#i just can’t decide and need to know what spoiler tag i should use

[asdfghjklmals]

WHEREVER YOU ARE✩༶‧˚

GENRE + T/W: sfw, fluff, angst. WORD COUNT: 3.6k words. TAGS: satoru gojo x fem!oc, established couple. adoptedkiddo! tsumiki.

SYNOPSIS: tsumiki wants to study abroad for high school, but satoru gojo is against it. will satoru let tsumiki go? AUTHOR'S NOTE: ***manga spoilers*** because of what happened to tsumiki in the manga, i decided to write a more wholesome version of what i would think tsumiki would've wanted to do. she is going to make small appearances and still have her name mentioned in my future fics, but this is dedicated to her. and because i think satoru loved having her as his child 💚 REMINDER: if you want to imagine yourself in oc gojo girlfriend's character descriptions instead, please do!

you sat down on the couch, “satoru, we need to talk.”

“i swear, babe, it wasn’t megumi’s fault.” he stared at you innocently with his hands raised.

“megumi?” you looked at him, brows furrowed and confused, “no, babe, we need to talk about tsumiki.”

satoru sighed in relief, glad he didn’t get himself in trouble. he didn’t want you to find out about megumi getting sent to the principal’s office for fighting at school today. that was another lecture for another day.

“what’s going on with my favorite child?” satoru joked, putting his arm around your shoulder.

you explained the situation to satoru, “now that tsumiki is graduating middle school, we had a grown adult talk about her future plans. she told me she wants to study abroad for high school. she wants to learn english so she can teach kids here in japan after she graduates.”

“absolutely not. she’s staying here.” satoru said without even thinking. no reasoning to support his decision.

“but babe, i think it’s a good idea. she’s 15 and starting high school next year. there are good study abroad programs out there. and it's great to live in country of the language you want to the learn.” you said, trying to justify tsumiki’s decision to satoru.

“no, (y/n).” he said sternly. since when did he ever directly call you by your first name instead of a petname? and since when did he want to play patriarch? you were usually the shot-caller in this household.

it was time for the back up plan if all else failed. kisses. you grabbed satoru’s hand and peppered it with your soft lips. “please? for me and tsumiki?”

he looked at you and took his hand away. you stared back at him in disbelief, “satoru gojo, what is your problem today?” even the government name didn’t make him flinch like it usually did.

he never acted like this, even when he disagreed with you, he was usually calm and rational. he would have data and reasons to back up his decisions, but not today.

“i just don’t think a 15 year old girl needs to go study abroad in another country without her guardians.” he said bitterly, “and that’s final.”

he removed his hand from your thigh and got up from the couch, leaving you alone in the living room as he made his way to the patio to join catoru in the sun. your jaw dropped. what was wrong with him today?

later that night: tsumiki's room

“(y/n), did you ask gojo-sensei if i can study abroad?” tsumiki asked curiously as you towel dried her long brown hair for her. she had spent the last week convincing you about letting her attend a private academy in california, and you were totally on board with it until satoru shot you down earlier today.

“i did… he wasn’t too happy to hear what i had to say though.” you frowned at her. she looked at you with sad eyes.

“what did he say?”

“he thinks that you’re too young to study abroad and that you should stay here in japan with us.”

“i’m not a baby, (y/n).” tsumiki said, “why can’t gojo-sensei see that i can take care of myself?”

you thought out loud, “maybe because you’re his little girl... his partner in crime. he doesn’t want to lose that. you know what a softie he is.”

“yeah, but it’s not like i'll be gone forever! i can come home for the semester breaks and i’ll always have my cell phone with me!”

“i know, sweetheart. coming from how i grew up, i think this would be a great experience for you.” you commented as you thought about how you wanted to attend jujutsu high instead of being homeschooled when you were tsumiki’s age. (read ‘love at first fight’ here)

tsumiki sighed in defeat, “can’t you give him a kiss or something? he never says no to you.”

“believe me, i tried.” you chuckled, “he pushed me away and said no.” you and tsumiki both knew satoru gojo's weaknesses.

“what?!” tsumiki gasped, “that man is so obsessed with you and he did what?!”

“i know, that’s the last time he’ll be getting any kisses from me.” you stated, sitting down on her bed.

“well, that’s just mean.” satoru interrupted your girls only conversation. his tall frame leaning against tsumiki's bedroom door, arms folded.

tsumiki smiled, “oh, hi gojo-sensei!”

“hi tsumiki.” satoru greeted her, sitting down on her bed next to you. tsumiki sat on the floor. “(y/n) says you have something you wanted to talk to me about.”

"oh... yes!" tsumiki nervously laughed, scratching the back of her head. "well, since i'm graduating middle school, i wanted to ask you and (y/n) if i can attend this boarding school in california. it's called e.f. academy."

"okay, if you're going to go this far away, you're going to have to convince me. so tell me more." satoru encouraged her.

"well..." tsumiki started to word vomit, "it's a private high school academy with small classes. they have a lot of extra curricular activities and travel opportunities. they'll prepare me for college. they have advisors that i can talk to if we need anything..."

"tsumiki, can't you do all of this here? why do you have to go so far away?" satoru asked. this was his way of being 'reasonable'. he was starting to ask questions so he could make the best decision.

tsumiki was smart and calculated, just as you and satoru raised her to be. she started her rebuttal, "you and (y/n) have always taught me and megumi that we are not going to grow if we don't step out of our comfort zone. you even told megumi to be greedier, so this is me being greedy."

satoru nodded his head, "okay. give me a week to think about it. don't bother (y/n) and don't ask her to give me kisses because that's unfair."

you smiled as you watched satoru and tsumiki talk. they were really a father-daughter duo, partners in crime, two peas in a pod. you missed the days where your 6 year old adopted daughter used to keep your 18 year old boyfriend in check.

"really? you'll really think about it?" tsumiki asked satoru with a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"yes. i promise." he answered.

tsumiki stuck out her pinky as satoru laughed. he intertwined his pinky with hers, both of them kissing their pinkies to seal the deal. (read 'pinky promises' here)

one week later: satoru's office

satoru knew that he only had one week to make a decision that would change his life and ultimately, tsumiki's life. megumi and you were all for tsumiki studying abroad, while he was the only one against it.

"she's the only one that doesn't have cursed energy. she can't see curses and she can't attend jujutsu high with us." megumi's comment ran through satoru's mind. it was true, being the only one who couldn't see curses or practice jujutsu in the family could feel alien. but tsumiki never expressed that she felt alone.

satoru sighed while he sat in his expensive office chair. he knew that he was going to have to give tsumiki an answer today. he still wanted to say no, but his heart knew the right decision was to say yes and let her be free to be her own person.

he heard a knock on his office door. the four signature knocks signaling it was you (or him). ten years later, that has never changed.

"gojo-sensei?" your saccharine voice called out for him as you opened his door.

he greeted you with a bright flashy smile, "i love it when you call me that."

you rolled your emerald green eyes at him as you made your way towards his desk, sitting against it. "did you make a decision yet?"

"i'm thinking about it." he mused.

"you know our baby girl is waiting for an answer. she's at cheer practice right now, so she should be home at 6 today." you commented.

"let me take one last walk and i promise i'll be home on time for dinner." satoru huffed. you leaned down to kiss him before heading back to your office. he grabbed your hand, stopping you.

"wait, can i get another kiss?" he requested with a shit-eating grin.

your radiant laugh filled his office. he peeked one of his shiny blue eyes out of his blindfold. you turned back around to grab his chin with your hand.

"see you at home." you whispered, kissing him again fervently.

***************************************

satoru decided to take the long way home instead of teleporting. he wanted the last couple hours to himself to think.

why was he so against tsumiki studying abroad? he thought about the conversation he had with you last night.

"i think you have abandonment issues, satoru. that's why you won't let tsumiki leave japan." you realized as he pulled you closer to him in bed, your gentle hand resting against his bare chest.

"hmmm. you think so?" he mumbled, pulling your chin up for a sweet peck on the lips.

"i know so."

abandonment. the first person who came to satoru's mind was suguru geto, his bestfriend. the original partner in crime. a person who he loved and cared about til' this day.

"losing suguru really changed you, babe. and that's okay. you've become a better man because of it." you said softly.

"i guess you're right." satoru acknowledged. he sighed deeply and closed his eyes. he felt your delicate breathing against his skin as he fell asleep.

it was true, what you had said. satoru didn't want to be left behind again. even though he knew that tsumiki wasn't actually leaving him behind, he didn't like the fact that another person he loved and cared about wasn't going to always be present in his life.

he knew that if he kept her here, she would just grow up pushing him away or maybe even resenting him. and he couldn't have that. he knew what he had to do. he was going to let tsumiki go.

later that night: family dinner

"so... did you make a decision, gojo-sensei?" tsumiki interjected at dinner.

yours and megumi's green eyes met at the dinner table. the ball was in satoru's court now.

"i did, sweetheart." satoru said calmly. you and megumi extremely curious, tsumiki's heart beating quickly.

"you can go."

"really?!" tsumiki jumped out of her chair.

"really." satoru confirmed.

tsumiki cheered and squealed in delight. running to hug satoru. she ran to her room and grabbed her acceptance letter to show the white haired sorcerer.

"you already have an acceptance letter?" megumi questioned his sister.

"they have a 99% acceptance rate, so it doesn't matter. but i wanted to show gojo-sensei anyways." she beamed.

"i guess they just let anyone into that school." megumi muttered. you kicked him under the table as he shot a glare black at you.

"when is the first day?" satoru asked you and tsumiki.

you answered, "classes start in two weeks. i already bought our plane tickets and made sure our passports were good to go, tsumiki has her student visa ready as well."

"you already bought our plane tickets?" satoru questioned, chuckling, "and what were you going to do if i said no?"

"i knew you wouldn't have said no, babe. you can't say no to me or tsumiki to save your life." you grinned.

"she's right about that." megumi added. tsumiki nodding in agreement. she did get catoru because satoru said yes. (read 'the purrr-fect approach' here)

"i can definitely say no to (y/n)." satoru defended himself as his family ganged up on him.

you picked up your empty plate, and walked to satoru side, "can i get a kiss before i start the dishes?"

"sure, babe." he replied with no hesitation as he gave you a quick peck, unaware of your tricky mind games.

"see? you can't say no." you laughed as you picked up the rest of the empty dinner plates and utensils.

"what did i say about using kisses as a weapon?!" satoru complained. "that's so unfair!"

the dining room was filled with laughter from you, megumi, tsumiki, and satoru.

two weeks later: tsumiki fushiguro takes california

satoru was glued to tsumiki by the hip for the past two weeks. they went shopping together for all her academic needs, for new clothes, a laptop, and a new matching backpack and suitcase. they went to get their hair cut together, and even got their nails done together (satoru loved getting pedicures, you thought it was because of the foot massages). he wanted to spend as much time with tsumiki as possible before parting ways.

orientation for tsumiki's school was a two day event. during the first day, the families would be given a tour of the school and then everyone would attend a social hour to get to know the faculty and other students. the second day, the families would help their student move into their dorms and say their goodbyes until semester break in the late fall, early winter.

during the first day of orientation, tsumiki had already started to make friends. she was just like you. beautiful, nice, caring, friendly. people wanted to be around her and wanted to be her friend. you and satoru watched from the sidelines of the gymnasium as tsumiki mingled with her new classmates.

"are you still worried about her? she's already getting used to things here." you tried to comfort satoru as you watched your future high schooler.

"i was hoping she'd beg us to take her home." satoru frowned. you smacked his chest playfully with the back of your hand.

"mr. and mrs. gojo," a student aide approached the both of you, "can you sign these papers for tsumiki? these are the final documents for admissions."

"sure thing." satoru replied, grabbing the clipboard and pen from the student aide. you waited until they walked away to turn to satoru.

"mr. and mrs. gojo. what did you think about that?" you sneered.

satoru chuckled as he signed the document, "sounds like music to my ears."

"give me a 10 carat diamond ring first, babe." you grinned as satoru handed you the clipboard to sign the document too.

satoru gojo would give you the world if you asked for it.

"(y/n)! gojo-sensei!" tsumiki shouted from across the gymnasium to catch your attention. she waved while pointing at the two of you. she was showing her new friends who her cool and awesome parents were. you and satoru waved back at her, giving her both of your world-class smiles.

***************************************

satoru used blue to hold up all of tsumiki's luggage as the three of you made your way to the dorm room that tsumiki would be staying in. you and satoru paid extra to make sure that she would get her own room. you sat down on the empty bed, tsumiki joining you.

