#he really is the most beautiful man alive huh

[eddie-redcliffe]

[bumblingbabooshka]

Harry Kim saying Naomi is lucky to be born on Voyager and that he would have given "anything" to have her life when he was a kid...

[movedblog-thesacrificialdove]

𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 1.6k words rich yandere x gn!reader — ko-fi | patreon | masterlist | inbox | taglist | home | req. & comms

tags sugar daddy, rich yandere, low-key obsessive behaviour, first meetings, college student reader, age gap, brief mention of a rapist (no description or anything more)

—📜" Being a broke college student, you decide to try your hand at getting a sugar daddy. You find someone who is... quite eager to know everything about you. It's weird because he doesn't seem to be the same person he was online.

They say to spend your youth on nightclubs and partying with friends. But really, they don’t know the true beauty of being in a jazz club and drinking all by yourself. There’s no ill intentions, there’s no partying until the sun goes down—just some nice music and good drinks.

People find it odd, sure. But nothing can beat this feeling for you. As you lay in a couch that’s worth double your college tuition, you drink champagne that's triple your college tuition. 

How you ended up here is another embarrassing story. Hunting for a sugar daddy online is a clear plan for destruction. It could end well with a decent allowance every now and then, of course. Yet, fear gets the most of you. The thought that you end up with a fat well and alive man who asks for sex with his small dick looms over you like a gloomy cloud. That fear is there because your sugar daddy is anonymous.

Sighing, you drink another sip of the champagne as you fix your posture. Again. The seat in front of you is still empty. You’d think he wasn’t really being honest with you but he did have a reservation ready for the both of you.

It’s not bad to wait. Even if you do look dumb getting stood up, at least you’re enjoying yourself.

“You lonely there?” someone asks behind you.

Turning your head behind you, you see a towering man with a smile so bright you think you could be blinded by it. He looks elegant—the way he’s holding a glass like a connoisseur and his long black hair pulled into a slick ponytail. Fuck, is he your sugar daddy? He looks the age for it and honestly, he aged really good.

You tell him, “Maybe. Are you lonely?”

He chuckles and takes the seat opposite. Finally. “No,” he says, “not anymore, at least. All thanks to…?” he gestures to you.

When you tell him his name, he parrots it like he’s tasting it. “Beautiful. Your mother picked it out?”

“I’m sure so,” you don’t know, who the hell would know that? “It’s a generational name, really. In our family we keep reusing names.”

“So are you the second? The third?”

The third was your great grandfather but he ended up being a rapist. Eugh. “The fourth,” you answer. “But I never tell anyone that, actually. Bit embarrassing if they call me the fourth, so.”

He laughs, somehow finding you amusing. “Nicolas,” he says, “very nice to meet you.”

Was… his name Nicolas? You’re not so sure about that. From the site he only revealed his last name so that you could get the reservation. Huh.

“Nice to meet you, Nicolas.” The little twitch in his lips is unavoidable to your eyes, “You look very nice tonight,” maybe that’s why he took almost an hour to arrive here. “Do you live near here or?”

“Oh, no,” he shakes his head, “I come from Bolzano. But I came here from Portofino, where my heart currently is.”

You nod like you know where those places really are. Italy, you assume. “Very nice. I heard it’s a beautiful place.”

“Beatiful even more with company,” he puts his drink down. “How about you? What makes you come here?”

You, actually. You wanted to go here. “I was raised by my grandfather and jazz was his favourite. Every corner of the house Hank Mobley would be playing. I have his old records that he passed down to me and whenever I play it, I can see the way he dances.”

“So, come down here for a little trip to memory lane?”

Before you could answer, you think about it even more. The man you were talking was definitely not Italian, right? No, his name sounded British, at most. And Nicolas sounds like he has little to no knowledge about the fact that you two are supposedly on a date.

Fuck, did you get him wrong? I mean, he is interested, you think.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” you hum. You put your glass down too, clasping your hands. “I think I do need to go now. It was nice to have your company—”

“Going so soon? A bit rude especially if you came here to be mine for a price, no?”

You pause. Though you’re ready to leave this embarrassing meeting, you’re caught. You turn to him in confusion. So you were… wrong? Right? 

“Sit back down, this champagne is a bit too new to me.” He raises a hand and someone immediately finds their footing beside him. Nicolas speaks in his own tongue, requesting something you don’t understand.

You’re promptly back on your seat with a small wave of his hand. “Come on, I think we have a lot to learn about each other. But I know you.”

Did he send in a private investigator or what? Fuck, man. You didn’t think that those things were real in real life. “How much do you know?”

He doesn’t answer. His legs are crossed as he watches the busboy leave to prepare your drinks. “How are your classes?” he asks, making idle conversation of things you’re a bit worried to talk to him about. “Hope you’re dealing well.”

“Yeah,” you say, unsure of this now. “It’s all fine, yes. Just a few projects and classes.” You wonder for a moment how rude it would be to ask for a price on your body right now. “Nothing interesting, really.”

“I’m sure anything you say is of interest,” he says, all too fond of you. “Tell me, love, you mentioned having difficulties with some of your professors.”

He wasn’t interested in all that before when you were talking. “It’s fine. Well, not like I can say no. It’s a bit hard when you’re paying for an education and you’re not being taught,” you laugh, “Self-taught learning, he excuses.”

“That’s simply lazy,” he excuses. “Fine arts is such a nice career path. No reason to be dismissive of students who want to learn it.”

Did you tell him what you’re studying?

The busboy returns and brings a drink to the both of you. The song changes and it sounds familiar. You could almost see your grandfather dance behind Nicolas.

“I’m going to guess that’s your doing,” you say, “Thank you. It sounds lovely.”

He smiles, “I’m not one for jazz myself.” He reaches for his glass and swirls in, taking a whiff of its scent afterward. “But I’m curious as to who you are. How you grew up is one of those things”

When the both of you talked online, you expected him to be more lustful than this. Maybe it’s the repeating innuendo in his messages. All of that persona is gone now as if it never existed. It’s concerning.

Both of you make small conversation. Mostly it’s about you. He asks every little detail about you, asking for things that not even your friends would care about. It’s the little things.

‘Do you like soft cotton or silk?’ You don’t really know the difference but cotton is nice.

‘How often do you see your family?’ Every or so month, you’d wager. But you make sure to keep in contact.

‘What’s your thoughts on caged animals?’ A bit cruel, but you can see where it can stem from. Still, it’s cruel. You’d never do it.

The night come to a close when you start to feel a bit light-headed with the drinks you’ve ingested. Nicolas puts aside your glass as he stands to go on your side of the table. “Maybe it’s time to take a break tonight, love?”

You groan. “Yeah, I guess that’s fine now. I’m really thankful for tonight.”

“I’m glad,” he says, pulling you up and helping you walk. You don’t need it but it’s nice anyways. “I can take you back to your dorm, yes? You don’t need to worry about anything else when you’re with me.”

In your pocket, your phone buzzes. You don’t get to check it when Nicolas wraps both of his arms around your waist. He pulls you to the exit and you swear you hear ‘Signore Giordano’ come out when the men bid him goodnight.

Which is weird, because his surname is Abbot.

The ride was a blur, literally. Maybe you’ve had too much to drink. The next thing you know is that both of you are in front of your dorm. It’s too dark outside. The streets are dead silent. The low rumble of his car is the only thing you can really hear.

He calls your name. “It’s time to go home. You can’t stay with me yet, love.”

You stretch in the seat. A car seat has never been more comfortable. “Been nice, really. Thank you.”

As you unbuckle your seat, he leans forward. His arm drapes over your shoulders as his hand comes to your face. “Then can I get a little reward? Just a little?” He turns his cheek, a grin on his face.

It’s stupid but oh well, he would pay you. You press a kiss on his cheek and he looks like the happiest man alive. He laughs, looking at you with stupid heart eyes. “Thank you. Call me with this number—” he places a card in your hands—”and delete that damn app. I’ll come find you after your classes tomorrow for your contract. You don’t need to find anyone else now.”

He leaves shortly after you get inside your dorm. You hear the revving of his car go in the quiet night. It’s relieving. You’re tired on your feet, unable to really process what happened tonight.

It’s whatever. It’s all done now.

You delete the app on your phone, swiping away a message you got from it. You’re pretty sure it’s from another match you had last time but again, you don’t need it anymore.

do not redistrubute this work as yours/without permission or feed to AI 📷 art by @ L0tus_Ren_ & @ Ivan Belikov

[kxsagi]

hihihi!!! i was wondering if you could do a pt 2 of the bride's polaroid's but with rin, yukimiya, and any other characters u would like!! thank u mwa mwa :33

“𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐”

a/n: i'm glad that people are liking pt. 1! ofc i had to deliver pt. 2 and thank you for being patient 🤍

ft. itoshi rin, yukimiya kenyu, shidou ryusei

𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐫𝐢𝐧

he’s suspicious the second your maid of honor walks up to him with a sly smile and an envelope tucked behind her back. “she told me to give this to you before the ceremony,” she says, and rin takes it reluctantly, side-eyeing the bridesmaids giggling in the corner like this is a setup. 

because he knows you. and he knows that when you’re nervous, you get impulsive. he can already feel something unholy waiting inside that envelope, so he opens it slowly, heart thudding. 

the first thing he sees is skin. a lot of it. his entire body jerks like he’s been electrocuted. 

“what the fu–” he whispers, snapping the envelope shut like the polaroids personally insulted his blood pressure. he blinks at the floor, stunned, trying to reboot his brain. then he checks again, just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. nope. you’re definitely wearing that lace thing he told you he liked in passing once. only that lace thing. maybe less. 

he flips to the next photo and feels his soul leave his body. 

now his hands are shaking. he glances around, panicking. no one can see this. no one should see this. it’s a sin. he’s already planning to burn it and also guard it with his life. rin tucks the envelope inside his suit jacket with such urgency, you’d think it was a state secret. 

someone asks what it was and he glares, cheeks red. “mind your business.” 

later, when he sees you walking down the aisle, veil soft around your face, looking all angelic and innocent, he narrows his eyes. 

you are a menace, he thinks, heart racing. but also, you're his menace. 

and someone help him, he’s never been more in love. 

���𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐮

when he’s handed the envelope, yukimiya thinks it’s a letter. a sentimental note. something poetic and sweet. so he opens it with this soft smile, already rehearsing the romantic things he’ll say to you after reading it. 

then he pulls out the first polaroid. 

and promptly forgets how to breathe. 

his eyebrows shoot up, lips parting in genuine awe. oh. oh, you didn’t write anything, you posed. posed in that lingerie set he half-jokingly sent you a link to two months ago. except now it’s not a joke, it’s very real, and he is officially the luckiest man alive. 

“my goodness,” he whispers, blinking at the photo like it’s the eighth wonder of the world. 

he’s quiet for a while. just taking his time with each polaroid. handling them like they’re priceless artwork. he’s not even thinking indecent thoughts, he’s just floored by you. by how beautiful you are. how confident, how thoughtful. it’s the most intimate kind of present. and it’s for him. 

when he finally looks up, his cheeks are flushed and there’s a dreamy glint in his eyes. “she really did this for me,” he says, to no one in particular, sounding absolutely smitten. 

one of the groomsmen teases him and he just laughs, all flustered. “i’m marrying the most stunning woman on the planet. i’m allowed to gloat.” 

he tucks the envelope into the inside pocket of his suit like it’s sacred and keeps checking it every few minutes, like he needs to reassure himself that it’s real. later, he pulls you into a quiet corner after the ceremony and leans in, voice low and warm. 

“those photos were dangerous,” he murmurs against your ear, brushing his lips over your cheek. “you’re not sleeping on our wedding night, you know that, right?” 

𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐲𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐢

the moment one of your bridesmaids slips him the envelope, shidou’s grinning like he’s just been handed a lottery ticket. “what’s this, huh?” he drawls, already shaking it next to his ear like it’ll talk back. “a secret mission from my sexy bride?” 

he doesn’t wait. he never waits. just rips it open right there with zero shame, surrounded by his groomsmen, a few cousins, and, unfortunately, your grandma. 

he pulls out the first photo. his jaw drops. 

“OH HELL YEAH,” he shouts, holding it up like it’s his new prized possession. “SHE’S TRYNA END ME BEFORE THE CEREMONY EVEN STARTS!” 

the room goes silent for a second. then erupts into chaos. people laugh, someone gasps, and your grandma clutches her pearls. but shidou? he’s thriving. flips through the photos like a guy watching a fireworks show. each new picture gets a new reaction – whistles, groans, straight up kneeling on the floor at one point. 

“this woman is gonna be the death of me,” he mutters dramatically, lying on his back like he’s been slain. “what a way to go though.” 

he clutches the envelope to his chest and looks up at the ceiling. “i love her,” he sighs. “she’s a freak and she’s all mine.” 

some poor relative tries to walk past and accidentally glimpses a photo, and shidou just shrugs. “don’t look if you can’t handle greatness.” 

he pockets the polaroids like a dragon hoarding treasure and proudly announces, “these are coming on the honeymoon. framed. maybe laminated.” 

and when you finally see him at the altar, he winks at you like you just told him a dirty secret. 

“you’re in so much trouble later,” he mouths. 

and he absolutely means it. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[vaguely-concerned]

the things it adds to both of the characters involved that lucanis used to have a thing for viago could not have been more tailor made to be for me. literally the ideal thing to come out of this game for me personally and specifically and spiritually. I mean I'm teia x viago trash until the day I die and nothing will ever change this (and with the best will in the world and even the power of lucanis' big beautiful soulful eyes, that would never have worked out even if viago DID somehow understand he was being propositioned. which I'm not convinced he did. the mutual 'so. snakes are pretty cool huh. and. knives. also' awkward energy without someone of teia's charisma and people skills involved to mitigate it... it would have been dire), but on so many levels I find it so incredibly charming for what it says about them both that the (one-sided) attraction was there once.

what's more, it means the man about whom this legendary paragraph was written:

Viago was not a typical Antivan. He liked facts—checklists, numbers, precise measurements. Heart palpitations, clammy hands, tight pants—Viago did not like these things. In fact, he would go so far as to say he hated them. Mild curiosity was his favorite mood.

has got some of the hottest coolest deadliest people in thedas down so catastrophically bad it's got them acting unwise. teia had to wait a UST-drenched decade for him to be ready to take his fucking gloves off for her. and she did!! the tetchiest most neurotic least approachable little vetinari knockoff of a man you ever saw has game for days and days and lives rent free in heads for years. in eight little talons viago consistently feels so inadequate up against dante and it's like. man I'm shaking you by the lapels you have what he'll never have. the ability to bewitch body and soul with your terrible personality and long thin legs. do not waste the gift you've been given go get her she's waiting!!!

(lucanis is really good at reading people, so I wonder if maybe he saw through all of that to some of the steadiness and incredible capacity for warmth and tenderness in specific interpersonal relationships you see viago have with teia when he finally opens up enough, and maybe that was part of it. either way it's so perfect that both he and teia have regarded viago with this affectionate intrigued amusement. lucanis still seems pretty fond of him in a 'viago continues to be exactly himself no matter what else happens or goes wrong. comforting universal constant' sort of way, he brings him up quite a lot in party banter.)

you've seen lucanis' game in this day and age, arguably or at least hopefully older and wiser -- can you imagine how catastrophically bad it must have been back when he presumably handed viago, most paranoid man in thedas all years running, a knife like this expressed everything it needed to. people give him so much shit for the cake moment being his big romantic lock-in, but considering where we started that is GROWTH and I for one am so proud of him fhsdkjaf.

also I wonder at what point vis-a-vis that whole Situation teia and viago met for the first time, leading us to ask... just how much was it a matter of lucanis simply being ignored out of a lack of interest on viago's part (tbf, not entirely unlikely). how much was it lucanis truly not managing to make himself understood. (all but certainly. literally how would one understand that. I think it says some sweet things about rook and lucanis' dynamic that they -- somehow -- DO pick up what he's putting down in a similar scenario presumably b/c they know him pretty well by then haha.) how much was it viago interpreting the romantic move as a death threat from one of the most dangerous people alive and freaking out. (1000% and indubitably.) and how much was it andarateia steal-your-girl cantori turning up and thus setting off whatever spectacular, volatile, awesome-in-the-original-sense chemical reaction between the substances of her and viago's souls that goes on to this day and makes everything else kind of a side note at best. a gentle mix of several of these things, perhaps. ...god I love all these characters so much

[mediocreanomaly]

Thank You For This Meal.

Sinister!Mark X GN!Reader (NSFWish?)

