#i want someone to love me the same way sylus love mc

[misssymina]

Yes, Kitten ? (Sylus x MC)

Disclaimer : MC has a cat girl. I tried to picture Sylus as best as I could, sorry if it's a bit OOC.

↑ Those are the insipiration btw. I just wanted to write a soft drabble about Sylus being loved by a kitten (knowing how much cats love to hate him). I imagine Sylus would be really happy to be loved by a kitten that keeps seeking him out and being clingy towards him, though he might be a bit shocked at first. And the fact that that cat is yours just makes it better.

TW : there is none, it's just fluff. Slightly jealous MC.

You've never thought of getting a cat for yourself, really. Considering your job and the amount of time it took from you, you always thought having a cat would be irresponsable.

You took a breather after fighting wanderers all day. As you laid down to rest, you heard a rustle being the bushes. On alert and pissed that another wanderer may have found you, you pointed your gun towards it, unmoving. You tried to steady your breath and focused on reacting at the right time. As it was moving closer and closer to you, you tightened the grip around your gun. You nearly pressed on the trigger but stopped right before shooting.

It wasn't a wanderer.

But a frightened kitten, meowling loudly as it made its way to you. It scratched your leg, pleading.

And for some reason, your heart ached for this sweet furrball.

You promised yourself that you won't keep it, you just wanted to help it. You took it to the vet the next morning. After a health checkup, the vet informed you that the stray kitten was in fact a girl and that she was doing well. "You just need to carefully feed her with some nutritive food and give her the antibiotics needed to reduce the infection in her wounds". And you promised yourself that no matter how much that cute kitten was clinging to you, you would bring her to a shelter where she would be taken care off. But no matter how much you tried, she kept screaming and crying, begging you to keep her. So you gave in. You grew found of her and loved her, trying to make as much time for her as possible. You couldn’t help but spoil her rotten.

And as cute and lovely she was to you, you knew her to not be very kind to strangers. She easily gets scared, and won't hesitate to hiss and scratch. None of your friends or coworkers managed to get close to her, aside from Tara who managed to pat her for a bit but your kitten never willingly let herself be carried. And they would all joke about how much she ressembles you. You often pretended to be offended and point out how nice and helpful you were to everyone. But your friends brushed it all off, "like owner, like pet" they would say.

As your kitten was nestled in your arms in front of them, Nero kept staring at her, sadness plastered on his face, sighing loudly.

"Well, be grateful to at least be around her. She doesn't like people" you said pointing your finger at him, as if to make your point across "she is picky with who she lets close".

"That's exactly what I mean" he responded deadpan and then he looked back at your kitten with grief, his shoulders slumped "but she is so cute, do you think she will come to love me one day ?" he asked pouting, thrusting out is lower lip so much it made you laugh a little.

"I do wonder which one of you she will come to love first." You asked yourself patting your kitten’s head.

---

That's why the first time you let Sylus into your appartment, you were slightly anxious. It’s not the first time Sylus came by, but it wasn't just your home now. You hoped your kitten won't be too scared of him considering his intimidating aura or pissed by his arrogance. You knew Sylus was an absolute sweetheart to animals, but you were still scared of what your kitten’s first impression of him will be. You didn't mind her not liking people in general but you still wished she would accept Sylus, or least tolerate him.

And because people kept pointing out how much you're both alike, your first encounter with Sylus kept replaying in you mind and you winced at the thought. Yeah, we might have to work on it a little.

Arriving at your front door, you explained once again to Sylus how to act in front of your kitten. "She is scared of everyone, really. Please don't take it to heart, just give her some time."

"As if I have never dealt with another fierce kitten before" he teased, his head on your shoulder "And a stubborn one at that" he continued kissing your cheek.

You huffed and tapped his shoulder lightly "you're silly" you rolled your eyes "but I'm being serious now".

Sylus looked at you, smiling "your worry too much, it can't be that bad. Should I use my own methods on her ? Would gifts help sooth her ? Or is she as merciless as her master is ?" he nudges his nose against your cheek, teasing. That man, really.

"As long as you don't scare her" you said back, whispering at his lips "I don't mind your methods" you kissed him and unlocked your door. He raised a brow at your, a challenging look on his face.

Your could hear your kitten already meowling on the other side of the door. As soon as you opened it, she rubbed herself against your leg, happy to see you back home. You immediatly crouched down to pat her and take her in you arms, entering the appartment to let Sylus come in behind you.

"I guess it’s time for some presentation" you turned to face Sylus "Sylus, this is my sweet angel" you said kissing her lightly "and sweet angel, this is my boyfriend Sylus".

Sylus stared at your cat at first, as if trying to understand its way of thinking. He then tried to approach her but she hissed back at him and growled. Unbothered by her reaction towards him and seemingly used to this kind of treatment, Sylus just huffed and crossed his arms "You spoil her too much. She has your bad attitude"

You mouth fell open, shocked "No she doesn’t. She is the sweetest. She is just picky."

"And in my book" Sylus took a higher pitch "it’s called ‘like owner, like pet’".

You blinked, your mouth agape. Did he just mock you ?

You narrowed your eyes at him "Your horse has terrible temper. My kitten is just picky. She's being careful, that’s not the same" you pointed your finger menacingly at him "beware or I am making her chase you out of my appartment"

"I am soo scared." He said slowly approaching you, a mischevious look on his eyes.

Not wanting to give in to his antics. You turn your back at him and put down your kitten on the couch. You take off your coat gesturing Sylus to do the same. As you passed by him, you approached him and yank him down to meet your eyes "don't forget you're in my territory now. And contrary to last time, I have backup."

"Your territory ? I thought we already settled that last time" you couldn't help but blush, remembering the make-out session you both had on your kitchen counter 'last time'.

"You've been warned" you tried to glare at him but you knew Sylus wouldn't be frightened by it. You pushed him back, wanting to get away from him before giving in. That man might be the death of you someday.

Trying to ignore the flush of your face and your agitated state, you went to the sink to wash your hands. After gaining some sense of composure, you tried to change the subject "Is there anything you want to eat in particular tonight ?" you asked him.

"What are you proposing ?" from the corner of your eyes you saw Sylus leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, staring at you.

"Let me take a look" you opened the frigde, trying to act as normal and calm as possible and ignoring your loud heartbeats. His teasing always got you but seeing him so confortable in your own appartment did things to you.

"I can make some salad, if you want" you craved for something light and fresh "but not sure I have something for dessert though" you said a little bit embarrassed "I ate everything yesterday".

"I don’t mind. I’m sure we could settle for something sweet for the dessert."

You gulped dryly, almost chocking on your own spit. Yup, definitily the death of you.

As you took out the ingredients from the fridge, Sylus came next to you to wash his hand. He signed you to let him help you wash the vegetables. As you were patiently waiting for him, you heard your cat meowling loudly. Pretty scared that something might have happened or that she was angry by Sylus apparence in your kitchen, your searched for her worriedly. And as you looked for her, you saw her standing next to Sylus, looking at him with the most pleading eyes you’ve seen her make to someone. 

Sylus first look at her then at you, his eyebrows raised, a playful look on his face. Then she meowled again more loudly, rubbing herself against Sylus' leg. She never did that and certainly not to a stranger. You tried to brush it off.

"She can be quite a lot, sorry."

Sylus shook his head, laughing "it’s fine. I guess I won’t have only one kitten to take care of tonight"

If you could pretend to not be affected by his words earlier, you certainly were know. But you cat's meowls helped you keep you grounded and not embarrass yourself in front of him.

You called her out, distressed by her tantrum, hoping she would get the message. "Be nice" you grumbled softly "he is a guest". As you scolded her, Sylus crounched down to pat her. "Be careful, she could scratch you. Or bite you". For some reason you felt incredibly defensive towards each of them.

Sylus smiled at you, softened by your care for him. He presented once again his fingers to your kitten for her to sniff before she eagirly rubbed herself against his hand, purring loudly. He patted her a bit before she tried to jump into his arms, a paw against his tight and another on his torso. He quickly lifted her up as she nestled against him. You looked at the both of them dumbfounded and at a loss of words. Everything was working better than you imagined.

He looked at your with raised eyebrows, his eyes wide and surprised, his smile growing bigger. You couldn’t help but stare at him and the way he was so gentle with her. You rarely saw the happy look Sylus' had on his face right now, one of the purest sight you've seen since meeting him. But his expression quickly changed into a cocky one as he looked back at you. "I guess I won't have to work my way through her heart that much. Like owner, like pet, huh ?"

You prayed for God to have mercy on your soul, because this sight nearly made you combust. As surprised as you were, seeing them bounding really stired up something inside of you. Those two might be the death of you tonight.

"I guess she doesn’t hate you" you said lightly, shrugging off your shoulders trying to play it cool and stay focused on the task at hand. As if you weren't scared earlier that your cat might try to make Sylus her next meal.

"I’m pretty sure she adores me at this point" he said almost purring. With Sylus smart mouth and confidence back, you knew you won't hear the end of it. You looked back at both of them and it reminded you of the time you and Sylus went to feed the cats. "Do you want to feed her ?"

Sylus looked at you "whatever the kitten wants" he said as he scratched her chin. You were sure he wasn’t only talking about her. "She does deserve a reward after for being so sweet and polite after all" he walked away and searched for something in his blazer. He took out a can of food, the same brand you told him your kitten loved. "her food is right here" you said pointing at your cat food spot "you can feed her there". You absoluteley didn’t mind your cat eating in the kitchen, but your heart couldn’t stand the both of them right now. You took a good minute to compose yourself before returning to your task.

-----

"Come here, kitten" you suddenly straighten up as Sylus calls out for you, his voice soft and velvety.

You walked towards him nonchalantly, trying to come up with some sly retort. Once you arrived in the livingroom, you stopped completely in your tracks.

Sylus wasn’t actually calling out for you.

He was slouched over your kitten, his hands gently spread towards her. She didn’t even fight against his graps and just let herself be put on his laps. You felt your face turn red from embarrassment.

Sylus just used the same nickname for you to your cat, it's fine, you told yourself. You wanted to make a run from it, to escape the awkwardness that situation might bring if Sylus sees you. But as you turned around, Sylus eyes landed on you. By the look on your face, he frowned and stood up, ready to come and help you.

He nearly asked you what was wrong but Sylus was a clever man. Too clever for your own good in that situation. Seeing with the way you looked at both him and your kitten ? He quickly understood. Damn him.

"So you can come to me if I actually call out for you, kitten ?" He tapped a finger against his temple, his smirk too wide for your liking "that’s tremendous information. I'm keeping that in mind for next time."

You bite the inside of your cheek trying to hold yourself back and not embarrass yourself further. But you knew you failed miserably as your entire face was flushed red. You didn't dare to look at Sylus and just turned around.

"The intel I have on you would make rampage in the dark web. Don’t act so smooth as if you don’t have anything to hide. I pretty sure your soft spot for straight kittens would please your ennemies. Besides, I just wanted to make sure you both were good since I didn't hear from you for some time"

"Wouldn't that be a good sign ?"

"I don't know. Maybe she would have biten off that smug tongue of yours."

Sylus didn't say anything back but you knew he was ecstatic. "Well, I'm going back to the kitchen. Tell me if you need anything."

----

You felt Sylus arms wrap around you, his lips kissing the back of your head.

"You will always be my favorite kitten." he whispered into your ear.

"How come ? you know other kitten ? How many ?" you tried to sound mad but a smile spread accross your face when you felt Sylus pressing himself further against you, kissing your neck and shoulder.

"Not much really. One's a cute furball" your kitten meowled loudly as if she knew you two were talking about her "But... the other, this one I can't seem to get away from… and she is the one I adore" he said sweetly, turning you around to kiss you, blocking you against the kitchen counter.

"And-" you said trying to part your lips from him "you think that will-" Sylus put his hand on your cheek and tilted your head back to deepen the kiss "make me-" he slipped his tongue between your lips.

After a moment he finally parted slightly from you "forgive you ?"

Sylus kisses always felt good. Gosh his lips of his were blessed and crafted by God himself but cursed and polished by some sort of demon. Something about his kisses were soft and sweet but also deeply passionate and dizzying, always making you breathless.

"How should I earn your forgiveness then, my lady ?" he asked teasingly, brushing your nose with his.

"I don't know" you bite your lips looking up at him, you wanted him to work for it "should i even consider forgiving you ?"

Sylus slightly frowned. You smiled, hugging his waist "what do you have in mind ?"

"Anything you want" he whispered against your lips.

"Shouldn't you be careful before making this kind of proposal ?"

Sylus tucked your hair behind your ear, a beautiful smile drawing on his features. "Do you plan on finally being greedy with me ? I wouldn't ask for much."

You pretended to think for a little. "And if I say I just wanted to cuddle and watch films ? Would you mind ?"

"Sounds amazing to me, sweetheart." he said kissing you once again.

Sylus never mind going by your every whims and demands. He actually loved it. As much as you loved spoiling your cat, Sylus loved spoiling his own kitten rotten. Having you asking him for things, spending time with him, leaning on him, clinging to him was more than he could ever ask for. And God knew he didn't ask for much. So he didn't mind you making a fuss or acting mad or being greedy, because nothing made him happier than seeing you finally claiming him as your own.

[alynnia]

Sylus x Rafayel (x MC) ramblings

The fujo came out of me with this one. After my little karaoke blurb I had an epiphany and had to get it out of my system. I'm no writer but I like to write. The below is litterally brain vomit of ideas and situations spilling out as they come and they're free to the public to play with. These two have quite a bit in common and potentially have chemistry? I dunno, could be my fujo goggles.

MDNI because the last section is lewd. Nothing explicit just options of how I think the sexual part of their relationship might be.

Both bonded to MC

•Sylus, through a shared soul and Raf through an eternal bond. Both of these continue through lifetimes. So imagine Rafayel's shock when courting MC he gets two instead of one. Does he just love half of her soul or all of it? Now we don't know the exact timelines of the myths if they all share the same universe and same Philos, but let's say they did. Sylus' soul sharing with MC came first so when Rafayel bonded with MC, he was unknowingly bonding with Sylus as well. He would be reluctant in this set up, believing that MC was the one he is tied to and only her (this is true of course but we are playing pretend here) but why does he feel a similar pull from Sylus? The fiend is nonchalant about it outwardly but I can see him teasing the fuck out of fish boy. " I guess that makes me your 'beloved' as well but...I don't bow to gods, puppy. I end them. " and then gives him a few smug paps on the cheek. This likely results in a fight MC has to break up and it happens often.

•They would both try and show each other up with showing affection to MC, but Sylus would always include Rafayel in his gifting. If he buys a dress for her, he's buying a suit for him. If she gets a ruby necklace, he gets ruby cufflinks. While MC can have any color jewels she wants, he defaults to red gems. After a while, Rafayel takes notice that the crow boy likes to "mark" them with rubies as a subtle way of telling the world the two of them are both his. It's hard to say if he's doing this as a show of dominance or something more but the way Sylus gives him a satisfied smirk/smile when he sees them both wearing matching onyx and ruby brooches makes his eye twitch and his heart skip. Sensing danger between them, MC would excitedly suggest that Sylus wear one too so all three could match, a subtle way on her part to say they are all equal here.

•When talking to MC about Rafayel, he uses "our".