"what do you think, sweetheart?"

"with a little extra decorating, i can make it look like my room at home." she said with a bright smile.

you and satoru helped put on the bed spread, duvet cover, and pillow cases while tsumiki unpacked her clothes and placed them into her small dresser.

you could feel satoru tensing up, his cursed energy spiking every now and then. he was dreading saying goodbye to tsumiki. whenever he would look at you, you would give him a soft smile and rub his back in reassurance.

"gojo-sensei, (y/n), look what megumi gave me for my dorm room." tsumiki's brown eyes twinkled as she showed you a pink sparkly picture frame.

the picture frame contents were of the four of you. it was a recent picture from tsumiki's 15th birthday. you had your arms around megumi while satoru had his arms around tsumiki. it was a rare occasion that megumi was smiling in a picture. tsumiki's signature bright smile lit up the picture. you could feel the love radiating from the frame.

"megumi says that this picture will be a reminder of home and that you all love me."

"he's right." you patted her head, brushing her brown hair. "are you sure you want to do this? it's not too late to change your mind. we can go back home if you want."

"no, i'm sure!" tsumiki said confidently.

you laughed, "you're breaking satoru's heart, baby girl." you hugged satoru, his arms were folded as he quietly laughed, shaking his head.

***************************************

you and satoru spent your last couple of hours with tsumiki reminiscing about her younger days and what kind of child she was growing up.

"remember the day that satoru lost you and megumi at kanda matsuri? i was going to have a heart attack."

satoru shot you a glare, "in my defense, there are thousands of people at that festival. it's one of japan's big three festivals! they were like four feet tall at the time! i told you we needed to get them those child leashes."

"you were such a responsible girl, going to the lost and found." you ignored satoru and laughed, remembering that tsumiki went to the lost and found to have the festival employee announce 'satoru gojo, can you please come to the lost and found to pick up your children'.

"remember the one day gojo-sensei forgot your anniversary?" tsumiki peered at satoru, giggling.

"oh god... don't bring that up." satoru hid his face in his hands.

"what was that? our third year of dating?" you asked satoru, "and your cute 9 year old partner in crime saved you that day. she went to the flower shop down the street and bought lilies with your credit card."

"then how did you find out that i forgot if she saved me?" satoru interrupted you.

"because you always get me roses, even though my favorite flowers are lilies. not only is tsumiki responsible, she's extremely thoughtful." (read 'lilies and roses' here)

"remember when tsumiki brought me a homemade lunch for teachers day?" satoru smiled at the fond memory. tsumiki was only 8 years old when satoru got an official teaching position at jujutsu high.

"it was her idea too," you reminded satoru, "she asked me to help her bring your lunch to the school that day. our baby girl is so caring. what did we do to deserve such an amazing daughter?" you gushed at your 15 year old, hugging her tightly. tsumiki just smiled and laughed like she always did.

"i think i'm the lucky one too! what did me and megumi do to deserve such loving adoptive parents?!" she remarked.

"all you two had to do was look cute. that's why i picked you two up off the streets." satoru joked. (read 'learn to love' here)

you heard a knock on tsumiki's dorm door, tsumiki opening it. the resident assistant announced, "curfew is starting soon. parents are going to be saying goodbye to their students in the courtyard."

you felt satoru's cursed energy spike again. he wasn't ready for this moment, and honestly, neither were you. you weren't sure what was going to break your heart the most: letting tsumiki go or watching satoru leave a piece of his (still) healing heart behind.

you and satoru quietly followed behind tsumiki as she confidently led the way to the courtyard. it was like she belonged here at the academy the way she navigated through the halls. the courtyard was dimly lit, the california skyline in the background, clouds kissing the top of the city buildings.

you watched as satoru sneakily wiped his tears away from his cerulean blue eyes. he crouched down, softly smiling at tsumiki.

“you gonna be okay without your partner in crime?” he asked her.

as strong as tsumiki was, her brave face started to falter. her warm brown eyes brimmed with tears as she ran into satoru’s arms for one last hug before you and satoru had to leave the campus.

tsumiki babbled through her tears, “thanks for letting me come to school here… i promise i’ll study really hard... i love you and (y/n) so much. you two are the best mom and dad ever.”

satoru scoffed through his tears and continued to hold her. you put a reassuring hand on satoru’s shoulder, joining them for a group hug. tsumiki looked up at the both of you with flushed cheeks.

you kissed the top of her precious head, an action that she never grew out of (and you hoped she never would). you smiled back at her with tears in your eyes, “wherever you are, baby girl, satoru and i will always be one call away. we love you and we’re so proud of you, tsumiki.”

"no boyfriends, please." satoru added with a chuckle. he didn't think he could handle another heart attack.

EXTRA:

"did you see how much tuition costs at tsumiki's boarding school?" you asked satoru as he sat down in his first class airline seat.

"no, i didn't even bother check the brochure they handed us at orientation." satoru stretched his long legs, "how much could a high school tuition cost? one or two thousand a year?"

you just laughed at his ridiculous comment. you were amused at how naive he was.

"what? why are you laughing?"

"try seventy, babe." you stared at him. satoru looked like he was going to have a brain aneurysm.

"seventy what? seventy dollars or seventy thousand?"

you annunciated each word clearly so he could understand you. "seventy. thousand. dollars. a. year."

satoru fake-clutched his chest, "we have to go back and withdraw her, immediately."

�� 2023 ASDFGHJKLMALS — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST MY WORK.

DIVIDERS PROVIDED BY @/ANLIAN-AISHANG

[cactus-cuddler]

Chapter 5: 𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬

Series' masterlist | previous chapter | epilogue

Word count: 1,7 k

Summary: last chapter, no spoiler!

Warnings: no one

Tag list: @mcira @robynanthonystark @sofiaavarga13 @julvrs @fanfictionreaderfan

You hold onto your cardigan while your other hand grips your phone, with Google Maps guiding you to Bucky's house. The cold air pinches your nose, and darkness has already settled in. You hear dogs barking in the distance, crickets chirping, and your heart pounding. The navigator shows that Bucky's house is about twenty minutes away. He used to walk those twenty minutes every day just to take you home, walking by your side as you exchanged a few words. You can't help but feel grateful to him for everything he does for you, so you feel the need to reciprocate what he's done for you.

A few meters away, you spot a shop that's still open—it's ten in the evening, so it’s a bit of a surprise. You decide to go in and buy something. This time, before leaving, you remembered to grab your handbag with your wallet inside! You know that showing up at his place in pajamas, with a cardigan and a handbag on top, isn't exactly a style statement, but who do you expect to see you? You admit that you regretted your outfit choice a little, but at that moment, you didn’t feel like changing, and the desire to see Bucky was stronger.

You buy one of the sandwiches you enjoyed earlier that afternoon, along with some drinks—you can’t show up at someone’s house empty-handed! You don’t know exactly what Bucky likes, as he’s never told you, so you decide to grab some chocolate and savory snacks to increase the chances of getting something he likes. Happy with your purchases, you leave the supermarket and head towards what should be Bucky's apartment. It’s an apartment building with many small studios. You look for his name on the intercom, and as soon as you see "James Buchanan Barnes," you can't help but stifle a laugh. He had never told you his full name, and discovering it like this probably wouldn’t please him.

The first time you ring, no one answers. The second time, you start to worry. The third time, you feel tears prickling your eyes, and by the fourth time, you’re about to cry when the door finally opens. Luckily for you, there’s an elevator inside the building, so you don't have to walk up four flights of stairs to get to his apartment.

You knock carefully on his door, number 546.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, opening the door just enough to not reveal the mess behind it. He's nervous, and you smell the alcohol on him. The scent hits your nostrils with force.

“To see you,” you reply in a whisper, noticing that he can barely stand. "I brought food," you add, trying to persuade him by showing him the shopping bag you brought.

“You’re too pretty," he whispers before letting you in. The living room is full of empty bottles of alcohol, and everything is out of place. Walking without tripping is a challenge. You notice that the clothes he wore on your last date are strewn across the sofa. I forgot to mention—he’s only wearing sweatpants. And that’s it. Needless to say, you’re transfixed by his muscular chest.

“Sorry about the mess,” he mumbles, trying to clear the couch for you to sit down. You place the shopping bag on the coffee table in the middle of the living room and then take off your cardigan before sitting down. He looks at you for a moment and notices you’re in your pajamas. A small smile tugs at his lips.

"At least I'm not shirtless!" you scold, pointing at his bare chest after noticing his reaction.

"I wouldn’t have minded," he chuckles, and you blush. Little by little, he’s regaining his usual way of approaching you, making his coldness melt away. He looks at you, waiting for you to say something. He thinks you’re there to tell him something. But as always, it’s him who breaks the silence.

“Sorry for leaving,” he says, looking away from your face to focus on his hands, which he now sees as stained with the blood of innocents. "But what that man said is true. I am the Winter Soldier," he admits in a small voice. You see his hands trembling, just like his voice.

“You were never him, you’re just Bucky,” you assure him, taking his hands firmly.

He wanted to cut ties with you. He didn’t want you to hang around a monster, nor did he want to involve you in moments like the one at the festival. He wanted to see you happy, and he didn’t believe that he could be the source of that happiness. He softly strokes the back of your hand, and your eyes lock. In his now-clear eyes, you see a person suffering from the pain others have inflicted on him.

“You don’t know how hard it is for me, Y/N, but I can’t condemn you to be with me,” he tells you. His voice is hoarse, tinged with suffering.

“It’s not a condemnation,” you tell him, taking his hands and looking him straight in the eyes.

“You don’t know what a monster I am,” he whispers. You place a hand on his cheek and gently caress it.

“There’s no monster inside you, Buck,” you reassure him, your hands warm against his skin. You reach for his metal hand and squeeze it gently. “There’s a beautiful person inside you,” you add. For a moment, you almost manage to convince him, but the memories of the Winter Soldier resurface in his mind. He shakes his head.

“I wish you were right, but there are things about me that you don’t know.”

"Tell me everything," you ask him, as if Megan hadn’t already told you the same story less than an hour ago. But hearing it from his lips might help him feel better. He starts by telling you about when he joined the Army during World War II. He tells you about being captured and the experiments they conducted on his body, and how he was supposed to die but woke up as the Winter Soldier. He recounts all the heinous things HYDRA made him do, and all the while, his voice trembles. The memory of his victims is still vivid in his mind.

“After all that, do you still believe I’m not a monster?" he asks. To answer him, you kiss his soft lips, placing your hands in his hair to pull him closer to you. "Is that enough of an answer for you?" you ask, leaning your forehead against his. This time, he takes the initiative and presses his lips to yours, making you sit on top of him to feel you closer. But even if you weren’t touching, your bodies would still be united by your hearts.

“You’re not a monster, Bucky. Okay? The Winter Soldier isn’t you, it’s HYDRA,” you console him, stroking his soft hair. He nods. Those were just the words he needed, and salty tears begin to fall from his cheeks.

"You're amazing," he says, his breath warm against your lips.

At a certain moment, Bucky gets up and makes you sit in his place. If standing, he is taller than you, now with him standing and you sitting, he feels like a giant before you.

“I want to show you that I am no longer capable of harm,” he tells you, and you smile at him.

“It’s not necessary,” you assure him, but he replies, "I have to prove it to myself too," so you let him proceed.

He caresses your face with his cold, metallic hand. You shiver at the touch on your warm cheeks. You close your eyes and surrender yourself completely to him and his hands. You feel his hand gently caress your chin, then move to your cheek where he traces small circles with his fingers, making you giggle. Then he touches the tip of your nose, making a soft "boop" sound with his lips. You open your eyes with a smile and see his eyes penetrating your soul. His clear eyes are locked on yours.

Thanks to his vibranium hand, he can’t feel your warmth; otherwise, he would sense just how much his cold touch heats you up. He smiles sweetly at you, but you’re still petrified by his touch. Your stomach instantly fills with butterflies. He then offers you his hand, which you take, and he helps you stand up. He places his hands on your hips, and you rest yours on his powerful chest. You gaze into each other’s eyes again, lost in them. You feel an irrepressible desire to kiss his perfect pink lips.

"I love you, pretty girl," he says, and then you kiss, standing there in his little living room. You kiss him with a primal desire you didn’t know you had. Your lips continue to meet, your tongues dance together, and your hands delicately explore each other’s bodies. You’re afraid of hurting one another, but the desire burning inside you is even stronger. You never thought you’d confess your feelings for Bucky in a room full of alcohol bottles—you were hoping for something more romantic, like under the moon or amidst fireworks—but this is probably even better. You met among the bottles, and having your first kiss among them makes it perfect. He is perfect.