**Content Warning: Cannibalism as foreplay, obsessed behavior, cannon typical violence, idk if this counts as dubcon but I'm going to tag it anyway to stay safe 👍 Dead dove do not eat, basically **

Authors Note: as someone whose main blog's most liked post is about cannibalism metaphoring obsessive love you know I had to do it to ‘em. It's not super over the top but I respect when it's not someone's yum.

“You look absolutely mouth-watering right now, dear,” Mark hums. Despite the saccharine-sweet tone, it comes off as mocking.

You try to remind yourself to breathe, it would only encourage him more if he thought you were scared. He liked when your heart pittered in your chest like a rabbits in a hound's jaws. But in a way… weren't you?

Mark's reign of terror had come fast and brutal, as he operated with most things in life. Funnily enough, you'd never really known the extent of your powers until he'd taken over. Figuring out you could regenerate had been easy enough; a few scraped knees and papercuts fading in an instant had been enough to clue you in, but you still felt the pain when it happened, so it had never felt practical to do anything with it.

It had remained a convenient lucky draw for most of your life the way other people ended up with a fast metabolism or a few extra inches in height.

Then he took over.

People died by the millions, it was harder to stay alive than it was to give up at this point. Cities lay in ruin or leveled all together. Scavenging for food and water was to risk being spotted and being made into an example for anyone still foolish enough to resist Mark’s rule.

For the first few weeks, you’d naively thought yourself one of the lucky ones. Wounds sealed shut in seconds, while others suffered through severed limbs and festering infections. You never had to fear bleeding out, never had to fear dying.

But there were fates much worse than death.

Being discovered by Mark was a freak accident that had somehow become the new primary event your life orbited around.

You had banded together with a small camp of survivors, hoping to make it to Canada, where whispers of a resistance had begun to spread when Mark had found your little party.

It had been over in seconds. Wet blood and intestines had painted the dirt like a bad contemporary art piece.

You hadn't been spared either, it was the first time you'd really had put your powers to the test.

You'd gasped and coughed up thick iron as muscle rewound together under repairing torn flesh and blood reflowing its way through your veins as if the clock had been rewound. Your body rejecting Mark's easy destruction, refusing to stay ruined.

And Mark… Mark had looked at you like he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

His smile had felt like a death toll.

It's hard to say what exactly you'd become to mark. Some fractured version of a beloved pet maybe, on call and in demand at all times, affection and complete obedience was expected, and if it wasn't given? Mark had zero issues putting your powers to work. Bones turned to dust like brittle sticks under his hands, muscle peeled away like slow-roasted ribs, tendons snapped with a sicking ease, and just about anything popped with the right amount of pressure.

Tonight was just another night in a long list of obscenities.

The position you found yourself in was humiliating at best. Bound with rope, bare, spread out on the table, gagged, arranged with meticulous intent. The position meant to look equal parts erotic and appetizing, meant to stir some fine line between lust and hunger in the man stalking you like a starved wolf eager to indulge in both.

He closes in enough to run a gloved hand over your exposed thighs. Your muscles betray you and tense under his feather light advance, as he licks his lips.

“What would I do without you, huh?” He thumbs over the rope preventing you from closing your legs.

“So pretty so… appetizing.” He squeezes the fat of your thighs, drinking in the way your breath picks up.

He leans in between your legs, nuzzling against you, his warm breath ghosting over your skin. Watching you through dark eyelashes, eyes half lidded but gaze no less sharp as he takes in every twitch, every flinch, every reaction. You swear he salivates when your muscles go taunt.

“What's wrong, baby? Scared I’m going to–” He nips at your thighs then laughs at the way you flinch from the graze of his teeth.

“Yeah, I’d say I don’t bite, but… we both know that’s not true.”

Your breath hitches, and your eyes flicker up to the dark ceiling, knowing what's to come. The relief is short lived when Marks hand wraps around your chin with a grip like lead.

“Hey.” He forces you to meet his eyes, the amusement gone in an instant.

“Look at me. You know I hate when you do that.”

He reaches over to dip two of his fingers into some sort of dark sauce before he spreads it across your thigh in a slow deliberate motion that borders on reverent.

“I've been thinking about how you taste” he murmurs, licking the dark liquid off his fingers.

He smirks at the way you eye him.

“Oh don't have such a dirty mind. You know what I meant, although… that's not such a bad idea either.”

He puts his hands on your knees and spreads you impossibly further forcing you to arch your back slightly to stay in the position comfortably.

“Maybe after?” He muses almost thoughtful, “As a treat.”

Despite yourself, your heartbeat flutters. Whether out of fear of what's happening or the anticipation of what's to come you don't know, Mark has a weird way of making arousal and terror feel identical.

His grin sharpens, and you sympathize with the lowly fawn stalked by the lion. It never had a chance, and it seems…

Neither did you.

“Thank you for this meal.”

Mark's mouth opens and for someone who looked so human he had a way of making it feel like it was a maw that was about to wrap around the meat of your leg.

Blunt teeth start to break skin and you can’t tell if the droplets hitting the wood below are remnants of the sauce or the first beads of blood spilling out of you.

It hardly matters. It'd be back as soon as it was gone, mouthfuls of warm flesh for him to sink his teeth into and sate his never ending gluttony over and over again.

Because Mark Grayson broke everything he touched.

And finally, he'd found something that could survive it.

[wordsofwhimsy]

𝘚𝘏𝘈𝘛𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘌𝘋 𝘈𝘍𝘍𝘌𝘊𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘚 - 𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘌

♥ Pairing: Mohawk!Mark Grayson x Reader | Sinister!Mark Grayson x Reader ♥ Warnings: Violence & Gore ♥ a/n: even though i put him in the pairings sinister mark doesn’t actually show up this chapter. if y’all haven’t noticed i’m pretty big on building lore so one scene can take a lot of time lolll. i think it adds to the depth of the story 🤌 → Part Two ←

It was a truly beautiful day; the sun’s rays unbroken by the clouds while a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves. Its serenity, however, was lost on M.Mark. A deep red liquid spattered across his face as the smell of sweat, blood, and fear permeated the alleyway he stood in. He could hear the sickening sound of bones cracking beneath his fists, but all that mattered was the rage—the fire burning deep in his chest. It was a fire that never truly went out, and right now it was fueled entirely by a raw jealousy.

“You really think you’re good enough for her, huh?” Mark’s voice was low, venomous, his words directed at no one in particular. His eyes were wild, pupils dilated with fury. He grabbed one of the men by the throat, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The guy's feet dangled, his hands flailing helplessly as Mark’s fingers dug into his windpipe.

The man’s eyes bulged in terror, but Mark barely registered it. He was thinking of you. You—smiling at that asshole, holding his hand, like you didn’t even notice the real love of your life existed at all. Like that Mark was the most important thing in the world.

“I protect people now, you know?” Mark spat, his voice tinged with bitterness, his grip tightening. “I save people. And for what? So some fucking idiot can waltz around thinking he’s good enough to have her?”

The guy gasped, clawing at Mark’s hand, but it was no use. Mark wasn’t even really seeing him anymore. His eyes were focused somewhere else, somewhere far away.

In his mind’s eye he saw you again—laughing with that bastard. His absolute idiot of a counterpart, who didn’t even see you like he did. You were a goddamn star in his world, and yet you gave that moron all your time, all of your love.

“It’s so fucked up,” Mark muttered. “She doesn’t see it. She doesn’t see me the way I see her.” He turned his head, eyes narrowing at the other man huddling against the wall, still alive, still shaking. “She should be with me, y’know? Not him. Damn sure not any of you. Me.”

He shook the man in his grip, his voice rising with every word. “I would do anything to make her happy. You hear me? Anything. But you—you’re just a distraction. You’re nothing. And you’re standing in the way.”

The guy’s breath came in strangled gasps, his hands no longer fighting against Mark’s iron grip. There was nothing he could do to escape. Mark’s voice became a growl.

“I mean,” Mark started again with a scoff, “What makes him so fucking special?”

The guy’s head lolled back, the panic already setting in. Mark could feel the pulse in the guy’s neck, feel him weakening, but he didn’t stop. Not yet. Not when his mind was screaming.

And then, in a desperate, broken voice, the second man spoke, his hands still raised in a futile gesture of surrender.

“Look... man... I don’t know who you’re talking about, but it sounds like she’s not yours. You gotta... you gotta let her go.” His voice cracked as he spoke, but there was something genuine in his tone—something only a human could convey. “Trust me, y-you can’t force someone to love you… You’re just gonna make it worse.”

A light seemed to spark in Mark’s eye, a strange stillness passing through him. His grip loosened slightly, the man’s feet scraping the pavement as he hung there, suspended, but not quite dead yet. Mark’s gaze flicked to the man on the ground, and for a second, he felt a pang of doubt—like maybe... maybe the guy had a point.

“Let her go?” Mark’s voice was quieter now, almost confused. He looked down at the guy, his anger still simmering beneath the surface but momentarily calmed. “What do you mean, let her go? I’d do anything for her. I deserve her. She deservesme. That ugly bastard shouldn’t get to have her.”

The man took a shaky breath, speaking faster now, his voice almost pleading. “I-I get it. I do. But no way this is gonna work man. You’re not gonna win her over by killing people. She sounds like a sweet girl. You’re just gonna end up—”

Mark’s eyes flashed with a new swelling rage and without warning he slammed the man into the wall, the sickening crack of the guy’s spine breaking echoing through the alley. The man's body went limp, falling into a grotesque, twisted heap at Mark’s feet.

Mark stood over him, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling not from exertion but pure emotion. For a moment, silence swallowed everything. The only sound left was the steady beat of his own heart.

The anger was still there. It hadn’t gone away. It was a beast, gnawing at the edges of his mind. But now there was something else too, something that felt... desperate. Something sharp, like a knife lodged deep in his gut.

Mark glanced down at the bodies around him. His fists were still clenched, his body tense with the aftershocks of the destruction. He should feel powerful—he should feel triumphant—but all he could hear were those words.

Let her go. Was there even possible? Could Mark really just let you go?

He looked back at the man he’d just killed, and then over to the other man who was now cowering in the fetal position in the corner. The sight made him grunt a small laugh. As if this weak loser knows anything. The fire inside him flared again. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d be letting anything go.

In an instant he was kneeled in front of the man, his head framed by Mark’s hands. “Y’know you really give terrible advice.” With that final remark he brought his hands together, breaking through the man’s skull and plunging through viscera of his brain matter as if it were made of Styrofoam. He didn’t need advice, and definitely not from some low-level career bank robber that just died like an ant beneath his grasp.

No, Mark’s wasn’t even close to done yet. He just had to figure out his next step.

—

You let out a quiet sigh, watching the last of the visitors file out of the exhibit. The small group had been attentive, but now that they were gone, you could finally breathe a little easier. Being an aquarium keeper had its perks—mostly working with the animals, which you loved—but giving talks to crowds had always been a bit… awkward.

You glanced down at your watch, noting the time. Another hour until your shift ended. You could already feel the exhaustion setting in—nothing too bad, just the kind of tired that came with a long day of making sure everything was running smoothly. The fish were fed, the tanks cleaned, and you had managed to get through your spiel without flubbing too many lines.

It was then that you noticed him.

Mark, the one who’d abruptly showed up at your house the night prior, was standing across the room just at the edge of the exhibit. He wasn't a part of the group, which was odd. But what was even stranger was how still he was, how silently he observed everything. His gaze was fixed on the tanks, on the creatures swimming lazily inside, but there was something… unsettling about the way he stood. It was like he was studying something, but not in the way someone would look at fish. His posture was tense, his jaw clenched, and his eyes—his eyes seemed distant, like he was somewhere far beyond the walls of the aquarium.

You swallowed, a knot tightening in your stomach. Something about the way he was staring made you uneasy, but it wasn’t just that. There was a familiarity in the way he stood there, like he’d done this before. Like he'd watched from the shadows before and you just hadn’t noticed.

You hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to approach him or let him be.

This Mark had always been… different. You didn’t know him well, but there were times when his presence felt like a storm cloud, looming just above your head. His moods were unpredictable, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was always simmering beneath the surface. And though you tried not to think about it too much, you'd never been able to forget the times he'd made comments that left you uneasy, or the way his eyes would sometimes linger on you just a little too long.

Today, though… he didn’t seem to notice you standing there, just a few feet away, watching him as he observed the sea life. His expression was almost unreadable—distant, cold—but there was an edge to it, a sharpness that made you hesitate even more.

Finally, curiosity won out. You took a few steps towards him, feeling your heart beat a little faster with each one.

“Mark?” you said softly, trying to catch his attention.

His head snapped up, and for a split second, you swore you saw a flash of something—anger, maybe?—in his eyes. But it was gone so quickly that you weren’t sure if you’d imagined it.

“Hey,” he said, his voice rougher sounding than your Marks. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

You shook your head, feeling a sudden rush of nerves flood through you. “It’s okay, no interruption. Just finishing up for the day.”

You both stood there for a moment in silence, the only sound coming from the gentle hum of the aquarium filters and the occasional splash from the tanks.

You took a step closer, unsure if you should say anything more. There was something in the air—something you couldn’t quite name. It wasn’t just the fact that he was here, now, standing in front of you, but it was the way he seemed to be studying you, his gaze never fully leaving your face. It wasn’t the look of someone admiring the work you did—it was more like someone trying to figure you out, to understand something about you that he couldn’t quite grasp.

“Mark,” you started again, clearing your throat, “are you… okay?”

He didn’t answer right away, just continued staring at you. His lips pressed together in a thin line, the tension in his shoulders unmistakable.

You felt your chest tighten. Something was wrong. You could feel it. He looked almost… unhinged, in a way you didn’t want to imagine.

“I’m fine,” he said, but the words were clipped, forced. His voice sounded flat, like he was trying to convince both you and himself at the same time.

You couldn’t help but notice the way his hands were clenched at his sides, the white-knuckled grip on his fists.

“I didn’t know you liked the aquarium,” you said, trying to break the tension. The words came out more out of instinct than any real desire to make conversation. But it worked—just a little. His gaze shifted back to the tanks.

“I don’t,” he muttered, almost under his breath. “I was just… passing through.”

Passing through an aquarium? You didn’t claim to be a detective, but that answer seemed a little suspicious.

“Right,” you said, trying to smile, though it felt strained. “Well, it’s nice to see you. If you want, I can show you around before my shift ends.”

You tried to sound casual, but your heart was pounding, and you could feel the unease creeping into your voice. Something wasn’t right, and you weren’t sure if it was because of him or because of the strange feeling that had settled in your chest.

He didn’t respond at first, just looked at you with that unreadable expression. The silence stretched between you both, uncomfortable, thick with unspoken words.

Then, he shifted. His eyes flicked to the side, to the tanks, and his lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smirk. He opened his mouth to speak but then quickly snapped it shut, the earpiece buzzing in his head, "This isn't a holiday. You've got half the content to save." His expression quickly soured, the irritation evident on his face.

“Maybe another time,” he grumbled. “I’ve got somewhere I need to be...”

And just like that, as quickly as he’d appeared, he turned and started to walk away, disappearing into the shadows of the aquarium.

You stood there for a long moment, still feeling the weight of his gaze on you, even though he was no longer there.

And for some reason, you loved the feeling it gave you. You hadn't felt seen like that by Mark in longer than you could remember, and you relished the high it gave you.

→ Part Four ←

[iris-qt]

𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐

🗝️ ᴛʜᴇᴏᴅᴏʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴛ x ʜᴜꜰꜰʟᴇᴘᴜꜰꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

🗝️ ʙɢ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ: ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ!

🗝️ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ

🗝️ ᴀ/ɴ: ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴜʟᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴘᴏʟʟ ʜᴇʀᴇ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀʀ ᴅᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ. ᴀʟꜱᴏ ʙᴀꜱᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛ ɪ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ. ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴀ ᴛʏᴘɪᴄᴀʟ ꜱᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴜ ꜱᴏ ɪ ᴛᴡɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴠɪꜱɪʙʟᴇ ꜱᴛʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴏʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅʟʏ ᴘʜɪʟᴏꜱᴏᴘʜɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ

🗝️ ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ: ᴛʜᴇᴏᴅᴏʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴀʟ ᴜɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ʀᴜɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇɴɪᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ…

Did you believe in fate? 

No.

That may be silly, I mean, you live in a magical universe where anything is possible. Magic defies the muggle laws of nature; it’s something undetectable yet very much alive. Anything could happen. Anything you can imagine. Anything you can imagine besides being in a relationship with Theodore Nott.

Yet for some wild, unbeknownst reason, the universe seems adept in proving you wrong. 

