hands in his cold ones.

“you though, gods, you’re worth dancing around with until death.”

꒰  grim reaper ˖ mortician character ꒱

﹙alessio 164. ﹚. . . !! 🍒 : “what? where in the abhorration did you get that idea?”

it is only when the words leave his lips does alessio halt at the sight of your tears. realisation sets in with a sting and for the first time in awhile. . . he feels a hint of regret.

the sorcerer takes a seat beside you. his expression remains ever the same but the change comes with his warm palm on your knee. a small silence settles over the both of you before he pipes up in a quieter voice.

“you should not believe everything you hear, my dear. . .”

one of his knuckles raises to brush away your tears. there is a small tilt of his head with a tender smile to his dark lips.

“why are you so upset?”

you sniffle. the feel of your gut twisting stiffles your words. however with your overwhelm, the hand on your knee and the soft voice from the typically frightful, blunt man. . . they ease out like melted wax. “I. . . because it should. . .”

“should be you?”

you love the way he cups at your face with both hands and steers your eyes to him. love the way his smile assures the throbbing heart of yours. his words are what put it to rest entirely.

“such a bright star you are. . . why would you think my eyes are on any other?”

꒰  sorcerer ˖ corrupt god character ꒱

﹙talisen 164. ﹚. . . !! 🍓 : with such blunt words, delicately and full of softspoken wonder. it drips off of his tongue like wine: “whyever would one put an ear to such bereft opinion?”

of course, your reaction would be to look away in unbridled humiliation. although, it was clear he did not intend to have you feel such way.

“i just. . .” you try, taking in a deep breath, before looking down at your hands. frowning, at the inability to speak.

a long hand finds your shoulder, as the god’s much larger and taller body slumps down next to you in the couch.

“no.” he speaks, and brings your chin into an upwards tilt with one hand. the other drawing you closer to give you a small squeeze on the back.

“no?” you murmur back with a scoff. “what is that supposed to mean?”

“what i have attempted to tell you for long enough. is what it means.” he groans out, the sound almost wilting and blooming the flowers altogether.

“little interest do i find in such fickle creature as the one that claims i am theirs.” he begins. free hand moving to your heart to trace at the area. as he leans close enough for you to see each and every copper speck on his face that shape small crystalline patterns.

“a heart of mine lays beating within your hands, my beloved. it is time you see that.”

꒰  snake god ˖ corrupt god character ꒱

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﹙ tip jar. ﹚: like our work? consider suporting us 𖹭 

[sherewrytes]

𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕟 ℙ𝕚𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕤, ℝ𝕪𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟 𝕊𝕦𝕜𝕦𝕟𝕒 6

↳ Sukuna x f! black reader

Summary: After the death of his grandfather, Sukuna Ryomen is left to shoulder the weight of his family, caring for his younger brothers, Yuuji and Choso. As he withdraws into grief, his relationship with Y/N, his girlfriend of a year, begins to crumble. When Y/N discovers the truth about his grandfather’s passing during a heated argument, it leads to a painful breakup. Now, both are navigating life apart, but Sukuna’s heart aches for Y/N. Determined to win her back, he must confront his pain and find a way to break through the walls he’s built. Can he rekindle their love, or is it too late?

contents: heavy angst, modern au, 18+, smut, dark romance, drug use, talks of depression and similar topics. (a lil )

fic warnings. ooc, profanity, mental health issues, toxic relationships, cheating, explicit smut, serious drug use, mentions of depression + more to be updated as story progresses.

Please read with proper discretion. this is a work of fiction. all characters are written to portray roles that are necessary to the plot and are in no way a reflection of their canon counterparts.

Taglist: @for-hearthand-home@clp-84@thelightknight21@favvkiki  @helightknight21 @dylsw @ria-s-writes @sleepymothafterhours 

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Here is another chapter cause I'm still writing out the other fics right now :)

Previous

Chapter 6: The Weight of Loss

Y/N’s POV

It’s almost comical how different my life feels when I’m at school compared to when I’m at home. At Pratt, I’m a student, focused, and driven, with an entire future ahead of me. The campus is buzzing with the usual energy—students chatting, the sound of sketch pads flipping, the hum of distant studio lights. But the weight of everything outside these walls presses down on me more with each passing day.

It’s been weeks or days since the breakup with Sukuna.The loss of our relationship feels longer than the time we actually broke up but it feels like the echo of it still reverberates in everything I do. I’m trying to push forward, trying to act like I’m okay, but the reality is… I’m not. I haven’t been okay for a while.

The work in front of me should be enough to distract me. Finals are coming up, and my portfolio still feels like it needs a hundred more hours of attention before it’s anywhere near perfect. But I can’t stop my mind from drifting back to that night—his touch, his voice, the way he looked at me when he left, the pain in his eyes I couldn’t fix.

I sit in one of the studio rooms, surrounded by scraps of fabric and sketches, trying to focus on the design I need to complete for my final project. My hand trembles as I draw out another silhouette. It’s difficult to concentrate, especially when my phone buzzes on the table.

I don’t even need to look to know if it's from Utahime. She’s been checking in on me regularly. She doesn’t understand everything, but she knows enough to ask if I’m okay.

I pick up my phone, hesitating for a moment before responding. Yeah, I’m good. Just a lot of work to get through.

It’s a lie, but I don’t want to burden her with the truth. Everyone has their own problems, and I don’t want to be the one who drags them down.

I scroll through the texts, my heart dropping when I see a message from Toji. It’s just a short note, nothing particularly alarming. Sukuna's in the hospital. He’s okay, but he had a breakdown. You might want to check on him.

I read it three times before I let it sink in.

Sukuna’s in the hospital.

I bite my lip, the sting of old wounds coming back. What’s going on with him? Why does everything feel like it’s falling apart? I don’t even know how I feel anymore. I spent so much time loving him, fighting with him, then pushing him away, only for him to spiral deeper into whatever this is. And now, he’s in the hospital… alone?

