#gus taute

[overlydeniableteddy]

Fattening Valley

First pov / feedee pov / second pov feeder / intox feedism / weight gain / mention of sex

I’ve already been at the farm for quite some time, working hard to build a successful life for myself in the valley, engaging with the townspeople, pining after Harvey and slowly winning his affection…

And then one day, you come to town, taking it by storm. I offer you a place to stay in the farm house so you don’t have to worry about finding accommodation while you get settled. It’s only after a week or two that you begin to enact your master plan, only eating half of the dinner you prepared in thanks for letting you stay and giving me the rest of your portion and a few leftovers. Me being polite, I accept, not wanting to admit to you that I’m already full. You start cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner, all of them bigger portions than what I usually had. You bring me snacks throughout the day, slowing me down and making me feel more sleepy and lethargic.

The charade continues for a few weeks, a pot belly forming under my clothes, my thighs and ass looking a bit more thick and blubbery— my face puffing up slightly. That’s when you move onto the next stage, you take me to Gus’ for a big thank you dinner, all this time you’ve been making subtle moves towards me, declaring your romantic and sexual desires with me, I laugh you off and say that I’m flattered. But you don’t stop. At this dinner date, you ply me with a variation of wines and beers, getting me drunker as you flirt more and more with me, I start drunkenly flirting back for giggles. You order plate upon plate of food for me, stuffing me so full that I nearly fall into a food coma at the bar. You scoot your chair around to my side of the table, slipping your hand into my clothes, feeling the taut bloated body beneath. I rest my head on your shoulder as you make me finish every last bite. Whimpering and burping from how full I am. The other townspeople look on in confusion and worry, they thought that it was me and Harvey that were supposed to end up together… but they don’t intervene.

At midnight, Gus closes for the night. You essentially carry an exceptionally drunk me home to the farmhouse, I belch and moan the whole way back, one arm looped around your shoulders and the other resting on my stuffed full belly. Once we get back, you decide to encourage me to drink some milk I forgot to sell during the day and I comply, lusting after you with boarish desires.

The next morning, I wake up still stuffed and hungover, unable to bring myself to get up and go about the farm chores. You smile and waltz your way into my bedroom, a thick stack of pancakes and a large coffee (with some whiskey mixed in), you declare that you’ve already done the chores for the day so I should relax and take a day for myself in bed.

You start doing this more and more, always making sure I’m in a state of tipsiness at all times, it’s easier to get me to eat more this way. My bloated pot belly becomes a large hanging gut, my arms flabby sacks of fat that can’t even bring themselves to pick up even a hoe anymore, my legs thick and blubbery cellulite ridden slabs of meat. My face rounded and cherub like— constantly rosy and jolly. I’ve begun to outgrow my once baggy clothes, knitted jumpers always riding up my belly halfway, showing off a large slice of pale fat belly.

Harvey becomes worried, he sees my decline of diet and increased intoxication, he wants to confront you for my changes but I brush him off and tell him that farmers are supposed to carry a little extra thickness, it’s all just thick muscle. He’s flustered but let’s it go until I stop doing the farm work entirely, and only appear in town for our weekly date at the saloon where you get me drunker than I’ve been all week and stuffed to beyond my increasing limits.

It goes on for a year, you transforming me into a lazy, flabby pig that can’t even take care of his own farm anymore, spending his days eating and drinking in various locations— constantly outgrowing his clothes. My body truly becoming a round and blobby spectacle for the whole valley to bask in…

And then we marry, I’m yours and yours alone. Your fat, drunk piggy, a fallen vestige of a once promising young farmer.

[how-serene]

Send Me Your Lovin'

Pairing - Jack Delroy x Fem!Reader

Summary - Jack just can’t seem to distract himself from you and that red dress you decided to wear to the studios annual Christmas party.

Word Count - 841

Warnings - no use of y/n, light making out, mentions of drinking, jack is clingy, fluff, established relationship

A/N - Thank you all for a wonderful year, writing these fics have really been a great outlet for me and it always warms my heart to see people engage with and enjoy what I write. Anyway, Happy Holidays!

The rented space was lively, with warm lighting splashing an evening glow over everyone. A towering, pine tree stood in the middle of the space, decorated with bright red and gold ornaments. Shimmering tinsel hugged the body of the tree all the way to the bottom, where a pile of decorative presents sat. Vibrant chatter filled the space, as people nursed on glasses of sparkling champagne. One group erupted into boisterous laughter. Jack noticed Gus among the group, holding onto a flimsy paper plate.

Yet, despite the opulent holiday decor and flow of conversation, the feeling of your warmth pressed into his side was enough to distract him. The group surrounding him spoke of their personal holiday plans, and he found himself unable to care. Jack sighed, and let his hand rest casually on your back.  

“Your hand is wandering, mister,” you whispered, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. 

Jack chuckled, dipping his head forward to hide his warm blushed face. His fingers reached to squeeze at your side, feeling the taut, red velvet fabric bunch between his knuckles. 

“You’re torturing me with this dress, honey,” he mumbled, his lip brushing against the shell of your ear. You giggled, playfully elbowing him. The earthy, rich fragrance of your perfume wafted into his nose, muddling his brain. Jack glanced down at his drink, to find an empty glass. He licked his lips, grimacing at the sour tang of grape juice that lingered on his tongue. 

“Are you ready to head out?” he asked, keeping his voice hushed. 

You glanced over at him, frowning in confusion. “We’ve only been here for fifteen minutes.”

Jack clenched his jaw, feeling heat creep up his face. His eyes flickered down to your deep, painted red lips. The color complimented your skin, and brightened your eyes in a way that made him giddy. You were heavenly beneath the warm, mellow lighting of the room. 

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” “You might’ve mentioned it a few times.” 

“Obviously not enough.” 

You rolled your eyes, not bothering to fight back the grin on your lips. Jack smirked, and pressed a swift kiss to your temple, not caring for the countless eyes on him. A deep part of him, beneath the echoes of his ribs, reveled in the attention. 

“Well,” you sighed, looking around the room. “If you’re so eager to leave, I don’t mind heading out.” 

As the words left your lips, Jack felt his stomach flip. He began ushering you through the other partygoers, mumbling out his half-hearted goodbyes with not even as much as a glance in their direction. The cluster of people wouldn’t move fast enough, and Jack was almost tempted to carry you out of the building. Finally, you two approached the front doors, where racks of coats hung on a wall. He snatched your coat off the hook, and wrapped it around your shoulders. 

“Give me a minute,” you said, giggling at his impatience. Jack helped you into your coat, making sure you were properly bundled up before facing New York’s weather. You two stepped out, hand in hand, into a frigid flurry of snow. The parking lot was vast and crowded, as cars were tightly packed together.

“I should have dressed in something warmer,” you sulked, rubbing your arms. 

“Come here, doll,” Jack urged, grabbing your hand. He wrapped his arms around your frame, pressing you against his chest. Heat radiated off of him, rolling over you in waves. With you so close, Jack took this time to study you. A light dusting of snowflakes decorated the top of your hair, before melting into the roots. A few had even managed to land on your cheek. He reached up, and let the pad of his thumb brush them away. Your cheek was smooth and soft against his skin. Your breath hitched, silently watching his movements as if you might startle him. 

With restraint, Jack leaned forward and brushed his lips against your icy cheek. 

“Do you know how difficult it was tonight,” he murmured, “to see you dressed like this, and not be able to do anything about it.” 

“I think you did pretty well for fifteen minutes.” 

He chuckled, pulling your body flush against him. His eyes fluttered close, as his cold lips met yours. You tasted sweet, with a hint of champagne just dancing on the edge of your tongue. You sighed against him, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him closer. Jack’s heart thudded in his ears, as his fingers shook trying to grasp on your coat. Despite the fabric bunching in his hands, and the feeling of your hot breath against his, it wasn’t close enough. He wanted to unravel you, and feel the scarlet dress beneath his palms. The way it hugged the slope of your body, lovingly accentuating the dips in your hips and waist. 

Light spilled out from the frosted windows of the building, barely illuminating the sidewalk. The night sky above felt everlasting, as snow fell around your enveloped forms.

[hideyseek]

man ... shoutout to shitty drafts for real .... i just went from this:

When they arrive at the precinct, Zheng Bei slows his footsteps as they come to the entry stairwell, and when Gu Yiran turns to him, Zheng Bei waves at him and says, “Go on ahead.” “I’ll wait for you,” Gu Yiran says, one foot on the first stair. “It’s no problem.” “Don’t worry about it,” Zheng Bei says, voice taut. He says, firmly, “I’ll see you upstairs.” Gu Yiran goes.

to this:

At the foot of the stairs heading up to the precinct, Zheng Bei stops and says, voice faintly strained, “Gu-laoshi, you can go in first. I have something to do.” Gu Yiran puts his hand in his pocket, feels the ridged cap of the bottle of painkillers. “What’s wrong?”  “Don’t worry about it,” Zheng Bei says. There’s an odd set to his face, a look in his eyes like he’s getting ready to brace for something unpleasant. “I just need a moment.”  “I can wait,” Gu Yiran offers.  “I said, don’t worry about it,” Zheng Bei says, firm. “I’ll see you upstairs. Go on.” Gu Yiran frowns at him for a long, searching moment, but when Zheng Bei only jerks his chin/head at the entrance, Gu Yiran sets his jaw, and goes.

like just in a single rewrite, many beautiful changes! details, analysis, and thinking under the readmore:

comparing these two versions, in the second version:

zheng bei's hesitating action / the "inciting incident" to the exchange is stronger (slowing his steps vs stopping outright)

there's more escalation in the conversation (rather than a single exchange, there're three beats of back-and-forth, and zheng bei gets firmer with each one)

gu yiran's character is more defined (in the second we get to see gu yiran push back out of concern, and in the second and gu yiran only goes (mulishly) out of accepting zheng bei's request, rather than out of following orders as we see in the first)

this is one of the technique things i'm really trying to work on at the moment, this skill of more ... intentional revision. when i first started incorporating revision into my writing process (about a year ago? dec 2023?) i was going off of vibes a lot more, and was working more off of "what feels wrong about this scene? what don't i like?" and while that is something i still think is very valuable to be able to do, for me it often feels kind of intangible. and when i am (somewhat inevitably) in the horrible slog of revision (especially for a fic like this one which began as 3k and has grown to quite a bit longer and more complex), it is much harder for me to keep track of my progress and feel that i'm still working toward what i consider "good" writing (compelling, specific language that sounds smooth when read aloud + story structure that clearly demonstrates causation to move the story forward, and story beats that are consistently escalating). so i'm practicing putting the specific changes to language a little more clearly now, in the hopes that if i practice this enough, it will reinforce the ways in which i can concretely "improve" a piece of writing, and help me slowly develop a sense of how to identify forward motion in revision even when i still look ahead and know that there are 2-3 drafts before i get to a story that i'm really satisfied with.

