#i don't know how much of the calendar i can show as to not spoil the integrity but!!!!

[burningarsenic]

AFTER LONG LONG DAYS OF WAITING IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!

Thank you so much to all the artists and @gfhunklescalendar for organizing this!

So many awesome amazing drawings!!! And the grids are all so charming and incredible and augh!!!! I was so afraid i wouldn't be able to get my hands on one of these after the 2022 calendar was sold out but here we are!!

As a big Mucha appreciator i was extremely pleasantly surprised by the thank you page drawing too :)

[yandere-paramour]

I don't know if you have done this already, but atalanta x darling arranged marriage au?

Atalanta's Arranged Marriage

As part of her unofficial education, Atalanta grows up knowing all the other socialites by sight. She has played with their children, gone to school with them, seen them at galas, all the necessary stuff. So when her parents inform her that she is to marry you, she has a dim view of who you are. The youngest daughter of a tech mogul, new money, a few years younger than herself, with dark hair. Atalanta, being a good obedient daughter, agrees with no complaint.

She is a dutiful fiancee. She handwrites a letter expressing how delighted she is to marry you and asks to meet you for dinner one night, sending along a large bouquet of flowers. You can't refuse a Montclair and you definitely can't refuse your future wife, so you write back accepting. Glad to have your acceptance, Ata has Noelle schedule the meeting in her calendar for next week and then puts it out of her mind for now.

Atalanta had seen you before, so she vaguely knew how you looked, but she had never expected the electrifying spark of attraction at the sight of you. Before, you were just some girl, a pretty new socialite, a daughter afraid of taking the wrong step and ruining the conglomerate your father built, but not anymore. Never anymore.

You would be hers; Her intended, her lover, her wife. The newest lady of the Montclair family. Hers.

Atalanta stands to greet you, politely ignoring your scared look, and kisses your hand, "Hello Darling, I am Atalanta Montclair. Pleased to meet you."

You're so cute when you stammer out a return greeting, the sweet redness on your face showing your embarrassment. Chivalrously, Ata pulls your chair out and settles you in, pushing you up to the table. Gracefully, she takes the seat across from you.

Atalanta is incredibly interested in you. She gently steers you away from alcohol, wanting all of you, everything you can tell her. She encourages you to eat well, to tell her about your childhood, your schooling, your hopes and dreams. She can make them happen for you, Darling; just tell her. Any questions about herself are quickly answered but not in depth. The focus tonight is you.

From then on Ata is obsessed. She has Noelle dig up information about you, any fact she can find from the day of your birth on. She has one of her own people tail you, she doesn't trust your security to keep you safe. She texts you multiple times a day, telling you good morning and good night, reminding you to eat well and drink water, asking if she might see you tonight. To try and be romantic, she writes letters to you with her own hand, praising your beauty and grace and telling you how much she misses you. She sends you presents, things Noelle tells her that you would like. Diamond jewelry, rare flowers, clothes made from the softest silks, you are spoiled and all of society knows you are the Montclair's new Princess. People begin to treat you differently; nobles who used to secretly look down on you for being new money now seem afraid of upsetting you, and ones who openly scorned you now give you a wide berth.

Wedding plans are imminent. Atalanta gives you full reign to pick whatever you like, saying "She exists to make you happy". All the loving attention from a beautiful celebrity makes your heart flutter, but it is also a bit suffocating. Your parents don't seem to be the same anymore; any minor decision is now yours and Your own Father who previously regarded you as little more than a possession now talks about your fiancee like she is a goddess.

Atalanta is... truly the complete package. She's gorgeous, rich, intelligent, and she completely dotes on you, treating you like a princess. You enjoy the numerous gifts and the gentle kisses and care she provides for you, even the letters she writes to you with her own hand. She takes you anywhere you want, the aquarium, the botanical gardens, her private box at the theatre, and she always holds your hand, dutifully following behind you as you point out all the things that catch your eye.

Your wedding grows closer. You pick the flowers, the cake, and the food, and you get fitted for your dress. Atalanta informs you that she will be wearing a matching white suit and vest, and the immediate warm gush between your legs shows how you feel about that. You are nervous, terrified even, but Ata gently assuages your fears. She will be as loving and attentive a wife as she is a fiancee, so don't worry. She will always take care of you.

The night before your momentous wedding, you receive one last present, a large box delivered by an intense woman with light blonde hair, a woman you know to be Atalanta's assistant. She informs you of the instructions your future wife sent, "Open while alone".

Later in your room, you pull at the satin ribbon and open the large box to find another handwritten card,

I eagerly await our union tomorrow, Darling. I am so excited to be married to you. I had these picked out with you in mind; I do hope I am not being too forward. Please pick whichever you like best. Don't be nervous for tomorrow night, my love. As promised, I will always take care of you - Ata 💙

Lifting up the white tissue paper unveils... lingerie in varying colors and styles, all perfectly sized to your body. There is also one... underwear set? A silk bra and panties, the same color as your skin. Your face immediately heats up with recognition; These are meant to be worn tomorrow, under your wedding dress, the wedding dress currently hanging up in the closet of your room.

Hands shaking, you turn your attention to the lingerie. 5 distinct types: Babydoll, Corset, Teddy, Chemise, and two lacy matching sets. Your face is burning by the end, a short silk robe. As mortified as you are, you appreciate the robe. As much as your wife wants to see you in these... strings of fabric on your wedding night, she included some covering, purely for the sake of your comfort.

You flop back in your bed surrounded on all sides by silken, laced underthings. You squeal in excitement, kicking your legs. Only 14 more hours. Tonight is your final night in this bed, the bed of your childhood self. You take a deep breath. You will be a married woman tomorrow, a wife to the sweet, considerate, handsome woman who cherishes you. You will be hers and she will be yours, and you will finally, finally get to touch the soft, creamy skin that's been plaguing your most secret dreams.

You wonder if, across the city, Atalanta is in her bed, thinking the same thoughts about you.

You hope she is.

[rotten-mob]

Fantasizing about an equally obsessed boy. . .

TW// Positive response to being stalking + being aware of it ‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Imagine having a stalker boyfriend who knows you fully embrace that side of him, but he still gets flustered asking you to position your phone like a camera when you're gonna be in one spot for awhile. It'd make staring longingly at you through your hacked camera. His brain empty, only you in that moment. Of course, he could just ask to face time more often. But that's so embarrassing to ask in his mind! What if you didn't want to? Will you knowing make you be on edge or put on a façade? He wants to see you in your natural state afterall! He wants to see the mistakes you make and the face of relief you put on when you believe no one could've seen it. . . but of course he texts you his commentary on your mistake. Telling you how cute you were for making such a dumb and pitiful mistake. On normal spontaneous darling-viewings, he could text you his favorite screenshots of you he took in the past hour (of course and the silly looking ones too! Even your 'unflattering' angles make him pant and drool in disbelief of how adorable and charming you are)

For a date night, you two could sit together at home. Looking through and sorting his collection of photos of you he snuck so you could put it in a scrapbook for him to keep. Its not fair for him to be forced to go through periods of time where he cant see you. At least with the scrap book, he has proof of the love you share. Of course he has his own private folder on his device(s) with a password to keep it protected. Luckily, you know him well enough to guess the code, letting you in to see what he wants to keep from you so bad. . . Ah! That's where he keep it! His treasure. Your voice on recordings, photos, videos, obsessive love posts he related to and saved to smile at later.

You show him what you found to tease him and he instantly goes red and starts making excuses! C'mon. He's well aware you know. But he can't help but get nervous as to your response to him. He knows many finds it creepy. But that worrying side of him is so loveable!! ‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

(To spoil myself, I'll switch some of the pronouns💕)

What? Of course you can follow and take note of my every move! But know i'm gonna do all I can to subtly keep your attention on me. As a treat, i'll pretend I haven't learned to spot your giveaways and act like I don't know you're there. I tease and tease you, just so much! Every now and then, I'll let you believe this moment is something only you know. Something I'm completely oblivious of.

I'll make you completely reliable on me. You think you have one over on me, but that's only because I love your smug and guilty expressions. I can't help but spoil you. . . you love me so much after all, our love is mutual no matter our label. I'll purposefully keep my phone calendar up-to-date so you know what time to keep open for me. On our calls, I'll accidentally show the wrong tab when I share my screen. Maybe my rejection messages and private 'gushes' about you to my friends. I don't want you to think im not open for you after all. Though at times, I'll let you be anxious im socializing more, making you desperate for me. When you 'run into' me i'll take that fear away and remind you I love you so much (platonically or romantically!). You were silly for questioning my affection. I wouldn't work this hard for someone I wasn't head-over-heels for. I'll give you the motivation to keep involving yourself in what you love.

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹ (Polyamory!) Oh? You want to stalk your other lover today, too? Cool! I'm coming too, dear! Not because I don't approve or am suspicious of you. I just want to see the faces of love and desire you make when you're just so dazed in passion. Don't worry, I'll make you look natural to everyone else so you're not questioned. Keep your camera roll clean enough in case of an impulsive "photoshoot". Anything you want. I'll give it to you. Promise 💕

[kiyoitiepie]

My Favorite BL Dramas of 2023

happy new year to everyone who uses the gregorian calendar. we had so much good content come out this year. i'm gonna list my favs. please remember these are my personal faves and may be objectively terrible. do not be alarmed.

My Beautiful Man S2 and Movie

If you ask me this series is one of the best bls of all time. idc idc. im a hira and kiyoi girlie through and through. how many bl's do you know with 2 seasons and an original movie. not those repackaged ones that they try to hand feed us. an actual movie with a plot???? the bar is on the floor clearly. but hira and kiyoi are gonna surpass that bar every. single. time.

Love Tractor

I didn't hear enough people screaming about Love Tractor. crickets tbh. Which is blasphemous in my opinion. How could you be quiet when this lovely bumbling himbo with the dopiest grin is on your screen? look at him!!

Eighth Sense

10's across the board. No question. No notes.

this scene^ BROKE me

Our Dining Table

Ok hear me out. I didn't think this was the best bl in the world BUT it was so wholesome that it deserves a spot. top tier comfort show. It got me through many bad days. Admittedly, there were a few times I purposely put it on bc i knew it would put me to sleep. please don't jump me.

Unintentional Love Story

Now...I'm not a huge kbl person. However, this was really nice. Had a solid plot. I don't remember much abt it but I know there was pottery and I had a good time

Only Friends

This was culture. This was a movement. I will never forgive them for how they treated Boston. Even still, I was there every week ready for the chaos. I had the time of my life.

Bed Friend

It's hard to believe this came out this year. Like ??? But really that shows how much I've established this show as a classic in my mind. BED FRIEND? UEA? baddest bitch in the land?? KING? greenest flag out there???? (debatable but for the sake of my argument lets pretend). It had every element. good plot, great visuals, a little heat. like come on who else is doing it like them?

i just know if me and uea were ever in the same room he would judge me so much

Dangerous Romance

I've seen mixed reviews on this one but I had a fun time. Kanghan is a prissy little spoiled brat, but he's my prissy little spoiled brat. I loved their story progression. Which is saying a lot for me bc I don't like enemies to lovers. like why are we fighting? also "i'm an introvert" is the funniest shit i've heard all year.

La Pluie

this was so shockingly good i wish it got more attention. iqiyi in general really did their big one this year. when it rains you can only hear your soulmate? love!

Laws of Attraction

this was a rollercoaster. i started watching ironically because i thought it would be terrible when i saw the mc go super saiyan. that shit is still hilarious idc.

Love Syndrome III

Now before we start throwing tomatoes...let's hear me out. Nothing has caught my attention this year the way this series did. This was another series I was watching ironically until suddenly i wasn't. It's also just so funny that they released the third one without dropping a first or second. but bad bitches don't need to explain themselves. and YES love syndrome is a bad bitch. let's stop acting like we watch bl's solely for the quality. i don't need marvel cgi to have a good time. sometimes a dollar store wig and the most toxic couple you've ever seen is enough to make some shit shake. if this was released during the tharntype era??? oh bitches would've ate it up. HAPPILY. rant over.

Last Twilight

it's good man. what more can i say? i hope it doesn't disappoint me in the end.

Pit Babe

i'm very pleased. very much so. i know alot of folks went into this show expecting a little teehee. to laugh at the omegaverse racecar show. NOT ME. i've waited for this moment. and anyone who's seen me screaming in the tag can attest. this is a game changer. not just for bl but the fandom community at large. and don't even get me started on their chemistry. babe's smile whenever he's around charlie?? mama and papa?? MAMA AND FUCKING PAPA?? we deserve this and i will bask in it for as long as I can. jeff had better be pregnant by the end of the show.

^ that’s his charlie smile 🥲

[cboffshore]

Back when I started writing An Evening with Operation: Cortado, I made myself a little promise: every time I felt grouchy about something and felt the need to vent (not even always fandom related, tbh, sometimes it was just silly everyday stuff), I would vent and then follow up with a bit of worldbuilding for the fic. Anything at all to redirect the grouchy energy.

Well. I've been grumpy lately, about a lot of things and places and events, and I have fallen behind on my atonement. However, I'm solidly in OSSAS season on my writing calendar, which means pure Cortado thinking isn't on the table.

So, to make sure I hit both targets: I'm going to blather about my OC Landon for a while. And then it's going to turn weirdly dramatic and poignant, I think, but... it's worth it, I promise.

(Note: if you are not caught up on the OSSAS series or Cortado, OR are not in the market for potential spoilers for either of those, do not proceed beyond this point until those are no longer true statements for you. This is about to spoil both some in-text and meta stuff for both works, and also won't make sense without knowing either of those. Also, some of this may be subject to change; this is where Landon sits right now.)

So, if you need a refresher, here's

History of Landon 101 - Meta Studies

While working on Coughing Up Feathers, I needed a named background pirate for Nadakhan to address... By name. I didn't like any of the background mook options, so I decided a homemade OC would be better. As a show reference and a small apology for how much bullshit I was about to put Nadakhan through, I decided to make the episode 61 crew naming dream a reality and just... give him a guy who was already named Landon. It was funnier than just pulling one of the background minifigures from a set and using them, at least, and it ended up being useful for If I Can Think (Of Something Clever).

That's as far as it was ever supposed to go. Until Cortado hit, and I needed people to populate the Skybound Death Club, and I thought... hey. He'd have a fun insider crew perspective. And there he was! Of course, even though I never use it in Cortado (and idk if I'll have space to), that meant cooking up a backstory for him, just like I did for everyone else around that table. So, for the first time ever:

Here's how Landon ended up on the pirate crew (aka History of Landon 102 - In-Universe)

Circa episode 61 - after the Landon crewmate mission flops and it's established the Keep is accepting any civilian that makes it up and wants to be there - Landon is a perfectly normal, somewhat aimless, fresh out of high school guy still a little woozy from a yearlong bout of senioritis. He's either on a gap year or just waiting to head off to college, where he'll major in Undecided and waffle about a Miscellaneous minor for a while; he doesn't know. I don't know, either. For now, Landon's just doing whatever catches his eye (and can be financed on a low-paying summer job taking tickets at the history museum).

Anyway, he's off doing Stupid Teenager Shit with his buddies (nothing criminal - maybe goofing around on a playground after it's closed, leaf blower on a merry-go-round type Stupid Teenager Shit. A few notches under whatever made Gerard Way write "Teenagers"), and naturally: they get around to chatting about the bizarre stuff going on in the city around them. Specifically: the landmasses going missing, and those big moving dark spots above the clouds, and if there's a link - or if it's just two competing alien factions trying to out-weird each other.