I don’t even have the right to care, do I?

I put my phone down, my hands running through my hair as I try to make sense of it all. What should I do?

There’s a knock at the door, and I look up, startled. Utahime enters with a cup of coffee in her hand. She smiles when she sees me but then stops when she notices the look on my face. She doesn’t even need to ask.

“Something’s wrong,” she says gently, placing the coffee down in front of me.

I swallow hard, my throat dry. “Sukuna’s in the hospital,” I say quietly. The words feel so surreal coming out of my mouth.

Utahime doesn’t speak for a moment, just nods, as if she knew this might happen. “You’re thinking about going, aren’t you?” she asks, her voice soft.

I shake my head, my chest tightening. “I don’t even know what I’d say to him, Utahime. I—” I stop, the emotions threatening to spill over. “He played with my feelings, and I let him. I gave him everything, and now... now look at us.”

She sits next to me, her presence comforting. “You don’t have to go to him if you’re not ready,” she says, her hand gently brushing mine. “But don’t ignore what your heart is telling you. Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in anger or pride, but if you care about him, and you think he needs you—maybe you should go. Just to know he’s okay.”

I stare at the coffee in front of me, the steam rising gently. I feel so torn. Part of me wants to throw it all away and run to him, to make things right, but the other part is terrified of what that would mean.

“I’m just… so tired, Utahime. Tired of trying to fix everything,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “And I don’t think I can keep doing this. I don’t want to keep getting hurt.”

She leans back in her chair, giving me space. “You don’t have to fix him. You just have to decide what’s best for you. It’s okay to care about him, but it’s also okay to take a step back. You don’t owe him anything.”

I nod slowly, but the weight in my chest doesn’t lift. If anything, it feels heavier.

As much as I want to ignore the message, as much as I want to pretend everything’s fine and keep moving forward, I know deep down that the story isn’t finished yet. But the question is, how do I make peace with it? How do I let go of the part of me that still wants him in my life?

I guess I’m going to have to figure it out, even if it hurts.

I stare at the message from Toji, my thumb hovering over the reply button. I could feel the tension building in my chest, the pull to cave in and see him, to check on Sukuna, to offer whatever comfort I could. But I can’t. I won’t.

I text back quickly, trying to keep my answer as firm as possible, even though doubt gnaws at me. Yes. I’m sure.

I put my phone down and take another sip of the coffee Utahime bought for me. The warmth soothes me, but it’s not enough to quell the rising discomfort I feel. Maybe I’m running away from something I should confront, but every time I think about him—about everything that happened—my chest tightens. I know I’m not ready to face him.

Mei Mei sits beside me, her usual confident and laid-back demeanor a welcome distraction. She smiles at me, her eyes bright despite the obvious tension in the air. “I heard you’ve been dealing with some drama,” she teases, nudging my shoulder playfully. “You always seem to attract it, huh?”

I laugh, but it’s hollow. “Yeah, it seems like it. Just trying to get through finals without any more drama.”

She leans back in her chair, clearly not convinced. “If you say so, but I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s bothering you.” She raises an eyebrow. “You’re not fooling anyone. What’s going on?”

I set the coffee down, rubbing my forehead. Mei Mei’s known me for years. She doesn’t give up easily, especially when it comes to stuff I’d rather keep to myself.

“It’s… complicated,” I say, sighing deeply. “Sukuna’s in the hospital.”

Mei Mei’s expression softens. “Hospital? What happened?”

I explain the basics—the fallout from our breakup, his breakdown, and the fact that it seems he’s been spiraling for months. As I talk, it feels like I’m peeling back a layer of myself I’ve been trying to keep hidden.

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” I continued, my voice shaking slightly. “But now… I just feel like I made it worse.”

Mei Mei listens, her face serious. When I finish, she doesn’t say anything at first. She just looks at me for a long time, her eyes calculating, like she’s trying to figure something out.

“You can’t keep carrying his weight, Y/N,” she says gently, her tone softer than I expected. “He’s not your responsibility anymore. I get that you care, but sometimes stepping back is the healthiest thing you can do—for both of you.”

I nod, trying to hold it together, but her words sink deep into my chest. I know she’s right. If I keep going back to him, trying to fix things that aren’t mine to fix, I’ll just keep breaking myself in the process. But knowing that doesn’t make the choice any easier.

I reach for my phone again, checking for another message. There’s one from Toji.

Y/N, I know you’re upset. I get it. But you need to understand he’s really struggling. He’s not the same guy anymore. Please, just think about it. He’s not okay.

I feel the weight of the message, the silent plea in his words. It almost makes me want to go. But no. I made my decision.

I turn my phone face down, looking back at Mei Mei. “I’m done with it. I need to focus on my future. On me.”

She smiles, a little proud of me. “Good. It’s about time. You’re a strong woman, Y/N. Don’t forget that.”

I lean back in my chair, feeling the exhaustion from the last few months hit me all at once. Finals are coming, and I don’t have the luxury of letting my emotions run the show anymore. I have to finish this. For me.

But even as I sit there, I can’t ignore the small ache in my heart, the part of me that still cares, that wonders what could have been. For a fleeting moment, I let myself imagine a different reality, one where everything with Sukuna was easier, where we were happy and I didn’t have to make these impossible decisions.

But that’s not my reality. Not anymore.

Toji's POV

I stare at the screen of my phone, Y/N’s last text still lingering in front of me. Yes. I’m sure.

The words hit harder than I expected. I knew she wasn’t going to just drop everything and run to Sukuna, but hearing it from her directly… it stings. She’s shutting him out, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. Nothing any of us can do.

I glance over at Sukuna, still out cold in the hospital bed, his breathing steady for now. He’s been through hell these past few days, and I hate to admit it, but I’m worried. Despite all his bullshit, the bravado he puts up like a fucking wall, he’s broken. And it’s not just the aftermath of Jin’s death or the guilt he carries around like a fucking anchor. It’s more than that.