[slamminslamminmcgill]

Ive been thinking about this scenario as i watch bcs:

Imagine gus and Lalo fighting over the reader and being tagged team by them after they find out you're fucking the other behind their back 👀👀👀

-🛢

AAAAAA 🛢️ ILYSM IVE THOUGHT ABT THIS EXACT SCENARIO also oopsie i may have added petplay to this hope that’s okay

DEFF going to expand on this later but here's a drabble for now :3

anatomical terms: cunt/hole

“Really?��

Lalo’s fingers knotted in your hair and yanked you up to face your shared… acquaintance, so to speak. Speaking of speaking, he spoke in more of a snarl than a human voice, acid dripping from his tongue. “You went behind my back and lied to my face for… this?” He laughed, spitting venom in Gus’s face as the latter approached, soft cock in hand. “This tiny thing? ¿Es eso tu pollerito? (Is that your little chicken man?)” He then fired at you, “Were you really so desperate for cock that you would take any little chicken you could get your hands on? You should’ve told me you were such a whore!"

Your wrists were hanging above your naked, bruised body, handcuffed to a concrete pole in what was going to be the “mother of all meth labs”. You weren’t supposed to know, but you knew. You knew everything, much to the dismay of the two men that surrounded you. Didn't you know? No one likes a know-it-all.

Gus reached to grab your jaw, his nails prickling your skin, prying your lips apart. He didn’t acknowledge Lalo’s inflammatory remarks. You were his only target right now. “Open. Abre.” You followed the command instinctively. His thumb pulled your tongue out of your mouth and he was quick to guide his cock in. You whined, let your eyelids come down, and began to service him with plush, wet lips. “Good boy. At least you can still follow some of my instructions.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a skinny velvet bag. Inside was a luxury dog collar with a chain leash. He fastened the leather collar around your neck and pulled the chain taut. Now each of them held you tight in their grasp, and neither wanted to let go. "You should know I'm incredibly disappointed in you. Ungrateful, treacherous little mutt. This is much nicer treatment than you deserve."

You squeaked and continued to prepare him, not daring to protest or explain yourself. There was nothing you could say, anyway. No justification you could give would satisfy both of them. The only penance you could offer was your body. Gus sighed as his cock hardened in your mouth, signaling to you that your apology was at least somewhat accepted.

Seeing you so docile in the hands of his enemy cranked up the heat on the stove that was going to boil Lalo’s blood. He let go of your hair, his nails scratching you as he trailed down your spine, your knees buckling from the pleasant sting. He scoffed, "Heh, so that's how it is, huh? ¿Eres su perrito lindo? (You're his cute little puppy?) Maybe I should show him what a bitch you really are." With that threat, two fingers plunged into your sopping wet cunt. A pathetic whimper escaped your throat, muffled around Gus's cock. You stopped dead in your tracks, too distracted by Lalo's touch and words of encouragement, "That's it, chiquito. Just relax and enjoy it, I know what you like."

Gus furrowed his brow and tugged on the leash, forcing himself deeper into your mouth. "No, you may not relax. You have a job to do, and I expect it to be done properly." He thrust his hips and started to fuck your face. You tried to relax your throat, though it seemed impossible with everything going on. You were choking on your own moans and slobber. Gus didn't care. You had brought this upon yourself.

"Oh, ¿de verdad? Lo siento mucho por interrumpir. (Is that right? I'm so sorry for interrupting.)" Lalo sneered at Gus and withdrew his fingers from your needy hole. You were grateful for the reprieve, but it didn't last long. With one swift motion, Lalo thrust his cock inside you, his hips pushing you even further into Gus. You suffocated on whatever noise your vocal cords had responded with. Lalo allowed you no mercy, no time to adjust, not even a moment to catch your breath before he started to pound into you. "Don't mind me."

Your mind couldn't make sense of what was happening. You had figured your life was over once the truth was revealed, but the more things change, the more they stay the same:

You were theirs to be used.

[miasiegert]

CATS Tied Tail Tutorial

Hi Folks, I know many of you already make these and have tutorials and already make these, but my friend Andre (Mungojerrie/Macavity at Suncoast) asked me how to make a Mungojerrie tail so I thought I'd post my tied-tail tutorial (as opposed to a wrapped tail tutorial) here for convenience. Everyone has their own variations. We also do wrapped tails (for sleeker cats) but mostly tied because we like the way it swishes and cats are all about coming for that booty. NOTE: I'm copying/pasting so this is customized for Mungo and specifically our mohawk Mungo costume shown below. Bonus shoe painting.

For the shoes I painted, his are in the center, bottom, between Cass and Gus--his Macavity are next to his.

TUTORIAL TIME.

What You Need: Different Types/Colors of Yarn including one Acrylic Yarn that’s strong to braid base/core.

Mungo Color Palette: Black, Different Oranges, little Yellow, little Red, OPTIONAL: little bit of White or Gray, can be added later.

WAIST BELT (Option: Get thick cord for around the waist, if nylon burn the end with a lighter so it doesn’t fray). 

Directions: Take Black yarn and wrap it around your waist about three times. You probably will shorten it but can always shorten, not lengthen. Cut 6 strands of yarn, 3 Black, 2 Oranges, 1 either red or yellow), and tie at one end. Separate into three pieces of two strands each and braid normally. You might need to tie the end onto a chair or use your toes to hold it taut. As you braid, periodically check it around your waist to see if you can tie a comfortable knot with extra hanging down. At the bottom, tie another knot. You can let the ends be loose and frayed for aesthetic. You can do this with 9 strands as well.

TIED TAIL DIRECTIONS: 
Step 1: Take a strand of yarn between your toes and stretch your leg out. Use the distance of leg to hip joint as a guide. You can always shorten a tail but can’t make it longer. Stand up and see where it falls from waist down. *Remember braided it will be a little shorter but yarn will add ~3” length. 
Step 2: Take 3 strands of yarn (Black/Orange) and braid normally, checking periodically about length (remember it adds 3”). Tie a thick double knot at the bottom.

Step 3: At the top, fold the tip of the yarn over so it forms a small tail loop. Tie a knot.

Step 4: Wrap yarn around the width of your hand many times then carefully cut one side of it. You should get ~5-6” pieces. Do this for all colors. You will need more than you think, a lot of black and a lot of oranges especially.

Step 5: Take 2-3 strands of yarn, go to the bottom, and just above the knot, tie the yarn in half so both ends dangle down. Single knot should be fine. Continue to do this but change where you tie the knot so there aren’t weird gaps. For stripes, have Big sections of just one color before changing. Mungo is mottled so mostly oranges for the stripes with black, then some reds/yellow mixed in in a few spots for variation. You can optionally have a TINY bit of gray and/or white if you’d like but not necessary.

Step 6: Tie all the way to just above the top knot, then slide the tail loop through. CONGRATS, YOU HAVE A TIED-TAIL and should have extra yarn if you want to make warmers.

[talk-danmei-to-me]

Danmei Fanfic Nightclub AO3 Prompt fill

Prompt: Could you please write a Ximang omegaverse with the whole Gu Mang's faewolf blood thing prior or post the time mirror arc?

...

Mo Xi cursed himself as he stood guard. Why had he been so stupid? Obviously, there were limits to how much the Liao kingdom’s experiments could change Gu Mang’s body. In time, the true nature of his body would win out. Apparently, that time was now…

The blood of the faewolf weakened the smell but appeared to strengthen the sensations. At least, that was how Mo Xi interpreted the muffled sounds on the other side of his bedroom door. Gu Mang claimed to have lost all his memories and yet the second his heat hit him, he’d sought refuge in Mo Xi’s bedroom. Despite what was proper, Mo Xi’s mind began to wander, conjuring images of Gu Mang pleasuring himself atop slick soaked sheets. He wanted to taste him again. The images sent waves of desire straight to his cock. He felt himself hardening, his knot swelling beneath the fabric of his robes. He banged the back of his head against the wall as though that would knock the sense back into him. Gu Mang was a traitor and an amnesiac. He wasn’t an object to be desired. Surely to fuck him now would be tantamount to treason. Then again, what the Emperor didn’t know…

An awkward cough brought Mo Xi back to himself. He turned towards the sound to see Li Wei a safe distance away.

‘What is it?’

‘My lord, please stop torturing yourself like this. It’s not ideal for you to be so close to an om – a sla – to, to him. Like this… Please allow me to guard the door in your stead.’

‘It’s fine,’ Mo Xi said.

He was lying through his teeth. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to rip the door open and take the man on the bed until they were both were sated, until neither of them could take it anymore. No matter how many hours it took. Hidden beneath his sleeves, he balled his hands into tight fists pushing his nails into the soft skin of his hands until he drew blood.