"I think our husband is throwing a tantrum again~"

" I am NOT your husband. "

" Tch, aaw. Tough luck, you're stuck with us both. "

" Then I want a divorce. There's got to be some way to break out of this, a loophole or a spell to break this curse... "

" You hear that sweetie? Our husband wants to break up with us. Maybe he's not as devoted as he says. "

" N-not her! JUST YOU! You are the curse that defiles our sacred bond and I will not stand for it! "

" And how do you plan to do that? Hm? Rip our very soul asunder? That can't be good for either of us, puppy~ " And he's just smirking the entire time with an arm around MC. " But if you insist, I may know someone who can help you. Very experimental, has not had one survivor yet. But! You seem to be very set on tearing her apart...are you willing to take the risk~? " He just loves challenging gods and seeing Rafayel seething is just too precious.

Both rich as fuck

•As someone else here on tumblr mentioned, Rafayel is spoiled prince rich and Sylus is mafia rich. Raf seeing Sy spend money like it was nothing takes these acts as a challenge on his own wealth. He'll offer to pay for things with a smug smile and Sylus lets him do it without a fuss, merely raising an eyebrow then smirking. Neither let MC pay for anything. This ends up frustrating Rafayel after a while. Why doesn't he say anything? Is he just going to let him pay for it all? Greedy crow. ):< Finally fed up, he confronts Sylus saying that he should pay him back with interest. Raf doesn't need the money but it's the principle of the matter! Sylus is just…

"Alright, if it will shut you up." and points him to a page of restraunts on a tablet he was looking over. Rafayel figures he's being asked where he wants to eat on Sy's tab so he chooses the most expensive establishment. The kind you need to make a reservation for a year in advance. He's already planning to order top shelf, the highest priced items on the menu and exclusive private seating for all of them. Sylus looks over the selected place and scoffs, " Pompous. " A little later when Rafayel is expecting to go out, Sylus just slaps down paperwork in front of him and tells him to sign it. What is it? Essentially the transfer of ownership of that place he chose. Apparently it had already belonged to Sylus and now it's Raf's. " This should cover it, yes? "

Both are mythical creatures

• Raf being a mermaid (God of tides) and Sylus being a dragon (Bringer of Ruin) Gods create, fiends destroy. Sy is for the skies and Raf for the seas. They're both beings of power and forces of nature.

• Being the dragon he is, Sylus would likely keep all of the art he doesn't put away or keep track of. It comes from the need to hoard treasures and because the fish is terrible with leaving his work all over the place. Don't get him started on the paintbrushes he keeps stepping on. Thomas would think him a life saver for keeping things organized and available but Sylus would charge him every time he wanted to retrieve work from him. So Thomas is left with the choice of dealing with Rafayel or paying a stupid amount of money to Sylus to bypass the anguish.

•On the flip side, After Raf has seen Sylus' treasure trove of gemstones, he would also just so happen to pick up jewels from museums to add to his own collection. Ones Sylus possibly have never seen or heard of due to their connections with Lemuria. Sylus would make a comment about Lemurians crying pearls he heard once, baiting Rafayel and of course the mermaid can't help but confirm he's able to do this. (They both know what they are by this point) But isn't that a dangerous thing to admit to a greedy dragon? Perhaps Sylus should lock him up and force him to cry to obtain such beauties. But he figures he doesn't need to. Rafayel himself is enough of a rare treasure to keep after all. He would say this right to his face without flinching, as if it was just common sense. He pins another ruby trinket to his lapel to which Raf would find himself blushing then storming off somewhere. He would like to see those scales though. They sure are shiny and our Sylus likes shiny things.

• Sylus walks in on Rafayel in the bath and sees his mermaid tail for the first time. He's enamored but doesn't show it on his face. The mermaid is squawking, telling him he shouldn't enter when someone is in here without knocking but Sylus just ignores him, grabbing what he needs and is about to head out. The mermaid did catch those eyes looking at him in a particular way, wondering why he doesn't ask about the tail.

" So...you're not going to say anything about this? "

" Should I? "

" You've just bore witness to a rare sight, the scales of real Lemurian in his full glory. You would be a fool not to admire. "

" Oh, in that case do forgive me~ " turning around casually he takes wide steps and looms over the tub, his shadow cast over the Lemurian's form, " Then allow me take a closer look... " That's when Sylus runs his hands over the glistening tail, face unchanging as he studies it's quality. This envokes the wrath of Raf smacking his hand away, " No one said you could touch! " Sylus removes his hand but smirks in response. His gaze lingers on the glittering on the mermaid's face before rising up and heading back to the door, " I've seen better. "

" ......WHAT? Where?! No you haven't! Who else has-! " the door is already shut and he's gone.

• What if Sylus took MC's place in Rafayel's myth? A fiend finally captured, tied up and thrown into the ocean. We have hints that Sylus may not know how to swim so perhaps this is his weakness. Rafayel comes across this strange drowning creature who isn't quite human but curious to know more. He cuts him free and planned to just let whatever happens to him, happen but Sylus is quick, desperate to live and be out of this water. Having heard of the Lemurian tales he grabs hold of his savior and tries to steal his breath with a kiss, biting his lip in the process just like MC did. And you know the rest after that. Would make an interesting AU I think but would divert from the myth a looot from there. Still could be a fun ride. Raf can show him the ocean and Sy could show him the skies.

A weakness and a fear

•I don't think Sylus can swim. There's an Abyssal Chaos situation that hints at this and it's living rent free in my head but he does have a pool so who knows. I'm going with the idea that he can't swim for this. So...Sylus would almost always get the one-up on Rafayel, teasing and bullying him but when it comes to water, the fish finally has the upper hand here. Sylus would never admit this weakness out loud to anyone but MC. If they went to the beach he would just stay out of deep areas and Rafayel would take notice. Being a cheeky one and in his element, he'd somehow get the drop on him and pull Sylus over into the deep side to see what happens. Also for revenge. But Sylus isn't reacting the way he thought? This big tough guy is actually going to drown if he doesn't do something. He could be rid of him finally, let the man drown and have MC all to himself. He watches him sink, feeling a twinge of satisfaction but just as he's about to take off, the mark on his chest lights up. It can't be helped, can it?

After "saving" him, Rafayel tells him it's about time he learned how to swim. It's an essential skill and it's a crime to not beable to appreciate the beauty of the ocean. Sylus, surprisingly to Raf, agrees. " Then you should teach me. It's the least you can do after trying to kill me. " Not that it would work I think. How far does his immortality go anyway? Que montage of the two of them in the water together.

• Rafayel has a fear of cats. Sylus likes cats. After all, their beloved MC is their kitten and he's raised a lion cub before. The Lemurian god is offended that he would call MC such a horrid nickname as it's essentially calling her a demon. Sy quickly picks up on the fear and like the earlier scenario, tries to tease him with it. Though it's to a lesser degree in the form of just bringing strays for MC to take care of in front of him. If she's loving the cats, there's no way Rafayel can say no to her. Sylus knows this and pushes it further holding a kitten to his face, " To think a mighty god could be felled by such a small creature. " This prompts Raf to suck it up and slowly but surely start to confront his fear of cats, Sylus happily "helping". Que montage of the two interacting with cats from kittens to tigers.

Break out?

• Sylus doesn't believe beasts should be in cages and Rafayel hates the way humans treat animals. One night, after getting drunk and arguing which leads to a bet, they set local zoo animals free or something. They will never be caught.

Music

•They would share playlists and talk shit about each other's taste but still give genuine listens. Sylus prefers records and buys one for him just to prove how much better it sounds in this format instead of digital.

•They go to the opera together. Sylus is enjoying himself but Rafayel has some harsh critisms. He can do better. Sylus would ask for a demonstration and he says it would kill him. Crow boy sees that as a challenge because well, he can't die. So perhaps he could be one of the few who could listen to his death song without dying and appreciate it. It'd still probably hurt, but maybe it's worth it? Would be funny to see Sylus wheezing in Rafayel's arms, bleeding from his ears and still tell him his singing was shit just to rile him up. It's a lie, but picking on him is too much fun.

•Singing together. See the Karaoke blurb.

If they were in a relationship (Lewd bits)

•OT3. MC is far too important to them and their own connections would be their shared loved for her. They'd prefer to be seperate with her at first but over time Sylus would be the first to invite him together with MC. Rafayel is going to say no the first couple of times (it's not offered often) but eventually warms up to the idea if only to prove to the other that he can perform better than him. Then it becomes another game of chicken when Sy leans in closer to Raf with MC in the middle. Sylus will give looks, light touches in passing but won't be the one to give in. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he wants Rafayel to be absolutely sure he's into it and he gets a kick at making him buckle. Which he will and of course, Sylus obliges letting Rafayel think he's the one that "won" in this. MC is happy to see them get along.

•The longer this OT3 relationship goes on, the more likely sometimes it would be just the two of them while MC is off on a mission somewhere in the world that takes days to complete. At this point they're used to it and the roughness becomes more gentle and tender. Well, Sylus almost always had been the more gentle one and Rafayel the more agressive and it only took them being alone for Rafayel realize it.

• They would be competative in bed but even when bottoming, Sylus more often than not has control and directing Rafayel. Telling him there's no need to go easy on him. Raf will always fight for control and sometimes "win" but he melts too easily and loses himself in the moment. His most dominant side comes out during a certain season which is a pleasant surprise for Sy. They're both waking up with scars but Sylus more so. He doesn't let them heal quickly just to show off the result to Rafayel when he wakes up.

" Are you not proud of your work? " Oh he is proud. Embarrassed seeing what he's done to him and the memories of the night flashing in the back of his mind, but proud. Another win for the fish, "conquering" such a large man. Snatching Sylus by the chin, he'd give a warning with a hint of slight concern for his bird boy, " It would be wise not to forget what I can do to you. "

" Do what? These little marks? " He brushes them away with his evol, " Oh no. Look, they're all gone. I guess you'll have to try harder. "

And now I wonder if Rafayel could end up leaving a mark on him that not even Sylus can heal through his god mode. 🤔

•Playing with the headcanon of Sylus' draconic habits and urges being active in his current life, I wonder if they would "sync" up. Honestly it sounds dangerous, Sylus may very well eat the guy. Literally. That's for the tragedy enjoyers. For the degenerates…4 swords, eh? Okay on the tamer side of things, I can see them taking it out on each other to spare the worst of it from MC. Locking themselves away just to go all out. But back to degeneracy, she'd probably end up peeking out of curiosity and end up dragged into it. Rest in Peace girlie. 🙏

•So what would a dragon/mermaid kid look lik-

OKAY OKAY I'M DONE. IT'S OUT OF MY SYSTEM. DO NOT PERCEIVE MEEEE!! But really though, this was fun. Is this 1k words? I have no idea.

I think this is how you tag people? @crutoyu @turkeysamwichh

[strwbrychffoncke]

"i just wanted to tell you incase you forgot... 'i love you',, 3k words ⸺ event masterlist synopsis: the ways in which you tell sylus "i love you" and ways in which he reciprocates contains: lnds sylus x mc?reader (fem in mind but she/her is used like once or twice) ,fluff! ,kitten/sweetie used as pet names ,domestic!sylus feel ,cuddling ,playful banter ,baker sylus ,incorrect evol use but its wholesome ,sylus chases u around ,twins feature ,not much to say other than soft!sylus being in love w u / both of u being lovesick for e/o + twins shenanigans at the end (i think thats it) note: (mostly edited ,will check back later) added this track last minute but immediately knew who i wanted to write it for. first fic of the event woooo~ :x

-

sylus wasn't a man of love-filled sentiments.

or at least, that's what you'd initially thought.

a man like him, the big bad leader of onychinus, someone who was above everyone else and the most sought-after criminal, wielding a steel-cold gun in one of his bloodstained hands...

someone like that didn't know love, surely.

but oh, how wrong you were.

you were the only one that knew, under all of that tough exterior, the true tenderness that lied beneath it.

and you were the sole subject to it, from the very beginning.

-

you woke unceremoniously in a bed that was not your own, surrounded in a blanket of warmth but not solely due to the comforter surrounding your plush body:

it was mainly due to the otherworldly individual beneath you, who you were using as your personal body pillow of sorts.

you stir, letting out a small groan before peeking your eyes open to catch a glimpse of the man before you.

the big, bad leader of onychinus, sleeping soundly in bed next to you, arm firmly wrapped around your waist and your head comfortably planted on his chest— your favorite makeshift pillow.

you can't help but to smile at the sight.

feeling a touch mischievous, you begin trailing your fingers, touch featherlight, up from his waist towards his chest and back down, slowly shifting to drawing mindless shapes in the expanse of exposed skin.

he doesn't react to your touches, still deep in sleep, so you change your tactic.

you drag a single index finger up, up, up past his slender waist, then his slowly rising and falling chest, his pretty neck then up towards his sharp jawline to poke at his cheek.

he grunts in his sleep, but nothing more.

you let out a huff, lifting your head up and staring at the serene expression on his face— even lost in the land of dreams, you couldn't help but to admire every feature of his visage.

a couple of minutes pass by just like this until you decide you're feeling a little bored again.

so you repeat your earlier action, dragging your finger up slowly, slowly, just about to poke his cheek again—

when your wrist is swiftly caught by a warm hand before you reach it.

"it seems my dream of a kitten mistaking me for a toy wasn't a dream after all."

sylus' crimson eyes crack open to look directly into your bright (albeit still slightly-sleepy) ones, heart full at the little playful smile you're sporting.

"she seems bored," he muses, thumb from the hand still gripping your wrist gently caressing your knuckles back and forth— a subconscious habit whenever his hands hold yours.

"should i entertain her?"

his question goes unanswered as he shifts over on his side while letting your hand go at the same time, causing you to slip from your spot on top of him to behind him, facing his back.

"—or leave her to her own devices?"

"sylus!"

your laughs are airy, quickly enveloping the spacious bedroom, and sylus finds himself smiling at the sound.

you don't leave him alone for long, quickly pressing against him and hugging his large frame from behind.

sylus releases a playful scoff. "is this a new attack of yours?"

"yeah, you can't escape, i'm going to stick to you like this forever and ever!"

"how touching," his voice is filled with amusement. "i think i can get used to this..." he trails off, smile evident in his words.

you stay that way for awhile when you decide to repeat your earlier actions in the new space, retracting a hand as you begin to draw shapes into his back this time. at the same time, sylus begins to hum whatever song is on his mind, eyes shut as he revels in your touches, neither one of you in a rush to get up from this sacred space for two.

"what are you drawing, kitten?"

your finger dances across the bare canvas of his back.

"guess," you answer simply as you continue.

he lets out a huff of a laugh. "not going to make it easy for me, are you?"

you hum in response, dragging your fingers to create imaginary lines over the muscles.

"is this... a kitten?" you can almost hear the raise of his eyebrow and see the funny yet curious expression on his face.

"oooh, i didn't think you'd get that one. how about..."

your finger traces several lines again, taking your time before you stop and wait for his answer.

"hmmm..." the way he's concentrating trying to figure it out fills you with amusement like no other.

"a... plane?"

"wrong, it was mephisto!"

"..it was close."

"are you calling mephisto a plane..?"

"..let's move on to the next one."

a hearty laugh rings out as you pretend to erase the image.

"wait until i tell him~"

"you wouldn't dare," he jokingly threats, causing you to only giggle back in response.

you decide on something much simpler this time.

your movements are slowed as you start near the center, drawing a tilted line outward and up before curving it inward and mimicking the same on the opposite side, connecting them to form a heart.

i love you.

a short, amused laugh leaves him, immediately recognizing the shape, but shaping a question instead of an answer.