I thought, maybe if Y/N came, it would snap him back. But she’s not coming.

I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair. The room feels too quiet now, even with the constant beep of the heart monitor in the background. The silence between me and Sukuna is almost deafening, and I can’t shake the sense of impending disaster that hangs in the air.

I think about what Y/N said—how she couldn’t keep carrying his weight. And part of me gets it. She’s right. I told her before that Sukuna wasn’t the only one who needed to get his shit together, but I guess… I didn’t expect her to walk away. Not like this. Not after everything.

I can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if we’d all handled this differently. If we had talked more, not let everything fester. Maybe she wouldn’t have had to make that decision. Maybe Sukuna wouldn’t be lying here, broken and lost. And I wouldn’t be standing here, feeling fucking useless.

Sukuna murmurs in his sleep, his hand twitching slightly, and I look back at him. He looks so different when he’s not putting on that mask. I can see the fear, the guilt, everything he hides away in his waking hours. It’s all on display when he’s vulnerable, like this.

He whispers something under his breath, and I lean in closer, straining to hear him.

“Y/N… I’m sorry…”

His voice cracks, soft and fragile. He doesn’t even know I’m here. Doesn’t know I’m watching him break down piece by piece. But I heard it. He said her name.

It’s fucking killing me to watch him like this.

I stand up, running my hand over my face, trying to shake off the weight of everything. I can’t do this. I can’t fix this. No matter how many times I try to tell myself that this is his fight, not mine, I can’t stop feeling like I’m responsible. We all are.

I check my phone again. Y/N hasn’t replied. I don’t expect her to. She’s made up her mind, and honestly, I don’t know what I would say if she did respond.

All I can do is sit here and wait, hoping that Sukuna pulls himself out of this hole he’s dug. He’s going to need all the help he can get, but I’m not sure I can even be that for him anymore.

I glance back at him one last time before walking out of the room. Whatever happens next is out of our hands. I just hope for his sake, he’s not too far gone to fix it.

I step out of the room, needing some space to breathe, even though the weight of everything is still pressing down on me. My phone buzzes again. Another message from Y/N. I don’t look at it. I can’t. Not right now.

The hallway feels emptier than usual, and I’m just about to sit down when I hear footsteps approaching. I glance up, already knowing who it is before I see their faces. Gojo’s impossible to miss, his presence like a fucking storm in the calm. And right behind him, Geto, walking with that same quiet intensity he always carries. They're holding bags in each hand, the smell of fast food wafting into the air.

Gojo gives me a lazy grin like he's just come back from a fun afternoon instead of dealing with a pile of shit that’s only getting worse.

“Got you something.” He waves the KFC sandwich in the air, the crispy fried chicken peeking out from the wrapper. “Figured you could use something real to eat. You’ve been looking like you’ve been living off hospital snacks.”

I glance at him, but I’m not in the mood for a joke. I just stare at the sandwich for a second before nodding. “Thanks.”

Geto just raises an eyebrow and slides a bottle of cold Coca-Cola into my hand. "It’s cold. Thought you could use a little sweetness with all this shit."

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I take the sandwich, unwrap it, and take a small bite. The taste is oddly comforting, and for a moment, it feels a little bit of normal. But only for a second. My mind is still a million miles away, locked on Sukuna, on Y/N, on everything that’s been happening. I can’t seem to get a grip.

Gojo leans against the wall casually, clearly unaffected by anything going on, while Geto remains quiet, eyes focused like he’s waiting for me to crack. The silence stretches, uncomfortable in its own way.

"Is he awake?" Gojo asks, breaking the tension, his voice light but his eyes searching mine for an answer.

I take another bite of the sandwich and sigh, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Yeah, but he’s not really there. Talking in his sleep… saying her name. Y/N."

The mention of her name hangs in the air for a moment, and I watch as Gojo’s expression shifts slightly. He doesn’t show it often, but I know he can’t be completely oblivious to what’s happening. Not with how tightly he and Sukuna have been bound, even when things were rough.

“I’m sure he’s just… in his head,” Gojo says after a pause, trying to sound nonchalant but clearly struggling with his own thoughts. “He’s got a lot of shit on his plate.”

Geto’s expression hardens slightly. “He’s not the only one, Gojo. Y/N’s been through her own hell. She’s not just some side character in his story. It’s never been that simple.”

“Yeah, I know,” Gojo mutters, though he doesn’t seem entirely convinced by Geto’s words. He glances back at the door where Sukuna lies, still deep in his own turmoil. “We all know what happened between them. It’s fucked up, but that doesn’t change what he’s going through.”

The words cut through the tension like a blade. I swallow the rest of the sandwich, my stomach growing heavier with the implications of their statements. The more I think about it, the more it feels like we’ve all fucked up in our own ways. We’ve all allowed this to spiral out of control, and now, we’re left picking up the pieces.

“I get that he’s hurting,” I say, voice tight, “but what do we do now? What can we even do? She’s not coming, Gojo. She’s done.”

The words feel bitter in my mouth, even though I know they’re true. Sukuna has lost her, and there’s no going back.

Gojo and Geto exchange a look, the silence dragging on as the weight of the situation settles in. Gojo pops the cap off his own bottle of Coke, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“You just keep pushing forward,” Gojo says after a moment. “You don’t get to wallow in this shit. That’s not how it works, Toji. You just keep moving forward. That's all you can do.”

I’m about to respond when I hear a low murmur coming from Sukuna’s room. The door creaks open slightly, and I glance toward it, the worry clawing at my insides again. Gojo stands up and gives me a pointed look.

“Let’s go see how he’s doing,” he says, voice more serious now, and I can hear the weight of his words.