Li Wei failed to look convinced by his words, but he was a professional and bowed accordingly, ‘As you say, my lord.’  

‘Wait.’

Li Wei turned around.

‘Fetch me everything we have in the library on faewolves.’

Li Wei completed the task far quicker than Mo Xi anticipated. Though his speed was most likely due to the fact all they had was a single scroll. Mo Xi unrolled it, his addled mind searching for the information he needed. His eyes widened in horror when he finally found reference to a faewolf’s heat. Namely, they did indeed experience heats similar to that of omegas, which explained the heightened sensations Gu Mang appeared to be experiencing, but unlike omegas, if their needs were not met, the agony of unsatiated lust would bring about their demise. Mo Xi strained his ears to listen more closely to the sounds Gu Mang made. The ones he tried to hide. Alongside the wanton moans that announced each time he came, were pained cries. His heat was hurting him and there was nothing Gu Mang could do to bring himself relief. Mo Xi re-rolled the scroll. According to the scroll absorbing the seed of another would soothe the pain of a faewolf’s heat. Gu Mang needed to be filled and Mo Xi refused to let another touch him.

As he slid open the door, Mo Xi told himself his actions were all for the benefit of Chonghua. If Gu Mang died, they’d never learn the secrets of the Liao kingdom. They’d never be able to defeat them. Mo Xi’s decision certainly wasn’t motivated by long supressed desire for his shixiong.

Inside, the sight was exactly as Mo Xi predicted. Gu Mang was bare, tangled in the sheets, one hand working his cock as he pleasured himself with the other. Slick glistened between his thighs, darkening the sheets beneath him. A spattering of come, some dried, some fresh, marred his taut stomach. His whole body tensed as he brought himself to climax for the seventh time that hour. Mo Xi was unable to look away from his blue eyes, now red with tears. Unable to take the pitiful sight any longer, Mo Xi slipped his robes from his shoulders and approached the bed.

‘It’s so hot,’ Gu Mang whimpered.

‘I know.’

‘It hurts.’

Mo Xi tentatively stroked his shaking back as Gu Mang continued to chase a high he’d never reach, ‘Let me help you.’

Gu Mang paused in his ministrations, considering Mo Xi’s offer for a moment. After what felt like an age, he nodded. His hands fisted in the sheets as he angled his hips up towards Mo Xi, his overworked hole ready to receive him.

Mo Xi freed his erection and pressed inside, hissing as his cock was enveloped by Gu Mang’s wet heat. Gu Mang’s moan of relief at finally being substantially filled echoed around the room. Anyone within earshot of Mo Xi’s bedroom would know exactly what was happening. The realisation should have made him see sense, act more cautiously, but Mo Xi was already drunk from the joy of being inside Gu Mang again. Even if Gu Mang was too far gone to appreciate that it was him, even though Gu Mang no longer carried the memories of what they had done together. His body would remember. Mo Xi would make him remember.

[blueberrybladelemonade]

Hard Scales, Tender Love

Summary: You're a half dragon and Peppino finds that will come with it's ups and downs. 

Contains: Puns, Crack treated somewhat seriously, Slice of life, Fluff, Kissing. 

"Pino!" Your eyes lit up as you bounded towards the door to greet your boyfriend as he stepped into your home. Peppino let out a small "oof" as you rush into his open arms. "I'm so glad you're spending the night!" Behind you, your tail twitched back and forth excitedly. He returned your hug and placed a kiss on your forehead. 

You tilt your head noticing the small bag in his hand. "What's that"?

"Look speziata! We can-a match." Peppino smiled, paper rustled and he held up a pair of fake horns.

You gently take them from his hands, they were very similar in appearance to your own. You turn them over again, feeling the resin ridges and bumps of the makeshift horns. 

You glance back up at Peppino, pulling the fabric cord taut to him. He bowed his head as you tied the laces together for him, chuckling as you did so. With a final knot, you both draw back and you return his smile. Marveling at the horns now sitting neatly atop his head.

"Does that mean I can decorate your horns too now?" You tease. 

***

"Hold-a still!" Peppino scolded as you squirmed again. Your back was pressed against his chest as he continued to wind and wrap tinsel around your horns.

"I'm trying! It-it keeps tickling my neck!" You whine before you devolve into another fit of laughter. Peppino huffed as your tail almost knocked the roll of tinsel and scissors from his hand. "Watch it, amore"!

In a conscious attempt, you forced your tail to remain at at your side as it twitched at the sensations and your stifled laughter. With another few snips and string Peppino nodded as he set the items beside him. "All-a done".

You tilted your head side to side, the tinsel swaying with each movement. "I feel like a Christmas tree"! 

Peppino eyed his handiwork and pursing his lips in thought. A mischievous look flashed across his features as he moved off the couch. Yoir eyes followed him as Peppino went back to the bin of decorations that was pulled out. "One last-a thing..." You heard him mumble, trailing off as various items clinked or rustled together. 

Peppino retrieved what he was searching for and made his way back to you. Something caught the light in your peripheral as Peppino hooked a small icicle ornament onto one of your horns.

"Now-a you look ready for the party"!

***

Warm water poured from the shower head and steam rose from the tiled floor. You let out a content hum as you poured soap onto the scrubbie and lather it. 

"So how was work?" You ask, lathering Peppino in a layer of suds. 

"It-a was ok. Gus forgot to order more mozzarella so I had to leave and buy-a some at the store".  

"Not too stressful"?

"Well, Noise didn't come in toda-"

Peppino paused as your face scrunched, his eyes widening in realization as you tilt your head back.

"No no no!" Peppino dodged to the side, heat soared passed his neck followed by the sound of hissing as fire evaporated in the running water.

He shot you a glare. "Cover-a your mouth!" 

"At least it wasn't the carpet this time?" You replied helpfully. You opted to switch from the scrubbie to scratch your nails gently across his scalp. 

"You sneezed and-a almost burnt down my house!" He argued -albeit half heartedly- quickly melting against your touch.  

"It was just the rug. And I paid you back!" You protested. Peppino groaned in response, shaking his head wordlessly. That incident would never leave his memory despite it being months ago. In retrospect though, he had a fair enough reason to. 

***

"aaAAACH-" a line of fire shot from your mouth, Peppino yelled and ducked in nick of time.

The area rug, however, was not as fortunate. Flames crackled and flickered a bright blue, licking up into the air.

At an instant Peppino bolted into the kitchen and you could hear the rush of water. In a fluid motion your tail slapped the floor and waved it side to side, attempting to smother the blaze. As it cooled slightly to an amber hue you watch in panic as flames spread now to a corner of the rug.

You shriek as water soaks your pants and dowses the fire. With a final pop the light faded and puff of smoke drifted into the air. You hear a thud from behind as a bucket drops to the floor. 

Peppino slumped into the dining room chair with an exasperated sigh. 

"That was close." You chirped. 

"You...can breath...fire." With this new information in mind Peppino fell silent for a moment, putting his face back into his palms, leaning over the table. He sat there shaking his head, muttering to himself. 

Peppino seemed to be at the end of his wits for the day. First, The Noise pulled that prank on him at work and now? Now he just learned you not only had a draconic tail and horns, but also could breath fire.

You shifted your weight to the other foot and scratched the back of your neck. "It's, uh, really convenient if we ever go...camping"?

Peppino let out a deep sigh. He replied with something you couldn't quite place, keeping his face buried in his hands. You weren't sure if the comment was aimed at you, or himself.  

"...is that a no for camping"?

He spread his fingers and shot you a sideways glare.

***

You kissed the top of Peppino's head, draping your arms around him as he reclined back into your chest. Fabric slid against your tail as it slowly wagged. 

After your shower together you told Peppino to relax on the couch as you prepared dinner. He stretched and let his eyes close, the smell and sounds lulling him into a gentle slumber. 

You pat the steaks dry once more before carefully setting them into the pam. Oil fizzled and popped, sending small drops across the stove top. You groan inwardly at the eventual clean up. As you turned the meat over, perfectly seared, you began basting it with the butter and thyme you set aside.

Every so often you would peek your head out from the kitchen to check on Peppino. A soft smile tugged at your lips at how peaceful he looked. 

You took the bowl of antipasto from the fridge, removed the lid, and put a large spoon into the mix. 

"Hey, wake up." You nudge his shoulder, his eyes meeting yours as he gives you a sleepy grin. "Dinner's ready". Before you could turn around Peppino caught your wrist, tugging you to lean down. "Grazie amore." He peppered your face with kisses, sitting up as you place a final kiss against his lips and urge him to get up. "Come on, our food will get cold at this rate".

You wrapped your tail around his waist, pulling Peppino closer. "Mine, all mine." You breathed, burying your face into Peppino's neck. He let out an unintelligible noise and nodded, drifting off to a quiet slumber. 

Carefully you leaned back, attempting to not disturb him. Hearing him grumble you pause for a moment, waiting for him to settle again. As you get Peppino and yourself situated on your side you tug at the blanket and pull it up to your necks. 

You nuzzled into his neck, feeling his breath tickle your skin. "Goodnight Peppino. I love you." You whisper. There was no reply but you thought his grip on you tightened just slightly.  

***

Peppino rolled to his side, arms reaching out for your form but finding it absent. With a soft groan he lazily cracked an eye open. Was it morning and you already had gotten out of bed? No, that couldn't be right. The room was too dark to be morning yet. A thin slit of light filtered from beneath the door which lead to the hallway. From the faintly illuminated the room your silhouette was nowhere to be seen. 

"Y/N?" 

No reply. Did you get up to go to the bathroom? Peppino stretched to feel the cool fabric, indicating you had been gone for quite a while. 