“I love you too, Buck.” you could swear you've never seen a more beautiful smile than his right now.

“Can I ask you on another date?" he asks, breaking away from the kiss.

“Only if you don’t run away like Cinderella,” you reply, chuckling. He stares into your eyes for endless seconds, and you smile back at him. Then you remember what you had to say to get his address, and you blush with embarrassment.

'How am I going to go back to work knowing that my boss thinks I’m pregnant by his bodyguard?' you think. Bucky notices the terror in your eyes and starts looking at you with concern.

"What’s going on?" he asks softly, stroking your cheek.

“Anyway… so, to get your address, I had to tell our employer that I’m pregnant with your baby," you whisper against his lips, and he starts coughing loudly. You burst out laughing at his reaction.

Here is finally the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed the series and let me know what you think! Soon I will also publish the epilogue with the real ending.

Series' masterlist | previous chapter | epilogue

[randomyuu]

A JJK GoYuu fancomic... of a fanfic (read right to left)

You know… despite me getting into JJK fandom this year, I’ve never drawn any JJK characters. (cue me drawing 9 whole-ass comic pages-)

This wonderful fic is titled (you'll whisper, serpent tongue) what you fear you have become by @voxofthevoid​. This comic covers chapter 1 scenes.

Beware of the tags, as the fanfic is NSFW. Oh, and also, manga spoilers! Major character and arc spoilers! I’ve read until chapter 4 and no NSFW so far, but still, beware!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43446157/chapters/109219954

I hope you enjoy reading this comic and the fanfic if you decide to!

Update: Chapter 6 scene fanart

More of my random thoughts and an early drawing of GoYuu below:

Have I told you I’m not used to drawing manga as well? Manga panels are pain. PAIN, I tell you. I shouldn’t have done this, but I did. I did, because every time I read the synopsis of this fic I keep picturing manga-like scenes. You should blame me for reading those AllYuu doujinshis.

It was… interesting experience. I was struggling a bit with the balloon consistency, like, do I use white boxes or just italic words for thoughts? Or maybe a balloon with a cloud-like border?

And there’s GoYuu (YuuGo? Idk honestly, don’t care lol) themselves. As I said, I literally have never drawn JJK-related content before. So when I started thinking about the panelling, I realised that I don’t really know how to draw Gojo, even more a thousand-year-old Yuuji. A whole day is spent researching Gojo, Yuuji and Sukuna’s appearances lol. Sukuna’s markings are a problem since I can’t find a full view of his markings. I know I can just finally watch the anime (yes I haven’t watched the anime, only some short clips; yes I know the animation is good, and I really want to watch it but my brain doesn’t want to) or re-read the manga, but I don’t want to ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

After going through Google images, Twitter and Reddit, I whipped up a front drawing of GoYuu as my reference:

Gojo’s is easier because he hasn’t changed from the official (I blatantly eyeballing the character sheet I found haha), but Yuuji is different. Yuuji’s hair is longer; if I recall, there’s no exact description of his clothes. I assume he’s topless due to this description: Messy pink hair, long enough to cover the creature’s nape but not to hide the segmented dark markings running down his back, shifts in the wind.

And halfway through storyboarding, I realised that I have no experience using screen tones. Whatsoever. So off I go searching for a screentone bundle I can freely download and slowly figure my way out after fully lining the page.

And we haven’t even touched perspective, background, achromatic colouring, non-human characters—man, I really bite more than I can chew lmaooo

Ah, the things you would do to satiate that drawing mood ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Also, I hope I’ll have time to draw more fanarts of JJK GoYuu fanfics because they live rent-free in my brain and I need them to get out. Maybe other pairings as well? I like quite a lot of pairings that involve Yuuji. He’s precious, and I love having it shown to me over and over through fanfics.

[vodika-vibes]

Can you write a Crosshair x reader and him with his shaky hands like we saw in season 3 and maybe reader comforting him...

For The Love Of A Bounty Hunter

Summary: Crosshair goes missing while dealing with your family. You have opinions about it.

Pairing: TBB Crosshair x F!Bounty Hunter Reader

Word Count: 1919

Warnings: Mentions of torture

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: I decided to make this story a sequel to one of my Event Fics, I'll add the link so people can find it easily. Also, there are no spoilers here, because I haven't watched TBB at all. ^-^

For The Love Of A Sniper - Part 1 of this Mini Series

You stare, blankly, at the calendar on the datapad in front of you as you draw another red X over another day.

Three weeks.

It’s been three weeks since Crosshair went to deal with the PI who was looking into you on behalf of your family. Three weeks since he vanished.

You carefully set the datapad down on the table and release a shaky breath. Carefully shoving the burning rage down, for now.

Crosshair would sooner cut his own hands off than betray you. You know this. You know him. He would never tell your parents where you are. And, the fact that they haven’t shown up at your ship, is proof enough that Crosshair didn’t tell them anything.

The bigger question is, is Crosshair still alive.

Stars, you hope so. You’re not sure the galaxy will survive your rage if he isn’t. You’re not sure you’ll survive your rage if he isn’t.

You jerked out of your thoughts when your holo chimes. 

For a moment you consider ignoring it, you’re not in the mood for chatting. But, in the end, you cross the room and hit the button to answer the holo, “I’m not accepting any jobs at the moment.” You say bluntly.

“It is me.” Tech’s image flickers to life above the holo, “I have the information you asked for.”

You blink, “Oh. Sorry.”

“No harm done, I know that you are stressed.” He looks down at his datapad, “I am sending you the information I have.”

You pick your datapad back up as it chimes with the information he sent you. “Are you sure this is accurate?” You ask, as you see the information, “Last I heard the people who took him are wealthy.”

Tech sniffs, “Very sure. According to what I have found, they used to be wealthy. But then spent most of their fortune looking for their missing child.” He pauses, “That would be you, I am guessing.”

“Right in one, Tech.” You reply with a grimace.

“I am sure you had your reasons.” Tech says after a moment, “If Crosshair is anywhere, it is there.”

You scan the image that Tech sent you. Figures, it would be your childhood house. Not home. Never home. “Thanks Tech.”

“You are welcome.” He pauses, “Are you quite sure that you do not require aid? We can be there in a couple of days.”

“I have it.”

“They are your family.”

“Not all families are created equal, Tech. And this,” You hold up the datapad, "has been a long time coming.”

Tech sighs, “Comm when you have him back. And if you should think that you need our help-”

“I’ll be sure to let you know. Thanks for the intel, Tech. I mean it.”

“You do not have to thank me. Crosshair is my twin brother. I want him safe just as much as you do.”

“Even so. I know you’re not my biggest fan.”

Tech is quiet for a moment, “I will concede that, perhaps, I was too quick to judge.”

“Yeah, well…so was I. Water under the bridge.”

Tech smiles at you, a small smile, but a smile all the same, “I think I am beginning to see what Crosshair sees in you. Happy hunting.”

You flash a small smirk, “Yeah. Right back at you.” And then you kill the holo. You look back at the datapad, and swipe through the information.

“Hold on, Cross. I’ll be there soon.” You whisper to the empty ship.

“It’s a simple thing,” Crosshair rolls his eyes at the massive Devaronian looming over him, “All you have to do is tell us where the little mistress is.”

“I told you the truth weeks ago,” He drawls, “I can’t help you.” He grunts in pain as a large fist slams into his stomach, “Kriff-”

“Mistress,” The guard says with a frown, “I’m beginning to think that he’s telling the truth.”

‘Mistress’ is a slender woman with white blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Though slender isn’t really the right word. Crosshair would personally call her skeletal, but the first time he asked how they managed to make a corpse walk and talk, he was electrocuted, so he’s learned to hold his tongue.

“He has to know,” The woman’s voice is cold. “Why else would he have gone to the PI?”

“Because you’re offering a hell of a lot of credits, lady.” Crosshair lies.

“You do not speak to the Mistress,” The guard snaps, taking a menacing step towards Crosshair.

“No. Leave him. I tire of this.” The woman says, before she turns to the side, “What do you think, darling.”

‘Darling’ is her husband. Just as thin and skeletal as his white, though his hair is more of a golden blonde than the silvery blonde of his wife. If Crosshair had to guess, one of them bleaches their hair, though which one isn’t something he cares about.

He’s also crueler than his wife. 

Crosshair will likely have scars from the stun batons that ‘Darling’ used against him. If he hates ‘Mistress’, then Crosshair absolutely despises ‘Darling’. How either of these people could parent someone like his Princess is beyond him. Maybe she’s adopted.

He glances to the side when the door to the dungeons slams open and a trembling twi’lek hurries his, “Master! Mistress!” He gasps, “The Little Mistress is here.”

The room falls silent, “Are you quite sure?” The Mistress asks. 

“Yes ma’am,” The Twi’lek bobs into a bow, “She consented to a DNA scan. It’s her. Would you like me to bring her down?”

“No, we’ll-”

The door slams open again, “No need. I thought I’d come and say hello.”

Crosshair has always thought that his Princess is stunning, but seeing her standing in the doorway, clad in tight leather, and with her short hair falling into her eyes…she looks like an avenging angel and he’s never been more attracted to her in his life.

Impressive, since he can hardly keep his hands to himself as it is.

“Sweetheart!” The Mistress takes half a step towards her, “Your hair…your face! Why are you so fat?”

Princess closes her eyes for a moment, and then she turns and blatantly ignores everyone in the room, “Are you okay?” Her voice is soft, and for a moment, Crosshair can pretend that they’re on the ship and it’s just them. 

He slides his arms through the bars of the cell, and holds out his trembling hands, “Better, since you’re here.”

Her sharp eyes linger on his trembling hands, on the burn marks on his arms, chest, and stomach. Her gaze lingers on the bruises covering his face and his torso.

And her eyes go cold.

“Sweetling, why are you talking to that-” His Princess’ father says as he takes a step towards her, reaching out to touch her. 

There’s a flash of silver, only noticed because he was looking for it, and then there’s screaming as ‘Darling’ falls back, clutching his blood soaked arm. His Princess carefully uses a cloth to wipe the blood off the blade. 

“You took Crosshair.” Her voice is flat, emotionless. 

She’s clearly pissed.

“You know,” She continues, some emotion returning to her voice, and she directs her comment towards him, “I really only considered two options when coming here.”

“Oh yeah?” Cross asks as he leans against the bars.

“Hm. Option 1, they took you and killed you.” She continues lightly, “And if that was the case I was going to kill them all, burn this place to the ground, and then throw myself at the Empire until they managed to kill me.”

“Dramatic.”

She shrugs a single shoulder, “Option 2, is that they took you and were using you as bait to make me come here. In this scenario, you were uninjured, just annoyed, and I just threatened great bodily harm and we carried on our way.”

She casts her gaze over him again, “Somehow,” She continues, “The idea that they might torture you never crossed my mind.”

“They are still your family, Princess. I’m not gonna blame you for not wanting to believe the worst of them.” Crosshair says lazily.

She turns to the cell door and effortlessly picks the lock and swings the door open, “Well, you’re the injured party, Cross. What do you want?”

“You have a blaster?”

She smiles and wordlessly passes it to him.

Even with nerve damage, and trembling hands, he’s still the best. 

Three shots. Three blaster rounds. 

Three dead bodies. 

His Princess takes the blaster back and slides it in her holster, before she helps him with a shirt she brought him, “Are you ready to go?” She asks.

“More than ready.” He leans against her, needing her support to make it back to the ship, “Let’s get out of here.”

A week later, you step into the bedroom on your ship, your gaze lingering on Crosshair. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, glaring at his shaking hands. Nerve damage takes weeks to heal, even with bacta.

His hands will be shaking for a while.

Maybe you’ll take Tech up on that offer for a 3 month long vacation on Pabu.

But first-

You enter the room and kneel in front of him, taking both of his hands in yours and pressing light kisses against the palms of his hands. “Do they hurt?” You ask.

“It’s mostly just an ache,” He admits, bitterly, “I’m not going to be able to-”

“Shh,” You release one of his hands and reach up to cup his cheek, “Crosshair, your only responsibility right now is to heal.”

He scowls at you, though you know he’s more annoyed at the situation than at you. “I feel useless.”

“Nonsense. You could never be useless.”

“You’re biased.”

“Mm, perhaps. A little.” You stand and settle on the bed next to him, “But I’m also honest. You will heal. You will get back to 100%. It just takes time.”

He scoffs.