In fact... there's a piece of lawn slowly tearing itself out of the ground twenty feet away. Right now.

Seeing this, someone goes: hey. Here's an idea. Whoever falls off the merry-go-leafblower first has to get on that chunk of land and see where it goes. Who's in?

All hands shoot up. Everyone here is into Stupid Teenager Shit, after all, and this sounds like the qualifier round for the Stupid Teenager Shit Tournament. Landon revs up the leafblower and everyone clambers on.

I feel like you can fill in the blanks from there.

Anyway, Landon makes it all the way up, and gets onto the crew - with honors, based on the gleam in the weird floaty captain's eye once he tells him his name. No resume, no interview - he's immediately on first-name basis here and has no idea why, but hey, it beats taking tickets for temp exhibits!

With that, and the brief, bizarre career in piracy that follows: Landon wins the Stupid Teenager Shit Tournament, and nobody down on the merry-go-leafblower ever finds out. Reset and all that.

Which segues nicely into the big thing I wanted to wax poetic about:

What's Landon up to after the reset?

Minor Witness spoilers (or maybe not - I have no clue if I'll even be able to write this in): getting whacked by a soul slurping sword is kind of a life-changing event if you remember it. Cortado rules hold that those who are dead at the time of the reset are the ones who might remember it (this is to keep all those EMs in there out of the party, just because I can), and Landon - patron saint of plot convenience - gets lucky! The sword prison counts as being dead, or at least dead enough to land him back on the high school stage when the reset kicks in during graduation, all his memories intact. And that's a weird, weird feeling, to know that somewhere in this existence, you have technically been dead before you were ever handed your diploma. (I think. I've never experienced that but I'm sure it would be odd.)

His first thought: okay. I'm not going to any playgrounds after dark this summer.

His second thought: maybe I'll major in history. Figure out what that crew's deal really was.

Landon manages to keep the summer museum job going strong; he finds he likes the art wing best, and he takes that to college with him: history major with as many Era of the Stone Warrior specialities as possible, art minor for the fun of it (and for the very legitimate underwater basketweaving elective). Once or twice, he asks his classmates if anyone's even seen a pirate recently or lost a parking space to the sky, but nothing takes.

He starts to wonder if maybe he just spaced out during graduation and dreamt it all up.

But it feels so real. And he's paid all that tuition money in pursuit of answers, so... why not see where it goes?

How about after The Merge? How'd he find the club?

In the Cortado timeline, Dragons Rising (when the fic takes place) happens approximately ten years after Skybound would have. This gives Landon enough time to finish his four year bachelor's (maybe five - he seems a super senior type) and get well into a graduate program. Surprise, surprise: he's got an era picked out and he's studying art history and artifact dating front that era, all those unanswered questions about his deleted experience on the brink of being solved.

As such, his internship hours place him as a materials analyst and research assistant at some Crossroads-based inter-realm art preservation museum institute thing. I haven't picked a good name yet. Sue me. Anyway, he's enjoying his work, but nothing's really standing out to him... until his staff advisor tells him they've got a special assignment for him to lead a team on. They bring him to a small, one-painting exhibit, almost entirely set up... except for the plaque. That's where Landon comes in, because nobody else on staff has been able to get it, and there's some stuff in here that kinda lines up with his chosen focus era, right? Why not throw the intern at it, see if he sticks and can come up with something informative?

Anyway, Landon and his advisor round the corner and see this:

(Why? Because Landon is MY OC and I get to choose which of my works he interacts with. It's pretty much all of the Skybound related ones, by the way; they're all connected because I say so.)

Despite this painting being entirely anachronistic and making no sense... Landon's seen it before. Something like it, anyway, or someone, in the flesh and at a fitting she did not want to attend, and a much lamer outfit...

Oh, yeah. That's a thesis project if he's ever seen one.

Every time he sees the portrait during research sessions, he swears the veil gets longer. Or shorter. Or floatier. It moves a lot despite there being no draft in its little nook. Nobody else he's asked seems to be able to track the veil's changes, or even notice, but Landon doesn't really mind. When it hits the floor, he can sneak an extra sample for chemical analysis, and nobody knows... so it's fine. It's not haunted, probably, and hey, he gets to do the research and write the plaque and cut the ribbon when the exhibit opens! That's cool!

And then one day: he's doing some followup research during a normal museum day, holding impromptu discussions with everyone who stops in for a look and jotting down any comments about the veil. Mostly, he's just explaining how nobody knows how the veil is attached, or who painted it - until there's a girl in a band tee who comes by three days in a row, and every time, she takes a little longer with it than the other visitors. She's got a head of seafoam-shaded braids and a question on the third day that makes Landon's heart just about stop:

"What's up with the veil? It was touching the floor yesterday, and the day before, but now it's barely past the frame."

They get to talking. Landon lets her in on a secret: nobody else has ever asked. No, never! Maybe nobody else has ever noticed. Why her? Does she remember things nobody else seems to be able to see, he jokes?

Turns out: she does. And, apparently, so do a handful of others, and this girl is friends with all of them.

It's Wednesday night, and the museum closes at seven. After a breathless half-an-hour speed walk to the artsy district downtown, Landon steps into the CrossRoast, and for the first time, he realizes... it's not just him who remembers things nobody else can see.

And it never, ever has been.

(And, uh... Yeah. I've been meaning to make that link official for a while now. I had more to say about Landon, I think, but I really wanted that backstory out more than anything. If I remember my other points, I'll make them.So, until I get to updating Cortado again: take this instead of a proper chapter. Hope you had fun! I sure did!)

[noonajoe]

When She Forgets Her Birthday (Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader)

"At Least Don't Forget Your Most Special Day"

Word Count: 600+

©noonajoe (Published on 6 March 2023 - 20:52 Bangkok Time) this story is not going to be sold, modified, or translated in any manner.

At first, he will forget because this person is actually experienced in dates, he knew when he forgot important dates he will be smAcKed *just kidding*

Today it’s your birthday and you act cold towards, him. Why? Because it's Q4 of the year, you have many jobs to do at the office. Kuroo didn’t mind that, it is just how it is, you’re a pretty busy career woman but still trying hard to be at home punctual because Kuroo often asks “going home late again? Can I have you 1 hour earlier today :(“

2 days have passed but somehow, it’s November. Huh? That’s weird, in October they are supposed to celebrate only 1 important day: your birthday. Kuroo was confused and checked his phone again, and he just receive a notification entitled “Y/N’s birthday” has passed 2 days late!

He was confused, and called her, “hon, you’re okay, right?”

“Uh? Really Tetsu, don’t mention your stupid prank/confusing questions now I’m still in the middle of work”

“Wow honey, you changed a lot” he pouted, well she forgot her own birthday and she didn’t even remember something missing around her? Okay this woman is pretty something

“Sorry honey, I’m just pretty stressed, I’m going back late again okay:( I’m so sorry for not cooking for you a whole week”. Ok but Tetsu is like, ‘honey sweetie please be sad a little that I forgot your birthday 🙁

They end up their conversation at 8 PM

He goes to the nearest bakery/convenience store/okonomiyaki stand, just anything to make a little surprise for his girlfriend, even tho it’s just a little. 

“I’m home, Tetsu?” the room was pitch black, and she didn’t see anything

He showed up, bringing a self-made pancake with waffles and ice cream, decorated with candles, and a piece of paper written “Happy Late 25th Birthday Kitten! Sorry your man here didn’t find any cakes left on the streets”

“Oh….?” she was confused while Kuroo is singing her happy birthday, and she checked the calendar. “Oh my dear, thank you for remembering it, Tetsu...”

“Seriously? You didn't remember? Even a little?” he asked

“Uh… yeah, well it's late for 2 days... so....”

“No one said happy birthday to you? Last 2 days?” he asked again.

“No one, hon” she said sadly. Well, Kuroo does know that Y/N hates birthdays because she didn’t have any friends, and also her parents were not remembering her day much because of financial problems since she was little, she always stays with her grandma yet she never celebrate her birthday. Not even once. She often sad when she saw her friends celebrating their birthday with their parents and relatives. that’s why before she met Kuroo, she always forgets her birthday. At first she just dont want to remember, but later she just forgets it. poor woman:(

“Kitten you have me now, okay? Please just let me spoil you with any stupid gifts, even I will give you a car on your special birthday” He strokes her head, hoping her to just depending on him more, it's her special day.

“Nuh-uh, no thank you mister rooster there. Car it's too expensive including maintenance, tax, and insurance. Just you remembering is more than enough for me” she answered him, kiss him on the cheek, and hugs him tightly because it's her 1st birthday to celebrate.

"Whatever then, that's really you. But remember if you forget your birthday again I will forcefully spoiling you" he hugging her back. She remembers Tetsu's important dates such as matches, birthday and even his cat's death anniversary. So he feel wrong not celebrating his darling girl.

“okay then, blow up the candles first please, don’t forget to make a wish” he laughs, stroking her head, leading her to blow the candles.

“Should I say my wishes out loud?” she jokingly asked him

“Well I will be glad to hear it, but if you don’t it’s okay. It’s your day, honey” he answered, with a smile, so many couples were angry when their partners forget their days but this time, it’s not so bad.

“My wish is you’ll stay remember again like this, even if it’s 2 days late” she blew up the candle.

[slashingdisneypasta]

(M.I.) It's not my school break, it's the niblings, and when everyone else has to be out of the house I have to make sure they don't burn it down. In their case, siblings are for conspiring with immediately after they've tried to kill each other. (Also, I can confirm that not all siblings will get you toilet paper. TMI: A few years back, before we knew I had problems with my thyroid gland, things went wonky once a month. So, there I am, stranded on the toilet with stuff coming out of every orifice. I call my sister, who happens to be on the computer, telling her I need a bucket because the garbage can is full, and get back "lemme finish this angry birds level." Bruh?)

Anyway, at long last, here is the next part. Also on AO3. Sorry in advance lol

                             A Little Over One Month Later

Nathanstill has a sense of time. He put a calendar up in the kitchen not long after arriving, saying he preferred knowing what day it was after losing track living on the streets. The date wasn't nearly as important as keeping himself warm and fed...right up until he realized it was New Year's and couldn't face another three sixty-five of the same thing.

Which means with or without The Cafe reminding you, you know it's Valentine's Day. The day Blackie is required to make a date with you during your free time or risk being locked up together.

He's been avoiding you lately and The Cafe feels too empty, too often. Nathan doesn't occupy the space in quite the same way. He's here and the building takes care of him, but he can't fix the wrongness. When Blackie's gone, The Cafe's missing a piece of itself.

You'd even venture to say the building feels sad.

He's still doing his job -throwing out tests and temptations- just staying away as much as possible. Leaving as soon as everything is resolved. Before he can be forced to spend any time alone with you.

In hindsight, kissing him was a bad idea. His disappearance left you feeling like an idiot and The Cafe off-kilter. Maybe you should've asked before making the whole thing awkward, but you didn't think you were wrong for assuming a mutual interest. Not with the way he looked at you sometimes. You thought he was only waiting for a sign to make a move.

Now you know it was never going to happen. When the building does manage to catch him, he ignores you. No teasing that borders on flirting. Not even an acknowledgment you're in the room. More often than not, The Cafe is forced to give up and let both of you out. You still have to do your jobs, after all. And sleep.

You're extremely grateful the meddling matchmaker hasn't made the two of you share a bed. You just know Blackie would 'accidentally' roll over and knock you in the floor on principle.

It's lonely without him. You've gotten spoiled to having him around making you laugh. Making him laugh. Not the quick, sardonic chuckle reserved for those he's toying with. This one is slightly insane and higher-pitched than expected.

Nathan keeps making the whole thing worse, asking what's wrong with your boyfriend. No matter how often you remind him that's not the case. It's obvious he's doing it on purpose. A 'joking' manifestation of his unfair grudge against you. Of course you're glad he's cheering up, but he needs to find a new way to amuse himself. It's nowhere near as funny to you.

Kinda painful, actually.

Blackie had disappeared this morning as soon as The Cafe became visible, leaving you to wake up in a place that was tangibly moping. He won't be back until a customer shows up.

How he just...knows when its safe to return, you've no idea. But you'd like to. To somehow fake whatever pull the customers exert on him.

You have breakfast in the center booth, halfheartedly eating pancakes and sipping cocoa while staring wistfully at the palm trees growing by the road. No idea yet if it's winter or summer out there, only that no one's taking you surfing, regardless. Sure, you could go alone, but the activity is too strongly associated with him.

Besides, half the fun lies in Blackie taking verbal potshots at your skill on those increasingly rare occasions you fall. (It only happens outside. Inside, The Cafe's always keeps you safely on the board.) Which then gives you the right to slap water in his face. The splash fights are your favorite part.

"Boyfriend gone again," Nathan asks from his spot at the counter, nursing a black coffee and scrambled eggs.

"Shut up," you mutter resentfully.

You don't have the heart to fire back more than that. The remark hurts and you don't need him rubbing salt in the wound when it already sucks being lonely for someone who doesn't want you around.

The door swings in, admitting a tall woman with red hair; her green sundress and the burst of warm air giving away which hemisphere you've landed in. Her eyes fall on Nathan, widening in shock at the same time he chokes on his coffee. You recognize her at once from the clips of his past.

"Maureen," he rasps.

There's a sparkle of gold on her finger you don't think he's seen, yet.

"Nate."

You're guessing the shock on her face is down to finding a cafe staffed by her ex-husband here on the other side of the world. She doesn't know he's dead. John Doe has yet to be identified.

Nathan is visibly uncomfortable, but you only have a moment to enjoy it before the entire building seems to perk up. The air righting itself. He doesn't seem to notice, though you suppose he must or will eventually. It's impossible to spend much time with The Cafe and not become acquainted with its moods.

The traitor in your chest gives a painful thump. Blackie's here. And he's probably going to pretend you don't exist.

"Surprised to see you doing an honest job," Maureen snarks at Nathan.

Reality glitches and Blackie is watching the exchange through the kitchen window. You can't help smiling to see him there.

"I couldn't ask for a better employee" he pipes up.

The other two jump. You bristle at the apparent dig, smile fading. Normally, Blackie doesn't care much for Nathan. More than once, you've heard the former make a snide remark about losing everything after another 'boyfriend' jab. It doesn't make any sense for Blackie to be playing wingman...except as a subtle way of telling you he'd caught your moon-eyed expression. Reminding you he wasn't interested.

"That's even more surprising," Maureen remarks. She glances from Nathan and over her shoulder to the door. "Maybe I should-"

You know she has to stay awhile. That it's important for Nathan.

You're going to help, even if he's an ass who doesn't deserve it. Jumping up from your breakfast, you steer her into the first booth.

"At least get something to go," you suggest with a coaxing smile you hate to admit learning from Blackie. "You must be hungry."

"Those pancakes do look good."

"I can personally guarantee they are. Made them myself."

Nathan isn't allowed anywhere near your food no matter how often he cooks for others. You don't trust him not to spit in it.

"Make it a double order." Her expression turns guilty. "For my husband."

For a moment, you're confused. Then Nathan shoves his plate of eggs across the counter to clatter on the floor. Making you realize she meant the new one. You give him a disapproving look, feeling an answering twinge in the air. The building hates a messy floor almost as much as it hates boredom.

