#ginger mountain man

[jacobseedvaas35]

HERE HE IS!!! Jacob Seed is complete

“I CULL THE HERD! ITS WHAT I DO”

[lifeofloon]

All 8 years of our Holiday in the Park outings 2017-2024.

- Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA

[borrelia]

now for the most part im very "i knooow above the cloud layer is extremely high up, don't think to hard about it eehhhhhh" abt this comic BUT. i do like this comment bc it got me thinking knuckles giving his visiting friends ginger tea when they visit :) or sonic raiding his candied ginger stash whenever he shows up unannounced.

[nerdygirlramblings]

really want to write more about Oz, but the omegaverse worms keep entering my brain

cw: attempted accents

previous

Price clocked your reactions this afternoon. He isn't stupid. He knows that being a woman, and an omega in particular, puts a target on your back. The prejudice against both your primary and secondary genders means you need to be so much better than your peers, and you are. You are outstanding in your field. Extraordinary. He's not surprised some other task force hasn't snatched you up before now.

Thankfully, he got you to agree to dinner with the team, so he has help in convincing you to join them as a teammate. And once you're on the team, they can work on convincing you to join the pack.

Two hours after you left his office, and with your parents' words ringing in your ears, you're in the mess, waiting alone at a table in the back. You're usually in the mess alone but try not to linger long. An unclaimed omega alone around so many alphas is practically asking for trouble. Just as you start worrying about Captain Price and the others, he walks in flanked by the largest man you've ever seen in your entire life, his face hidden by a mask with a painted skull on it. Price is big, but the man next to him is taller and almost twice as wide.

Price is looking around the room, but the masked man leans towards Price and points in your direction. When he sees you, Price breaks into a grin and starts heading your way. As he and the large man in the mask approach, you're able to see two smaller - in comparison - men behind them, moving with a purpose that lets you know this is the full 141. Besides Price and the mountain, there's a stocky white man with a mohawk and a beautiful, lithe black man.

When they all stand in front of you, you can smell Price's autumnal scent along with another alpha whose scent is layered in something sharp, like ginger, onion, and garlic. It's a smell you associate with Mum's cooking, but you know many find it off-putting. There's a scent of saplings or fresh snapped greenery mixed with the mellow smell of a warm day: a spring scent coated in beta. The last is another beta, but this scent is crisp and brine, the ocean made flesh. You wonder whose scent is whose.

Price steps forward, offering you his wrist, his scent, again. As you take it and bring it closer to your face, he smiles and says, "Glad ya came." You dip your head in a slight nod and drop his hand, and he takes the seat across from you. He introduces the rest of the pack task force in turn, each man politely offering their wrist before sitting down. You recognize the informal scenting ritual common when joining new groups. You did the same with your squad when you first came to base.

Leftenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is the other alpha. He is sat next to Price. Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish smells like the ocean, and Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick is spring. With your permission, the sergeants are sat on either side of you.

"I wan'ed ya ta be able to put faces to the 141 before ya made yer decision," Price tells you. "This way if ya wan'ed ta see what are trainin' looks like or ask about anything, ya'd know who ta ask." Then he surprises you when he suggests you go with the sergeants, the betas, to grab trays for everyone.

"Gaz and Soap know wha' we like," he says, pointing between him and Ghost. "They can get ours while we hold the fort." He must read the confusion on your face, but he only smiles in response. This was not the behavior of an alpha trying to prove his worth to an omega. This was a Captain letting you converse with members of the task force equal to you in rank without superior officers around.

As you make your way to the food, you see Soap eyeing you. You look back a few times, clearly puzzled and a little off balance, until Gaz finally elbows him and says, "Either spit it out, mate, or stop gawkin'."

Soap grins almost manically. "Aye seen ye running th'other morn. Yoor form neyver waivered. Was a sight," he sighs. You remember someone complementing your form after a run about a week back.

"Oh, tha' was you? You were quick!"

"Nae as quick as yoo, lass. I saw yoo pass the barracks foor times. An' aye could tell yoo'd been runnin' a fair bit befoor aye saw ye. Aye cannae run tha' consistently." He doesn't miss the way you blush as his compliment.

You stand in line behind Soap with Gaz at your back. They aren't alphas, but it's hard to miss how their presence calms you, and that's without them projecting their scents for you. Simply knowing you aren't here alone, that people are here who have your back, is enough.

next

series masterlist | main masterlist

[euphoricfilter]

only you

Pairing: Demon King! Sukuna x Demon! F. Reader

Genre: historical au || romance || fluff || smut (eventual) || demon au || angst || yandere-ish au

Word count: 3.1k

Tags: talks of death, mentions of assault, blood, buff yummy sukuna, nothing too crazy for the first part.. :D

author’s notes 📝: i’m backkkkkkkkkk yippeeeee. i felt like there wasn’t enough longer fics where sukuna is like a devoted obsessed slightly yandere lover… like they always make him mean and angsty… i need him to just like devote his life to someone and it be all fluffy and lovely… so here it is… my rendition of yandere lover sukuna

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

ONE: WHERE IT BEGAN

You’d always loved the idea that humans were delicately crafted, stardust woven into the human body, soul sent to live a measly life on earth. You think part of that love stemmed from jealousy, that such spineless beings were made from the delicate beauties of the universe, such ungrateful, spiteful, deceiving, living beings entwined from the heavens.

Because you were made from the rot that grew beneath humans. Rot that festered from dead bodies, and hatred. The prickly kind of hate and bad the world and universe had to offer.

And maybe that’s why you and Sukuna were destined. Why fate had decided that the two of you were meant to be, souls festering like an onslaught of vines as they intertwine.

You can feel the pull of his power from the bottom of the mountain, can feel as it spills through hordes of trees, so thick you can almost taste it in the air, can almost see it spiralling, wispy waves of dusty black power permeating the air.

It briefly crosses your mind, how naïve the humans trekking before you must be. If they had any clue as to what they were travelling towards. Though you suppose their untimely death would benefit you either way, Sukuna could try but unfortunately you had yet to find a successful way to rid this cruel world of your existence.

The rattle of the chains around your ankles grate at your ears with each heavy footstep. Each of the men before you have horses, letting you trail behind them, arms and legs bound. None of them wanted to let you ride on a horse with them, the fear that harboured in their heart towards you, enough for them to accept a slower trip if it meant you kept to yourself, slowly trekking behind them as they chatted and laughed upon their mares.

You cast your eyes to the sky, cold bitter air nipping at the bare skin the cheap fabric covering your body can’t cover.

“Keep up” the man in charge of your chains calls over his shoulder, devilish smile pulling at his thin lips before he tugs on your restraints. You stumble forward, barely catching yourself, a wave of annoyance rippling through your body as you look up at him through your lashes.

You hear snickers from the group, straightening your back you keep a neutral face. The moment short as their smiles fall.

The grass around your feet starts to wilt, crawling closer and closer to the greasy bastard directly in front of you, the sickly roll of death scuttles tickling the feet of the horses. Sensing the impending stench of their demise, the horses whinnied, hopping up on to their back legs to avoid the rotting earth beneath them.

The man holding your chains, yanks on them, seething as he curses at you through gritted teeth.

“Fucking bitch”

You ignore him, rather directing your attention up to the temple above you as the group of men try to ease their horses enough to try get them back into a gentle trot again.

“Don’t ignore me!” he continues to seethe.

You breathe out an exasperated sigh, bored of the humans’ trivial means of entertainment in inconveniencing you.

You assume the group of men had learnt their lesson, silence taking over them as you continue the trek up the mountain. A small ginger cat catches your attention, delicate pink nose peeking out from some of the brush. It’s curious eyes meeting yours as it wanders onto the makeshift path up to the temple.

You enjoy its silent company, how it’s soft fur brushes against your ankle, skirt sightly too short for you. It chirps, high pitched meow calling up at you, and you assume it must be telling you a story. You wonder what it’s trying to say, perhaps a tale of its life in the forest, or maybe a warning of the demon you were soon to meet. Black mist permeating the air thicker and thicker as you trudge closer to the top of the mountain.

With the cat’s company the rest of the journey up the mountain goes by faster than you had expected, large wooden gates stood before you. The group of men tug you to the front of the group, a failsafe, that if the king of curses were in a bad mood then you would likely be the first to go; giving them enough time to leg it if needs be.

One of the tugs at the thick rope beneath the large brass bell, indicating to the residence of the temple they had guests.

You can hear the men squabbling behind you, trying to bribe one another as to who would be the one to speak for the group. You think it’s a shame the chief of the village hadn’t been the one to escort you here, you despised the man, and watching him writhe in pain before a demon, begging for a slither of mercy would have put a skip in your step. A true shame when you think about it, his life spared for another year putting a bitter taste in your mouth.

The clack of wooden sandals against stone catches your attention, doors of the large wooden gate creaking open.

You lock eyes with a white-haired monk. Their short white hair reminding you of the first snow, and you wonder how soon that will be. The weather had finally turned, autumn creeping in with every passing day.

The monk’s eyes flicker away from your own, down to your bound hands and ankles, then to the group of four men stood behind you, their backs straightening at their heavy stare. They say nothing, thick sweat starting to form on the foreheads as the men stand there, nudging one another to speak up. It’s pitiful, you think, how such crass men, so full of themselves have amounted to a pile of nothing but silence in the face of another.

 The man you had a special hatred for, tightens his grip on the chains, mouth opening he wets his lips.

“We have a gift for, Ryom—I mean, Lord Sukuna” he stumbles over his words.

The monk travels their eyes back to you, “It isn’t the time of year for gifts” they hum.

The men look between one another.

“We know” one blurts, “however, we have a request for the lord…”

“A request…?”

The men all nod in unison.

The monk takes a step back, opening the wooden gates further, silent invitation for the group of you to enter the temple.

You glance to the side, eyes meeting the ginger cat’s one last time before you’re stepping through the threshold of the temple gates. The same feeling of raw death and rot clings on to the walls of the temple, you feel it tingle in your fingers.

The gates to the temple slam shut with a loud, echoing thud. The group of men flinch, and you wonder if this is where they realise the naivety of their plan… You can smell the fear radiating off of them, hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, delicious taste of terror prickling your tastebuds.

“I’m Uraume, I never asked your name”

Your eyes flicker from taking in the structure of the temple, trailing over the white haired monk.

“Uraume…” you muse, “how pretty”

You watch a gentle hue of pink dust their cheeks, slither of a smile twitching at the corner of their lips.

“I’m Y/N” you muse.

“Pretty” they murmur.

You come to an abrupt stop in from of a set of double doors, fingers fiddling with the cloth of your skirt. Anticipation eats away at you, to finally see the man whose power radiates miles away.

“Please wait out here, I will inform Sukuna you are here” Uraume gives you a gentle bow.

Your foot taps against the floor, eyes barely catching a glimpse of the room beyond the thick oak doors.

A sickening laugh rattles behind you, “How does it feel knowing you’re going to die, right here, right now” one of the men lean forward, warm breath tickling the shell of your ear. Too close for comfort you take a small step forward.

You peek over your shoulder, “it seems you’re unaware of the situation you’ve walked into” you muse.

The man bares his teeth at you, scoff tumbling off his tongue.