His thoughts paused at hearing a thunk in the next room. You would be coming to bed again soon, right? Peppino turned back onto his side to stare into the darkness. As the sound repeated he found himself tiredly sliding out of bed, towards the door. 

As Peppino made his way down the hallway a shuffling sound made him pause. He focused on the sound, realizing it was coming from inside your spare room. That thunking sound was louder now, indicating the source was also behind this door. 

Why were you in there, this late at night? The light inside was much brighter in there, as it filtered across the floor. You never mentioned this room, though it's not like Peppino ever asked. If anything, Peppino assumed this was a spare room, a space for storage.

But why would you be rummaging around in there in the middle of the night?

From the other side he heard your voice, but laced with distress. 

You yelped as the door swung open, a piece of paper fluttering to the floor. 

Peppino gasped, eyes wide as he took in the sights around him. In the center of the room was a decently sized canopy bed, complete with ornate bed posts. At the foot of the bed was a heavy looking bench complete with a few round cushions. 

"What are you doing in here?" You stuttered. Peppino barely heard you as he continued to be amazed at the sheer amount of, what he could only call treasure, in just this room.

Off to the side was a desk in front of a half open closet. Though what actually drew Peppino's attention was what was on the desk. Various cards and gifts that Peppino had given you were displayed neatly on the flat surface. 

"Pino why aren't you sleeping"?

"You weren't in bed..." His replied, eyes focused down at the paper by your feet, then back to the desk where similar ones were folded. "What-a are those"?

"Oh...heh. Those were a few letters I wrote that I wanted t- put that down! Don't read it!" You attempt to swat one of the papers away from Peppino, only for him to hold you at arms length as he began reading with his free hand.

"I like you but-a I'm a little Chai?" He began, quirking an eyebrow, you feeling your face reddening as he continued to read that cursed thing. 

"Pinooo put that down!" You whine.

You stumble forward, grasping at air as Peppino sidestepped away from you and into the opposite corner. 

"Hey-a hot-tea, I think-a we're a good matcha". He snickered before falling into a laughing fit. You could feel your heart thudding in your ears over Peppino's laughter. You wished you could just melt into the floor. Or hide under the bed. 

He grins over at you as he slightly regains his composure, "What-a is this"?

"Really terrible pickup lines. Put it down".

You sigh in relief as he returned the where he found it.

"When did you write these"?

"Some of, well, most of them before we started dating. They were confession letters that turned out really dumb, in hindsight..." You paced to the other side of the room looking away, "But I couldn't throw them out even if they're all really bad. That was 'The Pickup Line' letter".

You had written dozens of confession letters and half as many telling Peppino how much you loved him. Some more lighthearted and funny while others were more sincere, ones that you poured your heart into. 

Regardless, after finishing your letter and being satisfied with it that day, you would reread it the next and cringe. Shoving it into the dresser with the others. 

You busied yourself with the fabric on the bed. "A few are also letters or poems I wanted to write for you but I can't find the right words. So they all turn out bad".

"They're not-a bad." Peppino took a seat in the center of the bed, sinking into it. You perked up, tilting your head to face him. "Even if they sound dumb"?

"I can't find-a the right words to tell-a you how much I love you, speziata. But I-a do". You returned Peppino's smile with a small one of your own. 

"You've got-a pizza my heart, mia cara". At that, you did smile. Peppino quirked an eyebrow as you shuffled back towards the closet before pulling out a robe. You draped the silk night robe across his bare shoulders and wrapped your arms around him tightly.

"There. For my prince". 

You smiled as you sank onto the bed beside him. 

Peppino grabbed both of your horns, playfully tugging and pulling you down. You relent and lay on your side, grinning up at him. Not one to give the upper hand though, you yank him down onto his side. 

Without giving you the opportunity to protest, Peppino leaned forward, his chuckle catching between your lips. His hand fell on your hip before pulling you against him as he bit down playfully. 

A small sigh passed your lips, your fingers finding the silk fabric as it slipped off of him, to the side. 

Breaking off the kiss, you catch a glimpse of his eyes shining mischievously. "What did-a you call me"? Your tail cupped his chin, the tip grazing the side of his jaw. "My prince?" You replied as Peppino's eyes fixed onto yours, leaning closer until his face was inches from yours.

Before you knew it, Peppino pressed his lips against yours again, letting his hands hungrily wander across your entire body. In a way it seemed frantic, in a way, his palms gliding over your neck and waist. 

You crane your neck to look up at him, hovering over you. As you feel the robe brush against your face again you push it off the bed. You'll pick it up later. But for now? Now you were occupied with someone much more important. 

💜I hope y'all enjoyed this fic my brain made me create and put out there lol. This is honestly the most weird thing I've written💜

[tunnelofdusk]

blossoms in adversity, ficlet

gu yanxi/hua xi

gu yanxi & whatever was going on with the emperor

dark au

Hua Zhi never learns that Yan Xi is Gu Yanxi.

And the Emperor (his father, his uncle, his liege, his superior) says, “If you desire her so much, then take her.”

In the dim lantern light of the night, the Emperor’s eyes are febrile bright, but his mouth is a curve of nothing. His emptiness draws Yanxi close and siphons his warmth.

“Can I?” Gu Yanxi says, voice soft and hoarse.

“Who would forbid you?” the Emperor says with a tenderness that ruins Gu Yanxi.

—

Hua Zhi weeps, soft and sweet, and Gu Yanxi cradles her in his arms, his fingers entangling in the silk of her hair and dislodging pins. He strokes her hair as she shudders in his arms, gasping breaths unwittingly setting Yanxi aflame.

“If you fall overboard,” Yanxi says, “I’ll save you.”

“How?” she gasps, drowning in air.

“Marry me,” Yanxi begs. The bowstring of his desire draws taut, his words an arrow carefully aimed for the soft underbelly of his prey.

Hua Zhi pauses and her gaze cuts deep, but she does not understand what sees—young and naïve as she is. Her family set her up for failure. Society had set her up for failure in her ignorance of desire beyond the trappings of marriage. She wants courtship. Gu Yanxi wants to save her.

“Marry me,” Yanxi says softly.

“I—I can’t abandon my family,” Hua Zhi says, almost more to herself than anybody else.

Carefully, Yanxi represses the twitch of his lips at her hesitation. It is the unparalleled thrill of watching a skillful shot bloom blood on prey. He wants her in all the ways a man wants a woman and in all the ways a prince wants his due. His cage is lonely and the Emperor thinks that a mated pair is easier to control.

—

“Come closer, Yanxi,” the Emperor says.

Yanxi obliges, sliding closer. “Why? Do I have my mother’s beauty?” he teases. Prince Ling oft compares him to his mother—searching for the specter of her in him. He is used to the hand on his jaw, turning his face towards the light. The Emperor’s fingers are still calloused from archery, his grip a dry rasp against skin.

“Your beauty is your own,” the Emperor says with a hoarseness that stiffens Yanxi.

Yanxi recognizes himself in the Emperor.

The Emperor laughs and his fingers dig briefly into the curve of Yanxi’s jaw before abruptly releasing. “Like a rabbit,” he says, on the edge of derision and playfulness.

With the Emperor, Yanxi is the mantis stalking his cicada, yet allowing the oriole to pursue him. Eventually, there will be an end to the hunt and there will be blood and viscera laid bare.

[adiposesaleswoman]

Gus is an accidental secret enabler of Abby, Sam and Sebastian because he is just so joyful that people are enjoying his cooking and so proud of the meals he creates so whenever the trio goes to the Saloon, Gus expects them to eat plenty of food and so he prepares accordingly, and they always leave with bloated, rounded bellies, stuffed full and taut, red and swollen and hot to the touch but they're always happy and satisfied even as they waddle themselves home and have to hold onto their underbellies to prevent gravity from dragging them down, stumbling into each other and laughing about it, and unnoticed by loving ole Gus, he directly contributes to their steady weight gain but he doesn't notice his involvement, as long as they leave happy and fed and they always do!

AWEEE that's kinda sweet actually 😭 man just loves cooking good food for his customers! I love Gus....

[angieloveshua]

After, he went to knock on Gu Chenbai’s door, but he couldn’t hear anything inside the room and even thought that Gu Chenbai wasn’t inside, so he pushed the door open directly. As a result, he came face to face with Gu Chenbai who just came out of the bathroom. Gu Chenbai only had a towel around his waist, and his upper body was completely naked, revealing his distinct and taut mermaid lines. Tu Yan was startled and wanted to step back, but he tripped over his slippers. His foot slipped out under him and hit against the door stopper on the back of the door. He cried out in pain and instantly squatted down to cover his heel, inhaling a few breaths of air. When he lifted his head, he was met in line with Gu Chenbai’s waist. At the same time, he suddenly smelled the unfamiliar and strong scent of an alpha’s pheromones mingling in the water vapour.

Qué bendición.

[kit-just-kit]

Those words made her melt a litte inside, everything now becoming warm, especially her skin. Granted that could've been the work out but in reality, Kit knew it was more likely to have been Gus. He was hot. He made her hot. Boiling, actually. As he spoke and his hands found themselves on either side of her face, hers left his shoulders and went exploring - first over his chest, this his stomach, then his sides, finding everything taut and toned just as she'd expected.

"Gus I......". She gulped, somewhat overwhelmed now and growing even warmer through arousal. "I think we should go back to my place". Yes it was bold, brazen even. But who were kidding? He wanted it, she wanted it. They had waited long enough, no use denying themselves any longer.

"Can we? Let's just go? Now?".

Without thinking, her hands were already impatiently tugging at the t-shirt he wore, urging him to agree. Stupid, reckless hands that moved of their own accord.

In that intimate moment with Kit tucked in his arms and against the wall he lost himself in desire. He had built a wall and never dared to scale it in the past, but for some reason, he'd chosen to move beyond it at that moment. It was just too overwhelming to have her so close, touching her incredibly soft skin and lost in her hazel eyes.