Blackie tsks, reaching down and producing a napkin you know came from nowhere. He drops it through the window onto the eggs. Nathan gets the hint. Making his way over to kneel in the floor with a heavy sigh, he starts gathering bits of scramble and depositing them onto the napkin.

"Might want a broom for the rest," you snark quietly on your way past.

"Shut up," he mutters, as resentful as you had been.

"Don't be rude, Nate," Blackie calls through the window, tone just cheerful enough to be insulting.

You almost smile again at the way Nathan glares. For a moment, you and Blackie are on the same side. The urge passes when he very deliberately and conspicuously -to you, at least- hangs back as you enter the kitchen at the same time he's trying to leave. 

He's gone the second you clear the door. Sauntering over and plunking himself down across from Maureen.

"Honeymoon or anniversary," he asks casually.

"Honeymoon." Followed by another uncomfortable glance at Nathan.

"Thought I detected a 'new bride' glow."

Through the window, you see Nathan rise hastily to his feet, storming off toward the men's room. Likely going to his own or wherever else it is he goes to sulk. You've never bothered to ask.

"I really should leave," Maureen says, moving to do just that.

"Don't worry about ol' Nate," Blackie says, disarming her with the same smile you'd borrowed. "He'll be fine when the shock wears off."

The pancakes are on the griddle, but The Cafe is making the process excrutiatingly slow. Dragging things out until it can do the same with Nathan. Without asking, you add two sides of scrambled eggs -one with cheese- and crispy bacon. It's a sort of not-quite instinct to know that Maureen and her new husband will like them. Knowledge imparted by the building without words.

Blackie's chatting away with her, chipper as anything, and you're trying not to feel jealous. It's not like he's interested. She's married.

It's literally his job to steer people down a bad path. Cheating, for example...

Anyway! He wouldn't be interested in her. Even if she's built like the perfect cross between an Amazon warrior and a runway model. He just...wouldn't. Right? Right.

It's a relief when Nathan finally returns. To an outsider's eye, he's hesitant but willing to approach. To you, it's obvious he didn't agree to come back and The Cafe practically has him by the ear. Marching him over like a determined mother.

...Actually, that's an apt comparison. Scolding, worrying, matchmaking...it's all very maternal. Doesn't seem right, suddenly, to be calling the old girl 'it.'

As Nathan is drawn nearer to the booth, Blackie vacates the seat for him. You know. You just know as soon as those two resolve whatever they need to resolve, he'll disappear. Jealousy and hurt feelings have the words out before you can stop them. Whispered sadly to the pancakes.

"I wish Blackie would stop ignoring me."

Seven little words. A small tactical error. And...well, now you're in a Monkey's Paw of a situation.

Blackie can't avoid you here, in this ridiculously small room lit only by a single overhead bulb. Just enough light to see the way he's trying to stay pressed to the wall behind him and away from you. A thing which is next to impossible because you still have to breathe and every inhale is pushing certain parts inconveniently forward.

You try taking a step back, as well, only to run into a wall of your own. You can't hold your breath, either. Pausing for too long after an exhale just makes the next inhale even deeper. He tries putting his hands up as a barrier between your bodies, which proves to be a mistake. You breathe in sharply at the accidental grazing and he quickly folds his arms.

"Really," he snaps, looking up at the ceiling. "You're doing this now?"

You've never heard Blackie take that tone with The Cafe. Genuine anger. He listens to something you can't hear, clearly not happy with whatever it is.

"No, you're the one being stub-" He pauses, huffing indignantly. "No! Can't you take a hint?!" Another long pause, then he looks down at you accusingly. "Apparently, neither can you."

You know you're caught. But it's not like you meant to wind up here. Not exactly. Just...maybe he could look at you or say hi or something. That's all you'd wanted. 

"Sorry."

You mirror his posture, self-defensively apologetic, trying to block his elbows from touching things. The best and only way to get some distance.

For a roundabout definition, anyway. Emotional rather than physical, with your arms bumping in spite of the closed-off body language. He keeps tucking his shoulders in a weird, uncomfortable way. Trying to draw his arms closer to his body and away from yours. 

"You just had to make a wish, didn't you," he sneers.

"Again, I'm sorry. I just...I missed you, okay?"

Blackie raises a hand, rubbing at his forehead. He looks pained. Like you've just confessed to shooting his dog for fun.

"Terrific." There's as much defeat as anger in it. His jaw ticks as he looks up again. "See what you've done?...It's a ba- No, listen, it's a ba- Butt out, already!"

From your perspective, that was only a sputtering monologue. But he keeps doing it. You're undeniably curious.

"...Does The Cafe actually speak to you? In words?"

"Obviously." He waves away the question before returning fully to the defensive posture. "Don't change the subject."

"I wasn't trying-" It's your turn to look upward, blowing a strand of hair away from your forehead. "Alright. Look, I don't know what else I can say, here. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You realize we're stuck until this place gives up?"

It goes without saying that Nathan wouldn't open the door if he could. Not only would he laugh about this if he knew, but you can hear his voice raised in anger. Right alongside Maureen's. Apparently she'd finally disappeared without warning, not giving him another chance to woo her with more empty promises. Good strategy with that type, really. Can't say you blame her.

Oh! She was pregnant at the time. Ouch. You almost feel bad for ol' Nate. 

There's an idle thought given to the food you'd left cooking, but you don't believe The Cafe would burn it.

You also don't believe you're stuck. It doesn't take a genius to work out what she might want from this. Two people alone in a tiny closet. You're reminded of that old party game. The incredibly invasive one where couples are locked in for a grand total of-

"We might not...have to be," you venture awkwardly, giving Blackie a vaguely hopeful look. "...I'll bet I could get us out in, say...seven minutes."

From the slight widening of his eyes, he's definitely following your train of thought. He immediately turns you down, shaking his head for emphasis.

"Absolutely not. We're not doing that."

"Good odds," you argue, hurt that he's choosing now to refuse a bet. After trying all this time to lure you into one. "You know what she's like."

"She?"

You've never seen him confused. Eyebrows drawing together as he skeptically repeats the word. He winces suddenly, rolling his eyes and rubbing the side of his arm.

"Fine. She. And we're still not doing that."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

The hurt bleeds through in your tone, making you feel even more awkward. Now he'll know you wanted to kiss him. Like you hadn't already made that embarrassingly obvious.

"Yes. I'm pretending you're not here until the door opens."

"You know, I'm getting really sick of that!"

He starts to retort, then simply closes his mouth and heaves a sigh. Turning his gaze back to the ceiling. The silence stretches on uncomfortably.

You're not making it any less so by studying his profile. You can help it. He's right there, closer than he's been in weeks, and the beard really suits him. He's almost too handsome. Devilishly, one might say.

"Stop." 

Caught, you turn your own eyes to the ceiling. Trying a different bid for freedom:

"I wish we were out of here."

Back with Nathan and Maureen, who've progressed to name-calling. They could use a referee.

Blackie snorts derisively.

"You thought that would work?"

"No." Another long stretch of silence. "Maybe if we...talk about it?"

"Nothing to talk about."

"Apart from the massive elephant in the room," you scoff.

It's crowding you in, taking what little bit of space the two of you managed to carve out in here.

"I don't comment on your weight."

”Can you please take this seriously?”

You sigh and shift, not amused by the deflection. Bumping his knee with yours. He immediately retreats half an inch to the wall.

“Rather not."

You're going to have your say whether he likes it or not, and determinedly plow on.

"I just...thought we had something. On both sides."

"Took you longer than most," he says flatly. "I'll give you that."

"What?"

"We don't have 'something,'" he draws quotes around the word, once more sneering at you. "Not on my side, anyway. But you-" He shakes his head, all condescending pity. "What can I say? I was designed to be irresistible."

He shrugs lazily; arms still folded to keep you at bay. The way he looks you up and down, after, with blatant contempt, tells you his next words before he says them out loud. The lack of surprise doesn't take away from the sting.

"Unlike you."

Blinking, you will yourself not to cry in front of him. Damn him for being right. Because of course he is. His looks, the easy way he charms people when he's not being a complete ass...he's literally temptation personified.

You're just you. A last chance nobody who's taken to borrowing a few of his tricks. You’re not special, that glint in his eye is for everyone. There's no way you could ever be any sort of temptation to him...

Or can you?

That was deliberately cruel. Something you know he's capable of, but never had directed your way. His blunt remarks always had a softened, playful edge. 

"I never took you for a liar," you say, testing the waters.

Watching his reaction.

There's a warning look in his eyes. It goes unheeded.

Because there's something else that needs testing. Never, not once in all these years, has Blackie ever touched you. Even in the most dangerous ocean, if you should happen to wobble his hand presses the air and you're stable again.

He always acts somewhere between amused and inconvenienced when you grab at his arm. Laughing at the silly little human who can't resist touching him in whatever capacity.

He's trying to avoid touching you, now, despite the limited space. Hadn't cracked a single joke about accidentally feeling you up when you were first dropped in, either.

He ran away after you kissed him, even though you'd caught him Looking several times since that night at the movies.

Either you're completely hideous or it's not just the flimsy moral highground that puts thumbtacks in your chair. He's not allowing himself to do anything that requires touching you back.

Avoiding temptation.

"Or a coward," you continue recklessly.

Deliberately swaying forward into his bubble, you run a hand down his arm. If he were to uncross them, there'd be another accidental groping.

"Don't."

The gritted teeth warning also goes unheeded. He twitches his arm sharply, throwing you off as much as the closet allows. But you've made your point.

This time, when you fold your arms it's a smug gesture. Smirking at him as you lean more casually against the wall.

"Let me out right now," he says, eyes fixed warily on you but his words addressed to the ceiling, "Or find yourself a new partner."

He can do that? Just leave forever?

Apparently, he can and it’s an effective threat because you suddenly find yourself back in the kitchen next to four perfectly cooked pancakes; along with a pan of fluffy eggs and crispy bacon.

Blackie's nowhere in sight. Or the building. Sighing to yourself, you grab a couple of styrofoam containers and pack up the food to go. Sprinkling cheese onto one serving of the eggs. 

It's quiet in the dining room. Nathan's gone, too. Maureen sits drumming her fingers impatiently on the table, staring out the window.

You pop the containers into a bag, hurrying out to her.

"Here you go," you say with forced cheer. "Sorry about the delay and the...everything. Slow stove."

If that registers as nonsense, she doesn't show it. Just takes the bag, asks how much and hands over the requested amount. No tip, but that's fair.

You place the money in the register as she leaves, caught in a confusing whirlwind of triumph and frustration. Blackie's definitely interested. 

He's just not going to do a damn thing about it.

Nathan finally shows up late in the evening, well after dark -after you've been fielding a small rush alone all day- slinking out of the men's room with reddened eyes. Blackie's still gone, but you find yourself capable of cruelty in his place. Digging your spoon into the sundae you'd made yourself for dinner, a little treat after a hard day, you grin sharply at Nathan. 

"Where's the wife got to," you ask, as if you weren't fully aware she'd left hours ago. 

No answer, just a stiffening of his shoulders as he darts past into the kitchen. 

"We're gonna be here a few days, I think," you go on with false cheer. "Maybe she'll bring the kid by and you'll find out whether the new hubby has a stepson or daughter." 

There's a spectacular crash as several pots and pans hit the floor. Followed by another. And another. The Cafe radiates disapproval, but it's directed at you. Making you feel a pang of remorse. When things fall silent, you hurry into the kitchen. Nathan stands among the wreckage, gripping the edge of the island. Head bowed and shoulders visibly trembling. 

"Hey, I'm sor-" 

"No, you're not," he interrupts bitterly, voice thick.

"You're right, I'm not," you admit, keeping your tone casual. Daring to lay a hand on his shoulder. "I've been having a terrible time, lately, and that's partly your fault. You've earned this." 

He snorts, a weird sound somewhere between a laugh and an extremely phlegmy sob. 

"Maureen said the same thing." 

"Actually, she said you were a lousy, unreliable son of a bitch." 

Another almost laugh. He doesn't move your hand. 

"She wasn't wrong." His tone sobers as he continues, "If she'd just told me-" 

"Everything would have stayed exactly the same." 

This time he does knock your hand away, giving you an offended look. 

"Get over it and help me clean this up," you tell him sternly. You can't resist lecturing as the two of you work. "You didn't change when she left. Or when you lost all your money. Or when Blackie gave it all back. You quite literally gambled your way onto the streets and never once tried to improve. That poor woman was better off as a single mother. At least she knew all the money was going to feed her child." 

Nathan keeps slamming the pots and pans around while cleaning, letting you know he doesn't appreciate anything you're saying. 

"So I'm irredeemable and damned, is that it," he snaps. 

"As long as you keep wallowing in self-pity, yes." 

You suspect that he will get to meet his unknown child. To face up to his regrets. 

It reminds you of a few regrets of your own. Like never having a chance to find out if you’d wanted children or not. Your only goal in life had been to follow Tommy, the two of you plotting your castle in the air with the idea that someday you’d think about the possibility. Maybe. Then you went into survival mode as he took one bad deal after another and there wasn’t time to worry about pregnancy. 

You’d defined so much of yourself around him. Maureen was like a glimpse into a world where you saved yourself years of misery.

Nathan’s the bitter man Tommy could have easily become if it weren’t for you and his dogged optimism. The knowledge softens you enough to offer an olive branch.

”But you’ve still got a shot,” you say, smiling thinly as you echo Blackie’s remark from a lifetime ago. “As long as you’re here, anyway.”

You’re alone in your amusement, with Nathan lacking the proper context to recognize what would have been an inside joke. 

“Maybe I don’t want it,” he grumbles, slamming one last pan back into place. 

“So, hypothetically, if things were setting up for you to know more about the kid…?” 

Because he clearly needs that before he can move on.

”About all I’ve missed and can’t have? No, thank you.” 

The Cafe shares your disappointment as you leave the kitchen, drawn out by the swing of the front door and yet another customer.

No one important enough to make Blackie return. The building remains painfully empty and the air completely wrong. 

Happy Valentine's Day to you. 

Oh my goodness M.I, I'm sorry, but your sister is a gremlin. I'm going back in time to get you as many buckets and mints as you need.

Okay now I'll read the fic. Little worried about that that apology, but-

'What can I say? I'm designed to be irresistible' 'Unlike you'- M.I, LET ME TRANSFER INTO THIS FIC SO THAT I CAN S M A C K THIS MAN ON BEHALF OF READER.

Reader, we aren't talking to him anymore. Come on. You deserve so much better. We have to leave the sad immortal alone to do his sad immortal things << <<

But really, seriously, M.I, ohhhhhhhhh my god. This one was a heart wrencher!! Your writing, man, I- you're the master XD Thank you so much for this addition!! I hope you're getting a little more free time now and getting to relax ^^

[survey--s]

678.

What is your favorite breakfast food? Pancakes! I actually had them this morning for the first time in months and they tasted SO GOOD. Blueberry pancakes with honey and cream.

Who do you (romantically) love? My husband.

Have you ever considered yourself dirty? No.

What do you do to relax? Mess about online, take baths, cuddle with an assortment of our pets, watch Disney movies, take surveys, watch TikTok.

Do you enjoy kissing? It's okay. I'm not a very sexual person, generally speaking.

What about making out? Same as above.