He goes to open his mouth, cut off by the large set of doors being pulled open.

Your eyes stay fixated ahead, head bowing slightly in thanks to the two maids that had pulled the door open.

You take a step forward, feet padding softly against the hardwood floors of the throne room. You swallow, eyes locking with Sukuna’s. The group of men trail behind you, rattle of the chains echoing off the walls.

He sits with his legs spread on the extravagant throne, bottom pair of arms lazily crossed over his stomach, top arms draped over the arms of the throne. Truly a spectacle of a being, power dripping off him in thick waves.

Sukuna’s eyes don’t leave your body, eyes that of a predator as you take your time walking towards him. He’d wondered what being had so much power, he could feel you even as you started the trek from the bottom of the mountain. And he can only wonder what sort of stupid human being would tie up such a powerful demon like you. He knows his power is potent, that even those without cursed abilities can feel him before they see he’s there, though he supposes your energy must be more mellow, a gentle caress in the wind that death reincarnated has arrived on their doorstep.

You come to a stop before him, shoulders squared, no fear in your eyes, only curiosity swims within your eyes. The men behind you on the other hand quiver, pressure of Sukuna’s presence finally weighing down on their shoulders, cocky smiles and weak jabs melting into a pile of mush as they try to craft a sentence.

“How brave, having your heads held so high” Sukuna tuts, watching as the mens’ eyes all widen, quick to get down on their knees. Their foreheads touch the floor, sweat dripping from their brows.

A wicked smile pulls across his face, eyes trailing back to where you stand, “and you..?”

You give him a slight bow of your head.

He hums.

“You may rise” he gestures to the men with a flick of one of his top arms.

The men move to stand, click of Sukuna’s tongue making them pause half way.

“Did I say you could stand…?”

The men swallow, lowering back down onto their knees, necks craned to look at the king of curses sat on the higher platform.

“What have you decided to waste my time with this time” he utters, all four eyes falling back on to you.

Each of the men look at one another, a silent game of who is the one to talk.

One of Sukuna’s thick fingers taps against the wooden arm of the throne impatiently, clearly displeased that he had been summoned to entertain and feeble group of humans who had no backbone when it actually came time for them to act.

One of the men lets out a yelp, precise, clean cut slicing across his cheek, ever so close to his eye.

“This girl” he blurts, “we have a request”

Sukuna raises an eyebrow, eyes raking over the four men.

“And what about her?” he muses.

“We want you to kill her”

You look over at Uraume, stood beside their master, then back over to Sukuna.

He hums, “And what do I get, killing this thing for you..?”

The men swallow, “A meal” one of them chirps.

“A meal? What a waste of time” Sukuna tuts.

“Sir” one of the pipes up, “We heard demons taste delicious”

“Then why haven’t you eaten her yourself”

“We can’t you see…”

Another one of the men nod, “You see… we’ve had issues trying to kill her… hence why we beg you to get rid of her”

“Then beg” Sukuna’s chin tilts up, mirth swimming in his eyes as he looks past you at the men. “You have requested an audience with me, demanding I kill this girl, then beg. Tell me how much you want her dead”

You don’t need to turn around to see the terror that must paint the faces of these men. The same men who claim to control the village below this mountain. The same men who find it funny assaulting the women of the town, coercing then into bed with them, deflowering them only to throw them away, shunned by the townspeople and forced into the life of prostitutes, now undesirable for any other man to touch. Whores of the town. The same men who like to demand and take and never give back to the people who feed them, the people they steal from for a laugh. The same men that have sent jabs at you for the long months they’ve kept you captive in that god forsaken cold prison cell. The same men who have spent weeks on end trying to kill you, wanting to sell your body to the rich in the capital, the body of a demon sure to get them a pretty penny.

They each press their heads against the floor once more, the chains that were once in a tight hold are now released as the men clasp their hands together, pleas tumbling off their tongues in quick succession.

They beg. They truly beg, a giggle bubbling up your throat at their pitiful cries for help. You glance over your shoulder at them, smile tugging at your cheeks as you laugh at them.

Sukuna spreads his legs a little wider, slouching a little more into his chair as he watches the feeble humans beg.

“Louder I can’t hear you” he calls out. And they do, their begs getting louder and louder, hands clammy and bodies trembling, knowing one wrong move would result in their death and not yours.

Your laugh dies down, chest rising and falling in quick succession as you try and catch your breath.

Sukuna raises a hand, “enough!” he chirps, “you chitter like annoying insects”

The room goes silent, the eyes of the men peeking up at Sukuna through their lashes.

He raises his top right arm, two finger pointing directly at your forehead.

“She dies” he utters.

Their eyes widen as your head snaps back, Sukuna’s attack quicker than they were even able to comprehend. Blood splatters over their faces, bodies raising to move out your way, expectant that you’d fall between them.

They gasp, eyes pushing out of their sockets as you stand back to full height, head snapping back upwards. Blood drips between your eyes, trickling down the bridge of your nose, thick as it falls onto the wooden floor. Your tongue flicks out to wipe the blood from your lips.

The men scramble, murmurs of disbelief that you had even survived a hit to the brain.

“No, no, no” one of them utters.

“A shame, she didn’t die” Sukuna murmurs, four eyes flickering across your bloodied face, “should we try again?” he asks.

The men dare not open their mouths, disapproving click of his tongue Sukuna’s eyes trail back to you.

“If it provides you with ample entertainment, then yes” you tell him.

He raises his arm again, same two fingers pointing at you, a little lower this time, between your eyes.

The men flinch at the sickening crunch of something colliding with your skull. More blood splattering over them. Your head falls back slightly less this time, new trickle of blood painting your face. It drips onto the clothes you’re wearing, staining them in a dark hue of red, and Sukuna thinks it suits you. Such a pretty red for such a pretty little thing.

He leans back in his throne, eyes pulling away from the image that is you covered in your own blood, the prettiest little flower he’s ever seen.

“Shame. She won’t die” he muses, watching the distraught faces of the men so eager for your demise, “Though she is a gift for me… no?” he raises an eyebrow.

The men don’t hesitate to nod, words jumbled as they urge him to take you.

“Please” they beg, pitiful covered in your blood, weak little things. Though the present they have for him may be his favourite yet.

“Leave” he utters, “before I change my mind and kill all of you”

The men scramble to their feet, without a second thought they stumble towards the door.

“And tell your village chief there’s no need to provide me with a gift when the new year comes. Nothing he offers will ever amount to this precious little thing you’ve dropped off today.” Sukuna hums, “And if he dares show his face to me again, just know that wretched little village of yours will be erased”

The men nod, scrambling to the door. The maids open them quickly to aid the men in their hasty escape.

The doors creak shut.

You turn back around, eyes finding Sukuna is already looking at you.

“Come here” he motions you over with two fingers, tongue peeking out to wet his lips.

You take a step forward, climbing up the small set of stairs to where Sukuna is sat on his throne. You stop just shy of between his legs.

You raise your hands to your chest, the metals slowly starting to crumble from your body, leaving nothing more than a pile of dust by your feet. You flex your fingers, eyes returning back to Sukuna.

“You could have been freed this whole time, yet you let those filthy beings keep you captive, why” he muses. He reaches a hand forward, taking one of your own into his. He tugs you forward, bringing you between his legs.

Soft lips press against your wrist where the constraints had once been, warm breath tickling your skin.

“They fed me three meals a day, and the window to the room they kept me in let me watch the sun set” you tell him truthfully.

“And is that all it takes to please you?” he asks, lips pulling away from your skin.

“I suppose” you shrug.

“Nothing more?”

You tilt your head a little in thought, “I liked the ginger cat outside the temple”

A wide smile tugs at the corners of Sukuna’s lips, “Uraume find the cat, while I show this little dove around my palace”

Uraume opens their mouth, ready to suggest one of the servants do that job, but Sukuna raises a hand, silencing them before the words can even form on their tongue. He stands, towering over you, hand still holding on to yours, a second one comes to smudge the blood on your face.

“Welcome home, little dove”

[atlabeth]

I desperately need you to give me some jealous nikolai lanstov I'm not even jokinh

my love mine all mine

lowkey continuation of bad luck and im with you; can be read standalone though!

pairing: nikolai lantsov x fem reader

summary: after your return to ravka, nikolai's resolve is tested at a ball.

a/n: i have saved this ask since september because i knew one day i would get around to it. i love nikolai lantsov and i dont write jealous fics often so here we go!! this is technically a continuation of bad luck and im with you but you can read it separately. i keep going back to these two for some reason lmao?? idk. theyre childhood friends to lovers with so much strife in between and that's so special to me lmao. but yah enjoy i MISSED WRITING FOR HIM<3

wc: 2.8k

warning(s): nikolai is a lil jealous obviously! small bit of angst, mostly fluff, lil steamy at the end.

Nikolai feels his lip curling, feels his hand tighten on his glass. 

This is a party. A ball, more specifically, but a celebration nonetheless. He should be smiling, mingling, talking up some baron or duke in the name of Ravka’s economy. He is a prince, after all—a bastard, second son of a prince that plans to take the throne at that—and he’s just returned from years at sea. It is in his best interest to do what he does best and talk as much as possible. If anything, he should be arm in arm with the Sun Summoner to boost both their positions. 

But all he can do is stare at you. 

You’re the embodiment of grace. Your practiced smile looks wholly genuine no matter how long you have to keep it up. Your laugh seems to make others smile without even realizing, ringing out clear like church bells. It’s a sound Nikolai knows he would worship to the end of his days, at least. 

You stand in the midst of noblemen and Nikolai only recognizes one—Artem Aslanov, a son of nobles that the two of you spent much of your youth with. He wonders if you remember each other as well. He certainly seems to, the way he stands just a bit too close to you, the way he’s absolutely eager for your attention. Nikolai holds back a scoff. 

The others are likely from various other Ravkan settlements, though one has to be Kaelish, with his almost offensively ginger hair. 

Not that any of it matters, though. Not one of them can tear their eyes away from you as you talk, magnetic with both your words and inherent charm, and they drink up every bit of your presence. 

Something stirs inside Nikolai at the sight. Logically, he knows he has little to worry about—he knows this is your duty as much as it is his, and you care little for any man’s affections but his. 

But Saints, his heart does not want to listen to silly things such as logic. In this moment, Nikolai is reminded of the truth at its barest—you’re a noblewoman of good breeding, quite extravagant wealth, and considerable beauty. Your years at sea have caused you to develop a quick wit and sharp tongue, and it only serves to make you more appealing.

Your flashy return to Ravka has made you perhaps the most desirable lady at court, and Nikolai is forced to realize he no longer has you all to himself anymore. 

Nikolai has planned to come back and take the Lantsov throne for years now, but he can’t help but long for those days again. Teaching you all the ins and outs of the Volkvolny, how to do every sailor’s knot he knows, showing you the misty mountains of the Wandering Isle and the rolling fields of Novyi Zem and the wonderful world outside of Ravka’s courtly constraints. 

Taking over the ships of slavers and clashing blades with drüskelle and watching a thousand sunrises and sunsets together, unbound by anything but tangled up in every part of each other. 