“Don’t be like that.” You say as you lay your head on his shoulder, “After that Wookie broke my leg in three places, you didn’t accuse me of being a burden or of being useless, even though I felt like I was.”

Crosshair shakes his head, and then leans his head against yours, “You gonna use my words against me?”

“If I have to.”

He huffs out a laugh, “I suppose you did pay for the best doctors to see me.” 

“Yes, I did.” You reply smugly.

“Alright.” He turns to look at you properly, “I’ll be patient.”

“You’re a sniper, patience is your thing.” You tease him, throwing his words back at him.

His arms, strong and steady, hook around you and he pulls you onto his lap, “Yeah, yeah.” Crosshair leans in and kisses you hungrily, nipping at your lower lip roughly enough that you squeak, “So. You gonna tell me what you and Tech have been talking about?”

“...he’s invited us to come to Pabu until you finish recovery. I’m thinking that agreeing might be a good idea.”

He’s quiet for a moment, and then he sighs, “If you think it’s a good idea, Princess, then I won’t argue. But I refuse to stay with my siblings.”

“Of course not, we’ll be staying here or in an inn.” You brush your fingers across his cheek, “I’ll go let him know.”

Crosshair tightens his grip around you, “You can tell him later. I want you for myself right now.”

You beam at him, “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

[lucky-clover-gazette]

prince's gambit highlights & annotations

chapter 18

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

‘I ordered the section cleared,’ Damen said. Jord was intruding. At home in Akielos, he’d only have had to glance up from what he was doing and order, Leave us, and the intrusion would be gone. And he could go back to what he had been doing. To what, gloriously, he had been doing. He’d been kissing Laurent and that should not be interrupted. His eyes returned warmly, possessively to their object: Laurent looked like any young man who has been pressed against a battlement and kissed. The slight disturbance of the hair at Laurent’s nape was wonderful. His hand had lain there.

His attention swung back to the intruder. The threat that Jord posed to him was galvanising. What had happened was not going to be threatened by anything or anyone.

damen is about to laser jord to death with his eyes so he can keep kissing laurent

‘Here to warn me about the dangers of making command decisions in bed?’ Laurent said.

OUCH

‘While we compare notes on spreading for the enemy?’ said Laurent.

the fact that laurent knows he’s doing this too!!! he has convinced himself that he has control over this situation purely because it can’t last

Jord’s eyes had turned to Damen, full of bloody-mindedness. But, He is Damianos of Akielos, Jord didn’t say, though he looked strained to his limits with repulsion at what he had just seen, and the silence stretched out, thick and tangible with what lay underneath. Damen stepped forward. ‘Maybe—’

was he about to tell the truth?? like "maybe we should talk"

Damen passed a hand over his face. Everyone in the fort was coming to the section he had ordered cleared.

damen is more persistently frustrated by having his first kiss with laurent interrupted than he’d been like. getting flogged

‘Jord,’ said Laurent, ‘this is why he fucked you. This moment.’ ‘I know that,’ said Jord. ‘Orlant,’ said Laurent, ‘didn’t deserve to die alone on the sword of a self-serving aristocrat he thought was a friend.’

laurent lecturing a guy for compromising his values and integrity because he got laid, after kissing the dude who killed his brother… i mean laurent seems to think he’s still in control here, again with the cognitive dissonance thing, but still…

‘I should make you watch,’ said Laurent, ‘while he’s stripped down for every man in the troop to have him.’ Damen stepped forward. ‘You don’t mean this. You need him as a hostage.’ ‘I don’t need him continent,’ said Laurent. Laurent’s face was perfectly smooth, his blue eyes cool and untouchable. Damen felt himself recoil slightly from that callous look, the surprise of it. He realised that he had fallen out of step with Laurent at some crucial point. He wanted to send everyone away, so that he could find his way back.

damen surprised by laurent’s ability to immediately separate himself from his emotions and attractions to do stone-cold haterism… i feel like throughout the series damen is both frustrated by this and deeply attracted to it

He said, ‘If there’s to be justice for Aimeric, then let it be justice, reasonably decided, publicly applied, not the men taking matters into their own hands.’ ‘Then by all means,’ said Laurent, ‘let us have justice. Since you’re both so eager for it. Drag Aimeric away from his admirers. Bring him to me in the south tower. Let us have everything out in the open.’ ‘Yes, Your Highness.’

laurent is in a bad mood because of the interruption as well. broken out of the romantic haze, he probably wants to take out some of the anger he has with himself over kissing damen on another person who he can project his bullshit onto

‘What are you doing?’ he said. ‘When I said there should be justice for Aimeric, I meant later, not now, when you’re . . .’ He searched Laurent’s face. ‘When we . . .’ He hit a look like a wall, and the uncaring lift of golden brows. Laurent said, ‘If Jord wants to get down on his knees for Aimeric, he should know exactly who he’s crawling for.’

okay laurent now you’re projecting. everyone here is a mess.

The south tower was crowned by a platform and a parapet pierced through not with useful rectangular slits but with slim, pointed arches, because this was Vere and there must always be some flourish...

yes damen please take that extra second to talk shit about the architecture to avoid dealing with the stressful situation you’re in

He knew that expression. His sense of danger, highly attuned to Laurent’s moods, told him that Aimeric was better off downstairs with a half dozen men than he was up here with Laurent. Laurent’s lids were smooth over a cool gaze, his posture straight-backed, his fingers poised on the rim of the goblet. I kissed him, thought Damen, the idea unreal here in this small circular stone room. The warm, sweet kiss had been broken in a moment of promise: the first slight parting of lips, the hint that Laurent had been on the cusp of allowing the kiss to deepen, though his body had been singing with tension. When he closed his eyes, he felt how it might have happened: slowly, Laurent’s mouth opening, Laurent’s hands lifting hesitantly to touch his body. He would have been careful, so careful.

damen brain: oh shit laurent’s pissed off. he’s going to eviscerate that guy. but also he was so soft and sweet when we kissed and i want to get back to that because i’d treat him so well <3

‘The loving reunion,’ said Laurent.

laurent you’re so fucked up for this. deal with the fact that you just kissed your brother’s murderer and liked it, instead of antagonizing this dumbass and your friend. although is he antagonizing jord, really? he might be trying to absolve jord of his guilt, exposing aimeric for being completely unworthy of his sympathy. which, i mean, is what some part of laurent probably wants to do to damen right now—remind himself that damianos is not worthy of his own sympathy or love. these people are so messy they need a reality tv film crew

Jord made a violent move forward, and Damen felt his whole body come under strain as, instinctively, he pushed in to halt him.

i don’t know if this is a lamen hr complaint. i don’t think so. damen almost certainly disagrees with laurent for lashing out and hitting aimeric, but also, he enables it by stopping jord. but i feel like everything about this situation is acting against the employee handbook anyway so who the fuck cares

In the first burst of movement, Damen had flung Jord ungently back, then held him off in a restraining grip. Jord had gone still but the strain of muscle was still there, his breathing harsh. Laurent replaced the goblet, with exquisite precision, on the table.

it’s a little hot that laurent has himself a bodyguard who will enable his pretty (typo for petty but that works too) violence ngl

Damen heard Aimeric say, thickly, ‘You can hit me as much as you like.’ ‘Can I? I think we’re going to enjoy each other, you and I. Tell me what else I can do to you.’

so laurent didn’t know it was aimeric. since learning, do you think he’s figured out that the regent specifically has been using/abusing him? obviously he figures it out/finds out eventually, but i’m curious about this scene, esp with what he says a few paragraphs later.

also the contrast between verging-on-sweet kissy laurent and sadistic bitchy laurent is mwahhhh pacat does not like to make things simple or easy

‘Stop this,’ said Jord. ‘He’s just a boy. He’s just a boy, he’s not old enough for this, he’s scared. He thinks you’re going to wreck his family.’

aimeric is 19, laurent is 20...

Aimeric turned his bruised, bloody face to the words, in disbelief that Jord was defending him. Laurent turned to face Jord at the same time, his golden brows arching.

well there’s a parallel. laurent reacts with similar disbelief when damen demonstrates earnest devotion to him

Uneasiness swept over him as he looked from Laurent’s face to Aimeric’s, and realised suddenly and for the first time how close Laurent and Aimeric were in age. There was six months’ difference between them, at most.

that's what i'm saying!!

‘But it’s not his family he’s fighting for.’

regent has entered the chat

Like a lover, Laurent smiled and touched a stray curl, tucking it behind Aimeric’s ear. Aimeric flinched, violently, then repressed the flinch, though he wasn’t able to control his breathing. Tenderly, Laurent drew a fingertip through the blood that welled from Aimeric’s split lip. ‘Pretty face,’ said Laurent. Then his fingers dropped back to brush Aimeric’s jaw, tilting it up as though for a kiss. Aimeric made a choked sound in response to pain; the bruised flesh under Laurent’s fingers was white. ‘I bet you were a peach of a little boy. A pretty peach. How old were you when you fucked my uncle?’

do you think that’s what the regent does… yeah probably. everyone here needs so much therapy

‘Did he tell you you’d be together again, if you’d just do this one thing? Did he tell you how much he missed you?’ ‘Shut up,’ said Aimeric. ‘He was lying. He wouldn’t take you back. You’re too old.’ ‘You don’t know,’ said Aimeric. ‘Thick-voiced and rough-cheeked, you’d make him sick.’ ‘You don’t know anything—’

damen not Getting It is important to the plot but also come ON damen

‘Loves you? You paltry little upstart. I doubt he even preferred you. How long did you hold his attention? A few fucks while he was bored in the country?’ ‘You don’t know anything about us,’ said Aimeric. ‘I know he didn’t bring you to court. He left you in Fortaine. You never asked yourself why?’ ‘He didn’t want to leave me. He told me,’ said Aimeric. ‘I bet you were easy. A few compliments, a little attention, and you gave him all the naive pleasures of a country virgin in his bed. He would have found it diverting. At first. What else is there to do in Fortaine? But the novelty wore off.’ ‘No,’ said Aimeric. ‘You’re pretty enough, and you were obviously hot for it. But used goods are not appealing unless they are something worth using. And the cheap wine you drink in a backwater tavern is not the kind that you serve at your own table, given choice.’

so yeah laurent def means this. it’s not quite pure projection because it’s true, but also… is he not saying the same things to himself about finally giving in to his own attraction to damen, who is leaving him tomorrow to go be the prince again?

‘My uncle is discriminating. Not like Jord,’ said Laurent, ‘who’ll take a middle-aged man’s sloppy seconds and treat it like it’s worth something.’

that's true. sorry jord

‘You cold-blooded son of a bitch,’ Jord said to Laurent. His voice was shaky. Laurent rounded on him, deliberately. ‘And then of course,’ said Laurent, ‘there’s you.’

jord RUN

To Laurent, in the same voice, he said, ‘Calm down.’ Laurent said, ‘I wasn’t finished.’ ‘Finished what? Reducing every man in the room? Jord isn’t any kind of match for you in this mood, and you know it. Calm down.’

god i love them i love them i love them they make me insane. damen stepping in like laurent is a cat antagonizing a mouse, “i wasn’t finished” has the slightest edge of pathetic acquiescence to it, like the cat has stopped with the mouse but it’s glaring at the owner who stepped in, and damen being like “you’re too powerful sweetie you know it’s not an even match and i don’t like seeing you like this, it’s not good for you, calm down” they make me CRAZY!!!!

‘Are you going to try it with me? Or do you only take pleasure in attacking those who cannot defend themselves?’ Damen heard the hardness in his own voice.

book 1 callback! and rightfully so!

‘I don’t share your craven habit of hitting only those who cannot hit back, and take no pleasure in hurting those weaker than myself.’ Driven past reason, the words came out in his own language. Laurent, who could speak his language, stared back at him, and Damen met his eyes and did not regret his words, feeling nothing but loathing.

