#i could get in so much trouble for revealing this truth you have NO idea

[cjlouwho]

why tf would yall do those hashtags just because Lou told you too?? That’s so fucking dumb, he’s so done. Ur boy ain’t coming back get over it.

Picture it: Sicily, 1922. My great grandmother was walking the streets when a man happens upon her.

"Tell them," he says, staring deeply into her eyes. "You must tell them."

Her heart's racing. "Tell them what?"

"In the year of 1984 there will be a boy. His name, Louis. He will be special. Far beyond what anyone can imagine. You must pass down my knowledge, until your great granddaughter gets the message! She and the others will be our only hope!"

"I- I don't understand. Something happens in 1984?"

"No, no!" He's starting to get a bit agitated now. "It doesn't happen until 2024! This Louis, he will change the lives of so many. They won't be able to hear fake mouth static without thinking of him."

"What's fake mou-"

"There's no time! Please just pass the knowledge that one day, to save humanity, they must hashtag on the instagram! They must contact the abc! They must defend him on the twitters and tumblrs!" Then, he disappears in to thin air.

So, you see, it wasn't Lou who made me, or any of us, do this. It's been our destiny all along.

[m-ilkiee]

Impulsive- Keisuke Baji × Fem Reader

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞[summary] you and baji keisuke are in love. but you both are too stupid to realize the feelings you have for each other, so emma and senju give you both a little push.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞[content warning] SMUT, crack, mutual pining, baji has a thing for you and your tits, non-specified tits size, flashing, implied m. masturbation, tits sucking, groping, fingering (f. recieving), oral (m. recieving), handjob (m. recieving).

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [r - 18+] not suitable for 17 and below

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [wc] 3.9k

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [masterlist] [taglist] [main page]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [author's note] bringing this back because it was underrated asf. also likes are good but you'll encourage me to work faster if you comment and reblog this fic for others to see. I don't think I'm asking for much apart from your thoughts. just a simple "oh i loved this" is more than enough for me.

ONE thing about your friends Emma and Senju is that they have a good way of putting you in very compromising situations.

You feel awkward just standing outside Keisuke's dorm room with Senju and Emma hanging behind the trees to see if you would actually do it. They knew you had a huge crush on Keisuke ever since you started university and that you could barely speak to him because you were extremely shy, only ever nodding or playing with your fingers whenever he asked you about your day or if you needed help with anything.

Emma was the first to notice your huge crush on her brother's best friend, before teasing you about it with Senju. "Do you like his long dark hair?" She teased you about it with an obvious smirk, in which you would just hide your face in your pillow. "Or is it his vampire grin? His broad chest and toned arms? Or the way your name sounds with his voice?"

But teasing was just teasing and they respected your wishes not to do anything embarrassing to you whenever Baji was around.

Until this stupid truth or dare game came along.

You can't believe Senju. "I dare you to flash Baji."  is what she had dared you to do. How obvious can she be? What if you get in trouble for doing something as silly as flashing him? This was such a bad idea from start to finish and you really did not want to do it. But it was either this or drinking that horrible concoction you, Senju and Emma made and you did not see yourself getting food poisoning anytime soon.

'This is Keisuke Baji I'm talking about', you think to yourself as you stand outside his window, twirling the ends of your jumper between your fingers. 'easily one of the hottest guys on campus with girls and guys flocking around him in seconds. I don't want to embarrass myself by doing this.'

Your phone buzzes loudly and you quickly open it to see it was Emma that texted you.

Emma: Get ready, I've called Baji to look at a special surprise waiting for him outside 😉

You: I hate you and Senju, literally.

You were about to type something else when the lights in Keisuke's room came on, making you quickly put your phone into your pocket and turn to face the window. You briefly contemplate chickening out and just running away, but the mental image of that concoction going down your throat sends a shiver down your spine.

A tall shadowy figure makes its way to the window blinds and opens it, revealing a tired Keisuke with his large fingers rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, mumbling something about Emma calling him at such an ungodly hour. Your heart races as Keisuke scans the exterior of his dorm until he spots you all the way from down stairs.

"(Name)?" His tone is nothing short of shock as he looks at you with tired eyes. "What are you doing down here? It's kinda cold outside-"

You take in a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself for the utter humiliation that would follow the moment you went through with your plan.

'It's now or never'

Keisuke stares at you in confusion as you start lifting up the edges of your baggy sweater slowly, still maintaining eye contact with your crush until your bare chest is revealed completely, showing your tits in all its glory. You watch as all the tiredness in his eyes fade into a much darker glint, his face completely heating up with embarrassment and shock as he absorbs the sight of your naked tits hanging out in the cool air, nipples erect from the stimulation.

Eventually, your bravado expires and you quickly drop your shirt down to cover yourself, clearly humiliated. You had just shown Keisuke - and possibly some other guys- your breasts. Keisuke can only oogle, just standing there in perpetual shock as you run into the bushes where Emma and Senju are giggling and stifling their laughter. 

"Omg you did it! I cannot believe you really chose to show him your tits" Senju screams, jumping into the front of the car, with Emma plopping at the back. "You really did it! There’s no way he won’t want you now."

You can only bury your hands in your head to hide your face. Maybe drinking the concoction wasn't such a bad idea after all, because now you have to think of what you're going to say when you see him tomorrow.

You had just shown your crush your tits, who knows what might be going through his head right now?

"I can't believe this shit. I'm never doing this with you guys ever again. Ugh!"

You just hoped he was dumb enough to think he was dreaming.

  THE next few days are rather uneventful.

You've spent most of it going to class and trying to avoid Keisuke at all cost, even going as far as walking straight into the male toilet just to hide. Emma and Senju have been snickering all through it, muttering something about you 'manning up' and just talking to him.

"Another bad idea from the two of you. No thank you." You scoff, putting more attention on the scarf you were knitting. Your body shudders at the thought of just talking to Keisuke about what you did that day and imagining the look of disgust that would cross his face. "Listening to the two of you got me into this mess. I am not sure I can face Baji after that thing I did. He must think I'm a pervert."

You were too focused on the scarf you were knitting that you didn't see your two friends exchanging a knowing look, before facing you again. "Well, pervert or not," Emma continues, now tossing your school bag on the table. "you still have to meet up with Chifuyu for the study group you both have in his apartment."

'Shit'

Your eyes widened in realization the moment Emma had reminded you of your weekly study group with Chifuyu. You quickly drop your knitting scarf and get up, running around the room to get your shoes and trousers. "I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT, CHIFUYU'S GONNA KILL ME!" you scream while putting on your trousers. "HOW LATE AM I?" You ask Senju frantically, now trying to adjust your sneakers.

"It's 3:45 pm." She says, putting down her phone. "but (name) aren't you forgetting some-"

"Oh shit! That's 15 minutes gone, I've got to go, got to go-" you keep repeating, slinging your bag across your shoulders and running out of the room without wasting anymore time. Senju and Emma can only sigh whilst shaking their head at you running down the stairs and muttering "Chifuyu don't kill me please."

"So… should we tell her?" Senju asks, looking at Emma as they watch you run off while screaming until you disappear. "Nah," Emma shrugs, a smug smile crawling onto her lips before shutting the door in front of her. "She'll figure it out when she gets there."

  YOU don't expect Baji Keisuke to be the one opening the door to Chifuyu's dorm room.

You can only stare wide-eyed as he stands in front of you, shirtless, trousers hanging low on his waist, revealing his Calvin Klein boxers and long hair cascading across his broad shoulders. His eyes are wide, clearly shocked to see you here as well.

You've been avoiding him all week, of course he's surprised to see you here.

You have to start talking before the awkwardness gets worse.

"Um I thought this was Chifuyu's room" you managed to get out of your mouth. 'Don't be lame, just say anything less stupid.' you scream internally. "What are you doing here?"

If the ground can swallow you, you hope it does right now. Your stupidity is too much for the world to handle.

"I'm Chifuyu's roommate." Keisuke replies to your question with a raised brow, clearly confused because you've come here so many times. "You've seen me here before."

'Of course I have, how else did this stupid fucking crush on you start?'

"Oh, I'm so sorry" you apologize, smiling awkwardly and scratching your head. This was so embarrassing for you, first the whole flashing ordeal and now you asking him if he lives in his own dorm room. No wonder he's just staring down at you like you've lost your mind, he must think you're utterly embarrassing. "I'll just go-"

"You weren't this nervous the other night."

You froze in your spot, your brain shutting down for a few seconds as you stared at him like he grew an extra head. Your heart races in your chest, your brain struggling to find the words to just say anything to him but ultimately failing. Keisuke notices your struggle and decides to continue talking until you can speak again.

"I didn't expect that from you to be honest, but…" a smirk appears on his face as he steps forward, closing the space between the two of you. Your heart hammers loudly in your chest at the proximity, your feet planted onto the ground, unable to move. "I like what I saw that night."

'He what?'

"They're pretty, y'know." His voice is dangerously low and you don't even register that his hand is now on your cheek until he leans forward and your noses are almost touching. "I just want to put one in my mouth and play with the other, if you're down of course." His hot breath is intoxicating, leaving you light headed as he cups your jaw with his free hand. "Although I don't think it's bad to cop a feeling from the girl I like. Right?"

"Y-you like me?" Should you be falling for this? You know Baji is sincere and if he wants to get in your pants, he isn't afraid to tell you to your face. But don't you think you're rushing things if you two sleep together now?

You shiver as his fingers ghost along your waistline, trailing up and down your hips. "Since Emma introduced me to you, I've not been able to think of anyone else." His voice is charming, alluring even, all your inhibitions are thrown outside the window. "You're such a sweet girl. I like you so much but you always avoid me." You're convinced at this point that Keisuke is seducing you for sure with the way he's touching you and speaking to you, but it's not like you're against it. "Got me thinking you hate me or something."

"I'm shy." You know this is a dangerous territory you are threading, sleeping with someone you like without going on a first date at least is always a bad idea. You are putting your heart on the line, trusting Keisuke's integrity. "I thought you wouldn't be interested in me."

His arm circles around your hips gently, pulling you into the dorm room with him and closing the door behind the two of you. "Well then, let me show you how much interested I am in you."

  KEISUKE feels like he is in heaven right now.

He has you straddling him on his bed in only your panties with your clothes and shoes neatly folded on his reading table, one of your tits in his mouth while he gropes the other one in his large hand, massaging and playing with it. His free hand guides your hips to grind against the prominent bulge on his trousers, pleasure spreading through his body like wildfire.

"Kei, like that" you moan quietly, your hand digging through his long hair, pushing his head further into your chest. "Mmh fuck, feels good, your tongue-."

He rolls his tongue over your nipple, circling around your areola, his fingers pinching your other nipple. He smirks as your back arches against his lips, pressing your body against him.

He's got to thank Emma for bringing you into his life.

Keisuke pulls away from breast with a loud pop, replacing it with his large hand, massaging your breasts gently. "Give me a kiss pretty girl." He commands breathlessly and you press your lips on his in an open mouthed kiss. You invade his mouth with your tongue, swirling your wet muscle against his. He groans in pleasure when you tug on his hair roughly, overwhelming his senses as you play with his mouth and keep humping his clothed cock, occasionally pulling away to catch your breath before kissing him again.

He lets you trail down his jaw and neck, your teeth grazing and sucking dark marks on his skin. Your kisses are much more intoxicating than he can imagine, leaving him aching to feel all of you, to just rip your panties off and fuck you until you're both spent. "Move your panties to the side, 'want to finger that pretty pussy." He moans breathlessly and you let go of his hair briefly, shifting your panties aside for him and stopping your movement.

Deft fingers trail over your pussy lips, gathering all the slick produced before pushing two fingers at once inside you. "So wet f'me." He laughs against your lips, capturing your swollen mouth in a messy kiss yet again. He is merciless in pumping his fingers into your wet cunt, enjoying every moan that leaves your lips as he fucks his fingers into you.

"Kei, Kei please-" you lose control of your tempo, your eyes rolling back as he lowers his mouth on your breast, playing with the other with his large hand.  It feels too much for you to handle and yet it's too good for you to want him to stop. "Kei please- Ah" your back arches when his fingers brush against that spot. He smiles against your breast in realization before aiming for it again, reveling in the way your cunt throbs around his fingers as he pumps into you, slick gushing all over his fingers.

"Good girl." He praises, fucking into you faster with his fingers. His lips latch onto your neck briefly, making you wirthe underneath his grasp, the coil in your belly tightening with every thrust. Your gazed over your eyes, your chest heaving with pleasure, your pussy clenching around his fingers, the way your nails dug into his shoulders, everything about this moment looked so good. "Gonna cum for me right? Gonna cum soon princess?"

"Yes Kei- please make me feel good-" you beg breathlessly, reaching down to touch your clit. "Kei make me cum please, please, please, please-"

You let out a loud moan as Keisuke dives his head to your breasts again, sucking and slurping on each nipple, alternating between them. His fingers don't relent in pumping into you faster and faster, sending you over the edge. Your body spasms underneath his touch, pussy throbbing and cumming all over his fingers while you give a broken cry of "thank you kei" over and over again until your body slumps weakly on his, resting against him. You breathe heavily for a while, getting yourself back before kissing him softly.

Wordlessly, you move down his jaw, trailing kisses to his neck and chest, making your way to his sexy v-line. "Can I?" You ask softly, your hand ghosting over the bulge on his trousers. It was his turn to be breathless, seeing your head in between his laps with your cute ass in the air has him aching in his pants.

"Yeah princess. Fuck me."

Your hands are like clock work with the way you pull down his sweats to reveal his pale erect cock, the thick, long, veiny appendage slapping against his abdomen, pre leaking from the dark pink tip. Your eyes glaze over in adoration as you circle your palm around it, giving it a tight squeeze. Keisuke is quick to shut his eyes in pleasure as you pump his shaft gently, giving kitten licks onto his slit for more stimulation, sending waves of ecstasy through his nerves. "Yeah, just like that (name), fuck-" he groans, as you pump him faster, your mouth now suctioning against his tip. "Oh god, please, faster- fuck"

You pick up the pace with your hand and mouth, pumping his dick with your fist and downing it bit by bit into your mouth, maintaining eye contact with his scrunched up face. He looks gorgeous like this, panting and moaning, his face flushed red with pleasure, hooded eyes gazing down on you, watching you take him as far you can go. "Oh yes, fuck princess- keep doing that, fuck, fuck, love you so much. Fuck"

You bob your head up and down his length, trying to relax your throat and take him in as much as you can, relishing the salty taste of his precum spread all over his cock. Your hand pumps against the rest of him while you hum and move your tongue around his thick length, making him shake with pleasure. "Oh fuck, look what you've done t-to me- shit" he grasps the sheet underneath him with large fingers, trying to keep himself grounded.

This was so much better than all the nights he fucked his fist thinking about you, especially after seeing your tits that day. The pretty girl that never seemed to meet his eyes anytime you and him were together, you had caught his attention the first time Emma had introduced you to the rest of them. The way you smiled, your sweet voice, everything about you screamed "adorable" and you were the kind of girl he's always dreamed of.

Or the only constant one.

Chifuyu had caught him daydreaming about you so many times, it was almost embarrassing. He would always tease Keisuke about liking you. "She's cute, isn't she? I didn't know you liked the shy ones. You should probably talk to her before some other guys try to steal her away, you know she's too hot to be single."

You were always brief with him, which made matters worse for Keisuke, especially when he sees you laughing with Mikey or Kazutora and shying away from him. Was he creepy when he looked at you? Does he smell? Or was he too loud? He tried to be gentle around you so as not to scare you, but you still skitted away from him.

Now he realizes that it was just your shyness and you actually do like him.

"I'm close-"

His head swam with sensations from your mouth, his belly coiling with all the tension building up. His thighs shook with intense pleasure as you bobbed your head down his big cock a few more times, before pulling out just in time for him to blow his load all over your breasts. His orgasm was intense, his groans of ecstasy bouncing off the walls as he came all over your tits, his cock twitching in your hands as you jerked him off completely until there was nothing left.

"Fuck, that felt so good." He whimpers out, still out of breath as you knelt upright to kiss him softly to which he reciprocated before pulling away. He grasps your arm and leads you straight to the bathroom to help you wash off. "You're such a good girl. My pretty girl. Let's get you cleaned before Chifuyu comes back, okay?"

  "SO you avoided me because you didn't want to embarrass yourself and yet you were willing to flash me at the same time?"

You laid down next to Keisuke on his bed, his arms encased around your fully clothed body (save for your panties, those were his now. You couldn't say no to his puppy dog gaze), while he was also clothed as well. You should be embarrassed to tell him the full story, but at this point you don't have it in you to feel any form of shame after basically getting each other off.

"It wasn't like I wanted to flash you." You murmur, pressing your head against his broad chest and inhaling his scent. "It's just that me, Emma and Senju made such a ridiculous mixture that I was willing to risk getting arrested than having food poisoning. I was scared throughout you were going to think I'm some kind of pervert for doing that."

"Well…" he trails off, thinking about the whole ordeal. His cheek flushes pink as he remembers how he lost sleep after seeing your tits and went straight to the bathroom to masturbate. "I did jerk off to that, so we're both perverts"

"Keisuke Baji!"

"Hey! Don't blame me, your tits are cute as fuck." He defends himself, only cuddling you tighter. "I would have seen them earlier if you had just let me confess instead of always running away whenever I came near you."

"You were going to confess to me?" You sit up with your elbows, now looking at him face to face. "Wait, wait, wait, I don't understand?"

"I've been trying to tell you that I like you for the past one month but you kept running away or things got in the way." Keisuke confesses exasperatedly. "I tried Emma's advice and asked you to eat with me on my treat but then Mikey heard food and ruined everything by making it a general outing. Then I tried listening to Chifuyu and got you flowers on valentines day but you were allergic to the ones I got. Draken told me to be straightforward and you thought I meant that I loved you as a friend." You wince as the realization hits you hard like a truck. All those moments of him trying to ask you out would have been seen as romantic by a bystander, but you were too oblivious to realize that.

Emma's judgemental stares each time finally made sense.

"Sorry about that." You muttered, now collapsing on his chest again, snuggling up against him. "I must have given you mixed signals when I pulled that stunt huh."

He rests his chin on the top of your head, his hand rubbing circles around your back. "Let's forget about that and think about where you want our first date to be-"

"BAJI-KUN (NAME)'S MISSING. EMMA'S BEEN CALLING HER FOR THE PAST THREE HOURS AND…"

You both sit up at the sound of the door being slammed open by none other than Chifuyu, who looked like he had run all the way here in a hurry. His voice trails off the moment he sees you lying down on Baji's bed, before looking at Baji and then back at you.

"You've been here this whole time"

You awkwardly laugh at the deadness of his tone as he looks at you with an annoyed glare. "Sorry, we were quite busy." You murmur quietly, looking at your laps.

"The sheets on your bed look different, Baji-kun-"

"I fucked my girlfriend Chifuyu" Keisuke interjects, cutting him short. Blood drains from your head on hearing Keisuke calling you his girlfriend now. This is real. You and him are a thing. "Of course I'll change the sheets. I don't want us cuddling on a cum-stained…"

"I get it, I get it, I'll leave the two of you alone and tell Emma you guys are fine!" he cries out in disgust, walking out of the dorm room and shutting the door behind him. You let out a sigh of relief as you both relax on the bed, when Chifuyu opens the door again with wide eyes "WAIT DID YOU JUST CALL (NAME) YOUR GIRLFRIEND-"

"CHIFUYU I SWEAR DON'T MAKE ME GET UP FROM THIS FUCKING BED AWAY FROM (NAME)-"

"I'm going, I'm going."

special thanks to (please turn on your mentions in 'settings' before filling the form): @officiallyjaehyuns @haikyuusboringassmanager @ilybbg @merrymerrykiss @cockonoi @Rindou24689 @short-cxke @kokoch4n3l @GenAwi @ryuguji-sana @nuyoo @reiners-milkbiddies @kiwixpi @gh0stgirl333 @brisssaaa009 @fushiqruo @damidamimongalam @kawaiikoalagarden @raven-nevra @ilovetwodmen @kodzubaby @straightfromheaven @manchie55 @pikibee @tomeyano @matchamilktea-05 @tenjikusstuff4 @m0onz1 @hapikiou @rainnyzz @Lovelyartistz @lik0

layla 2022-2024 do not repost or translate this on any platform. Support me by reblogging my works with your thoughts.

[thatnonameuser]

Hello! I love love love your yandere AU for TWST. Hope you don't mind my brainrot(?)/ramble addon for the worldbuilding. Imagine a dainty darling of a powerful yandere who does love(?) their yandere. But their heart aches for their fellow darlings who aren't as lucky as them. So with multiple well-placed kisses on their powerful yandere's face. Darling establishes a "darling academy". A place where darlings are sent to be "educated" for a happier ending.

While it sounds like a nightmare for most darlings. It's the best shot they have at living normally without a yandere chasing them down. Darlings in the academy are allowed to learn and live freely within the confines of the academy as a "privilege" for agreeing to be educated (4 years max). They can hang out with fellow darlings, eat in the in academy cafes, shop at the minimalls, ect. A nice boarding school for darlings where yanderes can only enter for "socialization events". Bet the matchmaking service always visits the academy with a group of hopeful yanderes on strict visitations.

While the end goal of the academy is to make a 'willing' darling for a happier ending. Who knows maybe some darling teachers teach the darlings lessons other than pleasing their yandere.

Thanks for entertaining my rambling!

Your ramblings were great to hear!!!

I actually love this idea. So I expanded on it, and now it's a part of the AU.

Imagine...

Long ago, there was once a Beauty and a Beast. Their love story was a tale as old as time, as the beauty freed the beast from his curse, and they lived happily ever after.

But the truth of that story isn't as pretty and glamorous as it sounds in the books. The poor beauty, a village girl with a fondness for books, was chased by the best hunter in the village, a yandere. He was a possessive man who wanted to steal the few freedoms her father gave her.

The night before the beauty came of age, her beloved father was captured by the Beast for breaking into his place. Desperate to save her father and escape the hunter, she went to the castle to free him, only to be caught by the beast, who fell in love with her at first sight.

For a year, the darling Beauty was trapped in the palace almost completely alone, save for the cursed servants, with a yandere much more powerful than the hunter ever was.

But the Beast loved her, oh so much, giving her a life she dreamed of, where she could be with someone that understood her, that gave her a life with the things she loved.

So eventually, she loved him too.

Never mind the fact that he kept refusing to let her see her beloved father or visit her village friends. All that time alone made love spark in her heart.

So when the Hunter came to save her, she chose the Beast.

She chose to love him and break his curse. Revealing the even more obsessed prince.

She chose to marry him.

This tale of love, despite appearances, was a tale of manipulation and control, and yet beauty still loved her Beast.

Yanderes looked at this tale with delight and excitement.

Darlings look at it with fear.

Despite that, the two lived happily ever after.

But after happily ever after, the beauty, now Queen of the Roselune, became troubled.

She watched her people, darlings just like her, live in fear and terror of being stolen by their yanderes, and not being allowed to dream, of a future, of a life for themselves, of true love.

The Beauty wept for her people, unable to be as lucky as she was. But an idea came to her. If they could not achieve the same future as her, she would give it to them.

So she went to the Beast with an offer.

She wanted a safe haven for darlings made, where they could be allowed to dream, far away from yanderes.

At first, the Beast refused. But the Beauty was a smart little thing, and the Beast loved her dearly, so while it took some convincing (a few kisses, loving words, and her body promising their third child in the coming summer) she got what wanted.

But not without the Beast's rules, but we’ll get to that later.

And so, Beauty built a school. Similar to those that housed and schooled Yanderes, but instead, all those in attendance would be darlings.

Here, they could learn about the world they were often shielded from and learn how to find their happy endings.

She named it Rose Heart College, a school dedicated to the love she and her Beast shared where darlings could be safe from yanderes and find their happily ever afters.

Even with the rules the beast gave her would help the darlings find their happily ever afters.

Rose Heart College

It's a school darlings from every kingdom, nation, and island dream of attending. It was the first darling only school of its kind, where darlings could attend school without fear of being kidnapped and controlled by their yanderes.

Located on an island not far from the Kingdom of Roselune, the school is a sprawling castle with a picturesque village surrounding it, and high walls built all around it with enchantments done to forbid yanderes from entering without permission.

The school is co-ed and full of darlings from all different regions, from the darling rights cities in the Shaftlands and to the ancient kingdoms like the Briar Valley.

Once a darling comes of age, they can be sent an enrollment letter at the exact second they turn of age to ensure that a darling is able to enroll before they're snatched up by a yandere.

While they can't leave the school walls until graduation, or unless they decide to drop out, darlings can enjoy the freedom of not constantly looking over their shoulders as they attend. Eating at school cafes, shopping in the village Square, exploring the vast library, they can do everything in the school but leave. This wasn't done to slowly condition them into a life of captivity. What are you talking about?