Where are you most ticklish? The soles of my feet. I can't STAND people touching them. I honestly have no idea how people can tolerate foot massages or pedicures - it's quite literally my idea of hell lol.

Have you ever been to an arena concert? Nope. That would be way too much for me.

Where was the last place you kissed someone? In the kitchen.

Do you know anyone who is expecting? Yeah, one of my clients is due in May.

What does your third text message say in your inbox? The third person I received a text from is Suzanne. I don't know what it said though and I CBA to look, lol.

Do you use speed dial? It doesn't even exist anymore.

If so who is number 5? .

Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Yes.

Where do you want to get married? I got married in the registry office in between our house and my parents house. My in-laws live near us so we just picked somewhere in the middle of everyone.

Do you plan on having both your parents at your wedding? They both were there.

If you could visit one person right now, who would it be? Nobody.

Do you like school? I liked the academic side but not the social side.

What is your all time favorite subject that you have ever taken in school? History.

Do you have a current teacher who you wish taught all of your classes? I used to love the history teacher I had in Year 9 or the English teacher I had in year 8. I'd pick them if I could.

What has been your favorite part of this calendar year so far? Beach gallops, getting Simba, my business doing as well as it had.

Are you going on vacation any time soon? I have two weeks off work over Christmas but we're not going anywhere.

Do you catch yourself staring at inappropriate times? Yeah, when I'm daydreaming.

How many times have you been fall-down drunk? 2-3 times.

Has a friend ever really hurt you and you never told them? Yes.

Where would your most romantic getaway spot be? A cozy cottage in Vermont. <--- not gonna lie, that sounds amazing.

Have you ever stayed on a ride at a theme park to ride it again? Yeah, a few times. Our local theme park when I was a kid was never very busy and you used to be able to do that all the time.

Have you ever used your sexuality to get you something you wanted? Yes.

What do you count as too spoiled? I don't think it's about what you give your child, it's about their attitude. I grew up surrounded by money and only a couple of people actually came across as "spoilt".

When you don’t feel good, where do you want to be? At home in bed.

Have you ever set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do something? Sure.

Where do you want to raise your children? I don’t want children.

What is your favorite Crayola scented crayon? I don't think I ever used any scented crayons. I used to like the blueberry gel pens though!

What is your favorite childhood TV show? Arthur.

Do you ever look at yourself and not believe it’s you? Nope.

What’s your favorite hideaway place? Home, or this little oasis I found in the sand dunes last week. It's just tucked away and so pretty.

Do you have a secret you have kept from your family? Sure. Personally I think it's weird to tell your family everything.

Have you ever slow danced to a song you didn’t know? Probably.

Where do you study? I don't.

Do you study at all? No.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm a dog walker/pet sitter.

Has someone ever dedicated a song to you? Yes.

How many people have you kissed this month? One.

Do you like do have your hair pulled? Nope.

Are you close with your parents? Yeah, with my mum at least. I don't really speak to my dad.

How much do you wish/ hope for something before you give up? I mean, I don't wish or hope for things, really. If I really want something I go and make it happen.

Have you ever hung out with a complete stranger? Not just us, but in a group of other people, yeah.

Do you work any holidays? Nope. One of the main advantages of being self-employed. I really do NOT miss it. At all.

[peachsukii]

₊✩‧₊ ⎯ 09:15am ⇢ my birthday always makes me feel odd. selfshippy, but just a comfort short with bakugo being sweet in his own way. ♡

✩ content; fluff, soft bakugo, domestic fluff, comfort, 20 somethings // wc; ~1.5k 『 k.bakugo masterlist 』

It's that time of year again - another notch in the belt, a trip around the sun, a chapter in the book of life...and all the other clichés spouted off in every single birthday card. It's not that you weren't thankful for all of the joy your friends and family brought to you, far from it, but there was an unexplainable sadness that always came with your birthday.

Katsuki hadn't mentioned anything the night prior about it. He knew that it was a struggle for you to celebrate yourself, no matter how many times he's told you over the years that you deserve to. The only plans noted in your shared calendar was a dinner with friends on Saturday at your favorite resturaunt, and that was enough for you. You didn't need an extravagant party, but you knew Katsuki was up to something. He's always spoiling you the week leading up to your special day, but this year?

Nothing - radio silence.

He uncharacteristically came home late last night from Kirishima's, too. You're not exactly sure what time, but it was long after you had crawled into bed.

The morning came, and like any other day, he's up at the crack of dawn, leaving you to sleep in. You'd both managed to take the day off, a miracle in itself, but sleeping past 6AM for the first time in months felt like heaven. Sunbeams through the window of your shared bedroom came in waves of gold, flickering on your face to lull you out of slumber. Katsuki, predictably, isn't on his side of the bed, the sheets perfectly tucked in and flattened to his liking. You throw your legs over the side of the mattress, lazily searching for his hoodie you discarded to the floor before bed.

The door to the bedroom is cracked open, the faint sounds of rustling in the kitchen traveling down the hallway. By the sounds of it, you can't tell if he's making breakfast or going on a cleaning frenzy. Stumbling sleepily down the hall in nothing but his hoodie and underwear, you slink into the kitchen with a yawn. "Mornin' babe. Thanks for letting me sleep in."

He doesn't hesitate to grace you with a coy smile as he's welcoming you to his side with one arm while the other focuses on the frying pan on the stove. "Hope I didn't wake ya."

"You didn't. What'cha makin'?" you ask while curiously assessing the mess of ingredients on the countertop - flour, sugar and...strawberries?

"You'll see. Sit down and stop bein' nosy," Katsuki teases, bumping you away with his hip, only to pull you back in for a brief kiss. "Coffee's on the table. Sickly sweet, just how ya like it."

With a roll of your eyes and another kiss, you make your way to the table and slump into your usual spot. You don't know how, but he manages to make your coffee perfectly every morning - even better than yourself. Katsuki used to pester you about how much "shitty sugar" you used and how it's the reason for your caffeine crashes halfway through the workday, but still buys your favorite creamers and syrups anyways.

"If you ever wanna quit being a pro hero, you'd make a bitchin' barista, Kats," you say as the warm liquid coats your tongue with all of your favorite flavors.

"An' deal with entitled coffee snobs all day? Pass."

Katsuki clicks the knob on the stove to turn off the heat, swinging his head in your direction.

"Close your eyes, peach," he instructs, waiting until you do. "Don't look 'til I say so."

That's...strange. Katsuki wasn't much of a sentimental guy in the general sense, he had a specific love language when it came to showing affection. He hates planning surprises, but you comply anyways and put your hands over your eyes.

The sound of the oven door opening and closing, followed by the clattering of plates, is all you could make out as he's shuffling around the kitchen. You can hear the faint noise of a knife hitting the cutting board on the countertop and a lingering sweet smell filling the air. After a minute, you can feel his presence beside you while he's placing things on the table, organizing whatever it is in front of you.

He bends down and places a peck to your cheek before whispering, "Open."

In front of you is a buffet of your favorite breakfast - homemade pancakes with strawberries, whipped cream and hazelnut spread. Katsuki was never satisfied with buying the artificial 'garbage' from the store, so he learned how to make everything from scratch, just for you.

And the pancakes are heart shaped.

He takes one of your hands in his, stroking the back of it with his thumb. "I know y'don't care for the spectacle of your birthday, but I'll never stop showin' ya how much you deserve to feel special."

Your heart swells as the tears are building on your waterline, the inside of your cheek bit between your teeth to prevent them from falling. It's barely audible when you mutter, "thank you."

He swipes a finger over the lone tear that escaped, cradling your face in his palm tenderly. "Don't get all teary on me already, sweets, the day's just started. C'mon, eat while it's hot."

With that, you dig into the short stack of pancakes Katsuki's prepared for you, finishing in record time.

"I truly don't know how you're so good at cooking," you sigh, stuffed as you sit back in the dining chair. He watches you while he picks at the last pieces of his own pancakes, admiring the satisfied glow in your cheeks.

"I've got somethin' else for ya," he grins, grabbing your plate to pile with his in the sink. Returning to the oven, he tugs open the door to reveal a full rack of cupcakes, one delicately set on a plate by itself. He pulls it out, revealing the lone candle sticking out of the buttercream icing. A quick snap of his fingers ignites the wick with a teeny spark as he sets it in front of you.

"Happy birthday, peaches, I love you. Now make your damn wish before the wax melts!"

Your wish stayed the same each year, and it was simple.

'All I want is you, and I'm satisfied.'

You blow out the candle as warmth fills your chest, the aforementioned sadness leaving your heart, even if it's temporary.

"Did you buy these this morning?" you motion to the oven with a mouthful of cupcake, pausing when his face scrunches offensively. "Holy shit, you made funfetti cupcakes?! The world must be ending."

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki retorts, batting your hand playfully. "S'why I was late comin' home last night. I made 'em at Ei's place to keep it a surprise. I had to be sure you'd already gone to bed so I could sneak them into the kitchen."

He spent time baking - something he despises because it's a science he hasn't mastered yet - at Kirishima's apartment?

Damn, he must truly love you.

Once you've taken the last bite of the cupcake, he excitedly slaps a hand onto the table. "Alright, now go get ready. I'm takin' ya wherever you wanna go today, and you're leavin' your bag here, too. I'll carry your damn phone in my pocket, but no wallet or nothin'. Got it?"

It wasn't that he had nothing planned, it's that he wanted to shake up your expectations after many years of the same approach to your birthday. Your smile is ear to ear when you lean over the table to plant a hearty kiss on his lips as a gesture of thanks. "We're absolutely going to the cat café in the city and the bookstore."

Katsuki snickers as he slaps your ass when you get up from the table. "We're not bringin' home a cat, baby, window shopping only. Now go!"

You return to the bedroom and grab your phone from the nightstand to see a few texts from friends, but one catches your attention. It's from Kirishima, a short message and a picture attached.

[red]: happy birthday!! tell kats we're ready to open a bakery and there's nothing wrong with these, he's insane lol

The picture is him and Mina sitting on their apartment floor, surrounded by cupcakes while stuffing their faces with icing - presumably leftovers from Katsuki's baking fury last night.

[you]: lmao i will, thanks ei! tell mina to hand them out at the agency or something

You trot to the doorframe of the bedroom and call out down the hallway, "How many cupcakes did you make?! Ei and Mina have an entire bakery in their apartment!"

"Goddammit, Shitty Hair! I knew he'd rat me out!" he yells back as your laughter echoes throughout the apartment. "Get off your phone and get your ass in the shower!"

The heavy clouds in your head have parted for the time being, letting in the brief sunshine to allow you to celebrate yourself. It only took a few years of Katsuki prying you open, but you've finally found yourself accepting it in bite sized pieces.

💥; @slayfics @maddietries @starieq @liluvtojineteyam @jays-adventure3 @simp-plague @queenpiranhadon

[steamberrystudio]

09/01/2021 Devlog

Hey everyone! Time for the first update of 2022. I have no idea how long it's been since my last one because honestly. It's been a TIME.

LoL

But we are doing a catch-up now.

Summary:

Many CGs

Game guide stuff

Writing stuff

The Ramble:

During my last update, I said that I was about 70% through the CGs. I'm now 85% complete. Based on MATHS. . .

It appears I've done about 8 CGs since my last post.

And I now have 7.5 CGs left to complete.

Ari, Caissa, and Caleb's routes are complete in terms of CGs. Jack has 1.5 left, Lance and Magnus both have 3 left.

I'm going a bit slower with CGs as my hand is really struggling and every day tasks are getting more difficult (I know, I know 'rest your hand' - arthritis does not always ease up because I've rested. I still have to work and sometimes that means taking something and continuing to draw.)

Of course, once I finish rendering each CG, I have to go back and re-colour all the customisation options which is another hour or so of work. Then save then files individually, then code them.

I'm doing that as I go so all the completed CGs so far are also fully coded. It's been really nice to watch the galleries fill up with thumbnails. OWO

Anyway, I'm rounding the final curve with CGs and only have a few left. And then I can move on to working on the final game elements (like the glossary and polishing up the content.)

I did pause art for a while and work on building the official game guides for Gilded Shadows. There is a special extended and exclusive guide for backers (that is 87 pages), and a much shorter guide that is for everyone else.

The extended guide shows route stats, a CG map, how to unlock each individual CG, character profiles, route summaries, etc.

The normal guide shows just the 'correct' answers for each ending.

I'm mostly done with the guides now - just have to finish the rest of the CGs for thumbnails in the extended guide.

And so I'm back to working on CGs. Slowly and carefully.

Sneak Peeks and Previews:

Unfortunately most of the remaining CGs are ones I don't want to spoil for people so you will have to be satisfied with this little snippet.

Upcoming Weeks:

CGs. . .

I'm really hoping by my next update here, I'll be finished with CGs entirely. The game is currently around 95% complete and finishing up the CGs will push it up to nearly 100%. We are getting really close to completion of the base game and and I'm looking forward to finally being able to release this game and start working on the additional content.

I'll touch base again in a couple of weeks. After I update today I'm going to go in and put all my update days into my calendar again so I get reminders for them.

And Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2022 is treating you all well so far. See you soon!

[jingerhead]

Some soft domestic andreil headcanons

I literally can't stop I'm sorry but I'm also not

When they finally get a place together, they both realize that they don't have much furniture. Neil had only the essentials, and the most Andrew had for a living space was the beanbag chair and a TV. So they make a run to ikea and buy everything they would need, and it goes well because they can agree on what to get, but when they go to assemble everything they accidentally mix different pieces of what they were building, so the whole process took weeks.

Neil makes Andrew sandwiches and cuts them into fourths because he knows that Andrew rips his food up into small pieces to eat it, and it's much easier to rip apart fourths than a whole sandwich. The first time he does this, Andrew pulls him down for a forehead kiss and it's the perfect incentive to keep doing it.

They have a huge fuzzy blanket that's big enough for them both to sit under, but every night they fight over it. Andrew claims he needs it more 'cause he has poor circulation but Neil claims he needs it because it makes him feel more safe. They always end up cuddling anyway.

They both spent weeks researching how to take care of cats before they got King and Sir. At first it was separately: Neil saw a random ad for cat stuff and started looking things up, Andrew genuinely wanted a cat so he was making a checklist of things to get. They walk in on each other doing the research, and then just a little while after that, they were getting the cats.

They watch ghost hunting shows. Neil doesn't believe in the paranormal but Andrew does, so for every piece of evidence that's shown, Neil will dismiss as explainable and Andrew will point out as proof. At one point, Andrew keeps saying that their apartment is haunted and Neil can't figure out if he genuinely believes that or if he's just being problematic on purpose.

Despite any comments made from their teams or the jokes made in public, these two genuinely eat well and healthily (for the most part - there's always ice cream in the freezer and Renee drops them off things she's baked). They have a small garden on their balcony because it's big. There, Neil can finally have his fruit bushes. Andrew really likes cherry tomatoes.

They have a Kevin Day calendar hung up in their kitchen. It's four years old, they just keep using it since it's not like they actually need it given Andrew's memory. Kevin visits once, sees that they have it, and refuses to come back over until it's gone.

They have a dishwasher but they rarely use it. Neil likes to wash the dishes after they eat, so Andrew always joins him and dries them. They usually do this in silence but it's the good kind of silence.