It was almost laughable. You were worried of Nikolai charming others upon your return, and yet here he was, unable to look away from you for even the slightest second because he was jealous of some noble son.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” 

Nikolai turns back to the conversation he is meant to be paying attention to, already offering a smile that he hopes will make up for his utter lack of focus. Of course, he doesn’t really care what this Kerch merchant thinks of him, and Nikolai’s word will probably mean little to his parents at the moment. They’re still quite angry at him for all his Sturmhondish escapades. This man, whose name he has already forgotten, doesn’t seem to know he’s wasting his time. 

“Of course I am,” he says, and he pats him on the shoulder. He means to say more, but then he catches a glance of Artem pulling you to the side, his hand lingering on your waist much too close for comfort. He’s surprised he doesn’t break his glass with how his fingers clench around it even tighter.  

“Then I would be honored for you to consider my—” 

“I apologize, Jansen.” Nikolai ignores the look on his face at both his interruption and being called the wrong name as he drops his hand. “It’s been wonderful chatting with you, but I’m afraid I must take my leave.” 

Nikolai departs before he can get another word out. He’s sure he’ll get an earful later for his ‘disrespect’ but again, he really could not care less. 

He expects to have to weave his way through the crowd, but a path parts for him wherever he moves. Benefits to being a Lantsov prince rather than another privateer on the sea, he supposes. He feels a number of eyes on him as he walks, but he’s focused on one thing and one thing only. 

Artem seems to be as well, seeing as he doesn’t even look up while he continues talking to you. Nikolai doesn’t blame him for being enraptured, but he does wonder what he thinks that boorish smile will do to you. 

Nikolai exclaims your name as he comes up next to you, sliding his arm around your waist like he’s done a thousand times before and claiming his place at your side. “I’ve been looking for you, milaya. You’ve been awfully popular tonight.”

Your gleaming gaze turns to him and Nikolai feels like he can melt. It doesn’t matter how many times you look at him—not even Alina can muster up something to rival your brightness. 

“Nikolai!” 

Again, the way you say his name makes him weak at the knees. The poshness of your Ravkan faded while you were at sea around common sailors and vagrants, and though he can tell you’re trying your best to hide it in the name of courtly etiquette, it still bleeds through. He adores your accent, how it shows the woman you’ve become rather than the girl you ran away from. 

“I’ve been looking for you,” you counter as you lean into him. You’ve applied some fanciful perfume, and it’s intoxicating. He has to stop himself from inhaling deeply—he has little shame when it comes to you, but he’s got to have some poise. “You’re the belle of the ball, Mister Prince.” 

“And you’re the apple of everyone’s eye, lapushka,” he says. “Especially mine.” 

Your heartbeat has been steadily increasing ever since he slotted himself at your side, and he can feel it speed even more with his words. It makes Nikolai smile without even fully realizing it. 

He feels Artem’s gaze on him all the while, and Nikolai chooses to ignore it until now. He looks up, making sure his eyes widen cartoonishly and his smile deepens with the same caliber. “Aslanov! I’m so sorry, I didn’t even notice you!” 

“Your Highness,” he says, polite but terse as he bows his head. “It’s good to see you—it has truly been too long.” 

“Oh, no need for titles,” Nikolai admonishes. “We’re all friends here, are we not?”

He puts particular emphasis on that word, and Artem shifts ever so slightly under Nikolai’s gaze. So he makes him nervous—good. 

“We are,” he agrees, and he looks back at you. “We were merely catching up—it has been years since I last had the good fortune to be in your presence.” Artem smiles at you once again, far more genuine than anything he’s given Nikolai. “Of course, I look forward to hearing about everything you learned at university.” 

“I’ve certainly learned a lot,” you say. Very tongue-in-cheek—you don’t even try to hide it. 

Of course. The cover story for Nikolai’s being away from court was his apprenticeships, culminating in his studies at the University of Ketterdam—it would be a shame of the highest order for your parents to admit you ran away to avoid the marriage they’d planned for you, and even more so to admit it had gotten their daughter kidnapped by slavers, so they simply said you joined him there. 

Advancing your studies for a better view, they’d spouted. We want our heir to be well-educated on all matters of the world. Nikolai knows you learned more on the seas by his side than you would have in a classroom staring at endless amounts of books. He only regrets he can’t shout how amazing you’ve been for the past few years from the rooftops. 

“Perhaps we could discuss it privately some time.” Nikolai will give it to him; his smile is a bit more charming this time. He still wants to punch it off him. “You know, my family has only refined our winemaking over the years—we’d have a wonderful time with a bottle of our finest red—”

“Unfortunately, it will have to wait,” Nikolai cuts in before you can respond. He can’t help it—he’s raring to have you to himself, and he doesn’t know how much more he can take of Artem’s flirting. “My parents are eager to speak to you, darling. We’ll see you around, Aslanov.” 

He pulls you away, once again feeling Artem’s eyes on the two of you. He purposefully pulls you closer against him—your warmth against him does wonders to quell the spike of jealousy in his chest.

“You really are impossible,” you say wryly, but you make no move to part from his side as he leads you through the crowd. 

“I’m just making sure he understands the situation,” Nikolai says innocently. 

“We were just talking,” you say. “You know, it has been years.”

“You were,” he agrees. “But our friend here was very interested in trying to be more. Couldn’t you tell?”

You laugh and you place your hand on his chest. “Nikolai Lantsov, are you jealous?”

“He was talking about his family’s vineyard.” He smiles back at you in turn. He can’t help the bit of bravado that trickles in. “For me to be jealous, I’d have to think he had a chance.”

“Saints, you are!” you exclaim. You stop, halting him in turn, and you grin at him with a twinkle in your eye. Again, he smiles subconsciously just at the sight of it. “Nikolai, I cannot believe you!” 

“How?” he asks, cocking his head boyishly. “Have you caught a glimpse of yourself tonight?”

“I’ve looked at myself in the reflection of every glass,” you say dryly. “After all the time spent in sea-faring clothes, it’s very strange to be back in gowns.”

“Then you should know how absolutely stunning you are,” he says. “Breathtaking, showstopping, the very image of perfection…” Nikolai runs his finger over the embroidery on one of your off-the-shoulder sleeves. The rest of his hand lingers on your bare skin, and he longs to remove the barrier his gloves have created. 

“And yet it still doesn’t beat how you look in a privateer’s garb,” Nikolai says. 

He places his hand over yours and brings it up from his chest. He entangles your fingers and uses the grasp to pull you even closer to him, your chests nearly touching. The warmth of your body tempts him to go even further, but he holds back. 

“Really?” you ask. “This gown cost more vlachkas than anyone deserves, took the labor of a small army to create, and weighs as much as you do, and you like me more in that dingy jacket with pants that smell like gunpowder?” 

“Oh, yes,” Nikolai nods. “They don’t just smell like gunpowder—they make your rear look very appealing.” 

You laugh louder than you should and it draws eyes in your direction. You don’t pay them any mind, gaze still locked on Nikolai, as you hit him on the chest. 

“You still have the mind of a sailor, I see,” you drawl. “But I must admit I also miss it. The simplicity, if anything.” 

“Just because I didn’t keep a king’s mantle on deck doesn’t mean I wasn’t outfitted in the same gaudy way,” Nikolai says. “A Lantsov must always be prepared, you know.” 

“Well, I used to hate that blue frock of yours, especially when we first reunited,” you muse. You extract your hand and trail your fingers down his current coat—he shivers at your touch even through the material. “Now I think I prefer it over anything else in your wardrobe.”

He frowns. “You hated my coat?” 

“I hated a lot of things at the time,” you say wryly. Your hand finds its way back to his and you intertwine them together again. “Besides, it’s grown on me.” 

Nikolai chuckles, and the two of you fall silent when you shift and rest your head on his shoulder. You’ve managed to find your way to the edge of the ballroom, and it gives you a little more privacy. You stand together, watching as everyone mingles, half bearing a fake smile and the other half lying through their teeth. He didn’t think the Ravkan court would like to think they had more in common with his lying, cheating, stealing crew than they thought.  

“So,” Nikolai says, finally breaking the silence, “is being back everything you’ve imagined?”

You huff. “Hardly. Everything is so… restrained.” 

He hums in acknowledgement. “Speaking of restrained, have your parents gotten over their fit yet?” 

Your laugh is sharper this time. “Once again, hardly. You’d think I murdered the queen the way they’re treating me.” 

Nikolai expected that, to be honest. He insisted on being by your side in the initial reunion and they didn’t dare act out of turn in front of royalty, but you said the moment you returned to your palace apartment with them, they yelled at you loud enough to be heard in Novyi Zem. 

“They should be thankful,” Nikolai scoffs. “It’s like they don’t even care what nearly happened to you because of their haste to marry you off.” 

“I don’t even like to think about it,” you murmur. He feels you shiver and he pulls you even closer to him. “But I was right—they want me to be who I was before I left. They’re even convinced that they can get me to agree to the marriage they’ve got planned.” 

His frown deepens. “Saints, must I sweep you off your feet in front of all of Ravka to get everyone to realize you’re a taken woman? I am a very good shot, but I’ve only got so many bullets—”

“Nikolai,” you interrupt with a laugh, raising your head to look him in the eye. He’s glad to see the lightness has returned. Your near fate isn’t a subject either of you like to talk about. “You don’t need to worry, and you certainly don’t need to worry about that.” You cup his cheek with your hand and he leans into your touch. “If one thing has stayed the same through all of this, it’s that you’re the only one out there for me. After all the pomp and circumstance you have to perform with Alina is over, you can tell them yourself.” 

“Good,” Nikolai says with a slight smile. “Because I don’t think I can stand to hear Aslanov talk about the grapes his family’s been growing for another second.” 

You laugh again, and you lean in to press a kiss to his lips. Nikolai beats you to it as he covers your hand with his own, using his other to draw you even closer. Practically every part of you is touching as he kisses you like a starving man, with your lips against his and your perfume invading his senses and your soft moan that’s muffled against his mouth. After a night spent away from your side and having to watch other men compete fruitlessly for your affections, he might as well be. 

When you finally pull away, lipstick a mess and pupils dilated and expression nothing less than adoration, it takes everything Nikolai has in him not to take your face in his hands and do it all over again. He wants to mess up your hair, your makeup, kiss your lips until they’re swollen and ravish, worship your body until you can think of nothing but him, say nothing but his name. 

“Nikolai,” you gasp, interrupting his sinful thoughts, “do you want to get out of here for a bit?” 

Whatever restraint he previously had dissolves with your words as he kisses you again, harder this time. You’re water when he’s dying, a lifeboat when he’s drowning, the very air he needs to breathe. Everything has come to a head after such a boring, strength-testing night, and all Nikolai wants is you. 

He brings you even closer with the arm he has around your waist, already starting to pull you along as he heads towards the doorways. He’s sure to stick to the walls, not wanting to draw more attention than necessary when even the flushed warmth of your heated skin through his jacket is enough to drive him crazy. 

Nikolai doesn’t know how he ever spent seven years away from you. He could barely handle half a ball. 

“More than anything,” he breathes. 