For four years, darlings get to learn what is taught in other magic and non-magic schools, (With the exception of darling classes, to ensure they don't act out against the gentle conditioning.) And are allowed to able to join clubs and organizations to meet new friends.

Yanderes are almost never allowed on campus, and most of the staff are actually darlings, graduates who've married their yanderes and are enjoying newlywed life. Sometimes, they don't come to class, but they usually are more than happy to do it remotely from the safety of their homes.

Some teachers try to teach students how to escape yanderes, but they're usually fired soon after. No one knows why...

The only time yanderes are allowed to visit the darlings is at the annual 'Ball of Beauties and Beasts'. Where yanderes, invited by the main matchmaking service, are allowed to meet and bond with their future darlings. To the darlings, it's supposed to be a celebration of the school's love story, but what they don't know won't hurt them.

I imagine you would be invited to the ball, kind of like how NRC and RSA are invited to NBC for a celebration, because you're a darling attending a yandere school, and the school 'wants' to invite you to attend. Your yanderes will be going too, because of the same matchmaking service, to convince you not to switch schools.

I really like this idea, I might actually write it for a blog milestone.

[ultimateissuessimp]

Ohhhh can you write cat king x dog king please? like enemies to lovers so cute I think! feel free to decline obv

Oooh you guys have no idea how much I adore writing for the Cat King 🥹 If the word count doesn't express that, I don't know what could. Thank you for this amazing request, I had a field day with it 🙏

Also HAPPY PRIDE MONTH Y'ALL! 🏳️‍🌈❤️

Fleabag and a Dirty Mutt

The Cat King x Dog King!Male Reader

Word count: 2,759

Warnings: Mention of a character dying (Don't worry, he's alive 🙌), animal cruelty (does that count-?), violence, suggestive language (Nothing happens tho 😔), can this be passed off as hurt/comfort? I don't know, really

When people talk about the stereotype of dogs and cats being mortal enemies, they're not that far away from the truth. They may bit be exactly mortal enemies, but the hate and deep rooted dislike is there. There are instances when dogs and cats live in harmony, but not these two. The monarchs. The royalty. The Dog King and the Cat King. Both too stubborn to change places where they rule, one at the docks, the other keeping closer to the woods, trying to stay as far away from the other as possible.

They had so many run ins with each other that it was a miracle they hadn't tried to kill one another yet. It surely felt like they were close to it though, especially from a point of view of an outsider. Those outsiders being two certain ghosts alongside a quite powerful medium visiting Port Townsend that started causing a little ruckus. Naturally the Cat King at first didn't care even though he was aware of them, of course until one of them used magic on one of his cats. Then he started closely observing them. While the Dog King, being the, well, being that he was, couldn't help but grow interested the moment he caught their very interesting scent, unlike any other ghost's or person in the town and the number was quite big. From the beginning he carefully observed them, before revealing himself when the, now group, clearly needed his help.

From that moment on they began something akin to a business partnership. They get rid of the damned witch that was only causing troubles for him while he protects them and helps them however he can, either his strength, wisdom or resourcefulness. They worked together, both sides diligently fulfilling their side of the agreement and everything was going really well until that new boy appeared. When he first sniffed the air while the new guy was around, his nose immediately scrunched up in displeasure. He reeked with magic, but he couldn't quite place it why or where was it coming from. Then he started talking about astrology and everything else with Edwin and Y/N's demeanor, while still cautious and distrusting, changed from an on guard one to a more relaxed stance. He thought that that was probably where the stench was coming from. The boy was either practising witchcraft or had it deeply rooted within him which was slowly waking up. He was wrong though, big time.

Then was also Thomas. That fucking fleabag that was a constant pain in his ass. He wanted to just rip his throat out with his teeth over and over again until the being was out of lives, but at the same time he felt like he would probably, ironically, miss the damn cat. That didn't change the fact that he was absolutely getting in his nerves whenever he could. This was one of those moments, the two accidentally bumping into each other at the viewing spot that the Cat King visited previously to talk with, and slightly torment, Edwin.

The large fawn and tan coated Doberman trudged up the stairs, from time to time looking up to the starry night sky to see if any star was shining much brighter than the rest and letting out a quiet, pleased sound when he found one. It was a little something to pass the time, especially when he was on a walk like this one.

When he finally got to the top and took a whiff of the air around, wanting to feel the freshness of the air coming from the water, but instead he could smell a very distinguishable scent of a certain fleabag. He immediately snarled when his eyes finally found the orange cat sitting on the stone ledge. He got an angry hiss in response and a swat of a paw, hitting the air, not even close to the dog. Y/N swiftly turned into his human form, an orange swirl forming around him before quickly disappearing when he stood on two feet instead of two pairs of paws, Thomas doing the same, the cat dissappearing in a purple flame, letting the human form take his place.

-What the fuck are you doing here, you damn mutt? - the Cat King asked, clearly annoyed as he looked at the Dog King with an disinterested look.

-I could ask you the same thing, fleabag. Don't you think you're treading a bit too close to my territory? - Y/N fired back, slightly baring his teeth before crossing his arms over his chest and walking over to the stone ledge, looking out into the view despite it being quite dark.

-Oh don't flatter yourself, I simply felt like having a bit of peace away from everyone and everything. This place seemed ideal, but now that you're here everything is ruined - Thomas answered with sass, he couldn't help the eyeroll that followed his statement as he stayed on his spot on the ledge, sitting on it with his legs crossed, one on the other, arms keeping him up behind him.

-Hm, sweet as always I see? Can your mouth do anything other than talk a load of shit? - Y/N asked another question, his eyes going to the Cat King without turning his head, a clearly unamused look on his face.

-It can also take loads, but you will never get to experience that, so why bother? - the man fired back with a smug smirk tugging at his lips, his canines showing off as the smirk grew into a satisfied grin at the Dog King's reaction that only spoke of disgust.

-As if I'd ever even let your face get anywhere near me that isn't at least six feet of distance - the Dog King said, distaste in his mouth at the simple thought of such a scenario.

That night went by in snarky comments and teasing before finally one of them decided they had enough of the company and went back to their kingdom. That was a few days ago, after that more pressing matters appeared that had the Dog King speeding to the forest in his Doberman form, picking up speed with each small sounds he was hearing in the distance. He knew those kids would get into some serious shit, but the fact they had a spy between them? A spy that worked for someone that wanted to kill them without any remorse? That was beyond trouble.

He was slightly late to the party, Monty already being exposed by the Cat King at whose sight Y/N rolled his eyes, before he reminded himself why he was there. He needed to help the kids, even though if that meant going against Esther and the agreement they made a long time ago.

He changed into his human form at the moment when Thomas was telling Edwin that the second kiss was always better before pressing his lips to Monty's for a brief moment. Y/N stared in surprise, as if frozen in his spot a few feet behind Edwin. A weird feeling started to appear in his chest, tugging as if someone smashed their hand into his chest, wrapped it around his heart and started squeezing. He winced in displeasure, before becoming mortified at the realisation that what he felt was jealousy. He was jealous of Monty.

He quickly shook his head before finally coming into the light, facial expression serious as he looked at Monty, trying not to let it slip how he felt not too long ago. There were more pressing matters to tend to than his silly feelings. He could take care of them later on when there wasn't a second death threat looming over the two ghosts and a first one for the two girls with them.

-I think it's time for you to go, Thomas. You've said what you wanted to say, if you have no intention of helping further on, just go bother someone fucking else - Y/N said, a little growl behind his words as he remained an eye contact with the Cat King while speaking, his nose scrunching slightly.

-Whatever. I'm out. Have fun, mutty - Thomas said, rolling his eyes before disappearing in purple flames, taking the source of light with himself.

Y/N looked at Edwin and then Monty carefully, assessing if there would be any action necessary like protecting the ghost from the crow or any other threat that Esther might have coming for them. When he didn't see or feel anything wrong in particular, he relaxed just a tiny bit, still on high alert for any danger while Edwin went at it, spewing out how betrayed he felt because of Monty.

When they were done there and reunited with the rest of the group, took care of the massive mushroom that tried to suck them into itself and be ultimately their demise alongside Esther, seemingly getting rid of her by sending her into a different dimension with the mushroom, only then could they let out a breath of relief while resting in Niko's apartment room. After some time Y/N decides that it's time to go back to his territory, letting the group properly rest after a night full of, well, bullshit. That was also his excuse to think about his feelings towards the Cat King. After just a minute of thinking he realized he was fucked. Utterly and royally fucked.

It was not that long after, a day or two maybe, when Y/N felt something was wrong. His mind was running a thousand thoughts per second while he felt squeamish and uneasy. Finally one thought became the beacon amidst the sea of them. The Cat King. Something was terribly wrong and it made him worried. That's why he turned into his dog form and sped towards the dogs, being careful enough with the cats he was passing, but also not letting them stop him in any way, growling at some that tried pouncing on him.

When he finally got to the docks and basically slammed through the warehouse doors, uncaring about the damage, he felt a sense of dread fill his body when he saw the last hit that a very pissed and determined Esther delivered to the Cat King's body, easily taking away his third life with her cane. He knew the man still have quite a few lives left, but it still mad him enraged with the witch, that damned fucking witch that was an ever bigger pain in his ass than the Cat King that was currently trying to get used to his new life and changing into his human form.

Before Thomas could even get a word out, Y/N let out a loud growl and a warning bark before launching full speed at Esther, leaping over the Cat King who slightly covered when he heard Y/N approach quickly. He landed right on her, making her slam down onto the ground while his full weight rested on her. He bit harshly into her upper arm before standing up and trashing his head around, tugging on it, causing some damage to her body, her head hitting concrete already making her slightly dizzy. When she got the chance to free herself, she shouted in frustration and anger, clutching her arm tightly to her chest before landing one strong blow with her cane to the Dog King's head. While she put some space between them, he changed into his human form, a clear sign of damage she made also visible on his temple that was bleeding down the side of his face. Yet he still stood there seemingly unfazed, shielding Thomas with his own body, standing in Esther's way if she happened to get another surge of violance out of herself.

And then of course when he got out of his initial shock, the Cat King had to start shouting about Esther making his lose his third life and blabber out the fact that Edwin had been through Hell, literally and metaphorically, clearly giving Esther an idea, judging by the look on her face. He simply couldn't shut the fuck up when he should.

When the witch left, Y/N turned towards the Cat King, assessing his new look, his heart skipping a beat once or twice. While he didn't like the circumstances of the change, he really didn't mind the new aesthetic. It suited him. Anything suited him right ally, but the black looked especially... Nice.

While Y/N was taking the view in front of him in, the Cat King started ranting about how stupid he was for even risking his own life like that, taking a couple steps towards the Dog King and taking his face firmly, yet carefully into his hands, turning it to the sides however he seemed fit, checking for any other damages than the most obvious one on his temple. When he didn't see other wounds, he sighed before tugging the sleeve of his coat more onto his hand, trapping the material with his fingers to his palm to keep it covered and bringing it up to Y/N's temple, gently cleaning it off of blood.

-Why the fuck would you do that? Have you gone completely insane, you dirty mutt? - Thomas huffed out in concerned annoyance, wiping away at the side of the Dog King's face, being careful not to irritate the wound further on.

-Long time ago, kitty. I felt that something was wrong and I just couldn't ignore it. You were in trouble and you expected me to just stay away? Really? For how long have we known each other that you still think such bullshit? - Y/N replied, raising one eyebrow at Thomas while his half lidded eyes slowly traveled all across the man's face, the Cat King clearly not noticing his stare since he was too engrossed in patching the Dog King up, even whipping a small cat themed bandaid out of thin air and placing it on the wound.

-Yes, clearly. If you were in trouble and I knew, I wouldn't give two shits, honestly. One annoying mutt less and did you just call me "kitty"? The fuck? She really smacked you hard, damn - the Cat King said, shaking his head and huffing out in an annoyed way, yet the concern written all over his face spoke of something else and so did the barely there blush that appeared when his brain finally processed what Y/N had called him, his heart doing a little flip.

-Mhmm... For sure - Y/N replied shortly and simply, a small cheeky smirk pulling at the left corner of his lips, his eyes still roaming all over the man's face before finally settling on his eyes, the Cat King's own dilated ones staring right back into his.

They both continued looking into each other's eyes, before Y/N finally had enough and leaned in after cupping Thomas' face in his hands gently. His chapped lips pressed sweetly, yet a bit needily into the Cat King's own soft ones. Needy to feel that everything was okay. That Thomas was okay. That he himself was okay. That they were and will be okay. The Cat King responded rapidly by wrapping his arms around the other man's neck tightly, keeping his close. They only pulled away when breathing comfortably started to be a struggle, chests heaving as they breathed deeply, forehead pressed tightly together.

-Don't... Don't ever do that again. Don't try to save my life or one of them when your own gets compromised because of it - Thomas whispered out, his eyes closing and scrunching slightly as an image of badly wounded Dog King entered his mind, but he quickly shoo'ed it away. He swallowed hard before opening his eyes once again just to be met with a big grin on Y/N's face.

-Can't promise that, kitty. Especially not when I know that now you're an unlucky black cat - the Dog King fired back teasingly with a chuckle, his nose rubbing softly against the man's in his arms that were now comfortably resting, wrapped around Thomas' waist.

-Oh fuck you - he got as a reply, a chuckle of his own leaving the Cat King moments before he was the one to initiate another kiss. That one softer, filled with gratefulness and something else entirely. Something as sweet as a cherry blossom tea with a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies.

-If you wish, sure - Y/N said into the kiss, both of them unable to contain the smile that were gracing their faces as they kept close to one another. All they had to do now was simply revel in this new feeling and let it grow like a bush of roses.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

💿Reboot AU... Possible Mutations of the Mystery Character, by Reader (and Scott)

• They're mentioned as very energetic, and as a possible insomniac, as there are several mentions of late night talks they have with the other characters and of the teens and adults finding them up at odd hours in the mansion (yeah, they had trouble sleeping, I think they took medicine for it)

• They seemed to like sweets, as well as meat and dairy... So they had a need for lots of protein, and a sweet tooth, apparently... Some foods they've liked are casseroles, chicken nuggets and tenders and rotisserie chickens, shrimp, pies, lemon cake, potatoes, pancakes, bacon and sausages, as well as smoothies, chocolate milk, and orange rolls... (they were a really good cook, too!) (Thank you for the input, Scott)

• This character has been seen before, and seemed to be a kind, down-to-earth person with a past they don't mention often, besides saying it's best left forgotten... I wonder if that will be important later... They get along with most of the teens, regardless of sides or morals, and seem to respect most of the adults... They do not seem to like most humans, though... (they are important! and super helpful! and they did have a past full of bad things, unfortunately...)

• They look kinda like... me? Well, okay, my ideal version of me... They seem to prefer warm colors, anything from red and orange and yellow to pink and golden and white, always with some black thrown in... They have a few piercings, maybe a few rings they wear, amd I think the show had an episode where they revealed they were... ace? Or aro? Aroace? It was a pretty bold episode for that time (they were very brave to say that! and no one loved them any less!)

• I don't know if they're related to anyone... As I can never remember their power, I'm not sure what it was or anything besides a few general ideas as to what I think it was... (it's okay, Reader! sometimes it's best to go over what you know, then find the truth out from that!)

• Possible Mutation One: They're very stretchy and rubbery, almost like a stress ball or gooey worm or some other heroes... They seem to be always a step away if there's a problem, so it makes sense they can easily get tangeled up in it... It would also explain how they keep everything around them calmer... After all, they just have to stretch a hand or a leg, and they can stop whoever is causing mischief or trouble (good guess, Reader! certainly creative! and what do you mean, other heroes? what other heroes?)

• Possible Mutation Two: They're able to control electricity and energy. It would explain why they are energetic and have trouble sleeping, if they have a constant supply of energy in their body. It could explain why they fear water, because their body could potentially electrocute itself if they end up in a large body of water... Maybe they can also make loud noises, like thunder... Thunder is the sound after lightning strikes, right? (right indeed, kid! also a good guess! that would make showers and baths and pool parties hard to do...)

• Possible Mutation Three: They're some kind of feral mutant? At least five characters have fluff or animal powers, so it would make sense if this character did too? It would explain why they eat so much, and why they prefer meat and dairy... Their hair does look soft and fluffy, too... I'm not sure if I remember if they had claws or a tail or fangs or horns or any odd colors, though... (hmmmm... good guess again, kid! and yes! their hair does look super soft and fluffy!)

• Possible Mutation Four: They can turn into a swarm of insects or has a stinger or controls bugs/other people... Maybe thats why they like sweets? All kinds of hymenoptera insects are attracted to sweets, like bees and wasps and ants and hornets... so are flies, too, but they eat anything... Maybe that explains the warmer colors, too? (good guess once more, kiddo! that would be a unique power! a little scary, though)

• Possible Mutation Five: They can control minds or can control pheromones... Maybe both? They mentioned not wanting their power before... and this seems like one most wouldn't want to have... Maybe that's their dark secret? Their hidden ability? It could apply to a few of these other ones, actually... Is that why they left? Was there a falling out? Some sacrifice? Or a hidden plot in the shadows? (... let's not talk about it, kiddo...) (do you need a hug, Scott?) (... yes... your hugs feel amazing... thank you...)

@sugar-soda @thewickedweiner Your thoughts?

[threepandas]

The Vod's List: Part 1.5

Fox sat in the medcenter staring blankly at the 'sensor's read out. They all were. A numb sort of horror silencing the normally busy room. The only real noise was the steady churning hum of the substance analyzer off on a table to the side, still busy churning away at what exact compound EXACTLY were in the liquid drying on his face. Running in random chaotic lines of slowly drying death, down his neck.

He really needed to change before he got reinfected.

But... but all he could do was stare.

There was a chip in his head.

WAS. It was half gone and disappearing even as they watched. Whatever let it hide itself the first thing destroyed, by what now flowed in his blood. His head felt like it was going to pop. Yet? As... WHATEVER those things were? Worked? Processed. Attacked. Did what ever it was they were designed to DO... the less his head hurt.

The medic said it looked like they went after the connection filaments first. Then traced them back to the chip itself. Because... because he had a CHIP in his brain.

He was compromised.

How long had he been compromised?

Were the others? Or was it just him? Was it because of his position of command? Should the other commanders get checked? What is he saying. Of course they should. They have too. He has no idea when this could even have OCCURRED. It could be a threat to the Republic. To the Vod.

The analyzer chimes. His vod numbly going through the motions to check the read out. Only to pause. Check again. Then again. Fixer calls over another medic. Well... that reassuring.

They have samples, scraped from his cheek and neck. He expect then to pop them into another machine, when they pick the vial up. But instead? The rest of them watch in confused horror as the two medics apply some two a swab, grab a vibroscalpel, and make cuts along their arms. Pressing the swabs to the fresh wounds.

Deliberately... infecting... themselves...

VOD WHAT IN THE FRESH HELLS?!

One set chrono and a vicious shouting match later? The truth reveals itself. Two more scans. Two matching chips, being eaten away. It's Kamino cure, they say. Half way across the known galaxy, probably has all sorts of side effects they'll have to look out for, but? Assuming they SURVIVE it?

This could fix every karked up thing the long necks ever put in them, known or unknown.

It's DESIGNED to "fix" it's host, no matter the cost. That is... assuming the host can endure the pain. Kriff. His mind can't help but shoot back. The civilian. An aid to an aid so many layers down in the senate, they're barely one step above the Vod themselves. Glorified furniture with a purpose.

She'd been...

The sheer HORROR in her eyes, when she realized she'd shared what was inside her. When they met, she was in a karking muzzle, too. Sure, it was designed to be "humane". But she couldn't even run in it. It suffocated her. Did she endure? Was that why she froze up? Every injury the threat of something so much WORSE?

He could see the same thought, spreading like everything always does with the Vod.

Fast and impossible to contain.

Kriff... he ran a hand down his face, exhausted. They hadn't even figured out who was behind THIS attack. Anti-war protesters, kidnapping attempt, assassination attempt. Some sleemo who wanted to watch the galaxy burn, maybe. It didn't matter. What DID was that they contain it.

....maybe get a gaurd or two on their new friend.

I mean... it wasn't UNREASONABLE, right? She... she COULD be a target. Natural bioweapon. People can be terrible. Wouldn't put it past somebody right? And they really SHOULD have complete coverage of the senate building. Even the lower levels. That's were trouble makers try to slip in.

It's reasonable.

It's not like she's THEIR Civilian. They don't HAVE an anything. The other Vod have their generals. Various officers, if their Generals aren't that great. The Gaurd doesn't... they don't NEED...

I mean... it would be NICE...

No. Focus.

Just because she helped you and yours... just because she's SOFT and CIVILIAN and VULNERABLE to threats-! Don't. Do not. Vod, I can FEEL you-

"Did you know most Technoganic never leave their planet?" Nose piped up from near the door, little shit could never leave anything alone if he TRIED. He had his datapad out. "Says here they are highly priority targets for slavers."

Every Vod in the room twitched.

Well... there went HIS calm. His hand went to his com-link, already fighting to keep from clenching his jaw. A.. FEW gaurds wouldn't hurt. For Senatorial safety. They aren't giving anyone preferential treatment! Just. Being cautious.

Doing their job.

They should check in.

Just in case.

[builtbybrokenbells]

Picasso

after months of silent pining over the boy across the hall, y/n finds herself face to face with the one person she can’t seem to get off her mind. a friendly dinner and a night spent in the art studio leads to more truth being revealed than either bargained for. a profession of attraction leads to an opportunity for an unconventional hookup, where Sam gets to make her first time unforgettable.

COLLEGE DORM AU

Read aftermath here

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 15.5k

Warnings: SMUT 18+, fingering (f!receiving), oral (f!receiving), unprotected sex (wrap it, folks), virgin/virginity talk, losing virginity (sam the v card thief 🫣), praise kink, pet names, sexual anxiety/performance anxiety, soft gentle sex (fuck me up fr), fluff, swearing, anxiety, embarrassing crushes, sorry if I miss any!

😮‍💨 sorry this took so long folks. it’s a lengthy one, so prepare yourself. i got a bit carried away. soft Sam fucks me up real bad. hope you enjoy this as much as i loved writing it!! as always, be kind, enjoy, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes!!

~

You weren’t sure who he was. You had no idea where he was from, what he was studying, or if he even knew you existed. Still, that didn’t seem to stop the awkward staring, or the blushing cheeks, or even the speeding heart rate every time he came into your line of vision. You hated yourself for the uncontrollable longing you felt for the boy across the hall, knowing that you would forever be too nervous to approach first. The first few months of your university experience were relatively normal; meeting friends, studying relentlessly, and trying to navigate a brand new life that was so foreign from the last. Then, after the novelty of freshman year wore off, and the hallways were routinely more empty than you’d grown used to, you started to run into him.

The first time you saw him, you almost missed him. You only noticed the back of his head as he disappeared around the corner. But, almost as if fate was playing a sick trick on you, he happened to forget something in his room. When he came back around the corner, giving you the opportunity to see his face, it felt as though you’d received a punch to the stomach. Thankfully, he was in too much of a rush to notice your staring. His long, brown hair looked messy, yet perfectly styled around his slender face. His jawline was sharp, angled gracefully into a perfect chin. The space just above held his lips, a permanent upturn in the corner adorned on them, although barely noticeable in passing. His brown eyes looked inviting, a colour you could spend all day lost in. Once he passed you, you knew it was too late; you’d already fallen for him, and there was no escape.

Perhaps it was because you came from a small town, one where all of the boys looked like the same person, just in a different font. You’d never met a boy who caught your eye quite like he did. He had a charming aura without even speaking, which was impossible to attain, according to your standards. You never really wasted time on dating, more or less finding it pointless. You were well aware there was no person to find in your town that would work out long-term. You were never a date for heartbreak type, understanding that there was no need of having a relationship if you start it with a pre-existing condition that it will inevitably end. You had a few bad experiences with the boys you’d given a chance, and never tried again. It wasn’t worth the hurt, or the trouble, so you kept to yourself. But, whatever it was about the boy across the hall, you were certain if you ever got the chance, you’d want it to last a lifetime.

After the initial shock of seeing him, you seemed to notice him everywhere. Every time you left your room, his door was open, or he was in the hallway talking to his friends. He was always running into you at meal hall, taking post in your favourite spots in the library, and even in some of your classes. You had no idea how you’d gone so long without noticing him, because now, he never ceased to exist in your mind and your life. You’d never managed to get the nerve to speak with him, or even muster a wave when he passed by. The most the two of you shared was a smile each morning; which admittedly, made your day a whole lot better every time. As unfortunate as it was, the two of you had mastered the art of remaining strangers despite the constant desire to be more.