We all walk to the room, our steps heavy with the unspoken truths we’ve been avoiding. Inside, Sukuna stirs in the bed, his eyes barely open but wide enough to see the panic in his gaze.

“Y/N,” he whispers, almost like a prayer, his hand gripping the bed sheets tightly.

The room feels cold as we stand there, watching him struggle with the demons only he knows. His words hang in the air like a knife, cutting through the silence.

“Maybe we can fix this,” Gojo mutters softly, more to himself than anyone else. "But not like this."

I watch Sukuna’s face, the same man who used to be full of fire and rage, now broken. Maybe Gojo’s right—maybe we keep pushing forward. But even I know, with everything that’s happened, there’s no easy fix to the mess we’ve created.

Sukuna's POV

I’m trapped in the in-between, stuck in the land of the awake but not living. I can hear them talking, but my mind refuses to connect. Every word that escapes their lips feels like a blur, and I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear about Y/N or Jin or my own damn self.

The steady beeping of the heart monitor is the only thing grounding me in reality, reminding me that I'm still here, still breathing, even if it feels like everything else is slipping through my fingers. The voices swirl around me, but none of them cut through the fog in my mind. Not even Gojo’s voice, not even Geto’s.

Y/N. 

Her name lingers in the air like an echo I can’t escape. It’s all I can think about. How I fucked things up. How I hurt her. How I lost her. I can’t get away from the image of her, standing there in her apartment, looking at me with those eyes—those brown eyes I used to drown in. Eyes that no longer saw me the same. Eyes that were filled with pain.

My stomach churns. I want to scream, but the words catch in my throat.

My younger brothers.

Yuuji. Choso.

I’m supposed to be their older brother. I’m supposed to be strong for them. They’ve lost so much already, and I can’t afford to lose them, too. But if I keep spiraling like this—if I let this guilt eat me alive, if I let my demons drag me under—then what happens to them? What happened to me?

I’m supposed to protect them, but I’m barely holding myself together. I can’t keep breaking like this. I can’t keep letting everything fall apart just because I don’t know how to deal with the shit that’s happened.

I’m supposed to be better. Better for them.

But how? How do I fix this? How do I fix myself when everything feels broken beyond repair?

I hear Gojo again, his voice louder this time. "He's just... lost in his head right now. We can't help him until he helps himself." It’s all I need to hear to understand that I’m not getting any sympathy here. Not from any of them. They know me too well.

And maybe that's what I need.

I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping to block out the pain. Maybe if I don’t open them, I won’t have to face the reality of what I’ve become. A broken man. A fuck-up.

But the truth is, I can’t run forever. I can’t stay in this fog of regret and self-loathing. I don’t want to be this version of myself. Not for my brothers, not for anyone. I’ve been here too many times before. Spiraling, falling, too afraid to face what’s staring me in the face. I’ve always been this way. But I can’t afford to be anymore.

I can’t let myself be the reason they lose me. Not when I still have a chance to fix it.

I hear Geto’s voice again, softer this time. "Sukuna... we’re here. But you need to come back. Come back to us." His words hit me harder than I expected, and I feel the weight of them pressing down on my chest. Come back to us.

I’m not sure how, but for the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself feel something other than numbness. A crack in the wall I’ve built around myself. A tiny opening to a possibility that maybe—just maybe—I can still get out of this.

But first, I have to face the one thing I’ve been running from.

I have to face myself.

“Y/N,” I whisper to no one in particular, my voice hoarse, rough. "I'm sorry."

I don’t expect anyone to hear it. Hell, I’m not even sure I believe it yet. But it’s the first step. And for now, that’s all I can give.

I open my eyes slowly, squinting at the harsh fluorescent lights above. The hospital room is sterile and unfamiliar, and for a second, I forget where I am. But then it all comes flooding back—the weight of my actions, the destruction I’ve left in my wake, and the realization that I can’t keep hiding from it.

I don't even remember when I said it, but those two words still echo in my mind: I'm sorry. They were the first words I’ve said aloud in what feels like forever, but they carry so much weight. So much guilt.

I sit up slowly, feeling the ache in my chest. I’m not sure if it’s from the panic attack, the guilt, or just the overwhelming sense of being broken. But whatever it is, it makes it hard to breathe, to think. To feel.

Gojo is still here, his presence just as obnoxious as ever. But there's something about him being here that gives me a sense of stability like maybe he doesn’t expect me to be perfect, but he’s still here, regardless. And Geto... Geto is just sitting there, staring at me like he’s waiting for me to get my shit together. Maybe he’s right. Maybe they both are.

“Fuck,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "How did I get here?"

Geto looks up from his phone, catching my eye for the first time in what feels like forever. “You’ve been here, Sukuna. You know the drill. You need to pull yourself together, for them.” His voice is calm, but there’s an edge to it. He’s tired, I can tell. We all are.

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice cracking. "For them."

It’s a mantra I’ve been repeating to myself for weeks now—for them. For Yuuji and Choso. They’ve lost so much already, and I can’t be the one to break.

But I don’t know where to begin. I don’t know how to fix this. How do I rebuild what I’ve destroyed? How do I fix myself when I’m not even sure who I am anymore?

Gojo leans against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You’re not alone in this, you know.” His words are blunt, but there’s something softer in his eyes. He doesn’t say it often, but I can see it. The understanding.

"I know." I don’t meet his gaze, my eyes locked on the floor. It’s easier that way. “But I still fucked up, Gojo. I messed it all up.”

Geto sighs heavily, shaking his head. "You didn't just mess it up. But that doesn't mean it’s over. You’ve got to take responsibility for it, man. For her... and yourself."

For a moment, I don’t know what to say. The words feel like they’re stuck in my throat. But then I think of Y/N. Her face, her eyes... the way she looked at me when I ruined everything. I see her pain in every single interaction we had before it all came crashing down. I can still feel it. The way she’d retreat from me, the way she’d pull away. And the way I never truly let her in.