[blueberrybirdsworld]

The Cat Distribution System 1/5

Summary:

When a stray kitten adopts Lando Norris, the self-proclaimed cat hater accidentally starts a soft-launch spiral with his secret girlfriend the ballerina Ariana Riverria.

Pairing : lando norris x original female character

Genre : Fluff, SMAU

Warning : none, just yeah the kitten will be different in some pictures

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

CHAPTER ONE:

There were two things Lando Norris swore he would never do: touch a cat willingly, and let the internet know too much about his private life. Yet somehow, a sleepy Tuesday afternoon in Monaco managed to unravel both.

It started when he found a kitten.

He wasn’t looking for one. He wasn’t even thinking about pets. But while walking back to his flat from the bakery, a tiny ginger fluffball appeared near a row of parked scooters, mewling with wide eyes and a puffed tail. It looked like a half-toasted marshmallow and sounded miserable.

Lando crouched instinctively, planning to just give it a scratch and move on.

Instead, the kitten climbed right into his hoodie and curled up under his chin like it owned the place.

He stood frozen for a full minute.

“…What the hell,” he muttered, glancing around, hoping someone would suddenly run over shouting, “Oh, thank you! That’s mine!”

No one did.

So now he had a kitten.

When he walked through the door of his girlfriend flat, still carrying the little intruder like it was a bomb he couldn’t put down, she burst into laughter.

“I told you,” she grinned, taking one look at the scene. “The cat distribution system always finds its target.”

“He climbed me,” Lando said flatly. “He literally scaled my chest like a tiny mountaineer.”

Ariana was too busy cooing over the kitten to care. “Look at this baby. Oh, he’s beautiful. He adopted you. It’s official.”

“I don’t like cats,” he reminded her.

“You like this cat.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’re still holding him.”

“…I’m being held by him. There's a difference.”

The kitten, as if to emphasize her point, let out a squeaky purr and nuzzled Lando’s collarbone.

He sighed. “This wasn’t how I imagined getting a pet. I had a whole plan. A puppy. A golden retriever. Charlie.”

“Well,” Ariana said, grinning as she stroked the kitten’s head, “plans change.”

@landonorris "He won’t leave."

@lando_kisses: was that a cat ??? 🤔

@mcclarenprincess: why is everyone ignoring the fact he cuddle a literal kitten despite claiming hating cat  lmao

@softverstappen: Lando Norris owning a cat was not on my 2025 bingo card

@racingbabyy: I feel like he’s about to start calling himself a cat dad and I’m scared

@maxfewtrell: never thought I'd see the day

@pietra: he’s literally your child now deal with it

@oscarpiastri: how did this even happen

@maxverstappen1: I always knew he was a cat dad. Just took time to admit it

@charles_leclerc: he looks fast. perfect name would be… Turbo

@alexandralovely: it’s the vibe shift for me

Ariana didn’t post anything at first. But eventually, she gave in to the kitten’s charms.

@arianariverria "Post-class cuddles ✨"

@pliésandcoffee: WHO is that little prince omg

@ballet_babe88: did you get another cat???? WHERE did this one come from?

@kitteninfirst: i recognize that kitten. i know that kitten. 👀

@flexandsaute: he looks like a whole main character fr

@oscarpiastri: he’s already got better posture than me

@maxfewtrell: 10/10 cat. uncertain about the human

@alexandralovely: that’s a very specific shade of orange i’ve seen recently…

Twitter thread by @balletxf1 🔍 Theory: Lando Norris and Ariana Riverria are either living together or sharing custody of a kitten.

[1] Let’s begin: kitten timeline.

[2] Lando posts ginger kitten Monday. Ariana posts same-colored kitten Wednesday.

[3] Check the markings. IDENTICAL.

[4] Also… Ariana said in an interview 3 months ago she already has a white cat named Aria. No mention of a ginger baby.

[5] But Lando literally said he doesn’t like cats? This man once get bit y one on Max's live when he try to hug the kitten. Character development arc???

[6] Anyway, just keeping my eye on this 👀

Ariana texted Lando a screenshot of the thread that night.

Ari 💃:

omg you are so busted lmao

Lando 🧡:

it was ONE story!!!

Ari 💃:

plus the tail in your selfie. plus the purring during your stream. you’re soft-launching the kitten more than you ever soft-launched me

Lando 🧡:

rude

Ari 💃:

facts tho. also the internet already calls you a cat dad now. congrats!

Lando 🧡:

i hate everything

Ari 💃:

no you hate cats. or you did. now you’re a walking cat bed.

Lando 🧡:

he glued himself to me!! i didn’t ASK FOR THIS

Ari 💃:

destiny. fate. toe beans.

Lando 🧡:

if i end up with a second kitten i’m renaming myself to Meow Daddy and quitting racing

Ari 💃:

too late. the transformation has begun. 🐾

He looked down. The kitten was nestled into the corner of the couch, snoring quietly against his leg.

He reached down and scratched behind its ears.

“...Charlie,” he whispered, trying it out. The kitten stirred and purred louder.

Maybe not a dog, but maybe...

Charlie it was.

Part 2

[jacobseedvaas35]

ASK ME ANYTHING! And Jacob Seed will be at your service 😉🌲🐺

I am here my wolves 🐺 I haven’t gone anywhere and neither have my brothers and Faith!

Don’t be afraid to ask me anything!

ONLY YOUUUUU!

[supercap2319]

It's cold, and Archie wants to snuggle under the covers. He's not wearing underwear.

It was a cold night in Riverdale. The Winters here weren't terrible, but there was always that one day when it felt so unbearably cold that your nut sack would probably freeze from frost bite while taking a shower.

Though, it wasn't all bad. Archie had the house to himself. His dad was away, visiting Archie's Uncle Frank for a few days, so Archie invited Y/N to stay over. The young man sat on Archie's bed, nursing a cup of hot chocolate as Archie played a few strings of music with no shirt or underwear on. Archie Andrews was one of those very hot natured people. The kind of person who slept with the fan on during winter.

"Damn, Arch. It's cold as fuck outside. Remind me why we all look forward to this kind of weather?" Y/N asked, casting a small glance at the ginger stallion.

Archie laughed. "Little things like Christmas, snowball fights, the annual town winter festival. Stuff like that."

"I wish it was summer. So cold." Archie sets the guitar aside, the cold air making his bare skin shiver slightly as he walked towards Y/N. "Yeah, maybe it is cold in here. I wish someone would keep me warm." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Y/N smiled. "Maybe we could burrow deep into the blankets together?" He already put back the covers and was covered in a mountain of warmth and softness.

"Alright, but I have to warn you, I'm naked." Archie gestures towards his flaccid cock. He wasn't embarrassed about showing it off because he and Y/N had seen each naked before in and out of bed.

"I think I can handle it." Y/N smirks.

The red-haired guy made his way towards the bed, sinking into the blankets and pillows as Archie and Y/N shared their warmth together. Both were breathing slowly as Y/N turned his head slightly to look at Archie. "You know what would keep you really warm?"

"What's that?"

Instead of answering, Y/N reached down low, found Archie's cock, and began to stroke him underneath the covers.

[manifesto-of-a-femcel]

Beautiful Movies All Girls Should Watch

A list of movies that touch on coming of age, romance and complex female emotions.

May (2002): A socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.

Audition (1999): A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.

Helter Skelter (2012): Top star Lilico undergoes multiple cosmetic surgeries to her entire body. As her surgeries show side effect, Lilico makes the lives of those around her miserable as she tries to deal with her career and her personal problems.

Ginger Snaps (2000): Two death-obsessed sisters, outcasts in their suburban neighborhood, must deal with the tragic consequences when one of them is bitten by a deadly werewolf.

The Craft (1996): A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.

Malèna (2000): Amidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.

Perfect Blue (1997): A retired pop singer turned actress’ sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968): A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.

The Virgin Suicides (1999): A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s.

Sucker Punch (2011): A young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.

Piggy (2022): An overweight teen is bullied by a clique of cool girls poolside while holidaying in her village. The long walk home will change the rest of her life.

The Love Witch (2016): A modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, with deadly consequences.

Pearl (2022): In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.

Girl, Interrupted (1999): Based on writer Susanna Kaysen's account of her 18-month stay at a mental hospital in the late 1960s.

Black Swan (2010): Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.

Gone Girl (2014): With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.

Jennifer’s Body (2009): A newly-possessed high-school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?

Bones And All (2022): Coming of age romance about two cannibals

In the Mood for Love (2000): Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.

Brokeback Mountain (2005): Ennis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.

Call Me By Your Name (2017): In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.

Maurice (1986): Two English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up Maurice and marries. While staying with Clive and his wife, Maurice discovers romance in the arms of the gamekeeper Alec.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001): In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

Caroline (2009): An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Corpse Bride (2005): When a shy groom practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her.

[thepachy]

I went to an old Fc5 account to see a lot of Jacob content like i usually do and AAEFGGFETV always nice to drown in old Jacob content

I ma pleased with it 😌

[mayullla]

Title: An invitation to a chase

Character(s): Childe / Tartaglia (Genshin Impact)

Summary: Isekai au; It wasn't by choice that you dropped into this game. It was slow, but you slowly manage to make a living for yourself in Liyue. This was not a game anymore. Yet at the same time, you could not shake the feeling that this world had its faith already decided so you decided to become someone from the background not knowing you have gained the interest of a certain harbinger.

Warnings/tags: F!reader, yandere themes, mentions of other characters (liyue)

When you woke up you didn't know where you were...

Confused by the tall mountains and the beastly monsters that carried axes, wooden bats and shields, the small circle monsters that looked afraid when they saw you and ran away, you thought that they were familiar but at the same time in a daze unable to properly understand anything.

It was almost like a dream that you waited to wake up but... you never did.

It was with the help of travelers and adventurers passing by that you finally understood where you were. Their clothes hinted at where you were, and the names of places were another one. It was slow, but soon everything clicked together. You were sucked into a game called Genshin Impact, and you don't know how to get back.

Distraught you were after you realize that other than your clothes, you had nothing, nothing that reminded you of home or a way back. It was with the help of kind-hearted adventurers that you were able to get back up.

You knew that you were in Liyue and with the adventurers who found you here heading to Liyue Harbor. It was soon that you parted ways with them after they were sure that you knew your way around and had a place to stay.

You passed by Xinyan and Yunjin in their repetitive stages till you found Yanfei, who helped you get on your feet and make a living for yourself here.

It has been a few months since then, and oftentimes, you wondered if you should have even become friends with the characters that you once knew from behind a screen. If you were allowed to be their friend when you didn't belong here. No matter how kind Xinagling and Gouba were, they would always be a reminder to you that this was a game that you played once.

The NPCs that you helped as a traveler, even playable characters... it was somewhat nerving to see them... detailed, their struggles beside their quests that they gave to the traveler. You used to see only part of their problem before being forced away from them, unable to talk to them anymore besides a few repeating texts.

You wanted to help them, but part of you also thought that you shouldn't. That later on the traveler would come and help them which you thought would be far more appropriate than... you.

It wasn't like you didn't want to help, but in the end, you realized that they didn't ask for it and that you weren't the traveler anymore, and that you were another person altogether at this point. You didn't have the power to make everything okay again.