No, you didn’t believe in fate. Until you became acquainted with him.

It started off slow and undetectable. Yes, you were aware of Theodore Nott, but you tried to stay unaware of your feelings towards him. It all started in the dingy little Potions classroom, when you were seated next to him. At first you were a bit uncomfortable as he was a popular guy and popular boys weirded you out. Always so judgmental. But Theo was quiet and calm. Always so sure of every action; every dice of the ingredients, every stir of the brew. You were a pretty sociable person and so, once you decided Nott was not so off-putting after all, you began to share a few words with each other. You treasured those little conversations in the shrouded back row of the Potions room. 

“How was the DADA test for you, Nott?”

“Hey, Nott, Is it just me, or does Snape’s hair look extra greasy today?”

“HELP THEODORE MY POTIONS ON FIRE!”

That last one was not a very fond memory, but one you could not escape. Truly, you two being the only Slytherin and Hufflepuff sat next to each other, as there was an odd amount of students from both houses in that class, was the real beginning of the universe’s meddling behavior.

With all this in mind, it was painfully obvious Theo was not interested; he never quite talked to you unless you said something first. That is why you would never delude yourself with the thought of being in a relationship with him, He was an unattainable, rare flower, such as the tiburon mariposa lily that only grows in the Ring Mountain region of California. That flower is quite vulnerable to extinction due to natural and man-made disasters. That part didn’t really apply to Nott. He wasn’t the vulnerable type…

Theo, however, fell hard and fast from the moment he first spoke with you. How could someone so passionate and awkward not catch his eye?

“It was honestly a rough test. Actually, I need a tutor for DADA..”  

But you didn’t take the hint.

“Perhaps if I gave Professor Snape my hair care routine…?”

But that didn’t earn him any hair-related compliments.

“AGUAMENTI! HOLY SHIT you’re really on fire today, huh y/l/n?”

That earned him an elbow in the rib.

The series of events that the fed up universe concocted began in none other than a little grass meadow.

As usual, you had woken up at the most ungodly hour of 5 am for the sole purpose of taking your morning stroll to a hidden meadow within the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, just behind a thicket. You were walking with your sketchpad and graphite in hand, ready to capture those jewels of the earth in the faint morning light. In your opinion, the crack of dawn is when the wildflowers shine the brightest. You sat in the grass, leaning against an old oak, beginning to sketch a particularly beautiful periwinkle flower. You were sure no one else knew about this meadow; it seemed untouched by anyone’s harsh footsteps.

Imagine your surprise when you heard the plants rustle to unveil a sleepy Theodore Nott: brown locks askew and dark circles tinged red against his pale skin, a cigarette dangling from his sleep-swollen pink lips. His light eyes slightly widen at the sight of his talkative ex Potions partner.

The silence was awkward and extended; you weren’t used to engaging in conversation in your quiet haven, but of course it was you who broke the silence anyway.

“Good morning, Nott,” you say quite hoarsely, slightly clearing your throat in embarrassment. Those were the first words you’d uttered that day.

His lip twitches, ghosting a smirk at the sound of your voice.

“Morning, y/l/n. You come here often?”

You nod saying, “It’s my morning ritual at this point.”

You nod in reply, eyes ghosting over his tired appearance as he continues, “Funny. I come here every night.”

He lets out a puff of smoke into the pure air of your precious haven, and you can’t help but subconsciously glare at the wisp of smoke. Of course, he notices and lets out a small chuckle.

“Don’t like my smoking?”

“It ruins the fresh air for the flowers and plants, Nott.”

He nods thoughtfully, finishing his cigarette.

“Don’t tell me you litter your cigarette butts all over the grass,” you frown.

“Of course not, I’m not a brute,” he laughs and fishes out a portable ash tray where he neatly tucks his cigarette remains away. After another awkward silence, he walks up to you and sits down next to you, peering at your sketch but quickly shifting his gaze away when he realizes you never gave him permission to gaze upon your works of art. You laugh as you assure him, “You can look, it’s just quick sketches.”

“Looks frame-worthy to me,” he shrugs with absolutely no hint of sarcasm or doubt in his eyes. It makes you feel flustered to the point you had to look the other way.

You decide to move the conversation over to him.

“What do you do here every night? Smoke?”

He shakes his head, saying, “As much as I like to smoke at night, I don’t here.” He pulls out a book. “I read under wand-light.”

You glance over and your eyes widen as you notice its a story you had just recently finished reading.

“The Turn of the Screw? A literary masterpiece, I just finished reading it, like, a week ago.”

He smiles, eyes warm and inviting, “I was just about to say your drawings remind me of Audrey Benjaminsen’s limited edition illustrations for this book. I’ve been trying to get my hands on a copy.”

Your eyes widen even more.

“The limited edition would be a gazillion galleons, but I suppose you’re filthy rich,” you tease.

“I mean, what better thing to spend my money on?” He smirks, pushing back a stray lock of his hair that had escaped.

“Solving world hunger, ending wars, funding cancer cure research…” you smirk.

“Ok, I’m not that rich.”

You both laughed at that and talked all morning up through the first 15 minutes of your guys’ first lessons. Laughing, you both jog to your class, the dandelions in the field spreading its tufts as you both run past. Little did you both know, it was the mutual fascination with a trail of dandelion tufts in the breeze, one in the sunlight and one in the moonlight, that brought you both to discover the meadow years ago.

While this universal push succeeded in temporarily bringing you and Theo closer, the two of you fell apart as you stopped showing up to the meadow as often due to school stress and you no longer were seated with Theo in any classes. The autumn leaves floated down and shriveled up; leaving the trees bare. The cold winds carried snow through the Hogwarts air, swirling around the iced windows. 

It was time for the winter trip to Hogsmeade and you were bundled up and ready to go with 3 jackets, long socks, leg warmers, and snow boots as you braved the cold. Your scarf tucked against your face, you walked down the snowy pathway, laughing and talking with your friends as you strode through the ice.

Theo was also walking down the pathway with his friends; zoned out of their conversation while quietly observing the falling snow. 

Fate had it that you both got distracted by a reflective light in the distance at different times, and so you both left your friends group for a second to observe this flash of light.  

You were the first to separate, and when you looked back, your friends were long gone; enveloped into the icy mist.

You shrugged and began trudging through the snow, wondering where they could’ve gone off to. Suddenly, you stumbled across a little book shop that you’d been wanting to visit, but never got time to. You slowly walked up the creaking steps and into the warm embrace of the cozy shop. It was lit by yellow candlelight, dancing over the spines of rustic books. A Christmas tree in the corner shone brightly. You began getting lost in the page-riddled haze…

Theo, likewise, separated from his group a moment after you left. He bent down to find the source of the reflective light and found nothing. He raised an eyebrow annoyedly and glanced back to find himself abandoned in the snow; not a student to be seen in this blizzard. He decided to just walk in a straight line and suddenly saw a warm glow in the muggy snow. He approached a bookshop he had never noticed before. How could he overlook such a gem? Walking in, he was met with the faint smell of cinnamon and a warm atmosphere.

After a couple minutes, you laid your eyes on a particularly gorgeous spine with engraved flowers. Of course, you’d judge a book by its cover if its cover was an absolute masterpiece. You reached out to pluck it off the shelf when you felt a force pulling it back from the other side. You furrowed your brows as this turned into a game of tug of war. 

Theo had seen that this particular book had artwork painted onto its pages. He was intrigued as to what this book could be about when suddenly he was hindered from grabbing it. Refusing to let up this competition, he pulled the book to his side, but, ultimately, failed. You and Theo’s eyes met through the hole where the book had originally been, his shining eyes crinkling as he grinned at the familiar irises of y/n. 

“Brains and brawn? Could you get any better?” He joked walking to your side of the shelf and smiling.

You laughed as you handed him the book.

“Feel free to take it, Nott”

“Don’t worry, I was just admiring the painted scene on the pages.”

 You both glance at the gorgeous book for a bit when Theo breaks the silence.

“You haven’t been to the flower clearing recently.”

“Yeah, school has me fucked up… I study too late and can’t wake up that early.”

He nods thoughtfully, glancing around at the shop.

“I think this is my new favorite place.”

“I agree..” Your eyes widen as you glance at the shelf behind him. “No way. Theodore look.” You excitedly point at a limited edition copy of The Turn of the Screw with illustrations done by Audrey Benjaminsen.

Theo looks stricken as he freezes at the sight of the copy he’d been chasing for months now. It was right there, before his eyes, tucked between other worn books. He would never have caught it in this dim light.

“Am I dreaming, y/n?” He breathes out, jaw dramatically dropped at the sight.

You playfully pinch him, laughing, “I don’t think so, Nott. Call it an early Christmas miracle.”

It was as if you and Theo shared the same safe spaces. First the meadow, now this book shop. He couldn’t help but ponder how there was always something leading him to you. Something that connected the both of you. First it was the flower field, and now this book. It was if every good thing in his life was somehow connected to you…

Theo gently holds the book and observes it in the light, but he found his new revelation of you far more fascinating. He always knew he adored you, and it just so happened that fate agreed. They were constantly being pushed together; given every oppurtunity to confess their feelings. Their fear overshadowed them. Maybe it was time to stop being so fearful. 

Theo noticed you gazing at the book in awe, and smiled gently.

“Would you like to look over it with me over some butterbeer?”

Your eyes snap up at him, surprised at his question. This was the first time Theo had shown any interest in going out of his way to spend time with you. Despite the lingering cold, you blushed down to the roots of your hair.  

“I’d love to..”

He grinned, shadows dancing on his carved face. The invisible string was brighter now, wrapping around their very beings, no longer neglected.

“It’s a date.”

[little-diable]

Marry Me - Dean Winchester (smut)

This can be read as a part 2 to this fic - but you don’t need to read it to understand the story line. The lyrics are from the song “Joy of my Life” by Chris Stapleton. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated! Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: Dean finally finds his confidence to ask (y/n) to marry him.

Warnings: 18+, smut, piv, car smut, super fluffy, slight jealousy and possessiveness

Pairing: Dean Winchester x fem!reader (2k words)

She's sweet to me, must be the luckiest man alive. Did I tell you, baby, you are the joy of my life?

“Isn't it funny that this car has seen all our good but also our ugly days?” (Y/n)’s voice filled the Impala as she held onto her food, taking another bite while letting her eyes wander. Dean and her were parked in the middle of nowhere, another getaway from Sam and the bunker the couple had been desperate for. 

It had been a while since Dean had taken her stargazing, letting their eyes take in the most beautiful spectacle, while Dean’s hand had found the small pocket of his jacket, touching the box of the ring he had been carrying around with himself for a while. 

“She really has, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Dean studied his girlfriend with an unreadable expression (y/n) tried to pay no mind to as she got lost in her memories, remembering the first time she had sat in the Impala. 

“So, that’s Baby, huh?” She whispered the words while she let her fingertips trace the leather of the dark seat she sank into. A proud smirk was resting on Dean’s lips as he nodded his head, mimicking her wandering gaze. 

“My most prized possession.” The words had left Dean’s parted lips before he could stop himself, cursing himself for saying this to his new girlfriend. But all (y/n) did was laugh and shake her head at her grinning boyfriend who stared at her with excitement laced in his gaze.

“What is it, Dean?” Her voice grew lower as the words rumbled through her, letting them vibrate on her lips. He moved closer to press a kiss to her lips while his right hand found the back of her headrest, keeping himself close to her. 

“The backseats are quite comfortable, if you feel like testing them out.” Dean’s words drew a gritty laugh from (y/n) as she only nodded her head before finding her way to the backseat. Within seconds she found herself straddling Dean’s lap while their lips got lost in a rough kiss. 

“I still remember the first time you introduced me to Baby, I was sure you’d eventually end up marrying your car.” Her laughter had an addicting effect on Dean, drawing a few from him as well while he kept studying (y/n). His heart began to beat faster in his chest as his thoughts began to race. 

Perhaps this was the moment he had always been waiting for. This was the perfect spot, hidden in the dark, while Baby offered them enough comfort and distraction, away from their busy life and home. Dean took one last bite of his burger before he wiped his fingers and slowly reached for his pocket, closing his fist around the velvety black box. 

(Y/n) had her all too oblivious gaze focused on the window, once again remembered of another night they had spent in this car. 

Silence filled Baby. A thick silence that left (y/n)’s heart painfully clenching in her chest. No word had been shared between her and Dean since their fight, an escalation of jealous words and angry sensations they couldn’t shake. 

“Do you really think I’d cheat on you?” Her voice was small as she spoke the words, letting them rumble through Baby while she shuffled around on the seat to look at Dean, who was laying behind her. 

It took him a few moments to speak up as he closed eyes as if he was trying to shake the memories of what had drawn these ugly words from his parted lips. It had been foolish, a stupid mistake he had instantly regretted as tears had welled up in her eyes. 

“No, I don’t.” She was a friendly soul, always had been, but it was something Dean clearly struggled to accept, especially when she shared one of the smiles he wanted to be the only one receiving, with strangers. She was a beautiful woman, it was no surprise that men chatted her up whenever she stood alone, without Dean near, and yet it still left him spiralling, urged on by his fear of losing her. 

“You know,” (y/n) cleared her throat as she also finished her food. Slowly she turned her head back towards her boyfriend, while pondering over the words she so desperately had wanted to speak for months now. “We haven’t really talked about marriage and all these things before, but I can’t help but wonder, if that is even something you’d want.” 

Dean could tell that she was nervous about speaking these words, struggling to let them roll off her tongue while fumbling with her fingers. A shaky exhale left him before he reached for her hand with his free one, letting their fingers interlace. 

“Do you remember when we went stargazing a few weeks ago?” (Y/n) could only nod her head with a slight confusion tugging on her features. 

“I had promised myself that I’d ask you to marry me that night, but even though I was never so sure of something as I am of the love I have for you, I still fear that one day you’ll pack your bags to run from this mess we are stuck in. Sam told me that I don’t need to be scared, because you’d never do that. And I know that, deep down I really do, but perhaps it wasn’t the right moment, the right day. But now, here, with Baby,” the rest of his sentence was left hanging in the air. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she watched Dean pull his left hand from the pocket of his jacket, exposing a small box to her eyes.

“Will you marry me, (y/n)?” The words were whispered, filling the small space before a sob broke out of her. All (y/n) could do was whisper a small "Of course" as Dean opened the box to expose the most beautiful ring she has ever seen. 

Both their hands were shaking. Dean had his eyes set on her finger as he slowly slid the ring onto it – all while being unable to bite down his grin at the sight. Her hands found his cheeks to pull him in for a teeth clashing kiss, drawing desperate moans from them in unison. 

First time that I saw you, you took my breath away. I might not get to Heaven, but I walked with the angels that day

“I love you, Dean Winchester.” She mumbled the words against his lips as he held her close, letting another shaky though relieved sigh pass his lips. 

“I love you too, future Misses Winchester.” Her teary laughter rumbled through her as Dean kissed her again, deepening the kiss with his wandering tongue and his impatient hands. Her mind was racing, still trying to understand what had just happened, something she had been thinking of since meeting Dean, and yet she had never dared to have the talk with him.

God, how lucky she was, getting married to the man she never wanted to part from again, forever glued to his side as if their fate had been interlinked since their births. 

“Backseat?” His question vibrated against her lips while (y/n) choked on her moan, desperate for him to fuck her on the seats that had experienced their best and their worst moments. For a second, they parted, to find their way to the backseats, before (y/n) straddled his lap and let her hands undo his trousers, while they kissed again, and again. 

“I can’t believe I get to marry you. I must have done something right after all.” Dean’s words left her heart clenching in her chest. (Y/n) wanted to tell him that there was so much he had done right in his life, that there were so many things he should be proud of, but the words died on her tongue as his fingers disappeared beneath her dress to wander over the damp fabric of her panties. The groan leaving Dean made her buzz in excitement, unable to bite down a groan of her own. 

“Fuck, you’re already so wet for me, sweetheart.” He began to rub her pulsing bundle through the thin fabric, while she finally managed to free his hardening cock. Their eyes held contact as (y/n) spat into her hand before she began to pump him, giving them both enough courage to let go of their sounds to fill the dark Impala. 

“Dean, don’t waste any time, I want to feel you inside of me.” Her moaned words left Dean chuckling in glee, a gritty sound that made her walls clench around nothing, begging him to finally sink into her. Their eyes held contact as his tongue kissed his teeth, sinking further into the seat while his fingers pushed her panties aside. She held her dress up to offer him a view that made his cock twitch, watching her position herself while he could only stare up at her and thank his lucky stars for pushing them together. 