You never verbalized your feelings to anyone, not your friends, or even yourself. You thought it was a bit ridiculous to be infatuated with someone solely based on looks. Yet, you found yourself creating a fabricated version of him, one that you deducted based on what you noticed over the passing weeks. One where he was funny, in a sarcastic or a goofy type of way. One where he was very laid back, but very involved in the lives of the people he loved. And the worst one of all; one where he was fantastic in bed. You thought it was alright to daydream, even if you would never know for certain in this lifetime.

Despite your mostly quiet pining, everybody around you was well aware of how you felt about mystery boy. Your friends seemed to take extra measures to point him out in a public setting, or ‘unintentionally’ cross paths with him. They never admitted it, but you knew what they were doing. Instead of fighting about it, which would only give them the answer they so desperately wanted from you, you laughed alongside them at the ‘strange coincidences’. Although, one thing inherently positive that came from the whole ordeal, was that you’d made acquaintance’s with his best friend, Danny. You’d found out that he was also in a few of your classes, and lived on the floor above you.

He occasionally stopped by your room for a quick chat, or some help with projects. He was friendly, and tall, and quite attractive, too. You never mentioned his friend that lived across the hall, and he didn’t, either. As far as you were concerned, your friendship with Danny would remain just as such, with no hidden implications about the beautiful boy he spent most his time with. Never once would you ever want to make him feel like you’d become friends with him just to get closer to his best friend, because you didn’t. Any hello, or how are you, or any of the conversations you’d shared had always been because you wanted to talk to him. You liked him, and just so happened to find it much easier to strike conversations with him, too.

You walked down the hallway, pushing your way through the swarms of people preparing to leave for spring break. That Friday marked the end of classes for a week, meaning that lots of people were either packing up to return home for a few days, or headed somewhere much warmer to drink themselves into oblivion. You had opted to stay for the week, finding no real desire to visit your family, and having no available funds to travel the world. All of your friends were leaving, presenting a fantastic opportunity for you to catch up on some schoolwork. You keyed into your room, dropping your bag on your bed and kicking your shoes off. You threw on your slippers and took your hair down from its clip.

You walked into your bathroom, seeing a note stuck on the mirror. You pulled it off, reading over the scribbled words. Your suite mate had left for the week, wishing you a good time and telling you she’d see you soon. You smiled, slipping it into your pocket to add to your collection of first-year memorabilia. You had an elaborate final project planned for your introductory art class, and you were collecting as many pieces to add to it as possible, wanting nothing more than to make a showstopper. You fixed your makeup in the mirror and combed through your hair with your fingers, trying to sharpen yourself up after a long day of classes. As you returned to your room, you heard a knock on your door.

When you opened it, you saw a familiar, smiling face. “Well hello.” You said, pulling the door open fully.

“Hey, Picasso.” Danny greeted. “What are you up to?”

“Just got back, actually. I stayed late at the studio. Trying to get my practical piece done for my painting class.”

“I see. Have you started the essay for poetry?” You shook your head, stomach sinking at the thought.

“I was going to start that this weekend. I just picked my topic. I’ve got a couple years worth of Shakespeare sonnets to read.” Danny was an English major, and you were an arts major, but your classes seemed to cross due to your minor in writing.

“That’s such a cop out topic,” He teased, leaning against the door frame. “And it’s spring break, aren’t you supposed to be having fun?”

“Fuck you.” You laughed, waving your hand to invite him inside. “Spring break is only fun for rich kids taking business majors.” You joked.

“Us arts kids know how to have fun, too, you know. We don’t have to get on a plane to do that.” He reminded you, walking inside and taking a seat on your bed.

“Well, what about you, then? Any big plans?”

“Frankenmuth.” He said, trying to make it sound more exciting than it was. You raised an eyebrow at him, expecting something more to the statement, but that was all he said.

“Enthralling.” You laughed, taking a seat in your desk chair. You watched the people pass by in the hallway, no real thoughts in your head. “Just you going?” You asked, eyes falling on the door closed just across from yours.

“Yeah, my friends are gonna stay here. Just thought I’d go back and visit the parents for a few days. Don’t think I’m staying the whole week.”

“Nothing wrong with that, Danny boy.” You said, flipping your laptop open that was sitting on your desk. “When are you leaving?”

“Tonight, probably. I like driving at night.” You were okay with that, completely agreeing with his statement. There was something very peaceful about driving in the dark, especially when the roads are mostly barren. It was almost like time stood still. You knew the drive wasn’t too long for him, so you had faith he would be alright. “That’s why I came to see you.”

“You’re so sweet,” you grinned, opening Netflix and throwing on the most recently watched show. “Gonna miss me?”

“Of course, Picasso.” He said as if it were obvious. “Come with me, if you want.” He offered.

“You wouldn’t want me to tag along, your parents might like me too much.” He laughed at your words.

“And that’s a problem?”

“You wanna listen to them ask about me for the rest of your life?” You teased.

“Doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world.” He shrugged.

“You’re too nice for your own good.” You chuckled. “As much as I would love to spend reading week with you, I very much need access to an art studio and shitty, free coffee refills from the library.”

“I know,” he assured you. “If you change your mind, offers there.”

“Thanks, Danny.” You said, more sincerity in your tone than before.

“The reason I came down here though, was to see if you wanted to grab dinner with us before I leave.”

“Us?” You questioned, cocking your head to the side.

“Yeah, me and Sam. I know you told me your friends already left, so I thought maybe you’d like some company.”

“Oh, so it’s a pity invite?” You smirked. He rolled his eyes.

“No, I want you to come. Thought that was kind of obvious.”

“Just pulling your leg.” You assured him. “Uh, who’s Sam?” You laughed, feeling a little ridiculous for not knowing. He watched you with confusion, waiting to see if you were joking.

“Sam? Kiszka? Like, the guy who lives across the hall?” He asked, completely baffled. “You don’t know Sam?”

“Oh!” Your cheeks turned crimson. “Yeah, I know who he is. That’s your best friend, right?” Danny nodded. “Yeah, I know him. Just didn’t know his name. Never really spoke to the guy.” You laughed, trying to pass off the awkwardness.

“Fuck, y/n, I thought you guys knew each other! I’m sorry I didn’t introduce him to you.”

“No! Don’t be sorry, Danny.” You waved it off. “I never brought it up, either.”

“That’s weird though, cause he definitely knows you. He knew who you were when I mentioned we were working together on that last poetry assignment. I was under the impression that you guys were neighbourly.” He shrugged, confusion still lingering in his features.

“Oh, uh… I guess my names on my whiteboard. Maybe that’s why. He’s definitely seen me around. We smile at each other and stuff in the halls, but that’s about it.” Danny eyed you almost as if he didn’t believe you.

“Well, he seems pretty fond of you for someone he only smiles at in the hallway.” You felt the blush rise to your cheeks again, embarrassed even at the thought of him mentioning your name. “You do know him, don’t you?”

“No, I swear I’m telling you the truth.” You raised your hands in defence. He watched you, scanning your face for a hint of a lie. After a second, his expression lit up.

“You have a crush on him!” He bellowed, feeling accomplished for finally solving the mystery. Your head whipped to the open door, making sure nobody was in the hallway.

“Shut up!” You hissed, making a move to shut the door. “I do not!” You said once you protected the privacy.

“That’s a lie, Picasso.” He let out a disapproving tsk.

“I don’t even know the guy.” You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, he’s attractive, but I can’t exactly like someone I don’t know.”

“Sure you can, and you do.” He grinned. “And you’ll like him even more after dinner tonight.” He decided.

“So now I don’t have a choice if I go or not?”

“No, not at all. I’ll leave you to get ready. He should be back around 6.” Danny stood, not willing to hear any protests.

“Danny, if you say anything to him, I swear to god I will kill-“

“Lips are sealed, Picasso. See you at six.” He sent you a wink before disappearing out the door. You felt your stomach twist in knots, nervous that Danny was going to mention something to him.

You distracted yourself by scouring your closet for something acceptable to wear. You cursed him for leaving so soon; he didn’t even tell you where you were going. You had no idea if you should dress nice, or casual. As you checked the time, you decided that somewhere in the middle would be suitable. A nice shirt and a pair of black jeans, just to dress it down a bit. You went to the bathroom and quickly ran your curling iron through your hair with no real effort, just to give it a bit of volume. You brushed your teeth and touched up your makeup again, spritzing on some perfume before you walked back to your room. You threw on some jewelry, deciding if you were going to properly meet mystery boy, or Sam, rather, you were going to make a good first impression.

When the clock struck six, there was an insistent knock on your door. When you opened it, Danny was beaming down at you once more. “You clean up good, Picasso.” He complimented. Rarely did he ever see you out of your studio clothes; you were always covered in paint, or plaster, or some other sort of artistic expression. You spent more time in the studio than you did anywhere else. Of course, the workload was heavy even for first year, but you spent a lot of free time there, too. It was great for your mental health, and aside from your projects, you made smaller pieces to sell on the side. Unlimited access to art tools was a huge benefit to going to the university you chose, and your talent allowed you to make some extra money. Making a living off something you loved to do made your university experience a million times better.

“Thanks, Daniel.” You laughed. “Ready to go?” You asked.

“Yeah, you?” You nodded. You threw on a denim jacket, finishing off the outfit. You joined Danny in the hall, looking around to spot Sam. When you didn’t see him, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.

“Where are we going?” You asked, distracting yourself from the feeling.

“There’s this little Italian restaurant downtown. I’ve been meaning to try it, but never got around to it. Figured tonight was as good as any other night. Is that cool with you?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m not picky.” You assured him.

“Awesome.” He breathed, making a move to the other side of the hallway. He stood before Sam’s door, sending a knock echoing through the air. Within a few seconds, the door swung open to reveal the boy you couldn’t seem to get out of your head. His hair was slightly damp, and the smell of his shampoo hit you almost instantly. He pointed at you without a word, causing you to shoot him a nervous look. He got a small laugh at your reaction.

“You copied my outfit.” He accused, a goofy smile etched onto his expression. You looked down at what you were wearing, then back to him. You were both wearing Jean jackets with a black base layer. After a second, you laughed, too.

“Guess so.” You shrugged, trying to ignore the incessant butterflies running rampant in your stomach. “I’m y/n,” you held a hand out to shake.

“Sam.” He said, reciprocating the gesture. “I guess we’ve never properly introduced ourselves.” He noted.

“Not very neighbourly of us, was it?” You chuckled. His eyes lingered over you, taking in the whole sight before humming an agreement. You desperately tried to fight away the blush rising to your cheeks, but failed miserably. You hoped he didn’t notice.

“I hear from Daniel that you’re quite the artist.” He said, the smile never leaving his face. At his words, the redness on your cheeks completely took over, leaving no doubt that he could see it.

“Modern day Picasso, actually.” Danny corrected.

“You’ll have to show me, sometime.” Sam’s tone was soft, no tone of sarcasm present.

“Maybe I can sneak you into the studio someday.” You offered.

“It’s a date, then.” He said it so effortlessly, like the words meant nothing, but it set every nerve in your body on fire.

“G-guess so,” you tried to cover up your stutter, but they certainly noticed. You were thankful they didn’t comment on it. Sam stepped into the hallway, closing his door behind him. The three of you ventured towards the exit of the building without another word.

The evening was cool, but not unbearable. By the time you’d walked to the restaurant, you had managed to shake some of the nervousness off. The small chatter and jokes eased the tension by miles, allowing you to enjoy the company rather than fear embarrassment. Danny went inside first, Sam holding the door open for both of you. You muttered a small thank you, disappearing inside of the building. The smell of the food was fantastic, and the decoration and atmosphere was incredibly inviting. Danny noticed a ‘seat yourself’ sign, taking it open himself to lead the group to a booth. He slid in one side and you sat across from him. Sam looked between the two seats, ultimately deciding to sit next to you. The booth was tiny, and as he settled and got comfortable, his leg was gently resting against yours. You felt your heart speed, trying not to focus on the constant contact.

You all ordered after taking a good look over the menu. As you were waiting, Sam turned to you to speak. “So, Picasso,” he started. You turned your head to look at him, strangely pleased at the way the nickname sounded on his tongue. “Any travel plans for the week?”

“Oh, no.” You shook your head. “Love them, but my family drives me crazy, and I have too much work to get done to go anywhere else.” You admitted. “You?”

“No, I thought it was best to stay, too. I get what you mean about the family thing. Love them to death, but peace and quiet is nice, sometimes.” He chuckled. “Daniel will have to go on the journey alone.”

“So you guys are from the same town?” You looked between the two. They both nodded.

“Yeah, best friends since, what, middle school?” Danny laughed.

“Pretty much.” Sam agreed.

“That’s cool, actually. Nice that you guys have a piece of home here with you.”

“What about you? Any piece of home here?” You shook your head.

“No, and thank god there isn’t. Wanted to get the hell out of my hometown and start over. It’s worked so far.” You explained.

“Where are you from?” Sam asked, now intrigued.

“Arizona. Small town in the middle of nowhere, where everybody looks and acts the same and you get chastised if you’re any different.”

“Mind-numbing.” He replied. You nodded, unable to agree more. “Everybody needs originality.”

“Not them, apparently. I couldn’t wait to leave, and I never want to go back.” You almost shuddered at the thought.

“So where after this?” Sam never let his eyes leave you, as if he wanted to engrave every detail of your face in his mind.

“Uh, wherever, I guess. I haven’t really thought about it. I may travel for a while if I can before I commit to anywhere.”

“Smart woman,” he gave a small smile. “Know your options before you settle down.”

“Yeah, I suppose you could look at it that way.” Your conversation was interrupted by the waitress bringing drinks and setting them in front of you. You sipped from your straw, pondering what to speak about, next. “What are you taking, Sam?” You suddenly remembered you hadn’t asked him, yet.

“Oh, music theory.” He said. You eyed him in shock, not expecting that answer.

“What instrument?”

“Piano, on the paper at least.” He laughed. “I like playing bass and guitar more, but I figured they’d be more likely to accept me with piano as my focus.”

“Smart move.” You pondered the information for a moment. “Listen to this one,” you caught both of their attention. “So, Picasso, Shakespeare and Billy Joel walk into an Italian restaurant,” you started, causing a chorus of laughter from both boys.

“You play a piano once and you can never escape the Billy Joel jokes.” Sam shook his head, ghost of a laugh still lingering on his lips. You couldn’t help but admire him, feeling the overwhelming curiosity of wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

“You’ll be alright, piano man.” Danny assured him.

“Yeah, you can even sing us a song, if you want. That might make you feel better.” He shot you a look of warning, but there was visible humour laced in it. The both of you were feeling the nervous tension melt away more by the second.

The time passed too quickly for your liking; the meal was fantastic and the company was even better. When the time to leave came around, you were begging the clock just for another minute. You had spent the whole night beating yourself up for not getting over your fear and speaking with Sam sooner. Aside from him being incredibly attractive, he was funny, and charming, and quite sweet, too. You felt like you’d missed out on a lot. Even if nothing romantic happened, you’d could consider yourself content just being his friend. When the waitress brought the bills over, Sam took it upon himself to ensure you couldn’t get your hands on the debit machine. As you all filtered back outside into the cool night air, your feeling of nervousness returned. Looking at Sam, how the glow from the street lights casted over his face, how his hair flowed in solidarity, messy but perfect all in one, made you realize that knowing him only made the desire so much stronger.

Somewhere deep down you hoped he was an asshole, so you could finally shake the hopeless feeling of need for him. The more you talked to him, the more you fell for the goofiness of his aura, the humour he wore so proudly, or the kindness permanently anchored behind his words. He was more than just a pretty face, and to you, it was devastating. The last thing you wanted was to fall for someone, but you were well aware that it had happened long before your night of pasta critique. “You headed back to dorm?” Sam asked, his hand on your upper arm breaking you from your thoughts. You swallowed hard, trying to shake off your brains’ incessant reminders of what it felt like to be touched by him.

“Yeah,” you nodded.

“I’m headed out, now, I think.” Danny said, looking between the two of you. “Packed the car earlier, so I should hit the road.”

“Oh,” you breathed, trying to keep your eyes on him, and him only. “Which lot are you parked in?”

“The one by our building. I’ll walk back with you guys.” You nodded at his words, feeling a sudden rush of relief knowing you wouldn’t have to walk alone with Sam. Not that you would mind being alone with him, more of a fear of embarrassing yourself somehow. The three of you started the short walk with few words exchanged in the process. When you reached the entrance to the parking lot, you all stopped to bid a farewell.

Danny pulled you into a quick hug, thanking you for going to dinner. He hugged Sam, letting him know he’d text him when he was back home. “Might text for poetry help.” You smiled at him.

“You could text me just to say hi, too, you know.” Danny reminded.

“That is my way of saying hi.” You laughed. “Too nervous to be upfront.”

“No need for that, Picasso. I’ll see you guys soon.” He promised. You and Sam waved goodbye as he parted from the trio, leaving the two of you to yourselves. You kept your eyes glued to the ground, wanting to look anywhere other than his beautiful face.

“You have anywhere to be?” Sam eventually spoke. You found the courage to meet his eyes, feeling the butterflies erupt in your stomach once more.

“I was thinking about heading to the studio, actually.” You very much enjoyed your 24/7 access to the art building. It made your usually boring weekends a bit more enjoyable.

“Care for some company?” He smiled.

“You trying to get me in trouble, piano man?” You smirked.

“Nobody will ever know I was there.” He promised. You pondered the idea, realizing that it was more than likely nobody would be there, anyway. It was usually quite barren in the evenings, even more so considering the week-long holiday.

“Okay.” You nodded, holding your hand out for him to grab. “Come on.” He wasted no time slipping his hand into yours. You took off in a run back to the dorm with him following closely behind. You both made it to the front entrance of the building, keying in and immediately running to your rooms. “I just have to change.” You told him before disappearing into your room. You quickly changed into your work clothes, realizing how embarrassing the new outfit was. There was old paint stains on the t-shirt and jeans, years worth of artistic memories begging to be washed away. You didn’t waste too much time dwelling, too eager to be back in Sam’s company.

You were nervous to be alone with him, but the thrill of seclusion with him was overshadowing anything else. You thought maybe you’d be able to unravel some of the mystery, to get a chance to hear about his stories and memories that were hidden away. When you went back into the hallway, Sam was waiting for you. He had also changed into different clothes, a pair of sweatpants and a tattered old band shirt with the logo worn down to just a shadow. He had a sly smile graced his lips. “Ready?” You breathed. He gave a nod, silently hoping you’d reach out for his hand again. When you started walking down the hall, he followed after you, only momentary disappointment taking over.

You walked side by side to the art building, buzzing with unspoken excitement. When you reached the doorway, you scanned your access card on the reader and the lock clicked open. As you pulled on the handle, you looked back at him and pressed a finger to your lips, signalling for him to stay quiet, just in case anyone else was around. Regular students were allowed in the art building during office hours, but art students were the only ones granted access outside of normal school times. You were sure you’d only get a slap on the wrist if someone realized he wasn’t an art student, but you still didn’t want to take the chance. He nodded, ensuring he wouldn’t make a peep. You took his hand again, leading him inside and directly to the stairwell to the basement.

You took a sigh of relief when you let the studio door close behind you. You went right to your small locker where you stored your paint supplies and brushes. You unlocked it with a tiny key you kept around your neck. You pulled out your belongings, nodding Sam in the direction of the main room. The bright fluorescent lights were nothing new to you, but it seemed like it almost caught him off guard. You set your stuff down on a desk and grabbed an easel, carrying it over to where you were planning to sit. “I’ll be right back.” You told him, walking off to a side room. You opened the door, flicking the light on in the small storage space. You grabbed your large canvas, careful not to bump the front of it, worried it still may not have completely dried. You took it back out to the main room and propped it up on the easel, pulling a stool in front of it.

Sam moved a second chair over, sitting beside you. His eyes drifted over the artwork, scanning it intently and drinking up every detail like he needed it to survive. “I see why Danny calls you Picasso, now.” He mumbled, still looking over all of the details. You felt the redness creep up on your cheeks again, flattered at his compliment. “This place anything special to you, or just a stock photo?” There was a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Well, the cabin is. It’s my family’s. We spent a lot of time up there when I was a kid. The background is pretty dramatized, cause my inspiration pictures were a little bland.” You chuckled. “We’ve been working on landscapes, so I figured I would paint something meaningful.” The large oil painting had the image of the aforementioned cabin nestled in a plot of trees. The leaves were radiating the colours of autumn, and the neutral mountains in the background made the colours stand out. A small stream flowed through the mountain valley, and birds floated through the air. There were patches of flowery grass and bushes covering the ground. The outline was finished, and you’d been working on the intimate details of the piece. You were estimating only a few more hours of work, eager to have this finished so you could move on to the next project.

“It’s stunning.” He said, moving back to look at you again.

“Thanks,” your voice was soft, full of gratitude.

“Have you always wanted to be an artist?” He asked. You thought about the question, pondering the appropriate answer.

“I always loved art, but don’t think I actually decided to study it until late into high school. I never thought I’d be able to make it, but then I entered a few contests and won, and I guess it kind of kick started the process of getting here. At first, my parents weren’t super supportive of the idea. I think they’d rather me be a doctor or a lawyer, but they knew it would only make me miserable. Now that they see what I’m doing, and how happy it makes me, they’re a bit more on board. Their encouragement really helped me feel like I was supposed to be here.” You explained. “Deep down, I probably always knew I would do art for a living, but I fought it for a long time. It’s not really regarded as a ‘profession’, and I think that discouraged me for a long time.”

“Don’t ever feel that way again.” He shook his head, looking back towards the canvas. “Someone with talent like this should never second guess themselves.” You swallowed hard, having a difficult time digesting such a compliment. “This is the type of stuff to end up in galleries.”

“You’ll have to let me design your album art when you release your EP, then.” You smiled.

“You haven’t even heard me play yet.” He brushed the comment off, a small laugh lingering in his words.

“Don’t have to, I just know.” You said, pulling out your glass palate. You sifted through your bag of paints, choosing the colours carefully. You squeezed small amounts on the surface, looking back towards the large painting. You started to work, unsure of where the conversation would lead to next.

“What music do you like?” He asked, watching your hands as you painted.

“Everything.” You said, never losing your focus. “Not picky.”

“You have to have a favourite.” He inquired. A smile tugged at your lips.

“Well, yeah.” You rolled your eyes.

“What is it, then?” He laughed, eyes moving to your face.

“Guess.” You thought if he wanted to get to know you, he could work for it, first. At least a little bit.

“You’re a classical person, aren’t you?” You looked at him through the corner of your eyes, furrowing your eyebrows slightly.

“Insulting,” you replied. “You think I’m that boring?” You teased.

“Worth a shot.” He shrugged. “Rock?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “I like metal, too, but I mostly stick with rock.”

“Never would have guessed the metal part.” His surprise was showing in his expression.

“Yeah, well, I have lots of tricks up my sleeve.” You chuckled, wiping your brush on your apron.

“Can’t wait to figure them out.” His words were smooth, concise, even, as if he was waiting to deliver the line the whole night. Your stomach fluttered with the thought of him wanting to know more about you. You both fell into a silence, eventually playing music off your phone to fill the stale air. You were fine without words exchanged; you enjoyed him sitting with you while you worked. He didn’t seem to mind either, enthralled in your technique. “What’s your favourite thing to paint?” He eventually disturbed the quiet.

“I like nature. It’s always so calming to recreate. So many different options, and imperfections don’t cause an issue, because nature isn’t perfect. I think that’s what makes it beautiful.” You explained. He nodded along, hoping you would keep talking. You noticed, feeling less reserved about your ramblings, realizing you wanted to share them with him. “Nature is the only constant. It was here from the beginning, and it will be here long after we die, even if it’s changed million times. It carries infinite memories from every era, and it’s our only consistency in this lifetime, and the ones previous. I like the idea of a timeless art piece. If someone looks at this a hundred years from now, they’ll be able to appreciate it the same way we can. Nobody will have to wonder about the origins of the picture. People die, animals pass, but the earth always outlives us. When the day comes and it dies, too, we go with it.” He nodded again, studying your face. He had been for a while, although you hadn’t really noticed. He was watching the way your eyes focused when you were doing delicate work, or how your lips pursed when your brush wasn’t doing exactly what you wanted it to. He also noticed every time you let out a minuscule sigh, content with the flow of the paint, or when you smiled when a familiar song came on the shuffle. He’d been studying you just as much as you did, him, admiring you just the same. He was enthralled in your presence, also never expecting to have you this close to him.

The art of your silent admiration had left little room for belief of a chance for it to happen so intimately. He was basking in the moment, in you. The smell of the paint and your perfume was embedding the memory in his brain forever. The beauty in your passion was electrifying, and he was certain he could watch it all day. He also felt the same when he passed you in the hallways, and caught himself peeking into your room when you had the door open. He felt the same fluster when you smiled at him, and awaited the conversations when Danny spoke your name. He also struggled with the idea of talking to you first, worried about rejection or embarrassment. From what he’d seen, you never showed an inkling of interest, and he didn’t want to come off in the wrong way. When Danny brought the idea of inviting you to dinner, he nearly jumped at the opportunity. Sam’s feelings had also remained quite silent, although his childhood best friend was quick to catch on to the situation. Now with a promise to both of you that your emotions would be kept a secret, it was up to both of you to figure things out. All Danny could do was cheer you on from both sides. “You’ve got a beautiful way of seeing the world.” He noted.