"i'm not too sure, sweetie. might have to try that one again," he says, voice soft and tender, a hint of a smile within it.

say it once more.

so you do.

you repeat your action, slower, drawing another imaginary heart on his bare skin and within it, your unspoken promise of devotion towards him.

i love you.

this time, he turns around to face you, pulling you flush against him. you let out a short laugh before its devoured by his lips on yours, caught in a dance of love and devotion, giggles bubbling out of you between the breaks as you try to catch your breath while he needily chases your lips.

and the message he wishes to convey is clear as day.

i love you, too.

-

someone like him was the last person you thought you'd ever associate sweets with.

but after the time spent together, you find it hard to imagine anyone else cautiously reading the instructions, mixing the ingredients precisely, and carefully readying the icing for the fresh cupcakes that have come out of the oven and are left cooling nearby, except for him.

you tiptoe into the kitchen, watching him prepare a piping bag for the freshly-made icing he's made while he hums (when you asked him why he goes through the trouble of making it from scratch, he countered by asking "doesn't it taste better when you put in the work for something?" and despite playfully scoffing at the little smirk he offered, you couldn't help but to agree with him).

you smile at his focused expression, reading glasses perched on his nose, some remnants of ingredients spotting his clothes as he decides on which icing tip to use for these particular cupcakes (the last time he made them, they resembled simple flowers. based on the icing tip he was inspecting now, it seemed he was going to try for roses this time).

now just a step away from his back, you reach out both hands, index fingers out as you poke both sides of his lower back at the same time.

he jolts at the sensation, small gasp emitting from his lips and shock washing over him as he cranes his neck over his shoulder to catch your satisfied smile.

"another sneak attack, kitten?"

"i couldn't resist."

you step up beside him, taking a peek into the bowl filled with icing.

"red this time? i would've never guessed."

he scoffs, smiling.

"am i that predictable to you?"

"well, after spending so much time together, its only natural, right?"

"its bad if an enemy learns to read you so easily; who knows what trap will be set in the future."

"you're right," your words trail off as you step back, causing the sly crow before you to raise a brow.

"they can plan an attack when you're vulnerable, like—"

behind him again, you jump forward, wrapping your arms around his waist.

"this!"

his hearty chuckle rings through the kitchen.

even if he saw your intention from the start, he made no move to stop you. he'd surrender to you if you so much as asked.

"so? what will you do with me now that i'm caught?"

"hmmm..."

you hum in thought, noticing sylus has picked up the piping bag and was inserting the icing tip into it, getting ready to fill the bag with the red icing.

he's waiting for your answer when one of your hands reaches forward, dipping your finger into the icing bowl and quickly withdrawing your arms, swiftly turning around—

when you feel yourself being lifted into the air.

you let out a surprised squeal, giggling as you thrash around in the hold of sylus' evol, said man's attention still on the icing bag as he scoops a dallop of red into it.

"such a naughty kitten," he says, evol pulling your suspended body over to him slowly as you laugh the entire way.

"and naughty kittens deserve a punishment," as he speaks, he dips his own finger into the bowl of icing, red now gathered onto the tip before looking up at you through the rims of his glasses.

realizing what he's planning, you thrash around to no avail within the confines of his evol, trying to create distance between you two.

"nooooo! im sorry! please- aha, hahaha! sylus!"

your attempt is futile, sly smirk curling on sylus' lips as his finger moves closer and closer to your smiling face that's trying to inch further and further away, pressing his finger right onto your nose, painting it in red.

"noooooo!" you whine, sylus chuckling in amusement.

"how cute," he muses. "maybe this will teach you to behave in the kitchen."

he finally lets you down with his evol, eyeing you as you're standing upright and before him once again.

"now, go and wait till i'm finished, i'll even let you have the first taste," he bargains, turning his back to you and walking back towards the icing bowl.

despite this, a smirk plasters itself onto your face as you creep your way up behind him once again, red icing still staining your finger from moments ago stretched out, ready to paint his cheek—

"i thought i told you to behave."

despite the countless attempts to catch him by surprise attacks, he knows what you're saying through them:

i love you.

your wrist is easily caught in his grasp, stopping your attack before it can hit his cheek, a displeased groan emitting from your throat.

he brings your icing-covered finger close to his lips, lapping at the red. you watch as it momentarily stains his lips before his tongue licks them clean, humming at the flavor.

"it seems.. better this time, don't you think?" he turns, looking down at you.

you huff out a breath, trying to hide your embarrassment at his little action.

"be patient, kitten, i'll be done soon enough..." he trails off, hand unraveling from your wrist. "or do i have to restrain you?"

"i'm going, i'm going!"

with that, you scurry out of the kitchen to wait in the living room, sylus' amused chuckle surrounding the kitchen soon replaced by his soft, mindless humming once again.

i love you more.

-

a man of his caliber having a playful side seemed like a far-fetched idea.

until you experienced it for yourself.

and since the very first time, you're convinced he may be the most playful person on the entire planet.

to be fair, you kind of expected this, after all, its not like it was the first time.

but when you snatched a cupcake when his back was turned and took a bite, you didn't expect him to notice— at least, not right away.

but he did, and when he began counting, you instinctually bolted out of the kitchen, cupcake still in hand, giggles trailing behind you, determined to not be caught by him.

you dashed past the living area, two crow masks peeking up from their spot on the sofa and shifting to another figure— their boss— who was trailing behind you, watching until your figures disappeared down the long corridor of the hall.

"i give her five minutes," kieran pipes up, turning towards his brother.

"i give her three!"

"you're on!"

. . .

even as you dash down the halls, careful not to hit anything and running in scattered directions, it doesn't take long for sylus to close in on you.

you make it to a lounging area, movements slowed from the amount you've ran in the past couple of minutes, beginning to catch your breath after not sensing him around when you feel a weight on your shoulders.

"caught you."

"...!"

he's equally out of breath, taking a few moments to even his breathing, leaning against you more and more before pushing your body down onto the sofa. you fall back on the cushions with a short oof! still in the midst of catching your breath before sylus lays what feels like his entire weight right on top of you.

"sylus!"

you push against his broad chest, completely crushed by his beautiful build of a body, laughter ringing through the living space at your futile struggle against the smirking man above you.

"it seems a little kitten is stuck," he heaves a couple of breaths. "what are you going... to do about it?"

"get... off!" you laugh.

"i'm tired after all of that chasing... not to mention this is comfortable for me," he takes a couple more breaths, looking down at your slightly-sweaty face. "so i'd rather not."

"you're heavy, sylus!"

you weakly hit at his chest when he closes his eyes, pretending to fall asleep on top of you.

"sylus!"

slowly, he lifts himself up with his arms, hands planted flat on either side of your head.

"attacking me after making me chase you? how very cruel of you, sweetie."

your breaths are mostly even now, watching for sylus' next move.

he slowly begins moving his head down, and your eyes naturally flutter closed, expecting a kiss.

he takes this opportunity to plant his knees into the sofa, shifting his weight onto them as he leans down, breath fanning your lips.

"you trust me, sweetie?" he whispers against your lips.

"always," you whisper back.

he suddenly lifts his head, arms lifting at the same time before his fingers immediately begin dancing over your midriff.

your eyes shoot open in shock and betrayal, laughs immediately ripped from your throat as you thrash beneath him, trying your best to get away despite being caged into the sofa.

"s-sy-sy- ahahah! sto-o-p! s-stop! hahaha!"

his fingers continue their brutal attack on your sensitive skin, bubbling laughter infectious as sylus joins you, pleased smile adorning his face at your current state.

he relents shortly after, allowing you to catch your breath again as he looks down at you in a daze, reaching out to straighten your hair.

"kiss..." your voice is breathless, but he catches it.

"hm?"

"you still owe me... a kiss...." you breathe out, looking up at him expectantly. "from earlier."

"ah, of course."

he leans down, capturing your lips with his, hovering over your body as your arms snake around his neck, pouring your hearts into the action. you both kiss with equal fervor, chasing each others lips, never able to get your fill of the other.

i love you.

he pulls away slowly, your legs wrapping around his waist to keep him close in fear of him leaving you all of a sudden. the look in his eyes says i'm not going anywhere, his forehead touching yours as you both breathe each other in before he tucks his head into your shoulder.

"lets stay like this... just for a bit," his quiet, husky breath hits your ear and you shiver at the sensation.

"okay," you smile, hands petting through his silver locks.

i love you, most.

and you stay together, just like that, losing track of time in the world reserved for two, heartbeats syncing up as you meld against one another, both with the shared sentiment of never letting go.

(only at your insistence of taking a shower and slipping into some fresh clothes when you think he's dozed off does he relent, slowly getting up and scooping you into his arms, making his way down the hall towards his room).

-

sylus wasn't a man of love-filled sentiments.

at least, that's what you'd initially thought.

a man like him, the big bad leader of onychinus, someone who seemed to be above everyone else, the most sought-after criminal wielding a steel-cold gun in one of his bloodstained hands—

the same hands that cradled your face, caressed your hair any chance he got, tickled you when you least expected it, carried you so lovingly at your beck-and-call, hugging you close to his chest, close enough that you could feel his beating heart—

the heart of a man who loved so wholly and completely, devoting his entire being to you.

so, despite what anyone else may think, may also assume at first glance, you knew the truth:

despite the odds, sylus was someone that knew love the best.

-

epilogue:

"so... who won?" luke turns to his brother under the crow mask.

"i did, obviously," kieran is all-too confident.

"what?!? nuh-uh, she was definitely caught in less than five minutes!"

"did we watch the same thing? that was maybe six!"

"are you.... stupid?"

"rude!"

"i didn't think you'd try to lie your way to win," luke crosses his arms over his chest.

"i am not lying!"

"are too!"

the bickering continues for a couple more minutes until luke pipes up again.

"wait, what was the prize for whoever won the bet?"

"......"

kieran is the first to speak up again.

"you know what, since you won, you can be the one to tell boss the reason so many cupcakes are missing."

"WHAT???"

later, the cameras in mephisto's eyes would relay the twins chasing each other around— just amongst the footage of them scarfing down the freshly-made rose-icing cupcakes.

-

a/n: spreading the soft sylus agenda... this is inspired by a number of domestic art/tweets ive seen if i find them ill add but.. he's so soft..... i adore him

-

[matsunoluvr]

୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ how I think the boys from love and deepspace would give a first kiss :3

warnings: suggestive content (obviously?), writing might be out of character, spoilers in general, i get carried away explaining everything because i'm afraid of being accused of mischaracterisation

[story spoiler] first kiss = first kiss where mc is a hunter/the timeline in game

authors notes: i have favourites and it will show CLEARLY in my writing… sorry (not sorry no1 rafayel stan) and i am a yapper

characters: rafayel, xavier, zayne and sylus

link to my master list here!!

more below the cut :3

sorry rafayel... but i feel like he's the most unskilled at kisses because - hear me out - you're his very first kiss. lemurians as a species seem to value bonds and loyalty, and as the literal sea god he wasn't able to nor wanted to just hook up or mess around - he's looking for devotion!!!

(okay, we ignore the kiss in forgotten sea myth story because like come on there was literally no romance mc was drowning)

definitely waits a while before kissing you, rayafel really takes his time to fall into place. after all, he needs to make sure his beloved bride/groom is well and truly his!!!

the type to wait for the ‘right moment’ - but doesn’t force or stage it ykwim? like the time comes naturally - e.g. watching the sunset, or you’re leaning close to him whilst he’s painting

he’s a romantic 100% like there’s a reason his 'floral promise' card was (imo) way fluffier compared to the others - like xavier's was tender-ish but rafayel was fucking melting

he's a sweet talker I just know it.

that charm he uses on his clients? he doesn't want to nor will he manipulate you with it but you know he's going to ramp up the charm to tease you a little

definitely knows his effect on you and uses it to his full advantage (cough cough fiery undercurrents secret times) like whispering in your ear, making excuses to touch you or get close to you

(i think he’d be more 'traditional' because of lemurian customs - the whole bonding + [forgotten sea spoilers] the sea god ceremony where the mc must devote themselves to rafayel displaying a strong level of devotion)

SUCH A GENTLE KISSER OMG like compared to his almost bratty and childish personality he’s a gentleman when it comes to kisses (also because he's kind of unsure what to do...)

the type to tuck strand of your hair behind your ear, fiddle with it a little maybe twirl it around his finger before trailing a finger along your jawline... i can see him like massaging your ear too? idk how to describe it he's a handsy man

first kiss was definitely more sweet than passionate ugawhriulgs he's such a cutie

right after the first kiss i think he’d be pretty affectionate, rather than bratty/tsundere since for him to kiss someone i believe he’d really need to love them (and therefore is more open to being vulnerable)

affectionate as in saying something cheesy probably, commenting on how you tasted or another one of his poetic, artistic quotes (dw raf we love it)

wouldn't be satisfied with just one after that, i can see him going in for a more passionate second and even a third (i mean look at his 'floral promise' memory OR 'fiery undercurrents') in the same few minutes

these follow up kisses would probably be longer and way less chaste, hands moving from tilting your chin up to your waist ahahahahahuwfa

you'd have to show him the appeal of tongue if that's your thing because he's seen it before but never really saw what was nice about it

"But... you're just drinking each other's saliva?" "Rafayel that's hot-"

definitely relived the moment in his head hundreds of times after that night - and you bet your ass he painted a piece inspired from your first kiss with him

any kisses after that i feel like they would follow this default pattern;

if he initiated the kiss i think he’d be more cocky and teasing, especially if he surprised you with one and he sees your flustered face

“Didn’t expect that huh, cutie?”

if you surprised him, however, get ready for typical rafayel childish behaviour, blushing and averting his eyes, covering his mouth with the back of his hand and a pout

“Hey- what was that for!!” Σ（・□・；）

either way rafayel is the worlds silliest man and would cave into literally anything with just a few kisses from you

ALSO KISS HIS COLLAR BONES AND YOU'VE GOT A WHOLE NEW SCENARIO TO UNFOLD

oh i just have a feeling this man is devouring you because puh-LEASEE?? sir we aren't forgetting your 'tender night' card i know that night was anything but tender

xavier is the definition of pent-up desire because this man has been waiting a LONG time and he's not going to be able to hold back very well

(taking heavy inspiration from his '21 days' memory because with his reaction it kind of feels like his first kiss with mc... but tbh i don't know much about xavi)

he's definitely not shy when it comes down to it, yeah he gets flustered if he thinks about it because of course imagining kissing the person he's pined over for centuries is going to fluster the shit out of him but he doesn't shy away form the idea or avoid the topic in conversation

i feel like he'd bring it up casually - like in the 'partner go go' event (aka heartbreaker-chasing-rhythm-game event) he was so insistent on the 'kissing page'

mc was like "apparently you can solve arguments with a kiss" and this mf straight up said "we can argue then" this man is STARVED

i feel like you'd need to initiate the kiss or give him very clear signs you'd be okay with a kiss for it to happen, i don't know why i just feel like he's that type of person

the first kiss is deep despite him trying his best to hold back - you can just feel his desire and longing oozing out of him and he's definitely on fucking cloud nine

xavier's holding your face and stroking his thumb along your cheek and god damn he's good at kissing where the fuck did he learn this from?

the type to break the kiss and then fucking bulldoze into the next one and my god his restraints have broken and he's actually kissing you as if it's the last thing he's able to do on earth

100% a tongue user he's biting at your bottom lip before slipping it in the sly minx

after the kiss he's more flustered than he expected to be - kissing the love of his life (literally) sends him into a flurry of emotions he's never really experienced before

given how possessive xavier is i wouldn't be surprised if halfway through making out he managed to leave a hickey or two in very. visible. places.

he isn't even pretending to feel guilty in the slightest, a smug grin as he shrugs out a half-assed apology.