Both let go of a heavy moan as (y/n) sank down on his cock. She allowed herself to rest for a moment, to push her forehead against his, while both took a deep breath. Slowly she began to move, supported by Dean’s hands, who couldn’t stop his fingertips from digging into her skin. 

The sound of their bodies moving filled Baby, followed by sinful sounds they couldn’t stop from breaking through them. Both were grateful for the darkness that had wrapped them in a comforting embrace, clinging to them to hide their frames from anybody who could walk past the Impala. Stuck in their own bubble, forever interlinked.

“I always knew you were perfect for me, fuck, I can’t believe I get to marry you.” Dean’s head rolled back against the headrest to stare at his now fiancée, the most beautiful woman his eyes had ever been fortunate enough to look at. She was perfect in any and every way, crafted for him only, made to cling to his body. God, sex had never felt like that before he had met (y/n), it had never been this intense, this raw, this loving. He wouldn’t trade this for the world, forever glued to her side. 

“Dean,” (y/n) whined his name as she reached for his hand to push it closer to her pulsing bundle, needing the extra friction to push that familiar heat through her aching body. Their foreheads met, pressed together as they trembled, knowing that their highs were oh so very close. 

He couldn’t stop his hips from meeting her thrusts, trying to bury himself even deeper inside of her as she trembled in his lap. He’d fight every creature, every being for this sight. Dean would do anything to hold her like this for the rest of their lives. 

“Look at me, (y/n).” His choked words forced her eyes to meet his green ones, holding contact as she came for him. Dean’s hips began to move again, jerking upwards to fuck them through her high, only to follow her a few seconds later to imprint himself on her walls. 

“I can’t wait for the night of our wedding.” Dean panted the words that drew a laugh from (y/n). She rested her forehead on his shoulder, holding herself to him as he was still buried deep inside of her. 

“Of course this is the only thing you think of. I can’t believe I’m marrying such a horny bastard.” His hands began to tickle her, forcing a loud laugh out of (y/n) as she threw her head back, letting the sounds fill the car.

“You wouldn’t have it any other way, sweetheart.” 

Some may have their riches, some may have their worldly things, as long as I have you, I′ll treasure each and every day

Just take me by the hand, I am the luckiest man alive, did I tell you, baby, you are the joy of my life?

[loucifersbitch]

He feels like he’s being weighed down. Like he’s under water or a heavy blanket. His limbs are heavy, and he can’t get his eyes to open. There’s muffled sound nearby, but he can’t make out anything coherent. He’s also really warm. Uncomfortably so.

Is this what death is like? Is he in Hell? Or something Hell-adjacent? Were all the fire and brimstone idiots he refused to give the time of day actually right about something?

But then the heat is gone and there’s a cool breeze that skims across his skin.

Does he have skin? Do people feel their skin once they’re dead?

He’s still debating with himself as he gets pulled further under.

~***~

What is that annoying, repetitive sound? Did he change his alarm? Why the fuck can’t he turn it off?

~***~

It hurts.

Why does it hurt?

He can’t even tell what hurts, but something fucking hurts.

If he could just open his eyes and get up to take some ibuprofen.

Also his nose itches. Why can’t he fucking scra-

~***~

“Fucking bees.”

~***~

He’s warm again, but it’s not uncomfortable this time. 

He feels safe. And alive. 

He doesn’t feel as weighed down anymore.

It’s difficult, but he cracks his eyes open. He’s - in the hospital? That’s definitely a hospital ceiling and hospital lights and hospital machines beeping.

He turns his head to the left - slowly - and sees his arm is in a giant cast. That explains why he can’t lift it.

He turns his head to the right just as slowly. He’s surprised to see a head of curly hair lying next to his hip, a large hand in his own. 

When he flexes his hand, the curly head pops up immediately.

The man looks at him with bloodshot eyes that clearly haven’t seen sleep in days. He’s young - not alarmingly so but certainly younger than Tommy. The stubble on his jaw has gone far past 5 o’clock shadow and has entered the realm of beard, making him look slightly older. But who -?

“Tommy?” the man asks. His voice is low and raspy, possibly unused.

“Uh,” Tommy says. His own voice sounds even worse.

Without hesitation, the man turns - without letting go of Tommy’s hand - and pours a cup of water from the pitcher on the table next to the bed. Then he brings the cup up to Tommy’s mouth, a bendy straw pointing toward him.

Tommy drinks slowly, his mouth feeling like parchment that’s been left out in the sun too long. 

“Thanks,” he says.

The man sets the cup down and says, “Yeah, so um, h-how do you feel?”

He thinks for a bit, taking stock of himself.

“Sore. Numb in places. I assume they’ve got me on the good stuff?” The man nods, a cute smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “But there’s also the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen sitting next to me, holding my hand. So all told, I’m doing pretty well.”

The tips of the man’s ears turn pink, and a cute blush spreads across his cheeks. Adorable.

“You don’t have to flirt so hard, Tommy. You should know by now, I’m a sure thing.”

Ah, so -

“So we’re,” Tommy gestures vaguely with his head, “together?”

“Uh,” the man laughs uncertainly, “for about six months now, yeah.”

“Oh.” Tommy’s eyebrows shoot up. “But you’re so…” He trails off, not really knowing where he was going with that.

“So…what?” the man prods.

“Take your pick,” Tommy says. “Young? Pretty? Out of my league?”

“Sweetheart.” The man says it like they’ve had this discussion before, but he’s smiling. “Don’t try to amnesia your way out of being with me. I called dibs forever after our second date.”

Tommy smiles lazily. “Dibs forever, huh?”

“Yep. You’re stuck with me.”

Humming as if he’s considering the pros and cons, Tommy finally says, “I guess I can live with that.”

The man’s smile is blinding. “Evan,” he says. “Evan Buckley. In case you forgot.”

It comes back to him then - a cruise ship rescue in the middle of a hurricane, a basketball game, a kiss, a first date that ended terribly, more dates that ended perfectly, slow dancing in the kitchen, long nights together that ended too soon. A call during a bad storm, total engine failure, glass and fear and rain and acceptance and trees and blue eyes and a smile like warm sunshine.

“Evan,” Tommy says, pulling him closer. “Baby.” He kisses him softly. “I love you more than anything. How could I forget?”

Evan has tears in his eyes and leans their foreheads together when he says, “Don’t ever do that again. I thought I lost you.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. I thought so, too. I thought I’d never get to see you again. I’m so sorry.”

The next kiss is wet with tears - Evan’s or his own, it doesn’t matter. They’re here, and they’re both okay, and they’re together. That’s all that matters.

“I love you, too, by the way,” Evan says once they pull apart. “Can’t believe you waited to tell me until after you almost died, but I’ll take it.”

“I’ll say it every day until I actually die, okay?” he says. He gets a smack to his good shoulder for his effort, but they’re smiling too hard for it to have any weight.

There’s a long road ahead with recovery and therapy and stubbornness and frustration, but they’ve got this. They’ll get through it all. 

Together.

part 1

part 2

part 3

also now on ao3!

[darlingdaisyfarm]

hey hey

i think stan has a thing about striptease. he 120% spent a lot of time there in his youth (you know. bars, casinos, underground scams)

so what if fem!reader suddenly decides to striptease him? i know stanley will LOVE IT

"you're more beautiful than any show i've ever seen. by the way, i was in vegas!"

OH. OH YOU KNOW STANLEY PINES HAS A THING FOR STRIPTEASE

you cracked the case. congratulations (duck)detective! that man spent his years in the glow of neon lights, probably drank whiskey in the back of a strip club while getting kicked out for trying to pull a card trick on the bouncer :))

and it doesn’t matter what body type you have. not even a little, not a fucking crumb. he doesn't give a shit. big chest, small chest, long legs, short legs, scars, rolls, cellulite, WHATEVER, you are the show and he is so feral with love for the fact that you’re confident enough to move like this just for him.

nsfw

just imagine doing that slow little sway of your hips and playing coy with your fingers at the hem of your shirt. he’s sitting back on the bed or the armchair, legs spread, eyes locked on you like a man possessed. a glass of whiskey in his hand going untouched because his mouth’s hanging open just a little

and u say something like “wanted to show you something special tonight, Stanley”

and Stan grins so wide his gap between the teeth is visible<3 he can’t help but talk, “oh, sweet moses, look at you, baby. just for me? fuck, you’re more beautiful than any show i’ve ever seen. and i’ve been to vegas, sweetheart. front row by the way!” and u know it's the highest praise possible

oh god he's breathing through his nose like a fucking bull, fully aware his pants are already getting tight. and the next thing you do makes him sweat, even though he's seen it a million times. you flick your bra off and he groans, hand moving to palm himself. but he stops. tries to behave for once. he’s never wanted to be good so badly, he wants to watch and remember every sway of your pretty hips and your cute playful little smirk.

and when you touch yourself, rubbing over your own thighs, he whines. and the more you tease, the more his eyes get darker and his voice gets lower from arousal.

“god. you love yourself like this, huh? yeah? good. you should, you should. you’re perfect, princess”

let me tell you, Stanley LOVES watching you LOVE YOURSELF, that really lifts his mood and his cock. he’s not gonna last. he’s already twitching in his pants by the time you’re pulling your panties down one leg at a time.

“yeah, take it slow, baby. lemme see those hips. yeahhh, just like that. look at you, so pretty. . . my girl, my model” he's probably telling you this, but hes the one getting more and more horny from his own words. “fuck, you’re gorgeous. look at that body. that’s mine, huh? all mine. holy hell”

and then? THEN?? barely holding back a smile, you climb into his lap, still dancing teasingly, grinding slow and he moans out loud, immediately his hands flying to your waist, so eager to touch his doll. “you wanna be on top, baby? wanna take what’s yours? yes, go on. take it, ride me. show me how you want it.” he’ll cry, i’m not even joking. just a few soft overwhelmed tears while you take him in, smiling like a goddess you are, and he’s never felt more honored to be alive!!

he’d absolutely beg you to do it again. . . repeatedly. he'd keep a playlist, maybe even a little cute costume tucked away for you, because it drives him crazy in the most old-school, romantic, sleazy way. HE JUST ADORES HIS GIRLLLL

[stewpidcheescatarinabluu]

Even the Ordinary Feels Like a Dream.

Synopsis: You had it all—but with her, even the ordinary felt like a dream.

Word Count: 1,245

Karina X Male Reader !!

tags: jus fluff hehe

You’re a businessman now—living what most would call an above-average life. You’ve got everything you need, and more importantly, everything you want. It’s not flashy or over-the-top, but it’s your dream life. A job that pays ridiculously well, a home that feels like peace, and at the center of it all—her.

Karina.

You met her back in college. She was the school’s valedictorian—beautiful, kind, but her most captivating trait? Her loyalty. Through every stage of your life, she’s been there. Patient. Soft. Solid. She saw you through struggle and success. Married her last, last year. Life’s been good since then. Real good.

You were at the office, just running through your usual tasks while chatting with your coworker across the desk.

“Hey, can you send me that one car link?” you said, not even looking up. “I’m planning on buying the wife a car.”

He blinked. “Wow. Someone’s lucky.”

You just shrugged, half-smiling. “Gotta spoil her, you know? I’ve been under her care for a long time.”

He let out a low whistle. “With all those packed lunches and post-it notes? I don’t doubt you. You’re a good husband, for all I know.”

You chuckled. “Thanks, dude. May you be blessed with a good wife someday.”

“Don’t laugh…” he grumbled.

“My bad,” you grinned.

Time passed—Excel sheets, quick meetings, emails flying back and forth. Then your phone buzzed.

Karina: “heyyy loveyy! how are you? i’m otw to drop your food hehe”

Attached was a cute little selfie—she was in the car, seatbelt on, with that soft smile you’d always fall for.

You leaned back in your chair, warmth spreading through your chest.

You: “Heh. You look beautiful, love. Alright, I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”

Your coworker side-eyed you. “What are you smiling on about? You look dumb.”

“Ya just don’t get it, loner.”

“Geez. Sorry,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

You pocketed your phone, still smiling to yourself. No matter how many deals you closed or how expensive the watch on your wrist was, nothing beat a simple message from your wife.

And she still made you feel like the luckiest man alive.

You stepped out of the building and there she was, parked just near the curb, window down, one arm resting on the steering wheel, the other waving when she saw you.

“Loveyyy!” she called out, her voice like a melody you’d never get tired of.

You jogged over, opened the passenger door, and slid in like it was the most natural thing in the world. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to your cheek. “Hi, handsome.”

“Hey,” you smiled, stealing a quick peck from her lips. “Missed you.”

She giggled. “You saw me this morning.”

“And I still missed you.”

She pulled the lunch bag from the backseat and handed it to you, all packed neatly—your favorite rice bowl, a little side of kimchi she made last night, and a note stuck to the top of the lid. A yellow post-it with her handwriting.

“Don’t overwork yourself, babe. I love you so much. Eat well! - Your #1 fan”

You shook your head, grinning as you read it. “You seriously still do these?”

“Of course. I’m not stopping until you get sick of me.”

“Impossible.”

She opened her drink and passed you yours. “Oh, and I added something.”

You opened the smaller container and blinked. “No way. Brownies?”

She winked. “I baked them at 6 a.m. Felt like a good day to remind you how lucky you are.”

You took a bite of the rice, then paused just to look at her—hair tied loosely, hoodie a little oversized, no makeup, but still the most beautiful person you’d ever seen.

“You really make everything better, you know that?” you said quietly.

She looked over, smile softening. “I just love you. That’s all.”

You nodded slowly, chewing thoughtfully. “I’m buying you a car.”

She blinked. “Huh?”

“I’ve been looking. You’ll see it soon.”

Her mouth parted, eyes wide. “Babe—”

“You take care of me every single day. Let me return the favor, even if it’s just through stuff.”

She stared at you for a second, then leaned in and rested her forehead against yours. “I don’t need anything else but you. But… if it has a sunroof, I won’t complain.”

You both burst out laughing, and for a moment, it felt like college all over again—except this time, you were living the future you used to dream about. And she was still there, by your side, like she always promised.

You pulled into the driveway just as the sky turned a dusty pink. The car you bought for her was parked neatly beside yours, wrapped in a sleek red bow across the hood, the paint glinting gently under the dim light.

You stepped out, took a deep breath, then quietly opened the front door. The smell of food hit you first—savory, warm, familiar. Then her voice floated from the kitchen.

“Loveyyy?”

“Yeah,” you called out. “Just got in.”

She peeked from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Perfect timing, everything’s done—” she stopped mid-sentence, eyes trailing past you, out the window, toward the driveway.

“…wait. Is that…?”

You grinned. “C’mon. Come look.”

She slipped on her slippers and walked out with you. Her eyes landed on the car, and she froze.

“Babe.”

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“Is this mine?”

“Yours. Full tank. Sunroof. You said you wouldn’t complain.”

Her jaw dropped. She turned to you with glassy eyes and hit your chest playfully. “I was kidding about the sunroof, you goof!”

“And I took you seriously.”

She laughed, then hugged you—tight. “You’re unbelievable.”

You kissed the top of her head. “Nah. Just madly in love.”

Later that night, the two of you sat at the table, soft music playing from her phone on the counter. Dinner was warm and perfect—kimchi stew, rice, grilled mackerel, and the side dishes she knew you loved.

“So… how’s it feel owning two cars now?” you teased, lifting your chopsticks.

She rolled her eyes with a smile. “It feels like I have a sugar daddy and a soulmate in one.”

You nearly choked laughing. “That’s wild. I’m putting that on my LinkedIn.”

“CEO. Husband. Sugar daddy.”

“Exactly.”

The two of you laughed until your cheeks hurt. It wasn’t just the food, or the car, or even the jokes.

It was the feeling—this life. Built slowly. Lovingly.

And it was yours. Together

After dinner, you were both cleaning up—her drying the dishes while you placed them back in the cabinet. The soft hum of a lo-fi track filled the kitchen, mixing with the clinks of plates and the warmth of shared silence.

Then, out of nowhere, she looked at you with that familiar glint in her eyes.

“Say, love…” she started, towel still in her hands, lips tugging into a soft, hopeful smile, “let’s go on a road trip?”

You turned to her, already knowing what was coming just by the way she tilted her head. Those puppy eyes—wide, pleading, unfairly effective—like she already knew the answer.

You smiled, stepping closer, wiping your hands on your shirt before placing them gently on her waist. You leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“It’ll always be a yes, love.”

She beamed instantly, arms wrapping around your waist, squeezing you tight. “Really?! Even if we leave tomorrow?”

You nodded. “Even if we leave tonight.”