"I didn’t mean for it to go like this," I finally whispered. "I never meant to hurt her."

“You need to talk to her, if she’ll allow it” Geto says, standing up and moving closer. “And if she’s willing, maybe... maybe you can fix it. But you have to start with yourself first.”

I feel the weight of his words, like he’s trying to lift me out of the quicksand I’ve been sinking into. But I’m stuck. I’m stuck in the guilt, in the shame, in the regret.

“What if she doesn’t want me back?” I ask, barely above a whisper. "What if I’ve already ruined it too much?"

"You won’t know unless you try," Gojo says, stepping forward. “You can’t undo the past, but you can at least try to make the future better. For her. For you.”

I feel something shift inside me, something small but significant. Maybe it’s hope. Maybe it’s just the desperation that’s been eating away at me. I don’t know. But it’s there, and for the first time, I let myself feel it.

Maybe it’s not too late. Maybe, just maybe, I can start rebuilding—starting with myself. I have to try. For Y/N. For Yuuji. For Choso. For me.

I stand up, feeling the weight of my body shift. My legs feel weak, but I force myself to stay upright. Geto watches me carefully as if waiting for me to collapse, but I don’t. Not this time.

I might not have all the answers, but I know one thing for sure.

I’m done running from it.

“I’ll fix it,” I murmur, barely believing the words myself. But I have to say it. I have to believe it.

For the first time in a long while, I don’t feel so alone. Maybe I’m not as far gone as I thought. Maybe I can still fight my way back from this.

Maybe I can still be the man I used to be.

the nurse filled in, "We tried to contact your emergency contact yn ln but they didnt respond. Do you have anyone who can keep an eye on you?

The nurse’s words hang in the air, thick with unspoken tension. I feel the room grow heavier as they linger, and I find myself grasping for a response. Y/N’s name still feels like a foreign sound on my lips.

I open my mouth to speak, but the words don’t come. What would I even say? She won’t answer me anymore. Not after what I did. The silence stretches between us, suffocating.

"I have—" I start, but the weight of it stops me.

Before I can finish the sentence, Toji speaks up, his voice cutting through the thick air like a knife.

"You can take my information. What do I need to know?"

I look up at him, and for the first time in what feels like days, I feel a bit of relief. Toji, as blunt as he is, never lets me down. He’s been here since the start, and I know, deep down, he’s always had my back, even when I didn’t deserve it.

The nurse nods, taking out her tablet and entering Toji’s information with practiced ease. It’s almost like they’ve done this a thousand times before, and maybe they have. Maybe they’re used to people like me. People who screw up their lives and end up here, needing a reminder that they’re not completely gone yet. That there's still a chance.

But I don’t know if I believe that.

I watch the nurse leave, and the silence settles back into the room like a heavy blanket. Toji stands there, looking at me with something between concern and resignation. He doesn’t need to say anything. I know exactly what he’s thinking.

"Stop blaming yourself," Toji finally says, his voice low, but firm. “You're not in this mess alone, and you’re not gonna fix it overnight. But you’ve gotta stop running from it, or you'll end up buried.”

I can feel his eyes on me, watching for any sign of weakness, but I can’t give him that. I can’t give anyone that. Not after everything.

"I know," I mutter, my voice barely audible.

Toji shrugs and moves to the side, making space in the small hospital room. "We all fucked up, Sukuna. But it’s not the end of the world. You’re still here."

The words settle somewhere deep inside me, somewhere I didn’t even know was still capable of feeling something. I look away, pretending the words don’t hit me the way they do.

But I can’t stop thinking about Y/N.

Her face. Her eyes. How she would look at me when I failed her. The way she pulled away.

I failed her.

But I still want to fix it. God, I want to fix it so badly that it hurts.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do that. I’m not sure if it’s even possible. But for the first time in months, I feel like I can try. I have to try.

For me. For her. For everyone I’ve hurt.

“Thanks,” I say to Toji, my voice gruff and unsteady. "For doing this... for me."

He doesn’t respond right away, just gives me a sharp look like he’s waiting for me to crumble again.

But I don’t.

Not this time.

Instead, I stand up slowly, feeling the weight of my legs beneath me. There’s no escape now. No more running from my mistakes. No more hiding. I have to face this.

And maybe... just maybe, I can start with making things right.

For once, I don’t feel like I’m completely drowning. But the battle is far from over.

"I’ll make it right," I say softly to myself, more than to Toji.

The words feel fragile like I’m trying to piece together a shattered mirror. But I have to try.

I won’t be the man I used to be. I can’t go back to that.

But maybe, just maybe, I can be someone worth loving again.

For Y/N. For everyone I’ve hurt.

And for myself.

I’m finally being released from the hospital. The sterile white walls feel like they’re closing in as the nurses hand me a prescription for the medications I’m supposed to take. But I don't care about that right now. I just want to go home. I just want to breathe again.

The ride back to the apartment feels like it takes hours. The air in the car is heavy with the weight of everything I've done, everything I’ve messed up. I haven’t spoken a word the whole way. Toji’s driving, the only sound between us was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of the road beneath the tires.

When we get to the apartment, I’m not sure what to expect. The door’s wide open when I walk in, and there’s Choso, pacing back and forth. His voice rises, sharp and full of frustration as he glances over at me. His eyes are bloodshot like he hasn’t slept in days, and I know it’s because of me.

"Sukuna!" Choso shouts, throwing his hands up in the air, his face a mix of anger, pain, and worry. “What the hell were you thinking?! You scared the shit out of us, man!”

I flinch at his words, the sting of them going deeper than I want to admit. But I don’t say anything. I don’t have a defense, not for this. I can’t make it better with a few words. So, I stand there, silent, my head hanging low.

Yuuji’s sitting in the corner of the room, his eyes glued to the floor, his friends Megumi and Nobara beside him, looking as stressed as he is. The weight of it all crashes into me. I did this to them. I’ve been selfish, and it’s clear they’re carrying this burden with me.