"Sorry, I guess you'll have to try hide it. Or don't, that would be easier."

if you leave any marks on him he's not leaving you along that night. forget sleeping you two are recreating 'tender night' ALL night.

but seriously, if you leave hickeys over his neck (his canonical sensitive area and where he feels vulnerable) he's going to go crazy because what do you mean you want everyone to know he's yours??? what do you mean you want him as much as he wants you??

tldr; xavier is unusually talented with his mouth and is desperate to prove it to you.

i accidentally wrote way more for xavier than i expected i even cut out some bits holy crap maybe i’m more into xavi than i thought

oh no... zayne you beautiful man i am so sorry... (here comes the one character i have no idea how to characterise + no clue about his lore zayne fans pls bear with me)

okay - zayne looks like a gentleman and i'm sure he very much is even in intimate moments, but i cannot get rid of the idea that his first kiss w you was lowk spicyyyyy

like OH MY GOD I JUST WATCHED SNOWY SERENITY RN I FUCKIGN KNEW IT

that man was pouncing on you in a hospital bed, dishevelled, and kissing you deep my god like the type of kiss that literally as you forgetting where you are

i feel like zayne would be the one to initiate the kiss, again no idea why maybe i'm falling into the dominant zayne agenda

you're probably surprised when he kisses you because he's usually so composed, the 'cold unfeeling' dr zayne - then suddenly he's panting and pushing himself on top of you (consensually of course), pinning you down and going to town.

when he kisses you i don't think he's much of a lip biter, but if you bite his lips or lick at him or anything he's not opposed, as long as your lips are on his and vice versa

after the first kiss he's going straight into another one, his patience has thinned to the point of snapping and now he just needs you.

his hands what does he do with his hands? i'm thinking the typical otome face hold, gentle grasp juxtaposing his fervent kisses LOL

now, why does he kiss you?? how does this all build up? unfortunately all i can think of to match this scenario is something angsty or something along the lines of zayne has fucking had it and all he wants is you

"I need you... please."

this is the type of kiss where he wants to drown in you, breathe you in and just smother his being into yours to forget and erase whatever else is happening/happened

if he's kissing you and pinning you down and you bring up your hand to interlock fingers with him - your warm hands against his cool hands? wow his kissing is all of a sudden even more passionate.

after the little make out session he's going to go all mushy on you, physical affection of an embrace something uncharacteristic of him to match his dishevelled state

in kisses after the first i like the idea that he checks your pulse mid make-out and just silently smirks/chuckles when he notices it's faster and more erratic than usual

"Why are you nervous, this isn't our first time."

he also has this sneaky habit of whispering incredibly close to your ear, the reason why i choose to point this out it because i feel like sometimes he uses his evol to his advantage to like, breathe out cool air on your neck/ear and likes to watch you shiver

the ultimate dominant figure if you try to kiss him first and take control he somehow manages to overcome you and take the lead without using his strength, just good ol' sweet talking and technique

congratulations, you managed to snatch a kiss from the renown leader sylus!!!

i can see why people would think he's promiscuous or a fuck-boy because honestly i see it, but imo just because he is more flirtatious, assertive and... responsive (try tapping his... crotch... in the café LOL) does NOT = play boy

to me it just shows that - unlike the other LIs - sylus is just more forward with his approach, he has that devil-may-care like feel to him ykwim?

"Do I like you? What type of question is that, isn't it obvious? Or do I need to show you?" is much different to "Hey baby girl lemme rock your world tnite xx"

but just because he's got a 'fuck-all' attitude doesn't mean he fucks around with random people, he's 1. got standards and 2. living in the n109 zone?? do you THINK he can afford to let random people close just to fuck???

that being said i don't think he's a kiss virgin, just very selective and honest man when it comes to love and physical intimacy

now, when i say he isn't a fuckboy, that doesn't mean i don't believe in cocky-smugass-know-it-all sylus - he kisses well. and with PASSION. and probably the worst part is that he knows it.

first kiss with sylus? i can't imagine him making a large fuss about it like rafayel, nor it having to be some "i'm-at-deaths-door-and-need-to-kiss-you-atleast-once" situation like zayne, but no matter where or when you two share a first kiss he is making sure you remember

that being said, there was definitely a LOT of romantic and sexual tension between you and sylus for at least weeks before the kiss, i mean the air was thick with suggestive glances and denial

i think you two'd have to already be in close proximity which is very easy to achieve with sylus (touchiest man award goes to him) for the first kiss to initiate

he's grabbing your waist, or your face, makings sure your eyes are on. him. as you two kiss. watching with delight no matter what reactions you have, he admires you through surprised and flustered to confident and defiant

rather than a tender first kiss it’s probably a full blown make out session, just desire and lust flooding out of the both of you after having built up for over a month.

assertive does not mean he's going to force a kiss on you to clear this up, more that he likes to take the initiative and take control as you two kiss <3

yeah he's into biting (wow what a big shock) - likes biting your ear, or neck, or bottom lip, one time he tried nipping at your tongue too.

you can bite him back, he likes it.

"Hah, looks like someone is baring their claws tonight..." he’s really into that whole cat thing huh.

what does mr sylus do with his hands? waist, hips, ass, around your neck, pulling your face in by squeezing your cheeks, fingers threading through the hair on the back of your head, you name it he does it. again, i think sylus is a touchy man.

he doesn't mind if you try to take control, just dont expect to be successful. different to zayne - as in he will overcome your control with his evol and strength…

inappropriate use of his evol has occurred (he ‘tied’ you up and made out with you (CONSENSUALLY))

after his affinity 15 (i think) memory i can just tell he’s freaky with it bruhhh so yeah handcuffs are probably something he indulges in

if you’re persistent or physically overcome sylus you might get rewarded with a resigned, more submissive sylus

the idea or sight of someone man handling/overcoming his strength really sets him off.. i mean have you seen “no defence zone”?? but you’re really going to need to work to get him to this stage, and he’s going to have to love you

“No one’s ever seen me like this, lying on my back and begging for you.”

secretly finds out through you that he enjoys being dominated (BRAT SYLUS FOR 2024) so climb on top of him and kiss him until he’s blushing and panting hahahahahaha

tldr: sylus isn’t a fuck-boy but he sure kisses like one

AN; as an ao3 writer may say, no beta we die like caleb i wrote half of this when i was half asleep LMAOO anyways i hope this was okay please dont attack me BYE

[jinwoosbabyboo]

Nika's Open Mic Night!

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕪 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕓/𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕣𝕠𝕓𝕚𝕟

Calling all the LADS writers of Tumblr

Please read → Everyone and anyone is free to join. Write something for the prompt and tag someone who you'd like to see participate. You can do it in a reblog to this post or make your own post. Your character can be a self-insert, your MC, or an OC If you make your own post please add me in your taglist or tag it with #nikasopenmicnight I love reading you guys work. I'm going to be making an ongoing list with links to all the stories of everyone who chooses to join. There is no deadline have fun !

Okay I'll shut up now here's the prompt

the prompt: running into your main lads man (boyfriend) while you're out with your second favorite lads man (as a friend) and how they would react. [Credit: Anon]

I'll go first....Who's next?

This was supposed to be a quick trip, in and out, get what I need and leave. I should’ve gone to a different store because I knew better than to think I'd make a ‘quick trip’ to target. Dumbass. Nothing was ever a quick trip when me and Raf hung out. So here I am buying all new decor for my library at home. Rafayel stood by giving his opinion even when I didn't ask for it “How many blankets does one girl need?”

“There’s no such thing as too many blankets” I giggled as I squat down to chose a fluffy red blanket. I knew Sylus would like this no matter how much he likes to act like he doesn't care for them I see how he throws one over his lap when it’s within reach. “Thinking of me?” I jump at the sudden sound of his voice looking up to see his tall frame looming over me. It wasn’t uncommon for him to pop-up on me considering he has my location. I couldn’t help the smile that split my face in two as I looked up at him. I stood up and shoved the blanket in this direction. “What do you think?” His hand gently ran up and down the fabric, but his intense stare was fixated over my shoulder “It’s nice”

I turned to see Raf giving Sylus a just as intense stare, but instead of a frown like Sylus he had a smile on his face. His smile didn’t reach his eyes and I could practically feel the lightning cracking between them. Am I in the middle of some kind of pissing contest? Men. “Sylus stop being rude he's my friend” I poked him in his side which made him jolt, but he finally looked at me. His gaze softened slightly as our eyes locked. “Princess i’m not doing anything” He poked me in my forehead and I swatted his hand away; he knows I hate when he does that. “Don’t play dumb” I scowled at him and all he did was give me that sexy ass smirk. Sometimes I wish he was ugly …. no I don’t. Sylus put his gaze back on Rafayel and pulled me impossibly close to him by my waist. “Apologies if I'm interrupting, but we have an appointment with a tailor that we can’t miss”

Why is he lying? This is the first i’m hearing of said appointment. I struggled in his hold trying to pry his fingers from my waist, but he gave me a few small squeezes making me snort with laughter.

Raf didn’t even try to argue he threw his hands up in surrender “No worries I have paintings to finish” he grabbed his items that he tossed in the cart, gave my nose a pinch along with a quick “I’ll talk to you later” and sauntered off. The second Rafayel was out of sight I managed to wiggle my way out of Sylus' iron grip “What appointment are you talking about?”

“There isn’t one I just didn’t like the way he looks at you” He said in a matter-of-fact tone as if I was supposed to know that. “How exactly does he look at me?”

“The same way I look at you” I narrowed my eyes at him inquisitively; he returned the same look and I knew he was mocking me. “So you don’t trust me” It was more of a statement rather than a question.

“And here I thought your deductive reasoning skills were improving” he shifted his weight as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I trust you sweetie I don’t trust him he wants to be more than a friend” something was off although he seemed annoyed I could tell that it wasn’t me he was upset with. All of his tells were on full display by the way he avoided eye contact with and how his fingers absentmindedly tapped on his bicep. “Are you jealous?” I teased poking his chest repeatedly. He glowered at me as I tried and failed to stop the evil grin that spread across my face. “You’re enjoying this a little too much for my liking”

“You’re so cute when you're jealous” I reached up to pinch his cheek but as always he grabbed my wrist before I could even get close. “Enough” he’s so sick of my shit, but it’s not like he’s going anywhere. "Don't worry no one can steal me from you"

tagging w/ no pressure ;

@who-mentioned-rhys-larsen @irandial @ollieneedsamilkshake @phoenixiaxia @luxis-journal

@deepspacenova @world-of-hearts @comatosebunny09 @leighsartworks216 @awesomephilosophus

@ersharyzst

[syluslnd]

Hello ! May I request some angst 🥹 You and Sylus are fwb but you love him and later you catch sylus and mc having sex and you leave and he regrets it? Whether they get together or not up to you !

tags-angst no comfort,sylus pov,implied suicide

word count 1.8k

(note-if I went a little off script and you want me to rewrite pls lmk anon,when I get the creative freedom of an ending I always get so excited lol!🥹)

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

You’d spent weeks trying to gather the courage to finally tell Sylus how you felt. What started as a casual arrangement had turned into something far more intense for you, with every moment, every stolen glance and every word he spoke weaving tighter knots around your heart. Tonight was the night you planned to tell him everything, to lay it all out and see if he felt even a fraction of the same.

You rehearsed the words over and over in your head on the way to his office, holding onto a shaky hope that maybe he, too, had noticed the subtle shift between you. As you walked down the corridor, anticipation and anxiety blurred together, making your pulse quicken with every step.

But when you finally arrived and opened the door to his office, everything you’d imagined, everything you’d hoped, shattered in an instant.

Sylus was there but he wasn’t alone.

The scene before you was like a punch to the gut, one that left you breathless and frozen. He was with the very woman he’d once told you not to worry about, the so-called “hunter girl” and they were wrapped up in each other, utterly absorbed, not even registering your presence. It wasn’t the fact of him being with someone else that hurt—it was that he was with her, here, in a place that had once felt like it was partly yours, and he didn’t even look at you.

A cold wave of realization washed over you, tinged with humiliation and pain. You’d come here with a heart full of hope and he hadn’t even noticed.

When Sylus finally glanced your way, there was no apology in his eyes, no explanation, not even the courtesy of a break in his actions. He looked at you almost dismissively, a fleeting glance, as if you were nothing more than an inconvenience and then, with a coldness you never thought you’d see, he turned his attention back to her, ignoring you completely.

In that moment, you felt something break inside of you, a part of yourself you couldn’t repair. A thousand emotions flooded through you—anger, sadness, shame. The weight of unspoken words, of all the feelings you’d held back, now felt like a burden you could barely carry.

Stumbling backward, you couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The realization that you meant so little to him, that he could simply disregard you like this, was a hurt that went deeper than words could express and as you left, the door closing softly behind you, you promised yourself you’d never let anyone make you feel this small, this inconsequential, again.

Sylus hadn’t planned for it to be this way. A part of him knew he was treading on dangerous ground the moment he let things go this far with the hunter girl, a lingering decision he could already feel weighing on his conscience. But he had convinced himself it was fine, that it didn’t mean anything—and most importantly, that you’d never find out.

But when he glanced up and saw you standing there, his heart sank.

The shock on your face, the confusion—it struck him in a way he wasn’t prepared for. He cursed internally. Of all days, why did it have to be today? Why did you have to see him like this, at his worst? A flicker of regret crossed his mind as he realized the full extent of what this would do to you. He could tell, even from a distance, that your heart was breaking in real-time.

For a split second, he wanted to call out, to explain, to reach for you. But guilt held him back, keeping him rooted in place. He’d never seen you look so vulnerable, so defeated and in his mind, he could already feel the words he’d rehearsed to you, the subtle hints he’d dropped over time—words that, he now realized, had only served to deepen your trust in him. That trust, something he had taken for granted, was slipping through his fingers.

When he looked away to continue the kiss and passion with that hunter woman, it wasn’t because he didn’t care; it was because he couldn’t bear to look at the pain in your eyes,he knew no matter what in this very moment he couldn’t possibly have the correct words to say.

It’s been a day since you’d walked in on him and yet, the scene keeps replaying haunting your mind. You hadn’t meant to purposely walk into his office unannounced; you’d only come by to tell him the truth—that maybe, just maybe, what you felt for him wasn’t so casual anymore. But the second you opened that door and saw him tangled with her, every thought, every word you had planned to say, fell silent.

The memory of it echoes in you. His indifference, the way he’d looked away when he finally noticed you standing there, stunned. He didn’t say a word, didn’t reach out. It was as if you were invisible.

You’d always told yourself you could handle this. You’d always told yourself that this was just a fling, something fleeting. But here you were, alone in your apartment, the reality settling in like a weight in your chest. You’d lost something in that room—something you’d never get back.

It feels like a betrayal, not just from him but from yourself. You’d let him into places in your heart that you’d sworn would stay locked. You’d shared things, vulnerable moments, pieces of yourself that you couldn’t take back. You’d given him everything—everything that mattered.

A soft, cold wind moves through the open window as you sit there, tears slipping down your cheeks. The city lights blur outside and somewhere in the haze of pain, you make a promise to yourself: no one would ever make you feel this small, this broken, again.

You reach for a pen, feeling the sharp tip against your skin as you press down, writing a reminder on your wrist. It’s a small vow but it feels like a lifeline. No one else will ever be given the power to hurt you this way. Not again. You’ll keep that vow to yourself, protecting your heart from the world outside.