Instead, you just choose to be in the background, maybe a friend to Yanfei and a few others or just acquaintances for others if you ever bump into them yet faceless in the whole storyline you suspected to start soon.

So when you were out in the mountains gathering herbs, you didn't think you would see a certain person with ginger hair and blue eyes who came all the way from Snezhnaya.

He was the one who noticed you first as you froze like a deer in headlights unable to move when you meet his eyes. It wasn't like he was gonna kill you, you knew that even if he could he would not. But that never changed the fact that to you he was still dangerous.

Meeting him here all of a sudden without any notice made you unable to casually wave at the man who did so instead look away as you took off leaving him alone to wonder if he had done something wrong to a stranger. Did his wave offend you?

You thought you would never see that man again.

Again, you mentally thought it wasn't like you disliked him or anything, as much as you would fawn over or like this character in the past... it has been months since you last played the game, and the characters became all the more real to you even if you didn't want them to be... yet at the same time still just characters.

Yanfei would occasionally visit your home when you realize that she had her own problems other than what the game shows. That her words weren't on repeat, but actual genuine interest.

It made you think about the future choices that have yet to happen when Zhongli would choose to "die" in the ceremony... how much panic and worry would strike the citizens but also you. It also made you think about a certain toy seller who would cause even greater trouble and turbulence. The same man who waved at you.

It wasn't like you could stop him. You didn't have a vision, nor were you strong enough to fight him.

Choosing to stay quiet till everything passed was what you chose to do when everything would finally happen. You already knew that everything would end well one way or another with the help of the traveler.

You didn't expect to see him again in the mountains. This time, he was sitting on the grass as if he had finished training just a few moments ago. With how messy the whole place around him was? No doubt.

Hidden behind the trees, you stared at the man who you thought didn't notice you, carefully taking a step back you plan to leave.

"You know, it was quite rude of you to just go when someone greets you."

You flinched as you glanced back at him, a cheerful smile on his face.

You were caught.

"I am sorry... I was in a hurry back then." You tried to make an excuse, not making a move to go towards the man nor stepping away to make a run for it. It would be too suspicious. Tho... he probably already was suspicious of you.

"Hmmm, I am not so sure about that."

You watched as he sat up still watching you, "While I don't exactly think that you are a spy seeing how concentrated you were in collecting those herbs, you looked like you almost like a rabbit frozen in place as if I have come to bite you." The smile never once went down, but it also never reached his eyes.

"Tell me, have we met before? Your eyes recognized me when you saw me, but I don't remember ever seeing you."

You bite your lip as you look away. Were you really that obvious? You wondered, but you shook your head. "I don't recall ever meeting you in my life. It was because I experienced an… unfortunate event with the fatui that I now choose to just avoid them." You told him... somewhat honestly…

Well, half truth and half lie really… You did experience events from the game that almost made you dislike the fatui when you watch them cause so much trouble. But you also meet a few here, and while most ignore you, some could be rather...

So, really, you aren't wrong. You just hoped that Childe actually buys into the story enough to leave you from now on.

"Hmmm… Is that so. Well, maybe you can tell me who it was, and I will go check?" ...Childe was definitely trying to do something here. "That won't be needed." You said almost harshly. You were nervous.

"Now, now. If they made a mistake and hurt the passerby for no reason, then they are definitely at fault for it and would need punishment." Childe raised his hand, the other on his waist. "That isn't needed." You told him raising your hand as if to stop him, "It was long ago now, and I do not remember the person's face, nor do I care to get some sort of revenge."

Rather than a random fatui, you prefer if someone could knock some sense into the man in front of you. Not that you would say that.

You already packed your bags and were planning to head out as soon as you heard that Monstade was saved by the traveler and head there for a vacation away from the chaos here. You saved some mora just for this reason, too.

"Ahh, alright. Then how about this. How about I hang out with you whenever you go to the mountains? Think of it as an apology from the fatui." Childe said, taking a step closer still with a friendly smile. You lightly bite your tongue, wondering why he was so insistent. There was absolutely nothing special about you to warrant such interest like this. "That would not be needed."

"Well, but had I not come here a moment or two later, you would have already been hurt by the hilichurl camp here," Childe told you, his smile widening almost like a Cheshire cat. Quickly, you looked to his side, and your eyes widened in surprise. Of course, the mess was from a hilichurl camp.

"Don't worry too much about it they are all down. While you gathered herbs, I can clear out the place for you, and if there is a particularly hard place to get to something, I can also help you out." Childe made the deal sweet in his own opinion, yet when he raised his hand for a handshake you looked into his eyes and noticed that he still was suspicious of you, and you knew that if you declined here he would try other means to watch over you. 

You frowned at him again, "I already told you that I do not wish assistance from the fatui."

"Hmmm, okay there. I will just be right beside you, not as a protector or anything like that, but more on an accidental meeting." You have been left speechless at how shameless this man was. All the while, he continued to smile as if he didn't say anything wrong.

And as much as you hated it, he kept his promise or whatever you would call it. Whenever you would go to the mountains, he was always there acting as if he was just going to head up too and that the two of you should hang out. Or that time you met him on the way, and he decided to follow you up again when you clearly saw that he was actually going down it. When you change the time you usually go up the mountains thinking you could outmaneuver him... he was there waiting for you.

It was unnerving really how often he followed you, as you would now see him in the market and the streets of Liyue Harbor. "Ah! I didn't expect to meet you here, comrade." Childe would openly greet you while you want nothing more than to look away. You didn't doubt that he had eyes everywhere... he probably placed a spy or two on you if he was actually suspicious of you.

Yet somehow you thought that this was different, that the eyes on you weren't cause you were a spy but something else. Not when you realize that Childe's eyes were always on you, no matter what you do, he was always there...

What did he notice...

It was always amusing watching you search for that moment to scurry away like a mouse whenever the two of you meet. It was something that Childe always took pleasure teasing you with.

You have always been like this except to a way to various degrees even with others but more so with him. There was always a distance between you and the world that he craved to figure out. When he first came to Liyue a few months ago, Childe had seen you a few times walking around the streets. You weren't special well, not at first, while vision holders tend to have their own distinct style. You choose something that blended with the crowd and their fashion.

He didn't really care much, just a moment thought and then to the next topic he had to deal with. But he couldn't help himself but look at you again after he noticed you on the side of the street with some vision holders. You guys were talking for a bit, but Childe noticed that stare you had almost knowing, yet no words of it came out of your mouth.

A few times later, he saw you by chance. You sometimes had this distant look in your eyes as you watched the ships come and leave the docks. Sometimes, it was a cautious look or maybe sometimes impatient, but you were always watchful... waiting. You were always looking for so clues, what he wasn't sure but had as time passed gotten curious.

The first time you saw him, he thought that you would maybe wave back as he raised his hand, yet much to his surprise there was recognition in yoru eyes, and then the next thing you did was run away.

You knew him, even tho he had no remembrance of ever meeting you before he noticed you. There was a certain thrill that beat in his heart when he realized that you knew more than you let on.

And to him, it was an invitation to a chase.

He followed you almost ever you went ever since then, mildly disappointed when his duties call for him as he had to for a short put a cause to the chase. But the more he spent time with you, watching you, he knew that you were definitely hiding something. The knowing look you sometimes give to others when you thought that they were looking, as you withheld information that was just about to reach the tip of your tongue. The look that you gave him, when he talked about certain topics, his trill towards fighting, your eyes told him that you knew something that he never told anyone else other than his close associates.

And to him, it was nothing but trilling. You have become something likened to a prey that he had become found over. Someday, there is this itch of wanting nothing more than to rip you apart to know everything about you, but he cherishes you just enough not to.

It would be sad to destroy you like that, but to be fair, even if he had patience... he could only wait for so long.

Note: It is his special day so loll

[corroded-hellfire]

I just realized it's them. Eddie, the Reader, and my kids.

It would be funny if they were watching the movie and Eddie teases them that they look like kittens and some say it's actually them as a family.

I needed to write this. Was very compelled to write about Eliza making everyone watch this movie lol. I hope you like what my crazy brain came up with!

Previously talked about on this ask too 😻

Words: 1.4k

[As You Wish masterlist]

Family movie nights have become rarer as the boys have gotten older, but the tradition hasn’t been altogether lost. Once in a while you can wrangle the boys down for an evening of snacks and family bonding. 

Luke is laid out on the floor as per usual, on his stomach and pounding down Doritos and Mountain Dew like a man starved, not a 14-year-old boy who just had three large helpings of baked ziti not an hour ago. Ryan occupies the La-Z-Boy lounger that is effectively known as Wayne’s chair, it being the older man’s favorite spot in the household. The older Munson brother’s attention is currently half on the movie and half on the girl he likes at school. 

Eliza is sitting cozy on the couch between you and Eddie. At some point during the movie, she’ll end up snuggled against either you or her father, but right now she’s content enough to sit on her own, her pink unicorn blanket spread out over her lap and little legs. 

Eddie is slouched against an arm of the couch but has his arm draped along top, the tips of his fingers just barely able to brush over the back of your neck. So, of course, that’s what he’s been doing since the movie started. You sit hip to hip with your daughter, a bowl of popcorn balanced on your thigh that she and you keep taking kernels from.

As the song Everybody Wants to Be a Cat ends, Eddie smiles to himself. He sees his children in all three of the troublemaking kittens that were just singing and dancing around on screen. 

Ryan notices and raises an eyebrow at his father. “The singing cartoon cats making ya happy, Dad?”

Eddie rolls his eyes and flicks a pretzel in his eldest child’s direction.

“No, smartass. I was just thinking how they remind me of you guys.”

Luke rolls on his side so he can look at his dad over his shoulder.

“Did I grow a tail I wasn’t aware of? I’d like to think you’d keep me updated on that kind of thing, Dad.”

“You’re the little wiseass cat,” Eddie says, gesturing to the screen with his chin. “The orange one that tries to act all tough.”

“Toulouse,” Eliza says, as if her father should’ve known his name and it offends her that he didn’t.

“And he’s the one who’s most like the dad,” you point out with a shrug. It’s no secret that Luke is basically Eddie’s twin.

“He’s not their dad!” Eliza says with a small huff. Her parents are disappointing her with their Disney knowledge tonight. 

“My point still stands,” you say before pressing a kiss to the top of your daughter’s head.

Luke shoves another handful of Doritos in his mouth and goes back to looking at the screen.

“I’m not a ginger,” Luke says, though with his mouth being full it sounded more like, “M’not a jinjuh.”

“Who’s he?” Eliza asks as she points to the black and white cat on the screen.

“I thought you knew all the names,” Eddie says. Eliza rolls her eyes, looking identical to her father as she does it.

“No. Luke is Toulouse so who Berlioz?”

“Oh, okay,” Eddie says now that his daughter has cleared up his confusion. “Definitely Ryan. He’s the quietest one but he can still be mischievous.”

“Silent but deadly,” Ryan says.

“Like his farts,” Luke adds, making Eliza giggle.

“Who me?” Eliza asks, looking up at her father with the same big brown eyes that she inherited from him. 

“Marie, of course,” Eddie says as he musses her curls. That name he knows by now. “You’re the spoiled, pampered, sweet girl of the gang.”