She laughed into your chest, heart full.

“We’re gonna make playlists, pack snacks, and I’m choosing the first drive-thru.”

“Fine,” you grinned, “but I’m choosing the second. And I get to hold your hand the whole way.”

“You always do.

[belphegored]

°•♡ Minors dni • Solomon/reader; reader is not solomon's descendant!!!; jealousy, penetrative sex, reader has a vagina.

n.a: I cannot escape the curse 😔

"So you really don't play favorites?" your voice drips disbelief; he could certainly afford to, you think while your fingertips trail little paths all over his broad chest with an air of idleness, of a mock nonchalance that could fool nobody and much less him of all people.

Your thumbs are lovingly rolling over his nipples and to that and your question, Solomon can only offer a rock of his hips and smile in return (and this is nonchalant for real).

You feel it everywhere, and also feel he's saying "if I tell you, I'll get in trouble" although you don't think such a thing could be possible:

He's not perfect, far from it. Proud, arrogant, haughty, but just as beckoning, just as commanding and wise and- so, so beautiful that god has chosen to forgive every transgression of his, a sign of something that went beyond mere fondness, and both devils and angels perhaps feel the same way about him. Yes, even the ones who resent him, revere him unto heartache and heartbreak and sometimes you think you truly feel like this as well.

Sometimes you convince yourself that this bitterness like thorny vine around your heart stems from unadultered adoration and even just that alone makes you feel cruel and unfair to him, as if in the face of the man you love, you weren't allowed a speck of selfishness.

Solomon is beloved to all, but you want him for yourself, there's no hiding to that. Is that so terrible?

.

Nails dig on the flesh of his shoulders, drag down, indent his skin glowing like mother of pearl with red streaks. Solomon likes it when you get possessive like now; this you know because he hums and graces you with a lazy smile and you feel his voice rumble sweet in the within of your navel, feeding an ache.

"Keep going" he tells you, yet you think you hear "earn it"- earn every bit of his attention, every inch of his cock, second of his time, his favoritism, ultimately.

He's stirring alive inside you again, swelling until you feel the stretch all over and so your hips shift more in reflex than anything else, because he's deep and everywhere and you just have to accommodate again.

"Like so?" Your question is a breathless pant. Out of nowhere, as you ride him, you are competing in your mind against every other being who ever had the fortune of making love to him as this, to entertain him even for a little while.

It hurts, yes, until he reassures you, his crystal clear gaze full of warmth:

"Just like so..."

Yet he makes no move to help you, arms lazily resting behind his head, only his hips thrust upwards as if to unseat you and have you restart the struggle so sweet.

Your hips drag and stutter on an uneven pace until you're almost broken, thighs almost numb- but so worth it.

& "who told you that, by the way?" He's unbothered and sweet when he asks, words along the fine line between fond and teasing, and you find a lazy thumb is suddenly toying with your swollen, throbbing clit. You try to move and focus on his words but it's all so difficult...

"Huh?" You're dazed, cock-drunk, struggling to take it and gladly and your head spins and you find it increasingly hard to think clearly when his tip drags along your inner walls and yet he keeps prodding.

"That I don't pick favorites, I mean."

You dare meet his gaze from above and immediately avert it again out of embarrassment; he's smiling like you just posed to him the most nonsensical idea.

"D-dunno..." is all you manage to babble.

Now, truly, where had you heard such a thing? Was it Paimon? Leraye?

"I'm just a man, you know..." He laughs with abandon and you swear you feel the rumble all up your guys, making your breath quicken, "unfair, to all. Even when they see otherwise." each word punctuated by a roll of his hips and a slap to your open, needy cunt.

You nod, glossy-eyed, broken by yearning. He's right, as ever.

"So, so unfair," You agree, climaxing on his cock all the same, squeezing him tight as you lean for a kiss and milk him for all he's worth, so that you may get anything to show for this at all.

[vampirebloodie]

Doctor Y/N | Soldier Boy x Reader

Summary: You're chosen to undergo medical tests on Soldier Boy and discover that maybe the russians hadn't killed his libido

Warning: smut 18+, mentions of sexism

"Do you want me to examine Soldier boy?"

You asked still a little incredulously, looking at Butcher.

"It's not a big deal, we just need to know if he's fit to fight Homelander."

"Okay, and you've forgotten that he's simply the most sexist, misogynistic guy there is?"

"It's just a check-up, beautiful. He won't swallow you alive."

You sigh and agree, knowing that if you said no, Butcher would suck you up until you agreed to help him. So you and the bearded man walk up to the apartment where Soldier is, Butcher opens the door and the two of you walk in, finding the man sitting on the couch, watching television and with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. That room looked like a mess, the coffee table was full of half-eaten fast food. You took one last look at Butcher before focusing on Soldier Boy.

"Is that Soldier Boy ?"

You whispered to Butcher, you didn't have a certain sense of who Vought's first generation of supes were, but you expected Soldier Boy to be an old guy.

"Yes, it is. This is Soldier Boy." *

Butcher answers almost off-handedly, not seeming to be paying you as much attention as the supe was. You can almost taste the disdain in his voice, as if he's talking about some common criminal and not one of, if not THE most dangerous supe in history. Soldier Boy didn't seem to be as bad a person as Homelander, but his powers were still dangerous.

Soldier Boy makes an immediate eye-contact with you, and you can almost feel his eyes on you, watching you. You get the feeling that he's judging you, analyzing every inch of you. This goes on for a second or two, before he gets up and walks over to you, Analyzing you carefully from top to bottom.

"So, who are you?"

He asks right away, his voice harsh and rough like sandpaper

"I'm Y/N."

"Y/n, huh? What the hell's a cute young thing like you doin' with Butcher and his dogs?"

Despite his harsh tone, his eyes are full of amusement and curiosity as he talks to you. After being trapped in a russian lab for so many years, it was something "new" to see women.

"I work with Butcher."

You say in a serious tone, crossing your arms. You weren't too fond of Soldier Boy's joke, but Butcher had already warned you that he had that kind of personality. And well, wouldn't it be nice to mess with a supe that can blow everything up in seconds.

"What a shitty job."

He scoffs, seeming amused by your expressions of disapproval at every word that comes out of his mouth. You'd love to give him a paw, but Butcher's look under you alerted you that it wasn't a good idea.

"Believe me, i've saved the boys' boots several times."

He notices you for a few moments again and his green eyes focus on the gray briefcase in your hands.

"What is that?"

"Briefcase. I'm going to need it."

"What's in the briefcase?"

He asks a little impatient and suspicious, the PTSD really seemed to affect him quite a bit.

"Relax. She will not hurt you."

Butcher says, trying to calm him down a bit.

"Of course she won't. She can't, she's a woman."

You squinted at the brunette, he was quite cheeky, and unfortunately you'd have to get used to it during the examination.

"At least is pretty."

His greenish eyes wander from your head to your feet, watching you closely. You crossed your arms and cleared your throat.

"I didn't come here to flirt with you."

Soldier Boy chuckles, amused at your attitude. He's seen every trick by now, and he has a feeling he'll have quite a bit of fun with you.

"Then what the hell did you come here for, sweetheart?"

"Because i'm the group's doctor. It's not a good idea to take you to a hospital, so Butcher wants me to examine you."

"Examine me for what, exactly?"

He asks, his tone a bit confused and slightly intrigued. As the woman mentions her role of being the doctor in the group, he looks closer and notices a first aid kit on her belt. It doesn't take him long to put two and two together before chuckling again.

"After what happened to you in Russia.... We just want to know if you're really able to fight against Homelander."

Butcher was unsure after learning what the russians had done to Soldier Boy had in any way affected his strength, even though the experiments had turned him into a time bomb that could explode at any moment, they would still need to weaken Homelander as much as possible before exploding him.

Soldier Boy's chuckle quickly turns into a scowl, and his facial expressions hardens immediately, his eyes narrowing again.

"So you just assume i'm weak now?"

His tone is sharper than before, as if he's trying to hide any kind of weakness he might have after spending years in a lab. His voice is much more agitated compared to his flirtatious one. He wasn't liking people thinking he was weak, especially a woman.

"Nope. But after everything that's happened, we need to know if what russians injected into you made you stronger... or weakened"

You've been very clear on the possibility that he's gotten weaker

Soldier Boy seems annoyed at first at the implication that he's gotten weaker, but he seems to mull it over for a couple of seconds before relaxing a bit.

"You have a good point. But it won't make a difference, sweetheart. I'll be as fit as ever. But if it makes you worry any less, I'll let you examine me.".

You take one last look at Butcher and MM, who were still inside the room.

"You guys can go now, I'll be fine."

Butcher and MM just nod, giving you a reassuring smile before walking off. You put the briefcase on top of the coffee table and open it, there were some medical instruments inside. Soldier Boy watches you with an amused and curious expression, sitting down on the couch and getting comfortable. You can tell that he's definitely a little curious about you and what your intentions are with him, but he's keeping his tongue, for now at least, as he waits for the examination to begin.

"Take off your shirt."

Soldier Boy raises his eyebrows in surprise for a bit but complies quickly, standing up and taking off his sleeveless shirt. Underneath you can now see just how fit he is, being leanly sculpted and having defined muscles all over his body. The man is definitely cut. He stands in front of you, waiting for the exam to begin, You gesture and he sits back down on the green couch.

You grab the stethoscope and sit next to him on the couch, placing the device in your ears and pressing the other side of the device against his chest, in his heart.

"Take three deep breaths and inhale"

Soldier Boy obliges, taking the three deep breaths like you directed. As he exhales, you can hear just how calm his heartbeat is. He's definitely got a good heart. You can hear the strong beats pumping a steady pace.

"A healthy heart."

You take out the stethoscope and grab a small flashlight.

"Don't close your eyes"

Soldier Boy raises his eyebrows once again, but doesn't say anything, instead just looking at you as you take out the flashlight. He seems both curious as to what you're going to do next, and skeptical at the same time, but keeps his eyes wide open even when you tell him not to close them.

You examine his eyes with the flashlight, it was all right. He didn't seem to have any eye damage even with the lab experiments.

"Good vision too."

Soldier Boy smiles at that, clearly pleased with your approval. But his expression quickly changes to a frown when he remembers what else you were going to examine.

"What else are you going to do?"

"This depends. Do you feel any pain? Any pressure? twinge?"

You run your hands over his body, giving it a gentle squeeze, to see if maybe he could feel pain due to some muscle or bone damage.

Soldier Boy seems to tense up a little whenever you run your hands over him, but you can't tell if it's because it's uncomfortable or because he's liking it. But whatever the case, it's clear that your touch affects him in some way, and he quickly takes in a sharp breath each time you touch him, as if he's feeling quite a bit of sensation. He definitely doesn't seem to be feeling any pain, though.

"Yes or no?"

Soldier Boy thinks for a few seconds before finally answering your question.

"No. Nothing hurts. Everything feels pretty normal."

You just nod and pull out a syringe and an empty tube.

"Can I get some of your blood out?"

"Yeah, sure."

His tone is neutral and a bit uncaring as he holds his arm out to you. You can tell that he's not as wary about all that's going on as he was before, and he seems to actually trust you after this little examination. His expression returns to a smirk, seeming to be entertained by your efforts.

You take his arm, squeezing until you feel one of the veins, then you stick the needle into his blue vein. Soldier Boy seems to wince somewhat as you stick the needle in his vein, his face making a slight frown for just a second before he quickly regains his composure and his neutral expression. He doesn't flinch or even try to pull away from you, and he just seems to be patiently waiting for you to get this all over with.

You connect the tube with the needle and wait for the tube to fill with blood, then you take out the needle and close the tube carefully. You clean the hole in his arm with a cotton pad and put on a Homelander infant bandage.

Soldier Boy seems to be slightly amused at the band-aid, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead he just raises his eyebrows slightly and waits to see what you'll do next. You suddenly stand up and face him, your hands go to his neck and you move his neck a little.

"Any pain? Discomfort?"

Soldier Boy seems to tense up slightly when you touch his neck, but once again, it doesn't seem to be a feeling of pain, but rather of sensitivity. He almost seems to be enjoying the touch from you again, your hands were soft, he liked it, and you can see a slight grin on his face for a moment before he answers your question.

"No. Feels normal."

You take your hands off his neck and put the things back inside the briefcase. You take a small machine and pour his blood into a glass, letting the machine analyze it.

Soldier Boy waits patiently as you put the things back in your briefcase and run the analysis on his blood. He seems more than just a little bit curious as to what the results will be, but he's not expecting anything serious to come from it. He stays quiet and waits for your results.

After a few minutes the machine prints a paper with the results, you pick up the paper and start reading it. You read calmly without saying anything, and this seems to make him extremely anxious.

Soldier Boy continues to just wait patiently as you read the results, seeming to be waiting to see how this will go. The results from the paper will definitely decide whether he's ready to get back in the game or not. So he's keeping his mouth shut for now and just awaiting your verdict.

"...What is it? What does the paper say?"

Soldier Boy asks, starting to get a little impatient and anxious from not knowing the results yet. His scowl starts to return as he speaks.

"I think you're not Soldier Boy anymore."

You look at him, Soldier Boy's scowl almost immediately transforms into a look of pure shock. His eyes suddenly narrow and he starts standing up.

"What the hell do you mean I'm not Soldier Boy anymore?!!?"

His expression becomes one of pure anger at your remark. You decide to correct yourself quickly, remembering that he is a ticking time bomb and could destroy everything with the slightest amount of anger.

"You are the super soldier boy! Whatever the russians injected into you, it made you stronger than before."

His expression changes again to a smirk, this time, an amused one.

"Oh, so that's what it is- they made me stronger, huh? So that means I can get back to doing what I do best."

He says proud of himself.

"Exactly. And look, you've become fertile again. compound v made you infertile, but what russians injected in your body brought your fertility back."

Another change in his expression as his smirk once again grows large over his face.

"Wait, you're telling me that now I can actually have a kid again?"

He seems thrilled and excited at this discovery, his body language and tone indicating that he's quite pleased with these results, And a mischievous idea begins to run through his mind.

"You look great, better than ever. Your results are perfect!"

"Perfect results, huh?!"

Soldier Boy's scowl suddenly turns into a big grin. He seems to be very pleased with your assessment, but he's not quite convinced that he should completely trust you just yet. And he's definitely not going to let on just how happy he is to hear his fertility is back.

"So I'm better off than I've been in a long time, right?"

"Right. You've got what it takes to kill Homelander, and it looks like it's going to be an easy task."

Soldier Boy can't help but chuckle at the way you're talking about this as if it'll be some walk in the park. His smile is clearly amused but also showing his arrogance as he speaks

"And what about you? You think you can handle your part of this little task, as well?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it can't be all me, can it?"

He seems to be looking down at you as his tone and expression become more teasing with each word. He's enjoying this interaction, his whole body language turning flirtatious and playful.

"I'm not a supe. I will not fight Homelander."

"Awww, really?"

Soldier Boy seems almost disappointed by that answer.

"I feel like this is such a shame now."

A sly grin spreads across his face before he quickly takes a small step closer to you on the couch. His tone still remains playful but he's now closer to you than before.

"Honey, I'm the doctor of the group. I keep my partners alive and tend to all their injuries, but I'm still human. Homelander is 30x stronger than me, it would be suicidal to try to bust him. Believe me, I've tried."

Soldier Boy seems to chuckle at that.

"30x stronger than you? Sounds like a whole lot of talk. And you've tried to fight him before? What happened? Did you get your little ass handed to him?"

You roll your eyes, feeling disgusted by his comment.

"Well, he tried to take me to bed and I refused, and he almost blew my head off with those laser beams."

Soldier Boy once again bursts out with laughter, his amusement now turning to pure humor. He can't stop cackling at what you had said. You'd stare at him blankly as he burst into laughter, but it wasn't really funny at all.

"Wow...he tried to take you to bed? How charming of him. Almost blew your head off too? Well, you know what they say- girls like the "bad boys."

He finishes that last sentence off with an amused wink. If he wasn't a supe you would definitely have punched him in the face now. You sigh.

"Look.. Homelander isn't ugly, but he's still Homelander, the fucking supe psycho, and i don't even like blondes"

Soldier Boy arch his eyebrow.

"Oh, so you have a type, huh? What about me? Am I your type?"

Soldier Boy seems to just be enjoying messing with you as his expression and tone remain playful and flirtatious.

"Misogynistic, sexist, closed-minded guys don't interest me."

"You're pretty brave to talk to me like that, woman."

You lose your temper and get up from the couch with the exam paper still in hand.