“If you don’t love the earth, you can’t expect it to love you back.” You said, finally turning to look over at him. You were caught off guard at his proximity, noticing he had definitely moved closer since you’d started working. He was sitting a little ahead of you, but his body was turned to be angled towards you. When he caught your surprised look, he gave a small smile.

“I thought you wanted to come and see the art, Sam.” You teased, finding the confidence to make a quick pass about his position.

“I’m looking at it.” He quipped back without a moment of hesitation. You opened your mouth to reply, but couldn’t find any words, flustered at the proclamation. Without another word, he turned to look back at the canvas, leaving you to wonder if his words were satire, or if they had meaning. You took a few seconds to recover, but ultimately pushed the statement to the back of your mind. You continued on, dabbing blots of paint onto the picture and blending it gently. “You know, if you’re looking for a customer, I’d be happy to take this off your hands when you’re finished.”

“You couldn’t afford me, Kiszka.” You joked, using the tip of your finger to get a better blend on a saturated area. You fixed it up with a brush afterwards.

“You think so?” He hummed, not bothering to turn and face you.

“I know so.” You told him, wiping your hand on the apron. You weren’t sure if it was the months of tension catching up to you, or the exhaustion, or the smell of his cologne, but you were desperate for him to turn and face you again. “If you want it, it’s yours.” You breathed, deciding to drop the facade. “Once it’s graded, I have nowhere to put it.”

“How much do you want for it?” He asked, still facing away from you.

“Free, for you.” You said softly, a smile creeping up on you.

“Absolutely not.” He turned now, finally meeting your eyes. “You worked hard on it, you used your own materials. I’m giving you something for it.” He said, finality dripping in his tone. You couldn’t help but shift under his gaze, the authority sending a pleasant jolt of electricity through you.

“Think of it as a token of friendship.” You whispered, unable to stop yourself from looking over his features. The admiration in your eyes was impossible to overlook.

“Friendship?” He questioned after a moment of silence, a new sense of confidence washing over him. “Ouch,” he said, the same cocky smirk playing on the corner of his mouth. You bit the inside of your lip, feeling your breath catch in your throat. You weren’t so willing to fall for the idea that he may have felt the same way. Instead of turning away, he watched you, hoping you’d make a notion of reciprocation. After the shock wore off, you started to understand that he was being serious.

“Courtship?” You corrected yourself, feeling your heart drumming against your chest.

“I think I like that better,” he whispered, eyes falling down to your lips for a second before correcting himself. “Do you?”

“I certainly don’t have an issue with it.” You admitted. He watched you carefully, almost as if he was nervous to advance the situation any further. After a moment of deliberation, he reached his hand up and cupped your cheek, using his thumb to wipe off a smudge of paint.

“Some paint,” he informed you.

“Oh,” you breathed, eyes never leaving him. “Did you get it all?” He inspected further, tucking some hair behind your ear as he did so.

“Mm, I think I missed a spot.” He deducted. You set your palate and brush on the table, not wanting to miss a moment of him. He advanced further, but only slightly, pretending to look harder. You couldn’t fight back a smile. “Want me to get it?” He looked back up at your eyes, hand never moving from your cheek.

“Okay,” you nodded, playing into his act.

“You sure?” He asked again, mostly to tease, but he also wanted to ensure you were comfortable.

“Positive.” You promised. Without wasting any more time, he leaned in and pressed his lips against yours.

It was soft, but his lips felt like they were burning into your skin. You reached your own hand out, letting it fall to the back of his neck. You pulled him closer, careful not to get any paint on his clothes in the process. He ran his tongue across your bottom lip, practically begging for more. You were quick to respond, parting your lips and allowing him to deepen the kiss. His other hand slipped to your hip, letting his fingers gently sink into the skin. When he pulled away, you were both breathless and craving more. He let his forehead rest on yours, dreading putting any more distance between your bodies. You gave a smile, unsure of what else you could do to express how you felt. It was like months of torture finally derived into pleasure. No more watching him as he walked past, wondering about his name or what it would be like to say it, or hear him say yours. No more wondering what it felt like to be kissed by him, because now, you knew, and it was way better than you ever imagined. “I’m not sure if I got it.” He admitted, causing a giggle from you. He pulled you in for another kiss, this one shorter and more lighthearted.

“Is it gone?” You asked, intoxicated from the feeling of his lips.

“If I said no, would you believe me?” You could hear his smile in his words.

“Yeah, just because I’d like to kiss you again, though.” His thumb trailed over your cheek as he rested his hand on your jaw. He placed a small peck on your lips, causing you to hum in satisfaction. “I wanted to do that for a really long time.” You said. He pulled back a bit, taking in your expression.

“Me, too.” He chuckled.

“Really?” He gave a nod.

“Since the first time I saw you.”

“Me, too.” You copied his earlier statement. “It’s been a long couple months of admiring you from a distance.”

“Why’d you never say anything?” He questioned, hand still keeping a delicate hold on your face.

“I was scared. Thought maybe you’d think I was weird, or you’d be an asshole. You’re too pretty to be nice, too. It’s not fair.” You laughed. “I didn’t even think you knew I existed.”

“How could I not?” He was almost offended at the thought. You shrugged your shoulders. “You’re the only person I’ve been looking at.” You felt your cheeks heat up again, angry that you couldn’t hide your emotion. “Danny’s been begging me to talk to you for weeks, but I guess I was scared, too.” It clicked in your brain, suddenly making sense why he was so excited when you told him you thought Sam was cute.

“Doesn’t matter,” You told him “We know now.” He nodded, agreeing silently. “Did you want to go back to my room, maybe?” You realized your statement was a bit forward only after you’d said it, but you didn’t really care. You were too caught up in the moment to worry about moving too fast, or any what-if’s. Your small amount of worry was subsided when he immediately stood, holding his hand out to you. You took it, letting him help you stand.

Both of you made quick work at cleaning up the mess you made, buzzing with excitement at the idea of being alone together. Within a few minutes, you had his hand in yours, and you were guiding him back through the unfamiliar building. You checked the main floor before you emerged, making sure there was no security checking out the place. You knew they could be assholes, and almost always asked for an access pass. When you deducted the coast was clear, you pulled him through the lobby and out the front door. You were both in a fit of giggles by the time you reached the dorm building, fumbling with keycards to let yourselves in. The hallways were barren, almost all of the students already gone for their spring trips. It made your journey all the faster, allowing you to make it to your room in record time without any interruption.

You opened the door for him, motioning got him to go inside first. He did so, eyes immediately taking in the sight. He’d caught glimpses of your room, but never got the chance to really see it. There was artwork plastered over the walls, some yours and some from your friends, or even reprints of famous artists. There were ambient lights bordering the ceilings, set to a constant colour. There were paintbrushes and textbooks littering your desk, along with a few empty coffee cups. There were a plethora of Polaroids hung on your bulletin board, a receipt book of memories from the lifetime he wanted to so badly know about. The smell of your perfume lingered in the air and your bed, although messy, looked extraordinarily inviting.

You gave him a small smile, nervous about what he was thinking. “I love it in here.” He said, almost like he could read your mind. You let out a small sigh of relief. His eyes drifted towards the small clay sculptures you’d been messing around with. He leaned closer, smiling at the intricate detail.

“You should come over more often, then.” You smiled.

“I think you’re gonna have a hard time getting rid of me, now.” He laughed. The sound was more beautiful than any you’d heard before.

“Fine by me.” You admitted. “I’m gonna change out of these. Just give me a minute.” He nodded, watching you as you picked some clothes from your closet. You brought them to the bathroom, changing into the shorts and t-shirt. You looked at yourself in the mirror, nearly wincing at the sight. You quickly fixed your makeup with your fingers and brushed your teeth. You sprayed a bit more perfume on the new clothes, and rejoined him. He was still standing awkwardly by your desk, unsure of where to sit. “You can sit on the bed.” You smiled, finding the timidity cute.

“Oh, okay.” He said, looking towards the mattress and sitting down.

“Did you want to watch a movie?” You asked.

“Sure.” He grinned. You went to your laptop, quickly logging in and pulling up Netflix. “I don’t care what we watch.” He admitted. You put on one of the first recommended movies, turning the volume up slightly. You climbed into bed next to him, propping a pillow against the wall and leaning back. He did the same, settling next to you, much closer than anyone else would normally sit.

The intro credits rolled for the movie, giving you a moment to relax from the close proximity. You leaned into him slightly, but not enough to make it obvious. You pulled your comforter over your legs, snuggling into the warmth. You let your hand rest on top of the blanket as you eyed his sitting in his lap. You’d been on dates, but not once since you moved away from your hometown had you felt so adolescent in romance. It felt like you were going through the motions for the first time, completely blind in knowledge. You had no idea how to approach him, how to initiate any of the intimacy you’d been yearning for. You hadn’t noticed you were staring at him, but he certainly did. He looked over to you, giving you a small, soft smile. In response, it made your heart skip a beat.

He took the opportunity to reach over and slip his hand into yours, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. The contact immediately subsided your anxiety, and you finally felt the ability to focus on the screen. After a few moments, you even found the courage to rest your head on his shoulder. The both of you watched the movie in silence, his thumb rubbing small circles over the back of your hand while you did so. As the film progressed, so did your comfortability. By the middle of it, you both had shifted dramatically. He was laying down, and you were resting atop of him, head nestled in his chest. His palm was firmly planted on your lower back, and his other gently tracing shapes into your arm. If you weren’t so energized from being so close to him, you were certain you could fall asleep in that position.

His hand that was on your arm moved to your face, fingers gently pushing your hair away. You closed your eyes, revelling in the feeling. He gently combed through the knots before settling his hand back on your cheek. He guided you to look up at him, sending a smile your way. You returned it, thinking that you would be fine if his face was the only one you could ever see again. “Thanks for inviting me over.” He said, admiring every feature. He knew that you were beautiful from every time he’d seen you before that night, but he realized that he’d been missing out on the best part. Having you laying with him, sleepiness laced in your eyes, made him realize that there was never a time where you were more beautiful. The innocent intimacy was overwhelming in the best possible way, leaving him to believe he could die happy as long as he got to hold you.

“It’s crazy, you know.” You sighed, propping yourself up on your elbow to get a better look at him.

“Hmm?” He replied, fingers dancing in the ends of your hair.

“I spent so long with this stupid little crush. I think because of it, I kind of put you on a pedestal. I forgot you were a person, too. I never believed that I could ever be with you like this. It always felt impossible.”

“I did the same thing.” He admitted, feeling better about it knowing you felt that way, too. “It’s weird. Dating in college is so much different than high school.” He chuckled. You nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

“It feels more… adult. In high school, I had to ask my parents permission to go on a date. Now, I can just invite you over whenever I want.” You thought aloud. “But I don’t feel any different. I still feel the same as I did a year ago.”

“Yeah,” he breathed. “It’s strange, knowing that we’re supposed to be adults, now. Especially when I still feel like a kid.”

“I think it’s a good buffer period,” you shrugged. “Pretend to be adults, get the experience, but still be able to make mistakes and learn from them. We get to practice living alone and being responsible, but still get to do stupid shit.” He laughed at your comment, but understood your point.

“I like you, Picasso.” He said, his hand landing on the back of your neck. You smiled at the words.

“I like you, too.” You admitted, eyes trailing over his face in admiration.

“I think it would be cool if we could do stupid shit and learn from our mistakes… together.” He mumbled, gaze focused only on you.

“What are you saying, Billy Joel?” You smirked as he rolled his eyes at the nickname.

“I’m saying,” he paused, eyes flickering down to your lips for a moment. “I would like to do this…. more often.” He articulated his words carefully, a bit nervous to say them.

“I think that would be quite alright.” You deducted. He visibly relaxed at your confirmation. “I… uh, I’m not good at this stuff.” You admitted.

“That’s okay.” He said, tangling his fingers in the hair at the base of your skull. He gently massaged his fingers over your scalp, causing a slight hum of pleasure from you. “That’s part of the making mistakes and learning from them, right?”

“Yeah,” you whispered, entranced in the feeling of him touching you. “I’ve never really had a boyfriend, or anything like that. Been on a few dates, but they ended pretty terribly.” You admitted. He cocked his head to the side, studying you as you spoke. “Like I said before, all of the boys from my hometown are all the same. I learned my lesson, and I realized nothing meaningful would ever come from it, so I just… didn’t.”

“You can talk about it, if you want.” He offered.

“There’s really not much to talk about.” You told him, remembering back to your high school years. “I don’t know if it was just the type of people that lived in the town, or if it was a teenage boy thing, but they just cared about getting laid and nothing more. It was unbearable, and I fell for it a few times, but nobody ever cared about me past the surface. I’ve never met a boy who wanted to know me like you do, or would even admit that they liked me out loud, for that matter. Nobody has ever asked me questions about myself, or my art. It was nice being seen as a person rather than a body.” You muttered the last part, hating saying it aloud.

“They have no idea what they missed out on, then.” He said, bringing you closer and placing a kiss on your forehead. “I’ve only known you, well, really known you, for a day. I already know that I’d be more than lucky to have a chance with you.” Your cheeks turned red, luckily covered by the darkness of the room this time. “They didn’t deserve you. Nobody should make you feel like you can only be loved in privacy. You’re worth more than that.” Your eyes fluttered up to meet his as your brain wondered if the interaction was real, or a grandly fabricated dream. You leaned forward, unable to satiate the need to kiss him again.

He accepted the gesture enthusiastically, using his hands to pull you impossibly closer. You brought your hand to his face, cupping his cheek. After a moment, you couldn’t help but want more. You shifted, trying your best not to break the kiss, placing both of your legs on either side of him. He broke away for a second, just long enough to prop himself up against the wall so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable. He wasted no time, capturing you in another kiss. His hands found your hips, fingers holding you firmly but delicately all at once. You snaked your hand to the back of his neck, holding him like you were scared he would get away from you. When you pulled back, you were both breathless with stars dancing in your eyes.

“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.” He said quickly, mind still occupied with the thought of kissing you. “I’m okay if we just lay here and talk.”

“I want to if you do.” You assured him, finally feeling the months of tension reach the breaking point.

“Are you sure?” He asked, searching your face for an honest answer.

“Positive.” You promised, making sure he saw you were being genuine. “I just… I’ve never…yeah.” You trailed off, suddenly a bit embarrassed. He watched you, trying to piece together what you were saying. “I’ve never had sex.” You blurted out, realizing he wasn’t fully understanding you. “I mean, I’ve done some stuff, but never…” you breathed, your face burning for a whole new reason.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He reached his hand to your face, keeping your head straight so you would look at him. You were a virgin in all technical terms, only having awkward sexual experiences and moments with failed flings in high school. It wasn’t a virtue thing, more of a feeling of never finding the right person. With him, you felt comfortable, and were certain that it would be enjoyable. You didn’t have to have experience to assume that. You could tell just by looking at him, by how he spoke to you. He cared about your comfortability, and that was a major green flag. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” His tone was firm.

“No, I want to.” You said quickly, making sure he knew. “I just… I want you to have a good time, and I’m just nervous, I think. I don’t want to… disappoint.” He let out a chuckle, shaking his head at the blasphemous idea.

“Yeah, that’s not even a possibility.” He shut the fear down almost as soon as it sprouted. “I’m gonna have a good time because I’m with you.” He promised. “I don’t expect anything, or anything like that. I’m more concerned with you having a good time.” He said, bringing your face down to place a soft kiss on your lips. “We’ll take it slow, okay? Make sure you enjoy yourself.” He mumbled, his mouth only millimetres away from your own. “That sound okay?”

“Yeah,” you breathed, giving a small nod. You could feel his smile from as he kissed you again.

“You can tell me to stop, or slow down, or whatever you need at any point, okay?” He explained when he pulled back. You nodded. “You can tell me what you like, too. Don’t be shy.” You nodded again. “I need to hear the words, baby.”

“Okay.” You verbally confirmed. He tapped your thigh, silently letting you know he wanted you to get up. You did so, allowing him to move over to the side.

“Lay down for me,” he said, his tone had authority but it was incredibly soft, not wanting to make you feel uncomfortable. You laid back, eyes locked on his face. You were still anxious, but he was easing it more by the second. He turned onto his side to face you, guiding your face to his once more and connecting your mouths. You kissed him back with more neediness than before, excited by the idea of his hands on you. He slipped his fingers under the hem of your shirt, letting them dance over your skin so you could grow accustom to the feeling.

As he became familiar with the feeling of your body, he took his chance to deepen the kiss. You couldn’t help but let a few small moans of delight out, only fuelling him further. He went slow, working you up to speed. He didn’t want to rush you, or push you too far. He let you take the lead with progressing any further, waiting until you made a move to take an article of clothing away. When you tugged at the hem of his shirt, he moved back from you so he could pull it over his head. You let your eyes fall over his exposed torso, feeling your stomach flutter at the sight. He smiled at your expression, but didn’t say a word in fear of you feeling embarrassed. He made a move towards your waistband, watching your eyes intently as he did so. You gave him a nod of encouragement, letting him know you were okay. He hooked his fingers through the sides and slowly pulled the shorts from your body. You sat up and removed your shirt, too.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight of you in just your undergarments, having to do for a moment just to appreciate the view. “Gorgeous,” he hummed, lowering his head to you once more. He left a trail of gentle kisses across you collarbones, letting his hands trail over your exposed thighs. The minuscule touches were driving you crazy; you had no idea it could feel so good to be admired by someone. His lips moved downward, skipping over your chest and landing on your sternum. He started to get sloppier the further he progressed downwards. By the time he reached your navel, you were practically a mess. He looked up at you, eyelids heavy, taking in every detail of you. The way your chest rose and fell while you breathed, the way your lips stayed slightly parted, the way your hand felt tangled in his hair. It was driving him crazy.

He moved up again, motioning for you to lift your back from the bed. You did as he wanted, allowing him to snake his arms around you and unclasp your bra. He pulled it from your body, discarding it carelessly on the floor. He sucked a sharp breath through his teeth when he finally saw the full view. He was nestled between your legs, one hand planted beside you on the mattress, holding him up upright. His other hand returned to you, resting on your rib cage as light as a feather. He looked to you for permission before doing anything else. “I’m okay, I promise. I’ll tell you if I’m not.” You appreciated his consideration, but you were beginning to feel a bit desperate for more. He didn’t say anything, just brought his hand to your breast and brushed his thumb lightly over your hardened nipple.

The feeling was new, but very welcomed. The small touch sent a jolt of emotion through you. You watched him intently, anticipating his next movement. He brought his mouth to your nipple and pulled it into his mouth. You let out a shaky exhale at the sensation. He flicked his tongue over it a few times, really becoming familiar with you. When he pulled away, you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed at the loss of contact. He smiled at your sigh of discontent. “Feel good?” He hummed.

“Yeah,” you breathed. He sat upright on his knees, bringing both of his hands to your hips and hooking his fingers through your underwear. You bit the inside of your lip, enthusiastic but still a bit nervous. You lifted your hips from the bed, allowing him to pull them off with ease. He tossed them to the floor, not caring where they landed. He was only concerned with you, now fully naked and laying beneath him. He caught sight of your face, noticing that your eyes were looking away from him.

“Hey,” he whispered. You finally found the courage to look up at him. “You okay, beautiful?” You were glad he disregarded your earlier statement, finding it much easier to communicate with him if he initiated it.

“Yeah, just nervous. It’s nothing you’re doing.” You promised.

“You want to stop?” You shook your head, unable to think of a worse idea. He didn’t immediately jump back to action at the expression, but spoke again after a few moments. “We’ll go slow, okay? This is for you. I wanna give you a good time.” You felt a smile growing on your lips at his words.

“Okay,” you affirmed. He leaned down, placing a soft kiss on your lips. You felt like you could live in that moment forever.

“Don’t have to be shy, or nervous. Promise I’m gonna take care of you.” He said as he pulled away. “Just tell me to stop, or slow down if you need to. You’re in charge.” You managed another nod as he sunk back between your legs. He laid on his stomach, head inches from your heat. You felt the anxiety lingering, but it was rapidly overtaken by excitement. He placed a few kisses on the inside of your thighs, one arm snaked under one of your legs and gently caressing the outside of your thigh. He brought his free hand to your cunt, fingers ghosting over the area. He looked up to you as if to ask permission. You gave him another nod, assuring him it was okay.

He slowly advanced, wanting to give you ample time to change your mind if you needed to. When you stayed quiet, eyes watching him with anticipation, he took it as a good sign. He ran his fingers through your folds, letting you get used to the feeling before doing anything else. You bit into the inside of your lip, trying to wrap your head around the unfamiliar sensation. It was definitely different when someone else was touching you, you noted. He gathered some of your arousal on his fingers. He spread the wetness to your clit, bringing his thumb to the sensitive area and slowly rubbing light circles into it. Your breath caught in your throat, the feeling taking you by surprise. His eyes flickered to your face, feeling a bit of satisfaction at the sound. You looked down at him, meeting his gaze and feeling a different type of pleasure at the sight.

“How’s that?” His voice was quiet, barely noticeable if not for your intent focus on his every action. “Does that feel okay?”

“Yeah,” you said, less enthralled in the movement of his hands than you were at the look on his face. He had a small smile playing on his lips, but the admiration for you he held in his eyes was worth more than words. He didn’t speak again, but kept his focus on the pattern of his thumb. He applied a bit more pressure, watching your face for a reaction. You let in a sharp intake of breath, feeling the sensation change from unfamiliar to pleasurable. His jaw clenched slightly, the sound running straight through him and settling in his bones. It was small, barely there, but it was blissful to his ears.

He worked at you for a few moments, gentle and loving with every move. It felt good, the nervousness almost completely gone, but there was enough there for you to hold yourself back. Your noises were limited, mostly from fear of embarrassment. You were so caught up in the worry of looking dumb that you were almost overlooking the scene before you. It didn’t deter him, though. If anything, it only drove him further. He was aching too hear the beautiful sounds begging to be let out, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t get them out of you. You watched him closely, not wanting to miss a moment of his presence. He leaned forward, letting a line of spit fall from his lips onto his fingers. You swallowed hard, the small action sending a rush of pleasure through you.

He ran his fingers through your cunt again, making sure the lubrication didn’t go to waste. His middle finger slowed and eventually stopped just before your entrance. “Tell me if you’re uncomfortable, okay?” He asked, but his tone was more of a demand. You nodded, too caught up in the idea of his fingers almost inside of you to worry about anything else. After a second, he slowly sunk his finger into you, studying you for any sign of discomfort. When you went without protest, he fully pushed his finger in, letting his thumb fall back on your clit. He continued his circles, now adding the stimulation of pumping his finger into you. You let a breathy moan out, unable to hold it back anymore. “That’s it baby,” he practically groaned, ecstatic to hear the noise. “You’re doing s’good.” The praise, although unexpected, was very well received. Knowing that he was enjoying himself solely by pleasuring you was a fantastic feeling. Knowing that he was only concerned with you feeling good was enough to satiate the anxiety.

He continued his pace for a while, eventually adding another finger when you felt you were ready. You were a mess, caught up in the pleasure but worried, too, because you hadn’t felt the creep of an impending orgasm. His hand was steady, never wavering, and his eyes were locked on you. Every so often, he pressed his lips into the skin on your thighs or your hipbones, just as a small act of affection. “Sam, I-I don’t know if I’m gonna cum.” You admitted, voice shaky and a bit defeated.

“You will,” he promised, unfazed by the statement. “Don’t be nervous.”

“I just…” you let out a sigh, frustrated with yourself. “It’s not you, it’s me.” He pulled back, halting his movements.

“I can stop if that’s what you want, baby.” His words were coated with sincerity. “Or are you just worried you can’t cum?” He inquired.

“I don’t want you to stop, I’m having a good time. I just don’t know if I can.” You explained, feeling embarrassment settle in your chest.

“I’ve got all night.” He said, shrugging off the worry. “Can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.” He gave you a smile.

“I want you to have a good time, too, though.”

“Oh, I am.” His tone changed from gentle to firm. “Don’t worry about that.” You watched him with uncertainty, but the look in his eye was nothing but affirmative of his statement. “Don’t worry about anything. Just lay there and focus on how it feels, okay?” You nodded. “No worries about if you’re gonna cum or not, no worrying about me having a good time, just relax and enjoy the feeling. If you don’t cum, we’ll try again next time.” Your heard sped at the realization that he was planning on this being more than a one-time thing. It was comforting, knowing that he was learning about you so intimately, but wasn’t planning on running. He didn’t want to get your clothes off and never speak to you again like the majority of boys you’d ever known.