The word “sweet” doesn’t seem to matter to Eliza, only focusing on the first two. Her little round face pinches up in a frown; her brows coming together over her dark eyes and her lips forming into a puckering pout. You try, and almost fail, to contain your laughter as your daughter stares at your husband with the cutest menacing look you’ve ever seen. 

“What?” Eddie asks when she doesn’t look away.

“Not a spoiled kitty,” she says. 

“You asked!” Eddie scrunches up his face and sticks his tongue out at her. She does the same in return, proving that your husband is as mature as a three-year-old. 

Luke finishes the Doritos in his mouth and wipes his cheesy hands off on his White Sox shirt.

“You know, I think our whole family is like theirs,” he muses.

“What?” Ryan asks. By the tone of his voice it sounds like he’s over everyone talking and just wants to watch the movie in silence again.

“Yeah,” Luke says and gestures to the screen in front of him. “Stray, scruffy alley cat gets the pretty, sophisticated girl that’s out of his league?”

As unsubtly as possible, Luke jerks his head back towards you and Eddie on the couch.

“Hey!” you pout. “That’s not true.”

“Pretty much is,” Eddie admits with a laugh. 

You move to scoot closer to your husband, little Eliza getting caught in the middle. The small girl hisses like a cat when she gets squished between her parents.

“Jesus,” Ryan groans as he rubs a hand over his eyes. Any form of overt affection between you and your husband has been annoying the teen boy lately. Eddie finds it amusing and whenever the two of you are alone your husband quietly surmises to you that your son is more annoyed by the fact that he can’t express the same sort of affections to the girl he likes. It makes sense since Ryan has always been one to express his love physically with hugs and such.

Now, Eddie presses a smacking kiss to the side of your head—almost to spite Ryan’s attitude— 

before looking down at your daughter squeezed between the two of you.

“I think you even look like a kitty!” he tells her.

Eliza pushes her way to her feet on the couch with a huff. Watching her trying to stand in the cramped space has you tucking in your lips to avoid laughing. Once up, Eliza shoves at her dad’s shoulder as she’s seen her brothers do to one another many times.

“My little kitty!” Eddie teases, finding her reaction comical. He snatches Eliza and holds her in his lap as he tries to press kisses all over her face. Stubble scratches and rubs against Eliza’s soft skin, making her squeal and wiggle around in Eddie’s grip.

“If we’re all cats, do you think another family will adopt me?” Ryan asks in a sullen adolescent tone.

“No,” Luke answers simply. Thank God he hasn’t become a brooding, moody teenager—yet, anyway.

Eliza manages to slip free from her father’s grip and runs over to jump on Ryan’s lap.

“Save me!” she wails.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got ya,” Ryan says as she snuggles into his lap, tucking her head beneath her eldest brother’s chin.

Eddie takes advantage of the newly empty space between you, and he pulls you flush up against his side. You give Eddie a soft kiss before laying your head on his shoulder.

“Ick,” Eliza complains, looking over at you on the couch.

“Yeah, ick,” Ryan echoes.

“Wasn’t he the one who wanted us to have a baby practically as soon as we got together? Now he thinks it’s gross that I kiss you,” Eddie says softly to you, but not soft enough that Luke didn’t hear.

“Yeah, but now we got what we wanted,” Luke says with a shrug. 

“Maybe now you guys can get fixed,” Ryan says with a smirk. 

Eddie opens his mouth to retort but Eliza holds her arms in the air, an immediate call for silence.

“Shhhh! This good part!”

She snuggles back against her big brother, who sticks his tongue out at his dad.

Casually, Eddie wraps his arm around your back so he can flip his oldest son the bird without Eliza seeing. Ryan just laughs and goes back to watching the movie, curious to see what’s so special about this part. The sixteen-year-old’s laughter brings a smile to your face. You haven’t heard it as often as you’d like to lately.

After Eddie situates his arm around your shoulders, you snuggle up to him and drape Eliza’s unicorn blanket over your lap. The Disney movie is not as enticing to you as your husband is, so you press a kiss just below Eddie’s ear before whispering to him.

“I love our kittens. No matter how ferocious they like to pretend they are.”

Eddie chuckles his agreement.

“The cutest little feral monsters around.”

[chuellas]

Fine Line | Chuuya is always overworking himself, always choosing work over you and you’re finally fed up with it.

⤷ Ft. Nakahara Chuuya

Warnings | Fem!reader, mentions/consumption of alcohol, term “doll” used, a tiny itty bit suggestive if you squint, hardly edited, WC: 5k

A/N | I had no idea where I was going with this one when writing it but I had so much fun writing it

You’re sitting at the bar now. You moved from your reserved table after an hour of waiting, figuring it could go to a couple that actually planned on spending the evening together. You let out another sigh into your gin and tonic. You’ve been at this restaurant for about 2 hours now and haven’t eaten a single thing. It’s your date’s fault, really, they were the one that never showed up. You don’t know why you even try anymore. Dating was pointless in your line of work anyways. 

But sometimes going on dates warded off the loneliness and that incessant craving you get for normalcy.

You check your watch for the time only to find it’s now past midnight. Chewing the inside of your cheek, you finally make the decision to pull out your phone and call the person you actually wanted to spend the evening with. You're pleasantly surprised when he picks up on the first ring.

“Thought you had a date.” You’re greeted with a tone that’s laced with exhaustion but something else jumps out too — annoyance, maybe? Or maybe you’re just imagining things after downing your third drink of the night on an empty stomach.  

You hum, pointedly not answering his question directly, as you signal for the bartender to close out your tab. “You still in your office working on that mountain of paperwork?”

The pause from the otherside of the phone is a long one, it’s a contemplative pause you conclude, you can tell he’s trying to decide whether to humor you or to push his own question. It would be a waste of his time to go with the latter, you had no intention of breaching the topic of you being stood up yet again. This time especially stung with it being a woman and all. You thought she would have known better, or at the very least have the common decency to warn you of her impending absence, knowing very well how long it takes to get ready for a first date. You shaved and took an “everything” shower for this occasion.

A soft sigh of defeat is heard from his side and you grin widely, Chuuya is much smarter than he’s given credit for. “So what if I am?”

“Stay there. I’m on my way.” You don’t give the executive room to argue as you hang up on him. 

As if on cue the bartender brings you the receipt and your card, after signing you leave a generous amount of cash in the tip jar with a smile. You leave the restaurant the same way you came, without a word as the manager babbles on about how much of a pleasure it was to have your patronage. You wave him off with the same smile that’s feeling more forced by the minute as you step into the elevator.

When the doors slide shut after what seems like an eternity, you’re finally able to relax for a moment. The disappointment of another wasted night sinks into your shoulder, making them cave in. You deflate in defeat, having to resign to a fate that’s been set by some stupid carrot topped man that has to use his ability to reach the top shelf of overhang shelves. He’d never admit it but you’ve actually caught him doing it before. 

This was all somehow Chuuya’s fault. If he ever did anything other than work you wouldn’t seek solace in other people. You would be able to let yourself actually explore the feelings that stir in your chest when you’re around the ginger. But instead you’re stuck calling him after failed dates to see what he’s up to and if you can get away with bugging him. 

Headquarters is just a few blocks north of where you’re at, it shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to get to Chuuya. Well, maybe 20 since your favorite ramen place is on the way and you know they’re still open. So you have to stop there for two bowls because not only have you not eaten but you know Chuuya probably hasn’t either, being too engrossed in his paperwork to remember that basic bodily functions exist. 

Another 5 minutes after picking up the ramen and you’re making your way up yet another elevator to the floor that holds both your office on one side and his on the other. You take a moment when the doors open to decide whether you want to go straight to Chuuya’s office or if you want to stop at yours to change into something far more comfortable than the dress you’re currently wearing. Your stomach ultimately makes the decision for you when it rumbles loudly. The ginger’s office it is.

You don’t even bother with knocking, too tired, hungry, and impatient to wait on him to answer. The door creaks as you push and then groans out a complaint when you kick it shut behind you. Chuuya isn’t even fazed when you enter, his nose still buried in his paperwork. Thankfully the pile was no longer a mountain, more of a small hill now. It still looks like an hour or two’s worth of work. You’d offer your help if it weren’t for the fact that you’re pretty sure you’re drunk. 

Making yourself comfortable without a word you saunter over to his desk and choose to sit yourself on top of his scattered paperwork, plopping the ramen in front of him.  

Chuuya freezes, staring at the bag of food in disbelief before turning his accusing glare at you. “What the f-”

His words die in his throat when his eyes finally land on you. Even in your slightly, maybe more, inebriated state it’s hard not to notice the way his eyelids droop as his dual colored eyes scan your figure. He must be really tired, he’s usually far more tactful when he checks you out. 

You swing your legs where they dangle from his desk, pleased with yourself and his reaction. “I brought you some dinner. I didn’t get a chance to eat so I figured neither have you. Looks like I was right!”

Chuuya has to practically tear his gaze from you to see what you’re talking about. You untie the bag to reveal two containers filled to the brim with ramen. You lean in to read the labels to make sure you were taking the right container but in the process it gives the executive a nice view right down our cleavage. You have to bite back the smile that threatens to stretch at your lips when you hear the way his breath stutters. Maybe now you’re the one not being tactful but you figure someone deserves to appreciate the way you look in this dress since the intended party will never get to. 

“You stop at that shop down the road?” Chuuya clears his throat as he waits for you to grab all of your things before reaching for his own container.

You kick off your shoes and jump off his desk to pull a chair up to the opposite side. “Yeah, thankfully they stay open late. Can you clear some of the papers up? Don’t wanna get them stained in ramen broth.”

“Really makin’ yourself at home, aren’t you, Doll?” He raises a brow at you in amusement but clears his desk off regardless.

You hum and nod your head, too busy taking a bite of your ramen. Your eyes practically roll to the back of your head and you let out a pleased hum at the flavors dancing along your tongue. The savory taste of the broth alone almost completely washes away the lingering bitter aftertaste the last few hours left in your mouth. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were until you had stepped foot into that shop. Now you are famished and even the most bland of foods would taste absolutely divine in this moment. You’re so absorbed in your meal that you don’t even take notice of the way the ginger sitting before you is watching you so intently that he hasn’t even touched his own food. 

It’s not until he clears his throat that you peer up at him. “You’re eating like you’ve been starved, didn’t you have a date tonight?”

There’s that question again, you suppose you gave him too much credit earlier. He wasn’t smart enough to just let it go. Or maybe he really was just letting his curiosity get the best of him. Either way there was no way in hell you were going to tell him that another date bailed on you. So instead you smile sweetly.

“You know how small the portions are at those types of restaurants, I took like two bites and it was all gone. Had some drinks after too. So, yeah, I’m famished. I know you are too. Eat.”

Your tone leaves no room for question. You’re both dancing around touchy subjects. Chuuya knows if he wants to get you to admit what really happened he would have to swallow his pride and admit he was overworking himself and he'd be damned if he ever let that happen. 

Or at least that’s what you thought. 

You watch him through your lashes as he opens the ramen and takes a bite, and then another, and then another. He hardly ever eats when there’s work to be finished. This is definitely a rare occasion and you have a sneaky feeling, somehow during the few seconds of your exchange in challenging glances, something shifts between the two of you. 