"I need to show your exams to Butcher, he's going to like this"

Soldier Boy seems both amused and a bit concerned about your mention of Butcher. So he nods his head in understanding, although he's not about to let you off the room so easily.

"So, are you just going to run off and show Butcher right now? Because if you're about to leave, I've got something else I want to ask you..."

"Ask what, Soldier Boy?"

You look at him crossing your arms.

Soldier Boy smirks as he leans back a bit on the couch and gestures for you to come closer.

"Did you think I was going to let you leave like that?"

You look at him with confused and suspicious eyes. Once again, he's being quite playful and flirtacious in his tone and body language. Soldier Boy's smile only grows as you get closer to him. Once you're right next to him, he grabs your waist and pulls you even closer to him. Then he whispers softly to you in a very teasing tone,

"Oh, I wonder what it is that I could possibly want from you now..."

"Let me go."

You try to break free from him, but his big, strong hands keep you in place like you're a doll.

Soldier Boy leans in even closer and whispers to you again, this time keeping his hands firmly on your waist, pressing himself firmly up against you. His body language is still very playful and flirtatious, but he's not giving you any space to pull away or escape right now.

"So do you think you can guess what it is that I want from you now?"

"I'm not going to fuck with you!"

You say firm. Soldier Boy pulls you in closer yet again, still holding you by your waist. This time he whispers right into your ear very slowly and seductively, making no effort to hide the flirtatiousness of his tone.

"Oh really? You won't do anything at all with me?"

"Exactly! You heard me very well."

You try to take his hands off your waist again, a waste of time, as soon as he pulls you once again you end up falling on top of his lap, your hands go to his shoulders automatically and you stare at him with wide eyes.

Soldier Boy's smile grows even bigger from your reaction as you fall into his lap and your bare hands press up against him. He's still smiling and looking down at you in a way that is very flirtatious but also very intimidating, as if to say that you have no chance of escaping him now.

You try to stand up but he pulls you again, harder this time, losing his patience, you moan softly as your pelvis slams into his thighs in a strong way.

Soldier Boy lets out a low-pitched growl as you bump up against him, and the sound of your moan does nothing but further turn him on. Your body brushing up against his is sending shivers of pleasure through his bones, and he doesn't seem to want any of this to stop anytime soon. So he pulls you even closer yet again, still keeping his hands firmly on your waist.

"You say you don't want to, so why do I feel your panties soaking wet all over me?"

Soldier Boy's voice is low and predatory as he continues to pull you in even closer towards him, his whole body language now showing that he's enjoying this little encounter of yours. You feel your cheeks get red, he catched you, You try to get up again but he pulls you once again, this time holding you tight and keeping you in place.

"Be quiet."

His hands squeezed your waist tightly, as an act of possessiveness.

"You've examined me, now it's my turn, and i want to do it internally."

You didn't even have time to react before Soldier Boy pushed you against the couch and climbed on top of you, kissing you fiercely and aggressively, you in turn returned the kiss quickly, even though you knew it was wrong and that Butcher and M.M could come back at any moment. You couldn't deny it, as much as he had been imprisoned in Russia for years as a prisoner, he still had a great grip. His hands roamed your body and you surrendered right there to him, his strong hands ripped your blouse at once, exposing your breasts. Ben looked into your eyes as if he could see your soul and smile, his mouth quickly landed on your breast and you threw your head back and opened your mouth, surprised.

You pushed him back and started unzipping his pants belt like a ferocious animal, you had been sexless for a while, so that stimulation activated your libido on a total animalistic level, and Ben's as well. He stands up and turns you around at once, throwing you against the couch and kissing your lips fiercely, spreading your legs and fitting into the middle of them, her hand goes to his pants lowering it completely along with his underwear, Ben takes off his underwear in an impressive quick way and quickly fits his member into his entrance, thrusting himself at once into you, you two moan in unison, your arousal eases the act and makes it less painful and Ben takes advantage of it, beginning to move rapidly back and forth, making a wet noise echo through the silent room that was now only filled by this noise and sound of moans.

His face hides in your neck as he inhales your scent and you grab his strong and big back, your legs curl between his waist, squeezing him tighter to you, you wanted him. Ben was almost roaring like a lion from how excited he was, years without sex couldn't be bought for the months you were without.

"Do you like it, hm?"

He asks taking out your hair that was stuck to your forehead due to sweat, you couldn't even answer, you just nodded your head amidst moans. Ben closes his eyes and screams burying himself once and for all in you at once, making your legs tremble, you both breathe hard and he comes out of you after a few seconds, sitting on the couch, while you continue lying there gasping for breath, his forehead rests on your knee.

"I'm glad you let me know that now I can have children again."

He says and you widen your eyes, staring at him.

"What?!"

You ask in shock and he just winks at you, flashing that scoundrel smile again.

— Please, if you liked it, give it a like, comment and reblog 💞 —

[i-am-a-night-crow]

could you do a slico X male reader where reader is a tailor originally from noxus but now loyal to him? (Yes I know that’s out there, vague and kinda random, sorry lol)

Sweet tailor (part 1)

Silco (Arcane) x male!reader (reader is a tailor)

-> fluff

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

Noxus, a rich and powerful country, where money and your place in the society is more important than anything else.

You, a simple tailor, quickly became one of the most famous tailor of the whole country. Everyone was trying to get a piece of work of yours. Even the richest ones tried to get one.

Everything was perfect for you. You were having plenty of money, you were popular. But your life was boring. Every day, you were doing the same. Making clothes for the richest people when the poor was freezing outside. Quickly, you started working for other countries and cities as well.

And the city with the most request was Piltover.

So here you are today, walking through Piltover since it's your day off.

But one thing no one warned you about, was Zaun. Crossing that bridge could be dangerous for someone like you. It could mean so much, for someone who didn't even know about this place.

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

You are walking through the streets of Zaun, unaware of the place you are in.

Everyone is looking at you weirdly. With your beautiful and rich clothes, no wonder you're an attraction for everyone.

After an hour of wandering in the city, people started showing interest in you. Or I should say, in your money.

A well dressed man walking in the disgusting streets of Zaun is never common.

So here you are, getting cornered by a group of men.

-"You look like a Piltie.. Aren't ya ?"

-"I'm sure he have plenty of money on him! Imagine what we could get with that"

-"Give us everything you have"

You look at them unsure of what to do. You are all alone, in a city you obviously don't know about. Nothing could save you.

That's what you thought until you heard someone walking in your direction.

You don't know who is the person, but he's obviously important here. Since the men who cornered you quickly left after they saw him.

-"Well.. What a man like you are doing here?"

You hesitate to answer. What I should say? What will happen for me?

-"not talkative huh? You know.. It's dangerous for you out there"

No way.

-"I'm.. Not sure. Where I am exactly?" you finally ask after a long silence between you two.

-"You are in the Nation of Zaun"

-"Oh... And who are you? They immediately left when they saw you.. I'm not in danger, right?"

He looks at you before smirking.

-"No you are not. My name is Silco. And you will quickly understand why people fear me"

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

It's been years since that day happened.

After Silco explained to you what was Zaun. And who he was in this city. You decided to stay a few days to see by yourself.

Everything was so poor, and what he told you about Piltover made you stay even longer.

You quickly started working for him after you decided to stay a few more weeks.

What you didn't know was that those weeks became years.

So here you are today, working again as you simply listen to him talking about his last meeting with the Chem-barons.

-"Why am I stuck with idiots?"

-"I don't know Silco" You hum while working. "Stop moving for a second" you gently scold him since he doesn't stop moving. You put your hand on his arm to make him stop moving it.

It's something you managed to do through the years you spent with him. At first, he hated when you touched him, even for your work. But now, he doesn't back up. He even search for your contact sometimes.

-"I can't believe they are still alive. Ugh.. If only they could be really useful"

He mumble under his breath as you take some measurements. You write on your paper as you adjust his sleeve.

-"You can't take someone else to work for?" you ask while working.

-"If only it was this easy.." he sighs loudly again as you grimace in dissatisfaction as he moves again.

-"Stop moving!"

He rolls his eyes before staying still for a while. Which allow you to continue your work.

-"I'm sure you will find a way to deal with them, like you always did before. It's not some losers who will scare you, isn't it?" you ask before looking at him.

-"clearly not, that's true"

-"See! All problems have a solution"

As you say that, you finish to adjust his sleeve before looking at it.

-"Okay, done with this one"

-"Thank you" he nods his head.

You continue working on his other sleeve for a moment before he talks again.

-"Did you know some guards from Noxus came again this morning?"

-"They did?"

-"They're still searching for you. They are a little late now, don't you think?"

It makes you huff of amusement.

-"Whatever they will say or do, I'm staying here, with you"

You look over at him before smiling. He looks back at you before smiling a little. How you love his smile. It's so rare to see it, but when it happens, you always feel some butterflies in your chest. And you know you're the only one who can make him smile like that, so you always feel special.

-"How kind of you"

You both stay silent for a few minutes before you look at the time.

-"It's already late"

-"Indeed"

-"I think we should stop for today. Your suit is almost finished. You will be able to slay next week" you smile widely. "anyway, I see you tomorrow at the same time as today, alright?"

-"Yes"

You pack your things before waving at him.

-"Have a good evening Silco"

-"You too"

As you leave, you can hear him talking to himself. What you hear make you smile of amusement and fondness.

-"What is 'slay'?"

_________________________________________

Hello!

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it.

I hope I managed to do something you wanted.

I know it's not really a relationship fiction, but I didn't figured how to make it in that context. But if someone wants, I could write a second part where it's based on the relationship part, and not the context of how they met.

I'm sorry for the wait for this request, and for the other ones as well, I was in the hospital so I couldn't write for a few days.. But don't worry, I'm now working on the other requests I got. And don't hesitate to continue to give me requests you would like to ask!

English is not my first language so I'm sorry for the potential mistakes.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Heart Sutra ~ Buddha x Goddess! Reader

Gate gate para gate para sam gate bodhi swaha...

"Your pronunciation is getting better, Y/N." King Jataka laid on the grass, underneath a tree, watching the beautiful woman besides him create various models of flower crowns with her magic. "Really? You truly think so?" her charming smile seemed to radiate as bright and warm as the Sun itself. "Yes, I think so. A little more, and you can sing the Heart Sutra perfectly." Jataka found himself smiling also. "Ahh, you are being far too nice, 'Taka." she waved her hand dismissively, returning to her idle work. "Y/N, do you mind if I ask you something?" she hummed, encouraging him to continue. "You are a Goddess. Why have you been staying at my court, disguised as a Bodhisattva?" he asked, deep in thought. Y/N turned her head to look at him properly. "Why, you ask?" Y/N didn't have an immediate answer. "I suppose because it makes me happy." "Does it, really?" he murmured, intrigued. "I think so, yes." she smiled kindly. "Every time I see the smiles of people that I healed, my heart bursts with happiness, and I feel lighter. In this prospect, I suppose that yes, being here, among humans, and aiding them does make me happy." "You are always smiling." Jataka nodded his head, pensive. "You have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen." "Jataka." she called out his name, placing the flower down and leaning back on the tree. "What is bothering you?" "Ahaha... Saw right through me, didn't you? No wonder you're a Goddess governing the nature, peace and serenity. Only someone pure and benevolent like yourself could understand my troubled heart." the King spoke softly. "I am nearing the end of my life, and through this, I have come to realise that although I have done my duty well, made my people happy and that my kingdom is flourishing... You see... I feel... Unfulfilled. I feel... Empty. Like there is something missing. I feel... Deep unrest and... Sadness. As though I am nostalgic over something that I have never had... And never will."

"Your reason for sadness is the very reason over which I took a leave of absence from home, up there." Y/N gently wrapped her arms around the King, placing his head on her lap. "There is no creature alive that can feel happiness over being controlled by a higher being. We blame destiny and duty, or even Gods for out sadness... But the truth is, Jataka... We are the masters of our own destiny, and only we have power over our own lives." Y/N looked away with a sarcastic smile. "If only that were entirely true, huh?" "Lavishing in all these material luxuries, being hidden away from any misfortune, I have been ignorant over what it meant to live." the man sighed deeply. "As I watched the starry skies one night, from the balcony, I realised how vast the skies are - And if the skies are endless, then so must the Earth be. I watched birds fly, unhindered by any restraint, and I realised that I was nothing more than a caged falcon, bound by a rope, never allowed to venture too far. Since my birth, I have been told that I must uphold my duties as a prince - As the future King - And I did everything as best as I could, out of filial love and duty for the people I am responsible for." Jataka felt a sense of relief, feeling the Goddess' hand gently caressing his silvery locks. "Do you think I am selfish, Y/N? For wishing for my own happiness, for once?" "No, Jataka. I do not think you are selfish. Truth is..." though Y/N smiled, it was bitter, and a tear escaped down her cheek. "I am just a little upset that you did not realise it until it was too late." a few more tears followed close behind, surprising the young King. "You are such a good man, Jataka. It always pains me, seeing young men and women like you, who have done only good in their life, and are repaid with only misfortune. I hate how unfair life can be, and I hate that I am unable of meddling with diseases that humans cannot conquer yet. If I were to keep every living being alive, forever, than it would only bring calamity and a disbalance of life." Jataka felt a pang of pain in his heart, realising the emotional woman before him cared so much for him and all the people she governed over - Despite all the births, deaths and rebirths that she's witnessed over the course of aeons, for as long as she has been alive - She still couldn't get over the suffering of loss. "But if I make an exception with you, then I would have to make an exception with everyone, as my heart wouldn't allow me to spare one over the other. A cruel fate, out of which I cannot escape. And you, Jataka, are correct, you are no different - A beautiful song bird, trapped in a golden cage, embellished with the most precious jewels, forced to sing the songs of the nobles, yet unable to break free and witness and experience the world in front of your eyes; Unable to spread your wings and feel the air brushing through your feathers."

Y/N felt two gentle hands cradling her face, wiping away her diamond beads of tears which created blooming flowers where they fell on the ground. Jataka smiled, and kissed her forehead. "Having your love means more to me than anything else in the world." he spoke in a soft voice which mellowed the Goddess' heart further into trembling with emotion. "Though I cannot live the life that I wished, nor live eternal in this mortal husk that my body is - I have a single wish, that only you may fulfill. It is the only thing that can bring me a little comfort. Can you promise me something, please?" "Of course. I will do anything." she placed her hands over his own, intertwining their fingers together. "Please, take care of Siddhartha for me. He is still young and naive, still fooled by the luxuries of the palace. He needs you, the same as I do. He is a good man. Please, care for him the same as you did for me." the two locked eyes, and their hearts came to a deep understanding. A vow was formed, for millennia to come. "I will."

Weeks passed by, and though Siddhartha had no clue that Y/N was actually a Goddess, he enjoyed his time spent with her and Jataka. Ever since she appeared at his Kingdom, quite a while ago, he felt that those two were kindred spirits, in ways that few could accomplish, as though they could understand each other simply through looks and smiles. Or maybe that's how mature adults think. One of the two, he wasn't quite sure. Either way, he often teased Jataka about taking her as one of his wives. He always got scolded when he did.

Y/N wasn't the most talkative, but he always appreciated her care for everyone, including him. All her kind words and sweet actions towards people made the young man want to spend more and more time with her.

At some point, he even came over to her, offering flowers - He had the most innocent, boyish grin - He was so adorable, really. Still, for some reason, Y/N only smiled sweetly at him, kissing his cheek and went away. Though he was flustered, he also felt... Rejected? Maybe his intentions weren't obvious enough? He wasn't quite sure - Not to mention, Jataka just laughed, but gave him no answer. Was he teasing him? Ha!

Jataka's time was nearing its end, and for the first time since they've known each other, Siddhartha was met with a confusing confession for his elder brother figure - The validity of his happiness. Was he happy, truly? Was the material world was the soul's fulfillment was? Or perhaps he was too shallow to realise... Or too inexperienced? Jataka said he realised how much he wanted to see the world and... Live. Alas, he couldn't, not only because of his illness, but because of his duties as a King, trapped in the comforting gold of his kingdom.

He panicked, seeing his older brother's bitter smile, looking into the horizon at the setting Sun, and he felt dread, watching the blood dripping down his hand as he continued to cough.

When the country went into deep mourning, he was shocked not to see Y/N anywhere. She must be glued to the coffin, no doubt. Everyone knew she was the closest person Jataka ever had. As Siddhartha rode towards the kingdom, he saw the people sobbing and weeping for their deceased King.

"The life I lived, who did it belong to, in the end?"

"Do you truly think I am a happy person?"

These questions rung through Siddhartha's mind, as soon as he heard that one assumption - "The king must have been truly happy."