“Y-yeah, okay.” You replied. He cocked his head to the side, wondering why the hesitation was so present. “You, uh… next time?” He couldn’t help but grin at your question.

“I mean, yeah, if you want that, of course.”

“Yeah, I do.” You rushed out, hoping you hadn’t made him feel otherwise.

“Then it’s settled.” He hummed. “Not just the sex part, though. The dinner and the hanging out was great, and I’d very much like to do that, too.” You let out a small giggle at his words, finding the explanation cute.

“Me, too.” You assured him.

“Breakfast tomorrow?” He asked, a smirk on the corner of his lips. He started to move his fingers again, taking you by surprise. You let out a gasp at the suddenness, immediately feeling the pleasure return.

“S-sure,” you breathed, giving him a nod. He decided to stop messing with you, wanting to ensure you were as comfortable as you could be. He worked himself back up to his earlier pace, making it nearly impossible for you to think of anything else. He let another trail of spit fall onto his fingers, making sure it wasn’t too dry for you.

After a few moments, you did start to feel a little less insecure. His eyes were watching you, studying every minute detail. He noticed the rise and fall of your chest speed as he continued pumping his fingers in and out of you, the way you occasionally pulled your bottom lip between your teeth in attempt to silence yourself. He watched how your eyebrows furrowed slightly when he brushed over your clit just right, and how your eyes stayed almost permanently shut. He thought you were the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Eventually, a blissful moan slipped from your mouth as his fingers hit the perfect spot. His eyes rolled back slightly, soaking up the sound. “That’s it, baby.” He encouraged you, fingers never stopping.

The words of motivation helped ease your tension. Your stiffness dissipated, your shoulders relaxing back on the pillows a bit. Your neck let your head fall back, leaving you completely at ease for the time being. A few more short-lived moans fell from your lips, all hitting him with a stronger force each time. “Doing so good, princess.” He said, noticing the effect his words had on you last time. “Cum for me, baby. You can do it.” He whispered. The demand went straight to your core, and you started to feel a sensation grow in the pit of your stomach. It was a feeling you’d only ever given yourself; it was way more intense when produced by another person.

“Fuck, Sam.” You whimpered, a gentle warning that you were getting closer. His heart drummed against his chest, clearly excited at the obscene proclamation. He took a risk, removing his thumb from your clit and lowering his head until his lips were touching you. You didn’t realize what he was doing until his tongue darted over the sensitive nerves, causing an involuntarily buck of your hips. He used his hand that was hooked under your leg to hold you down on the mattress.

Your fear of not being able to cum was quickly diminished with the new, even more unfamiliar feeling. It was heavenly. You let a low groan out, feeling the knot in your belly tighten. You slipped your hand down and tangling your fingers in the roots of his hair. He pulled his mouth off you only for a second, just to get one more praise in. “Taste so good, princess.” He said, slipping his thumb back in place of his mouth. You could only whimper in response, already missing the feeling of his tongue. “That’s it, baby. Look at you,” he whispered the last part more to himself than anything else. He only let his eyes hover over your expression for a moment longer, returning his tongue to you.

It didn’t take long to get to where he wanted you to be. Within a few minutes, you were gripping at his hair, panting and moaning, your orgasm begging you to let go. His tongue was moving at a steady pace, and his fingers curled with every re-entry, hitting a spot inside you that nothing ever had before. You let your head fall back, feeling the pressure reach its peak. A wave of pleasure overtook you, setting every nerve in your body on fire. You managed his name through the slur of moans, clenching around his fingers as you came. He only tapered his speed when the intensity began to die down. He removed his mouth first, then slowly pulled his fingers from you. His eyes flickered towards your face, lust clouding his eyes as he did so.

He slowly moved upwards, placing a few kisses over your collarbones and up onto your neck. You finally found the strength to open your eyes and look to him. He caught your gaze and gave you a dopey smile, eyelids heavy and your arousal glistening on his lips. “That’s my beautiful girl,” he hummed, wiping his chin with the back of his hand before leaning in for a kiss. “I’m so proud of you.” He whispered as he parted from you. He placed another kiss on your lips, sweet and full of emotion. The anxiety that had been plaguing you on and off was now gone, replaced solely by a desire for him that you’d never felt for another person before. “Did that feel good?”

“So good, Sammy.” You said, your lips still ghosting over his. You could feel his erection straining against his sweatpants, pressing into your leg.

“My name sounds so good when you say it like that.” He sighed, one hand roaming your exposed torso. His touch was light, tickling the sensitive skin over your rib cage as he did so.

“Thank you,” you whispered, resting your cheek against his, basking in the affection.

“Don’t have to thank me, princess.” He replied. “If anything, I should be thanking you.” You let out a small laugh at his words, finding his gratefulness charming. You reached up and cupped his cheek in your hand, lifting your head to pull him into another kiss. He was hesitant to let you go when you pulled away.

“Do you wanna…?” You trailed off, feeling a bit too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

“Do you?” He asked.

“Yeah,” you breathed, never more sure of yourself in your whole life. He gave you a smile, making a move to stand. He undid the drawstring on his pants, then pulled them down, ridding himself of them and leaving himself clad in only his boxers. You couldn’t help but stare at him, eyes wandering but eventually settling on the bulge barely contained by the fabric. He noticed your stare, a smirk making its way back onto his lips.

“Condoms?” He asked, catching your attention. Your eyes widened, realizing that you didn’t have any.

“Oh, I uh- I didn’t really expect… I don’t..”

“That’s okay,” he chuckled. “I have some in my room. I can go get them.” You couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, realizing that he’d been keeping them for a reason. You pushed the thought away, not wanting to focus on the idea of him being with someone else. He was here with you, and that’s what mattered.

“I, uh, I am on birth control, if you’re clean.” You squeaked, slightly embarrassed at the statement.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” He said, his tone firm.

“Yeah, I am.” You assured him. “Like I said, as long as you’re clean.” You repeated the earlier comment, just wanting to be sure.

“I am,” he promised. “It’s been a long time since… yeah.” He let out a small laugh. You couldn’t help but feel better knowing he hadn’t been sleeping around, either.

“Then yeah, I’m okay with it.” He gave a nod, making a move to take off his boxers. You watched in admiration, excited to finally see him the same as he was seeing you. He kicked the fabric with the rest of the growing pile of clothes. He stepped back towards the bed, noticing your eyes never leaving him. “You’re… very pretty.” You whispered, unable to find any better words to describe him.

“I think you’re very pretty, too.” He smiled, nestling back between your legs as he grabbed a pillow from beside you. “Lift your hips up, princess.” You did as he said and he slipped the cushion underneath you. “Should make it a bit more comfortable.”

He guided your legs up slightly, not enough to bend you in an awkward position, but enough to make it easier for both of you. “Will it hurt?” You finally blurted out, the question begging to be spoken all night.

“May be a bit uncomfortable at first, but I’m gonna try my best to make sure it doesn’t.” He said, catching your gaze. “We can take it as slow as you want. If you want me to stop, just tell me.”

“Okay.” You replied, voice quiet. You were nervous, but very aware that you were in good hands. It was his only intention to make sure you enjoyed yourself. You watched as he spit on his hand, rubbing himself for a moment.

“You okay?” He asked, wanting to be sure.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t be scared to talk to me, baby.” He reminded. You nodded, eyes only focused on his hand that was he was stroking himself with. He moved a bit closer, letting the tip of his dick rest against your entrance. He let you get used to the feeling before going any further. “You tell me when you’re ready.”

“I am.” You weren’t lying; the anxiety and nervousness was fully expected, but you were more than ready to have sex with him. You were sure of that before you’d even spoken with him, and it was only solidified further when you saw how accommodating he was being with you. He waited for any hesitation, but when none was given, he slowly pushed his hips forward.

You closed your eyes, trying your best to stay relaxed. He only pushed in a few inches, wanting you to adjust before continuing. “That okay?” He asked. You nodded, reaching out for his hand. He took his own from your leg and accepted the offer, intertwining his fingers with yours. He thrusted forward a bit more, studying your expression for a hint of discomfort. When he bottomed out, you let out a small sigh of relief.

“Not as bad as I thought it would be.” You noted. He laughed quietly, happy you thought so.

“You’re doing so good.” He whispered. “You feel so good.” His words sent a jolt of arousal through you, enjoying the praise more than you imagined you would. He slowly built up a pace, moving his hips with caution. Once you’d fully realized the sensation was less than uncomfortable, you relaxed against him. After a few more moments, you began to enjoy the feeling.

“You can go faster,” you sighed, a ghost of a moan in your words. He was hesitant to do so, but he gradually sped his thrusts, admiring your expression. When he clued in to the fact you were enjoying yourself, he couldn’t help but let a groan escape his lips. Your eyes snapped to his face, thinking that was the most beautiful sound you’d ever heard. His pleasure ridden expression was enough to induce an orgasm on its own, you deducted.

He reached his hand between your legs, letting his thumb find your clit again. He continued his pace, now applying light pressure onto the sensitive bundle of nerves as he circled his thumb. The combined sensations caused a moan from you. Your fingers tightened against his hand, a silent expression of pleasure. “Fuck, Sam.” You sighed, letting your head fall back onto the pillows.

“Look so pretty like this, baby.” He mumbled, trying to keep the speed of his hips and his hand the same. The pet names were unexpected, but you loved hearing them come from his mouth, especially when they sounded like that. “Wish I could have you like this forever.” He sighed, losing himself to the feeling a bit. It didn’t take long for another knot to form in your belly. With the consistency of his movements, it was much easier to get there than it was the first time. Sam noticed the slight change in your demeanour, the increase in the noises you were making. He focused on your face, wanting to watch you this time, feeling a bit cheated out of the moment the first time. “You think you can cum again, princess?” He asked, eyes burning into you.

“Y-yeah,” you stuttered, looking up at him. “Feels so good, Sammy.”

“Come on, baby.” He sounded as if he were begging you. “Doing so good for me.” With his encouragement, you felt your orgasm creep up again. You tried your best to keep your eyes on him, wanting to appreciate him as much as possible. He sped his thumb slightly, causing your breath to catch in your throat. His gaze never wavered, an unspoken plea for you to let go. It only took a moment before you came the second time. Your head fell back again, eyes screwed shut and mouth permanently agape. His jaw was clenched, holding himself back from his own release at the sound of you crying his name. “That’s it,” he moaned, wishing he could engrave the picture in his mind forever. As much as he wanted to cum, too, he was hoping to get one more out of you before the night came to an end.

The pressure from his thumb lightened, but his thrusts sped. You didn’t have time to recover, unlike the first time. The sensitivity was overtaken by the pleasure of him inside you, making it the only thing you could focus on. You looked back at him, realizing your mistake as soon as you did. He was still staring at you, eyes now a bit feral. The muscles in his jaw were taut, and he was quite unfamiliar to you, now. Although different, not in a bad way. It was intense, but far from menacing. You were captivated in the details of his stare, finding yourself unable to look away. He was breathtaking, and you couldn’t believe you were lucky enough to have him in such a way. You couldn’t believe that you had the power to drive him to such a feeling.

“You can give me one more, baby, I know you can.” His motivation was clouded with a bit of dominance, giving you the impression that he wouldn’t be pleased with himself if he couldn’t give you another orgasm.

“I don’t know, Sammy.” You groaned, unsure of yourself but still fully immersed in the feeling of him inside you.

“You can, princess. You can do it.” His chest was heaving with every breath, partially due to his movement, but more to do with desire. There was a glisten of sweat on his forehead, illuminated by the dim light flooding through the window. You didn’t think you’d be able to cum for the first time, let alone a second, or a third. The only anxiety you had left in your body was one fearing you’d leave him disappointed. Rationally, you knew he’d be content with whatever happened, but the louder part of your brain craved to give him exactly what he wanted. It wasn’t out of fear, but solely because you wanted to. From the minute he’d given you that first stupid smile all those months ago, you knew you wanted to be exactly where you were at that moment, and you’d be damned if you didn’t give it your all.

His patience and gentleness with you the whole night was endearing, but for you, the novelty of it being your first time had worn off, and the months of sexual tension was reaching its peak. You were both completely starved for each other in the best way possible, neither of you wanting to disappoint. Sam kept his pace steady, his thumb pressing into your clit again. To both of you, the idea of another orgasm not being reached was out of the question. “I can, but you have to cum with me.” You begged.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he grunted, letting out a long exhale. He knew that wouldn’t be an issue, he’d been holding himself back from the minute you’d started fucking. He rationed with himself as another string of moans left your lips, forcing himself to believe that waiting would be far more satisfactory than finishing before you. “Cum for me, angel.” The new term of endearment was unlike the others; this one hit you violently, such a graceful term for such a filthy display. You let out a cry of pleasure, your third climax hitting you without warning. It washed over you with necessity, as if you needed it to survive. He finally let go of your hand, fingers finding your hips to hold you on him as he came, too.

The room echoed with sounds of pleasure and obscene words, the essence of the moment settling into the walls and solidifying its place. The memory would never leave, and you wouldn’t want it any other way. He let out a sigh, finally losing his composure and resting gently atop of you. He placed tender kisses along your collarbones, small gestures of affection and appreciation to let you know he still meant everything he said to you. After you both came back to reality, he slowly withdrew from you. He tried to keep the mess minimal as he did so, wanting to keep the cleanup simple so he had more time to hold you before the night was through. “You should go pee, don’t want you to get a UTI.” He mumbled. You managed a nod, sleep calling to you like never before. Your mind and body were beyond exhausted, unable to keep up with the whirlwind of events.

He helped you up and to the bathroom, leaving you to your business. You cleaned yourself up and removed what was left of your makeup before returning to him. He gave you a dopey smile and a kiss on the head before going to do the same. You took a seat on the bed, mind still buzzing with excitement at the thought of what happened. When he came back out, he pulled his boxers back on and picked up his t-shirt from the ground. He handed it to you, almost nervous of rejection. You took the piece of clothing and slipped it over your head, more than happy to be wearing his clothes. “Did… did you maybe want to stay with me tonight?” You asked, nervous he’d say no. He took a seat beside you, pulling you into his arms and laying you both down on the mattress.

“Was hoping you’d ask.” He mumbled, pulling your back to his chest. He nuzzled his head into your neck, not caring about the tickle of your hair on his face.

“Thank you,” you finally said after a few long moments of silence.

“What are you thanking me for?”

“I don’t know,” you laughed. “That was… fantastic. You were fantastic.”

“I’m just happy you had a good time. That’s all I wanted.” He hummed, hand snaking under your shirt to rest on your stomach.

“I really did. I.. uh, wanted to do that for a while.” You said, rolling your eyes at your own awkwardness.

“Oh, yeah, me too.” He said, as if it were obvious. “All year I felt like I was in middle school again, crushing on the prettiest girl who didn’t know I existed.”

“I knew you existed.” You whispered, calmed at the knowledge you’d both been feeling the same way. “I thought the same about you.”

“Seems like we were both a bit dumb, then, Picasso.” You could hear his smile in his words.

“Guess so, piano man.” You both fell into a silence again, but like all the other ones, it was nothing short of comfortable. You felt yourself melt into his touch, sleep begging you to close your eyes.

“You’re okay, though? You’re not sore, or anything? You’d tell me if you were, right?”

“Yeah, I am, Sammy. Promise.” You reassured him. He’d done an excellent job at taking care of you and ensuring you were comfortable. It was the best possible scenario you could have imagined for your first time.

“That’s good, I just want to make sure.” He whispered. You settled into the mattress, prepared to go to bed. “So, if we’re talking experience wise, like a three star review?” He broke the quiet once more, causing both of you to fall into a fit of laughter.

“Mmm, I was thinking more of a five star, actually.” You pretended to ponder.

“Don’t stroke my ego, Picasso.” He dismissed the compliment.

“Maybe we’ll have to try it again sometime, then I can give a proper review.” You moved your hand under your shirt, too, resting it on top of his. He laced your fingers together, more than accepting of the contact.

“I think that would be quite alright.” He placed a kiss to your neck, just below your ear. It sent a shiver down your spine. “So it was good enough to make you want to do it again,” he noted. “I’ll have to put that one on my resume.” You laughed, shaking your head at his antics.

“Goodnight, piano man.” You said, finality in your voice. He propped himself up, trying his best to lean over you for another kiss. You turned your head back to meet his lips, much more confident in the action, now.

“Goodnight, Picasso.” He settled back in behind you, closing his eyes, too. “I can’t wait to take you to breakfast in the morning.” No more words were exchanged, but you both fell into a slumber with a permanent smile stuck on your lips.

[mageknight14]

The Dangers and Flaws of Idolization: A NEO TWEWY analysis post

Transplanting and expanding on a thread I made on Twitter to fit within a Tumblr format.

One of the most interesting aspects I see in NEO TWEWY that I don’t see many people touch upon is the commonality between Rindo, Fret, and Shoka in how they look up to others as role models while simultaneously being blind to their flaws/who they actually are up to the end and how the game's themes are reflected in those relationships and today, I'd like to showcase why.

First, we have Rindo and Motoi. With that relationship, the game makes it pretty clear that Rindo looked up to Motoi as An0ther and used his words as encouragement to get through his own daily life and anxiety. The kid could barely decide what he could even eat for dinner before he had come across the account, so if you thought his current indecisiveness nature was bad, he was even worse before the events of the game.

However, what I find interesting is that even though he constantly spouts An0ther's sayings in an attempt to try and steel himself for the challenges he faces, he thoughtlessly does so and only lives by the sayings half-heartedly, since his indecisive nature and fear of responsibility prevent him from committing all the way. I think it's telling that despite claiming that "don't miss your chance to make a friend" is one of his favorite quotes, he's constantly at odds with the idea of bringing potentially new players on board the team even before he gets the chance to properly know/meet them and grimaces at the thought of the structure of the old Reaper's Game in the original.

Keep in mind that Beat saved Rindo's life at the hands of Susukichi at least two whole days ago before this occurrence.

Nagi’s Dive into his head on W1D3 actually does a LOT to reveal aspects of his character: he puts other people at arm’s length (besides Swallow due to their online anonymity) because he’s afraid of the fallout of what would to happen if he got involved with them.

"What if I end up taking on more than I can handle? What if other people end up dragging me down with them? If I just stay at the sidelines and shift the blame onto others, I won’t get into trouble for this."

"I'm in a group project; everybody is contributing and making decisions about how we should go about doing things. I keep my mouth shut and refrain from pitching in despite maybe thinking some of their ideas misses the point of the assignment, because God forbid my ideas could be helpful (or maybe they won't; that's life, but I won't know unless i speak up). We end up handing in our project and whoops, we got a C-. I guess I'm not responsible for receiving that grade because I never made a decision, therefore I shouldn't be accountable for my lack of contribution. It just makes sense."

If you've known/are a person that have had similar thoughts to this mindset, then congrats; you know/are a Rindo Kanade in real life.

This culminates into him latching onto others he finds capable and taking the relationships around him for granted, tying other people's worth to their prowess in might or influence. After all, why bother relying on yourself and others when you can just rely on someone else for you to solve your problems? Especially since it means that if everything goes south, YOU won’t take the fallout for it. After all, they’re clearly much more capable than you are.

To get back to his dynamic with Motoi, Rindo looks up to him immensely after finding out that he was his idol an0ther and came to value his input regarding matters within the Game. So when he eventually finds out the truth and is forced to confront the fact that his hero was nothing more than a content thief and a schemer who would trample over others just to survive, he’s understandably heartbroken.

However, instead of just leaving it there, the game decides to flip the script and have Motoi legitimately apologize to Rindo for his actions, leading to the lad in question learning to recognize that Motoi is ultimately an incredibly flawed human being instead of just writing him off entirely, (even giving him another chance!) and is, in many ways, a mirror to Rindo. Like Rindo, Motoi was deathly afraid of responsibility and the fallout of letting other people down, leading to him copying and pasting other people's quotes so that he wouldn't have to face that possibility. This aspect of himself only got worse when he got trapped in the Reaper's Game for multiple loops on end, forcing him to become a worse version of himself, lying, cheating, and backstabbing just to survive and even looking towards becoming part of the Reapers, the same group that trapped him there in the first place, just so he wouldn't have to be Erased, un a manner that's eerily reminiscent to how Rindo would took towards overly relying on others so that he would make it out okay. In that sense, Motoi is a look at what a grown-up Rindo would look like if he didn't take the lessons he learned within the Game to heart, which is part of why the latter decides to take Motoi’s copypasted quotes and apply them to his life in a positive way, deriving his own meaning from them so that in a way that contrasts him following them in a shallow manner from before.

Next up, we have Fret and Kanon, who form a interesting parallel to Rindo and Motoi's dynamic. Whereas Motoi is a look at one of the worst possible paths that Rindo could take if he didn't learn how to properly deal with his flaws, Kanon actually tries to coach Fret into becoming more true to and genuine with his actual self. She also shows herself to be a genuinely affable and honorable person even in spite of the bad first impression that she had given at the beginning of the game by stealing Rindo and Fret's pin for herself.

However, that's only the surface level stuff, as the game actually goes deeper with her character. While Kanon at first seems to be true to herself and genuine at her core in a way that Fret isn’t, we can see from the Dive into her head on W3D3 that she’s holding back a LOT underneath the surface.

"You always did have a way of destroying things" tends to get glossed over by some and for those who do look at the words, they seemingly come out of nowhere and can be seemingly brushed off as her just being under the influence of the Plague Noise. However , when you look back at some of Kanon’s actions and her words towards the Twisters (accusing the Twisters of sabotaging Fuya and making Motoi drop out of the Scramble Slam against his will, her mood changing when she finds out about Fuya challenging the Ruinbringers in one timeline as opposed to her more cheerful attitude towards Fret when she didn't find that out just yet, her acting suspicious towards the Twisters regarding their prowess as a team, etc), the implication is that she doesn’t just resent the game as a whole but also secretly the Twisters as well.

The thing about the Player teams is that they have formed an unspoken agreement where the top 3 teams (sans Ruinbringers of course) keep their footing by sending new players and other teams to last place, which the Wicked Twisters screw up just by existing. Their synergy and impressive Imagination powers (well, Fret, Nagi, and Sho’s at least) threaten the balance the teams have struggled to keep up for so long, hence why Kanon initially just sees them as another team to point snipe before she changes her mind on them. And while the Twisters do almost bring about change by beating the Ruinbringers, it ultimately doesn’t even matter in the long-run due to how incredibly rigged the Shinjuku game is and as a result, the DRS are eliminated, getting rid of Kanon’s and Motoi’s safety net.

Imagine this from the players’ perspective: you’re stuck in essentially what is a never-ending death game but you’ve got a system going where you can at least stave off your deaths for a bit longer. Then a couple of kids come around and throw that whole system entirely out of whack. And you think, "well, at least they can take out the top team and give us a fighting chance, right?" Only for those hopes to also get dashed because the rules are just that rigged. Like Kubo said, life ain’t fair and the afterlife sure as hell ain’t either. W1D5 and W2D4 are excellent explorations of this kind of mindset as it showcases the player teams falling victim to their desires and abusing their powers as a result of being stuck in an endless loop of playing the Game over and over again with no hope of escaping, as well as highlights paints certain comments made by the leaders in an even darker light.

With all of this in mind, it’s honestly no wonder that Kanon resents the Twisters but what’s interesting is that she tries to keep this resentment under wraps because she knows that it isn’t fair to them. They’re just kids after all who would have no idea about all of that. Hence why she admonishes herself in her Dive for wishing that they had just wipe out the Reapers altogether and why Fret is shown to be hurt hearing her inner thoughts about the Twisters in a way that’s pretty reminiscent of Rindo’s reaction when he found out about Motoi.

And finally, we have Shoka and Ayano. While it’s pretty clear that the two do genuinely care for one another, it’s a relationship that’s been tragically scarred by the events surrounding Shinjuku and the Reapers in general, resulting in a mutually unhealthy dynamic. 

What I find interesting about the relationship is that while Shoka gets pissed whenever Rindo insinuates that Ayano must’ve treated her badly, she sadly realizes in another convo that she doesn’t know much about Ayano on a personal level or what her interests even are.

In spite of how close they are and how much they mean to each other, Ayano still put up emotional walls and closed herself off, never allowing herself to be on equal footing to Shoka and instead just be someone who guides and mentors her over the 4 years they were together.

This is due to her feeling betrayed by Shiba/others while simultaneously using Shoka as her one stable point in life regardless because everything is going up into chaos surrounding the Shinjuku Reapers and she finds herself unable to trust anyone around her anymore. And Shoka herself doesn't even realize this until the end when it’s too late because she was just happy to simply have Ayano by her side without thinking deeper about her and their relationship as a whole due to her own emotional issues and troubled past.

When it comes to children from broken homes, they are prone to imprinting on any adult figure that interacts positively with them and in Shoka's case, this is exactly what she did with the Shinjuku Reapers, especially Ayano.