The pen trembles slightly in your hand, heavier than it has ever felt before. But this is no ordinary pen; it's a relic of quiet promises and unspoken pains. Not just a tool for writing, it becomes an instrument, a bridge between the ache in your chest and the words you're too afraid to say out loud.

As you press it against your wrist, it's as if you're pouring everything unsaid into that red ink. The curve of each letter, the way it bites into your skin-it's a reminder, a vow you're making to yourself, a way to draw strength from this hurt. It's not just ink staining your skin; it's the permanence of a promise to guard what's left of your heart, a declaration that no one will be allowed to leave marks on your soul again.

The act is delicate yet deliberate, like the slow drag of the pen is creating a map of the pain you've endured, and perhaps the resilience that will follow. You feel the chill of the ink settling on your skin, mingling with the warmth of your blood beneath and the pain sharpens into clarity.

For the first time, in this quiet moment, you realize that the pen has become more than just a promise,It's a knife full of promises sinking into your skin;you’ll never hurt get hurt again from this world that once took so much without asking.

Sylus stares at his phone, frustration gnawing at him as he watches the screen flash with another unanswered call. He’s tried five times already but each time, the phone rings and rings, only to be met with silence. His fingers hover over the screen, ready to dial again, but his hesitation claws at him.

The image of your face keeps flashing in his mind. The look of shock, the raw pain in your eyes—it’s all he can see. It’s like a punch to the gut, one he can’t escape. He’s always been able to maintain control, to keep things casual but in that moment, when he saw the hurt in your eyes, the walls he’d so carefully built around his emotions shattered.

What the hell was he thinking? He thought he could keep things light, just a hook-up, no strings attached. But the guilt—God, it weighs on him like a hundred-pound anchor. He knows you never asked for anything more but the reality of how he treated you after everything—that—had started to gnaw at him. The hurt on your face, that unmistakable sting of betrayal, it’s all he can think about.

Sylus knows he’s not supposed to care. He’s supposed to be fine with this arrangement. But he’s not fine and it’s terrifying, because he’s never let anyone have that kind of effect on him before. But now, all he can feel is the burning ache in his chest, the overwhelming need to hear your voice, to apologize, to explain that he fucked up.

Why aren’t you answering?

He grits his teeth and stands up, pacing around the room, phone clutched in his hand as if it holds the key to fixing this mess.

He doesn’t know what happened. He thought he could just be selfish, just have you, keep you close in his life the way he wanted, without the mess of feelings. But you—you, with your eyes full of trust and warmth—somehow slipped past his defenses.

He needs you to hear him. He needs to tell you that he feels something more than what you agreed on. He just doesn’t know how. He’s never been one to show vulnerability, to let someone see how much they mean to him and yet, for some reason, when it comes to you, he knows he’s lying to himself.

Sighing heavily, he presses the phone to his ear again, dialing your number once more. The ringing sounds so much louder this time and with each ring, his frustration builds. Come on. Pick up. Please pick up.

But the call goes to voicemail and his shoulders slump in defeat. He leans back against the wall, staring at the phone in his hand, fingers curling around it tightly.

He can’t keep pretending this is okay. He can’t keep pretending it’s just physical. The feeling in his chest has become too strong and it’s not something he can ignore anymore.

His thumb hovers over the screen, typing a message that feels too raw, too honest to send. But he does it anyway.

“I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you. Please just pick up the phone and let me explain”

The words feel insufficient, like nothing more than a weak attempt to fix everything that’s broken. But it’s all he can offer.

He throws the phone down on the couch, pacing again, this time with a much heavier heart. It’s the first time in a long while that Sylus feels like he’s lost control of the situation. And it terrifies him.

Now, all he can do is wait.

[leighsartworks216]

In Your Arms

Sylus x gn!Reader

Huge huge huge shoutout to @blueroseava for steering my "Sylus isn't used to gentle touches" thought into this fluffy little thing. This one takes place in the Raven universe (the same MC as Lap Dog and The Raven), but I may write another one with a softer MC later. Thank you again for sharing this idea bc now I cannot think straight I just wanna cuddle this huge man so bad <333

Warnings: fluff, cuddling, some biting, established relationship, selectively mute reader, reader is the only one who can boss him around like this

Word Count: 898

Main Masterlist

Love and Deepspace Masterlist

The Raven Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form

Every single deal this week fell through. Every. Single. One. It wasn’t even because the deals were unfair or that he was being duped. No. It was worse. His competitors swept the deals right out from under him.

As a result, Sylus was irritable and quicker to snap than usual. Not at you, of course. He was upset, but he didn’t have a death wish. The twins were mostly the outlet for his bad mood, alongside his punching bag.

You find him in his office, the knuckle of his finger brushing against his upper lip as he read a series of documents. You don’t bother knocking before you enter. He doesn’t look up, but you know he notices your presence. He always does, even in a crowded party.

You walk behind his chair and press your hands into his shoulders, digging your thumbs against the tense muscle at the back of his neck. He sighs, lifting his head up from his work to encourage you. You kiss the back of his head.

“The sun is up and you’re still here.” You drag your thumbs along the sides of his spine before moving back up again.

“Is my kitten missing me?” he teases. His voice is rough with exhaustion, low and slightly airy as you massage him. You lean down to bite his neck. He chuckles at your way of scolding him. But, he finally relents.

The papers in his hands land carelessly on his desk, no longer worth his time when you’re here trying to drag him off to bed. Your magic touch abandons him as he stands. The tension seems to return tenfold when he looks down at you, neck strained once again from the simple fact of his being taller than everyone else.

You grab his hand, holding it to your face briefly to press a kiss to his palm, before intertwining your fingers together and dragging him out of his office. Luke and Kieran are nowhere to be seen or heard. Mephisto is off spying for Sylus, gathering intel that could turn his hand back against his competitors. He sighs. He doesn’t want to think about it anymore.

You’re already dressed for bed, but Sylus is still in the nice dress clothes from his meeting earlier that night. He lets your hand go so he can change. When he comes back, the soft pajama pants are hanging low on his lips, but you don’t even spare them a glance.

You’re sitting up, back against the headboard. It’s his usual position, or it was until he found someone worth laying down next to. Someone he knew full well could slit his throat, but who chose to protect it anyway. Any intruders who dared to break into the Onychinus base and make an attempt on his life would be praying they were never born without him ever needing to worry.

“You’re in my spot,” he points out, raising his eyebrow.

You pat your lap. “It’s my spot tonight. Lay down.”

“So demanding.” He crawls up the bed until he can rest his head in your lap. It wasn’t a completely foreign position, when the roles were reversed. It’s the first time he’s ever been down here, looking up into your face. Your thighs as his pillow, keeping him from straining his neck any more. It… feels nicer than he expected it to.

Fingers which have taken lives without hesitation, that he’d seen pull apart guns in seconds just to put them back together equally as fast, traced delicately along his cheek. Soft, tender touches that felt along his jaw and brushed down the bridge of his nose. At one point, they close his eyes, with an accompanying huff of annoyance from you.

“Sleep,” you command.

He chuckles. “Of course, sweetie.”

The gentle caresses tempt him to bite your fingers when you brush them over his lips, but he resists, if only to avoid pissing you off. He doesn’t expect the groan that’s pulled from his lips when your other hand drags through his hair. Your nails scratch lightly at his scalp, his hair sliding through your fingers like silk.

It’s so different to when your hands are usually tangled in his hair. Usually, it’s rough, grabbing fistfuls of white locks and pulling hard enough to sting, commanding his head to be where you want him. This is the closest to heaven he’s ever felt.

He exhales and the tension in his body goes with the slightly shaky breath. You drag your nails from the crown of his head to the nape of his neck, praising him for letting go so easily in your care. Your other hand glides down his neck and arm until you can lace your fingers together once more.

As his exhaustion takes hold, his trust is implicitly and wholly in your hands, peaceful in the knowledge that he will make it through the night even in such a vulnerable position.

In the morning, he’s on his stomach, arms wrapped around your back and face pressed tightly against your belly. Your hand is still tangled in his hair, limp as you sleep, but sturdy in its willpower to stay there. He’s the first to wake, disoriented and slow to piece together how he ended up here. But then he closes his eyes again, nuzzles like a cat into your welcoming heat, and drifts off.

---

Tag List:

@the-golden-jhope @huen1ngk41 @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow

[sometimeslwish]

The Ocean Beyond The Sea [ao3]

Saw this edit, then remembered the song and made this post, saw this edit later on, got the writer blues, got some encouragement from @comatosebunny09, remembered the rafayel x nonmc reader drabble I started writing after s:ate but never finished and BAM, this came out.

As you can tell, it was quite the sequence of events that led me to churn out 2.3k words in two days after a few weeks of not writing.

Tags: Rafayel x non mc reader, gn reader, angst, mentions of death and drowning, drowning as a metaphor for both death and love, assassin reader, mentions of stalking (from both reader and Rafayel, although his is more subtle)

Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea

You've always wanted to drown.

Not literally– or well, maybe so... It's hard to explain.

The ocean has always called to you. Since before the experiments, before escaping and before the N109 zone. Like a voice in the back of your head that keeps singing to you.

It's because of the heart inside of you. A heart that you shouldn't have.

You resurface from the water, blinking away the droplets as you stand up. You don't take a deep breath, it's unnecessary, with this complicated evol of yours.

It's a blessing and a curse.

It means it's hard to kill you– a weed that will continuously grow no matter how many times you uproot it. You'll adapt and overcome, take in whichever form necessary to survive, over and over again, whether you want to or not. You will survive. Like a phoenix. Like a true human weapon.

It means people want your power.

People like Ever, who will stop at nothing, the same people who experimented on you in the search for immortality.

You get out of the tub and grab a towel, making quick work to dry yourself and get ready for the night– or well, day ahead. You never know in the n109 zone, it's easy to forget with the constant darkness.

. . . . .

There's blue eyes staring at you.

They're beautiful and captivating, you want to get lost in them and never come back out.

Oh, how you wish to drown.

. . . . .

There's a song that you've always hummed as you went on your missions. A song that gave you the reputation you have now. "A phantom with a siren like voice that leads you to your death" people warn.

You don't mind it.

You've never felt like yourself anyways, only a ghost floating around, unable to leave.

You didn't even realize you were humming it, at first, until Sylus pointed it out on your first partnered mission. You'd shrugged before finishing the job, giving a simple "I don't know, it's always been with me," for an answer.

He'd accepted it with no questions asked and the topic had been dropped, forgotten into the darkness of the night.

. . . . .

Endless blue. You're surrounded by it.

You can hear children's laughter and a voice narrating a story. You stay and watch from afar, taking the time to enjoy the sight before it's too late.

You wonder if you'll ever find him, if you'll ever meet again. If he remembers.

You hope he does.

Oh, how you want to drown.

. . . . .

You find him in an auction.

All you catch is a glimpse of purple hair, but you know it's him. You'd recognize him anywhere, from any angle. How could a devout follower not?

Sylus takes one look at you and that is all he needs to know.

"It's him."

You don't need to answer.

It's him.

Later that night, you reveal one of your cards to Sylus.

"Would you believe me if I said that I know someone from a past life?" You blurt out on your way back to the mansion.

It takes him a few seconds for him to answer and when he does, he takes you by surprise, "Yes."

You get to see a side of him that not even the twins have seen, one you're not sure you'd ever see.

He looks tired, but not his usual tired. It's soul tired, like centuries have been taken from him when he sits down. You get to know one of his secrets, memories of a past life shared with miss hunter, just like you and Rafayel.

You bond over the shared problem, even if the variables and solutions to it are completely different.

Two peas in a pond, destined to die at their lover's hands. You feel a little bit less alone.

"I guess you can say we're friends now." You pat his back and smile at his unimpressed stare, saying nothing else as you turn to leave to your room.

You try not to think about how it's the first time you've smiled in years. The motion feeling wrong after so long.

. . . . .

You shouldn't.

You really shouldn't, but you don't have anything else to do. Not like you have better examples anyways, with the way Sylus sends Mephisto to his little miss.

You watch him from afar. Alternating between staring at his paintings and watching him interact.

He looks even more beautiful than last time.

You follow him. Carefully and without raising suspicion. You never approach him, simply watch.

He's with the little miss and the smile he gives her makes you green with envy.

Oh, how you need to drown.

. . . . .

You've made a habit of it.

The twins call it stalking, but you call it shadowing. Ever so in denial.

You do it when you're free, when the sea lets up and doesn't tug at the heart.

It's to keep him safe, you lie to yourself, knowing he's more than capable enough.

For backup, just in case things go wrong. They never do, he's always in control, always steps ahead.

You wish you would come closer, but you never find the right time. Opportunities pass you by as you overthink. You've met the little miss' eyes a few times, acknowledged her when she recognized you. Each time, you leave before she can do anything about it. As if you were delegating your job.

A job he didn't ask you to take.

. . . . .

You make eye contact with him through the glass of a shop. It's sudden and unplanned, you don't get to hide behind something or someone.

Blue and pink eyes, staring into your soul, throwing you into an endless, calming blue. It feels like the breath was knocked out from your lungs and simultaneously put back in.

You're thankful she's with him, because you need to run and hide. It keeps him from chasing you.

It's finally happened, he knows. You wonder how long you'll get to run before he finds you. You won't be able to hide, you've seen what he can do.

You just hope you're ready for when it's your turn.

Oh, how you long to drown.

. . . . .

Miss hunter makes it to the n109 zone with his help.

You avoid her like the plague.

He'll close in at any second now, you can feel him right around the corner.

You'll never be ready.

Running from her is easier, you just ask Sylus for a vacation. He doesn't ask why, simply grants it.

You go to a villa near the beach. The ocean's call is stronger there, but it calms you instead of driving you restless.

. . . . .

You make the mistake of lowering your guard when miss hunter goes back to Linkon.

You're completely in your element, fighting the men without breaking a sweat. You're too focused to notice who the owner of the gaze you feel on you is.

You come face to face with him when you're done, his back against a wall, your dagger just a few centimeters away from his neck and his own against your chest, right where your heart is.

He's supposed to be with miss hunter, not in this alleyway with you.

Your gasp is unbidden and you stumble back as you pull away, dropping your dagger to the floor like it burned you.

He's beautiful, always been. Divine, otherworldly, enchanting. No word in any language would be enough to describe his beauty.

There's recognition in his eyes. He crouches to pick up your dagger, a poor imitation of his old one.

"I finally found you, my beloved bride."

Will you finally get to drown?

Take Me Back To Eden

[starmocha]

Why did I let you guys convince me dragon!Sylus AU was a good idea 😔😔😔

I am agonizing over this. I managed to work out a story, but dear god do I want to cry. So far I have...basically a ton of unfinished sloppy scenes, the intro alone is about 2k words, and I still have other scenes I haven't started yet.....

Key themes: Soulmates, Red String of Fate, reincarnation, forbidden love, Sylus @ MC: “ily my beloved, my heart and soul, loml, wifey”, Sylus @ everyone else: “fuck the rest of y’all”, probably sexy time with Sylus nah ok we’ll fuck a dragon i mEAN HE’LL BE A HUMANOID VERSION YOU GET IT RIGHT WE’RE NOT HAVING ACTUAL LITERAL DRAGON DICK 😔, Egg Laying 🙂, just….grossly in love with you Sylus is best Sylus, light angst & smut & fluff ig idk

ANYWAY. This is the only actual completed and coherent scene lol

For context: an erhu is a Chinese instrument (also found in other Asian countries), similar to a fiddle in a sense. Here's an amazing erhu cover of the theme song from the film, House of Flying Daggers. Here's another breathtaking cover from the same performer for the Inuyasha's theme, To Love's End.