‘I remember the last time you were like this. You blundered so badly you gave your uncle the excuse he needed to have you stripped of your lands.’

he's riiiiiiight

Abruptly, Laurent turned away. He put the heels of his palms on the table, gripping its edge, standing with his head down, his arms stiffly braced, tension across his back. Damen watched his ribcage expand and deflate, several times. Laurent was still for a moment, then, sharply, he swept his forearm across the table, a sudden, single movement that sent gilt plates and their contents crashing to the floor. An orange rolled. Water from the pitcher dripped from the table’s edge onto the floor. He could hear the sound of Laurent’s unsteady breathing. Damen allowed the silence in the room to stretch out. He didn’t look at the wrecked table, with its spilled meats, its scattered plates and overturned, fat-bellied pitcher. He looked at the line of Laurent’s back. As he had known to send the others out, he knew not to speak. He didn’t know how much time passed. Not long enough for the tension in Laurent’s back to unwinch. Laurent spoke without turning around. His voice was unpleasantly precise. ‘What you are saying is that when I lose control, I make mistakes. My uncle knows that, of course. It would have been an amusing pleasure for him to send Aimeric to work against me, you’re right. You, with your barbaric attitudes, your brutish, domineering arrogance, are always right.’ Laurent’s hands on the table were white. ‘I remember that trip to Fortaine. He left the capital for two weeks, then sent word he was extending it to three. He said it was his business with Guion that needed more time.’ Damen took a step forward, called by the tone in Laurent’s voice. Laurent said, ‘If you want me to calm down, get out.’

the homosexual having a panic attack...

anyway laurent is also confronting the fact that he lost control with damen, leading him to make a mistake. and that the regent sent/gifted him damen hoping that would happen. hence the gtfo.

[dxngosstuff]

Does the Moonlight Shine on Paris? (iv)

Idol!Yoon Jeonghan x Idol!f!Reader

900+ words ; cw :none | m.list tags: friends to lovers; fluff; minor angst; idol au; elements of slowburn; second male lead scoups;

Yoon Jeonghan realizes a few things about you after sharing a drink with you in Paris.

“Hyung,” Hoshi made himself comfortable by the coffee table in his hotel room while the older member was taking off his shoes by the entrance. “What was that about?” He continued.

The former may be eccentric most of the time being the Gemini that he is but he’s surprisingly fast at picking up the changes in his members. Jeonghan just gave a look of confusion as a response.

“You had heart eyes for Y/n Noona that entire time while taking pictures.” Hoshi leaned forward on the chair, anticipating his answer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jeonghan then made his way to the seat across Hoshi. 

“Does Seungcheol hyung know about this? I’m sure he’d support you if his two best friends were hitting it off.” Hoshi was skeptical to accept his answer. So taking the risk, he tried to pry further. He knew it wasn’t really his business but he was worried for his hyungs. He didn’t want them fighting over a girl. Plus, Hoshi was quite fond of you. It would be a waste if you stopped hanging out with them because of a possible conflict between the two.

Jeonghan stared at Hoshi for what seemed like an eternity—deciding whether he should ask for advice or still value his pride—before finally taking a deep breath.

“Look, she’s amazing. You know that, right?” Hoshi nodded in agreement at Jeonghan’s  statement, thinking that the risk that he took might be worth it.

“I may or may not have a crush on her.” He continued. “It just happened.” He felt like a teenager using the word ‘crush’ at his age but it was the most fitting word he could find for his newly discovered infatuation towards you.

Hoshi covered his mouth, finally leaning back on his chair. “Oh my.”

“I know. I feel really conflicted. Am I a bad friend? I know that Cheol used to like her and I don’t want him to think that I’m taking advantage of what happened between them. But man, yeah… She… I think I’m starting to understand now why Cheol liked her so much.” 

He finally let out his worries for the past few days all in one breath which took Hoshi aback. He was shocked to find out that this was a lot more serious than he thought, but there was one detail that he needed to clarify.

“Wait. Hyung used to like her?”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened in realization. This was not common knowledge to the members, despite their speculations, and he just blurted it out due to a spur of emotions. He took a deep sigh realizing that things were gonna spiral down from here. Luckily, when it comes to serious things, Hoshi could keep a secret if he really needed to, aside from comeback spoilers, of course. So, he tried his best explaining both sides to the boy in front of him.

“You need to talk this one out between the two of you, hyung. If he decided to give up on her then it’s not your fault. But who would’ve thought, you two would have the same taste. Guess you really are best friends.” 

Hoshi’s attempt to lighten the mood was met with a death glare from Jeonghan but he just laughed it off. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep my mouth shut with this one. Thanks for sharing your worries with me.” He assured the latter with a pat on the shoulder as he stood up and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Now left alone in his seat, he was finally able to contemplate on the growing feelings that he had for you. He can’t pinpoint for sure when he started liking you but he figured it was always there, but like a bystander, or an audience of some sort, he was just watching you and Seungcheol spend time together, content with the fact that his friends were happy with each other. Perhaps, it was because he knew deep down that he would never have a fighting chance so he left his feelings unacknowledged. Whatever was there that was buried deep down within himself was finally let loose, akin to Pandora’s box. He had a glimmer of hope thinking finally thinking to himself ‘What if I was now the one willing to take the risk with you?’

–

“Hannie! Good morning! Don’t forget to send me my pictures”

The man smiled at the message that was sent to him. He thought about how nice it would be to receive a good morning text from you everyday but alas, he needed to get up to get ready for his flight back to Seoul but before that, he wanted to text you back

J: “Yes, ma’am.” Y: “Don’t call me, ma’am. It makes me feel old. (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾” J: “What should I call you then? ;)” Y: “Anything, just don’t call me ma’am.”

‘I’d call you mine if I could.’ He thought to himself. Refreshed from finally having a good night’s sleep, he had finally come into terms with his emotions. He came to the conclusion that he should just man up and do the best he can to win your heart over. He decided that he has had enough of years of just watching; he wanted to act now. It may not be easy but he didn’t want to have any regrets. 

J: “Alright. I won’t call you that anymore. By the way, have you seen Ant-man?’ Y: “Nope. Why?” J: “I was wondering if you were free around this time. A friend of mine gave me two tickets.” “I wanna watch it when we get back but I don’t want to be alone, I’d watch it with the other members but they have other plans for that date.” Y: “Hmmm? My manager says I’m free that day. I’m down!” J: “Cool!”

He smiled to himself because little did you know, there was neither a ‘friend’ nor did he invite the other members out.

prev | next

[joseopher]

Hello ladies and homosexuals!!!!

As we know I check the novacaine tags daily

AND SCREAMTOBEHEARD (ONE OF THE BEST FIC WRITERS EVER) HAS UPLOADED A NEW FIC

GO READ IT HEEEERREE: ink

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS FIC:

Callum is a little manipulative gremlin

Flirting as a manipulation

Callum Nova is really pathetic

This tag:

Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!

His paranoia set in when he was in his twenties. Being so used to constantly having people wrapped around his fingers, doing exactly what he wanted them to do, it got harder to feel any excitement about it. It got boring really fast, to be completely honest. But what was even worse was the sudden paranoia and doubt towards everyone, all day. He couldn’t focus on other people’s emotions without doubting if he put them there or not. His love life, which used to be great and extremely fulfilling, quickly felt empty. It became apparent that everyone in his life was manipulated into loving him. The thought didn’t make him feel proud as it did before.

THIS IS SO CALLUM! HE CANNOT TRUST ANYONE CAUSE OF HIS POWERS!!

He could make himself king.

REFERENCE!!!!

He had found Tristan during one of his multiple stalking sessions of Atlas’ recruits.

Ohhh Callum you silly little guy XD

Callum said. He felt and heard Tristan’s hitch in breath and the way his pulse kicked up just a notch. He was right. Tristan was checking him out. And interested in him. He was always right about those things though.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO???? This is written so well Callum would obviously think like that and just the way it's shown that Tristan is interested??? Fantastic!

Tristan obediently sat back down, gawking at Callum like nobody had ever flirted with him. He made it too easy.

I feel like Tristan isn't as innocent/easy as he seems, something else is going on here, I can feel it in my bones!! Also, it's very in-character for Tristan to be so surprised that anyone would flirt with him, poor boy.

Either way, he would have to be vulnerable or give Tristan the illusion of vulnerability. Gross.

lololol that's so Callum

“Sadly, yeah. I can’t leave them alone for 5 seconds before they start fucking things up. Out of all the days they could have started fucking around with time travel, they decide to do it now,” 

So true about The Atlas Six, they need their emotional support grump!

It was unfair. It was unjust. Callum was used to getting what he wanted. He wasn’t just spoiled, he knew what he deserved and was worth. Which was way more than that pathetic excuse of a man knew. Callum would make sure he’d put his name in that goddamn library, and Atlas Blakely would suffer for having denied him something so important.

YEEAAHHH POP OFF CALLUM!!!

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES!!

EVERYONE GO READ IT!!!!! IT'S SOOO GOOD!!!

[fallen-mist]

I posted 294 times in 2022

That's 216 more posts than 2021!

89 posts created (30%)

205 posts reblogged (70%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@araccoonthatlikesmurder

@froggy-with-a-hat

@nina-phaedra

@amaristm

@ar1-thecat

I tagged 260 of my posts in 2022

Only 12% of my posts had no tags

#not writing - 238 posts

#writing - 11 posts

#sdra2 - 11 posts

#x reader - 7 posts

#request - 6 posts

#headcannons - 6 posts

#x reader insert - 5 posts

#setsuka chiebukuro - 4 posts

#sdra2 setsuka - 4 posts

#not a request - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 128 characters

#also fic idea where reader is uta’s gf and basically fights shanks for some reason then reader says “aye i f—ked your daughter”

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

hiya! if it’s not too troublesome could you do syobai x male!reader? if your uncomfortable with a male reader you can do g/n !! ^o^ tysm !

Yay third request! :D (I couldn’t find my mist gif used in the other 2 requests :( *sadness noises*). I will also use Shobai and Syobai here since people put it differently

edit 2/11/22: I should not have taken this long to make it-

edit 3/12/22: I have forgotten this then all of a sudden gotten ideas. Im sorry :(

Context: Syobai with a male reader

+ You can interpret the relation however you want

+ Slight TW

+ Second person

Syobai/Shobai Hashimoto

Meeting

-You did not meet this man in the best way

-You probably met him in the killing game, while you were exploring

-No but the only way I can imagine you meeting him is smelling smoke from a cigarette

- 3/10 meeting imo

———

You had woken up a few hours ago, everything was spinning in your head. You were stuck on a island, and You don’t even know where!

You snapped out of your thoughts as you smelt smoke. Was something on fire?! But you followed it just incase. But instead you found a man (that looks like he sells some ”bad powder“).

You stood there, not knowing what to say (heheheh introvert) but he soon noticed you. “You want one? It’ll cost ya,” He said.

You accepted/declined

——

Cuddling

-Like most say, He smells like cigarettes

-Wait is that slight scent of blood I smell?

-If your sensitive to smells, you probably got nausea

- 2/10 smells

——

You were gathering some money knowing how Syobai/Shobai is. You have wanted to cuddle him for a bit now but you knew you had to pay up. It was perfect timing and Shobai/Syobai wasn’t busy. How rare.

”Hey sho/syo, how would it be if you were to let me hug you?,” You asked. He ended up chucking a bit, “Listen here, if you want too, pay up.”

.

See the full post

12 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

#4

Hello pal can I get Hajime with an S/O that has difficulty walking/a mobility aid? take all the time you need pal

Thanks pal! :D

also first time writing for hajime :)

Hajime M. With a s/o who has a hard time walking

+Second POV

+No pronouns used

•~•~•~•

Hajime Makunouchi

-He helps you around (a ton)

•Even if you do have a mobility aid

-You still have to eat healthy

-(If you don’t have a mobility aid) To encourage you, he’ll say “If you eat healthy, you’ll be able to walk better soon”

-(if that can happen)

-If you do or don’t have a mobility aid; he’ll bring you out on walks and stuff so you can be outside

-Will stand up for you-

-wait

-Will “protect” you from people who think your faking

-and those people who decide to make fun of you

-he feels like he shouldn’t let you work out because the weights might give you a hard time picking it up

•(I’m sorry if this is damaging to ppl by the way)

-sometimes will pick you up (with permission of course)-

17 notes - Posted April 17, 2022

#3

hi may I request Yandere! Kanade x reader Headcanons?

Thank you!

Your welcome!

also there will be spoilers but I’ll put that on the end, a warning but I can’t do two read mores so not that

also this was postponed bc I was sick

DNI WITH THIS POST IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY YANDERES OR KANADE/HIBIKI

Yandere!Kanade Otonokoji with a s/o

+Second POV

+TW

+Spoilers at the end

+Implied M*rd3r

•~•~•~•~•

Kanade

-You probably was drawn in by her sweet and shy personality

-She started to like you after you keep standing up for her

-She was confused over all of how she feels about you

-When she started getting some certain tendencies.. You were traumatized

-She took it in and pretended to comfort you knowing it’s because of her

-If her sister gets mad at you or something, it gets very confusing

-If you distanced from Kanade, she will still know your every action and move some way and somehow

*SPOILERS WARNING!!*

-Not much different from chapter 3 personality-wise -She probably was confused about you because she loved hibiki too

•(I do not support this btw)

-It would’ve been a very hard choice if she had to kill one of you.