But was he, really? Who's to say he was actually happy? The kingdom's prosperity? The people's well-being? No war, nor famine or plague in the lands he was governing?

At once, Siddhartha came to a revelation. He jumped off his horse, and weeping, he started cackling loudly, making people believe his grief drove him to madness.

As expected, as soon as he entered in the temple, he was met with sobbing people, lots of flowers, and a single woman glued to the King's coffin. Yes, Y/N loved flowers, and consequently, so did Jataka - Hence why Siddhartha gathered a whole basket of field flowers and strutted all the way to the coffin, throwing flowers around.

"Siddhartha...?" Y/N's sweet voice called out to him softly as she rose her crying face to look up at him. "You were right. I understand now, and I admit, you were right." he smiled at her. "I won't say it a second time though." "What are you talking about?" Siddhartha moved his gaze to Jataka, and offered a melancholic smile. "Hey, bro. You 'bout ready to go out of here?" with extraordinary strength, Siddhartha picked Y/N and placed her gingerly on his shoulder, as his other hand held Jataka's coffin. He was completely deaf to all the others yelling at him to stop his mad actions. "Piss off. Whatever Gods you're praying at today - My bro Jataka doesn't need their blessings. Because happiness... Comes from within."

Y/N gasped hearing his bold words - And she started crying. She was proud of him. Afternoon came, and the two knelt on the ground, gazing at the beautiful King amongst the flowers, having his coffin lowered onto the river sheen. "You are free, my friend. Now go and find your happiness yourself." they watched him disappear into the horizon, engulfed into the red rays of the beautiful Sun.

For the first time in the many years since they've known each other, Siddhartha witnessed Y/N offering him her undivided attention. As soon as the silhouette of the coffin was visible no more, she threw her arms around his torso and sobbed like a child. Siddharta smiled, moved that someone cared so much for his bro, and he held her smaller form into his embrace. "Why are you crying so much, you little crybaby? Don't you know - Suffering is only a concept bound to the material world. One day, when we enter Samsara, our souls will reunite with Bro's, and we will be friends again, in our next life - Again, and again, until we reach awakening and attain Nirvana." his words sounded so wise, unlike the childish beliefs of yester-year. "It is alright to upset, the wound is still fresh and ablaze. But Y/N - One should find happiness in remembering the beautiful memories guiding your future, rather than mourning the past." "I am so proud of you, Siddhartha." her words were nothing that he expected, and the young man was taken aback. "You are right. Yes, you are entirely right. If only that life was kinder to benevolent souls like yourself and Jataka." she continued vaguely.

Y/N rose her head to look up at him, a wide smile through her tears. "But, Siddhartha, you see - That truth only applies to mortals. As a Goddess, seeing beautiful souls die so young... Beautiful flowers withering all around you, as the garden you tended with so much love and care dies upon winter... It hurts every time, and no matter how many thousands of years pass, I cannot get over the suffering that loss has on me." Siddharta frowned slightly, confused at her statement. "Goddess, you say? Ha! That's funny." he grinned at her. "You see, I have just come to the realisation that I absolutely despise anything that tries to control my actions. I am a firm believer that we seam the tapestry of our own lives through the choices we make. Now I understand why Bro was so upset last time we met. You knew all this, didn't you, you little minx?" "Of course I did." she huffed lightly. "Siddhartha - Do you hate me for not saving Jataka? Now that you know my identity, you must be very upset that I just let him die." The young man let out an over-dramatic hum, placing his hand to his chin as if to mock thinking, before he popped out a negative answer. At least he retained his childish vitality. "What are you Goddess over, anyway? You healed people. Goddess of Life or what?" "Nature, Peace and Serenity." Siddhartha let out a sound of understanding. "No wonder I and Bro felt so good around you! It's like everything was good around you!" he cackled weirdly. "Must be hard on you, huh?" his theatrical expression turned more gentle and kind. "Having to take care of so many things at once. You know, my wife told me once that she can feel what our child feels. I'm not sure how it works, but it must be similar with you and everything you create right?" Y/N nodded her head, albeit, bewildered at the accurate comparison that he figured out on the spot. "Having to feel the emotion of every living being must be a huge pain in the ass." Y/N giggled in amusement. "I love and care for every living being, Siddhartha. It is like a gardener tending to a flower garden. Every human, every animal, every tree. Everything has life, and their vitality, their energy surges through my veins." she explained, taking a step back. She rose her hands up to take his hair away from his tail, letting it swish with the wind. His hair was so long, that it matches her own. "You dig in the dirt with your own fingers, and you bury the seed of life. Every morning, every afternoon and night, you tend to this seed, and care for it - You water it and fertilize it, protect it from parasites and the harsher weathers. When it comes up from under the first, you see the cutest, littlest sprout, braving to live and grow more. You watch it get bigger, and stronger over the course of many days, until finally, it reaches maturity, and it blossoms into the most beautiful flower." she smiled widely, creating a gorgeous flower crown, which she placed on his head. "But once it reaches maturity, the risk of illness increases. It matures until it grows old. You watch it lose its vibrant colours, the petals fall off one by one, until only a frail stem remains, falling from the faintest breeze, until finally, the roots rot, and the flower is no more." Siddhartha's grim comment about life made Y/N's beautiful gem-like eyes gleam with emotion. "So is life, yes." despite being overwhelmed with emotion, Y/N continued to speak. "Out of all my flowers - Siddhartha, you are my most beautiful lotus flower, and I am most proud of you." the young man blushed in surprised. "Creating humans, creating life - It is the effort of the collective of Gods, not mine alone; But creating, and caring for, is different. I may not be able to look over every living being in this large, large world, but I am most honoured that I was able to meet you and see you grow into such a wise young man."

At once, Siddhartha pulled Y/N into a tight hug, swinging her around enthusiastically. "Awwww, you're the sweetest! You're making me blush!" Y/N was quickly beginning to get dizzy from all the twirling and swinging around from the awfully strong prince. "What did you promise Bro?" "Oh? You knew about that?" Y/N chuckled softly, trying to regain her balance. "I promised that I would take care of you, the same way I did for him." Siddharta grinned widely. "Nope!" Y/N looked at him, a little confused. "I've got a better idea, actually." he brought Y/N at arm's length, his hands placed firmly on her shoulders. "You knew I liked you, didn't you?" Y/N nodded her head. "But a mortal doesn't live long enough, so they can't hang around an immortal, huh?" Y/N's eyes lingered towards the river, before nodding again. "Welp, I've got an idea!" his dazzling smile was more charming than any God. "You see, I want to go on a pilgrimage, all by myself. I want to find myself, and my own happiness. I want to find my purpose. I need to do this alone - Though don't worry, if I am to encounter a like-minded friend, then we will travel together." he spoke. "Will you wait for my return, Y/N? Until I reach my Enlightenment and become an iteration of myself with which I can be proud of?" Y/N smiled dearly at the young man, glowing like the morning Sun. "I will wait for you for as many cycles it takes you to find me again. I hope that, by the time you return, you will have achieved true happiness, and I can see your beautiful smile again. Siddhartha."

The young man smiled brightly before pulling Y/N into a sweet kiss. "Something to look forward to." he gave her a peace sign before walking away. "See ya, Y/N! Laters!" "Have a safe journey, you little troublemaker." Y/N smiled dearly, waving at him. Though life as a God was long and tedious, and relationships were shallow, she felt a pure love like she's never experienced before. Whether she sees the young man again or not, she knew he was going to be just fine.

Since then, Y/N returned to the Gods, continuing her boring life, watching over the nature of Earth from above. Life truly wasn't all that exciting for deities living so long, but once in a while, something big happens - Big enough for the whole foundation of Valhalla to shake to the core.

If a human becoming a demi-God wasn't exceptional enough, considering the bravery and righteousness that Heracles displayed; A man had somehow attained supreme spiritual awakening, and ascended to the title of Buddha the Enlightened, the Wise. A human achieved Godhood.

Siddhartha Gautama

As soon as he saw the Goddess, completely frozen from shock of seeing him in Heavens, he let out a childish squeal and leapt on her, rubbing his cheek on her face as though he's a kitten or something. He told her how much he missed her and what not - Surprise! He even had his own brand of delicious lollipops to share with her! And lots and lots of chocolate too! Oh, and they had so much to catch up!

He told Y/N all about his journey and the people he met, those he guided on their path to achieving happiness, and all the sightseeing he did. Best of all, he reminisced all the awakening he did over the years - And how much he missed her! Haha, a joke - He is always determined to get what he wants, so of course, he was patient. Craving would only bring him suffering, thus the knowledge of knowing the Goddess was there, waiting for him, soothed his worried into a calm peace of mind.

Siddhartha - Now, Buddha - Still felt so giddy, being called by his name. Only Y/N could call him that, of course! No one else had that privilege. The more she spoke his name, the happier he was. Buddha ended up playfully pinning Y/N to the bed, kissing all over her face and tickling her, feeling his heart lighter with every sweet giggle she let. When she couldn't take the tickling anymore, the Goddess wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him flush against her chest; She took off his hair tie once again, and the pretty crown-like accessory holding it in a lotus-like style, and she caressed his locks soothingly. "I missed you." three simple words, yet they had the strongest effect on him. He felt compelled to engulf her in his strong arms, cuddling together, two hearts soulbound for an eternity of spiritual happiness.

Many, many years passed, and Buddha and Y/N were inseparable. Gods may argue, and so do humans, but never once did anyone even see them disagree on anything, let alone argue. Was it the endless patience and compassion of the Buddha, or that Y/N was always too kind to say anything that might upset someone, and detested confrontation; She'd rather walk away, or smile, instead of disagreeing with anyone.

That was their biggest similarity, but also, their biggest difference - Buddha was never one to back away from a fight against someone he couldn't stand - In his case, most of the Gods. Ironic, isn't it, he told Y/N so many times; How one can detest the very being they became, with the same strength that they love another just as much. He was a God who hated Gods, yet a God, who loved a Goddess as much as he loved the happiness and freedom he achieved.

"You have to find your own happiness within you." he told her once, watching Y/N dancing around the forest. Everywhere she stepped, flowers grew. "That may be so, Siddhartha - But my happiness increases whenever I see you." she bent to his side, grabbing his wrists and pulling him up to dance with her. Though all kinds of flowers bloomed wherever she stepped, hence why she always walked with no shoes on; Where Buddha stepped, beautiful white lilies grew. Together, they created endless flower gardens, more ethereal than any other God could make.

One would think eternal bliss was in store for them - Alas, one so connected to Nature as Y/N, was bound to suffer greatly, to the hands of the mankind she cherished so much. Buddha often saw how Y/N would try to sneak away into the forests, all alone. Though he hadn't seen her, he could sense her distress, her agony. After the third time that she refused to confide in him, preferring to keep the problem hidden, the newly Awaken God decided to confront her himself.

Instead, once he arrived at the edge of the forest, he found Y/N collapsed on the grass, writhing in pain. Panicked, he fell to his knees, cradling her in his arms, calling out her name; She seemed feverish and weak, but Gods couldn't contract illnesses, could they? Surely, they can't. He held her tight in her embrace, wishering the Heart Sutra in her ear over and over again, until finally, her breathing evened out, and the pain subsided.

"Pfeww, don't scare me like that, gorgeous! You're going to give me a heart attack!" he collapsed on his back dramatically. "Forgive me... I didn't want you to see me like this." Y/N sighed, rolling on the grass next to him. "I did not want you to see me cursing the humanity that I loved so much." "Humanity caused you this pain? What do you mean?" he turned to his side, his blue water lily eyes widening. "Take a look for yourself." she guided him to the edge of the floating forest. "Look there - They are at war. Countless people are dying all at once, the grass is drowning in blood, the animals are perishing." she sighed softly, before pointing to the opposite side. "And there - The deforestation, the excessive hunting - That whole hill is bare of life and decrepit, all so that humans may build and build and build some more." "Ahh, I see, so I was more right than I realised, though to think it would affect you to the point of being physically ill. My poor, poor baby Y/N!" he threw his arms around her, rolling on the grass with her dramatically. There was nothing that he could do to save her from this - It was the course that humanity took for itself, but perhaps there might be a way to somehow detach her, even by a little bit, from her connection with that which was created. Perhaps, that-a-way, the suffering may subside. Until then, however, he can only distract her with his love and playfulness. It was working wonders.

For thousands of years, humanity existed, with the will of the Gods, until that will was no more. Even Aphrodite herself, disgusted with the state of the world, agreed to decimate mankind. Shocked with the outcome, Y/N was the first to step forward and protest. Though she couldn't see Buddha looking at her, she could feel his presence and his lingering gaze. She wanted to fight for the mankind that destroyed her from within. None of the actions of humanity were directly affecting either of the Gods, except for her for the most part. She was the only one with the validity of voting, and if she wanted mankind to continue living, she had every right to vouch for them.

But they didn't care for her opinions - Instead, they laughed, saying her pain will disappear along with the humans, and she can achieve serendipity. How ridiculous. Thankfully, Brunhilde's plan of inducing Ragnarok worked, and thus, the thirteen fights were to take place.

Worried, Y/N quickly rushed out of the conference room, needing some time alone to regain herself. She was panicking and afraid. True, eliminating the humans was bound to relieve her heart of suffering - But at what cost? There were so many good people, innocent people out there, who did nothing wrong. Why should they perish, for the mistakes of others? Like how Adam and Even were cast away from Heaven, due to the disgusting lies and deceit of the Snake, so will billions and billions of other people suffer eternal Doomsday.

It wasn't fair.

A mother doesn't kill their own child for misbehaving. The Gods were being as selfish as always.

"N'aww, sweet-cheeks, don't tell me you're crying again! You know it breaks my heart seeing you like this!" though Buddha wasn't expecting to be pinned to the wall, Y/N's fingers digging deep into his shoulders. "We can't let them die, Siddhartha! We can't! They are innocent!" Y/N cried out, looking into his beautiful eyes. "Please, don't tell me you're on their side! We can't - We can't let them die! But what can we do? We are so few, against so many of them - And they're all so unreasonable and short-sighted." Buddha felt pain in his heart, listening to the distress of her voice, seeing the glimmering of her eyes. "I know! I'll... I'll fight for mankind! I... I've never fought in my life... But I am the Goddess of Peace. To know Peace is to know War; and to know War, is to know Peace. One must protect that which he holds dear. That's right, isn't it?" "Y/N." he called out in a gentle, calm voice. "Please, calm down." "Siddhartha...?" she found herself calling out his name. "You and I - We are soulbound, aren't we? We want the same thing. And you, more than anyone else in this world, know how much I hate being told what to do." he pulled her into a deep kiss. "And I'll be damned before I allow anyone to make you cry." Her distressed look turned into a content smile of relief, and she snuggled into his arms. "I love you so much." those words never failed to make his heart leap with joy.

Once Ragnarok began, Heimdall would call out the champions of the Gods, while Y/N would call the Mankind warriors to come over. It was the least she could do, apart from encouraging each of the fighters.

Mankind had a staggering two consecutive losses, and each time, Y/N took the short pause between matches to weep and regain herself. Staying in the ring for the duration of the fight, she used her magical powers to create a strong shield for the audience, so that none of the match-attacks would mistakenly harm anyone watching.

She felt sad yet emboldened seeing Lu Bu's tragic death, but also, his horse and brothers in arms asking for death, to be reunited in Niflheim with their General. She saw Thor smile for the first time in his life, after having fought with all of his mind against an honorable and strong member of mankind. Likewise, her heart shattered watching Adam's conviction is protecting his children from perdition, the very same she wished.

Thankfully, the great Sasaki was able to slash to death none other than Poseidon himself; Though not the most agreeable person, she still felt sad to see him gone forever. Alas. Y/N hugged the old man, thanking him for his resilience and strength before picking him up and bringing him to the infirmary.

The same happened with Jack the Ripper, a man despised by all mankind and humanity for being the scum of the earth. Y/N knew better - She knew all of their lives. In truth, though she disagreed with his actions, she pitied Jack, the poor man. He truly was a pitiable one. Unlike Poseidon, Heracles was wept by all, Gods and humans alike, whilst Jack got ostracised, ridiculed and insulted, even having stones thrown at him, despite already being injured. That angered Y/N.

"How dare you speak ill of the man who put his life on the line for humanity to keep living?! He has no descendants, he has no family - He fought for humanity, though he had nothing to gain out of it! He got the recognition of Heracles himself, and tied the score against the Gods with his shrewdness and wit - And yet you dare talk down to him? I don't see you in here, facing the wrath of the Gods who want you dead!" Buddha felt himself cackling from the stand, watching the Goddess pick up a grown man like he was a bride and actively healing him with love and care like none other before. What a darling she always was.