You were about to retire for the night, but as you walked down the corridors, you could have sworn you heard music. You paused in your steps, your ears tuning into the sounds. It was distant and faint, but it sounded like someone was playing an erhu. You followed the melancholic melody, down the long corridors, rounding a corner and straight on down the path until you saw at the very end a pavilion overlooking a moonlit lake. You could make out the lone dark figure sitting, recognizing it was Skye. You approached him cautiously, keeping your steps silent. He sat with his back to you, apparently unaware. You could see a teal porcelain bottle of liquor and a filled cup next to him as he lounged lazily, one long leg was stretched out while his other was propped up. Between his legs was an erhu. You followed his movements, watching the bow gliding across the two-stringed instrument with practiced ease. The melody played made your heart ached, evoking a feeling of nostalgia or even déjà vu. Skye appeared to be gazing at the dark night sky, lost in memories. You were startled when he spoke, his tone even, “How long do you plan to stand there?” “How did you know it was me?” You walked closer to him. “I always know when you are near,” he murmured, his words puzzling you, but it seemed Skye had no inclination of elaborating further. He set the instrument aside, and picked up his cup, downing the liquor in seconds. You watched as he poured himself another drink. You knelt next to him. “May I have a drink?” Skye looked momentarily surprised before handing you his cup.

You accepted it gratefully. You politely turned to the side as you drank it slowly. It was strong. Skye drank it like it was water, but for you, you could feel it burning your throat and leaving a bitter aftertaste. You refrained from grimacing and coughing. After composing yourself, you handed the cup back to Skye, seeing his amused smirk. You blushed.

“It’s lonely to drink by yourself,” you explained. You could feel a heat building up inside you, unsure if it was from just that small drink or perhaps from the way Skye observed you. “I suppose,” Skye responded lukewarmly, pouring a new drink for himself. To your astonishment, he gulped it down easily. As he prepared to pour his next cup, you reached out and stopped him. He looked up, his expression unreadable. You felt a little lightheaded. The alcohol was stronger than you had expected. “Skye…” “What is it?” “Do you often drink by yourself?” He smiled, but there was no joy in his expression. He resumed pouring his next cup, saying softly, “The moon is lovely tonight, and the liquor is so sweet.” You looked at him curiously. “They say liquor only tastes sweet when everything else in your life is bitter.” “Is that so?” he asked noncommittally, drinking his next cup. He set the cup down on the floor with a clatter before reaching over to you, grasping your chin, making you gasped in surprise, startled by his sudden action. Skye leaned in close and you smelled the heavy stench of alcohol on his breath. His eyes remained the same, focused and calculating. His expression was neutral, and he still appeared to be sober in spite of how many cups he had drank so far. Even so, you couldn’t help but noticed something in his expression when he looked at you. “Skye…” He tilted his head a little, waiting. “Why do you…” You touched his cheek. “…look so sad?” He paused, startled. He pulled away from you immediately, turning his sight back to the lake. “It is late,” he said coldly, “A young lady should not be alone with a man like this. Go to bed.” You crawled closer to him, settling in between his legs as you looked up at him with flushed cheeks. Skye looked down at you, resigned. He caressed your cheek, his hand felt so cooling on your warm skin. “Already this tipsy from one drink?” he asked softly, amused. There was a soft warmth in his voice again. “It’s stronger than I thought…” You leaned forward, falling into his arms. You yawned softly. You felt so tired all of a sudden. Skye steadied his balance with one hand on the wooden floor while his other arm wrapped around your waist. He smirked as you lay against him. “My lady,” he said, “…wouldn’t this be considered indecent?” You sleepily murmured against his chest, “…You wouldn’t do anything to me…” “You have such trust in me?” he asked, laughing. He pulled your body closer to his. Skye leaned down, inhaling your sweet floral scent. “What if I say it’s taking all of my self-control to not ravage you right now?” You looked up at him, your face feeling even warmer. You wondered if it was because of the alcohol or Skye’s words. You weren’t entirely sure, unable to truly decipher his tone and meaning in your current mindset. You sulked at him. “Don’t tease me…” “Who said I am teasing you?” His face leaned in closer, his lips centimeters from yours. Just the smell of the alcohol from his breath made you dizzy, feeling like you could get even more intoxicated just breathing him in. His lips drew closer to yours, and as he spoke, you felt a chill running down your body, his breathy voice ensnaring you under his spell, his voice reminiscent of another’s: “My beloved.”

[musedeluce]

Exhaustion

Love and Deepspace Headcanons - You're so tired, all you want to do is sleep and go to see them. They're in the same situation.

A/N: Canonically, in the game we have a motorcycle hence the assumption the MC has their own transportation. Assume they're wearing the proper protective gear and that it's easy to get off XD (Though I know biker gear can be quite hard to actually take off. Just go with it pls lol) Brought to you by me being tired as hell, and thinking it would be nice to be able to go to someone and rest. ^J^

Tags/Warnings: Fluff, exhaustion, loneliness.

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Work had been rather grueling, long, and tedious, all in one, and there was still more to do. Sighing internally, you shot off a text in order to sadly, cancel the plans you had to visit. It looked like you'd have to stay at least an extra 10 hours, due to extremely unforeseen and urgent circumstances for the Hunter's Association.

Your final message felt inadequate to convey the warmth and happiness you felt knowing that he wanted to see you as much as you wanted to see him. Bolstered, the rest of the shitshow was just a bit easier to deal with as you had something to look forward to.

Wind whipping around you, the ride was something you needed. The sense of freedom, the speed, the music and the lights all gave you a sense of solace as you headed towards your destination.

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Xavier

You appreciated the irony as the elevator passed your floor and stopped at his. As you approached his door, you finally let yourself feel the exhaustion weighing down on you. Your body felt heavier, and it took more effort to move. Sleepiness hovered just beyond consciousness, and you fought it off. Looking at your watch, you sigh. 3:07, your estimate had been right on the money.

Still, despite how tired you were, you did want to see Xavier, even if this visit would probably just amount to you sleeping over.

Knocking to make Xavier aware of your arrival, you're just about to enter the door code, when it opens and Xavier stands before you, his arms open for a hug.

Wordlessly, you accept his invitation, hugging him tightly. His embrace is firm, warm and comforting and you can't help but relax into him.

"I thought you'd be asleep." You murmur softly, hugging him just as tightly.

"I woke up when I heard your bike." He nuzzles his face into your neck. "It's the signal for your arrival after all." Reluctantly, he breaks the embrace as you pull away to take off your shoes and put your satchel, helmet and jacket on one of the hooks. He makes his way back to his bed, turning to look at you as you follow, undressing down to your underwear.

Collapsing into the soft blankets, you burrow under the sheets with him. Xavier carefully, gently adjusts your position so you lay against him, your head resting on his arm, your back against his chest. Together, you drift off to sleep.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Sylus

Unsurprisingly, he met you at the entrance to Onychinus Headquarters

"Sweetie, I would have preferred picking you up." Sylus takes your helmet and satchel from you, handing them off to the twins to deal with. "How rude of them to overwork you like this." Normally, you'd respond in kind, a fun playful exchange that flowed naturally. But frankly, you were too tired to really talk.

He gazed at you, taking everything about you in, and after he did so all he did was wordlessly kneel down and support you as he took off your shoes. "You look exhausted, Kitten. Let me help you." Sylus slips your jacket off your shoulders

Providing support, he guides you towards his room. You're absolutely sure that if he thought you'd allow it, he'd pick you up and carry you, but he didn't. You appreciated it as you much prefer to walk on your own, when you can. "I took the time to fluff your pillow

You may be tired, so much so that its obvious that once you relax you'll fall alseep, but you are very good at ignoring it, soldiering though until your body decides to force sleep.

How lucky it is then, that you can go to Sylus and rest, before it comes to that.

Ultimately, you crawl onto Sylus's bed and collapse, and he's not far behind, climbing in with you despite his wonky sleep schedule.

He faces you, pulling your head into his chest and your body flush against him as you both drift off for some much needed sleep. You feel safe and relaxed with his arms around you.

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Zayne

Unfortunately, this was a more common occurrence than either of you would like. Both of your jobs were quite intense and often required long hours.

Still, you both made a conscious effort to make time for each other, even if it ended up being strange hours sometimes. The times he got home before you were not rare, but infrequent, and this was one of these time.

Taking of your gear and shoes as you entered his home, you hoped that he was at least resting, hopefully asleep. It was something he deserved, and right now all you wanted to do was rest with him.

A warm glow cascaded over the room, making you smile. Zayne had left a light on for you.

Padding softly through the foyer, you quietly open the door to his room, making sure the light from outside doesn't disturb him. Much to your relief, Zayne was sleeping peacefully, his handsome face relaxed. He had an unguarded quality about him that you rarely saw.

A rush of affection suddenly overcame you. Carefully, you went over to him and kissed his forehead. As you withdrew, you felt him grab your hand, his eyes still closed. "Stay here" he murmured, his voice gentle and low, hazy with sleep as his hand falls from yours.

You move over to your side, ensconcing yourself in bed, growing cozy and warm with him next to you.

He gravitates towards you, intertwining his legs with yours and nuzzling his head into your neck, and you fall asleep, your eyes gently closing as you're tangled together comfortably.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Rafayel

The solitary lamplight from Rafayel's studio illuminates the path as you walk up to his door. Although he had given you a key, you knock gently, just in case Rafayel was absorbed in his art.

A small clatter sounds after you knock, and you can't help but feel amused despite the haze of tiredness dulling your senses.

When he opens the door, a playful, soft smile pulls at his lips. "I don't suppose you have any news of my wayward companion?" He steps aside and helps you with your gear and shoes.

"Hmmm I think I have some news. It seems your companion has made it to their destination." Rafayel cleans up the box of paintbrushes he spilled, making sure your path is clear.

"Well! Now that they've arrived, they can't leave for a while. It's mean of them to leave me alone for so long, and so often." His pout is playful, his eyes focused on you as he intertwines his fingers in yours, holding your hand gently, as if it was some priceless thing, something to be cherished and treated with care.

You squeeze his hand as the two of you make your way to his room, his bed looking like the most luxurious, comfortable place in the world despite it really just being a slightly messy, normal bed.

"As much as your wayward traveler loves to explore, I'm sure they love being here too and would always make an effort to return to you." With that, you climb onto bed, letting go of his hand, your exhaustion amplifying the soreness of your body, making every movement take extra effort. As soon as you're comfortable, you open your arms to Rafayel, who had merely just stood beside his bed as you did so.

You open your arms for him, and he joins you in bed, almost clinging to you under the covers, entangling all his limbs with yours and burying his face into your neck, head resting on your chest, near your shoulder. "I missed you." Together you drift of, feeling safe and sound with each other under the covers.

[starsamiss]

The Heartbeats in Between

My take on the emotions + added scenes/interactions of Sylus' Innocent Birdcage card that I really wanted to see. I love yearning Sylus and also yearning mc... some slight angst and also spoilers for Sylus' card!

Word count: 4,705

You creep quietly in the dark of the night, brushing your fingers against the guns in the holster on your thigh, nerves on edge. You weren’t unused to making your way around Linkon’s southern district. You’d grown up here after all, in the neglected streets of the city, riddled with danger. But you’d mostly stuck in around the same alleys, the same dark corners where you could stay safe. You hadn’t been this far out before, near the edge of the crumbled harbor, sea stretching out into darkness.

Wolfe had sent you here to deliver modified weapons to Sylus. They sat heavy against your leg. 

You move a bit further out towards the docks. This area was littered with debris and the ruins of a functioning society– most places in the district were the same.

You stop in your tracks, ears catching the sound of voices in the distance, and you instinctively duck down behind a large scrap of metal in the ruined area. Peeking from behind it, you see a couple of figures in the distance. They’re armed.  

You curse softly more in annoyance than anything else. Sylus was supposed to meet you here according to Wolfe, and yet there had been no sight of him yet. The only people you could see were those up ahead. Reaching for the gun at your leg again, you draw it carefully, more for reassurance. You hoped you wouldn’t have to use it, but being wary in Linkon was essential- people hardly had good intentions. Making sure to stay behind your cover, you survey the area. Maybe you could sneak past them… 

“What are we looking at?” 

You barely manage to suppress a yelp, choking on a sharp, panicked intake of breath. Your fingers move to the trigger of the gun and you spin your heel in the dirt to turn to the voice right next to your ear. Thrusting your arm forwards, the barrel of the gun collides with someone. 

A low, familiar chuckle and a gleam of silver hair hit your senses over the feeling of your racing pulse. The very man you’ve been looking for is before you, reaching up to grab the barrel of the gun and move it away from his chest. 

“What the hell, Sylus!” you whisper-shout.

He smiles wide, canines gleaming in the dark. “Fancy meeting you here, kitten.” His eyes flick to the weapon in both of your grips. “Is this for me?” 

You let go of the gun to shove his chest with your now free hand, your heart still in a frenzy from the scare. “Why did you sneak up on me like that?!” 

“It’s all part of the job, sweetie. You should be more aware.” 

You scowl. “What if I shot you?” 

He flips the weapon over in his hands, studying it. “With an empty gun?”

You purse your lips. Okay, oversight on your part, but you think your point still stands. You would like a warning next time, instead of him lurking right behind you in dark areas.

You opt to ignore him and instead turn your attention behind you, back to the people you saw earlier. You tilt your head to catch a view of them from behind your cover. 

You hear the dirt shift behind you and you can tell Sylus has moved closer to you, the chains of his outfit grazing your back. He leans close, so close until his mouth is next to your ear. 

“Those are my targets for tonight.” 

You shift your gaze back to him. Sylus wasn’t quite open about the details of his work. You knew he was an assassin, an infamous one at that. The specific dealings of his job, however, went unknown to you. “Who are they?” you ask him. 

He’s looking past you at the figures, taking a moment to respond. “...watchers,” he says finally. 

You furrow your brow. That tells you nothing. “Which are…?” You prompt him for an answer. 

He shakes his head. “People you should stay away from. You don’t want to become a lab rat because of your immunity.” 

You watch him load the gun. “So you’ve told me.”

What he doesn’t tell you, is an actual answer to your questions. A prick of annoyance goes through you. You wonder why Sylus saved you back when you met him in the pharmacy, how he knew you wouldn’t turn into a praedator. His profession was even more of a contrast to his actions. While he normally took lives, he’d saved yours. 

He finally looks up, meeting your gaze. “I’ll make quick work of them.”

You bite your lip anxiously. “...Be careful,” you tell him, because you can’t help it. Notorious assassin or not, he wasn’t immortal. 