A running theme throughout all of these instances is how they all involve the younger generation looking up to the adults in their lives as idols as opposed to just role models and thus fail to see them for who they are as actual human beings. And by the time they that finally do, it's too late for the adults.

You also see nods towards this theme via the Shinjuku Reapers and their relationship with Shiba or Shiba’s (who himself is parallel to Rindo if his tendency to subconsciously take on the values of others and mistake his as his own was twisted into the worst possible outcome) relationship with Kubo, with Hishima even flat out stating as such. "You fell at the feet of an idol like an utter fool", indeed.

And this all fits, as well, into NEO's larger theme that even as a 'follower', you have to question the 'leader'. Role models aren't bad -- but idols and failing to recognize their limits/flaws/toxicity are and will end up screwing you over in the long run if you aren’t careful. And I think NEO did an excellent job at exploring the little nuances that come with that, from Kanon’s internal resentment she knew wasn’t fair to the unseen distance between Ayano and Shoka to Motoi being a complete deconstruction of it all. It shows the good and the bad of idolizing someone too much. It shows how you can see the real them and turn the image you liked into something more with Rindo, or how to hold them in your heart while moving on like Shoka. It's okay to acknowledge the flaws and shortcomings of the people you look up to. Hell, it’s probably healthy to do that in some ways. As long as they’re still a good person or even helped you grow, you can still celebrate the good they brought

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 Hot Springs Heat: Chapter One

Hot Springs Heat: Morpheus has had a great deal of trouble getting you to understand that he is in love with you. When you go on a trip to Germany to visit a spa resort, he decides to make things clear to you.

Warnings: Nudity? (Sort of), Language.

To Note: Morpheus x Female!Reader, @so-i-grudgingly-joined-this-site this is for you from THIS post.

Word Count: ~2.4k

Masterlist | Next

You weren’t sure how you managed to get a trip to a hot spring resort in Germany, but you were excited and nearly vibrating in anticipation of the seven day trip. But while you were happily packing your suitcase and wondering what it would be like to enjoy a hot springs, Morpheus was glowering in the shadows. Of course he was pleased to see that you were happy and excited to go on the trip, but he was also very much despondent over your lack of… awareness… of his intimate feelings for you. You were either oblivious, or very much in denial. But in the end, Morpheus could see the truth within your dreams, and wanted you just as much you wanted him.

It was torturous for the Dream Lord to watch as your dreams revealed your innermost desires and bodily beauty. Between the lush sounds that the conjured dream version of him drew from your lips to the way your body shifted and writhed, the way you hungrily kissed his dream self… it was agony to know you craved and indulged in him in your dreams, but not when you were awake. Hence his increasingly broody and sullen moods as of late, and why he was ruminating on the idea of making his desire apparent on this ’spa’ trip of yours. It wasn’t like you could run or have an excuse not to address such a topic.

So Morpheus allowed you to happily pack for your trip in a naive blissful state under the pretense that he wouldn’t be accompanying you. When you held up your bathing suit and studied it, Morpheus’s eyebrow rose. It would hardly cover much, what would be the point of bringing such a garment to a spa? His head tilted to the side in confusion.

“I do not understand why you feel the need to pack such revealing clothes.” He spoke as his forehead scrunched. Wear spas not meant to be enjoyed in the nude this era? Letting out an embarrassed squeal, your hands shot to your chest as you clutched your bathing suit there. What was he doing here?

“Morpheus!?” You questioned, your voice high pitched as you tried to calm your suddenly racing heart down. “You scared the shit out of me!” You exclaimed, stuffing you bikini under a pile of shirts to hide it. Morpheus blinked at you.

“I did not mean to startle you, I merely wondered why you plan to pack something so revealing when you plan on attending a hot springs?”

“Well what else am I going to wear while swimming?” You vaguely asked, returning to the task of stuffing folded clothes into your suitcase. Your answer didn’t give Morpheus his answer. Did mortals not enjoy spas in the nude anymore? Perhaps it was for something else… “I’ll be gone for a week so I’m not going to be around. I’ll still visit the Dreaming though.”

“Indeed,” Morpheus echoed, watching as you shoved your things into the suitcase and zipped it shut. You dragged your suitcase to the door of your bedroom. Eyeing Morpheus, you started to wonder why he had been so broody lately.

“Something wrong?” You questioned, questioning what had upset him this time, given his proclivity for mood changes when angered or saddened. Morpheus’ eyebrow rose. “You’ve been moody lately.”

“Moody?” Morpheus repeated with a soft snort. “I do not get moody.” He totally did, but would never admit it. Your gaze was insistent, so the Endless thought, perhaps, to inform you of his true feelings once again in hopes that this time, you would understand or at the very least, not deny what your true desires expressed. “There is someone I care for deeply and wish to express my true ardor for, but they seem to either deny such existing emotions or simply cannot see what is in front of them.”

He was looming over you, staring down at you with such intense eyes that you nearly combusted into the very stardust that swirled within hypnotic blue. Shit. You didn’t want to talk about this. Not when you were convinced that he was in love with someone else and trying to get advice from you. There was no way that he could be talking about you, so you figured that he was speaking of some other stunning mortal or creature he’d fallen in love with. It was hard enough to have such desirous dreams about him loving you the way you wanted. You’d indulged plenty of times not being able to help yourself… you didn’t need the agony of him dangling such a thing in front of you when it wasn’t yours to have!

Swallowing hard, you cleared your throat and tried to empty your mind of your stupid dreams and hopes.

“So… have you told them? Shown then that you like them non platonically?” You offered, silently hating yourself for offering such advice. He couldn’t be talking about you. He wasn’t. You were just a stupid mortal. Weak. Plain. Nothing special. This was some else. It had to be.

“I believe so,” Morpheus answered thoughtfully. “Surely the gifts I’ve bestowed would indicate my intentions.” Your eyes couldn’t hep but dart over to your bookshelf where all your little knick knacks you had received from The Dreaming and other realms, sat. You were a glorified tourist, surely, Morpheus was just being nice by humoring you. Besides, those were just super cool relics, not jewelry or waxing poetic scripture you were sure Morpheus’ prior loves adored receiving. You didn’t care for fine jewelry, or such poems, you liked your knickknacks. Adored them. Hence the very reason why the Endless showered you with such items to no end. You shrugged and gave your next input, hoping to put an end to this painful conversation.

“At this point, you should just tell them.” Morpheus wanted to sigh. You couldn’t be this oblivious… could you? No, you weren’t oblivious, you were just in plain denial. He’d fix that. He’d fix that very soon.

It had been hard to pick your jaw up off the floor when you arrived at the spa resort. Germany was a beautiful country, hands down you couldn’t deny that, but the country side was breathtaking and the spa clearly took advantage of the views. You looked forwards to enjoying the various springs offered, but according to the brochure you’d been offered at reception, some of the spas were nude spas. You were still contemplating on whether or not you’d take part in that, you’d never been around people openly naked.

But this was a once in a life time vacation so you were seriously considering trying it out. Perhaps late night when there weren’t as many people around. Humming to yourself, you lay on your hotel bed and looked at the different hot springs spots. You were definitely going to avoid the family spas, you were here to relax an enjoy yourself. There were some unisex singles spas, spas for couples to hang out and enjoy, and spas for males and females… and then there were the nude spas. Your friend had told you not, under any circumstances, to come back without trying one out. You would. But you were fairly sure that you wanted to try the woman’s nude spa first, before working up the courage to try the highlight of the resort, the nude spa open for men and woman.

You spent the first three days wandering around the spas were nudity wasn’t allowed, enjoying the hot water and chatting with a few tourists that spoke your language. At times, you felt subconscious about your figure. There were many woman around you that looked like supermodels and had the body to match. It made you so self-conscious... but the insanely beautiful woman were nothing but nice and wonderful to you, giving you all the best insights on where to visit while you were in Germany.

So on your fourth night, after most of the crowds had gone back to their rooms and you’d bravely tried out the woman’s nude hot springs, you finally decided to try out the main attraction of the resort. Starting out in your hotel room, you shed your clothing piece by piece until you were naked. Then you pulled on the satin robe the resort supplied to all guests and tied the ribbon around your waist.

“Okay,” You told yourself while standing in front of the mirror. “You had the courage to join the woman’s nude spa earlier today, this isn’t any different... it’s just unisex... but also the main highlight and the entire reason you’re here.” You were not going to allow yourself to go home before enjoying the hot springs. Period. So with your small bag that had your phone and hotel key, you departed your hotel room and headed for the changing room. Since it was practically eleven at night, there weren’t a lot of people out and about. But despite the lack of guest presence, you still felt nervous walking around in only a robe.

Turning into the female changing room, you were glad to see that there were only two woman, both of which were getting dressed. Walking over to a locker, you put your bag in the locker and set the password before closing it.

“I hope you are enjoying the hot springs.” You spun around with a gasp and flattened yourself against the lockers as your heart pounded in your chest.

“Jesus Christ, Morpheus!” You sputtered out, your eyes wide while you gaped. It wasn’t just that he was in the woman’s changing room, it was that he was also in a robe. A beautiful shimmering black one that reminded you of the inner lining of his coat. “This is the woman’s changing room!”

“I’m aware,” He informed you. “However no other mortals will disturb us this night.”

“Disturb—” You repeated, at a near loss for words. “Morpheus you can’t just use your Endless magic thingy to steer the guests away!”

“I can when circumstances call for such,” He replied to you, eyes softly glowing. “You’ve been avoiding me and misdirecting my attempts at expressing to you the entirety of the visceral emotions I feel for you.” He took a step closer and you swallowed hard, realizing that besides his robe, he most likely wasn’t wearing anything else. Much like you. “You have bewitched my conscious and ensnared my being until all that I desire is you.”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m the person to be practicing—” You were still in denial? Very well, Morpheus would move on the next plan of his. It was a bit forward of the Endless, but called for at this point in time. His fingers went to the sash at his waist and he quickly unraveled it. The moment you got a very nice view of his shoulders and chest you were lunging forwards, catching the falling robe before it fell past his hips. Good god he was sculpted. “Morpheus!” You shrieked at him, face blistered with heat while you looked anywhere but at him or his body. “What the hell are you doing!?”

“Expressing my desires directly since you appear to either entirely oblivious to my intentions or simply deny what you long for within your intimate dreams.” Morpheus calmly exclaimed, his eyes drawing along the bare skin he could see peeking out from your robe. You were trembling, your fingers clutching darkened satin while you struggled not to be overwhelmed by the fact that you were pressed right up against the nearly naked Endless with very little between you. Rather than raise your eyes to Morpheus’ because your brain was ever so slowly connecting what had been in front of you the whole time, you stared at his smooth chest. His skin was literally like sheets of stardust. “I’ve seen your repeated intimate dreams, beloved, and know that you want me just as much as I you.”

“Are we really having this conversation right now?” You asked in a strained voice, your cheeks still very much on fire. “You’re nearly naked and I’m in a robe. We’re not having this conversation right now.” Morpheus couldn’t help the twitch in his lips.

"Given that I plan to undress you completely, I fail to see how you being in a robe prevents me from having this conversation.” It felt like every molecule in your body froze, as did your heart.

“I— Morpheus, I’m not…” You were at a loss for words, your mind scrambling to conjure complete sentences. “This isn’t presentable, I should—”

"Since when have I ever been bound by human standards? Since when has something as meager as presentability determined how much I ache for you?" You were trembling now, taking in the glaring fact that all those times where Morpheus had come to you speaking of the woman that had him all wrapped up, was you. He’d been trying to tell you how he felt this entire time, and you’d convinced yourself that the woman he loved, couldn’t possibly be you.

Morpheus moved a hand to the one just barely grasping his robe. Your fingers twitched beneath his touch, but you didn’t pull away, nor stray your eyes from his. Fingers sliding through yours, Morpheus basked in the way his fingers fit against your warm ones. Perfectly, just as he knew they would.

“If you wish to reject me, you may with but a single word,” His voice whispered to you, slow and sonorous. Captivating. Was this really happening? Did a being as cruelly beautiful and powerful as Dream of the Endless, truly desire you as you did he? Morpheus could still see the lingering doubt within your luminous eyes, and leaned close to your face. “If petty concerns are what hold you back from your intimate desires, relinquish them.”

Those words slipped across your lips in a beckoning call, urging and gentle. You could nearly feel his lips brushing against yours, a sensation you had only experienced while deep within your dreams. Faltering for but a moment, your fingers finally released their grasp on Morpheus’ robe and allowed his slender ones to wind with yours. The Endless raised his other hand to gently glide his fingers across your cheek and push back the hair partially covering your face. Then with just the slightest of movements, his lips finally pressed against yours and dreams became reality.

Date Published: 7/9/23

Last Edit: 7/21/23

Masterlist | Next

[yuseirra]

i need u to know I read your tags on my post about the OnK side stories and got blasted into a crater by my feelings 😭 I COMPLETELY AGREE....... idol is such an incredibly personal and revealing song, it rly does feel like Ai's whole arc compressed into a really densely packed mv....

Hello!! sorry for taking awhile! I wanted to reply to this fast, but I also wanted to attach an Ai to the reply because she deserves the love. I haven't used the search function on tumblr lately, but whenever I did for this series, I found many good analysis from you. I thought 'wow, they write so well!' So, it's an honor to hear you agree! ;v; Ah, I read tags on my posts all the time too and I LOVE the really sweet ones, so I'm glad what I've written's felt like a good piece of feedback for you. I felt like jotting down my thoughts after having read the side B story.

Yeah.. IDOL felt like a song that was "painfully revealing", it was very exposing of everything Ai went through, so blatantly without a single filter of protection, that's how I felt about the song at first. As I read the comics, I came to understood that's probably what Ai wanted to do all along. I understand why that character said that lies are a form of love, she tried so hard to pose as this invincible and perfect individual, not just to save her face and be loved, but for everyone around her. I believe that Ai must have thought being that way would be a way to compensate for others, meeting other's expectations and all, what they want from her as well so she tried again again and nobody ended up seeing her behind her mask because she ended up being too good at it. All of that seems to have resulted from the lack of love in her upbringing. She wasn't loved, so she wasn't sure what love was. I think the thing here isn't that she CAN'T love, but is unsure of the idea of love. She was quite loving all along, but she wasn't sure if she had was really love and she had a hard time expressing it. Keeping up a front was her idea of "loving" but that kept her from being understood and accepted as a person. So that's why she was so straightforward about everything in the song IDOL. She wanted to be understood and loved back and engage in a "truthful" manner.

People say Ai is a complex character and she is, but I don't think she's so hard to understand. Her mentality may seem a bit extreme for some, but I feel none of it is exaggerated or unrealistic. There could be a lot of people feeling this way, just in various degrees. Her story was short, but I think that's why it was still able to leave a lot of impact.. ;v; whenever I listen to IDOL, I feel Ai is a great character. She's always been striving to get what she wants, and she did in the end.. you can feel how much she tried despite all the troubles she had! She's in fact, not as perfect and a bit awkward at times, but she was always hardworking. So I like that in that song. It really shows a lot about her character :)

Thank you for the message, and for the translations again! Hope you have fun with the series, I'd love to see more good analysis from you because I agreed with a lot of the takes you had from your posts, I appreciate you insights!

[queenshelby]

Yes! Mr Murphy (Rewritten)

PART EIGHT: INSOMNIA 

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Angst, Age Gap, Teacher x Student, Fluff, Smut

PLEASE COMMENT AND ENGAGE!

Several hours later…

A few hours had passed and, as expected, you could not sleep. You were laying in an empty bed which was much larger than the one you slept in at home.

The room you were in was lacking décor and you felt rather out of place in Cillian’s home, although you appreciated his offer of letting you stay.

Clearly, he cared for you and your wellbeing, which was more than James ever did but, if Cillian had known that you were still really attracted to him, would he have felt the same way about you sleeping in the room right next to his?

Probably not and, luckily for you, he seemed oblivious to the fact that you wanted to be with him. Right now, he was probably fast asleep, in the bed you shared that very first night you met and this, itself, made you wonder whether you would ever get a chance to repeat your sexual encounter with him.

You knew that you had to stop thinking that way though. He was much older than you. He was twice your age to be exact, although he did not know this yet. You had lied to him and, whilst you made several attempts to reveal the truth, you never got there in the end.

You felt guilty about it, of course, but your want and need to be with him outweighed those feelings of guilt which, at least for now, were just one of those many things that kept you awake.

Thus, until one o’clock, you tossed and turned and, in the end, you decided to get up to get yourself a glass of water and, since you did not know the location of the many light switches in Cillian’s apartment, you relied on the flashlight of your phone to find your way to the kitchen.

Barefooted, you tippy toad through the hallway and across the living until, eventually, you approached the kitchen aisle only to find Cillian standing there as well.

He had the same idea. He was getting himself a glass of water straight from the tap and clearly did not notice you until you stammered out a reluctant “hi” from behind where he was standing.

“Jesus” was what he spat in response. You startled him and, just when he turned around abruptly , you dropped your phone to the ground which, luckily for you, did not crack.

“You scared the hell out of me” Cillian then said while, in the process of his sudden movement, spilling his water onto your shirt.  

“Fuck that’s cold” you gasped almost instantly before lifting the wet fabric up slightly.

“I am so sorry. Let me get you a dry shirt” Cillian then told you and, just as he did, you shook your head.

“It’s fine. It’s just water. It will dry off” you responded before asking him what he was doing up so late.

“I couldn’t sleep” he said. “How about you?” he then wanted to know while looking at his watch and realising that it was one o’clock already.

“Neither could I” you told him before reaching for one of the clean glasses on the side of the sink and filling it up with water.

“Well, you’ve got a lot on so that’s understandable” Cillian acknowledged but your troubles were not what was on your mind right now.

“I wasn’t thinking about James or the picture he shared. In fact, I’ve put my mind at ease about it now. There is not much more that he can do. I am safe here and I’ll go to the police tomorrow and hopefully that will be the end of it” you explained, causing Cillian to enquire further.

“So, if not James, what is keeping you up then?” Cillian wanted to know and, if it wasn’t so dark, he would have seen you blush by now.

“You are” you stammered in response causing Cillian’s chin to drop.

“I am? How?” he asked. He was oblivious to the fact that you still had a mad crush on him ever since your one-night stand together.

“I just can’t forget about the night we shared and knowing that you are in the room next to mine, like this, drives me a little crazy to be honest” you swallowed harshly in response while looking at him. He was wearing nothing but a black pair of Calvin Klein briefs and this, in itself, was a huge turn on for you and you knew that, now or never, you had to take your chance with him.

“Y/N, we talked about this. You know we can’t…” was all that, eventually, escaped from his lips in a stammer while his eyes were fixated on your mouth as you spoke.

“Tell me that you don’t want me too, Cillian” you interrupted mid sentence. “ I can see the way you look at me every day” you then told him while Cillian tried to move his eyes away from your lips which, by now, you knew he wanted to kiss.

“I am more than fifteen years older than you and I am your lecturer now, so it doesn’t matter what I want. Despite, you are probably just emotional right now and the last thing I want is to take advantage of you in the state you are in” Cillian told you while you continued to stare at him almost seductively. Even despite the lack of light in Cillian’s kitchen now, you were noticing that those wide pools of shimmering blue were definitely more wanting now than they were a little while ago and this gave you the courage to say what you were going to say next.

“I know that you are older than me and I know that you are my teacher. It is inconvenient, yes, but it is not illegal. I am not going to tell anyone” you said with your breath short and fast now, and when your eyes dropped to his mouth, you bit down on your lip.

“Y/N…” Cillian immediately attempted to say but you were not finished with your argument just yet, so you cut him off once again.

“You are not taking advantage of me Cillian. I am emotional, yes, but I also know what I want” you told him and, just like that, you both snapped.

Simultaneously, you leaned into each other and your lips collided almost painfully.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Cillian’s hands grabbed your hips, holding you closer and feeling your breathing hitch by the sudden motion until, suddenly, you he pulled away again slightly.

“I am not ready for another relationship Y/N. I am not even divorced yet and I…” Cillian then began to say almost reluctantly, causing you to smile.

“Neither am I, trust me. I just want to have a little fun and we already slept with each other, so…” you chuckled before your mouths collided again almost desperately again although, this time, it was Cillian who cut you off with his lips while your arms went up and around his neck, clinging on to him.

“This can be our little secret” you then moaned and giggled against his lips while he eagerly slid his hands down your body to your arse, lifting you up slightly.

“No one can know about this Y/N. Absolutely no one!” Cillian then murmured against your lips, causing you to smile and, then your legs tied around his waist.

“My lips are sealed” you gasped just as you brought your hands around to hold his head before pushing your mouth further into his, exploring and tasting his tongue.

The soft moan you released from your throat made Cillian’s body tremble. His knees were weakening and his cock began to harden and lengthen.

“I need you Cillian” you then gasped as you kissed your way down Cillian’s face, to his neck and his throat, inhaling deeply once you got there.

You felt perfect in his arms, so perfect, in fact, that he almost wanted to walk in circles with you for hours, just to prolong the feeling of having you in his arms like this, your face cradled in the crook of his neck, your fingers deep in his hair.

Eventually, Cillian dropped his mouth to your shoulder and bit there softly, which caused you to moan louder. Then, bringing his mouth back to yours, he moved you to one of the concrete pillars inside his apartment, which is where he settled your back against it.

“You are so fucking perfect” Cillian whispered as he reached for your ass in order to massage it softly and, in response, you pulled his mouth towards yours once again before resting your head back against the wall. You moaned and gave into the pleasure, breathing fast, cheeks flushed, eyes on fire.

“Tell me to stop” Cillian then said as he moved his hand over the cotton shorts you were wearing. They were his and too big on you, but somehow he thought that you wearing his clothes was incredibly sexy.

Then, since you said nothing, Cillian’s hand slipped under the waist band by your hip and brought them down to your knees with one movement while, all at the same time, you discarded your wet t-shirt in a haste.

“If you want me to stop…” he then repeated once more, knowing deep down inside that he should not proceed with this. He had second thoughts and knew that he should not pursue you but he wanted you nonetheless.

“Do you want to stop?” you cut him off in response, with your breath soft and shallow before your tongue darted out to spread wetness along your bottom lip.

“No and, even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could. You have been driving me crazy Y/N” Cillian said gently before leaning in to kiss you again, biting your lip gently, which is when your hands gripped his shoulders hard as he finally ripped the shorts off your body.

You gasped in shock, tensing slightly, but when Cillian placed his hand between your legs, your whole body relaxed, surrendering to him.

You were hot, wet and soft and you Cillian’s name fell from your lips before your head dropped back against the wall and your eyes closed over.

“Cillian, please. I need you inside of me” you moaned as heat was running through your belly, urgent, painful, like a steady electric current, radiating out from your core, already slick with want and need.

‘Needy, are we?’ Cillian chuckled and you nodded.

“Very” you moaned while grinding your naked body against his.

‘Perhaps I should teach you some patience” Cillian said teasingly as his lips moved to your throat again while you desperately tried to reach for his briefs.

“Or perhaps you could just give me what I want” you teased as you began biting Cillian’s ear all the whilst he buried his face in to your chest.

‘Should I just?” Cillian then groaned while lifting you up again until he could bite at your breast gently.

‘Yes…please…stop teasing and fuck me already’ you moaned out breath heavy like a horse at the races, sweat already dripping from you both. By this point, you could also already feel the head of Cillian’s cock pushing against you and a sense of electricity shot upward through your belly and into your chest.  He was ready and had pushed his briefs down without you noticing, just wanting to tease you now.

‘As you wish” Cillian chuckled as then, all so suddenly, he pushed his entire length into you with one firm stroke.

You gasped and shrieked with surprise before you tightened your legs around him and he pulled out slightly and started the steady rhythm, muscles flexing under your touch. He gave you no time to adjust and the way you made love that night was primal and animalistic to say the least.

‘Fuck you are tight’ Cillian groaned as he kept on thrusting into you while kissing your neck.

‘Oh god. Fuck. That feels so good’ you moaned in response as you pulled his head back harshly, using the fingers that were already tangled up in his hair, causing him to hiss in discomfort.

‘But I want you to fuck me harder’ you then smirked before lowering your legs forcefully against his grip and pushing him away from you with ease, teasing him. Seeing that you were a dancer, you had great physical strength and, yet, he knew how to use his in a whole different way than you.

‘Harder, huh?’ Cillian chuckled before reaching for your hips again and spinning you around.

‘Yes. Harder’ you gasped as your hands landed flat on the concrete in front of you and Cillian pulled you back towards him again before entering you from behind.

“Alright, harder it is” Cillian said with determination. He was dominant, but not forceful like James. He was passionate and caring, full of lust and desire for you, telling you over and over again how fucking perfect you were as he took from you behind.

‘Oh god, yes” you moaned helplessly as he thrusted into you faster now, hitting that very sweet spot of yours which he had already discovered during the first time you had sex with him.