You stare at the other executive absolutely gobbed smacked at the fact that he’s actually listening to you. Your eyes are wide, your jaw is dropped open, and the chopsticks you were using to eat fall from your fingertips and splash into your soup. A few drops from the broth fly into your eye and you let out a hiss at the sting from the spices and temperature. 

The moment the two of you just had ends just as swiftly as you fan at your eyes frantically and then hold out your hand to Chuuya. “Eye drops- Oh my god your eye drops. Now, Chuuya.”

The ginger is jolted from his stupor when your voice becomes sharper. He reaches into the drawer to his left and produces a small bottle of eye drops, something you knew he keeps around due to his frequent late nights burning the midnight oil. It’s how he keeps his eyes from getting dry with exhaustion. 

You snatch the small bottle from his hands and throw your head back to all but squirt the soothing solution into your eye. It takes a moment to work, the sensation getting worse before it gets better. But after a moment you’re good as new, maybe even better than before. 

It’s a truly sobering experience and any left over buzz you were holding onto sadly fizzles out. You’re now stone cold sober and kicking yourself for coming here this late, know the only outcome is getting sent away so the ginger could finish his work in peace. You’re nothing but a distraction to him.

But if that were true, why even let you into his office, his space, in the first place?

“Thanks…” You hand the medicine back to Chuuya and pick your chopsticks back up to continue eating, pretending like nothing happened. “So, how many nights in a row have you slept here this week?”

You tilt your head to the couch that has a head pillow and blanket set up on it — inviting, almost, if you didn’t know how incredibly uncomfortable that couch was. It couldn’t be good for his back. You know he already deals with the residual chronic muscle pain he experiences after using his ability, especially after using corruption. You wish he would slow down, his body already pays for his ability, it doesn’t need to suffer because of his excessive working habits too. 

But then you would just sound like a broken record. 

Chuuya never really listens. He’s stubborn that way and it’s not just his body that pays for it, his social and love life pay the price for it too. It’s frustrating to care so deeply for someone who would rather think of others and their work than their own wellbeing. 

What’s worse, though, is that you’re selfish. You’ll take the heated stares and intimate touches in the dead of night on the rare occasions he’s not spending them at his desk over nothing at all. Maybe it isn’t selfish, maybe it’s self-deprecating but you can’t help yourself. You’ve tried to move on — that’s what you were trying to do tonight. But the universe has a sick and twisted sense of humor, so you once again find yourself in his office during the devil’s hour.

Suddenly you hear a muffled voice and you’re thrusted back to reality. Chuuya looks at you expectantly and you furrow your brows at him. “What?”

“I said: I figure you wouldn’t be eating with me right now if your date went well, you’d be over at his place, right?”

Your eye twitches in irritation and not from the soup broth that landed in it just moments ago. He’s trying to evade your question. Of course he was actively avoiding it, why would he ever admit to you something that you don’t think he’s admitted to himself. 

What’s worse is he’s pushing his question from earlier. Wording it differently to mask his nagging curiosity. His gaze is hypnotizing, something shifts again. You don’t think you care for the butterflies that erupted in your stomach. The usually light and exciting flutter of their wings now feel like razors slicing their way up your throat. It burns and you might throw up.

It’s so unfair, the way he makes you feel is unfair.

You don’t know what possesses you but a single syllable flies past your lips in response before you can catch it. “Her.”

“Her?” And this man has the audacity to look semi-amused as he says the word back to you in a questioning tone. 

In that moment you know he knows and you watch in abject horror as his amused expression twists into a knowing one. Now you’re sure, he’s aware that you know he knows. 

Your eye almost twitches again at the way his brow raises in amusement at your answer and suddenly you feel defensive. You don’t give a shit if he knows what you’re trying to do by dating around. You don’t care if he knows that each attempt has ended in failure. You don’t care that he knows that each failure ends in you crawling back to him.

You don’t care.

You don’t.

You steel your expression, eyes becoming sharp as they bore into Chuuya. “Yeah, it was supposed to be a woman I was meeting tonight.”

“Well she’s an idiot for not showing, especially when you look like that.” His tone sounds sincere and it makes you want to throw up.

You let out an incredulous scoff — you can’t believe that he just said that, of all people. “She’s not the only idiot.”

“She’s not?”

Now he’s really starting to piss you off, his smug expression tells you all you need to know. This must all be a game to him. He’s toying with you, he has to be, and he has been for a while now but you’re finally sick of it. You’re tired of the constant back and forth but not getting anywhere because he would rather stubbornly overwork himself half to death to have an excuse to avoid you than admit his obvious feelings for you. 

The revelation sends your whole body into a fit, you’re trembling and seething and it’s pouring out the seams. You’ve cracked. You should congratulate him, really, no one has elicited this much emotion from you before.

Chuuya’s demeanor changes when he notices how worked up you seem to be getting but he’s too late. You’re already past the point of being settled down because you’re shaking like a goddamn chihuahua. Your nostrils flare in irritation and ears flush in anger. 

“No, she’s not the only idiot that’s managed to fumble me. Look in a mirror and you’ll know who the other person is. Enjoy overworking yourself to death. I’m going home.” 

All at once the blazing rage that washed over you burns out when Chuuya makes no indication of moving to stop you and immediately you wish the ground would just crack open to swallow you whole. Suddenly you’re all too aware of your response to his play. It was more of an overreaction. How embarrassing? How is it that he’s able to elicit this strong of a reaction from you. 

How can he not follow after you like he has better things to do?

But he does have more important things to do than console you, doesn’t he?

For the second time tonight you’re mortified, but unlike earlier, this one was your own doing. You just threw a fit, had an actual tantrum, over someone who has made it clear he’s not ready for something that you think you are.

Maybe selfish is the right word.

You contemplate halting in your spot and apologizing but your pride keeps you from doing so. You should have never put all your cards on the table. You curse yourself for ever letting your true feeling for the ginger slip that one drunken night several months ago that when asked about the next day you had conveniently forgotten all about it. Something tells you that he remembered it clearly, so, if not stopping you was his final response to your confession then you have to accept that. 

Your hand reaches out for the door knob and you almost flinch when it comes in contact with the cold metal. He’s really just going to let you leave like this. Your head is a mess— no, your whole body is a mess. Your head is filled with fog, a mist of endless thoughts descending on you to make everything blurry. Your chest is like a tsunami of emotions washing over you in sharp waves. Then there are those damn razor sharp butterflies that are still threatening to claw up your throat. 

But just as you start to turn the knob, a gloved hand covers your own and halts your actions. Your breath hitches when the anxiety you’d been feeling just a moment ago completely dissipates. Chuuyas chest is pressed against your back and his forehead falls to your shoulder. 

“Chuuya wha-”

He doesn’t give you a chance to finish your question when he mumbles out, “I don’t need a mirror to know that…”

Oh. 

Is he really implying that he knows he’s been a fool? Is the world coming to an end? Chuuya? Admitting to being an idiot? You thought there was a higher chance of getting struck by lightning before hearing anything of the sort from the executive himself. 

“I’m sorry.”

You blink, you think your brain’s been fried, convinced that Chuuya can see the steam rolling out of your ears as you short circuit. “For what?”

You croak out the short question, words catching in your throat. It surprises even you when a sob follows. You hadn’t realized that the emotions you were feeling hadn’t dissipated but instead had been forced out in the most embarrassing way possible. 

“I…I’m sorry for…” Chuuya trails off and curses under his breath, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Jesus Christ. I’m sorry for not putting you first.” 

His voice trembles in something akin to fear. Something in your chest tears at his tone and it hurts. You look up at the ceiling to try to blink away the water that’s blurred your vision and take in a sharp breath after getting winded from the sudden blow. Your hand finally falls from the door knob and you both stand there in silence. The only noise is the grandfather clock that stands tall on the far end of his office, if it wasn’t for the loud ticking, everything would feel frozen. Something about the silence on your part is agonizing, you want to respond, but your voice is caught in your throat, swallowed dryly as you try to wet the dry patches stinging the lining of your esophagus.

Funny how your eyes feel too wet while your throat is too dry. 

You try to take a few breaths to calm yourself down enough to speak but you can feel the impatience radiating off of Chuuya and it just makes you even more anxious. It almost physically pains you but you take a step away from the ginger and stride across the room to an open window. Fresh air, something you always appreciated about Chuuya is that he prefers open windows and fresh air to fans or air conditioning if he can help it. The executive doesn’t follow, he hasn’t even moved from his spot. His head is still drooped down from where it was resting on your shoulder and suddenly your mouth and throat flood with saliva. That familiar feeling of nausea hitting you like a freight train once again.

You clear your throat to speak but realize -- how the hell do you respond to that? Are you really upset with Chuuya? Yes. Are you upset with yourself for letting things go this far? Also yes. So, as much as you want to blame all of this on the gravity manipulator, you can’t. 

Your shoulders slump and your gaze stays glued to the twinkling city lights in the skyline as you finally speak. “You always chose work. Always.”

Chuuya looks up at that. Your words seemingly hit a nerve as irritation flashes across his face before he can contain it. You bristle at that, preparing for an argument. You’re exhausted and don’t want to argue but you will if you have to because although you know you’re at fault too, you’re not going to just let this asshole get away with his part in all of this.

Luckily, the ginger simmers down easily and slumps again, showing you how truly exhausted he is. “That’s not entirely true, I chose you…Sometimes….”

“You think I should be grateful for that? You only chose me instead of work ‘sometimes’ to make yourself feel better about stringing me along.” You’re not looking at him when you speak, too interested with the view, or at least that’s what you’re telling yourself.  “Or to get your mind off of work. I was just an escape to you. Nothing more.” 

This time you don’t have to look back at him to feel the frustration radiating off of him in a similar way gravity manipulation does when he activates it. It’s hot, his frustration, you imagine if you reached out there was a chance you’d get burned. It’s rare to witness Chuuya losing his cool like this, the only other person besides yourself that could get him riled up like this long gone from the organization. Thinking about him makes you even more bitter so you take another stab at Chuuya.

“You certainly put on a convincing act, though. So congrats for that I guess.”

Snap. 

You imagine that’s the sound that would’ve been made when Chuuya’s patience finally breaks. His steps are heavy and you almost think he’s activated his ability. You almost forget how fast he is because you barely have time to turn around before he’s got a firm grip on your face. His hold is unrelenting as he forces you to look at him. 

Chuuya looks like a wreck, so many emotions written all over his face but most of all he’s hurt by your words. You know it’s wrong, you shouldn’t be lashing out at him like this but a part of you is pleased that he looks just as devastated as you feel. This is not your proudest moment by far and you’re sure you’ll feel ashamed over it later. Right now, however, you couldn’t bring yourself to feel guilty in the slightest. You said what you said and you're going to say it with your whole chest.

A shaky breath is let out by the executive standing before you. “That’s unfair. You’re being unfair.”

There’s no way this man is accusing you of being the unfair one here.

“You were unfair to me first. I’m tired. Be straight with me or just leave me alone, Chuuya.” Any fight you had in you moments ago vanishes as you finally give up.