Yuuji finally looks up, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm glad you're home, bro."

His words don’t hit me like I expect them to. Instead of feeling the relief I thought I’d get from hearing him, I just feel hollow. I’ve caused too much damage to fix it with just a few words. He shouldn't have to say that. I shouldn’t be the one causing him so much pain.

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” I mutter, the bitterness slipping out before I can stop it. "It’s not like I’ve been some fucking good example for you, right?"

Toji steps up beside me, his presence grounding. “That’s enough,” he says, his tone low but firm. “He’s home, and that’s what matters. Stop making this harder than it needs to be.”

Choso doesn’t let up though, his hands on his hips as he glares at me. "You’ve been running from everything, running from us, from yourself. We were worried you were gonna fucking end up dead, and now you’re back, but are you even gonna stay back?"

I want to answer him, to tell him that I’m trying, that I’m going to get better. But I know he won’t believe me. None of them will. Not after everything.

"Look," I say, my voice thick. "I’m sorry. I’ve fucked up, and I can’t fix everything in a day. But I’m here. I’m not going anywhere right now."

It’s all I can offer, and I know it’s not enough, but it’s all I’ve got. I can’t be the man I was before. I can’t just wipe away all the mistakes I made with a simple apology. But maybe I can try to be better.

Yuuji stands up slowly and walks over to me. I brace myself, waiting for him to yell, for him to say something harsh. But when he reaches me, he simply pats me on the back, like he’s trying to offer something I don’t deserve.

“It’s good to have you back, Sukuna,” Yuuji says quietly, his voice thick with emotion.

I swallow hard, the lump in my throat growing. I don’t know if I’m crying or not. But it sure feels like it. Maybe this is the first step in making things right. Maybe not for everyone, but for me, for Yuuji, for Choso... and Y/N.

The tears come without warning, falling like a flood. I feel them before I even know they’re coming, a warm rush down my face, blurring my vision. I can’t stop them. Not anymore. I’ve been holding everything in for so long, trying to keep the pieces of myself together, trying to be the strong one for my brothers. But I can’t do it anymore.

My knees give way, and I drop to the floor, the weight of everything—of all the things I’ve lost, of all the things I’ve fucked up—crushing me. My chest aches, tight, like it’s too small to hold all the guilt, all the pain.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter through gritted teeth, though I don’t know if I’m saying it to Choso or Yuuji or even myself. My voice cracks, the rawness of it is unfamiliar and painful. “Jin’s gone because of me... and Grandpa... he’s gone. They’re both gone.”

The tears come faster, like a storm I can’t outrun. I can’t hold it together anymore. Not for anyone. Not for them. Not for myself.

I hear Choso’s footsteps, feel his arms around me as he pulls me up, but I don’t want to be touched. Not right now. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear, to not have to face any of this, to not have to be the one who let them all down.

“Grandpa's funeral,” I whisper, my voice ragged. “Our parents didn’t even show up. They didn’t care. They never did.”

The words sting, but it’s the truth. The truth that I’ve been running from for years. Our parents left us. They abandoned us, and the only one who was there, who gave a shit, was Granpa. And now he’s gone, too.

“I’m tired of holding this in,” I choke out. “I can’t keep pretending to be the fucking strong one. I’m... not strong. I’m broken.”

I look up at Choso, and his face is pale, but his expression is gentle. I can see the hurt in his eyes, but there’s something else there too: understanding. He knows. He knows what it’s like to lose, to feel like you’re drowning in your own shit. And maybe he’s the only one who can truly get it.

I look over at Yuuji, and his face is full of concern. He’s standing in the corner of the room, silent, but I know the words are there, sitting heavy on his tongue. He doesn’t need to say anything, though. The fact that he’s here—just here—means more than words ever could.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” I say, my voice low and broken. “I don’t want to be like this anymore. I don’t want to let everyone down. I don’t want to keep losing people.”

But I’m scared. Scared of what it will take to fix all this. Scared of how much of myself I’ll have to break in the process.

“I’m so fucking tired,” I admit, my voice barely a whisper. 

Choso pulls me close, his hands gripping my shoulders as if he can somehow hold me together. “You don’t have to have it all figured out, Sukuna. We’re here. You’re not alone in this. You never were.”

His words hit me like a lifeline, but the truth is, I don’t know if I deserve it. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the person they want me to be.

But I know one thing: I can’t keep drowning in my own shit. I have to try to be better. Even if it’s just for a little while.

I’m home. But the journey to redemption? That’s just the beginning.

[goldsnek]

So, I saw the question about tips for aspiring comic artists and it actually reminded me that I am curious about the topic as well😅

I like to write stories and I like to draw so it seemed logically for me to try my hand at comics as well but I'm struggling extremely with the layout.

It's seems very daunting when you sit in front of the empty page and you have to consider how to arrange the panels.

I'm the kind of artist that sometimes does big changes to almost finished works, so the idea of having to make a final decision before I even start with the actual drawing process, is kind of terrifying for me.

Long story short, how do you put your drawings into panels?

Do you really have to make a final panel layout at the beginning, the way I've been attempting to, or are there other possibilities I simply haven't thought of?