‘You feel so fucking incredible’ Cillian groaned before his hand slipped around your waist and his long fingers soon found your clit. Gently, he circled your soft spot while thrusting in and out of you, hard and deep, making your legs quiver.

“God, yes! Cillian! Fuck” you wailed and the sound of your voice screaming his name sounded alien to you. Not inhuman, just like an entirely different person. It did not sound like you.

And then there was everything else. The sound he made as he thrusted into you, the scent of him, so utterly, unlike James in every way, made you feel, apart from the moment. But incredible and desired nonetheless.

It was an out of body experience for you and you felt dizzy and faint, your brain about ready to break apart.

Pushing you against the cold concrete wall, he continued to move in deep, long strokes inside you, powerful thrusts which threatened to split you wide open.

He felt so warm and comfortable, like a deep, deep itch that is finally being scratched.

It felt soothing. He felt soothing and, eventually, he whispered into your ear again.

“I want to see your beautiful face when you cum” Cillian then told you nonetheless, knowing that you were close. You were contracting and shivering, moaning louder and louder.

Thus, you span around and found his mouth again, kissing him passionately before, slowly, you felt your insides begin to throb and vibrate, and as though he was responding to it, he quickened his pace faster and deeper, harder, rougher.

Deep male groans were ripping from Cillian’s throat on each inward push, your inside scattering a little more.

His teeth scraped at your lips, his tongue was licking your mouth, fighting, setting, growling.

Greedy, desperate motions that tell you that, he too, was on the verge of losing control of this.

And then, suddenly, and shockingly, you felt your own orgasm hit you hard like freight train.

There was no warning for it. It was quick and unexpected, and you pushed against him, but it was not to push him away. It was to intensify the friction between your bodies, the delicious agony that was his cock deep inside you, overwhelming you.

“Cillian! Oh god!” you moaned as the white, hot pleasure washed over you and you gripped onto his shoulders. Your nails were digging into the flesh and you pushed against him harder.

Then, you opened your eyes to find him watching you transfixed, his body still moving rhythmically into and against your own, but completely focused on your climax and then, you finally felt it.

His entire body tensed and began to shudder, trembling with the rise of his own orgasm.

With one hand wrapped almost possessiveness around your neck, you felt a shudder run through his whole body.

“Fuck” Cillian groaned as he pulled your head towards him and smashed his mouth against you to kiss you again all while he emptied himself inside your body.

For a moment, you were panting against each other's mouth, licking each other's tongues, fighting each others' lips. His orgasm seemed to have lasted hours. Hours of him saying no words, hours of you moaning to the feel it of it all.  Hours of him throbbing inside you, comfortable and warm.

Then, he settled so deeply inside you, so snugly that it scared you a little, thinking about how empty you would feel when he leaves you.

As his body and breathing slowed, he broke away from your mouth and let his eyes to meet yours.

His blue eyes glittered with lust and satisfaction, but almost instantly, his expression changed. The look that comes over his face, then was horror.

“Fuck Y/N, what’s the matter?” he then asked, afraid. “Why are you crying?” he wanted to know, thinking that he had hurt you.

He then went to withdraw from you, but you tightened your thighs around his body to hold him inside you.

“No don’t” you told him, still crying. Crying? What the hell. Why were you crying anyway?

Without saying anything else, you leaned forward and pressed your mouth gently to his, hoping that he would know that you enjoyed every moment of this.

“I am fine Cillian” you then reassured him before trying a weak smile and lowering your head to bury your face in his neck. His intoxicating scent seemed to be the strongest there, cleanliness and cotton with a masculine, sweet undertone. Just fucking perfect, until…

“Did I hurt you?” Cillian wanted to know with his voice scratchy and raw with fear. ”Fuck Y/N, please tell me I didn't hurt you” he went on to say in panic and you quickly shook your head.

“No, you did not hurt me. In fact, I never felt less hurt in my life. I feel safe with you, safer than I ever felt before and what we just shared was amazing” you told him with watery eyes as you well and truly felt soothed, especially with him still inside you, large and warm.

“Then why are you crying?” he asked with worry still on his mind. His voice was soft against the skin on your neck and his Irish accent was always that little bit stronger when his voice was in the lowest decibels.

“I suppose because I feel incredible right now” you told him before you kissed the side of his neck, delighting in the warm spread of his salty skin across your tongue.

“So these are happy tears then?” he ought to clarify and you nodded with a smile.

“Defiantly” you chuckled and Cillian let out a deep breath and then stepped away from the wall, shifting his grip on you to give him a better, more secure hold of your body.

Then still buried inside you, Cillian stepped carefully out of his discarded briefs and walked with you in his arms toward his bedroom, taking the three steps with a strong, easy grace.

As you got to his bed you were wondering what he was going to do now, not quite ready for him to leave your body.

To your relief, he angled you both down onto his bed, you on your back and him on his knees above you.

As he did this, you opened your eyes, taking this moment to look at Cillian’s face. His flawless, beautiful, perfect face. Each feature, seemingly constructed to be worshipped, a mouth so beautiful and inviting that you had no real chance against it.

And then there were his eyes, which had haunted you every waking moment since you first looked into them. Large, inviting pools of intensity that made you feel like the only woman he had ever been remotely interested in looking out with them.

You truly never seen a man as beautiful before. Beauty, he seems to be mainly unaware of. A fact which only serves to make him even more beautiful, in your opinion.

“You are something else Cillian. Fuck. I need you” you whispered as he pulled the hem of his t-shirt to lift it over his head and then he stopped moving and smiled down at you.

‘Is that your line to get me into bed’ he joked and you both broke out in laughter.

“Maybe it is” you joked before covering your mouth with the back of your hand before nodding up at him.

“I suppose I am so fucking easy then” he chuckled before slowly releasing himself from your body and ,immediately, you felt cold and a little lost from the absence of him.

The sight of his naked form above you helped make up for it somewhat, but not enough until, suddenly, Cillian lifts your left leg and proceeds to kiss his way from the instep of your foot to your upper thigh.

When he reached the apex, he glanced down at you with an intense look on his face.

“You are so incredibly beautiful Y/N” he then said before he proceeds to tackle the top of your father, skimming his cheek over it before planting a kiss on it, his mouth dangerously close to where you needed it.

“I need to know what we taste like, together” he then told you and your eyes shot open wide.

Tags: @fastfan@elenavampire21@dolllol2405@allie131313@cilliansangel@coldbastille@kpopgirlbtssvt@cdej6@kathrinemelissa@landlockedmermaid77@crazymar15@damedomino  @lauren-raines-x@miss-bunny19@skinny-bitch-juice@odorinana@cloudofdisney@weepingstudentfishhorse@allexiiisss@geminiwolves@letsstarsfalling@ysmmsy@chlorrox@tommyshelbypb@chocolatehalo@music-lover911@desperate-and-broken@mysticaldeanvoidhorse@peaky-cillian@lelestrangerandunusualdeetz@december16-1991@captivatedbycillianmurphy@romanogersendgame@randomfangirl2718@missymurphy1985@peakyscillian@lilymurphy03@deefigs@theflamecrystal@livinginfantaxy@rosey1981@hanster1998@fairypitou@zozeebo@kasaikawa@littleweirdoalien@sad-huffle-nerd@theflamecrystal@0ghostwriter0@stylescanbeatmyback@1-800-peakyblinders@datewithgianni@momoneymolife@mcntsee@janelongxox@basiclassy@being-worthy@chaotic-bean-of-smolness@margoo0@vhscillian@crazymar15@im-constantly-fangirling@namelesslosers@littlewhiterose@ttzamara@cilleveryone@peaky-cillian@severewobblerlightdragon@dolllol2405@pkab@babaohhhriley@littleweirdoalien@alreadybroken-ts@masteroperator@stevie75@shabzy96@rainbow12346@obsessedwithfandomsx@geeksareunique@laysalespoir@paigem00@lkarls@vamp-army@luckystarme@myjumper@gxorg@eline-1806@goldenharrysworld@cristinagronk16@stylesofloki@faatxma@slut-for-matt-murdock@tpwkstiles@myjumper@cloudofdisney@look-at-the-soul@smellyzcat@kittycatcait219@theliterarybeldam@being-worthy@layazul@lyn07@kagilmore@50svibes@mainstreetlilly@ourthatgirlabby@bitchwhytho@takethee@registerednursejackie@sofi128@mrkdvidal1989@minxsblog@heidimoreton@laylasbunbunny@laylasbunbunny@queenshelby@camilleholland89@forgottenpeakywriter@vintagecherryt@indierockgirrl@mrkdvidal1989@bluesongbird@dudde-44@gasolinesavages@kissforvoid@bluebird592@1eugenia1isabella1@esposadomdp@lulunalua23@lovelace42@bookklover23@iwantmyredvelvetcupcake@moonmaiden1996@marlenamallowan@cyphah (cannot tag)@majesticcmey@cleverzonkwombatsludge@throughgoeshamilton@alessioayla@elenavampire21@justforfiction@cilliansangel@alannielaraye@satellitelh@pandoramyst@duckybird101@snixx2088@kylianswag@alessioayla@pono-pura-vida@iraisbored69@howling-wolf97@aesthetic0cherryblossom@weirdo-rules@lovemissyhoneybee@dazaiscum@esposadomd@etherealkistar@ur--mommy@throughgoeshamilton

[genshin-side-piece]

The Contract

Warnings: Minors DNI, 18+, Yandere themes, Yandere Behavior, Power Imbalance, Dark themes, mentions of physical abuse, implied kidnapping, My bad writing, Slighty OOC Kaveh & Alhaitham, Anything Else I Missed

Characters: Yandere Alhaitham, Yandere Kaveh, G/N Reader

A/N: This is based off this post. Slightly (?) OOC Kaveh. In my mind, his drinking + his temper + his issues makes him far more dangerous than the game allows.   

How had he gotten here?  Kaveh sat in the office of what was supposed to be his home, staring eye to eye with a man he’d sworn off years ago. He hated that he was here again, almost as much as he hated the idea that Alhaitham had gotten involved. If he wasn’t completely desperate, Kaveh would have used any other option available to him. Unfortunately at present, his only one was the man sitting across from him. The cause of Kaveh’s desperation wasn’t the fact that he had bankrupted himself. Sure the loss of everything had been devastating, but he would survive. He had after his father died and his mother left. Now would be no different. The trouble was, he wasn’t alone. If it was him, and only him, then he would be fine. He had plenty of friends who would take him in should he need and with the right excuse, he could probably get away with a lie until he found a more solid financial footing. The same thing couldn’t be said for you.

There was no logical explanation for you. No one, outside of the man across from him, knew about you and with good reason. If any of his friends ever found out, he was sure they would write him off forever. Kaveh knew he had been stupid. He should have left well enough alone. He should have left you alone. If he had, then he wouldn’t be where he was right now. He wouldn’t have to worry about the proverbial storm that brewed just above his head. He wouldn’t have had to come Alhaitham for his help. The dirty secret that was you and how he held you would remain as it should, hidden. Kaveh wouldn’t have to face the ugly truth that was staring him right in the face this whole time.

“Do you have any questions?” Alhaitham’s cool tone broke the silence between them. Kaveh briefly focused his attention on his former friend before his eyes fell back to the contract in front of him. After everything that had happened, Kaveh could not deny that Alhaitham hadn’t been generous. Prior to Kaveh spilling his dark secret, Alhaitham had come to him, offering him a place in the home that Kaveh had stupidly given up. In his desperation, Kaveh had been quick to accept, except for one not so small thing. He had been forced to tell Alhaitham about you. More so, he had been forced to show you to Alhaitham. It had been somewhat humiliating for Kaveh to have Alhaitham see you as you were; tucked away in a cavern beneath the city, dressed in only the most basic essentials and covered head to toe in grime. In the past, Kaveh had always prided himself on providing you with the best he could find. He had draped you in fine linens, luxurious silks and the best jewelry he could afford.The faint scent of the expensive soaps and perfumes followed you everywhere you walked, but often lingered on his clothes after he pulled you in close and held you in his arms. It was devastating to see you now. If his secret had to be discovered, why couldn’t it have been when he treated you as a goddess? Why did it have to be now and why out of all people did it have to be Alhaitham? 

Much to Kaveh’s surprise, Alhaitham didn’t flinch at the sight of you. Alhaitham’s only reaction to the situation was what happened after the truth had been revealed. A day or so after Kaveh had brought your unexpected visitor to see you, a new rental agreement was delivered to him; one that made allowances for both of you. For the most part, Alhaitham had maintained his original offer of offering his home to Kaveh and now you, the only real change was the condition that Alhaitham had tacked on to the end. One that Kaveh had found absolutely noxious. He had tried to reason with Alhaitham on it, but the scribe wouldn’t budge. Alhaitham was insistent and no amount of pleading would change his mind, which was the whole reason why Kaveh was here now. While Alhaitham wouldn’t cave on the added condition, it was Kaveh’s hope to negotiate slightly better terms on both of your behalfs.   

“You won’t -” Kaveh hesitated, the tips of his fingers anxiously pressing into the paper in front of him. He abhorred his next question, but now was his only chance. Part of his own personal duty towards you was to protect you. What if Alhaitham beat you or mistreated you? What if he disfigured you? What if he tried to kill you? How could Kaveh say he had done his duty to you when he hadn’t considered all the possibilities? Alhaitham’s demand to take full custody of you was already bad enough without the thought that Kaveh would hand you over to someone who would willingly harm you. Even if it was against Alhaitham’s nature to be unnaturally cruel, how could Kaveh live with himself if he misjudged Alhaitham’s intentions and gave you to a monster?

“You won’t hurt them, right?” He swallowed as Alhaitham impassively stared back. “I know I haven’t been strict with them when it comes to their behavior. I let them do as they please within limits.” Even then he wasn’t terribly overbearing. You were already unhappy with your current predicament. He didn’t want to make your general unhappiness worse by punishing you. “But you wouldn’t do anything unnecessary to them, would you?” “It depends on what you deem as unnecessary.” Kaveh hesitated again, hating that he had to think about it. Any type of punishment was unnecessary in Kaveh’s eyes, but he knew Alhaitham wouldn’t see it like that. Between the two of them, Alhaitham had always walked a harder line than Kaveh. “If you’re concerned that I’ll be physically abusive to them, then the answer is no.” That allowed Kaveh to release a small sigh of relief. “It is worth reiterating though that they are an unwilling participant in all of this. I’m not blind to the fact that there will be difficulties that arise, especially in this transition period. In those instances, the severity of the punishment will be at my discretion. If that means I have to take a firmer stance so they’ll learn, then so be it.” Meaning that if physical force was required, it would be used, but probably not as a first option. “But you won’t be heavy handed right off the bat? I don’t like the idea of you harming them for something small.” “I don’t like the idea of harming them at all. I won’t take any enjoyment in doing it.” Kaveh nodded, his fingers gradually relaxing against the paper beneath them. “But I will be far stricter than you when it comes to infractions and rules. As I’ve mentioned, they are unwilling.” Kaveh softly hummed in agreement, despising that Alhaitham kept bringing that particular fact up. 

It wasn’t like he had grabbed you out of a dark alleyway or along the side of the road. He’d been thoughtful about it. Kaveh had brought you home after he had fed you a few particularly strong drinks in a bar one night. At the time your home was on the other side of the city, too great of a distance to walk in his opinion, so he offered his home to you instead. He sold it as a place where you could safely sleep off the mixture of alcohol and sleeping powder he’d slipped into your cup when you hadn’t been looking. When you awoke the next day, you had been greeted with the discovery that his home was now your home and there wasn’t a thing he would let you do about it. “I’m taking a great personal risk in even knowing about it. Should this ever be discovered, then it would be the ruin of both of us. That’s why keeping them in line will be key. If they behave like you claim, then it won’t be an issue, will it?” Kaveh flinched, a reaction that didn’t go unnoticed by Alhaitham. “Don’t tell me you lied to me about them.” The dryness of Alhaitham’s tone grated on Kaveh’s nerves.

“I didn’t lie.” Kaveh spat that out a little harsher than he meant too. “Oh?” Alhaitham leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “Then what is it?” Kaveh forced out a sigh, resting his forehead against his free hand. It was the one truth he tried so desperately to deny. 

After all this time. After all he had done to give you the life he felt you deserved, one constant remained the same. You still wanted to go home. The pleading had been incessant since his money trouble had begun. Night and day all he heard is that you wanted to leave, to just let you go. It was to the point that he had exploded at you the last time he had seen you. After that, you were silent. You wouldn’t even look at him. As for his apologies, those fell on deaf ears. It drove home the fact that the lies he told himself every time he looked at you could no longer hide the truth. The domestic bliss that he believed you shared was nothing more than a fool's paradise. As much as he wanted you to love him, you didn’t and at this point you probably wouldn’t. He had seen you flinch every time he reached for you. He had felt you squirm and try to pull away while he held you close. He had watched you cower every time he had a bottle of wine in his hand. Kaveh knew his temper was to blame for all of it. Your compliance to his whims and wishes was as much appeasement as it was fear. There had been too many mornings where he had woken up next to you, only to find the marks and bruises he had left of you the night before. He had always tried to make it up to you with gifts and gestures, but damage was long done. There was no changing it. Now with the change in keeper, Kaveh began to question just how difficult you could be for Alhaitham. 

He remembered how hard it had been in the beginning with you. Every day had been a struggle. All he had asked you for was to be able to bask in your radiance without anyone else’s eyes on you, but you had refused. Instead you fought, you scratched, you clawed to get away from him. Nearly every morning for the first few weeks he had found you trying to scale the garden wall. In the evenings you had waited until he had drunk himself into a stupor to try and steal his keys. Very late one night, he had come home to find you on the deserted street after you had successfully picked both the lock on your bedroom door and the front door. He didn’t remember much after that. Only that you stopped trying to run. Whatever he had done had been severe enough that you never looked at him the same way again. 

“It’s difficult.” He released a heavy sigh. “They don’t behave because I ask them to. They hate me too much to do that.” Kaveh didn’t bother to look up to see Alhaitham’s reaction. It wouldn’t help him to see it. He knew nothing gave the scribe greater joy than to not only force Kaveh to see reality, but to get him to admit to it as well. “I’ve ruined their life.” But it was justified. He loved you so unbelievably much. You were his muse, his light, his everything. He worshiped you. He wanted to share his world with you. Kaveh would give you anything, just to see you smile. After the loss of his parents, the loss of his home, could he really stand to lose you as well? “I-'' He didn’t know what to do. 

Letting you go wasn’t an option. Even if Kaveh sent you to another country, there was no guarantee that you wouldn’t notify the matra once enough time had passed. It’s not like he had the money to pay for your silence anyway. Running wasn’t an option either. While Kaveh believed he could get out of Sumeru before the matra could apprehend him, he knew Dori would get her money come hell or high water. If she believed anything was a miss, then she would track him down faster than the matra would. In the end, she would take all that Kaveh had and leave the rest to rot in prison. That only left him with two choices, give you to Alhaitham and endure that torture for the duration of his stay in Alhaitham’s house or end you altogether. Kaveh’s breath caught in his throat. 

God. Could he do that? Was he capable of that? Could he really bring himself to destroy the one person he’d sworn to protect? 

“Perhaps you’ll accept my advice, for once.” Alhaitham’s voice snapped him away from the dark thoughts that had consumed his mind. Kaveh looked up, gently nodding at the man across from him, blindly agreeing to whatever sage advice Alhaitham may have. “From my viewpoint, you’re at a crossroads.” Kaveh swallowed, sighing in agreement. “All of your options are bad.” “I don’t want to break my promise to them.” Kaveh forced himself to sit up. “I swore to take care of them. I can’t go back on that.” “Then sign the contract.” Kaveh’s eyes fell back to the paper that was resting beneath his hand. “In signing our agreement, you will fulfill your promise. They will be provided for. If you choose not to, then you will be forced to leave them somewhere that isn’t my house and hope that they don’t get away or that they aren’t found by someone else while you seek alternative housing.” Or the third option, which was that Alhaitham reported your location to the matra the second Kaveh walked out the door. Kaveh wasn’t a complete fool when it came to the world. What Kaveh had done was illegal. Nothing would change that. He knew that as the scribe, Alhaitham was under a specific obligation to report Kaveh’s crime to the matra. Nothing would stop Alhaitham from doing it should Kaveh refuse. The cost of Alhaitham’s silence was to sign you away to him.

“But it might be worth it.” Kaveh felt a false sense of hope surge through him. He grabbed hold of it, pushing away the ugly truth that was sitting right in front of his face. “We don’t need anything grand, right? Just four walls and a roof.” That was it. He snapped his fingers as the idea struck him.“The rainforest has plenty of abandoned places. For instance, there’s that abandoned farm outside of Gandharva Ville. I could fix it up for us.” “With what?” Kaveh sagged slightly, feeling some of his hope leave him. “Do you really believe Tighnari will simply give you that after the headaches you caused him?” Kaveh grimaced again. Remembering all the trouble he had caused with the Palace of Alcazarzaray. “He’s the forgiving type. It’s not like Dori will take everything every month. I can fix it up little by little.” “And how will you explain it?” Kaveh hesitated. “Won’t it raise some eyebrows when you arrive with a hostage in tow?” “They aren’t-” Kaveh felt his blood pressure begin to rise. Even if Alhaitham was only pointing out the obvious, it wasn’t necessary that he do so. “They’re not-” “They’re currently bound and gagged in the guest bedroom. Prior to that, you had them in a cave. We had to sneak them here under the cover of darkness.” Kaveh groaned. “Getting them out of the city will be every bit as challenging as bringing them in. You’re telling me that you would risk everything on the off chance that you won’t get caught?” “Alhaitham-” The scribe’s tone grew terser. He cut Kaveh off before he had the chance to use another excuse. “Gandharva Ville is right on the border with Liyue. Do you honestly believe that you’ll be able to leave them there unattended while you go look for work?” He didn’t. You would run the second you had a chance, but Kaveh didn’t want to give up hope. The dream of keeping you with him, even if it was only for a few moments longer, was too good to pass up. “Must you do this?” Kaveh slammed his free hand against the wood of the table in frustration. “I’ve already hit rock bottom. Can’t I have this one last little daydream before it all comes crashing down?” Kaveh didn’t bother to hide his exasperation. “No.” Kaveh felt his throat tighten as that word sunk in. “Daydreaming is what got you in this mess in the first place. The entire reason we’re even having this conversation is because you’ve put yourself into a situation that you can’t get out of. Hostages are easy things to keep when you have money.” Thanks to his own mistakes, Kaveh did not. “You’ve been careless and foolish in your choices, and now your greed concerning them is clouding your judgment.” “Greed?” Kaveh nearly choked on the word. “You honestly think this is greed?” “I would term it obsession, but you’re already way past the point of no return, so yes I would call it greed.” Kaveh swallowed, taking a stuttering breath as he did his best not to scream in Alhaitham’s face. He had the contract to consider. Should Kaveh say something he wasn’t supposed to, then both of them could end up on the streets. “Greed? Obsession?” Kaveh ground out the words, his tone shaky, yet calm. “Not love or passion or devotion, which is what it actually is. Maybe you would understand, if you had an ounce of feeling in you.” Alhaitham narrowed his eyes at him, clearly taking the insult to heart. The scribe’s tone iced over, becoming harsh and hard in a single breath. “If you truly loved them, you would have given them a choice to begin with. Instead, you made the choice for them.” Kaveh’s heart tightened at those words. 

“No” His nails scraped against the table as he closed his hands. “That’s not-“

“Your denial regarding your situation has made you delusional. From your perspective, you would give all that you have, all that you are, and all that you will be to them.” “Yes! Because I am devoted to them.” “Because you wish to keep them all to yourself.” Kaveh looked away, his eyes dropping to the table. “You can keep lying to yourself if it suits you, but I won’t let you lie to me.” That felt like a kick to the gut. Kaveh’s entire body doubled over, his face inches from the table, eyes fixed on the contract as Alhaitham continued. “They didn’t ask you for your so-called devotion. You’ve forced it upon them, just like you’ve forced this unfortunate situation on me.” Slowly Kaveh tried to shake his head, but he couldn’t manage it. Instead all he could feel was the stinging sensation as tears began to form in his eyes. “Admit it, you wanted them. You can preach your ideals to me all you like, but in the end, your own selfish desire won. Why else would you make yourself the center of their universe? The only logical reason is because you cannot stand the idea of anyone else taking that place from you.” Alhaitham paused long enough to take a shallow breath. “It still drives you, even as we speak.” Kaveh looked up, blinking back his tears as he stared at his former friend. He loathed that every word Alhaitham had said was true. “I’ve offered you a reasonable solution to your problem. I’m even prepared to help maintain this addiction of yours by keeping them as a prisoner in my house, yet you fight me. I don’t think asking to take charge of their care is a significant ask, but you disagree.” It wasn’t just your care though. It was full custody and full autonomy over you. Kaveh would lose all say.  Alhaitham could dictate down to if Kaveh could even touch you, if he so wished. That’s what made this so difficult. In his heart, Kaveh knew this was the best solution for both of you, given the options available to him. Alhaitham could give you a home, he could afford good food and comfortable clothes. He could give you all the things Kaveh would struggle to give. All Alhaitham asked in return was that both of you behave.