Chuuya’s reaction shows you that he sees it, the way you’re letting him hold all the cards in this, making this his decision, the final one when it comes to this situationship. You’re done, you’re tired and now you just want this shitty night to be over with. If you had a white piece of fabric on you, you’d wave it like a flag, surrendering completely. 

He’s not good with his words, Chuuya has never been as articulate as some of the others, but he is good with actions. His actions have always spoken volumes for him, so why wouldn’t that work for him now? The executive pulls you in and crashes his lips to yours in a desperate attempt to convey to you what he couldn’t speak.

You’re a little slow on the uptake as your brow furrows and you attempt to pull away. You look at him incredulously but the expression he’s making has you halting altogether. His eyes are screwed shut and his brows furrowed in concentration and maybe a little bit in fear by the way you can feel his lips and hands slightly trembling against your face. It clicks then.

Chuuya Nakahara is finally choosing you over his work. 

This was him telling you in his own way that he’s not letting you give up like you wanted to. And if you can claim to know anything about Chuuya, it’s that he always makes good on a promise. That’s what has you melting into his hold and returning his kiss with just as much fervor. 

You both stay like that for a long while and you feel like Chuuya is trying to devour you whole in this one single kiss. As if he’s scared that if he doesn’t, you’ll slip from his grasp forever, but that would be impossible with the way he’s holding onto you for dear life. Even if you wanted to, which in this moment you didn’t, you couldn’t escape him. But you do need to pull away for air though. You shift your face the best you can away from his and even though he tries to chase your lips, you manage to separate from him.

You instantly bring your hands up to his wrist and nuzzle your face into his hands, showing him you still have no plans of going anywhere. The tension in his body dissipates and he watches you closely, patiently waiting for your response. As if you kissing him back wasn’t enough. 

“You piss me off, y’know that?” Chuuya lets out a chuckle at your statement and leans in to rest his forehead on yours.

His eyes bore into yours and there’s something there that you’ve never seen before, a sort of adoration you think he’s been holding back for a long time now. “Yeah, I have a confession to make that might piss you off even more…”

You stiffen in anticipation for the worst, staring up at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes. What was it now? You wrack your brain thinking about what he could possibly still be holding back. All you wanted was to know where you stood with him and now you do. So what else would he be hiding from you?

“It’s, uhh…Well it has to do with your date tonight, and maybe all of the other first dates that stood you up…” The look on your face must tell him that you��re picking up on where this is going and his grip on you tightens once again. “It was fucked up of me, I know. I’ll- I’ll make it up to you…I’ll take you out on two dates for each first date I ruined.”

Oh. 

You can’t even really find it in yourself to be that upset. It clears up a lot of inconsistencies for you. You have full confidence in your personality and looks, so it wasn’t adding up why you were being stood up so much. Even with you being a part of the upper echelon of the Port Mafia, that’s not public information. So, intimidation was ruled out too. You are becoming increasingly more annoyed at the thought of it all.

Maybe you should find it in yourself to be more upset about this…

Your expression displays just how unconvinced you are by his words, Chuuya can clearly see it and sense it so he tacks on some extra sweet talking to sooth your overthinking. “I’ve got a lot of time to make up for anyways.”

Your previous statement of Chuuya not being very good with his words is a lie. You were lying. The simple statement is enough to have you melting into him again. Maybe it’s the exhaustion. Maybe he got lucky. Maybe you’re just that down bad for him. Or maybe it’s all of the above. Who knows (you do).

Either way you find yourself giving in again for hopefully the last time tonight, but not before you decide to add a condition for your own benefit. “...Fine. But any trip or out of town get away counts as only one date.”

“Don’tcha think you’re getting greedy now, Doll?” Chuuya lets out another chuckle, shaking his head a little.

You shrug with a soft grin on your lips. “No, you owe me. Plus, it’s like you said, got a lot of time to make up for.”

[itsabouttimex2]

In Primal Moon,reader is stuck with Sun wukong,mk and magaque and they seem smart enough to know to leave doing this week if they live with them or are they not living with them,like I imagine the reader is a friend/ally of theirs ,and all I can imagine is their confusion when while there walking in the city they suddenly get confronted by Sun wukong who wants his cub,he’s all like you can’t be alone your a baby/cub,so basically Sun wukong tracking reader down and kidnapping them and treating them like a cub.I imagine reader puts up a fight,because I think they can fight at least a little.

Primal Moon: Four

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four)

(This fic has a paired bot!)

Twice a year; once in spring and once in autumn, a verdant moon rises to bring the bestial instincts of non-humans to light. Celestials and demons alike struggle to keep hold of themselves, something ancient welling up within them and shifting their thoughts and feelings to a more animalistic state.

Today, the first Primal Moon of the year has risen.

Now, with almost all your supplies ruined, the need arose to maneuver the newly viridescent Megapolis. And certainly, capitalism prevailed- in the name of making money, more than a few stores stayed open and pressured young workers into taking jobs during the most dangerous week of the year.

You had thanked the poor kid manning the counter as you left, two sacks held under your arms. Before they could even respond, you were beating a hasty retreat from the store and running back through the alleyways to return home.

But nothing is ever that simple, is it?

As a non-human yourself, you could be called one of the “lucky ones”. The haze of viridescence does not cloud your eyes, nor does it loess you astray.

The draconic horns upon your head tingle under every raindrop, newly sensitive. You’ve never been quite so on edge.

Rain can only dilute a scent so much- and the impact it has in doing so is almost null under the increased senses brought on by viridescence.

Especially if one is being tracked.

The constant rain and foggy streets only buy you a few further minutes than you would have had otherwise, a mystical beast tailing you with each step taken. The demons lurking around shady corners do not halt his search. Even the minimized scent trail does not deter him.

And all too soon, he’s just a breath away.

You barely have time to shiver before the demon is upon you, bounding footsteps that come down with enough force to shatter the paved streets under his feet.

A ginger simian; radiating power and boundless age, sharply turns the corner to greet you.

You only get a few seconds to register the sudden situation before he’s upon you, clutching your forearms with a manic smile.

Sun Wukong.

You had met him several times, engaging with the Mystic Monkey on amicable terms after being introduced to him by MK. He was always affectionate and kind, but now?

Hazy pits of verdant madness swirls within eyes that were once a mystic gold. His now-reddened teeth are stained with the scent of copper. Ginger fur that was once well-groomed and left in wild curls is now slick and flat from cold rain.

“My cub!! My precious, darling cub!! Bába was looking all over for you!! Come here! Come here, little one!”

Wukong snags both of your hands, pulling you into his chest for a freezing cold hug. As soon as he does, a heavenly white cloud phases into existence, fluffy vapors spilling from the white mounds.

“C’mon, cub! Bàba will take you home!”

Pulling away as much you can in shock, your fearful eyes fall upon the monkey’s manic eyes.

Wukong doesn’t notice the fearful look, only the fact that you’re trying fruitlessly to pull your hands away. “There, there, cub… come back to Flower Fruit Mountain with me! Bába will make sure his cub is nice and warm!” He cheers, jumping upon the cloud, holding onto your hand and tugging you onto the solid vapors with him.

The cloud kicks off from the ground, blazing across the sky with fervor. Miles of expanse whip by in seconds, the expanse of grey and neon that is Megapolis fading before you can even take a breath.

Only now does reason find you, leading to a prompt protest of:

“You- no, you can’t be serious! I’m-“

“Oh, I’m very serious, cub,” he interrupts with a coo, pressing a kiss to your scalp.” It’s dangerous out here- but Bàba is gonna keep you safe!” The simian responds, wrapping his arms around your back and pulling you tightly into his lap. He’s cold and soaking, but refuses to let you pull away. “What if some nasty demon hurt you with the Primal Moon? I don’t want my little cub to get hurt!”

Before you can truly respond or argue, Flower Fruit Mountain is in sight, and the cloud is touching down on lush grass. The Monkey King’s return is heralded with a massive troop of fluffy white Rhesus Macaques, clustering around the fading cloud at their king’s feet. The downwards lurch leaves your stomach queasy, shutting you up quickly.

Wukong laughs and grins with wild motions that are far too fluid, waving one hand and calling out to the troop surrounding the pair. “My little monsters! How have you been? Have you been taking good care of the mountain for me?”

The monkeys respond with loud chatter, screeching and waving their little white paws. They move closer, hopping on the Great Sage with glee and trying to reach over the his shoulders in a bid to touch your hair, already attuned to Wukong’s view of you.

If you’re one of his, then you’re one of theirs.

“Alright, alright!” He laughs, nudging the grabby furballs away with his tail. “We can have a grooming session later! I’ve gotta find something warm for my cub to wear!

The thought strikes you that he may well not be alone. Maybe there’s others here, people like him who are similarly affected by the Primal Moon.

“Does, um… does anyone else l-live here with you?”

(God, what is wrong with you? Why can’t you muster up anger? Or the will to fight?)

“Well, not usually! But I wrangled my sneaky little brother into staying the week, kiddo! He’s your uncle, remember? Macaque? With the black fur and the gold- well, they’re green now, but usually his eyes are gold. Ince I’ve got you something cozy, the three of us are gonna have a grooming session, pumpkin!”

“…Macaque?”

The destroyer of your home. The black-souled beast that dared to level your beloved palace.

The demon that crippled your father, Ao Guang.

“He’s here?”

The Great Sage slams his foot into the door, nearly breaking the hinges as he rushes you inside.

“He is! I can’t wait to introduce the two of you!”

Wukong ushers you into the bathroom and then the tub from there, running the hot water without even allowing you a chance to remove your clothes.

“I’ll be right back with something-“

“Wait!”

Here is your long-awaited chance. A silver lining in a heavy dark cloud.

Revenge, so clearly in sight, and for so little effort on your part.

“Just you and, um… “uncle” Macaque, then?”

The familial word tastes like bile on your lips, but you mange it all the same.

“You, “uncle” Macaque… but no MK?”

Wukong pauses, a sad little sigh sounding from his downturned lips. For a moment, his gaze darkens, eyes flicking away from your face. “He’s…” The Great Sage pauses, an unfamiliar expression crossing his features for a sparse moment. “…not doing well. It’s best for my little cub to stay away from him until this week passes.” In truth, the boy had grown… feral and violent, necessitating a temporary divide. “But don’t worry about him. Just get ready to go say ‘hi’ to your uncle, huh?”

“…can you bring me a big hoodie? With one of those combined front pockets,” you ask, widening and wetting your eyes like a sad puppy- a trick you had won your real father over with a few times. “They’re really cozy and make me feel really safe…”

And… they’re a great way to conceal a weapon. It seemed as though the Great Sage hadn’t taken note of the dragon-tooth dagger strapped inside the sleeve of your silk robe. You had forged it by hand, for the sole purpose of carving that damned black-hearted simian into pieces for all his misdeeds.

Who would’ve thought that the Primal Moon would accomplish so many steps of your plan for you? That it would bring you so close, so quickly?”

Wukong doesn’t bother with a response- he years off through the house with hurried feet, shredding through all of his clothes to find what you’ve asked for- anything for his cub, after all.

Leaving you to wash and warm your scales, plotting and planning and scheming.

Maybe, just maybe… this Primal Moon was going to be a good one.