Gus pulled back slightly not letting her out of his grip, and when she requested he open his eyes he did so. Letting his gray eyes to linger across the beautiful features of her face. Her little confession caused him to gently squeeze her hips and smile. At least they'd been on the same page all these years. Both consider the other forbidden fruit.

Gus nodded and weighed his words carefully before admitting, "I can't recall a time when I didn't want something beyond friendship. Things have always just...been complicated, yeah?" He paused before continuing, "I know how you like your tea. How much you hated Daniel Ecelston in the fifth grade. I know what song is going to get you on the dance floor. I know your favorite takeaway shop and your preferred ice cream."

Finally, he let go only so he could reach up to cup her face. "I couldn't go another day without knowing how you tasted."

[michigandrifter]

Wild Country 1947

[99liners]

opus kaiho, drabble number 1 / tatemae series 建前:

pairing: detective!jeon jeongguk x trophy!wife reader

extra characters: dr!kim taehyung and tanaz (enouement)

genre: angst, hurt, yandere, smut, marriage!au, age-gap!au (7 years).

words: 4.116. (lol, it is supposed to be a “drabble”)

warnings: dark themes, yandere behaviour, threats, stalking, major invasion of privacy, gguk is angry and messed up in the head about the transgression, mentions of alcohol, mentions of hypothermia, dubious-consent, rough blow-job, mean and cruel jeongguk, hard dom!jeongguk, emotional blackmail and manipulation, reader gets slapped, way too much manhandling, unprotected sex (bls observe safe sex practices), breath play, orgasms (m), creampie, breeding kink if you squint.

request: Anonymous asked: i read about the escape ask about kaiho, can you formulate a scene on what happened after aeira got home, i don’t know why i am curious. i mean i imagine everything but i really want an official confirmation from you 😅😅😅

original one-shot: kaiho

part of: tatemae; 建前 — a bts series

jeongguk halted his SUV outside a mansion in the middle of gwanak-gu. if anything, jeon jeongguk absolutely despises rich, entitlement, snobbish people. he did not bother with parallel parking and left the vehicle abruptly in the middle of the porch. the slam of his car door was louder than jeongguk intended but he hardly cares at the moment. with steady and grounded steps, he rushed towards the front door, the metal of his gun clutched tightly between his fingers. if he could, he would probably punch through the doorbell but decided against it and rang the bell a few too many times.

the door opened shortly, “wow. are you crazy or what?”

jeongguk chuckled at the response, his swift fingers removing the safety from the gun and pointing it at the man stood in front of him, “i am going to ask you one more time; where the fuck is my wife?”

“like i said over the phone, i don’t fucking know. maybe she left you with someone else, for good.”

“don’t test me, kim. you won’t like it when your body will be riddled with bullets,” jeongguk replied, his nostrils flaring from the way he is seething at the thorny jabs. 

kim taehyung rolled his eyes, “yeah, i am not buying that. your smith and wesson M60 revolver is a pretty little thing but it is a government mandated weapon. you are not going to fire that, not when you do not have any cause to shoot.”

“oh, don’t worry about that. i can kill you right here, right inside your precious home and then have your body disappear like you never existed. so, again, where is my wife?!” jeongguk raised his voice this time.

before taehyung could reply, another figure intercepted the pair of arguing males.

“jeongguk-ssi, what are you doing here? why are you pointing a gun at my husband?” tanaz appeared from behind to check who it was at the door and on noticing the taut environment, she speed-walked to where both the males were stood.

“you —” jeongguk lowered his gun and turned to tanaz, “where is y/n? i seriously don’t give a fuck if you helped her run, i just want her back. so just tell me where she is?”

“what do you mean where is y/n?” tanaz asked visibly confused.

“oh, so you are now going to play dumb. great. you know what, i will play along. so what happened is, my wife, my dear lamb of a wife decided to grow a pair of legs and ran away along with my six month old toddler.”

tanaz just stared at him with wide eyes as jeongguk informed her that you have, indeed, run away. the heated environment fell silent as jeongguk just stared at the woman in front of him. after conducting innumerable confession interviews, jeongguk knew that tanaz was oblivious to the whole thing, her eyes were too honest to be aware of such a conspiracy. the grip on his gun softened as he slowly retracted it and tucked it at his back.

“now, you believe us?” taehyung scoffed, “anyways, please leave.”

jeongguk sighed, still addressing tanaz, completely ignoring taehyung, “do you know anyone else, maybe another friend of yours who might know anything about her whereabouts?”

tanaz shook her head a no, “not really. she is not close with anyone else other than me and aria eonnie.”

“yeah, i asked. they don’t know. if y/n contacts you, you call me, at once. your distasteful husband has my number.”

“hey, that’s enough. cut it, jeon. i want you and the monstrosity of that car of yours out of my porch.”

jeongguk did not spare a glance towards taehyung and turned on his heels.

“yo-you won’t hurt her, right?” tanaz could not help but ask, her heart sinking to the bottom imagining the consequences that would soon follow her friend’s actions.

jeongguk stopped in his tracks but did not bother to turn around, “that depends on your friend. if she is back by my side with my son before nightfall, life won’t be that hard for her,” he replied before walking away. shortly, the couple also went inside their house after the intruder left.

no sooner had tanaz closed the main door behind her, than she rushed to her bedroom to access her phone.

tanz <3: listen

tanz <3: idk where tf you are

tanz <3: or why now of all times you chose to run from that bastard

tanz <3: but you need to run as far as any human possibly can

tanz <3: that asshole is out for blood

taehyung who walked in the room to grab his phone, noticed his wife typing frantically on her phone. worry flashing like headlights on her soft features. he stood in front of her with a quirked eyebrow, “don’t tell me you are involved in this.”

“huh? what?” tanaz locked her phone after exiting the messaging app in a bolt and kept away her phone. she meant to walk away but taehyung barred her passage.

“don’t play ignorant. you are not involved in this bullshit, right? or are you planning to run, as well?”

tanaz snickered as taehyung resembled a lion who just got his pride wounded, “what makes you think i might run away, too? or did you come upon the realization that you treat me like absolute shit.”

“oh, spare me the lecture. i don’t want to deal with that crazy asshole again so you better not be involved in this. also, you know better than to run away,” taehyung brought his hand to her face and tapped her cheek patronisingly with every word, “you are a sweet little wife.”

tanaz went to push away his hand but was silenced by his words that followed next.

“besides, no one needs to know that you killed a baby, i wonder how much your family name will be dragged through the mud when it becomes public news. so go ahead, run.”

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.

strapped in the driver seat, halted at the driveway overlooking the kim mansion, a mirthless smile appeared on jeongguk’s face as the messages from tanaz’s cell phone delivered to the unknown number appearing before his tablet screen. as the wife of a detective, you knew a thing or two. you had cleverly discarded your phone at your house itself so he would not be able to locate you or even have an idea in which direction you might have gone. however, as the detective himself, he knows a thing or two more than you. 

you are with a six month old baby after all, you would not risk falling in trouble and having no one to turn to, hence, you must have gotten your hands on a new cell phone and subsequently a new phone number, as well. he had already been tracking tanaz’s number the moment it all became apparent to him, but there was not much traffic going on. so, all he needed was a catalyst; a stimulant to scare tanaz enough to make her run to call or text you at the earliest. and text you she did.

jeongguk brought out his phone and relayed the unknown number to the organized crimes’ telephone operator. after the operator informed jeongguk that the encryption has been intercepted, jeongguk started typing on his phone.

+82-0987654321: hey my baby

+82-0987654321: i came back home after the stakeout and found the house empty. first, i thought you had just gone for a walk or maybe even to visit your family but turns out you have gone off the radar. mhm, i wonder what that means. baby, you are forgetting what i do for a living, so how about you come back by your own by nightfall and all will be forgiven. you don’t want me on the chase cause if i start to track you down, baby, it will be a massacre. spare yourself the trouble and come back at once using your new grown legs before i come over there and break them myself :D

+82-0987654321: give my love to kento, daddy misses him :*

after the texts got delivered to the unknown number, jeongguk finally ignited the engine and drove back to his place. waiting in the dark, waiting for you to show up before acting on his promise. he is already tired as it is from staying up all night for the stakeout, he decided to replenish his energy before hunting for you first thing in the morning. he would truly enjoy the chase but a part of him knows you will be back yourself.

and he is not wrong. the moment the texts appeared on your new burner phone, it did not take you a second extra to recognize his work number. your blood ran cold as he had already tracked your number down within a few hours. tracking your location would not take more than few minutes now. kento, who was playing in your lap, froze in his ministrations and quietly stared at you as you started crying while reading the messages your husband had sent.

you already knew that he had frozen all your financial assets the moment he found out that you were missing but you held onto the hope that there still might be time till he catches up to you, time enough for you to leave the country but your actions have caught up. the consequences are knocking at the door, it is now your choice to take the easy or difficult road.

kento sneezed from the cold in the empty, deserted apartment and started crying, interrupting your thoughts.

“baby, what’s wrong?” you took off your cardigan and placed it over the blanket wrapped around your baby but the cold was way too intense for a six month old toddler to endure. he needed a comforter, a warm heater to maintain his body temperature. you had already wrapped him in a fortress of warm clothes, every last piece of warm clothing that you had brought was used to keep him warm but nothing was working. he kept sneezing, crying and refused to even feed owing to the cold stress.

you were able to calm him down the previous few times but at the moment he was inconsolable. you snuggled him, trying to rub some warmth to his body but he kept crying. 

the decision which seemed difficult to take was becoming clearer and clearer as kento kept crying in your arms.