The cats are so spoiled. Neil will sneak them treats and lets them climb all over him whenever they want. Andrew calls them stupid and the worst hunters he's ever met but if they sneak up the bed and softly meow and wake him up in the middle of the night, he'll ask "Bad dream?" and let's them cuddle closely. Neil is sometimes awake for this and he teases Andrew about it all the time.

Andrew needs glasses. He doesn't want them and tries to convince everyone that he can still see fine, but eventually he can't ignore it. He has some thin black glasses but doesn't like the look of them - no, Neil, it doesn't matter how many compliments you try to give they're annoying - so he gets contacts. And he has a hard time putting them in for the first few times, and that's frustrating too. But Neil used to wear them daily, so he easily demonstrates and helps Andrew as much as he can until he can do it himself.

Domestic andreil fuels my soul. I hope you enjoyed!!

[genshin-impacted]

empress of the first water // Zhongli x Reader (4)

Word Count: ~2.8k

Palace/Harem Imperial Drama AU: You are a princess, soon-to-be-Empress, and Zhongli is the teacher invited by the royal court to show you the ropes before you ascend to the throne after a royal tragedy.

Notes: female!reader (she/her), Zhongli/Reader, Zhongli POV, mutual pining ofc, fake politics, can I call this slow burn yet

[Previous] [Next]

Chapter 4 Synopsis: Of the secrets that people keep, how much can they say without saying anything about it at all?

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You are falling for your tutor. That much, at least, is clear to you. Your quickened heart rate, the way your heart flutters when he smiles, and how your mood lifts when he praises you-- if wisdom is to know thyself, then you consider yourself wise enough to know that you see Zhongli xiansheng as more than just a teacher.

But what of him? You wonder, how does he think of you? Does he know what he means to you? Does he feel the same?

“My lady?" Amber asks you, when you dip your head underneath the rose-infused waters of your bath. "What is wrong?”

“Nothing,” you reply back quickly, hugging your knees to your chest. You take a glance at the mauve coat that Zhongli had left on your shoulders and think about how it will still smell like him.

Amber can only look at you in mild concern when you bury your heated face into your hands and try not to think of kind eyes, a warm embrace, and a gentle voice.

(But you do anyway.)

.

.

.

.

Zhongli finds himself talking more freely than ever in your presence, especially now that the two of you have made it a habit of walking around the compound or drinking tea to pass the time together. He talks about fantastical things or expands on random trivia he thinks you would enjoy, even though he finds himself more often than not overindulging.

Your eyes are bright and alert when he tells you about the folktales he had learned when he was younger, so he tells you as many as you can in the cold, wintry months. Under the cozy kotatsu imported over from Inazuma, Zhongli shares slices of mandarin with you as he retells the history of the Qilin to you-- a mythical creature whose stone statues stand at guard in front of the main compounds of the palace.

“In many stories, the Qilin is sacred pets of the gods and rank highly only below the dragon and the phoenix,” Zhongli says, accepting the last slice of fruit you slide into his hands. "It’s said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler."

“I see…” You listen to him attentively, hands absently clearing the table of the orange peels without saying a word. You let out a breath of laughter as you joke, “Hopefully, if I pray hard enough, the Qilin might gift their presence when I ascend to the throne.”

“Nonsense,” Zhongli replies immediately. “If the qilin does exist, you do not need prayer for the qilin to appear before you, as benevolent as you are, my Princess.” He takes the slice and brings it to his lips to taste the sweetness of the mandarin, catching a glimpse at the way you hide your smile behind your hand.

“You have a way with words as usual,” you tell him. “You spoil me with praises, xiansheng; how ever will I survive without them now?” You bemoan, laughing afterwards. Though he knows you’re joking--surely-- he still feels his heart tremble at your words. It is in these moments that he feels keenly how it is to be Amber, abashed by the praise that flows freely from your lips and by the fondness that rings true through the way you speak. To be at the center of your attention is something that Zhongli understands very well to be addicting.

It is only when Zhongli hears the light rapping of knuckles on wood does he realize how long he has spoken and how late it is.

"My apologies," Zhongli says, surprised from his thoughts to bow his head (you fussed at him about apologizing before, but even with your kind reprimands, it is hard for him to kick the habits ingrained in him). "I didn't mean to dominate the conversation this entire time. It's even time for supper--"

"Bamboo Shoot Soup," you pipe up instead, and he can only look up at you stunned as you thank the maid. She sets down the pair of utensils in front of the two of you and clears the table to make space for the large metal hotpot. "It's your favorite dish, isn't it?” You say cheekily, “I thought it was a perfect dish to eat during the cold weather."

What are the protocols to eating dinner with the royal family? Zhongli thinks to himself warily, feeling wildly as though he is constantly stepping out of line despite his learned nature. Still, you would scold him for his distancing, so Zhongli decides to do as the both of you please, as improper as it may be, and waits to be served.

The bamboo soup is beautifully slow-cooked, the broth milky white; just taking a waft of the aroma is enough for him to know that the meat is tender and the bamboo shoots are soaked to the center with flavor. The warmth that pervades is partly due to the fresh heat of the soup but also from the fact that you had remembered a detail he shared in passing. (He says ‘in passing’ but he had gone into detail about where to procure the best ingredients for each component of the meal while you listened to him with eager nods. The bamboo shoots, he recognizes, are from Qingce Village. Did you remember even the smallest details from your conversation when he speaks?) Like many other times before, he is speechless. It seems as though you are constantly surprising him-- for the better.

"What happens next?"

Zhongli blinks, the steam from his bowl rising up to his face. "Pardon?"

"Oh, never mind! We should eat first!" You say, smiling widely in a way that makes his heart leap. You pick up your chopsticks and click them together playfully. "But tell me what happens next in the story later on, Zhongli-xiansheng."

"One day you'll find yourself someone who listens to you and you'll talk their ear off."

Zhongli remembers Guizhong telling him this time and time again, though he never believed in it. He is old-fashioned, he always replies back. He is overly burdened by the expectations of his family and passionate in things that most others cannot care to relate to. How would he know that someday, as proof of the wisdom (or perhaps abundance of hope and love) that Guizhong held, he would find someone who cared enough to listen and look at him as though he knew the meaning of life itself?

The bright-eyed gaze you shoot at him lasts only a moment, and perhaps you don't even know the magnitude of your gesture, but Zhongli feels his chest burn nonetheless with gratitude and soften at the kindness you have shown him. He reaches out to place his hand gently on yours. "Thank you," he says, squeezing your hand. "I'll be sure to not lose my place in the story then so you can hear the rest of it."

He blinks when you look at him, frozen and wide-eyed, and that is when he retracts his hand, feeling as embarrassed as you look. "Ah, my apologies again--"

"No, it's-- it's alright," you stammer, looking down at your bowl. Zhongli feels his face redden and he drops his gaze as well. "But yes, you better remember! I'm counting on you!"

"Yes-- yes, of course," he says, clearing his throat. "It would be my pleasure to." Before Zhongli can wallow in mortification, he hears the beginnings of your laugh and looks up to see your smile as wide as ever. And just like that, he can feel himself be at ease again, just as you have always made him feel with your presence.

"Perhaps next time," he says, a small smile dancing on his lips, "my lady can tell me a story instead."

"Only if you fill in the details I missed," you quip back easily, and he laughs.

Even with an impeccable memory, Zhongli still cannot remember the last time he has ever laughed so easily and so readily as though he could never run out of laughter. He thinks of quiet hours in his study, pouring over pages of text without speaking till his voice grows hoarse from disuse. He remembers days of entertaining guests who never truly listened to what he was saying, and he finds that he is the happiest he has ever been for a long time.

He has you to thank for that.

This is why he responds back, with a soft reverence that is reserved only for you. "Of course." He returns your smile with his own. "I would be honored to, my Princess."

.

.

.

Reverence should be a tone well-practiced and used in the royal court, but when Zhongli stands aside during the proceedings, he hears very little of it directed toward you. You have half of the court talking over you despite your grace, and he can clearly see your patience wear thin when your presence goes unacknowledged by one of the court officials.

"My studies have been going steadily," you speak unto the crowd, clearly and powerfully, as though you have always known how to command attention. Projecting your voice, you maintain your gaze on all of them as you speak. Zhongli can see from the way your hands clench at your side that despite your display, fear has not left you, and for that, his pride for you seems to overflow.

"With the xiansheng, I can foresee being able to replace my great uncle for the time before the end of this year," you say. "I will have prepared myself dutifully until the time has come--"

"The end of this year?" One of the nobles exclaims in protest, making you pause. "How would you be ready at the end of the calendar when you have started lessons, not even yesteryear?"

"I can't imagine the magnitude of power placed upon the shoulders of the inexperienced,” another one drawls. “Perhaps, ah, the Princess will consider taking a husband to make up for it?"

Zhongli doesn't realize he's gripping imprints into the palm of his hands until he goes to raise his hand and realizes they have gone numb from his tension. The nerve of some of the nobles-- some of which he can recognize have never sought to be on your side. He wishes nothing more than to be able to provide them a verbal lashing, but he knows that neither you nor he can do anything at this point in time.

With knowledge comes power, and you do not know enough to utilize the title you have nor the inherent authority that comes with it. Though one day, you will, if he can help it, regardless of what has been expected of him.

It makes his skin crawl to know that many nobles look to him and believe he is on their side. How many times have they requested him to keep you away from the main chambers to check on your great uncle? How many times have they hoped he would provide falsities and ignorance in the guise of guidance so that you would never truly ascend to the throne? Even with the promise of power beyond his wildest dreams, Zhongli cannot bring it to himself to manipulate you in such a manner. Even though his hands are clean, he still cannot help but taste sin on his lips for knowing the harm that exists against you without your knowledge.

When is the right time to inform you, if at all? Is it kind or cruel of him to keep this ploy from you? (Is his judgment even sound, as muddled as it is with his rapidly growing feelings for you?)

You narrow your eyes, your lips pressed in a straight line, but you refrain, once again. And Zhongli feels a burst of pride at your show of restraint and composure fitting of a lady of your status. "Yes, this may be one of the things I will take into consideration, and I appreciate--" Zhongli feels himself tense at the way you spoke, "--the counsel of the court, though I still foresee my way coming to fruition regardless."

There is a stilted silence that follows your words, and you look toward the messenger who has come with the land's grievances in letters. "I believe this matter can be discussed at a later time," you say with finality. "Let us look at the first report from the harbor."

Using what you know from your lessons thus far, you guide the conversation towards solutions for the problems brought to the court by the people. You are too inexperienced to make decisions on your own, gathering opinions from your council; corrupt or not, they know more about managing land than you. But Zhongli sees how you watch carefully as the discussion continues, letting the information sink in so that you can utilize it in the future, and he is reminded again of how far you have come from a princess holding that urn to the prospective empress quietly learning how to lead a country.

(Is it any surprise at all that he is enamored with you?)

Court adjourns after hours, and Zhongli follows you as you leave first, your robes billowing behind you seamlessly as you hold your head up high. The guards bow their heads as you pass by them, your ladies-in-waiting slowly retreating from the room when you arrive, closing the door behind them. The moment everyone is gone, you sigh in relief, your shoulders dropping to a more comfortable height as you stretch your arms and legs.

“I applaud you on your conduct during court,” Zhongli says finally, amused by how nonchalant you act in comparison to how high-strung you are in front of others. “That was an impressive display of authority.” He sees your face flush from the compliment as you stammer out your thanks. He chuckles. "Perhaps I should start getting used to calling you 'Empress’ then, Princess.”

"Yes?" Zhongli replies, confused. "Is that not a title you would like to be referred to?"

"'Princess?'" He hears you echo, turning yourself to him, and Zhongli loses his train of thoughts when he sees your expression with brows pulled together, disconcerted. "Just... 'princess?'"

"No--well, yes..." you say, trailing off. Your hand, out of habit, nervously reaches up to fiddle with your brooch. "I was just thinking you would have normally referred to me a little differently is all."

Zhongli tilts his head slightly in thought as he watches you press your lips together in what he assumes to be in embarrassment. Has he been calling you differently without his knowledge? He doesn’t think so; you have always been the Princess for him, and he, your xiansheng.

But, ah, he thinks, he has not always called you ‘my Princess’ has he? (Astonishing what one word can change.)

For a brief moment, Zhongli’s mind wonders whether he has overstepped his boundary, but he quickly reminds himself with your words, that if you truly did not want him to call you by that, you would tell him. The fact you protested at his recent use of your title… It was the slip of the tongue; Amber has referred to you by the same title, and Zhongli has always, in some form, coveted the same level of intimacy that the two of you possessed. His fondness for you must have seeped into his words, and he would never have anticipated having you reciprocate.

That being said, could you blame him for feeling pleased that you wanted to be referred to as his Princess?

“But 'Princess' is fine,” he hears you say, gathering the composure to sweep your hands down your gown and appear nonplussed. You take out your fan and hold it to your face as you begin to walk toward the study. “I don’t mind it. You should call me as you so wish, I--”

Your laughter is enough as a sign of validation, but then he hears you say, shier than you have ever been, “My xiansheng,” and he thinks his heart balloons until it takes up the entire expanse of his chest with how much affection he feels for you.

"It is soon time for our next lessons," he says, following behind you without pause, "my Princess." And he watches, enamored, as you look back at him with a smile blooming on your face. "Is that... alright with you?"

“Yes,” he says to you, feeling as though that is the only thing he can say. You shoot him another captivating smile and turn, and all Zhongli can do is walk only a step behind you.

.

.

.

And he follows you for as long as you will allow him, hoping his choice to keep the darkness at bay is the right one.

[monstermoviedean]

thank god i don't think out loud. too many thoughts in my head right now. mostly concerning the moonlight as it danced across your neck. i'm out of practice and you smell like roses. i'm the mortal soldier your queen of hearts. all i want is to show you how you're nothing like all of them tell you. to be more than just a cricket on your shoulder. a little closer. feelings choke me. don't let me leave without a word. i'll never give in. i'm letting my mind win the war with my heart again. you are timeless, i am a fool in love with time. i've always believed in you, wanna be more than that tonight. and live for the moment. but that takes too much pride. you will stay what i'll never have. i'd shape up and put on weight. cross out my calendar marked to the date where we meet on some mystic veranda, to dance. i'd show you skills i've not forgotten. i'd spoil you rotten. so don't be afraid, for better or worse, let's dive headfirst. we can think about this later when we're not so jaded...so jaded. i can't go all the way, i've gone forever. a new endeavor is oh so needed and. feelings scare you, you never look me in the eye. don't ever change. i just want you to know the complacency's always been staged. i was blinded until you opened up my eyes. i've always believed in you, wanna be more than that tonight. and live for the moment. but that takes too much pride. you will stay what i'll...never have if i tried. damned if i don't. what if i die without being with you. i could try all i want, the feelings would taunt, saying loser we see through you. and forgive me love, these thoughts are not my own. they were put in my mind by aliens to keep me homeward. and forgive me love, for wanting you. blame it on those eyebrows arching over baby blues. oh, you. oh, you. and live for the moment. but that takes too much pride. you will stay what i'll never have. oh, can you save me now? do you hear me now? do you see me now? could you save me now? do you hear me now? could you see me now? could you save me now? i'm choking...i'm choking... (x)

[nexstrik]

Three Ways To Skin A Fox

Summary: Ahri is in heat. Kai’sa and Evelynn help out. Shit gets REAL weird when 3/4 of your kpop band are monster girls.