Last but not least, I want you to know that I absolutely love your comic, both because of your spectacular art and the amazing story! ❤️

Hello! Okay this is going to be long but I'll try my best to explain and be concise (and truly sorry for the english!) So, the first rule you need to have in mind is that you don't imagine the scene PER PAGE but PER SEQUENCE. What I mean is, you don't have to imagine a comic (like ''what I'm putting in this page'') but you have to imagine it as a video in your head, like you're directing a movie ( movies and comics are a lot more similar than we think as a media) For example, try to imagine someone waking up and going to open their window, that's a full sequence. it can be done in various ways, depending on what your character is doing and what's the ''mood'' of the scene. Remember always that your character emotions sets the mood for the entire scene. A thing that helps me a lot is ( like I said XD) watching movies, I focus on the mini sequences, a kiss scene, a fight, I pause the movie and rewatch that scenes various times, trying to understand the mood of the scene and how is shot. A sequence can even take 3 or 4 pages or even 10, it depends from whats happening, even more if it's a fight! But like I said the number of pages comes later. another importart thing to remember is that your characters needs ''a place to live'' If you make a story and never show a single panel with a background, the story is gonna lack something 100%; and I know... backgrounds are hard (I hate them) but you need at least 1 panel where you show the places your characters are living in. That is called establishing shot and it needs to be used when your character are moving to other locations. (or if you're talking about other characters in your comic and they are somewhere else) I'll show u some establishing shots now:

Took 3 different comics (narratively and stylistic speaking) Bone, Batman and TinTin to show you that even if the setting of the panels is extremely different, they still all have an establishing shot. Now, of course you don't have to put this in EVERY page, but like I said at least at the start of your comic, or when the characters are moving somewhere else, it's very important to show that. Also remember that the biggest panel you need to have in your sequence is the one where the most important action is happening. For example, if two people are fighting and someone gets slapped, that's the most impactful scene, so that's the scene that will need the biggest panel on your sequence, because it's the most important. Another rule is to make the camera breathe. Let me explain this properly, you, as a comic artist, are like a movie director with a camera. You need to turn the camera in various ways, up and down left and right, but always remember this : Never make a page of faces only. example, here are character A and B having a conversation, a page like this is extremely wrong, because the camera is basically attached to the character face and the viewer/reader is going to feel like they're suffocating in the room with the story characters :

You as an artist have the power to zoom the camera in and out, showing extremely tiny details or making a big panel that shows how Idk... beautiful or eerie or mysterious the background is. The biggest advice I can give you is to read a lot of comics, try to find series you love and study them, see how they make the panels, how the sequence are shown etc. The last rule (there are a lot more so if you have more specific questions just ask) I can give you and this is about your question in specific is that: Yes. Unfortunately you have to make the structure first and that has to be your final decision, if you make a 10 pages comic for example and you decide you don't like some stuff anymore and decide to change all the pages, you're just gonna end up in a endless cycle of always fixing and fixing and never be satisfied. Remeber this: The sketches and layout of the pages are the MOST important thing in a comic. The coloring, lineart, etc... it's just decoration. So hang on and start making layouts, and focus only on those for a period of time and then when you're 100% satisfied with the structure, you go and start adding the ''decorations'' Hope this helps! I'm not very good at explaining , especially in another language, but I tried my best XD

[deliciousangelfestival]

The Lady - 2

Character: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader, Eddie Horniman x Female Reader

Summary: After fifteen years away, a step-daughter returns for her Duke step-father's funeral, only to inherit a staggering 8 million pound debt and strike a risky deal with a criminal underworld figure.

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

Chap 1, Chap 2, Chap 3 , Chap 4 , Chap 5 , Chap 6 , Chap 7.

Your ongoing support means the world to me! Reblogs are a fantastic way to help spread the word about my work. I'll do my best to reply to all your comments. Thank you for your continued encouragement!

Bucky leaned back in his chair, studying her reaction keenly. "I understand your concerns," he said, his tone surprisingly understanding. "But trust me, this is a business matter. We're not in the business of hurting innocent people."

"If someone died, I'd probably get deported," Bucky added casually, his tone belying the seriousness of his words.

"You're American too?" you blurted out, your voice tinged with disbelief. It was only now, under the stress of the moment, that you noticed Bucky's lack of a British accent.

"Yup. Just like you. So we have something in common," Bucky replied, his smile masking the underlying tension between you.

Leaning back in your chair, you feigned deep contemplation, buying yourself time to process the weight of Bucky's request. "After thinking thoroughly, it's not gonna happen," you finally declared, your words a thinly veiled refusal.

Bucky's easygoing demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a steely resolve that sent shivers down your spine. Drawing closer, he rested both arms on Rupert's study table, his gaze piercing you unwaveringly.

"Your Grace, because of my friendship with Rupert, I'm giving you this last chance," Bucky declared, his voice low and commanding.

With a swift motion, he produced a business card from his suit pocket and slid it across the table towards you. "I'll be waiting for your call."

As he retreated, you couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding creeping over you. The stakes had never been higher, and you knew that the choices you made in the coming days would shape the course of your future in ways you couldn't yet comprehend.

The weight of the situation pressed down on you like a suffocating blanket as you surveyed the room, your eyes landing on the familiar photos adorning the walls.

Among them, a small picture frame caught your attention, capturing a moment frozen in time: you and Rupert, smiling at a polo game.

Your voice faltered as you addressed the silent figure in the photograph. "Why did you choose me?" you whispered, the weight of the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. "Dad."

Feeling lost and overwhelmed, you pondered your next move. Should you confront your mother, who seemed to have kept secrets hidden all along?

Or seek answers from the twins, who had already distanced themselves from the burden?

After careful consideration, you decided to turn to your childhood friend, Eddie, for guidance. With a sense of determination, you grabbed the car keys and set off for Halstead estate, hoping that Eddie might offer some much-needed clarity in this sea of uncertainty.

As you stepped onto the familiar grounds of Halstead estate, memories of summers past flooded your mind. Despite the initial awkwardness of being left behind by your mother, the warmth of Eddie's family soon enveloped you in a sense of belonging.

The memories of summers spent here flooded back. Your mother left you behind, as the twins didn't want you to join the holiday. So, your mom left you here since Eddie's manor was closer to you.

Initially awkward, but it became enjoyable with Freddie always cracking jokes and Eddie, the adventurous one.

Reminiscing about fishing trips, horseback riding, and clay shooting, you couldn't help but smile at the fond memories made in this idyllic setting.