He tilts his head at you, bangs falling into his eyes. The corner of his lip quirks upwards slightly. “I’ll do my best, kitten.”

~~~

You’re upstairs, fiddling with the revolver you’d borrowed from Sylus— taken from him more like— when you hear the doorknob rattle downstairs. 

Your heart jumps a bit at the sound. There’s only one other person who lives here, but since Wolfe had been killed and you and Sylus had to move, you’d been more on edge. More worries. More sleepless nights. More nightmares. 

You curl your fingers around the handle of the gun and  get up from your seat on the bed, creeping to the door. Opening it, you peek at the expanse downstairs. 

The knob turns and the door swings open, letting in none other than your roommate, for the lack of a better word. Relief settles in you and you place the gun on your desk, leaving your room to descend the stairs as he closes and locks the door behind him. 

He’s in his usual black outfit, showing off his chest and muscles and tattoos. The outfit had always seemed rather inconvenient to you, but you’d never bothered questioning it. 

You hadn’t seen him in almost a week, missions keeping him out. Anytime you asked him about it, he’d give vague, cryptic answers. It worried you, the amount of time he was gone, afraid he wouldn’t come back. He always did, but it never stopped the nightmares.

Your feet hit the floor and you take him in, noticing the way his posture is slightly hunched forward, shoulders slumped in exhaustion and most noticeably, the blood stained across his skin. You step closer to him. A cut spanning from his ribs to his back catches your eye, the gash in the skin dark and open. Your brow furrows in concern. 

He turns away from the door and meets your gaze. You speak first. “You’re gonna drip blood on the carpet.” 

Sylus barely blinks at your greeting. He lets out a scoff. “No, I won’t.” He kicks off his boots and moves to settle on the couch. You can see his steps are more sluggish than usual. Had he lost a lot of blood? 

It wasn’t the first time he’d come back injured, and you were most certain it wouldn’t be the last. Linkon wasn’t kind to anyone. Even the feared assassin of the southern district got hurt often. He had a lot of targets on his back, possibly now more than ever. 

Sylus makes a soft grunt as he begins to undo the buckle of his top. 

You pad out of the living room and into the house’s small kitchen, grabbing a towel and wetting it under the sink until damp, then opening the cabinet and grabbing the first aid kit. Heading back to the living room, you settle down behind Sylus on the couch as he slides his sleeves off and puts his top aside. You reach out and grab his shoulder, raising the towel to wipe the blood off of him. 

“Hold still.” 

Sylus does not hold still, instead opting to twist his body to face you, looking at you curiously. You frown at him. “I said hold still.” 

“What are you doing?” 

Your response is simple. “Helping you.” 

You grab both of his shoulders and maneuver him until his back is mostly to you again and place the towel on his skin. Before you can even begin to clean the blood, he turns back and grabs your wrist, eyebrows raised. 

“I’ll be fine.” He refuses your efforts, yet not unkindly as he takes the towel from you and wipes at the blood along his side. He slides it further, straining his arm to reach the blood further back. 

You watch, unimpressed. “You look stupid.” Taking the towel back from his loose grasp isn’t hard. Grabbing his arm with your free hand, you move it away from his body and shoot him a look. “Now hold still.” 

He raises his hands in mock surrender at your tone, conceding and moving for your better access. “Alright, alright. If you insist.” 

Bracing your hand against his shoulder again, you wipe the rest of the blood from his back. Most of it is dried up, the wound thankfully not free bleeding anymore. Grabbing the antiseptic from the kit and pouring it into a part of the towel not stained with his blood, you wipe at the gash gently. He doesn’t make a sound at the sting. 

You can see the wound clearer now. It’s not fatal, nor deep enough to need stitches, but it is one of the worse ones he’s gotten. It would leave a scar. 

You take the roll of bandages from the kit and rise to your feet, motioning for him to do the same. He stands and you begin to wrap the bandages along his abdomen and back, stretching from his side and around his torso. He’s strangely obedient, only watching you quietly as you circle around him with each loop of the gauze. 

You focus on your task, ignoring his gaze. Ignoring the shudder in his breath and the tensing of his muscles when your fingers brush against his bare skin. 

You’re just helping him with a simple task. Returning the favor, you hoped, as little as it was, for what he had done for you. Nothing more. You’re definitely not affected by the heat of his body that you can feel with the proximity of him. Or the broadness of his back, or the swirling ink on his skin. 

Once it’s wrapped completely, you stand to his side and secure the bandages with a knot. You let your hands linger. 

“…Who did this?” You ask the question quietly. A knife along his back was your guess. Who could get the jump on Sylus like that? 

He doesn’t respond for a moment. You poke at his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it.” He avoids your question as usual. 

You frown. “That’s not an answer,” you tell him, giving the knot a final tug and stepping back. 

He ghosts his fingers along the treatment you'd given and turns to face you. Shakes his head. “You’re safe here,” he says. There’s something in his gaze you can’t place, something that makes your chest ache a bit. 

You want to tell him that you know. You know you’re safe with him, but you’re not worried about you. 

But you also know he’s more than capable of handling himself. He had always come back to you. 

So you swallow the words. 

~~~

Your chest hurts. 

Sylus has been gone for two weeks now. When he hadn’t come back the night of, you’d scoffed at him standing you up. His mission was probably just taking a while. You’d give him a piece of your mind when he was back. 

But he didn’t come back. Not the night after, nor the night after that. And then you catch wind of the explosion at Ever’s laboratory on the news. Your heart drops at the prospect of Sylus having met his end there.

Worry and anger began to take you over. Maybe you’d try to break his safe, spend a bit of his savings to make good on your word. 

And so you did. It was petty, you knew. You were petty, but how could he just leave you like this? You’d thought you kept true to your promise, never slowed him down when he decided to take you with him the night you met. You knew he didn’t owe you anything, and he certainly didn’t owe you a movie night. 

But he was all you had. 

Still, you wait. You wait for one more month, in the little, dingy house you and Sylus had shared. You keep low, avoiding the “watchers” that lurk around. Watching the news every day hoping for something, anything that might give hint to what happened to Sylus.

On one night, nearing two months of his absence, you wake up from yet another nightmare that leaves you sweating and holding back tears. You go downstairs on shaky feet to see the couch empty. Empty like it has been for the past two months. 

You want him here so much, you realize. You want him back, his presence the only constant in your life, the only stable ground you had. You needed to find him.  

So you pack what you need that night and leave the next morning for the northern district, not looking back. 

~~~

Seeing Sylus again years later fills you with both immeasurable relief and anger. 

He’s alive , flesh and blood and the familiar timbre of his voice that makes your heart ache when you hear it because god, how you’ve missed him. 

“Does it matter to you, that I’m alive? ” 

What a stupid question. Of course it did. You’d built another life in the northern district, spent years working your way up the ranks of the LCBI to become an enforcer just to find Sylus. Even if he was dead, you’d want at least the closure. But he’d been alive, knowing where you were at that, and still not bothering to ever let you know for years, instead arranging for you to meet him when he felt like it, showing up as a prisoner at your work.  

Your chest hurts. You’re so, so angry. 

Angry that he left. Angry that he never came back. Angry that he comes back into your life so suddenly and manages to walk away from you that same night. Angry at yourself for never being able to find him. Angry that you long for him so much, even as you still watch him leave again. 

He comes back, to your relief. He makes a habit of showing up to your apartment unannounced, letting himself in. It gets easier when you see him, reassured that he’s still alive. But it gets harder too, the sound of his voice, once absent from your life for so long now makes your chest tighten with longing. The warmth of his skin makes you want to lean into whatever fleeting touch he’ll give you. 

The familiar protection in his embrace when he wraps his arm around your shoulders and guides you out of CHAOS that night you’d gone for intel has you wanting . You feel like you’re still the teen with a silly crush on him the way you were all those years ago. 

He doesn’t let go of you until the two of you arrive at the car. And this time, he doesn’t leave when he takes you home. He’s there, on the couch after you wake up from your nightmare. He looks at you the same aching way he did years ago.

“Did you feel like you belonged in the southern district?” He asks you that night. 

You blink in surprise. It never mattered to you if you belonged in the southern district. All that had mattered was that Sylus was there. You’d left when Sylus didn’t come back.  

“I never thought about it,” is the answer you give him instead. 

He hums in response. “Whenever you had nightmares back then, I assumed you went downstairs because you wanted to escape.” 

You’re silent for a moment, then turn to look at him. “So, you always sat there because you were worried I might leave?” 

He puts down the gun he’s cleaning and reaches for the remote, turning on the TV. You keep your eyes on him, admiring his side profile in the flickering glow of the TV. 

Suddenly eboldened, you shift closer to him on the couch and lay your head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around you and you feel like all is right, like it’s just you and him again, back in your small little safehouse in the southern district. 

He never answers your question. You don’t need him to. 

~~~

The first time you see the grand birdcage, the cold metal bars, chains and muzzles scattered across the floor, the ache in your chest returns. The puzzle puts itself together, the biggest piece right in front of your eyes standing as the man before you. 

“When did you become Tartarus?”

“The night our movie date fell through.” He speaks nonchalantly. Like it doesn’t bother him. 

You bite your lip. He’d lied to you when he told you Ever hadn’t done anything to him. 

But when he tells you that he hadn’t wanted to become another one of your nightmares, that he’d worked in the shadows to keep you safe, your anger dissipates.

But your chest hurts so much more. 

You want him to know. How worried you were, how much his absence made you hurt. How much his presence made you hurt. How much he means to you. 

“I wanted to leave Linkon because I thought you weren’t here.” You’re honest with him here in the confines of the cage, him pinning you to the bars and his teeth grazing your throat. 

He chuckles and you can feel his breath hot against your neck, so close, too close, not close enough. “Well, I’m here right now, aren’t I? Taratrus and Sylus are in your hands.” He all but whispers the words. You suppress a shiver. 

He releases you and pulls away, but before he can get too far, you wrap your arm around his neck. You trace his lips with your thumb. Push his upper lip up to reveal his teeth. Press the pad of your finger against the sharp tip of his fang. You wonder what happened in this very cage, years ago when Ever’s assassins had gotten the jump on Sylus. Wondered what exactly they had done to him. 

You don’t want to know. You never want to see this cage again. Never want to use these chains against him. 

Life is not so fortunate. 

Not even three weeks later you’re dragging a stumbling Sylus back to the very same place. His breathing is heavy and his skin is searing, unnaturally hot to the touch. He lets out low groans, his spasms gradually turning into uncontrolled thrashing by the time you manage to get him in the cage and shut the door. 

He slams against and grabs at the bars, giving you unnerving predatory grins of all teeth and menace, wild eyes, growled threats. When you step into the cage, you use nearly everything he’s taught to you against him. 

You manage to get both his hands chained. “When you approach your prey, you must ensure your own safety first. You taught me this.” 

He chuckles darkly. “Prey?”

You circle behind him and scan for the activator, moving your hands along his skin, ignoring his shuddering breaths and taunting words from him despite the thunder of your heart in your ears. You’d told him you wouldn’t just watch him turn into a monster. You’d keep good on your word. 

Just as the scan completes– yielding two suspicious areas– he breaks free from one of the cuffs. 

Panic spikes through you. I need to restrain him!

Before he can make any other moves you lunge, tackling him and pinning him down to the floor. You’re running mostly on adrenaline right now, immediately continuing to drag your hands up and down his front, searching for that damn activator . 

His breath hitches with the contact, grinning at you. “That feels… good .” 

You don’t have time to process what he means by that before you see the red glow in his eye. I found it! It’s connected to his eye!

You reach over to press it and you’re so close but not fast enough. He bats your hand away and stands faster than you can blink, and with inhumane speed spins you around and pins you to his chest, one arm across your shoulders and the other firm around your waist. He all but growls in your ear. 

“How did it feel to watch me from outside the cage?” He takes your earlobe into his mouth, and your heartbeat spikes, somehow pounding faster than it already is. 

You’re scared, admittedly. You’re desperate, mind buzzing and pulse racing. You stepped into this cage regardless of the danger. For Sylus. You didn't want to lose the most important person in your life. You didn't want to watch him lose himself.

I need to break free!

You twist around and land a blow on his face, startling him into releasing you with a grunt. He acts faster again, pinning you down swiftly, pressing your wrists to the cold floor. As you writhe in his grip, he suddenly hisses and lets go of your left hand to clutch at his right eye, burning red. 

You take your chance. Surging forward, you press the activator. His breath hitches in his throat and you keep your thumb pressed against it, propped up on your elbow. He drops his head, shoulder slumping a bit and finally you let go when you hear his breathing gradually even out. 

You drop down to lay on your back, panting heavily. He keeps himself propped above you. Neither of you speak. You don’t know how long passes while the both of you are still trying to catch your breath. But when he finally raises his head and meets your gaze, relief overwhelms you. 

“If I really turned into a monster,” he begins, voice slightly hoarse. “What would you have done?” 

You exhale shakily. “I’d lock you in this cage and walk away.” A lie. 

He lets out a breathy laugh at that as if he sees right through you. Leaning down, he presses his nose against your cheek. “Impossible,” he whispers. 

You reach your hands up and cup his face, and he leans into the touch for a moment before lifting his head and shifting upwards ever so slightly. You move your hands down his neck, letting them rest on his shoulders. He presses a kiss to your forehead. 

Your breath catches in your throat and you curl your fingers into the fabric of his top. "Sylus," you whisper. 

He moves to graze his lips against your temple and speaks into your hair. “I guess the protégé outdoes her mentor yet again.” 

He finds your hand and laces his fingers with yours. His hands are so gentle when he touches you, almost painfully so. It’s a stark contrast to his touch as a praedator. You wrap your other arm around his neck and tug him down to meet your gaze again. 

Deep red eyes, and all you can see in them is you. There’s something vulnerable in the look he gives you. It’s the same one he’d give you when you treated his wounds, when you'd wake from your nightmares. It's the same look he'd given you throughout your years with him.

“You’re not allowed to leave me again,” you tell him quietly, the words just for him and the space between you. 

He smiles, a real genuine one. “Alright.” 

“Ever,” you clarify. 