-She’ll most likely kill you because She knew hibiki longer

-Your family is gone. Hibiki and Kanade is your family now.

-You we’re good friends with setsuka too

-You wish you weren’t

-You wish you never met them because you wouldn’t be in this scenario anymore

21 notes - Posted April 30, 2022

#2

I’m back and I’m living for your writing! May I please request Syobai and Setsuka jealousy Headcanons?

Thank you!

Your welcome and thank you for the compliments aswell :D

edit: I came back from my moms house so-

Syobai and Setsuka jealousy headcanons

+Second POV

+No pronouns used

•~•~•

Syobai/Shobai H.

-Very rarely gets jealous

-Who will he even get jealous of? You guys are probably mostly inside bc of him doing illegal stuff and all-

-Anyways, scenarios. He kinda gives the person he’s jealous of a death stare or whatever.

-and probably pull you awAy

-If it’s an ally of him then he’ll just pull you away slightly or grab your hand.

-If you’re lucky; then he just lets you be (unless they get a bit too touchy)

-if they do, don’t ask why when they go missing

~_~

Setsuka C.

-She puts a lot of trust in you for you to not cheat (not like you would tho-)

-She still gets jealous but more subtle

-She’ll join In on the conversation to make sure there isn’t anything wrong

-She holds you hand :)

-If there is something wrong, she’ll kind of attempt to move the conversation between the both of y’all

22 notes - Posted April 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

You have a hot singer gf and show it off to her dad

+Fem reader

•sorry my dudes, uta needs a hot gf too ok

+Uta (one piece)

+One piece film red spoilers

+Warnings: Cursing, slightly suggestive? I’m a minor so no people actually doing the deed

+Short but I don’t write one piece So NO ONE PIECE REQUESTS (this is the only exception)

•-•••••••••••••••-•

First off, you are one lucky girl. Will you be spared from the concert? Maybe if you convince her too with sweet flirts and enough kisses. Yeah, she loves you a lot but she wants you to have a special paradise too! Well, just don’t explicitly say that you don’t think this is a good idea. Because you might end up like the strawhats (besides luffy) but not with the humiliation. You’re her girlfriend! Not a pirate!

You trying to convince her is probably one of the hardest things to do..

• “Babe, can I not go into your paradise?”

• “Huh? Why?”

• “Aha.. well.”

• “Is it because my concert is not going to be fun enough?!”

• “No! I just want to.. protect you from marines!”

• “Oh y/n, you know at my concert, everyone is equal!”

• “Yes but that won’t stop me from loving you”

Something like that but when Uta is about to stab the Strawhat and luffy in the real world, you’re there. You will support your girlfriend! No matter how insane she is and subtly trying to inch her back to sanity. But thats how you met shanks.

Not a good start because of how much trauma Uta holds and tells you. So when she’s stopped, you’re kinda just staring. Yes you might be tall but 6”6 tall? No. But when your girlfriend starts making the sleeping people attack, you join in. Mainly aiming for shanks.

I mean, wasn’t he the reason for her trauma? Like he exploded Elegia and left uta while partying. She needed so many kisses and cuddles after she told you! But you didn’t expect him to be quite strong to hold like multiple people..

But yes he noticed you were awake so you decided to spill the beans.

• “I fucked your daughter”

Wwhiiiich caught him off guard. It was sudden and now he knows his daughter has a girlfriend whom she loves a lot…

So what do you do? Brag about it!

• “Yeah she’s so pretty!”

• “She’s like supperrr good at you know what”

• “I kissed her before you came here

• “She sang a song ab-“

you were interrupted by someone saying “WE GET IT!-“

26 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wheelsupin-five]

I posted 7,966 times in 2022

That's 4,352 more posts than 2021!

411 posts created (5%)

7,555 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@freakwiththeknifecollection

@badass-magizoologist

@letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

@cold-egg

@hattalove

I tagged 6,156 of my posts in 2022

Only 23% of my posts had no tags

#0 - 2,231 posts

#eddie - 832 posts

#buck - 731 posts

#buddie - 724 posts

#marvel - 483 posts

#spn - 365 posts

#911 spoilers - 344 posts

#lincoln.txt - 298 posts

#fic - 229 posts

#fanart - 219 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i think the 118 should have a game night and  doing  that game where you have to mime the answer someone (probably buck) decides to do eddie

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Accidentally By Mistake

Summary: 

How do you accidentally kiss the person you’ve been thinking about for years and not even realise it?

“It was an accident,” Buck says, his words muffled by his hands.

“You kissed him accidentally?” Lucy says. “I can’t believe I missed it.”

Relationships: Buck/Eddie

A/N: Hi! this is my first 911 fic :) This one goes out to Saga, and all my friends who clapped and cheered for me when I said I’d written this &lt;3

Wc: 1401                       Read it on Ao3

Buck’s sitting on the couch, handing Chimney’s ass to him in Halo when he sees Eddie quickly approaching him from the corner of his eye. He ducks his character undercover, as Chim makes a break for one of the corridors.

“What’s up?” Buck asks when he can feel Eddie’s presence behind him. He may not have laid an eye on him yet, but tension is radiating off him.

“Chris is sick, I have to go pick him up.”

“Is he okay?” Buck tips his head back to look up at him. A small smile breaks through Eddie’s tight expression when their eyes meet. He pauses the game, earning a small huff from Chim.

“Yeah, he’ll be okay. Carla is fully booked today so I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back to finish the shift.” Eddie shifts like he’s contemplating leaving at that.

“Hey,” Buck reaches up and grabs a handful of Eddie’s LAFD button down to loosely hold him in place, “relax your jaw, drop your shoulders. Chris will be fine. And I’m sure Ravi won’t mind picking up the slack for half a shift.” He says with a half-smile. “I’ll drop by tonight. Text me if you need anything, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks, Buck.”

Eddie drops his hand to Buck’s shoulder before leaning down, Buck’s hand going to the side of Eddie’s face, fingers curling around the back of his head as he half successfully presses a kiss to Buck’s lips.

“See you later,” Eddie mumbles against him. Buck hums in agreement. “See ya guys,” Eddie calls with a wave before he disappears down the stairs.

It’s dead silent and Buck can feel all eyes on him.

Beside him, Chimney is looking at him slack-jawed and Hen and Ravi’s eyes are glued to him from the table.

“What?” Buck asks, looking between them like there was some joke he wasn’t in on or he’d just done something terribly wrong.

Hen hesitates. “Is that how you decided to tell us?”

Buck blinks.

No one clarifies, and the air feels tight enough to shatter.

Oh.

Eddie kissed him.

Oh.

He kissed Eddie.  

“Did we miss something here?” Bobby walks from his office with Lucy close behind him, slowing as he approaches them, obviously feeling the tension.

“No,” Buck chokes out, his heart catching in his throat.

“Nope,” Hen says, dragging her eyes from Buck. Chim and Ravi hesitantly echo her.

See the full post

124 notes - Posted May 23, 2022

#4

Thinking abt how eddie held bucks hand while he was trapped under the ladder truck

163 notes - Posted November 18, 2022

#3

Buck has his own toothbrush that lives permanently in the Diaz's bathroom

244 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

#2

I cant wait for this WIP to be updated! I wonder what will happen next! My brother in christ you're the author of this WIP

271 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Do you understand

356 notes - Posted August 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[polskasroka]

A Distraction | Chapter 4 NSFW (Fic finished)

Here's the last chapter of my MelOdy fic, hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Melinoë/Odysseus

Tags: Older Man/Younger Woman, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Pining, Romance, Eventual Romance, Self-Doubt, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Spoilers, Written During Hades II (Supergiant Video Game) Early Access, Character Study, mel is a tough gal overall, but she has her weaker moments, Denial of Feelings, Nightmares, Kissing, Eventual Smut, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Men Crying, yes it's od who's crying, dragging out the man's traumatic experiences at the end of the fic let's go, no details tho

AO3 link

Or Chapter 4 (7080 words) under Read More

As usual, plans don’t work out as they should. It’s due to Melinoë plunging into her duties, which these days seem to be more consuming than they sometimes appear to her. Who knows, maybe she’s just doing her job or she’s actually unconsciously postponing the plans that she made during her conversation with Aphrodite. It’s not that she’s scared, no. She hasn’t chickened out again. She simply hasn’t engaged in this kind of pastime or bonding for quite a while and it surely won’t be the same as when she was younger.

And it’s a different person that she longs to spend more time alone with. It’s not someone roughly “her age,” at least appearance- and mentality-wise, it’s someone older, more experienced. A somewhat uncharted territory for Melinoë, which she’s more than curious to discover once she has a chance.

But for now – she doesn’t. Melinoë’s currently busy with dealing with Chronos’ nonsense once more, holding Zorephet in her hands, bracing for the attack, knowing that her weapon will grant her a victory.

Melinoë faces the Titan, glaring at him, her mismatched eyes locked with his. His whole attitude us full of impudence, that smugness ever-present on his face and it’s driving Melinoë insane, and she can’t wait to wipe that smug grin off of his maw once again.

“Little one, you’ll have wrinkles if you keep frowning like this,” he says nonchalantly, seated on the throne that does not belong to him.

“Won’t look worse than you, that’s for sure,” Melinoë retorts, smirk pulling on the corners of her lips.

“Humorous. But why waste time for me, knowing that you cannot win, if there’s something waiting for you in Erebus? Why not indulge in that and make this thing easier for us both.” Chronos’ voice becomes distorted at the end of his utterance, sending chills down the Goddess’ spine.

“What…? I thought I’d thrown you out of my head!”

“You have, indeed. But I’ve learnt more than you can imagine.”

Enraged, Melinoë lunges at the Titan. Hatred and fury are her fuel and she and Zorephet are thriving because of that.

This is what pushes her towards the victory tonight. The immense fury and animosity towards Chronos.

She returns to shadow in that state and the grass in her stone circle feels freezing to her legs – there, where they’re not fiery – and hands. Melinoë huffs and puffs as she stands up and, for a moment, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Glancing behind her, she notices Frinos on his usual spot and also Toula who seems to have decided to spend some time there as well. Melinoë’s anger dissipates immediately and she lets out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

It was quite a run.

The Goddess needs some time on her own, though. Preferably at the Cocytus.

Without hesitation, Melinoë thus strolls through her tent and out of it, glad that she doesn’t meet no one on her way to the pier. As soon as she arrives there, she tunes in to the gentle sloshing and splashing of water against the wood and feels herself drifting away. To increase the healing effect of her surroundings, Melinoë lies down on the damp planks of the pier and closes her eyes, disregarding the floor that’s not the most comfortable.

But it doesn’t matter now. Melinoë’s mind begins to float together with the tide and she soon relaxes, breathing evenly, not thinking about anything in particular. She knows that she has plans which she wants to fulfil but there’ll be time for that later. There’ll also be time for more attempts to defeat Chronos or Eris, depending on where the Princess decides to go next. There’ll be time for everything, although there’s also time for nothing in the current climate.

Melinoë even dares to wonder if she’s not overexerting herself again. The last time she did, didn’t end well for her and she’s wiser than to risk it one more time. Not when the stakes are this high. But then – were the stakes with Icarus not high? For young Melinoë, they surely were and they’d be just as high were she to perform the ritual once more. She’s curious if it’d work this time.

She thinks of the positive outcomes. Icarus would be overjoyed. Maybe, he would drop the shyness. Maybe, he’d make a move on Melinoë and they’d continue what they once started and what didn’t last long at all.

She thinks of the negative outcomes. She could obliterate Icarus’ soul. She could harm herself irreversibly. But that’s the worst of the worst. So, maybe…

“You’re gonna slack off like this all day while there’s still a titan to slay?” goes an utterly dissatisfied voice from above Melinoë.

She cracks her eyes open only to see Nemesis’ unhappy face over her.

“Slacking off?” Melinoë narrows her eyes and sits up, staring at Nemesis. “A moment of rest is what I’m having. I deserve it.”

“Do you, now?”

“Do you want me to push things too far? Are you aware of the consequences of–”

“There is no pushing things too far when it comes to Chronos. If you happen to have such inhibitions, know that I do not. I would not hesitate to–”

“I don’t hesitate when I challenge Chronos, Nem,” Melinoë cuts the Chthonic Goddess off. “Never. Don’t question it.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

Melinoë huffs, annoyed, and stands up to properly face Nemesis. She’s towering over Melinoë, true, but it doesn’t scare her. Not anymore.