Disclaimer: I know this isn't how Kai'sa's second skin works in canon but in KDA verse I'm assuming it's just like Venom. She's got a horny lil symbiote.

Though I took great pains to establish consent, this is still an "in heat" fic and if that concepts squicks you, just exit out.

Rating: EXPLICIT

You can also read this story on AO3

Waking up with a fever wasn't reason enough to cancel a show. She'd worked through worse, and the venue was sold out. It sounded cold but the truth was, how she felt didn't really matter. She had to give the same level of energy, the same stellar performance, to each and every one of her fans. Because while this might be the tenth show on tour for Ahri, for them, it was their one and only chance to see her.

She had to make it count. She owed it to them.

Still, once the last metaphorical curtain fell, Ahri's feet left the ground.

"Come on, missy," Kai'sa said, carrying her backstage. Ahri allowed her, ears drooping as she rested her head against Kai'sa's chest. "We're getting you into comfortable clothes and then you are going to sleep."

Her pride wasn't so fragile that she'd pretend to be okay in front of her bandmates. No performance necessary here.

"Thank you," she rasped. She tucked her tail in, holding it over her lap when they moved through a doorway. Every inch of her ached fiercely, and the worst part was she didn't even know what had gotten her sick. Some combination of stress and travel, probably, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

"Oh, shit." Akali's voice floated nearby, popping in and out from every direction as she hovered anxiously around Kai'sa. Kai'sa's stride never wavered, walking steadily despite Akali doing her best impression of a cat that wanted to trip you up. "Is she okay? Did she actually faint? I knew we should have cancelled!"

"I'm just tired," Ahri mumbled into Kai'sa's chest. "Kai'sa doesn't need to carry me." But she didn't try to struggle free.

"Akali, sweetheart," Kai'sa interrupted. "We're going to slip out the back. Can you run interference?"

Akali snapped a salute. "Sure, I'll run back onstage and take my top off. No one'll even notice you're gone."

"Don't—" Kai'sa and Ahri started at the same time, but after spinning her dull prop kunai around her finger once, Akali bolted back down to hallway to the main stage.

"There's a car waiting outside. I'll have food and medicine sent to the room," was all Evelynn said.

Once outside she walked to the car on her own two feet. There wasn't a mob waiting for them outside the back entrance, thankfully. Just one or two diehard fans. Kai'sa had to drag her away before she could get caught in the endless loop of can I have an autograph?

It made her feel worse, being ushered away from the people who were supporting their music, who needed her. But she understood it was necessary. She had to do her job, and right now her job was to recover.

Kai'sa sat in the backseat with her, holding her as she shivered and sweat. She tried to get her to drink but Ahri refused, shifting onto her lap so that she could be as close to her as possible.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You've done nothing worth apologizing for." Kai'sa was firm. She stroked a hand over Ahri's head, following the curve of her folded ears. "Ahri, you take such good care of us. It's a pleasure to finally return the favor."

It was a rare treat to be spoiled for once. Even if she trusted the other members of her band, she wasn't often openly affectionate. But now she suddenly couldn't get enough physical contact, and Kai'sa was all too happy to oblige. A long, hot shower together and some solid food did a lot towards helping her recover.

But when she collapsed on the bed and Kai'sa curled up next to her, she had to put her foot down. "Kai'sa, no. You'll catch whatever I have."

Propping herself up on one elbow, Kai'sa rolled her eyes. "I'll probably catch it anyway. We spend literally all day every day together, babe."

They did share everything. Ahri had slowly let them in her band. On occasion, in her bed. And always, in her heart. Maybe with anyone else, it would have been suffocating. But with her girls, Ahri couldn't imagine living any other way.

Kai'sa rolled onto her stomach, tank riding up a bit and exposing her lower back. Ahri's eyes were drawn to shimmering metallic scales. The second-skin could press flat as silk against Kai'sa's body or fill out into those alien shapes that often hovered behind her, when she wasn't actively trying to hide them. They were warm to the touch, almost rubbery, though Ahri knew they could harden to be stronger than steel.

Kai'sa wiggled a little until Ahri snuggled closer. The logistics of having a massive fox tail meant she was usually the big spoon, and she never minded. Whatever was in the cold medicine knocked her out, and she lost the will to push Kai'sa out of bed.

Instead she let herself be weak. Just for a night. Just for now.

Just until she felt better.

   The smell woke her up.

Blinking blearily, Ahri pressed a hand to her hot forehead. Still feverish. And her skin felt tender to the touch; she flinched just from running a palm over her stomach. The night before was a blur, but she remembered falling asleep next to Kai'sa and she remembered Evelynn sending food up.

That...didn't explain the scent. It was everywhere, much stronger than the vegetable soup she'd had last night. While Ahri had a sharp nose, she couldn't place it. All she knew was that it was good, tempting enough to fully rouse her. Sitting up, her tail flicked from side to side, curiosity making her ignore all her symptoms.

Beside her, Kai'sa mumbled. "Please tell me it's not time to wake up yet."

"It isn't." It was still pitch black outside. The darkness and quiet of the pre-dawn hours pressured her voice into a whisper.

As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she smiled to see Kai'sa sprawled out on her back. She'd always been a fussy sleeper, and Ahri thought she looked so pretty with the blankets tangled around her. Ahri pushed them a little further off, stroking a hand up Kai'sa's thigh.

At first Kai'sa flinched, then she giggled, opening one eye. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah." Forgetting her concern about getting Kai'sa sick, she leaned down and kissed her. Kai'sa flinched again, opening her mouth to the kiss more out of instinct than anything else. Sweet and soft, she responded with caution, and as always Ahri stopped to check in. "Is this fine?"

"Better than fine," Kai'sa said, hand curling around the back of Ahri's head. She pulled Ahri into another kiss, slow and tender like the first one. It was all sensation in the darkness, self-consciousness rubbed away by languor. "Are you wearing that peach perfume I like?"

It took her a moment to respond. Kai'sa felt warm against her palms, hot enough to burn through her low fever. Slipping both hands under her shirt, she traced the thin lines of Kai'sa's second-skin where it wrapped around her rib cage. It trembled, slowly parting from Kai'sa's body to allow direct touch. "Mmm. No."

Kai'sa gasped into her mouth, squirming when Ahri reached up to touch her breasts, keeping it whisper-soft until her nipples grew firm from the attention. She pinched them, heat flooding between her legs when Kai'sa moaned her name.

She smiled.

Kai'sa forced her up just far enough to yank her sleep shirt over her head, then drew Ahri back for another kiss.

"You feel so good today," Kai'sa growled, silvery second-skin pooling around her throat. It roughened her voice, lust making it coil in senseless patterns. Once or twice it passed over Ahri's hands, nudging and curious like it had its own mind, directing her to where Kai'sa wanted to be touched. "Ahri, did you throw your charm on me?"

Finally, something lanced through the haze of her mind. Her tail flicked, once. "No?" Ahri said, a little upset. "You'd know if I was doing that, trust me. Why?"

Kai'sa was shaking underneath her, visibly struggling to maintain control. She twisted, thighs pressed tight together, squeezing hard. "Because I feel like I'm about to come and you've barely touched me."

Stunned, Ahri sat back on her heels.

"...Oh, no." When Kai'sa made a curious noise, reaching out to bring her closer, Ahri squeaked. She flailed off the bed, landing in a poomf of suddenly sprouting tails. "Oh, no!"

Furious, she went rummaging through her bags for her cellphone. Opening it up, she double checked the date, going to her calendar for confirmation. That was when she noticed her nails, carefully manicured, had turned into twisted, long black claws.

"Is everything okay?" Concerned, Kai'sa stood nearby, keeping her distance. Her second-skin hovered over her shoulders, separate but psychically linked, always close by. "I'm so sorry, you're obviously still sick, I shouldn't have..."

The sound of her voice prompted a full-body shiver in Ahri, from the points of her ears to the tip of every single tail. The aches had faded with Kai'sa distracting her, but now that Ahri was clear-headed again they returned full-force.

"It's not you," she groaned, waving her arm to try and dismiss the extra tails. It took a bit of effort, but they folded up one by one until Ahri was back to normal. "It's me. I'm in heat."

Both 'wings' perked up when Kai'sa gasped, before immediately folding flat against her spine in sudden embarrassment. Kai'sa seemed to shrink too, shoulders hunching in. "Oh! Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." I'm just an idiot.

Every year around the same time, Ahri would diplomatically excuse herself from all her duties. When properly isolated, her heat would pass and go without event. Ahri used it as an excuse for a little vacation, to avoid burnout. Those few weeks off every year kept her from going mad.

But this year, by chance or by some biological quirk, it had come early. And Ahri had been completely surrounded by the three women who loved her, by an entire stadium of people who adored her and wanted her. It was no wonder she'd been triggered into a full-blown cycle.

Carefully, tenderly, Kai'sa cupped Ahri's face in her hands and tilted her head back a bit. "What can I do?"

Fuck me, was the immediate, obvious answer. The elephant in the room. But she couldn't, she shouldn't. Even if it wasn't a full-blown charm, the force of a gumiho's heat could act as an intoxicant, blurring the lines of consent, and Kai'sa already had so many hang ups over her bare skin being touched, and Ahri couldn't, she wouldn't.

She clenched her eyes shut, burning red-hot with embarrassment. "Something cold to eat. Would make me feel better. And please hold me as much as you can. Because otherwise this is going to be very, very painful."

Kai'sa nodded, kissing her again. Once more, passion flared up between them. A raw, wet want, like a bloody heart pulsing in her fist. Swallowing it back, she pulled away and fell onto the bed with a groan while Kai'sa ordered room service.

Carefully angling her tail to the side so she wouldn't crush it, Kai'sa settled in behind her, snuggling her and stroking her stomach. "Like this?"

This was the worst day of her life. "Yes."

Ahri pulled a pillow to her chest, holding onto it and hiding her face in the fluff. Laughing softly, Kai'sa pulled out her laptop and set on a movie. With that to distract them both, it was a little easier to ignore all the aches and pains, and the deep, unfulfilled want inside of her.

This would have to be enough. At least until the worst was over and she could think clearly. She kept glancing at her phone, too, huffing at last night's commotion. "Akali and Eve are all over instagram and twitter," she said. "There's already gifsets."

Kai'sa propped her chin on Ahri's shoulder. "Of what? Don't tell me she actually took her top off."

"See for yourself."

Ahri played a video of Akali slinking back onstage, waving down fans who were trying to leave. "Hey, hey," she said into her mic, "Do we have to end the show just yet?"

Off-stage but still speaking into her mic, Evelynn's dry voice answered. "Yes, Akali. People have homes to go to. The venue needs to close. Be considerate."

"Okaaaay," Akali sighed. "But I have one last question..."

She pulled up the hem of her shirt, showing a slice of tanned skin.

"...Does anyone want this shirt? It's kinda sweaty and I don't wanna wear it anymore."

Whoever was recording started shaking their phone violently from there on out. Any other dialogue quickly got eaten up by fannish squeals, and the clip ended. So Ahri went hunting through the tags for the rest. In between gifsets and other videos they saw the whole thing.

Evelynn marched on stage, scolding Akali.

"You can't just toss your clothing into the crowd!" she said, tugging Akali's shirt back down to a loud chorus of boos and hisses. Then a sharp glint entered her eyes as she surveyed the fans. "...That's not fair to the people sitting all the way in the back."

Ahri sighed as the crowd went ballistic again.

Those two were dangerous when left to their own devices.

After selecting a random girl from the audience, Akali and Evelynn invited her on stage. They gave her a big hug and took a selfie facing the crowd, and yes, they gave her a shirt. Not the one right off Akali's back, thankfully.

"Well that explains why no one bothered us on the way out," Kai'sa said, voice mild. "Where are they now?"

No messages in the group chat, but more searching through twitter painted the rest of the story. There were a bunch of tagged photos of Akali and Evelynn out at the afterparty, and the after-afterparty, and finally one of them in their hotel room. Evelynn stood in the foreground with a finger pressed to her smiling lips, Akali's t-shirt in hand. Meanwhile Akali dabbed in the background, stripped to her boxers, a sports bra, and her socks. It didn't show any more skin than the gym selfies she sometimes posted, but the context was definitely more scandalous.

Sorry girls, the caption read, but this belongs to me.

"That's enough ship fuel to power the fandom for the rest of the year," Ahri said, somewhat in awe.

"I don't know about that." She could almost hear Kai'sa's frown. "It doesn't seem like a good idea, encouraging people to ship us."

Ahri's tail waved a little. "It's harmless." The photo was timestamped at 3AM, so about an hour before they'd woken up. "And at least we know they made it back to the hotel safe."

Privately, she was also glad because it meant the other two would probably sleep in. Ahri wouldn't be the only one bedridden. Locking her phone, she sighed again, this time in exhaustion.

Quiet for a moment, Kai'sa kept pressing kisses to the back of her neck, and her shoulders. One free hand stoked her tail, partly to maintain contact and partly to ensure it stayed over Ahri's hip and not sticking back, where one of them might lie on it and pinch it. "Maybe you should have stayed with them."

Kai'sa's breath was hot on her ear, making her whole body clench with need. "Hmm? Sorry, what?"

They were still pressed close together, but suddenly it felt like a great distance had sprung up between them.

"Um," Kai'sa said, "I mean, you'd probably be more comfortable having sex with Eve, at the very least."

Twisting around in Kai'sa's arms, Ahri looked up at her.

The knock on the door made both of them leap apart. Room service, of course. They'd taken their sweet time. Ahri tumbled over the edge of the bed again while Kai'sa went to answer it with a smile and a bow. She returned with a pair of spoons and a cup of yoghurt laden with fruit and thick syrup, spread her legs into a wide vee, and patted the space between them.

"Sit," Kai'sa said. "I have rules about food in bed, but I think we can make an exception this time."

Ahri sat, her back to Kai'sa. Her insides squirmed, every inch of her screaming yes, yes, yes, she wants it, she told you she wants it.

Angrily digging into the yoghurt, she began to mutter. "I'm just trying to do the right thing, here. I don't want you to fuck me and then when we snap out of it you're disgusted and, and you hate me."

She inhaled the whole glass, and it did make her feel better. A little bit. If Kai'sa was bothered by Ahri hogging it all, she didn't voice it, instead trailing her fingers up Ahri's thigh. "So I'd be fucking you, huh."

A second tail popped into existence, both of them waving excitedly, and Kai'sa laughed.

Trying to do damage control, Ahri stammered out, "I-I don't need to exclusively...receive. But this is a conversation we should have had a long time ago! You shouldn't feel obligated to do this. Especially not now when you're..."

Her words turned into a choked groan when Kai'sa dared a little higher, petting her over her shorts. The second-skin rolled down Kai'sa's forearm, covering her hand like a claw-tipped glove.

"When I'm...?" she prompted, silver claw rolling over a growing wet spot in the fabric.

The glass clattered out of her hand and onto the floor. Gripping the sheets, Ahri braced her feet on the bed, panting loudly. "Fuck, Kai'sa!"

All her self control shredded in an instant. Her hips surged up, seeking friction. But the instant she did, Kai'sa retreated. Denied, a rush of fury washed over her, nails shredding right through the blankets. She was being toyed with, and the darkest, basest part of her wanted to snarl and howl and bite in retribution, her pride demanding some sort of compensation for the injury.