He leans down and rests his forehead against yours, giving your hand a squeeze. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

~~~

A week later, you hear your apartment door open when you’re leaning over your vanity applying a dark shade of lipstick to your lips. Footsteps on the hardwood floor sound in the other room, a trained quietness to them, yet you already know who it is. You don’t bother moving, continuing your task.

Sylus had left earlier in the morning to tie up loose ends as the leader of Nightstrix, promising to be safe and come back at your insistence. “I don’t break promises,” he’d told you. 

The footsteps come closer, and then he’s in your room, standing behind you. You look up and meet his eyes in the mirror. He’s strikingly gorgeous as ever. 

“I told you to stop picking my lock,” you say, yet there’s no bite in your words. 

Sylus gives you a lopsided grin. “You make it too easy.” 

You dab at the color on your lips and stand straight, capping the lipstick and turning around to face him. The grin on his mouth loosens a little as he takes you in, eyes roaming from your lips downwards, taking in your long dress and sleek heels, gaze turning into something more intense. 

He meets your eyes again. “What’s the occasion?” 

You tap your heel against the floor. “I’m going to gather intel.” 

He chuckles. “That’s quite the getup.” 

You cross over to him and his gaze never leaves you. Stopping right in front of him, you give him your own glance over, silently looking for any wounds or bruises. Once you’re satisfied there is none, you bring your hand up and place it on the left side of his chest, the rough skin squarely above his heart. You feel the way it beats beneath your palm, proof of his life.

It’s sometimes odd to believe he’s still alive, crashing back into your life after years of his absence. 

You meet his eyes, still on you, yet keep your hand on his chest. He lets you. “It’s at CHAOS,” you tell him, referencing the same club as last time. “Looking pretty certainly helps get information. I need it for the LCBI.” 

He quirks an eyebrow. “You’re still going to work for them, huh.” 

“I have bills to pay.”

He hums in agreement. “Things went south last time you were there.” 

“I’m armed. And I can handle myself.” 

“I’ve no doubt about that, Miss Enforcer.” He drops his head down, minimizing the already small distance between the two of you. You lift your head to keep your gaze on his face. “But wouldn’t it be better to have some…precautionary measures?” 

His voice is lower now, and you feel the urge to shiver despite the warmth that spreads throughout you. 

“Elaborate.” Your voice is quiet as well. 

“Take me with you.” 

You tilt your head and smirk slightly. “Interested in an enforcer’s work?.” 

He smiles back at you and shakes his head. “That’s not quite what I’m here for.” 

“Then?” You challenge him. You know what he’s saying. You want to hear him say it, want him to tell you with his strong assured heartbeat under your palm that you’re what he’s here for. 

“Maybe,” he begins, bringing his hand up to your chin to lift it slightly and press his thumb to your lower lip. “I want to make sure a certain someone doesn’t get herself into trouble.” He presses his thumb down a little more, forcing your lips to part. You feel the pace of his heart quicken, fluttering through your fingertips. 

“Maybe?” You tease him, speaking against his skin. “You either do or you don’t.” 

He releases you then, drawing his hand back and you can see the pad of his thumb colored with a pigmented sheen. You’re certain he’s messed up your lipstick but you can’t seem to care. 

“I do.” He answers. “You told me to never leave you again, right?” 

You feel your own heart speed up ever so slightly at his words and under his gaze. Since the night in the birdcage he had been more open, more vulnerable. Less beating around the bush. 

You like it. 

Giving him a mischievous grin, you step to the side and towards the door. Keeping your hand on his chest, you slide it beneath the strap of his top, and give it a quick tug towards you, indicating for him to follow. 

“Let’s go, then.” 

[lalathemediterraneanmermaid]

Why she mad at him?

I want someone to look at me the same way Sylus looks at my mc

Ups- sorry for breathing?

Look at the way she looks at him!!!! That’s love 💕

[zara-renata]

hii im just wondering why you suddenly decided to not post here again and only at ao3, is there any specific reason (like hate speech or smth) that made you do that?

you dont have to answer it if you dont want to❤️

now that it's been a week i can like articulate this without hating myself. this likely doesn't make any sense, but i was posting on here on my main blog that i've had for like 10 years, and it feels very personal and hard to separate myself from the fic i share even though this blog is still essentially anonymous and only a few people know me IRL. but this has always been a source of anxiety for me. and the more i posted and interacted with people, the more i worried about all these peoples' feelings and how they would receive the fic or what I write. like, i could write some batshit stuff that's super toxic and unhealthy but fun for me to think about in fiction, but then i don't because i am worried about people being able to just send hate at me directly to my personal bog lol. tumblr is the only social media i use, so any time i went to check drafts or notifications, i couldn't help but see trending notifs about the latest fic or follower count, and i want to use tumblr to enjoy lads without also comparing myself to other people or worrying about how well the fic is being received just because i want to also look at pretty pictures of sylus and caleb or all the other shit i like to look at on tumblr.

then i had this strange experience where someone saw that i had posted caleb fic, and decided to complain about me not updating sylus fic in two months? when like, if i were a commercial writer people would have to wait a year or more for a sequel since the sylus series is already novel-length and i wrote it in the span of three months lol. more than 200k words of sylus in 4 months, if you include the oneshots. this person also sort of complained about the oneshots, like, they're great but not the same as the series. and i put a lot of love into the oneshots, but okay. so i was hoping to see people who were interested in caleb react to the caleb fic, but the first comment i got was a complaint about me abandoning sylus and letting readers down, when i'm already worried about that, and i'm a sensitive snowflake, so i kind of just decided okay, i need to put all the fic in one place and remove it from myself in a way that it doesn't take up so much space in my head or life. my first thought, actually, because i'm a petty cunt like sylus's mc, was seeing if there was a way from preventing this person from seeing my fic at all, and when i realized there wasn't, my next thought was removing it from the internet entirely, but i'm not crazy enough to hurt other readers just because one person is an entitled asshole. So my compromise was to just post any new fic i write on ao3 because that removes the option of seeing the numbers its doing on tumblr when i just want to see if mutuals have reblogged something else from me with funny tags, etc. if people send hate to ao3, well, it's not my personal social media blog lol. if they are really fired up, they can easily link the fic to my tumblr and still send hate here, but for some reason this just feels safer. the lies we tell ourselves lol.

it's all very silly, because i'm a very silly person. people have been kind and have both overwhelmingly shown support and validated my feelings, but i still feel like, in a world where we're on a fast track to fascist dictatorships and already in ongoing genocides and ethnic cleansing and i have my own family to spend mental energy on, i don't want to allow my hobby to be a source of stress for me. anyway, thank you for getting this far, and i'm sorry for the inconvenience about having to go to ao3 with an account to read my updates. i read and try to respond to every single comment people leave (with varying degrees of timeliness), but i understand if people abandon my writing because of it!

[sinsodom]

Ive seen someone pointing out Caleb most likely being experimented on as well and also that remembers it and can we talk how devastating that could be his personality developtment as a literal child? As LI all he sees and has is MC - the only person who survived the same thing he did, be it experiments or/and being orhpaned due to chronorift catastrophy. Stripped of everything but his name and few perosnal data, MC doesnt even have that. So MC remains his only link to past and present. But she doesnt remeber and he doesnt want her to suffer, not then, not now. Most people would be pissed off or hurt upon being forgotten *cough raf cough* which is valid human reaction, but from what we saw in the memories, he is soft with her, ready to remind her his name and their bond. Because despite being child himself, who needed to be protected as well, he decided to care for her. And we could write paragraphs about how draining it must have been and how damaging to young person' developtment. He shows clear signs of untreated trauma but yeah, call him a villain and lets call it a day /s. Sorry for rambling >.>

Ramble xD i love it 💚

The only thing i really put hate on, is the reunion. No one was sorry, not even a hug?? What would've been possible in his home ffs. No. Cold and nothing. But thats the storys fault.

My theory from Sylus on is still: linkon is the bad shit here xD Bad Sylus prepares n109 for war and ratting out the truth. The 3 boys are either in knowledge of that, or, if not, don't know that linkon is dark in real 🤔

With this perspective its a wonder that Caleb came through with lying to the whole fleet 🤣 that was way too easy come on 🤣 fact is: he has a plan. For me: i think that Caleb got found from Viper and co. Side, they saved his life but he has to pay for it. Or they are in fact good maybe xD ofc he is a bit possessive?? Are you for real he suffered af and what, took her hand at night and dreamt to keep her safe 🤣 yeah bad Caleb.

I point out here that he COULD lock her if he wanted to and he didnt. Facts. The "no caring for the others hurt" rages me just 😒

The first thing i asked myself was, whats MC's story. Parents where?? Core how?? Not much info. What if she has like an alpha core or whatever, fact is, everyones behind her. For that Caleb is kinda calm?? Its sad that so many people want a SO dark villain (+fanfics present him like that too mostly)... i would call him everything, curse him and maybe a soft punch but fuck, i would hug the shit out of him and cuddle him to sleep meanwhile being mad on him 🤣

I am happy that i am not alone with my perspective and dont hesitate to throw theories and storys at me 🤣💚

[relentlessconqueror]

sylus is so incredibly sebastian-coded. here's a list of the things i think they have in common lol (disclaimer: i haven't read black butler in a hot minute)

sylus' photobooth preset called "demon butler" complete with the tutor!sebastian glasses that have the cord on them. and sebastian is literally THEE demon butler, like come on (this has the honor of going first on the list because it's what made me realize their similarity)

air of perpetual smugness and confidence

red eyes

turtle smile

gourmand (see sylus' cafe interactions about going to new restaurants. sebastian starves until he finds a particularly tormented soul). related: sylus feels life to be banal but says that MC is interesting to him, and iirc sebastian purposefully seeks out high-quality souls whose owners can amuse/entertain him for the duration of the contract

making deals duh

multilingual

tells the truth (in their own way) — sebastian is bound by the contract, sylus is just Like That (and insanely forward...)

cool, composed, competent 🙄

sebastian helps ciel rule over the underworld of victorian england, sylus rules the n109 zone. related: they both stalk people as a part of their job descriptions

a stretch: i can't help drawing a comparison between sylus' love for antiques/classical music and sebastian dressing sieglinde in old-fashioned girls' clothing

looks intimidating (at least one of the phantomhive servants said this about sebastian because of how capable he is at managing the household. and obviously sylus is terrifying) but has incredibly goofy ass moments (that time in boyband arc where sebastian performed a part of the starlight four's song, dance and all. and sylus loves to sing. only one of them belongs on a stage though. sorry sylus)

the common theme of devouring the other person. obviously sebastian wants to eat ciel's soul, but this point is reversed in the sylusMC dynamic because she's the one hearing whispers about him belonging to her and to eat him lol

a stretch: ok this isn't about sebastian but ciel has the contract mark in his right eye, which is where sylus' aether core is. sylus also mentioned him and MC being kindred spirits and while i don't think ciel and sebastian's dynamic is like that, it is true that ciel's goals are, by virtue of the contract, sebastian's goals (in a sense sebastian is an extension of ciel)

sebastian wishes to draw out the worst parts of ciel to make his soul more delicious which i can't help but connect to sylus mentioning "all the crimes you'll inevitably commit." there's the assumption of hidden darkness in ciel/MC that will be revealed in time

likes cats (sylus likes small animals in general, but he's obsessed with calling MC kitten, so i say it counts)

sylus saying, "even if you wanted to sell your soul, you still have to find someone who can pay the price" and "there's a price you have to pay when you make a wish to a demon" which speaks for itself. like this is just all of black butler chapter 138

both ciel and MC wanted revengejusticewhatever for their families' deaths, and both sylus and sebastian "grant" their wish — sylus lets MC shoot him, sebastian helps ciel on his journey of revenge (AND it looks like caleb is coming back which is VERY real!ciel phantomhive of him. he even has the (pseudo-)incest thing going on LMAO though of course it's not the same as ciel and real!ciel's dynamic as blood brothers)

sylus' "don't be shy about using me" and sebastian being literally owned by ciel. it's also reciprocal: sylus' "after all, i want to use you too" and sebastian is promised ciel's soul after the contract is fulfilled

sylus' wanderer form vs sebastian's monstrous true form

(this doesn't count but i'll still put it anyway) because of a localization/translation issue (i think?), there was a time that a lot of people thought sylus made his body SPECIFICALLY to benefit/seduce/whatever MC because of him saying, "it's just there to make you feel better. i don't need it" (homescreen interaction iirc) and "they're not real but they can move" [lost oasis] about his abs. sebastian exists in his form because ciel requested it. there's also the moment in sylus' anecdote where he asks a man what's fashionable in n109 and he just chooses to dress like whatever was on the billboard that the man pointed to, which reinforces how sylus is an outsider much like sebastian, who isn't human

ciel and MC are both understandably put off by them due to their first meeting. sylus assaulted MC, and she falls back on viewing him through the lens of his reputation as onychinus' leader a few times in memories. sebastian appears to ciel in the traumatic event of losing his brother, and as a result ciel is unable to see that sebastian harbors at least SOME fondness for him at this point (though honestly the existence of that fondness is just my opinion, which is something not everybody shares. because i know every person who's read black butler feels differently about the question of sebastian's feelings for ciel, outside of wanting his soul). as of now, ciel and MC (in the main story?) are still unable to trust sebastian/sylus completely

that one moment in [radiant brilliance] where sylus tugs off his gloves with his teeth which is a Signature Sebastian Move

sylus telling MC that he won't lose the match because she told him not to, and something similar happened between ciel and sebastian during book of the atlantic (i made a post about this before). sebastian is also often ciel's champion in fights or contests both personal and business-related

[wolfofcelestia]

Chances I'd become their girlfriend if I met them irl

I was just thinking about this because the idea of me and Xav being "the couple that should have been" keeps popping up in my head lmao

Zayne

Assuming I was his childhood friend too, it would be less awkward than if we were strangers meeting as adults, but it would still be kinda awkward at the beginning. It would be like when MC first saw him again at the restaurant, but that awkwardness would be drawn out for like at least 4 months lmao

I don't think either of us would make the first move. It would just be us slowly getting closer and closer. I'd probably fall stupidly in love with him the moment he gives me a cute little snow animal, but our relationship would definitely move at a glacial pace, mostly because of his busy work schedule but also because neither of us would want to rush the other one too quickly

I think we'd eventually work out though, down the line. Slowly melting for each other, slowly warming up to each other

Overall, 95% chance I'd become his girlfriend. It would just be a very long game, which, to my demisexual ass, would be absolutely perfect

Sylus

Listen man. I have anxiety. And this guy's lifestyle would definitely exasperate that. The only way I'd be with him is if he pretty much hounded me down, kept giving me gifts, kept contacting me so that I'd always expect and look forward to receiving his gifts and messages, and pretty much kept annoying me until I gave up and accepted him as part of my life

But my major issue is his lifestyle. He would have to accept me as someone who needs protection from whatever would trigger my anxiety, but this man knows how to shut people up to make it quiet and calm, and he knows how to create a safe and comfortable environment, so it's... not impossible for me to become his girlfriend. He just won't have the badass MC fighting beside him like in the game. Instead, he'd have like... a kitten to take care of. (I'm so mad I made that reference.)

75% chance I'd become his girlfriend. Or rather, his live-in pet. The pace would be pretty quick, I think. He's very proactive and determined, so he wouldn't stop with his gifts and his persistence until I gave in

Xavier

This guy shares my star aesthetic and my interest in games. He's cozy and comfortable. Literally nothing wrong with him and everything right about him. And yet. I don't know??

Assuming we'd be living in the same building, I feel like if he wanted me, he'd absolutely have to be on the offensive because I would just be completely oblivious to his feelings and see him as a close friend. Even if he bought me a bunch of plushies and cute lights, and stayed up with me all night playing games or cuddling on the couch watching a movie until we fell asleep... even if he straight up started getting touchy, I'd be like "you're a good friend" to him the next day asdfalskj

I don't know. Maybe in a moment of weakness, I'd be able to see him in a different light, but the chances are slim. And he'd have to be really straight forward with me to convince my dumb oblivious ass that he wants to be more than just friends

35% chance I'd become his girlfriend. It would be really difficult to see him as more than just a friend but considering he would live so close, he has the chance to be the first one to help me if I'm dealing with any problems, so it's not impossible. The pace? The pace would be non-existent because the change in relationship would depend on the circumstances

Rafayel

I can't swim!! I'm pretty sure I get sea sick too! And I know absolutely nothing about art!! But as someone who lives near the ocean, I do have a connection to the sea. I don't know how he and I would get together though. If anything, he'd get me with his fire, and his ability to put on a show with it. Then again... that kinda circles back to me being a star-aesthetics girl who's drawn to little lights lmao

His personality would probably be helpful when I'm feeling down, but I feel like I'm too... stoic? Uptight? For his whimsy and silliness. And if I were his bodyguard... man, he'd be done for. I don't want to be responsible for someone else's safety. Any sign of danger and my anxiety would SPIKE

Yeah, I feel like me and Raf are just way too different. I wouldn't say it's completely impossible since, again, in a moment of weakness, his personality would be helpful in making me feel better, but overall, I feel like there would be around a 10% chance I'd become his girlfriend. Like Xavier, this would completely depend on circumstances but it's not looking good for him so far

Caleb

Assuming we grew up together in a orphanage-type situation, it would be hard to see him as anything other than a close friend who'd always be beside you as a close friend. And from what little we've seen of him so far, I'm not so sure. For one, I'm not into being called pipsqueak by some guy 30cm taller than me. Like?? You wanna come down here and say that to my face??

I'd imagine him being just as comforting as the other boys for sure but, yeah it's hard to say from where we are in the story right now. For now, I'd put him at a 10% chance. Like with Xavier, he'd be stuck in the friendzone but even more so because Caleb would be a sort of "friends forever" type of friend. How do you move on from that?