“I really wish you would stop with this, Nem,” Melinoë speaks a tad more softly now. “We’ve got a lot of problems already, we don’t need such petty disagreements in the Crossroads. Some would feast on that.”

“Eris.”

“For instance, yes. Sadly.”

“That’s her domain. Can’t blame her for that, no matter how irritating she is. Same with me. You can’t blame me for wanting to get to that damned titan and kill him for good. Preferably rip him apart into the smallest pieces possible and throw them all over the Earth.” Nemesis’ tone has grown calmer, yet it still carries that trademark monotonous meanness.

“That’s one thing we do agree on.” Melinoë shrugs. She sighs and adds, “Nem, what is your problem with me? Tell me, please.”

Retribution stays silent for a moment, her piercing eyes never leaving Melinoë’s. The Princess lays her hands on her hips and quirks her eyebrow up in anticipation.

“Don’t mind it that much when you decide to spend your time here. But I don’t like it when you spend it with a mortal. Careful with that one. My brother seems to be all over him like a complete fool but I hope you’re smarter than that. Though, lately, you’ve been proving me wrong.”

“I know what I’m doing, Nem. Thanks for caring… I guess?” Melinoë chuckles nervously, her look softening.

“Whatever. Focus on the task is what I’m saying.”

If Melinoë hears the words “task” or “focus” from Nemesis one more time, she’ll lose it.

“Entertain yourself with the shades however you want. Or with my brother. Or with whoever else you fancy more than you should now.”

“Hey, I…!”

“Don’t get distracted, Princess.”

Melinoë wants to reply but as she opens her mouth, Nemesis has already whipped around and stomped away from the Princess. With a long and exasperated sigh, Melinoë lets her shoulders drop and looks to the floor, searching for answers there.

Nemesis is impossible.

Although a couple of nights have passed since Melinoë’s talk with Aphrodite, she hasn’t forgotten about what she planned to do on that night. After the most recent runs have taken a toll on the Goddess, she’s decided that it’s high time she unwound, lest she should overdo the whole thing and lose a limb or get unnecessarily heavily hurt by Chronos. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Melinoë reminds herself about a bottle of ambrosia that she’s been carrying around in her purse. She accidentally discovers it while fishing the bag for seeds that she’s gathered in the last journeys both to the Underworld and the Surface. Rubbing the smooth glass with her finger, she glances over her shoulder and knows exactly who she’s going to share the ambrosia with. It seems just perfect for the occasion.

It's sometime later in the day or night that she approaches Odysseus after fumbling with the Arcana Cards at the Altar. Before she walks over to him, though, Melinoë pulls the ambrosia bottle out of her bag and hides it behind her back, so that the tactician doesn’t have a chance to refuse before he’s offered the drink.

Out of the corner of his eye, Odysseus notices Melinoë, marks something on the map on the table in front of him and then he can give the Goddess his undivided attention. Melinoë’s already sporting a mischievous smile on her face, not too skilful at hiding her intentions well when it comes to such situations.

“What is it this time, Goddess?” he asks neutrally, folding his arms.

“Well, would you consider spending some time with me this evening? If you have no other urgent responsibilities, that is,” Melinoë clarifies but her tone’s full of hope.

“Your invitation itself belongs to the category of urgent responsibilities. How could I refuse?” A slight smirk accompanies his warm response.

“Certainly not when I also have this…” Melinoë brings the bottle to the front and holds it before herself. “I thought that this can taste better when shared with someone too. And… drinking it with someone I find dear is a tradition that I’ll gladly observe.” She feels her cheeks flush a faint pink.

“I, erm…” Odysseus collects his thoughts for a bit, dragging his eyes off of the bottle to lock them back with Melinoë’s mismatches irises. “You do flatter me, Goddess, but I don’t think that I’m particularly worthy of the gods’ drink.”

“Are you trying to refuse now?”

“No, I…! I wouldn’t even try! What I’m saying is that…” He pauses for a moment, and then squints at Melinoë. He puts two and two together and chuckles, bringing a more vibrant blush onto Melinoë’s cheeks. “Took me by surprise there, Goddess, I appreciate that. But all those bottles of nectar, baths in the springs and now this… You’re spoiling me.”

“Who else if not you?” Melinoë shrugs innocently, her gaze both playful and seemingly timid.

Melinoë likes to think that she’s managed to embarrass Odysseus there at least to the smallest extent.

“So… Is it alright if we go now?”

“Where to?”

“Same place as the last time?” Melinoë swears she can’t stop smiling.

“The shades are going to be looking at us again. Don’t you mind, Goddess?”

That question is blatantly on purpose. Bastard.

“I never minded, you know that, Od.”

“You got me there.”

And so they’re off to the taverna and their spot from the night they drank nectar there together. As they stroll there, Melinoë wonders if this time it’s going to end similarly to the previous one or if things are going to be pushed further. It may also turn out that nothing too special will happen but the Goddess hopes that it won’t be the case. After all, she can feel her heart skip a beat once in a while now and that can’t go in vain.

Besides, she deserves some fun. She deserves the life of a goddess. She won’t let anyone deny her the pleasures that she could feel entitled to. Of course, Melinoë is not the one to be forcing someone to abide by her will because that sounds much too wrong to her liking. However, it doesn’t mean that she’s going to refuse herself the possibility of a divine-like pastime when she can obtain it in a more mutually respectful way.

And she’s not going to refuse whatever it is that her heart wants. In the long run, it really doesn’t seem to be the right thing. It’s tiring and she’s got other concerns to handle, she doesn’t need more of them. When she has the possibility to manage one of the whole bunch, why not jump at the opportunity?

What’s more, how long can one pursue the same and only aim? Melinoë’s been feeling like a fish in a fishbowl, mindlessly chasing something that’s seeming more and more infeasible with each attempt, since there’s no end to it in sight. It may be that this load of work is getting to her. It may be that the constant focus on her task is a burden that she needs to lift off of her shoulders to be able to continue with any aim that she chooses to follow.

So time passes and although Melinoë’s having a jolly time with Odysseus, there’s the thought of her task lurking in the back of her head. She’d love to get rid of it for at least a moment but it seems to never leave her. At some point, Melinoë focuses on it so much, that she stops listening to what Odysseus is saying. Once he notices that, he pauses his monologue and turns to look at Melinoë, who’s intensely staring at something in front of her.

It's only after a couple of seconds that she gets the hint of something being off, so she shakes her head and faces Odysseus, confusion written all over her face.

“Why did you stop?” she wonders, the genuine surprise makes her look too innocent.

“You weren’t listening to me, were you, Goddess?”

“Oh, no… No, I wasn’t. Sorry, Od. Could you repeat, please?”

“What’s troubling you?” he gets straight to the point, his question serious, leaving no room for Melinoë to escape.

“Ugh…” she sighs, gazing into the shade’s eyes, finding comfort in that kind and understanding look. “It’s about my task. Almost everyone keeps reminding me about it as if I forgot what I’ve been prepared for my whole life. I know I shouldn’t let others’ opinions affect me this much but here I am, I guess.”

Odysseus furrows his brows for a moment and then offers Melinoë a polite and compassionate smile.

“By ‘almost everyone’ you mean Nemesis, right, Goddess?”

“Mostly,” Melinoë sniggers a little.

“Jealous is what she is, it’s as simple as that. It seems that the older you are, the worse at handling her own envy she’s getting. But no matter what she says, you know what you’re like. You know what you’re capable of. You can–”

His words are uplifting, true, but…

“Don’t you start talking about the task and its importance now too or I’ll–”

“I’m not planning to,” he replies quickly and hands Melinoë the bottle of ambrosia from which he drank during the monologue from a moment ago that is long forgotten now.

“Thanks, Od.”

Melinoë smiles and drops her own gaze in embarrassment. She then takes a swig from the bottle and sees how proud Odysseus is of her doing that. After all, they’ve both come here to unwind and it seems that the ambrosia is working better than nectar because they have no interest in the fact whether the shades at the taverna will be talking about them or not.

“Even Headmistress isn’t so monothematic. She seems to understand that I need a moment of rest from time to time.” Melinoë chuckles to herself, staring at the ground next to Odysseus.

“What’s so funny about it?” he asks, amused.

“She also told me to be careful around mortal men,” the Princess replies almost nonchalantly and then raises her head to lock her eyes with Odysseus’ once more.

He looks puzzled but Melinoë is sure that he knows what she’s talking about. Her ambrosia-fuelled confidence proves to be of great help.

“She certainly, erm…” Odysseus clears his throat. “Has her reasons.”

“Rightly so?” Melinoë tilts her head and shifts closer to her companion, planting her hands on the grass in front of Odysseus for stability.

Odysseus’ resolve is so weak right now, that he’s nearly ashamed of himself. It must be because of the ambrosia, since without it, he wouldn’t let himself glance down at Melinoë’s lips every once in a while. She’s so close, that he can feel her breath on his skin and her mismatched eyes have got that mischievous sparkle glinting in them that is hardly resistable.

“Well, why don’t you find out yourself? That’s the most precious experience, after all,” he says, sounding barely affected by the Princess’ proximity. Odysseus counts that as his own personal victory. Still, he knows that Melinoë will make him lose this inner battle of his.

“I’ve found out myself, once. It didn’t end well. Headmistress knows it. So do you.”

“Indeed, I do. But this… this won’t fix anything, so why…?”

“I don’t want to be disappointed again,” Melinoë admits quietly, her voice shaking a little now. She swallows and lays her right hand on Odysseus’ cheek, the usual coolness of a shade’s skin a contrast to her warm fingers. “Will you disappoint me, Odysseus?”

“I won’t, Goddess.”

The low and sincere tone of his melts Melinoë’s heart and she swoons immediately. She lifts her face just a tad, just enough to be able to crash her lips against Odysseus’. She doesn’t hesitate and neither does he.

Melinoë squeezes her eyes shut to relish the moment and drown in it. Inhaling, she cups Odysseus’ face with both of her hands now, seemingly pulling herself even closer to him. Then, the Princess moves on to nipping on Odysseus’ lower lip, making him grab her phantasmal wrist and slide up along it until his hand is placed atop Melinoë’s. A soft sigh comes out from Melinoë’s lungs and she’s surprised with it herself, which has her eyes snap open.

The plain shock on her mien draws a chuckle from Odysseus that brings bright pink onto Melinoë’s cheeks. It all ultimately breaks their kiss but their lips never stop brushing against one another, not even when Melinoë takes her time and scans Odysseus’ eyes and face from this close. She’s greatly enjoying it and the man doesn’t interrupt. Besides, he can’t resist the way Melinoë’s started rubbing his cheekbones with her thumbs only to splay her fingers and kiss Odysseus again.

Her breathing’s clearly picked up the pace and Melinoë is determined in what she’s doing. In fact, she’s so decisive that Odysseus has to lean against his hands so as not to fall onto his back because of the Goddess’ intensity.

It is a bit much for him to process at first, true. But it’s not something he can’t deal with. Quite the contrary – he will handle it with pleasure, no matter how dizzy it makes him feel. Surely, the ambrosia has influenced the sensation but it’s never going to beat the effect that Melinoë has on him.

And it’s not the first time he’s been faced with such a situation. Well, maybe he hasn’t made up with a goddess before but it won’t scare him. It never has. It shouldn’t, at least. Not with Melinoë.

With any possible curses and atrocities aside, Odysseus needs to regain some control, even if it’s by challenging the Goddess a tad and risking things he doesn’t want to think about. Having thought that, the shade wraps one of his arms around Melinoë’s waist and she acts upon it sooner and much more eagerly than expected.

In the blink of an eye, Melinoë’s straddling Odysseus’ lap, smiling to herself and into their kiss that’s only growing more and more heated. Squeezing the Princess’ side slightly, Odysseus has pulled a couple of little whimpers from the Goddess’ throat and made more pink appear on her cheeks, neck and ears.

It’s then his turn to put the kiss into a halt, albeit unwillingly so. The need to just gaze at Melinoë is too strong not to give in to it and Melinoë did a similar thing a moment ago anyway. The Princess doesn’t shy away from his careful look and calmly lays her hands on his broad shoulders.

Odysseus is enamoured with her and it’s as clear as day to Melinoë. It flatters her a lot and she can’t help but grin and Odysseus thinks he’s going to die again and get reborn right there, at the bank of the Cocytus. Her smile is everything to him at this very moment and neither of them cares about how much their attitudes and acts are the result of being drunk on ambrosia.