The two of them sat in relative silence. The only sound between them were Kaveh’s soft sobs as he stared at the contract through his tears. He had tried and he had failed, on every front. The idealized life he had shared with you was over, a victim of Kaveh’s own incompetence. The only way to salvage it was to hope that Alhaitham would be kind. That perhaps the scribe would allow Kaveh the fantasy of just you and he every once in a great while. He could tolerate Alhaitham’s control of you then. 

Slowly, his sobs ceased. Kaveh forced his body to sit up, his red rimmed eyes never leaving the contract. As much as it pained him, he knew what needed to be done. It was time. There was no going back. From across the table, he watched as Alhaitham’s eyes followed his hand as he reached for the ink pot and quill. There was nothing in them. They were as calm and unreadable as they ever were.

“One more thing.” Alhaitham’s eyes fixed themselves back on his own. “I’ll get to see them everyday, yes? You won’t be cruel and play keep away, will you?”

“This isn’t a large house. It would be difficult to keep them away.” That wasn’t the answer Kaveh wanted to hear. He pulled his hand back, giving Alhaitham his full attention.

“Please. Will you let me see them everyday?” Kaveh tried to sound hopeful, but Alhaitham’s face said otherwise. 

“I have no intention of keeping you apart, unless either of you do something egregious. As long as you operate with the understanding that they are mine once you sign the document, we’ll be fine. If you try to steal them or worse still, they try to run then there will be consequences.” Like locking you away. “One more concession-” Kaveh pulled out the quill, holding it over the now wrinkled and tear stained contract. “I get tonight with them. In the morning-” Kaveh released another sigh. “In the morning they’re yours.” It hurt more than anything to say that, but in his own mind he had no other choice. Logic had to win out here. Even if the entire situation was beyond all logic, Kaveh had to do what was best not only for you, but himself as well. He would get to see you. That was something, even if it was only better than nothing. “I’ll leave to get the rest of my things after breakfast. That will give you time… time with them.” The last part was barely a whisper, but Alhaitham heard it all the same. “If that’s what you wish. Just don’t throw a fit when you get back.” Kaveh nodded as he pressed the tip of the quill to the paper. A deep breath and a gulp later, his hand moved the pen across the page, forever signing away your life and his to Alhaitham.

[joeliz99]

Remus Lupin- Beneath the Surface

Remus Lupin

Marauders Era

Year 1977 (Sixth Year at Hogwarts)

(Y/N) Bristol had always been a focused young woman with very few friends. While many of her peers spent their time goofing off or falling in love, she meticulously set goals for her future. That’s why working on a poison antidote essay with Remus Lupin didn’t seem like a great idea. The brown-haired boy was associated with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew, who always seemed to be in trouble or seeking attention. This group of boys disliked following rules or apologizing for their mistakes; they were simply reckless. Therefore, it was understandable that the young woman was reluctant to be paired with the sixth-year student.

However, over the course of their meetings, (Y/N) realized that Remus Lupin was much more than he appeared when surrounded by his friends. He was shy and reserved, respectful in his interactions, and incredibly intelligent. But to be fair, everyone knew that. The now-prefect of Gryffindor House was always on the list of top students in most of their subjects. She was also on that list, of course, but she often went unnoticed.

Up until now, Remus had acknowledged her existence only a few times, and he occasionally wondered how he hadn’t paid more attention to her before. (Y/N) always seemed to have answers for everything. She was prudent, serene, and genuine, truly herself. Talking to her felt like taking a breath of fresh air—an experience he could repeat over and over.

Sitting on the clock tower’s courtyard, they discussed trivial matters while adding final touches to the essay they had been working on for the past two weeks. She held a parchment and quill, while Remus had several books resting on his lap.

“So, what do you want to do after you leave Hogwarts?” The girl glanced up from her parchment when she heard the question.

“I definitely want to be a Healer. It’s been a dream of mine since I was little.”

“Can I ask why?” Remus inquired curiously, leaning back on his arms.

“My grandfather was a Healer until recently. From a young age, I saw how passionate he was about his career and how many people he helped with his knowledge. I loved sitting with him in the afternoons and hearing about his workday. I want to help as many people as he did and never forget to be empathetic or humble with my roots.” A smile appeared on Remus’s face upon hearing this, and (Y/N) mirrored his expression with a small smile of her own. “What about you?”

“Um... Honestly, I’m still not sure what I want to do when I leave here. Maybe teaching? I don’t know.” He shrugged dismissively. “I hope to have a clearer idea before we graduate.”

“I’m sure you will. Don’t worry too much about it.” The young woman responded before continuing with the next question. “How did you get all those marks on your body?”

“What?” The boy’s brow furrowed, and his body tensed immediately—a reaction that did not go unnoticed by (Y/N), who instantly regretted asking the question.

“Forget it, I shouldn’t have asked that. Let’s move on to...”

“Wait, (Y/N),” Remus interrupted. “It’s nothing. You just caught me by surprise...” His mind wandered for a few moments, trying to figure out how to answer the question while sounding truthful. “I’ve always been clumsy. My parents always had to keep an eye on me because turning away for a second meant I’d end up hurting myself. We thought it would stop when I grew up, but it didn’t.” He shrugged and avoided her gaze, knowing that if he looked her in the eye, she would know he wasn’t being entirely honest. “I got these latest ones a few days ago playing with the guys near the Whomping Willow.” He rolled up one of his sleeves to reveal several healing wounds. “But they’re healing, so that’s good.”

“You shouldn’t go near the Willow,” (Y/N) frowned, scrutinizing the young man’s arm. “It’s dangerous, and next time the results could be much worse.” Remus laughed awkwardly at this and nodded.

“I think we’ve figured that out by now…”

“Can I ask you another question?”

“Go ahead.” (Y/N) seemed to think carefully about what she was going to say, and after a few moments, she dared to speak.

“You’re very different from your friends... Before we started this project, I judged you based on everything I’d seen and heard about you, especially from Sirius and James. Why would you want to spend your time with them? Besides the fame and attention that comes with it, what else could you gain from such a friendship?” Remus sighed upon hearing this and took a moment to process what the girl had just said.

“They can be many things, but they’re still my friends... And you’re right, I’m not like them and I don’t agree with everything they do, but they’re important to me. The guys have supported me in my darkest moments when no one else could. We’re inseparable, so if one gets into trouble, the rest do too. It may sound silly, but that’s how we are, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.” He shrugged and looked at (Y/N). “When you get to know them, you realize they’re much more than they seem, just like with me. You should give them a chance; you’d get along well with them.”

“I don’t know, Remus.” (Y/N) sighed, turning her gaze back to the parchments in her hands. “What they did to Severus Snape wasn’t right. And let’s be real, I’m not much different from him. What makes you think they wouldn’t do the same to me?”

“Because I wouldn’t let something like that happen. Besides, the situation is completely different. Not that I’m defending them—never would I do that—but there’s been a rivalry between them and Severus for years.”

“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better, to be honest...” She sighed. “Let’s just forget about it and finish this, it’s getting dark.”

Remus nodded in agreement to not press the issue further, and they spent the rest of the hour solely finishing the work. The next day, both students handed in the essay to Professor Slughorn, and as class ended, they began to gather their things in silence.

“It was nice working with you.” (Y/N) broke the silence after a few seconds. “You know I’m here if you ever need me.”

Remus looked at her upon hearing this and nodded, unsure of how to respond due to the nerves overtaking him.

“Yeah, same.” He managed to articulate, and the girl smiled awkwardly, finishing gathering her things.

“See you later, Remus.” She smiled one last time and left the classroom, leaving behind a blushing and embarrassed Remus.

“You’re such an idiot.” A voice came from beside him, and when he turned his head, he found James grinning at him mockingly. “Is that how you say goodbye, my dear Moony? I thought you were more polite.”

“Shut up, James.” The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes, leaving the classroom with his friends trailing behind him and laughing at his embarrassment.

“You should ask her out without using work as the perfect excuse,” Sirius commented this time, wrapping his arm around Remus’s shoulders once he caught up with him. “She seems like a nice girl.”

“She is, and that’s exactly why I’m not asking her out.”

“Oh, come on, Remus. What’s wrong with having a date with Bristol? You should relax and enjoy yourself a bit.” James interjected again.

“Do I really need to remind you why doing that is a bad idea?” He stopped abruptly, his muscles tensing at the thought of the disastrous possibilities if he lost control near her or anyone else. “It’s a risky move, and she’s too curious... She asked me about the marks on my body yesterday, and I had to lie because I had no other option.”

“Remus, mate...” James sighed, glancing at his friends before speaking. “We’ve got it under control, okay? No one needs to find out or get hurt. We’ll keep doing things the way we have been, and that’s that. Ask her out! You’ve got nothing to lose.”

“And if you don’t like it, just don’t do it again, simple as that. If you want, we can do a group outing to make you feel more comfortable,” Peter added this time, and Sirius nodded, smiling.

“No. That’s definitely not happening.” Remus shook his head repeatedly, clutching the books he was carrying even tighter. “Just... I’ll think about it, okay? I’m not promising anything.”

“Well, that’s better than a no.” Sirius laughed, ruffling the brown-haired boy’s hair, which he swatted away with a complaint. "Don’t make us do it for you, Moony.”

“Whatever. Let’s get going. We’ll be late for Transfiguration class.” He fixed his hair back into place, and his friends laughed, following him as they greeted everyone in the hallways and raced to see who would reach the next classroom first.

The following days passed without any new events. Remus still hadn’t mustered the courage to ask (Y/N) out, so he had settled for small talk with her during Potions class or greeting her in the hallways. His friends hadn’t stopped pressuring him about it, just as they were now, seeing the Ravenclaw girl enter the Great Hall. Remus’s cheeks were red, as always when the subject came up, and his heart raced at the thought of her possible rejection. Since hitting puberty at Hogwarts, he had been accustomed to attention from girls. Not many approached him, but some did. However, he had never even considered having more than a cordial conversation with them. The reasons were endless—starting with the fear of what his nature could provoke, then the little interest he had, and of course, his shy nature. With (Y/N) it was different; being near her was appealing. Conversations flowed naturally, silences were comfortable, and neither of them felt the need to put on an act to impress the other. Even though a part of his mind kept repeating how bad an idea it was to ask her out, there was another part that urged him to take the plunge. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the table and, ignoring his friends’ comments, walked toward the end of the Ravenclaw table where the girl was seated, already preparing a plate of food. When he arrived, he cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets to hide his nerves, while (Y/N) turned to look at him.

“Hi...” Remus smiled shyly, trying not to pay attention to the curious eyes watching him at the Ravenclaw table.

“Remus.” (Y/N) smiled back. “How are you? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, of course.” He hurried to say, feeling his face warm up again and his stomach flutter as if hundreds of butterflies were inside him. “Listen... I was thinking that our next trip to Hogsmeade is coming up, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a butterbeer and a chat...”

“Oh.” (Y/N) swallowed hard at the proposition, feeling instantly nervous. Was he inviting her on a date?

“You don’t have to say yes.” Remus rushed to add, noticing her reaction. “You probably have better plans, and I don’t...”

“I do want to go.” She interrupted him to prevent him from continuing. “Sorry for reacting that way. I usually go to Hogsmeade alone, so you caught me by surprise.” She smiled faintly without breaking eye contact, even though she could feel her nerves showing.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” Remus laughed, scratching his neck, and (Y/N) nodded. “How about we meet in front of the carriages at nine in the morning, and then we can take one together? I promise it’ll just be you and me. I know the guys can be overwhelming sometimes, and we don’t want that.”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect.” (Y/N)’s smile widened a bit more.

“Great, then I’ll let you eat. See you on Friday.”

“See you on Friday... And thank you for inviting me.”

“No problem...” Remus smiled again and waved before turning and heading back to the Gryffindor table with a sense of happiness and excitement he could hardly contain. He couldn’t believe it...

He was going on a date with (Y/N) Bristol!

[seramilla]

Another idea for homophobic heaven au where the elders have Sera try to get Carmilla to reveal who her lover is. Sera who both out of fear and not wanting to go against whatever Carmilla said hasn’t reveled it to them. The elders are outside the cell listening to them as Sera goes into to talk to Carmilla who has suffered. Sera who is willing to get in trouble if it means helping Carmilla tells her to tell the truth about your love and she would want you to be safe to keep the elders from figuring out it’s her and Carmilla telling Sera that they would punish her and I love her too much to do that. It ends with no progress and Sera in tears the elders think because she’ll lose her friend

"I would like to see the prisoner."

If the guards standing watch over Carmilla's cell question Sera's presence at the Elder's jail, they don't voice as much. Looking at one another briefly, the guards move their weapons out of the way and stand aside. Sera enters standing tall and at attention, betraying none of the anxiety and panic that's coursing through her body at that moment.

Carmilla's cell is easy to find. She's the only one being held prisoner. Very few in Heaven test the limits of what would make them end up in this place. Where she's being imprisoned is right next to the entrance, her cell encased with bars infused with angelic steel. Even touching the bars would be quite painful for an angel. Based on the burn markings across the metal, Sera can tell Carmilla has already tried to do so, in multiple places across the expanse of her prison, and failed.

Carmilla paces around her enclosure, as if she hasn't been practically beaten bloody to the point of collapse. It's just like Carmilla to not show weakness. Even to her own detriment, when all else is hopeless. It's one of the things Sera loves most about her.

"You came," Carmilla says. It's curt, and to the point. Sera's not certain she'd have the energy to say much else.

Sera wants to go right up next to the bars, hug Carmilla desperately through them, and stroke her face, and tell her everything will be all right. Unfortunately, the guards are right outside. They would notice the two angels embracing immediately through the little window at the entrance.

Also, she doesn't want to be burned like Carmilla. Walking out with scorch marks would give her away just as much as a hug would.

"Of course I did," Sera says, with as much composure as she can. "How could I not? Carmilla...what have they done to you?"

Carmilla laughs, but it's pained. "I tolerated the 'torture' they put me through. I thought the Elders were made of stronger stuff than this. They must think I'm weak. They went easy on me."

Sera walks up to the bars. As close as she can, without touching.

"Carmilla. You need to...tell them the truth. There's a chance they might let you go. You could get a reduced sentence."

Carmilla smiles, and huffs. Doing her best not to betray herself or Sera to the guards who are almost certainly listening outside.

"And what? Have my...my lover suffer the same fate? I don't think so. Not happening."

"I can help you!" Sera says, getting much too close to the bars than she should be. The steel reacts to her angelic presence, vibrating at the force of her angelic abilities, but not harming her. Yet. "I can advocate for you better out there, than in here!"

Carmilla stands. She also moves toward the bars, until they're practically within touching distance, the gentle hum of the bars vibrating in response to two angelic beings standing so close. Carmilla flinches slightly. It's muscle memory, at this point.

"No," Carmilla says, without further preamble. Then, looking at Sera with all the words she cannot voice aloud, telling her how she really feels with her eyes only, and that the love she has for her is not worth sacrificing Sera for a lesser sentence, Carmilla backs away slowly, and goes to lie down on the pathetic excuse for a cot they've provided for her.

"Carmilla!" Sera says, standing much too close. The cloth of her sleeves singes a little bit, and she pulls her arms away quickly, before her hands burn. "Please! Let me help you! I--"

"Out of the question," Carmilla retorts, lying down now, turned away from Sera, so the Seraphim can no longer see her face. "Goodbye, Sera."

Sera waits until she's outside of earshot of the prison before she breaks down. She falls to her knees, tears falling from both eyes like twin waterfalls. She wails. Loudly, longingly, for the woman she loves. Knowing that their fate is never to see one another again. Carmilla will fall. She is as good as dead, at this point. She doesn't know how she'll ever find happiness again.

[blazinghotfoggynights]

Can I get my 911 with a double side of drama and a pitcher of messiness?

I love it when fictional characters are being scandalous or whumped. It's okay to have no morals or limits in fiction.

Spice up the entertainment. Make it hurt so good! Bring the mess!

There. I said it.

That was liberating. Anywho.

In one of my perfect 'verses, the remainder of season 7 would be Eddie getting fully involved with Shannon 2.0, who has no idea he is with Marisol, Eddie being caught in bed with his side piece by Marisol, who tells the whole 118 Eddie is a cheating scumbag, and then a reveal that the woman doesn't even look like Shannon.

The season would end with some type of major emotional trauma pushing Eddie and Buck both over the edge. I need Eddie Diaz to be in a mental breakdown. Not a minor one, I mean a life-altering, mind-shattering, reality-altering breakdown.

Seeing Eddie suffering triggers something in Buck and it sets him on a path filled with confusion, because he doesn't understand why he is hurting so much watching Eddie suffer.

Season 8 could follow Eddie through his mental health, and possible physical health, journey, Buck through the difficulties of balancing being there for the Diazes with the demands of work and his boyfriend, and how the whole 118 rallies to support one of their own while thoroughly calling him out for his actions.

I want to see fighting the truth, slowly rising from denial, jealousy, resentment, anguish. Give it to me! You could have Eddie trying to ignore something he has known most of his life, Buck unsure of where to focus his attention, Tommy demanding Buck be more present and if that means cutting down on his time with Eddie and Christopher, so be it.

Just those three things would be fuel for a whole season of five alarm fire! There could be opportunities for numerous confrontations and conversations between characters who have historically had little to no interaction. There could be fighting, breakups, makeups, bad choices, regrets, etc.

Then, at the end, there is a final showdown. That could be huge and inclusive of all the main characters and many of the recurring. There could be secrets revealed, ugly crying with lots of loud sobs and snot, ultimatums, begging, and so much more.

Realistically, if the show got a season 9, the arcs could be stretched into that season.

I am a Buddie endgame girl; however, I'd love to see Eddie and Buck explore their true selves independently of each other initially. I'd like to see the BuckTommy relationship evolution as more than a stepping stone. I just hope for, and prefer, Buddie endgame.

I am saying this as a staunch Buddie girl over the past six years: If Buddie happens, it should not happen now. Eddie Diaz is too messed up right now to be with anyone. His actions are going to cause trouble and whoever is in the blast radius when his BS blows up will get burned.

Say it with me:

Characters can have other relationships then eventually get together. BuckTommy and Buddie can coexist, PEACEFULLY, within the same fictional show. Wank makes fandom sad.

(I felt I should add that after completing this post, it somehow turned into the outline for a new fic. Can very long sighs cause harm to your lungs, because right now...)

[lukaslosteyelashes]

I really wanted to post this before the London Special, also I’m sorry in advance if anything is incoherent or not grammarly correct. I had a bit of a trouble collecting my thoughts and write this but I tried my best.

Anyways, let’s go!

*Edit: I was wrong lol

Tomoe Tsurugi was the main reason why people now view Gabriel Agreste as a hero of Paris

At first I haven’t thought much about the season 5 finale, overall I liked it, but then it started to bug me: why was it necessary to make Gabriel Agreste the hero of Paris, how did it happen and whose idea was it, who would benefit from it?

Ladybug/Marinette

She probably had to make a public announcement to the media at some point that Monarch was defeated, that’s a topic that cannot be avoided after all, and there is also the fact that Gabriel Agreste died at the end of that fight.

Gabriel is a famous fashion designer, a public figure who, even though spent the last bit of his life basically isolated, is known far and wide. His death would be something that shakes the rich and the poor alike. So what would happen if Marinette would reveal that their adored fashion designer was also the villain that kept the entire population of Paris in terror? Nothing good and his son, Adrien would suffer the most because of it.

If we’re at Adrien. There is also Gabriel’s final wish, which was to keep this a secret from his son, so Adrien could only remember the times when he was trying to be a good father to him [which happened like once or twice during the 5 seasons].

Would Ladybug call Gabriel a hero to the press?

I don’t think so, maybe not intentionally, the press could put a lot of pressure on people. I can imagine that Ladybug being confused of what happened and also distressed that she couldn’t find the butterfly miraculous, so she might said something that she didn’t meant or the press made her say things.

Marinette probably fulfilled Gabriel’s final wish because she wants Adrien to be happy and free and spilling the beans about everything would achieve the opposite. With Gabriel’s death there’s no Monarch anymore either, that’s what matters no one really needs to know that the two were the same (not even his son). It’s an end of an era and the beginning of a (not so promising) new one.

Side note: Do you remember that in "Conformation" Ladybug sent a message to Chat Noir that Gabriel Agreste is Monarch? Adrien still can learn about the truth from her IF the message came through.

Nathalie

She was Gabriel’s accomplice from the start who would have helped him as Mayura until the end if he didn’t went off from his original plan. But as Gabriel went more and more crazy and the videos about Emilie waked her up. Also during the time she was bedridden she had plenty of time reflecting on her wrong doings as well.

Although, she wasn’t able to do much to stop Gabriel because of the state that she was in near the end and if she revealed the truth about Monarch then she would also get found out.

Natalie was definitely shocked and confused but also happy to learn about Gabriel’s final choice, still she wouldn’t declare him as a hero after everything that he did, and she definitely feels guilty of what she did as well, but would play along for the sake of Adrien’s happiness.

Lila (or whatever her real name)

Since we yet to learn what her true motives are, I don’t have much of an idea what she would do and why, but she’d definitely benefit form this situation.

Lila figured out Hawkmoth's true identity much earlier than Marinette and she was also able to collect informations about him and his past and most certainly knows that Adrien is a sentimonster as well. And let's not forget that she was able to seize the butterfly miraculous and rumored to be the next Hawkmoth. Because of these she has some advantage and could reveal the truth to Adrien, to Paris and to the World at any moment. And for this reason, Gabriel being a celebrated hero, comes in handy for her.

Just imagine this situation: Lila wants Marinette to loose everything and become pitiful. And what would make Marinette more distressed than seeing her beloved boyfriend being miserable? So Lila would reveal the truth to Adrien with showing all of the information that she collected as a proof, Adrien starts to loose all trust in his late father and Nathalie, maybe even in his late mother as well. He had already shown signs of being emotionally unstable before and this would be the last straw, not even Marinette would be able to comfort him. Lila, of course would observe the situation carefully from afar, waiting for the right opportunity. Adrien because of all of this, became so careless that he transforms into Chat Noir which Lila saw and akumatize him. Then BOOM... Chat Blanc became the future that Ladybug wanted to avoided at all cost...

That’s one hell of a scenario, but seeing how Lila became so obsessed with completely destroying Marinette, I think she’d do something like that. Also with having an as powerful akumatized ally as Chat Blanc on her side she'd be unstoppable.

So what’s the deal with Tomoe Tsurugi?

At first I thought that she would be furious about Gabriel messing up their whole plan about gaining Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s miraculouses to create a new world with a wish, but Tomoe likely realized that she could very well use this to her advantage and created this image about Gabriel as the hero of Paris. But why would she needed to do that?

The Alliance rings

The Alliance rings basically were one of the biggest main issues in the 5th season. They were created by Gabriel and Tomoe which was known all across the Globe, there was a whole marketing campaign about it, featuring Adrien and Lila, later Kagami.

When the Alliance rings started to turn almost every users into a Ladybug and Chat Noir hunting robot, every sane person instantly thought about Monarch making all the mess. But how come no one seems to connect the whole ruckus to Gabriel and Tomoe? [It shouldn’t be a surprise since the majority of the characters are blind.] Even if no one suspects either to be Monarch, the happenings should connect Gabriel and Tomoe to him in some way.

So I think, Tomoe wanted to avert suspicion by creating this hero image.

The head of the Tsurugi Industries probably wasn’t pleased that her partner in crime changed his mind last minute, had a different wish than they agreed on and Ladybug was able to get back all the miraculouses (except Nooroo). Now she also has to face the possiblity of getting caught, that people would slowly [really slowly] start to realize that she also had something to do with all of this. So how could she be able to avert the suspicion?

By playing the victim.

Deceiving the public by saying that her and Gabriel were both used by Monarch and that they couldn’t do anything because they were threatened with Adrien’s and Kagami’s life, so their only choice was to help him hijack the Alliance rings. With that it was easy to see Gabriel’s action as heroic because in the eyes of the people he just wanted to save his son by sacrificing himself, and Tomoe is also able to continue her pursue for the miraculouses without people suspecting anything.

To make things worse, she’s now taken over the Agreste brand, and it also looks like all those inventions, to make Paris more eco friendly [you can see them at the end of the season 5 finale] are also products of the Tsurugi Industries. And let's be real, I'm certain that she wants to control Paris from the background by swamping the city with her machines. The statue of Gabriel, which was created from the remaining Alliance rings, looks suspicious as well.

I hope it's not a complete bs theory