Every breath came out in a labored huff, until slowly, she regained control.

Holy shit.

She'd never had a reaction like that during her heat, not since the one time she tried riding it out with Evelynn.

"This isn't a game," she said at last, through grit teeth. "I-I'm not safe like this. Kai'sa, I'm not myself right now."

She should have known better. She should have locked herself up. But she just had to be weak for once, didn't she? The one time she asked for help, instead of dealing with this on her own like she was supposed to, and now Kai'sa was teasing her without knowing the danger and Ahri was clutching to her last shred of sanity. Trembling, she waited for Kai'sa to react, or to say something, or be mad at her. But all she did was rub slow, soothing circles on Ahri's shoulders.

"You know, this... thing..." Kai'sa lifted her hand, and the second layer of her skin gathered into a sphere. She tossed it into the air. Upon landing back in her palm, it splashed, spreading over her entire arm again. "Gets overprotective, and it hurts when it moves without my permission, but it does have some perks."

"Oh," Ahri said, still panting. "I see."

"Mmmmhmm," Kai'sa said.

"I don't actually see," Ahri admitted, "I just said I did and hoped you'd explain anyway. I'm kind of functioning on one brain cell right now."

She shook with peals of laughter, wrapping her arms tight around Ahri's waist. Ahri immediately started purring, cuddling back against her chest and nuzzling her head under Kai'sa's chin.

"I mean you can't intoxicate me with whatever sex hormones you're obviously worried about, and there's a reason you've never seen me bleed," Kai'sa explained. "You do know I'm not totally human after what happened to me, right?"

Guilt, again. Even for things she didn't do, for things she had no control over, she carried guilt. She wanted to protect Kai'sa, wanted to rip open time and pluck her from the things that haunted her. It was a powerful urge, wishing there was someone, anyone she could punish. She never wanted Kai'sa to hurt like that ever again. She never wanted to hurt Kai'sa. She never wanted to hurt Kai'sa.

"I'm s-sorry," she said again, her body still so hot and sensitive, so overwhelmed that for an instant she wanted to turn her claws on herself. "I just don't want...to h-hurt you."

"You can't," Kai'sa promised her, gently turning her head so she could kiss Ahri's temple. She worked off her sweat-soaked shirt before setting Ahri's hands on her thighs, squeezing them once. "Poor thing. You're burning up."

When Kai'sa's lips pressed slow, open-mouthed kisses against the back of her neck, Ahri lost control again. Claws flexed on instinct, the tips resting right over Kai'sa's bare thighs. But instead of the bloody rush of flesh sundering, her claws sunk into the thick, rubbery mass of Kai'sa's second-skin. It had rushed down Kai'sa's body the moment it felt a threat.

Capturing Ahri's hands, it ensured she couldn't push them in any deeper... but she also couldn't pull away.

Stuck, she started to try and tug free, heart hammering. "My teeth," she said, one last feeble warning.

"Can I muzzle you?" was Kai'sa's simple solution.

"Yes!" she cried out, arching back against Kai'sa's chest. She didn't even know how Kai'sa planned to do that, and she didn't care. Not when Kai'sa's hands were on her breasts again, massaging them until the ache turned into pleasure. She was so wet now that her thighs were sticky with it, her tail rippling in shudders. "Yes, yes."

Carefully, another tendril of the second-skin wrapped around her mouth. It pressed tight and smooth, clinging like latex. The surface was warm as flesh, pulsing with Kai'sa's heartbeat.  Probing between her lips, it asked a question. Ahri answered by relaxing her jaw, and she let Kai'sa inside.

She groaned around it, twitching in surprise when it stroked and pulled at her tongue. That shouldn't have been as hot as it was. If she weren't ravenously horny she might not have allowed it, they might not have tried it, but she was and they did. And it fit between her teeth perfectly. It gave way when she growled and bit down into it, exploring her mouth in lazy strokes.

"I won't go too deep," Kai'sa assured her, as if she gave a damn at this point. Slipping a hand down Ahri's pants, Kai'sa kissed her temple again.

Ahri was so wet there was hardly any friction when Kai'sas fingers slid over her.

"...Oh my god," Kai'sa's voice rumbled, in shock and delight. She did it again, firmer this time, and Ahri closed her eyes and let out a muffled squeal. Sighing in satisfaction, Kai'sa rested her fingers over Ahri's clit. Her hand was trapped between hot, wet flesh and tight fabric, and every idle movement made Ahri see stars. "You feel amazing."

Urging Ahri to lift her hips, she worked her pants down until they were tangled around one ankle. "Legs over mine, sweetheart."

Every inch of her relaxed into Kai'sa's arms, her head comfortably tucked underneath her chin, her back to Kai'sa's chest. Spreading her legs out, she hooked them over Kai'sa's ankles, baring as much of herself as she could.

"You let me know when you've had enough." Kai'sa stroked her swollen clit, the relief so sharp it was like agony. "I'm going to keep my hand right here where you need me. And I want you to rub against me until you come."

That was easier said than done, with her hands tied and her neck forced back by the second-skin and her legs just a little too wide to comfortably brace herself on the mattress. She growled again, struggling for release with every movement, bucking and thrusting against Kai'sa's hand.

Pressure built slowly, rising up behind her eyes until suddenly all she could see was blinding white light. She moaned around Kai'sa in her mouth, shuddered in Kai'sa's arms, her cunt pulsing with Kai'sa's fingers rolling slow, soothing circles around her. She eased Ahri through her orgasm, keeping every touch gentle but her hand far enough away that Ahri had to strain to reach her.

Her hips dropped, breaking contact so she could recover. Body drenched in sweat, Ahri let the cool air brush over her like waves as her fever finally broke.

Pressed to her back, Kai'sa's chest rose in a short laugh. "Are you okay?"

She removed the gag so that Ahri could answer. A long string of spit trailed from the edge of her gasping mouth to the silvery second-skin, and Ahri coughed, once. "That was fucking amazing."

They both laughed then, a ripple of giggles that they couldn't have fought off if they wanted to.

A warm breath huffed against her ear. "You don't smell all peachy anymore. Was that it? Are you better now?"

"It's more like a refractory period." With most of the initial tension burned away, she was a lot less squeamish about getting into the nitty-gritty with Kai'sa. After all, Kai'sa didn't seem turned off by the whole thing. Ahri pressed a palm to her jaw once her hands were freed, rubbing the tender ache there. "It'll come back uh, about, three or four times every few hours."

Kai'sa made a noise. "Hmmm! That's... hmmm."

"Thorough?" Ahri suggested with a weak smile.

"I'm surprised there's not more gumiho in the world," Kai'sa finished, somewhat diplomatically.

It was probably the only reason there were any gumiho, given how reclusive and aloof her people could be. That was a line of thought for another day, however. More immediate questions needed to be answered. "Do you want to leave? Trust me, I'm well-equipped to handle the rest of this on my own."

When she twisted around, Kai'sa had a single brow arched. "Still so keen on getting rid of me, I see."

"I'm giving you an out," she stressed, a little irritated now. "Whatever subtext you're wringing out of this or whatever you think I'm trying to say, please stop, and listen to what I am actually saying. I don't want you to feel used."

"That's a shame. Because I'm really in a mood to be used."

Her mouth went dry. And as neutral as she tried to keep her expression, Ahri's tail started thwapping enthusiastically against the mattress.

Kai'sa laughed again, and Ahri felt more foolish than ever. Grabbing her tail, she held it to her chest and scowled, turning around to fully face Kai'sa. "You're still mostly human!" she huffed. "I'm allowed to be concerned!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed." Kai'sa reassured her with a smile. "It's just... oh no, poor me, forced to make love to my beautiful girlfriend who needs to be pleased for hours and hours."

Ahri smirked, and rubbed her jaw again, pleased to note the soreness had faded already. "Don't promise hours if you can't deliver hours, Kai'sa."

Kai'sa hooked her chin in one hand, angling Ahri closer. "I can deliver."

She kissed her before Ahri had a chance to snark back. When she linked their hands together, the second-skin slithered off her palms and onto Ahri's. They clung all the way down her forearms, forcing her hands above her head, clasped as if in prayer. Pushing Ahri down on her back, Kai'sa left her mouth free this time.

Ahri punished her for it, a low rumble leaving her chest as she nipped Kai'sa's shoulder. The second-skin responded at once, leaping to her defense and into Ahri's mouth. Opening it wide now rather than forcing it shut, nothing muffled Ahri's cries as Kai'sa stroked her firmly, putting her body weight behind every touch.

Grinding on top of her, Kai'sa stripped herself down quickly so her bare sex was pressed to Ahri's thigh. Eager to give back, Ahri tried to push up against her, moving together so she wasn't the only one being pleasured.

The binding around her hands prevented her from doing more, but trust was a fickle thing, and animal instinct could prove stronger. Exchanging freedom for safety was better, and feeling Kai'sa work her way to a sudden climax was just as rewarding as doing it herself. Wetness coated Ahri's thigh, dripping all the way down to her knee, and hearing Kai'sa groan in release sent Ahri spiralling again.

"Don't stop," she gasped when Kai'sa freed her mouth to check in. "Nnn, more."

More was Kai'sa thrusting three fingers inside of her. Every other word became lost in a purr or a growl, language forgotten in favor of instinct again. They fit so perfectly together, every inch of coiled muscle in Kai'sa unleashed like a flood as she pinned Ahri down and fucked her the way she needed.

A third orgasm washed over her, leaving Ahri completely serene with the reward of doing what her body was built for. In the wake of that, even when the haze of lust lifted, Ahri just laid on top of Kai'sa and purred.

"Thank you," she said, rubbing her face against Kai'sa's chest. Her claws had shrunk back to normal, soft and pink and human-looking. Still longer than usual, but that could be fixed with a quick trip to the salon.

A flick of her phone confirmed it was still fairly early in the morning. "We should probably eat something."

Kai'sa's hand slid down her back, squeezing Ahri's ass. "I'll get around to that eventually."

Laughing in shock, Ahri lightly slapped Kai'sa's shoulder. Sitting up, she straddled Kai'sa's waist and didn't fight the sparks that leapt up at every brush of skin against skin. "Well, while we're still rational enough to order more food, we should."

Soft palms stroked over her thighs, Kai'sa's fingers rubbing soothing circles, higher and higher, until she met wetness. "Yes. Though I'm a little disappointed, Ahri."

Ahri's ears folded, slightly. "Oh?"

"You said you'd use me. And here I am, feeling distinctly unused."

Every part of her perked up at that, tail standing straight with excitement. Shuffling a little higher after asking permission, she carefully knelt over Kai'sa's head, a low trill of pleasure continuously rumbling in her chest.

"Am I going to have to muzzle you again?" Kai'sa asked, eyes locked on hers even as she turned her head to the side, licking a wet stripe along Ahri's thighs. The muscles there shivered at the attention, her clit aching to be touched next.

"I think the worst is over, maybe," Ahri said. Then she lifted her hands up. "But, um..."

"Say no more." They coaxed Kai'sa's second-skin to wrap around her chest. Arms bound again, Ahri focused all her attention on maintaining her balance. Kai'sa pulled her closer, hands on her ass and setting the pace.

This was less frantic. Less scratching an itch and more enjoying the act itself. The trust in it, in having the second-skin shifting over her breasts like a pair of hands as Kai'sa sealed her lips around her clit and sucked.

Ahri didn't even know when the fog of her heat clouded all her inhibitions again. Just as she started finding a proper rhythm, her mouth started working all on its own. She purred to Kai'sa, urging her on in a lower voice than usual, a litany of filth making her rock harder against Kai'sa's tongue.

One, two, three, four five. Kai'sa's hands grew tangled in a mass of fur; Ahri relaxed enough to lose control of her tails again. Neither of them complained, though Kai'sa didn't seem to know where to grip any longer until she settled on Ahri's hips instead.

"This is what I wanted," she admitted to Kai'sa in between little gasps, biting her lower lip, tongue flicking out to taste the second-skin when it caressed over her chin.

It left a numbing tingle now as it travelled over Ahri's body, cooling down the worst of her impulses. Some part of her knew she and Kai'sa had more in common than they wanted to admit. There was the hunger of a dark void in them both, an appetite difficult to acknowledge, one never indulged in.

Once she'd gotten this far along with Evelynn �� the last time she dared to take a partner during heat — Ahri had almost ripped her to ribbons. Not that Evelynn minded terribly. She sealed the deep gouges on her back, and pressed a thumb to the bites on her neck and shoulders and lips, and had smiled that too-bright smile and asked for more.

Ahri didn't remember a lot of that night. She remembered the next morning, though. Waking up with blood under her nails and coated to her palms and thighs, sticky with it. The flash of terror at what she might have done. Not being entirely soothed by Evelynn snuggling up next to her and licking her hands clean.

As for Kai'sa... there was definitely more to the second-skin than just a desire to protect its host. What more could be was still unknown, but Ahri trusted her, as much as she trusted Evelynn, and as much as they trusted her.

Right then, more was keeping her from hurting anyone, and so she loved it.

She shivered, wanting to sink down, all the way down. Wanting to flatten herself like the second-skin and press against Kai'sa. It would be so good to wrap around her and settle somewhere under her heart and never let go. Instead she rocked once, twice against the flat of Kai'sa's tongue and came with a little cry of loss.

Even after her hands were freed she stayed there, kneeling over her and whimpering on every other exhale. Ahri tangled her fingers deep in violet hair, smoothing it out of Kai'sa's eyes. Satiety made her lethargic, not wanting to move or do anything except sit with the full, unbearable weight of how much she loved this girl.

There weren't any words for it.

Then the door swung open, the automatic lock whirring. Akali arrived with an armful of plastic bags, waving her extra key card in the air. "Knock, knock, ladies! Sorry to wake you but I have medicine and..."

When Ahri locked eyes with Akali, she shifted subtly. All nine of her tails flared out behind her, arched and flexing, sensually twisting past each other. She must seem absolutely feral like this, a predator crouched over her last kill, eyes glowing in the dark.

Pure molten fire rose up in her fiercely, pushing its way up to the top of her head so fast she reeled.

Squeaking, Akali dropped her bags and dipped out, slamming the door shut. In just a few seconds Ahri and Kai'sa's phones both rang, and some of the haze left her as she laughed and sat back.

Wiggling off of Kai'sa, Ahri grabbed her phone and opened the message.

I am soooo sorry, I should have knocked!

Black claws flexed on her hands. Her whole body was trembling from a mixture of exhaustion and an arousal so deep it ached. After a few responses failed, Ahri gave up trying to type and called her.

"Akali," she said, shocked at how different her own voice sounded like this. Raw from shouting and pleading, and deep, and hungry. Always hungry. "I need you to do me a favor."

  When the door opened again later, it was Evelynn's cool voice sounding out, amused. "Looks like you've been careless, gumiho."

Bound hand and foot this time, Ahri had somehow been shuffled to the edge of the bed with all their movement. Arching her head back so that it tilted over the edge, she saw Evelynn standing there in the doorframe, upside down. She had one fist on her hip, one lasher coiling out to flick on the lamps.

Ahri groaned in the sudden brightness. She winced even as Kai'sa moved up to lie beside her, kissing the side of her neck as one hand gently explored between her spread legs.

"Eve," was all Ahri could say. A plea, and an apology, and a cry for help.