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.

jeongguk poured himself a glass of fine whiskey after taking a long shower. dressed in just a pair of grey sweatpants, he sat down on the couch, his feet propped on the coffee table as he took a sip of the dark poison. by the time he finished the glass and thought of pouring himself another drink, he heard a knock at the door. an amused smile made its way to his lips, he simply knew it was you. sauntering towards the entrance, he took his sweet time before answering the knock.

“took you long enough,” jeongguk spoke up when the door opened to reveal you standing on the other side, clutching kento close to your chest.

“please, just let me put down kento and we will have this conversation then,” you pleaded, trying to walk inside the house but he barred your passage, “he is cold, please!” you cried out, knowing all too well that he is blinded by anger at the moment.

jeongguk shrugged, crossing his tattooed arms over his bare chest, “not my fault. i did not take him out in this god-awful weather.”

you stood there shivering, your nose had turned red from the cold, your hands relentlessly trying to rub some warmth to kento’s back who was also shivering. tired and devoid of hope, all you could muster was mumbling out endless apologies.

“you can do better,” jeongguk replied, his eyes trained at the underbed of his nails, trying to scrape out any dust.

“i will do anything, please,” you tried to reason.

“i know you will, you have no other option,” your husband retaliated apathetically.

you knew very well that no amount of apologies would suffice but you could not waste more time to get kento some much needed warmth. 

bending your knees, you kneeled down, your head bowed down completely to offer him a perfect ninety-degree bow of utmost respect. your hands holding kento protectively in your arms, making sure that not even his clothed body makes any contact with the cold floor. you quietly maintained your posture; your knees and lower body aching from the bend, your body shivering, waiting for jeongguk to provide you some leeway here. a few moments passed, the taut skin of your jeans-clad knees placed on the bricked pathway felt like it was going to crack open and ooze out fresh blood. jeongguk made no movement the entire time, his eyes boring holes on the top of your bowed down head. 

a few more minutes passed before he finally let a sigh at your unbreakable resolve, “go, put him down. you know where to find me.”

your head turned up at the sound of his voice, and nodded up and down furiously before standing up, making a run for kento’s nursery.

you gently put him down in his crib, drawing all the curtains and turning the heater on. wrapping the comforter around him, you made sure no air would be able to pass through the sides. tired kento was quick to fall asleep in the warmth of his bed. 

after making sure kento was comfortable, you walked out of the nursery, closing the door halfway through. without making any further delay, you made your way to the bedroom, where you knew your husband would be waiting for you, waiting to dish out whatever punishment he had in mind. subconsciously, you wanted to be punished for your actions because what exactly were you thinking? you put your baby boy in danger. kento was cold and could easily suffer from hypothermia given his tender age. you ran away in a plea to give him and yourself a better life but at what cost? you could not even do one thing correctly. you could not even keep your baby warm, let alone safe and healthy.

you walked inside the bedroom, your body moving on its own accord; on autopilot till you stood in front of the bed where your husband was sitting with his refilled glass of whiskey.

“is he alright?” he asked, taking a sip.

you nodded meekly, your eyes dare not make contact and trained at your feet.

“go on, get on your knees. you behave better that way,” jeongguk finished the rest of the liquor in one gulp and nonchalantly kept the glass away.

you lowered your aching body and got on your knees again, your hands placed carefully on your thighs, your gaze lowered.

“you know what to do, right?” he asked, a certain disdain in his voice.

you nodded, your shaky hands advancing towards the drawstrings of his sweatpants. you stood on your knees, unravelling the knot when his dominant hand took a hold of your chin. his grip was unforgiving.

“this is nowhere near being your actual punishment, keep that in mind.”

you nodded once more at the piece of information and he let go of your chin, allowing you to continue with your ministrations.

after the drawstrings came undone, you snaked your hand under his boxers to unveil his semi-hard length.

“what are you waiting for? get to work,” jeongguk sneered when you took a moment too long.

jumping at his tone, you started fisting his length between your nervous, sweaty palms. your tongue darted out to let kittenish licks on the tip before jeongguk’s hand came on the back of your head.

“you don’t learn till i have to handfeed it you, right?” he grunted, putting both his hands on either side of your cheeks to hold your lips apart like a pair of retractors, leaving your mouth open to its very limit. angling your head down to where his length was, he pushed your open mouth on his length, filling up the passage of your throat. you barely fought the urge to gag out loud, your hands grabbing onto his thighs to maintain your balance.

jeongguk fisted up your hair into one hand, tearing up some strands in the process from his brutish handling. with his free hand, he pinched down on your nose. resisting all your struggles with perfect ease, he continued to bob your head up and down on his length.

the nearer you got to breathlessness, the more saliva your mouth created, coating jeongguk’s length in it, making it easier for him to slip in and out of your mouth like a highly lubricated crevice. when he felt that you were close to your limit and would pass out if he did not let you breathe freely, he let go of the hold on your nose.

trying to inhale air, you made an attempt to pull his length out of your mouth but jeongguk held your head down, causing you to wheeze against the base of his length. in an attempt to draw in breaths, you accidentally snorted his pre-cum, burning your nasal cavity in the process.

just when you thought things could not get worse, kento’s soft cries crept up to your ears. your eyes snapped open and you tried to pull away again but jeongguk had a death grip on your head.

“he can wait, finish what you started.” jeongguk started thrusting up into your hot crevice till you could feel his cum raw on your tongue.

by the time he pulled out, you got to your feet intending to walk to kento but jeongguk had different plans. he stood up too and got a hold of your elbow, pushing you back towards the bed. his chest was to your back, tugging at the buttons of your shirt, popping them open one at a time. you held on to your slipping shirt and turned back to him, “jeongguk, give me five minutes please. let me put him back to sleep.”

jeongguk wordlessly discarded your shirt, your jeans soon followed suit as they lay on the floor unceremoniously.

“jeongguk please, he is crying, he has not eaten anything since a while,” you voiced your pleas, desperate to get away from his grip to soothe your wailing child in need.

jeongguk ripped off your panties in one jerking motion before rubbing the hot bulbous head of his length against your entrance.

“please, i won’t waste any moment more than needed. i will just feed him and come back,” you kept struggling, your head turned towards the doorway, yearning to be with your son.

“shut up,” jeongguk groaned in annoyance as he turned you around so, now you were facing him.

“jeongguk, please, you said you would let me go if i helped you release,” you reached out to touch his cheek but a tight, resounding slap on yours caused you to freeze all your movements.

“and now i want to fuck you. you have lost all the rights to make any pleas. not tonight y/n. don’t force my hand, i don’t want to hurt you.”

you whimpered from the stinging pain on your abused cheek causing jeongguk to grab your chin harshly again, adding salt to the wound.

“fucking look at me when i am talking to you,” he yelled, sending jolts to poor kento, too, who cried even louder at the roar.

you tried to move away again on hearing kento’s louder cries but jeongguk’s grip on your chin and waist was unwavering. it did not take much time for you to understand that you were just dragging this out longer than it needed to be. locking your eyes with him, you ceased all movement to escape his grip, handing over to him all control on your body.

“there. was that so hard, baby?” he cooed, lining up the tip of his length with your entrance before thrusting up. your entire body shuddered at the sudden penetration as it facilitated to take in his length.

“that’s it, baby. the cogs in your stupid little head are finally running.”

your exhausted hands made their way to his shoulders to provide support to your footing but jeongguk pushed your hands away.

“don’t even think of touching me,” he mentioned, thrusting up into you at a stable pace. 

finding no solace, you lowered your hands on either side of your thighs and balled up the bedsheets between your fingers. your ass-cheeks barely holding onto the edge of the bed, on the verge of falling down.

jeongguk’s pace slowed down, his hand grabbing your neck this time, applying just the right amount of pressure to cut off your air supply again, “you are lucky,” he drawled out near your ear, licking a stripe up the skin behind the ear cartilage, “you are lucky my son still needs to be breastfed or i would have taken away your right to food and water from tomorrow onwards,” his hips snapped forward at full force. thrusting in one long stroke causing your eyes to roll back at the sheer intensity of it.

a hiccup reverberated within your chest as you struggled to breath, enduring his drawn out thrusts. closing your eyes, you tried to pace your breathing, unaware of when you would be allowed to take a full, unrestricted breath next. 

jeongguk kept up with his torturous actions before bringing your body closer to his, your forehead connected to his upper chest as he thrusted up again with full force and then stilled inside.

“remind me again, to whom does this body belong to, baby?” your husband asked, letting your neck free.

you gasped for air, your upper body falling limp backwards on the mattress, your chest rising to its full capacity, clawing at any amount of air that it could fit inside.

“you,” you meant to answer in your normal voice but due to the lack of air thereof, it came out as a husky croak.

“louder,” jeongguk tch’ed, buried balls deep inside you.

“you, sir. my body belongs to you,” you spoke louder in your cracked voice, straining your throat even more in the process.

“that’s more like it,” he smiled from above you before resuming his thrusts, setting a punishing pace at that.

your fingers balled up the bedsheets again, your organs still recovering from the on and off interruption of air supply.

“fuck, you are getting so tight,” jeongguk leaned down, caging your upper body between his arms, letting his elbows on the mattress to use it as support for his hard and fast thrusts.

a string of mewlings left your lips from the insurmountable assault at your sensitive folds. the nearer he got to his orgasm, the more erratic his thrusts became, setting the headboard into a frenzy against the wall as it knocked against the solid surface synchronised with each thrust. the legs supporting the bed creaked louder, as if they were nearing their breaking point, as well.

your hands had balled up the sheets to the point where you could feel your own nails digging deeper and deeper into your flesh, threatening to cut inside if you keep up with channelling all your strength there.

“fuck, baby so so hot... tight,” jeongguk spoke out a semi-legible string of words between the lewd sound of skin slapping against skin. the veins in his neck protruding out like an intricate pipeline system.

his pace quickened for the last couple of thrusts as he came out in long spurts inside of you. after he emptied his balls inside of you, jeongguk let a few soft thrusts, fucking his cum into you till his length grew soft.