Unfortunately, Mankind lost the 5th match, with poor Raiden dying against Shiva, the God of Destruction. Still, the only good thing coming out of all the matches was that Y/N could sense the fighting Gods getting genuine admiration for the strength, selflessness and righteousness of humanity, beginning with Thor calling Lu Bu his friend, Zeus acknowledging Adam's strength in protecting his kin, Sasaki defeating Poseidon himself, Heracles loving humanity and Jack himself, and Shiva admiring Raiden's power.

And thus, the sixth match was to take place. The doors opened, and two rows of seven pink water lilies appeared - The familiar silhouette of Buddha appeared. Y/N looked at his unbothered face, blowing up bubblegum, his weapon lazily swung over his shoulder. He was smirking, winking at Y/N mischievously, reveling in the spotlight before he stepped by the Goddess' side and pulled her over into his side as he got to where the human representative was to stand.

He spit his gum in Heimdall's hand, snatching away his Gjallarhorn. "Excuse me. Testing. Testing." he spoke into the horn. "Uhhh... I'm gonna fight for Mankind. Ya dig?" the whole arena was in ecstasy. Numerous comments were thrown around, denigrating Buddha as he shattered the horn in his grasp. "Piss off." he pointed with his weapon towards Zeus. "Y'all made my girl cry. Screw you. If the Gods aren't going to save mankind, then I will. And if any God gets in my way..." he slammed the butt of the weapon into the ground, his expression now serious and devoid of any joy. "I'll kill 'em."

He truly is the kind not to take orders from anyone. Though Heimdall tried to press on that he can't switch sides, Zeus himself approved anyway. "Are you prepared to make enemies with all of the Gods?" "Dang, you're such a pain!" Buddha scoffed at Odin, pulling Y/N even closer to his side. "Remember what I said before? Whether you're allies or enemies, good or evil, Gods or Humans, none of that matters!" Buddha was glowing brightly with intense confidence. "In all universe, nothing else matters, except me!"

Such a narcissistic comment, added to the intense frustration of the Gods, made Y/N burst into laughter along with him. Two weirdos. "So, who am I fighting?"

The Seven Fortunes stepped into the arena and fused into a single deity. Vaisravana was no more, and instead, one called Zerofuku appeared. The Eight Gods of Fortune were actually a single entity. This Zerofuku guy was a real weirdo, even for their standards, and he confessed his intense wish to slaughter Buddha with all of his might, as he created his sinister weapons which got bigger and bigger the more misfortune he encountered.

Though Y/N didn't know of Zerofuku's past, he knew Buddha. He was able to take the misfortune of the humans into his own body, until he couldn't any more, only to receive discontempt and realise that those he tried to help were in no way less misfortunate than before. Material luxury and sinful indulgences did nothing to appease the soul. Instead, Zerofuku had to witness strings of people following Buddha in his path to Enlightenment. He got jealous, unable to understand his teachings - Yet somehow, no matter how cryptic or enigmatic Zerofuku found Buddha's words, the other people - Including those whom he helped previously - Began following the Awakened One close behind.

The more Zero attacked, the bigger his weapon grew, for Buddha could see the flickers of his soul and evade all the hits before they even happened. He was even taunting the God, intentionally or not, driving him into a mad frenzy. The few attacks that Buddha threw all landed with tremendous effect, earning cheers and applause from the audience.

Though he couldn't see Y/N reaction, Buddha was sure she was a worrying mess - That's her caring nature, after all - Yet seeing Zero's weapon growing as large as the whole arena, and him not moving from his spot, well - He feared she might be fainting on the spot, like a poor damsel in distress. Well, he'll just have to sweep her off her feet and protect her like the chevalier of light that he is!

Y/N knew, in theory, that Buddha's weapon transformed in each of the Six Paths identities depending on his emotions, and with his being a master at controlling his moods, he could form anything at will, more or less, so she wasn't all that surprised when the weapon transformed into a Shield to block the huge weapon. Still, she almost wished she could see all of the Paths.

Next, he used the Spiked Club of Nirvana, trembling to charge in an attack - And so he did, sweeping to the ground and causing lethal damage on the demon's side. The demon's weapon turned into two swords, to which Buddha made his weapon turn into a large halbert, easily countering every one of Zero's attacks. His misfortune was increasing, and his weapon turned into a multitude of hooks acting like snakes - He retaliated with a Vajra, running around and cutting them away to bits.

"Love yourself!" Buddha encouraged the poor demon. "I actually like you quite a lot, Zerofuku." that comment made the misfortunate one start sobbing and staring at the graceful God, shining brighter than the golden Sun. Zero's anger subsided and he finally understood who he really is, and what he wants from life. His weapon disappeared, and Buddha also threw his own to the ground, proposing an outright fist-fight. What a child, Y/N giggled, watching that playful smirk on his face as he intentionally allowed the pitiable demon to strike him back. Y/N could never image ever letting herself feel physical hurt just for fun - Alas, men were weird, and Buddha especially, was one of a kind.

Zerofuku was on the ground, sprawled, with all his misfortune and anger seeping out of his in a cloud. His purple hair turned pure white, and his blissful grin, that childlike innocence and glee were sparkling in his eyes. Buddha, also, was happy to have helped another worthy person achieve spiritual happiness - Until the horns on either side of his skull penetrated deep into his brain, worming their way inside his body. Zerofuku was engulfed by two dragons, one blue and one red. Buddha could do nothing to safe his new friend. Instead, he was forced to watch Zero disappearing, and a true evil appearing in his stead.

The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Papiyas, was reborn.

Buddha immediately leapt back, afraid for the first time, for there was a creature of pure darkness, whom he couldn't read. He hadn't an inkling of brightness in his soul which he could read. Y/N, like everyone else, was trembling from the sheer malevolence of the demon. Terrifying, Y/N ran in front of Buddha, standing protectively in front of him - She knew, if need be, her defense magic was second to none in Valhalla.

There goes this legend about a terrifying foe from Helheim - Hades told her this story once, dating before he was ruled of the Underworld - That this enemy destroyed half of the realm... Or rather, it was lucky enough that even half of it was left intact, to some degree.

Once Papiyas turned his arm into a weapon, Y/N summoned her polearm into her grasp, parrying the attack. The Gods all gasped - It has been thousands of years since they've seen the Goddess of Peace fight. In truth, it was only during the Titanomachy that she fought - To protect her Peace, one must go to War. It was an irony that she had to accept as a true axioma.

"H-Hey, Y/N, it's not your fight! Two people can't fight for a single side!" she heard Heimdall's shaky voice call out. "To hell with your rules, Heimdall! If this freak doesn't die, we're all screwed!" Y/N growled, struggling to push him back, counter and block all of his strikes that came at the speed of lightning. "If Zeus accepted the intervention of the Valkyries for all the other fights, then for goodness' sake, there's hardly any difference, is there?!" "I SHALL ALLOW IT!" Zeus' amused voice called out from the stands, as Y/N leapt back, just a step in front of Buddha. She was breathing heavily from the effort. "Siddhartha, stand back." her overprotectiveness was taking over her senses. "I will fight with my fullest power." Papiyas glared at the two. "THAT WAS YOU HOLDING BACK?!" Y/N cried out at him. "Gosh... Buddha, come over." quickly, Y/N placed a few flowers in his hair. "This will protect you from harm... I hope." she muttered the last bit, watching as Papiyas was preparing a drill-like strike called the Pandaemonium Cycle. Before she could react, Buddha dragged Y/N behind him, pulling his shield up - But the drill was capable of penetrating through it, gouging his left eye out.

"S...Siddhartha...?!" Y/N started, shuddering in distress at her lover's injury. He protected her, while he got his eye drilled into mush. "Don't worry about me, worry about that monster!" Buddha transformed his weapon into the sword away, engaging in an exchange of slashes that barely left a scar on the demon's neck. Buddha had to make adjustments to his attacks, because of his blindspot. fighting with one eye only as he was gradually being whittled down.

"Judgement." Papiyas smirked, impaling Buddha's foot, urging him to leap back once again. Y/N couldn't believe there were idiot Gods out there, begging for Buddha's death - Idiots. The Demon King pointed out Zerofuku was no more - He ate him - Shocking both Buddha and Y/N. What a monster, they thought, and the Enlightened one was feeling even more angered, enough to curse at him. "I've made up my mind. I'm gonna KILL YOU!" Y/N, nor anyone else, ever saw Buddha's wrath. Hopefully, it will serve him and humanity well. His staff transformed into the Hatred Emotion which created a weapon he's never seen before, the Warscythe of Salakaya, which had a menacing head of a roaring lion on it. "Preposterous." Papiyas spat. "For a piece of trash such as you, to defy a supreme being like me... I will waste no time passing judgement! And nothing could be more pleasant than that!" his laugh roared through the whole arena. "Stick that judgement up your ass, you sick fuck!" the audience gasped with the curse of the Goddess as Buddha attacked first with his blade, before unleashing an infernal fire towards the demon.

Blood spilled to the ground, though Buddha was the most confused of all. He was the one who initiated the attack, and it was his blade that cut away at Papiyas' arm. It was him who was supposed to get impaled by the enemy's weapon - So why the hell was Y/N standing before him like a meat shield, while he was unscathed?! "Y/N...?" his single remaining eye was wide with shock, staring at the blood splattering to the ground, and the soft tremble of her body. "The flower protected you." Y/N smiled weakly. "That is my happiness in life. Caring for those I hold dear to my heart." she giggled softly. "How pathetic. Any last words?" Papiyas grunted menacingly. "The whole world shall freeze over before I allow a pathetic little shit like you hurt my children. You, and all the Gods that oppose us - All who wish for mankind's erasure - I will fucking burn you all to death until there's nothing left of you to commemorate your wretched existence." Y/N smirked, grabbing Papiyas' arm and forcing herself through the weapon, sticking her own blade into his shoulder. That pissed the demon enough to kick her into the God behind her, toppling them to the ground. "Never do that again!" Buddha briefly scolded her. "Sorry, love, but I will do that, for as many times as my body keeps holding me. I am not strong, but I am resilient. It is you who can kill him, not me. If you are alive, we can win this. Together." Buddha got up, glaring angrily at the demon. "You have twice more, Siddhartha. That is my limit. After that, you're on your own. Use my power wisely." Buddha understood the implication well enough without any explanation - If he gets careless again, Y/N will die, protecting him. Similar to the story of the Moon Rabbit, so is she; Whilst the monkey, the fox and the bird gathered fruit, mean and nuts for the traveler to eat, the rabbit, knowing it could only gather some grass, threw itself into the fire for the man to eat him. Moved by the selflessness of the rabbit, the traveler, who was actually Sakra himself, made it so that the fire did not burn the rabbit, and instead, created the moon in its liking, and the fumes that would have burnt it, the fog surrounding it.

Still, Siddhartha did NOT want to see Y/N actually killing herself like that; Though an admirable and selfless act, he did not want to mourn her, the way he did Jataka long ago. He had to win. He MUST win.

"You're weak. Way weaker than Zero." Buddha taunted the Demon King into attacking him, and he parried all of his hits for as long as he could, before getting kicked away again. His continuing of the mocking caused the Demon King such rage, that he managed to find the perfect opening through his attack, impaling him again - Only, it wasn't him, but Y/N, much to Buddha's dismay. "Damn it, Y/N! Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he wanted to destroy the last flower in his hair, but he didn't have the strength. "One last chance, Siddhartha. Don't waste it." Y/N felt so weak as she got thrown away to the other side of the arena, rolling to the ground like a used ragdoll. "Y/N!" she heard her lover called out, afraid for her life - But as long as the flower of life was pulsating energy within him, he was reassured she was still alive and continuing to actively heal him.

Buddha continued his plan of mocking the enemy, causing him uncharacteristic fright, to the point that he tore off his arm to create a mighty weapon.

Buddha attacked again, though surprisingly, the blade of his Scythe got cut off and shattered to the ground. "Seriously...?!" he gasped, not having expected his Divine Treasure to break, of all things. He tried to defend with his staff, but that, too, broke, sending him away. He was sent to the ground, crashing down with such force that he couldn't move. "SIDDHARTHA!" Y/N cried, crawling to his side and holding him in her arms. She tried desperately to heal him, but he was unconscious, thus nothing she could do. As Papiyas was menacingly approaching, Y/N used her weapon to hoist herself up, creating a shield to protect the two until he woke up.

Thankfully, Buddha achieved enlightenment once again, and he got up, holding Zerofuku's old weapon. The crown holding his hair together shattered, and his gorgeous hair was shown for all to see. "Thank you, Y/N, Zero. Let's fight together, yes?" Y/N smiled sweetly, seeing him confident once again. "Yeah. Let's." despite her bloodloss, Y/N smiled, preparing her weapon. "Samavadhana Volundr!" Buddha and Zero together created a Divine Weapon that only Buddha could attaint through sublime enlightenment. A gorgeous and strong weapon, containing the strength and feelings of all the Gods of Fortune.

Ready to fight, Buddha kept up perfectly with the Demon King, parrying all of his attacks as strong as never before - And he was grinning, confident and self assured, even managing to inflict massive damage, at the cost of some minor injuries on himself. Still, he had to finish things fast, before either he or Y/N perish. He managed to slash away perfectly at his chest one again, though it wasn't as deep as he'd have liked. The climax was approaching fast. Y/N stepped by his side, holding his hand to transfer the last bit of energy into him, so he could keep going - At this rate, he'd only get more injuries, so at least he must keep his vitality and strength, for as long as it lasts. The one sided exchange of life that only Y/N could gift to another.

No matter how Papiyas continued to attack, Buddha was so fast and accurate that no more hit grazed him. The last ultimate attack of the Demon King - All thought landed, but instead, it was a clone, crumbling in an array of petals. Y/N grinned impishly, pointing behind him, as Buddha was ready to kill the foe.

Just as he turned, the last thing Papiyas saw was Buddha's Godly form, perfect beyond boundaries existent to Godhood, and the sword of light, love and compassion shined bright through the dark arena, slicing down the Demon King in two or three. different parts. It didn't matter that Papiyas tried to attack again, for Y/N slapped his hand away, watching as Niflheim was crumbling him to dust.

Somewhere in the sky, the light of heaven showed the happy soul of Zerofuku and the other Seven Gods of Fortune, ascending to Nirvana - Together, in friendship. Buddha couldn't contain his tears of glee, as he brought Y/N into his side, holding the sword dearly into his grasp. Everyone was chanting Buddha's name as he reveled in his win. The sword disappeared, but a bird that loved Zero sat on it, weeping for the loss of its benefactor.

Barely able to stand up, Buddha used all of his strength to drag Y/N out of the arena - Somehow, he was rather sure she was in a far worse shape than he was, having taken two direct hits like that. Not only that, but the refreshing feeling of the gentle caress that Y/N's energy felt, healing him, was keeping him very much alive and giddy. "You were so cool, Y/N. I didn't know you could do all that." Y/N smiled enigmatically. "They say true strength can be found when protecting that which is dearest to you. The truth is, Siddhartha, that I love you more than anything else is this world. You make me the happiest I've ever been." "Ha! Hear you, all sappy and sweet! Y'know you're gonna make me melt!" he cackled, pulling her into a gentle kiss, afraid of causing her more pain. "Let's get all better and continue rooting for humanity, yes? We've done all we could. The rest is their burden to bear - And I think they've done a pretty damn good job so far, don't you think?" "Hella." when she lost strength in her legs, Buddha immediately reacted, picking her up and cradling her in his arms like a princess. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you did that intentionally." he teased her, kissing her forehead. "If most of my blood was inside of me, and not out in the arena, it would have been intentional." she smirked back at him just as comically.

After getting the much required medical care, they continued watching the matches from the comfort of their chamber, laying on the comfortable, fluffy bed, cuddled in each other's arms. Y/N had tied his hair up again, and instead of his golden crown, she replaced it with one made of flowers. He, in return, caressed her hair until she relaxed completely, singing softly the Heart Sutra for her, for as long as it took for her to achieve a much needed peace.

All things are empty: Nothing is born, nothing dies, Nothing is pure, nothing is stained, Nothing increases and nothing decreases. So, in emptiness, there is no body, No feeling, no thought, No will, no consciousness.

There are no eyes, no ears, No nose, no tongue, No body, no mind. There is no seeing, no hearing, No smelling, no tasting, No touching, no imagining. There is nothing seen, nor heard, Nor smelled, nor tasted, Nor touched, nor imagined.