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through your reverie, and you turned to see Freddie, Eddie's brother, approaching with open arms. Despite the passage of time, Freddie seemed unchanged, his jovial spirit shining through.

"Y/N! Come here. Give me a hug."

You embraced him. It had been 15 years, and he seemed different, almost radiant.

Freddie said, "I'm sorry about Rupert. I lost my dad last year too."

You replied, "I'm sorry too."

"So, it's obvious you're not here for me. You want to see Eddie?" Freddie asked.

"I am," you confirmed.

"He just finished a conversation with a guest. Let me take you there," Freddie offered, leading the way.

When you walked into the study room, you heard an elegant female voice saying, "I'll give the info later."

As she walked out, you noticed her stylish demeanor and sensed a mysterious aura around her. There was a hint of leadership in her presence, but what struck you as odd was the faint smell of weed lingering in the air.

She smiled at you before departing.

"I didn't expect you to come here so soon," Eddie remarked with a smile as you turned to face him. Seated in a leather chair, he exuded the air of a true duke.

"I didn't know where else I could go," you replied.

Freddie cleared his throat. "I'll leave you two alone."

Eddie offered you a seat and poured a drink, which you gratefully accepted.

"I heard you got the title. Congrats," Eddie said, raising his glass in a toast.

You chuckled softly. "The title is useless when all I've got is debt."

Eddie fell silent for a moment. "I went through a similar situation myself. What kind of problem are you having right now?"

"Do you know Bucky Barnes?" you asked.

Eddie clicked his tongue in response.

Crossing your arms, you continued, "So you know him. That means you knew about my stepdad's weed business."

Eddie leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Rupert got into the business earlier than me," he began, his tone reflecting a mix of resignation and regret. "The woman you saw before is Susie Glass."

"He had a business with her," Eddie continued, his voice tinged with disapproval.

You clenched your jaw, the realization sinking in.

"I didn't know much about the details, but your father was on the list that worked with the Glass," Eddie explained, his expression troubled.

"He wanted out," you interjected, your voice firm with determination.

Eddie nodded grimly. "And that's where Barnes came in. He's a syndicate, setting up a branch in the UK from New York. His business was unique and deadly."

The dimly lit study seemed to take on a more sinister atmosphere as Eddie spoke, shadows dancing across the walls like flickering flames. The air was tense, each word carrying the weight of unspoken truths and hidden dangers.

"Rupert owes Barnes 8 million pounds," you stated, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

Eddie hesitated for a moment before responding, his expression thoughtful. "That's..."

"I know, it's insane," you interjected, your voice tinged with frustration.

Eddie met your gaze, his eyes reflecting a mix of sympathy and determination. "I could pay off your debt," he offered quietly.

You recoiled slightly, taken aback by his proposal. "Then what? I'll still in debt. It never ends," you countered, a note of bitterness creeping into your voice.

You sighed, the weight of Rupert's decision heavy on your shoulders. "Why did Rupert choose me?"

Eddie nodded in understanding, his expression reflective. "I asked the same thing when my dad chose me instead of Freddie."

Your brow furrowed in confusion as you looked at him, prompting Eddie to chuckle softly. "Problem solver," he explained simply.

You nodded slowly, considering Eddie's words. "Both of us did join the military. Is it because we went through difficult situations?"

Eddie leaned forward, his gaze unwavering as he locked eyes with you. "Probably," he agreed, a reassuring smile playing on his lips. "But I'm sure you could handle it. If not, I'll be here to help you."

A warmth spread through you at his words, and you felt a slight blush creeping up your cheeks. "Thank you," you murmured gratefully, appreciating his caring demeanor.

You nodded firmly. "I've got all I need. I'll go now," you declared, trying to maintain composure as you turned to leave.

Eddie nodded in response. "Sure. I'll see you next time," he replied, his tone gentle and understanding.

As you walked away, you couldn't help but feel a swirl of emotions inside, like a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and feelings. You tried to keep a cool facade, but deep down, your heart was racing.

Meanwhile, Eddie watched you go, a flicker of concern crossing his features. Then, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Did she notice?" someone asked quietly.

Eddie glanced over, meeting the gaze of the speaker. "Not yet," he responded softly, his expression thoughtful as he contemplated the situation.

You drove for what felt like an eternity until you finally arrived back at your own manor. As you stepped inside, you noticed Hugo playing in the living room with Susan. Ignoring your mother, your focus was solely on your little step-brother.

You were just ten years old when you first met Rupert, and he had quickly become the best father figure you'd ever known. During the eight years you spent here, you learned to appreciate Rupert's love for his legacy and the history of the manor.

Sighing heavily, you knew you were about to make a risky decision.

Heading to Rupert's study again, you picked up Bucky's business card and dialed the number. After just two rings, his voice filled your ears. "I've been waiting for your call, Your Grace," he said smoothly.

Rolling your eyes at his confidence, you replied, "Just one job and you clear the debt?"

Bucky chuckled, his tone dripping with assurance. "It would be a big explosion. They'll think it's a terrorist attack. But no, Your Grace. Five small explosions, and we're done."

Bucky's voice crackled through the line, his tone both humorous and tinged with an unmistakable edge. "Think of it as fireworks, Your Grace. Except instead of pretty colors, we'll be making a statement."

You couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh, the gravity of the situation juxtaposed with Bucky's nonchalant demeanor. "And what kind of statement would that be?" you asked, trying to match his casual tone.

"The kind that says, 'Don't mess with us,'" Bucky replied, his voice dripping with a dangerous charm. "We'll leave 'em scratching their heads and scrambling for cover."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, you couldn't deny the thrill of adrenaline coursing through your veins. "And you're sure this will work?" you inquired, a hint of skepticism creeping into your voice.

Bucky's confidence was unwavering. "Trust me, Your Grace. When it comes to making a scene, I'm the best in the business."

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