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.

by the time jeongguk had pulled out, you scrambled to your feet. although, your legs were in no position to support your weight, you continued to throw on the discarded shirt from the floor and your husband’s boxers before limping out to kento’s nursery.

the adorable toddler’s cries had reduced to small whimpers as he sucked on his thumb.

“oh baby, i am so sorry,” you murmured, picking kento up in your arms, “mum is so sorry for being so late.”

you sat down on the carpeted floor, lying down kento in your lap to feed him. poor thing was running a fever as his small fists grabbed onto the fabric of your shirt, clutching on it.

“i am so sorry my love, it’s all my fault,” you kissed his head as he started to feed.

unbeknownst to you, jeongguk had followed you after wearing the pair of sweatpants and was standing at the door of the nursery; watching you care for his son. 

your husband is aware that you are sorry, you clearly regret your actions. but you are not sorry enough, not enough to his liking, at least not yet.

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.

a/n:

i tagged the smut in this piece “dubious consent” as the reader did not have any issues with having sex with jeongguk, she just wanted to do it a few minutes later. for me [hence a personal opinion, correct me if i am wrong], non-con is when either of the parties expressly refuses to have any sort of sexual activity with the other party and clearly does not want to engage in any sexual activity under any circumstances. this is not to justify the actions of the fictional character portrayed in this piece hereinabove, but only explaining the reasoning of the author behind the trigger warning. if you have other thoughts regarding the dub-con / non-con conundrum [i feel like the line between the two is extremely thin], feel free to send any constructive criticism. [hate will not be tolerated.]

kento is a japanese name which means “cure for depression” / “happiness”. in a way, he is his mom’s happiness and hence the name. [also, partially inspired by nanami kento]

please refrain from requesting the same scenario or continuation. let us move on and look at other scenarios / ideas.

feedback is deeply appreciated.✨

au!extras masterlist | bangtan masterlist | masterlist | rules | ask box |

- jaimie.

© 𝟫𝟫𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝟐𝟎𝟤𝟣. 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃.

[toonqueen]

Day 3: Mysterious Duck

Lolol This is a scene from a not yet done fic with Gladstone vs my Nega Gladstone. At this point they had already met earlier in the story soooo. It is what it is. If only I could finish the story lawdddd. I did flesh it out more for this prompt so I did do more writing on it so maybe the whole story will be done SOMEDAY. This one hasn’t been betaed. When I asked to get off of work earlier some days in November for a 'writing thing' instead I'm scheduled 7 days in a row. DELIGHTFUL.

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

“The horse was spooked by something in the barn this morning. I was going to have Gus go check it out when he gets back from town. There's probably a raccoon rummaging around in there again,” Grandma Duck explained to Gladstone as they sat on the farmhouse porch. 

“I can go check it for you!” Gladstone offered rather abruptly.

Elvira raised an eyebrow, slightly suspicious of her usually anti-work grandson. “You don’t need to," she said, "you’ve done enough work today. I’m just glad that you’re taking away some of the items from the garage. I hope you get some use out of them." Smiling, Grandma Duck added, “I’ve enjoyed you coming to visit more often.”

“It’s no problem at all!" Gladstone exclaimed, laughing a bit too nervously. He stood up from the bench, placing his glass of freshly squeezed lemonade on the small table. “Since I’m here, I’ll take a look around the barn for you, too. You can stay here. It’s fine!”

Before Elvira could say anything else, Gladstone was gone, running to the barn. He paused when he got to the side of the door.

He hadn’t quite told his grandma the full story regarding certain events in his last adventure with Magica. While he had mentioned a parallel universe where everyone was different, he left out a few details.

The most crucial being how one of the portals to this "opposite world" was beneath the old barn. 

Magica had successfully cast a spell that closed up all the "Negaverse" portals in the tri-city area.

However, Gladstone had a lingering feeling that his alternate self might muster enough luck to open one back up. He hoped his luck was superior, and all he would find was a raccoon.

Gladstone peeked through the open barn door like a cop on a TV show. He wasn’t used to trying to hide. Even as a kid playing hide and seek, he didn’t even have to find a good hiding spot to avoid being caught. His luck did all the work. But his Negaverse counterpart's own luck would probably negate that somewhat.

If his doppelganger was even here at all. 

Gladstone heard the rattle of old metal milk cans shifting slightly. The sound reverberated as if one can had been knocked against another. They hadn’t been used in decades and several sat untouched in the corner.

Untouched until now. 

It was just as he feared. What was standing by the metal cans wasn't a raccoon, but Gladstone’s Negaverse twin: Grimstone Gander.

However, Gladstone could tell Grimstone wasn't entirely there, not in a natural way. He was translucent like a classic ghost. Gladstone could see right through him, the milk cans visible behind the spectral figure.

Gladstone deduced his doppelganger was possibly using magic to project himself through the portal. Maybe attempting to open it from the other side.

There was an out of place line of shadow coming from the floorboards below, reaching Grimstone’s ankle. When Grimstone tried to go move away from the shadowy tendril, it pulled taut like a rope. It seemed whatever projection the Negaverser was using couldn’t go any further than a certain radius from the portal under the barn. 

Gladstone was instantly relieved. The tension and worry left his body. He remembered the last fight the two had gotten into. Gladstone had won in the end. His luck--for the most part--had been superior.

For the most part. 

The overconfident half-goose didn’t feel the need to hide anymore. Instead he leaned against the barn doorway smugly, quickly drawing attention to himself with a chuckle. “Long time no see," he jeered, "looks like you're not having any luck breaking in.” 

The transparent projection of Grimstone stood upright at Gladstone’s words. The Negaverser’s whole "body" turned to face his counterpart. He shot Gladstone a glower that could kill.

“Now that you’re here, maybe my luck will change,” Grimstone replied, keeping his eyes locked with Gladstone's. “How about I borrow some from you.”

“Ha, not going to happen. You’re not really really here. You’re still locked out!” Gladstone taunted, certain he was correct in his assumptions. He didn't think it was physically possible for Grimstone to glare at him any harder than he was, and yet he did.

“Luckily for you, I suppose, that your Magica could cast such a powerful blocking spell. Curious that she knew how to do that completely out of the blue. It’s like she had that one already practiced and prepared." Grimstone cocked a feathery brow. "Very curious, hm? My Magica was honest with me, explaining why she could not undo it. At least I can rely on my Magica to tell me everything.”

“My Magica tells me everything!” Gladstone argued defensively.

Grimstone smirked, seeing that got a rise out of his counterpart.

Gladstone remained leaning in the doorway, casually defiant as ever.

In a split second, Grimstone had moved from across the barn, now standing face to face with Gladstone. So quick, so fluid, like a shadow; their beaks were nearly touching. He gripped and dug his fingers into the wooden barn door. While he was a magical projection of sorts, he was still capable with some limited physical interaction with the world around him.

Grimstone wasn’t here but Gladstone could still feel his breath on his face. His entire demeanor and body oozed intimidation and dominance.

However, Gladstone was unfazed and stayed where he was.

Grimstone ignored the lack of response and spoke in a gravelly whisper. “Are you willing to bet on that?" he offered. "If you're right, I won't bother a single soul in your universe ever again, but if I'm right... you have to open the portal for me." He glanced down at the floor, at the portal beneath their feet. "The way your Magica’s spell works requires you having to invite us into your realm; we cannot enter on our own volition. I understand wanting to keep this one closed. However, there is one in St. Canard that would be nice to have reopened.” 

“Agreed,” Gladstone replied, still smug. He had correctly deduced that Grimstone's form was only a projection. Gladstone was confident he was now two for two in this deal his counterpart wanted to make. "I’ll take you up on that bet.” 

Grimstone pulled his face back slowly and flashed a sharp grin.

“But you'll need proof to back your claims up. I'm not just going to believe anything you say,” added Gladstone.

“Oh, trust me; I have proof. And you will know I speak the truth once I tell you."

Grimstone then delightfully shared the most hurtful secret he knew.

@cataradical here and heehehe i did beta it :3c

[finaldisorder]

💚 —————

Waiting, waiting, waiting. That's all he's been doing for the Devil knows how long - and wouldn't you know it, he probably does! There's so much evil in this house, Fred can taste it. It seeps into the wood and into his pores, it makes him sick and claustrophobic more than the wooden chest ever has, but he's determined.

Nobody beats Drop Dead Fred at hide-and-seek!

Even if this is the longest game he has ever played, the figment was nothing if not a sore loser. He'd hide for the rest of his life if that's what it took to win ... even though a little part of him was starting to suspect that maybe he was tucked away on purpose. Just maybe he had been unwanted by someone ( cough cough, the MEGABEAST cough ), but LeeLee would save him, right? Would find him?

He used a saying often; Speak of the Devil and he shall come. And although he hadn't meant it literally, and maybe every little pore of this house oozes evil and darkness, Fred had always meant it in play. They spoke about the Megabeast, she would show her mug moments after. Fred thought about Lee, she would walk through the door a moment later.

Fred thinks about Lee now, and he can hear the click and grind of the key in the box. He buzzes with excitement, muscles taut, his body like a spring - and the second the lid opens, he launches forward, up, and out.

Maybe with a tad too much force, as he immediately launches himself straight into the far wall, small body bouncing, rolling, knocking shit off her desk, foot getting tangled in the blankets of her bed as he zips by, and the only thing to stop him is the faceplant on the floorboards to follow. He breathes a moment, barking out a loud laugh before popping out of existence in a cloud of sparkle--

-- only to reappear in front of Lee, hands brushing off the dust and cobwebs of his loud green suit. One hand lifts to ruffle through his hair, eyes rolling theatrically. "Oh my GOD, you SUCK at hide-and-seek, Snotrag! I've been in there for a million, trillion years!"