Evelynn responded by pacing closer, grasping one of Ahri's breasts in her hand and kneading it indulgently, slowly, possessively. In just a single move somehow she had projected the sense that she was something Kai'sa was just borrowing for now. It enveloped her in flames, bringing her higher with one touch.

Ahri closed her eyes tightly, glad she had asked Akali to fetch their other bandmate, but at the same time burning up with embarrassment at needing her help.

"It smells like fresh blood in here," Evelynn said, framing her nipple in the curve between thumb and forefinger. "Did she hurt you, Kai'sa darling?"

Kai'sa smiled, shaking her head. "Just one tiny bite."

"That's good." She bent down, capturing Ahri's lips in a kiss. Ahri drank it up, every muscle straining against the second-skin keeping her bound. Evelynn kissed her again, before pulling back just enough to feel warm breath on her lips, squeezing her breast harder now. "Let me have a taste, gumiho."

She did. Even if it was Kai'sa's hands fucking her, it was Evelynn who pushed her to the edge once more, every sound muffled by the mouth over hers and the harsh pull of Evelynn's powers. She was being drained in two directions, she realized, the worst of her fever cooling down just by the presence of them both.

Afterwards, panting and tonguing the smeared lipstick away from the crook of her mouth, she wondered why she hadn't tried this sooner.

"Hi," she managed in a ragged gasp, once her head had cleared. Then she groaned when Kai'sa draped herself over Ahri's body, kissing up her chest, soothing the red claw marks Evelynn had left behind while she was twisting in the throes of pleasure. "God, you're going to start it up again."

"That's the plan," Kai'sa said cheerily. "Though I'm wondering if we won't need Akali's energy to wear you out."

"That might not be a bad idea," Evelynn said, her phone out as she typed a quick text. "I am curious to see how she'll react to the scent of you. If she can withstand it..."

Lowering herself, Evelynn sat next to Ahri, still bound on the bed. She kept her legs off the edge, crossed at the knee as she examined Ahri. She was smiling, most of her lipstick gone after Ahri had practically licked it off.

"I don't think the amount of blood I scent can be chalked up to Kai'sa's love bite," she said, her hand cool as she cupped Ahri's chin. "What do you smell, Kai'sa?"

"Peaches," Ahri and Kai'sa answered at the same time, and shortly afterwards there was a knock at the door.

Akali peeked inside, a flustered smile on her face. "Can I come in? Eve, uh, got me up to speed on what's going on. Is Ahri okay?"

"Come see for yourself," Evelynn urged. Then, to Kai'sa, she suggested, "Go get some water. Take a break. I'll handle this."

Something about her cool confidence, how utterly unrattled she was by all of this, did a lot to calm down Ahri's racing heart. She felt so much better with Evelynn here helping mediate her heat.

Reluctant at first, Kai'sa finally let Ahri go after a quick kiss to them both. When she tried to get to her feet she wobbled a bit, knees giving way as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Holy shit, I can't even walk," she muttered, laughing in disbelief. Her voice grew faint as she shut the door behind her. The hiss of the shower starting up drowned out the rest.

Turning her attention back to Akali, she realized the other woman was keeping a wary, respectful distance. That was cute. Ahri rolled over so that she was on all fours. Her higher brain knew she ought to greet her properly, maybe ask if Evelynn had really explained what was happening. But the sight of Akali twisted up everything inside of her so that she couldn't speak properly.

Instead she extended one hand, claw-tipped, and beckoned her closer.

Akali exhaled in a shudder, brown irises eclipsed by blown-black lust quicker than she thought possible. Marching over to them, she tugged her shirt over her head along with her bra and was hopping out of her pants when Evelynn stopped her.

The lasher wrapped around Akali's waist, lifting her until she was off-balance on just one tip-toe. They gave off a plush velvet appearance, when Evelynn deigned to have them on display at all, but Ahri knew the lashers were warm as flesh, and stronger than steel. The sharp edges could break through solid concrete if Evelynn were in a foul mood; they were more than strong enough to restrain Akali.

"Akali," Evelynn said, voice a warm suggestion.

Akali's dark eyes, focused intently on Ahri, twitched to Evelynn at the sound of her name.

"Tell me where we are."

A slight furrow creased between Akali's eyes. "The... hotel," she said, but she didn't sound sure.

"Which hotel, my love?"

Akali didn't have an answer for that one. Instead, her eyes slowly angled back to Ahri, whose little bubble of arousal was slowly draining away by the realization of what was happening.

"Do you know what year it is?" Evelynn tried next.

"Does it matter?" Akali mumbled. "Fuck, I don't know. I can't remember."

"Oh, wow." Ahri sat up, guilt piercing through any lingering desire she might have had. "She's gone, isn't she?" Gone in a way Kai'sa very clearly hadn't been.

"I'd say so." Evelynn kept her tone conversational, another lasher joining the first to keep Akali bound, and from doing anything she might regret. "Akali, my love, I need you to be a good girl and sit still for me. Just for a little while. When your head clears I'll ask you again."

The way Akali deflated would have been comical under most other circumstances. "Okaaay," she complained, then quieted down when the soft purple length of Evelynn's lasher wrapped around her eyes. She inhaled deeply. "It smells good in here."

"That's because someone has been very negligent about her nature," Evelynn said, giving Ahri a pointed look.

Squirming in guilt, Ahri averted her gaze. Still, her thighs pressed together, need more urgent than anything else. "That's why I called you, Eve. Are you going to do something about it or are you just going to scold me?"

The response was Evelynn's hand whipping out and grabbing her by the neck. Pinned face down, Ahri only had enough time for a single whine of complaint before Evelynn was kneeling over her, whispering in to her ear.

"This is what happens when you ignore what you are," Evelynn said, flexing her clawed grip once. "You put people in danger. You put my human girlfriend in danger. And then I have to come and clean your mess. Do you like that, Ahri? Do you enjoy it?"

Her tails served as a poor buffer between her and Evelynn. And despite everything, they could not stop touching her, coiling and snaking past Evelynn's thighs and wrapping around her waist.

She knew anything she said would just be an excuse, and a weak one at that. She knew that she'd been careless with Akali, and with Kai'sa, too. She'd given so much of herself to others that now all she could do was take. She knew that she was the weak one today, and that she needed Evelynn to be strong because she couldn't, and she knew that Evelynn was only mad because she was worried, but god it only turned her on even more. Ahri could sense Evelynn's conflicted feelings in the pulse beating close to her own, all those emotions laid bare.

"...Don't act like a brat," Evelynn finally said, when it became clear no answer was forthcoming. "Tell me what you need."

When she craned her neck sideways to see where Akali was, she found her comfortably and safely zoned out in Evelynn's embrace, the lashers keeping her docile and subdued.

"Whatever you can give me," Ahri answered honestly.

Evelynn's free hand swiped roughly between her legs, coming back dripping wet.

"God." Sounding a little shocked, Evelynn seemed to forget herself as she touched her again. Her voice went lower, genuine desire in her voice bullying past the anger. "...It's been a long time, hasn't it, gumiho?"

Years. As careful fingers circled her stiff clit, Ahri's claws flexed into the mattress, long since ruined. Add that to the list of things she needed to take care of and fix when this was done, add it to the bill for someone else to clean.

The pressure on her back mounted, Evelynn resting more of her weight on Ahri. "Was it so bad, being with me?" she murmured, petting her clit with one hand, petting her ruffled fur with the other. "You hated it this much? You'd rather lock yourself away, or risk Kai'sa."

"No," she whined, arching her back. All of her tails stroked and curled around her sinuously until Evelynn batted one of them aside, impatient. All but one folded in, leaving her on display for Evelynn to touch again. She wanted desperately to explain, but for a while the only thing she could manage was another low, tortured moan. "Of course I don't like it, Eve! I don't like needing it. But I do need it, I need you to fix it, I need you, please."

With Kai'sa she could relax enough to take the edge off, but deep down she knew that she could only properly succumb with Evelynn. Kai'sa could mitigate her, but Evelynn could take everything she had to give.

That demanding grip moved from her neck to the base of her tail, squeezing it until she cried again.

Temper soothed for now, Evelynn swung right back to low amusement. "Are you going to come for me again so soon?"

"Yessss." She bowed her head, shivering helplessly as she did just that. Head to toe, a frisson of electricity uncoiling from within her and taking her out. Boneless, Ahri slumped down onto the sheets again, humming in delight as the heat cleared from her.

"What number was that?" Evelynn wanted to know. She made Ahri hiss when she worked her fingers deep inside, pushing her limits. Ahri twitched when Evelynn's head dipped down, her tongue dragging out over her shoulder. "Seven...? Eight? Mmm, I can taste it on your skin."

Ahri shrugged, still exhausted and wiggling from the overstimulation. "I don't really like to keep count when I'm like this."

"I remember you got to sixteen with me."

She flushed at the memory. "I'll take your word for it."

A rustle of fabric and flailing limbs made them both look up as Akali finally seemed to snap out of her stupor. She grunted in confusion, wincing when Evelynn let her drop to the floor.

"Ow!" Akali sat to the side, rubbing her behind. "What the hell just happened?! Did Ahri use her freaking charm on me?!"

"I did warn you before you came inside," Evelynn said. "Looks like you couldn't hang, baby."

"I can hang!" Akali insisted, pounding a fist on the floor. "I just wasn't expecting a face full of sex magic!"

"Lightweight," Evelynn teased. "Still want to give it a shot now that you know what you're in for?"

Suddenly a little more subdued, Akali's eyes dropped. Then she peeked up, almost shyly, and stammered, "U-uh, is there a way to dial it down just a little? Cause as insanely hot as this is, I'm also a little freaked out right now."

"Not..." Ahri cleared her throat. "Not really."

She stared at Ahri a little longer, wide-eyed. Then Akali sulked, blushing bright red all the way down her chest. "Then I'm... gonna check on Kai'sa, she's been in the shower a long time."

Getting up on shaking feet, she vanished into the bathroom as well and shut the door, loudly. Ahri winced a little, guilt stinging again.

"Sorry," Evelynn said.

"I'm not offended." Ahri rubbed her forehead, fatigued. "Just feel like a monster."

"You are a monster," Evelynn reminded her. "But you don't need to hide it, Ahri. Not from us." One finger angled her face up, gold eyes guarded but tender. "Not from me."

Ahri bit her lip, not sure what to say.

Then she bit Evelynn's, kissing her hard.

Evelynn allowed it, deepening the kiss until they were both scrambling to undress her. Even someone like Evelynn wasn't completely immune to her influence... not discounting the possibility that Evelynn would have wanted this anyway, of course.

"Don't hold back." Evelynn's eyes shone with their own light, the hint of fangs in the corner of her lips making Ahri kiss her again, and again. "Come on, gumiho. Take it. I know you can."

It was furious, fucking someone when she didn't have to worry about hurting them. Evelynn matched her blow for blow, snarling in her face when black claws dug in deep into pale skin. Ahri's ears flattened against her skull in response, two monsters struggling for a connection however they could, wresting it from this moment.

She was purring when she came again, but her bared teeth and gasping mouth made it come out as a raspy growl.

One moment of clarity shone through it all. Evelynn rose up on all fours over her, stopping long enough just to admire her. A hand passed through her hair, shockingly gentle in contrast to the blood running down her throat.

"You're so beautiful," Evelynn said, thumb pressing over her own mouth to stem a cut from where Ahri been too careless.

Release was close again. The stamina heat provided her didn't leave room for teasing. Unending desire kept her in place, wanting more and more and more, until the fever ran its course.

"Can you end it?" she asked, hushed. "Can you... you know. Eat it? Until there's nothing left? Make it end early?"

A curious glint entered her eyes. "Is that what you want?"

Ahri nodded tightly before she could change her mind, while the rust in her mouth kept her distracted from anything else. Until a sharp, sudden cry from the bathroom set her on high alert, Akali's familiar voice shouting out Kai'sa's name.

"Ah." Evelynn smiled at her knowingly. "I have a feeling the shower will be occupied a while longer."

She couldn't even share in the joke, shaking furiously, her lust renewed by the knowledge that someone else was touching Akali, her Akali. Even knowing it was Kai'sa didn't help, because she belonged to Ahri too. They all did, they were hers, they were hers and she needed them—

A voracious mouth, not human at all, sank into her. Pulling deep, Evelynn locked Ahri in her arms, twisting one leg up sharply so that they were pressed together. Wet flesh slid against flesh, the hard, wonderful friction of Evelynn's clit rubbing right above hers. Trying for a better angle, she twisted and arched, shouting in surprise at the sensation of a serpentine tongue entering her mouth.

There was fire then, in a way she'd never known before. The way the hottest temperatures burned blue and white instead of the mellow sunset hues she'd taken for granted. Evelynn was a star, something that should have remained distant, suddenly altogether far too close. White and violet flames enveloped her, fangs puncturing deep into Ahri as she took her own pleasure.

Ahri felt it rush through her as if it were her own. She crested the peak, hovering in that moment just before orgasm... and lingered there uncomfortably long. Release felt like a noose, suddenly. It wrapped around her throat like another set of hands— and with a jolt, Ahri realized that it wasn't just her imagination or Evelynn's powers at work. Her lashers, very physical and very real, were twisting over her shoulders and her chest and her throat, binding her like velvet shibari. All aesthetic, no restraint.

Instead of a cozy descent, her climax just climbed higher. Ahri forced herself not to fight it, heart fluttering in a panic, holding Evelynn closer for comfort. Evelynn held her down, forcing her to ride it out. Higher, higher. Rushing between her and her lover in an endless figure eight. Left with no other outlet, she raked her claws down Evelynn's back, prompting her to shiver and moan her name.

That was when she crashed. She shattered, screaming, sobbing. Her leg twitched, kicking, as she took fistfuls of Evelynn wherever she could reach her. Thick and tangled in her violet hair, or running down her back again, or clutching her ass and forcing her closer because Ahri wasn't done yet, not by a long shot. Not as long as she could still feel the orgasm rippling through Evelynn, her cunt aching to be filled.

Then, sharply, the connection between them was severed.

She felt everything funnel out of her, scooped hollow, left to rattle with nothing remaining inside.

Evelynn was glowing above her still, the energy around her swollen and indolent as a well-fed serpent. She kissed Ahri one last time, tenderly, and that was when she passed out.

 When she woke up, someone had drawn the covers up over her shoulders. The room was dark again, the clock telling her it was late in the evening.

Nearby, she heard conversation. Drained and limp, she sat up long enough to blink at her bandmates sleepily.

"Hey, sleepy girl," Kai'sa said, noticing her first. "You're up sooner than expected."

"Tired," was all Ahri could say.

Akali landed next to her with a heavy thump. She stroked the top of Ahri's head, squeezing her ears a bit. "I bet. Eve said she drained you dry."

"Per Ahri's request," Evelynn said, in a gentle but firm way that made Ahri think this wasn't the first time she'd had to remind them of this fact.

They were all fully dressed, sitting around the table with what looked like boxes of takeout. It smelled good, but not as good as the bed felt. So Ahri curled up around Akali, holding onto her hand and kissing it once.

"Aaaand she's out," Akali said, her voice faint.

Evelynn's amused rumble. "She definitely smells like normal again, so I think we're in the clear."

"Oh?" Akali sounded surprised. "If you say so, I guess."

Kai'sa made a curious noise. "What did she smell like to you? I never got a chance to ask."

A small laugh. "Uh, same as always, I guess.

"She smelled just like home."