Fred reaches to shove at her shoulder but he stops, comedically staring at her, jaw slack, eyes wide - he makes a gagging noise and turns his head away, body jerking in melodrama and bending at the waist as though he were about to up-chuck all over her room.

"Eww, ew. What happened to you!? You're all grown up! You're uglier!" A pause, he tilts his head to give her an appreciative once-over; maybe a smirk plays at the edge of his mouth, one brow raised and voice lilting into something more charming and sultry- "Blimey, you're all grown up."

Nope, ew. Not the time, place, nor person! Perversion aside, he straightens himself up again, both hands reaching for her shoulders to shake her as if she's made some horrible mistake and he's trying to shake the sense into her. "Ew, you're like, a woman now! Why would you go and do that? You're dis-gus-ting!"

｡° ⸻ @finaldisorder.

Lee couldn't remember the last time she ever enjoyed being at Momma's. Maybe at some point in her young life, there was something that kept her around, kept her at Momma's beck and call that wasn't just lies, but whatever it could've been, it was lost to Lee. She doesn't doubt that there had to be some sort of fondness for back then. She and Momma used to be real close, didn't they? Why else would she have stayed so long? Then again, why'd she leave?...   -She knew the answer to that one, and to why they weren't so close anymore.

She's having to step carefully around boxes and bins, piles of things here and there until she's back up to her little room at the top of the stairs. Just as Momma said...   everything was still there. Every little thing, unmoved and untouched. When she'd moved out, she never thought to take anything with her   ( couldn't bear to, and neither could Momma ).   Now she's wondering just what she'd left behind, wondered if maybe there was anything she could take now that Momma didn't seem to mind anymore. There's a bit of touching around her desk, around the drawings and paintings she'd spent hours scrawling away at the window's light. Some fond regard to the plush toys left behind, still in the same condition as when she slept beside them. Even her clothes in the closet were still neatly kept.

Lee feels herself pulled towards the end of her bed, like following a whisper through the woods, until she's knelt amongst some of her chests and trunks. She knew a few were full of old photographs   ( her camera was still on her desk, strap dangling off the edge ),   others with neat rocks and little knick knacks from throughout the years. One was bound to have old toys and things, and her eyes land on the largest trunk by her knees. Dark brown leather with antique clasps and a little keyhole -   a key of which she knows is still tucked underneath one of the boards on her bed. Lee reaches, plucking it from between the frame and the mattress, admiring it's vintage weight and shape. Maybe she'd keep this, too, string it on a ribbon and wear it when she got to get dolled up. A ghost of a smile and she gently slides the key into the hole, unlocking the trunk, and...

Opening it.

[roxannarambles]

title: relax

ship: goldenlight/luz x hunter (mentioned lumity)

notes: long drabble, set vaguely in a timeline when hunter’s staying at the owl house/has defected from the Coven (post-Eclipse Lake)

"Forget it, just forget it."

"Oh, come on, Hunter, you're being too hard on yourself! You've made a ton of progress today--"

He yanked the sheets of paper up, waving them wildly in her general direction.

"You call this progress? It's pathetic. I haven't discovered a single new glyph combo for hours now!”

He crumpled the papers up into messy balls and flung them all with a disgusted grunt. Luz sighed as she watched them scatter across the floor. After a beat, she said,

"I know it's easy to get discouraged, but I keep telling you, you’re going to find a new one eventually! It just takes a little time. Look, I think we just need a break. Let's go get a snack and watch that weird soap opera Gus is really into. There's a new episode on tonight--"

"There's no way I'm watching that."

Luz paused at his interruption and shrugged.

"Okay, let's just get something to eat then. We've got leftover cheesy pixie toes, and I'm pretty sure the soup Eda made tonight is only partially corrosive to your internal organs."

Hunter shifted from his seated position on the floor, thudding onto his back, his head cushioned by the foot of Luz's sleeping bag.

"I'm not hungry."

Luz crossed her arms.

"You didn't even have dinner. You can't subsist on oxygen and bitterness alone, you know."

Hunter huffed, his magenta eyes trained on the ceiling.

"What are you, my mother? I'll eat later, human."

Luz just rolled her eyes and heaved another sigh. She knew dealing with Hunter would be a challenge, but she had no idea it would be this exhausting to try and work with him. She'd figured that after befriending (and then, eventually wooing) Amity, she was sort of an expert on handling people who put up a tough front but were really soft-hearted and kind, deep down. She was the Good Witch Luz! She was the authority on befriending your enemies! If she could end up dating the girl who wanted to have her dissected on their first meeting, then she could handle a broody bad-sadboy who ran around in a mask and liked play make-believe he was some irredeemable villain.

She just . . . needed to give him the chance to open up a little. Surely he would eventually. It worked on Amity, right?

"Hmmm," Luz murmured, studying Hunter as she pondered things. His ruffled blonde hair was a mess from his habit of running a frustrated hand through it, and his expression was still taut. The bags under his eyes seemed even darker then before-- in fact, it seemed like they only grew worse with each passing day. Considering the anger and tension this guy carried around 24/7, it seemed only a matter of time before he just collapsed from under the weight of it all. He was gonna absolutely snap one day, Luz was sure of it.

"We have gotta get you to relax a little in life, my guy."

Hunter narrowed his eyes, but didn't look at her, content with glaring at the ceiling. Frostily, he answered,

"I'm not a 'relax' kind of person."

Luz hummed again thoughtfully. How could she get him to relax? Maybe there was some chill music he'd be able to get into. Ah, but the playlist on her phone was definitely not that sort of playlist. Well, did he have any hobbies he enjoyed? Besides magic research and helping Belos subjugate the general populous to tyrannical rule. Hm . . .

"Oh, I know!"

Luz sprang up and plopped down on top of her sleeping bag, close to where Hunter was still staring blankly into space. He didn't even seem to register her presence.

"I know something that'll soothe even the most savage of beasts, mind if I try? Amity loves this. You could say I have the 'golden touch', haha."

Hunter's expression twitched and he gave an uninterested little grunt. It seemed the closest to assent she'd probably get, so Luz reached out and carefully took one of Hunter's pointed ears between her forefinger and thumb, rubbing it gently.

There was a half-second delay before Hunter seemed to process it and then he jerked up, yelping in a scandalized tone,

"What're you doing?!"

Luz held up her hands and said,

"Whoa, whoa there. It's just a little ear massage."

"Wh-what?" he sputtered, looking dumbfounded. Luz frowned.

"Yeah, Amity said it's normal for witches? You guys have really sensitive ears, apparently. Supposed to be super relaxing."

"I don't need any relaxing," he shrieked, like a man who had never once relaxed in his life.

Luz raised a brow. Then, she carried on blithely,

"Are you worried that it'll be weird or something? It's ok, there are like, even places you can go to get it done professionally! We have that sort of thing back home too, I mean, not specifically for ears, more like for just in general. But anyway, it's therapeutic--"

"I don't care. Just leave me be," he answered tiredly, turning away and resting his arms on his folded knees. He looked like a deflated balloon. Patiently, Luz smiled and patted the floor, saying,

"C'mon, lay back down. I promise I'll be gentle."

"No."

God, he was like a stubborn child sometimes. Luz gave him a lopsided grin.

"How 'bout this, you try it out and if you hate it, I'll leave you alone forever about it and never ask again."

Ah-ha. That seemed to catch his attention. Cautiously, Hunter's gaze drifted over to her. He asked her warily,

"You won't tell me to relax ever again, either?"

Luz hesitated, because that was a pretty major promise to make. Eeesh, this boy sure didn't like to cooperate.

She exhaled, agreeing,

"Okay, fine. Deal. But I'm not even worried, because I know you're going to love this."

Hunter huffed, but didn't offer any further snark. Then they just sat there, Luz looking at him expectantly, while Hunter just looked awkward.

When she grew tired of him just staring at her, she motioned again.

"C'mon! I won't bite, I promise. Just lay back down."

Hunter looked down to the floor and then winced, as if Luz had just asked him to stick his hand inside a trash slug's digestive tract. Slowly, reluctantly, he shifted over, then lowered his head back down on the floor, his mouth a thin line of disgust the entire time.

Seeing how monumentally uncomfortable he was, Luz hesitated for a moment.

"Just get it over with," he said, almost a plea. Luz rolled her eyes again.

"Hunter, you're being dramatic. I'm not going to torture you."

"Hmmph."

Without further delay, she reached out and caught the tip of his right ear between her fingers again, which caused him to jump just slightly. Trying for a soothing tone, she said,

"Just close your eyes and relax. Go to your happy place, Hunter."

Most decidedly not closing his eyes, Hunter asked between grit teeth,

"My what?"

"You know, think of a place that makes you feel happy and safe, pretend you're there."

Hunter opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was going to say transformed into a garbled mix of sounds and a gasp, at the same time Luz began to stroke his ear.

"You ok?" Luz asked, stroking as gingerly as she could. She watched as Hunter's face began to flush a very obvious red. After a moment, he forced out a very strangled,

"Y-yeah."

Oh, Luz thought. She was pretty sure she knew the expression Hunter was making was not one of discomfort. Testing her theory, she slid further down his long, pointed ear and rubbed with a stronger, rhythmic pattern.

"How's that?"

Hunter's face had already gone entirely red by now, and he answered with a,

"Hhhhhh . . ."

Smile quirking at her lips, she asked in a teasing tone,

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"

"F-fine," he breathed, causing Luz to chuckle. She cupped more of his ear with her fingers and worked on delicately tracing the rim of the shell. Hunter's entire body seemed to melt, a shaky breath escaping him. Luz commented impishly,

"Hmm, looks like we found a way for you to relax after all."