However, at this point, they can’t be sure how much of it is the drink’s effect. The way they seem to want one another surpasses the wonderful effects of the gods’ brew. Their hearts skip a beat when they spare a second to ponder over that.

“You’re beautiful, Goddess,” Odysseus says, his gaze one with Melinoë’s.

“Thanks, Od.” She doesn’t admit it but she feels a sudden fire ripple through her body. “I’ve been thinking…” Melinoë continues and shrugs oh so innocently that the tactician has to swallow. “Would you like to accompany me to my tent?”

Odysseus has to reconsider everything before he lets himself believe in what he’s just heard. Apart from that, there’s the well-known pull from the inside that quickly finds its way downwards and doesn’t want to be ignored.

“Goddess….” He stops mid-sentence not to let out a pathetic moan as Melinoë deliberately shifts in his lap.

“No, I don’t want to hear nothing about the shades around or Nem–”

“… lead the way.”

Melinoë’s mouth falls open a little before a wide smile lights up her face once again. She then stands up (praise the merciful Fates!) and helps Odysseus do the same. Yet, to him, it looks more like a reason for her to grab his hand and hold it in order to begin her quick and confident stroll to the tent.

While he actually pays attention to whoever they might encounter on their way to the tent, Melinoë couldn’t care less. It’s obvious that she shouldn’t be worried about it, she’s a goddess. And Odysseus? He’s a shade. A shade that hasn’t lost themselves in death and decay but a shade nonetheless.

At that moment of hesitation, even Icarus’ words claiming that shades and goddesses don’t mix make their way into Odysseus’ head. He doesn’t have time to dwell on it, though, for he soon finds himself inside Melinoë’s tent.

She abruptly stops dead in her tracks once there, making Odysseus almost bump into her. She stands still and then says, “Dora? Are you here?”

There’s silence and no one says a word, listening to any sound that the shade could make. After a couple of moments that Melinoë deems enough, she shrugs and turns around, so that Odysseus can see that bright smile of hers again. It brings a genuine, warm smile onto his own lips and he lets Melinoë lead him on until she sits atop the table in the centre of the tent. She then pulls Odysseus closer by his clothes, so that he ends up standing between her legs, his hands on both sides of her thighs, atop the table.

The leverage proves highly useful, since Melinoë momentarily wraps her arms around his neck, so that she can pull herself higher and kiss him again.

And the kiss is different this time. It’s more fiery, passionate. Melinoë opens her mouth to deepen the kiss and Odysseus has no choice but to comply.

He gives her all that he can, there’s no inhibitions in the way he’s returning the kiss. The fact that she’s smiling all the time, something that is broken only by her small gasps, has Odysseus quiver. It’s almost unlike him to react like this, like he never met someone of this import before.

The thought itself almost angers him and he decides to channel it into even more effort. With a low hum from within his chest, Odysseus lays his hand on Melinoë’s thigh, which has her support herself on her palms behind her. She sniggers lightly and her eyes shine as she pecks Odysseus’ lips and then sits a bit more upright.

Curious, Odysseus watches her next moves, her flesh in a firm grip of the man’s that she doesn’t brush away. Instead, she lifts her hands and turns her face to the side a bit, so that Odysseus ends up leaving little kisses on the corner of her lips. He immediately reminds himself about the first time he’d done that and the memory warms his heart. He also almost stops caring about what Melinoë’s doing right in front of him.

Once he realises that, she’s already taken off her gorget and is working on the tie of her dress. She still manages to notice him gape at her and it amuses her greatly. After all, it’s not like he hasn’t seen her naked because he has, back when they spent time in the Hot Spring.

But it was different. Totally different.

On gods, it is different now, although Melinoë’s bare only to her waist. The way Odysseus is looking at her is surely raising her self-esteem but despite that, she still blushes a vivid pink that paints her cheeks, neck and ears. And since that neck is on full display, Odysseus considers it a blasphemy not to lean in and plant kiss after kiss on Melinoë’s skin there.

She lets him do it, giving him more access as she tilts her head to the side, so that he can lick the side of her throat. It sends chills down Melinoë’s spine and her toes curl. A graze of Odysseus’ teeth has her tighten her legs and stick her fiery heels into the spots above the backs of the man’s knees and he hisses at the burn that might not blister but hurts anyway.

“Sorry,” Melinoë says, her hand on his cheek to make him look at her. “Od?”

“Yes, Goddess?”

He’s clinging onto each little word she says and Melinoë can clearly see it and it’s making her feel funny on the inside.

“Take your clothes off.”

Her tone is somewhat serious in all its innocence and it’s like a challenge to Odysseus. Thereby, he shall treat it as one.

With confidence, he stands straight, his chin up, and his usual crooked smirk back in its place. Melinoë averts her gaze for a moment or two and that’s when the shade steals a glance at her slim, naked chest.

Barely any words could describe the beauty that’s there in her youth and life energy, despite her being so strongly tied to the Underworld and its residents. So for now, Odysseus just thinks that Melinoë’s beautiful, while being more than aware of hundreds of words that he could use to depict her and that would not suffice anyhow.

In order to have a better view, Melinoë leans back a bit, propped on her hands against the table, while her eyes are roaming up and down Odysseus’ frame. She watches him swallow, thinking that she’s made him uncomfortable for a second there but the thought’s soon gone when his scarf and cloak get thrown onto the ground.

It’s only a prelude to the full breadth of the shade’s shoulders that the Goddess is yet to see and she’s looking forward to it. Melinoë even lets her mouth hang slightly open as she takes in all the views that Odysseus is revealing to her one article of his clothing at a time.

Although busy with undressing himself, Odysseus does gaze back at Melinoë; sometimes their looks even meet. He then gets rewarded with a radiant smile from the Princess, one that only encourages him to soon stand in front of her in his birthday suit.

Her sparkling stare fills him with pride and so does her open mouth. The Goddess shifts on her spot to get closer to Odysseus, so that her face is level with his chest. Melinoë doesn’t miss the quivering exhale of the man and it raises chills along her spine. Apart from that, the view right before her has her shiver and feel that tightening sensation at the bottom of her belly.

Melinoë then unceremoniously lays her hands on Odysseus’ sides and presses her lips against his sternum. There’s that little hum deep behind his ribs that has Melinoë plant a couple of kisses upwards and then downwards, until she gives the shade’s abs some licks and pecks. Her fingers keep rubbing circles atop Odysseus’ warm (at most!) skin or she moves her palms up and down a bit, and the touch is nearly blistering to him.

And it appears surreal to him as well. The reverence with which Melinoë’s treating him is something he’d never think he’d receive from a goddess. It’s almost too much for him to grasp and Melinoë can clearly see it once she glances up at him and their eyes meet again. She can swear that he blushes a tiny bit and it warms her heart and boosts her ego.

With confidence, the Goddess stands up, hopping off of the table, her thumbs now stroking Odysseus’ stomach. It seems to her that he tries to avert his gaze for a second but she wouldn’t let him do so no matter how hard he tried.

“Are you shy, Od?” Melinoë tilts her head to the side and it’s one of the most adorable things she’s ever done in Odysseus’ eyes.

“Me? Ha! Never, Goddess.” As if to prove his words, he grabs Melinoë’s chin and places his other hand on her waist.

“Good. You’ve no reason to,” she muses, looking at him from under her eyelashes.

“And why is that?” Thinking she’s distracted, his hand slides to her back where he can work on undoing her belt.

“You’re built…” Melinoë says slowly, her fingers and nails tracing the mounds of Odysseus’ abs, travelling upwards over his chest to land on his strong and wide shoulders. “… Like a god.”

That little smirk that Melinoë gifts him with makes him forget his name. Words can’t describe how much he’s attracted to her and he knows that only Penelope could reach this level of sentiment and affection that he’d ever hold for anyone. It terrifies him to some extent, for it’s been a while since someone treated him like this.

“Goddess…” is all he can mutter as he manages to cause Melinoë’s clothes to fall onto the ground and see her fully naked form.

Odysseus pulls Melinoë closer, so that he can kiss her while she’s pushing him backwards until they land on her sleeping mat. The Princess doesn’t miss the opportunity to have the man lie down on it, so that she can straddle his waist, grinning, smoothing her palms over his chest again. She leans in to steal another kiss or two, in the meantime rocking her hips to grind against him whenever she can.

Odysseus’ hands come to her aid in no time when he starts guiding her motion by grabbing her by her hips. The small sigh that it gets him is like honey and he swallows it as soon as Melinoë lets it out.

However fun this little teasing game of theirs may be, Melinoë is done waiting for tonight. So, even though she’s loving the electric sensation that’s springing from all the right places where her skin meets Odysseus’, the Princess decides to take the matters into her hands. As she thinks about it, she sniggers at her own inner wording, hiding her face in Odysseus’ cheek and then neck.

He groans while feeling her breath there and cranes his neck to give Melinoë more access to the sensitive spots there. Melinoë doesn’t waste the chance to give his throat some nibbles and licks, distracting herself from her attempts at ending all the teasing. While doing so, she’s making little moans of excitement and pleasure – something which elicits a couple of grunts from Odysseus as he closes his eyes, handing the control to Melinoë completely.

And she’s not complaining, oh no. She’s enjoying everything that’s unravelling in front of her and underneath her, as well as relishing the way Odysseus’ fingers dig into her flesh once in a while. She can’t have enough of the hisses and groans that he releases when she gifts him with an unsynchronised rub of her body against his.

But it is when she grabs him to finally, finally be able to sit atop him that makes a full moan tumble out of his throat. The way Melinoë’s whimper and gasp accompany it is a music to Odysseus’ ears. He regains some semblance of control for a moment as he holds Melinoë still and then pulls her down until he’s fully sheathed inside of her.

That’s also when Odysseus’ hands land on Melinoë’s cheeks, so that he can cup her face and draw her in for a kiss. With a firm grip on his shoulders, Melinoë achieves her leverage and starts to rock her hips back and forth, slowly, with no rush.

Her breathing’s slightly increased and she catches herself letting her mouth hang open, enabling Odysseus to pull at her lower lip with his teeth.

Sporting a cheeky smile on her face, the Goddess soon pulls away and sits upright, so that she can switch her motion and move up and down. It soon earns her a pair of strong hands grabbing her sides and sliding upwards, right under her breasts. Melinoë pushes her chest out proudly, encouraging Odysseus to roam all over it, and he doesn’t waste this opportunity.

He drags his fingers back down onto her stomach and then waist with just as much reverence as she showed while caressing his torso a while ago. His eyes follow the track of his palms and he swallows, boring a hole somewhere in Melinoë’s belly. Deep in her own fantasy and bliss, the Princess pays it no mind at first. However, after a while of Odysseus nearly lying still all the time, Melinoë slows down her rocking and lays a hand on the shade’s cheek.

“Od… what’s wrong?” she asks ever so softly, brushing the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

“I, erm… nothing, Goddess,” he provides too quickly for Melinoë’s liking. She squints at him as he adds, “my apologies.”

“Nothing to apologise for, you just look…”

“No, Goddess. Not… now,” his voice breaks at the end there and he hates himself for this.

Melinoë sees the discontentment flash across his features and it causes a crease to appear between her eyebrows.

“So there is something, is there not?”

“Later, please,” Odysseus says, his voice shaky once again. At the same time, he hoists himself up, so that he’s also now sat upright, with the new possibility of hiding his face in the crook of Melinoë’s neck. “Is this alright?” he asks, his hands again on Melinoë’s back, feeling her muscles shift as she adjusts to this position.

“Of course.” Melinoë embraces him and holds him close, so that he can freely bury his face under the Princess’ chin and obscure his sorry state from her. “Do you want to stop? Because we can if you’re not–”

“I want to continue. I only…” he mumbles right into Melinoë’s throat and she feels his shuddering breath on her skin.

“I’m not going to curse you, Od,” she promises and kisses the top of his head.

Then, she also notices that he still has his hairband on and she promptly gets rid of it, drawing a small chuckle from him. Melinoë deems it a good sign to go on and resume her motion atop Odysseus’ lap.

While doing so, Melinoë never lets him go and he revels in the proximity of her and the limitless chances to shower her neck and shoulder with kisses and long swipes of his tongue. The way she shivers when he does it has him quiver and the fire in the pit of his stomach burn brightly, dangerously. It spreads all over his body and although he’s a shade, Melinoë can feel something like heat radiating off of him.

It's somewhat cool when compared to her own feverish self but she couldn’t care less. What matters to her is that Odysseus is close and now clearly enjoying himself, letting out low and vibrating hums of satisfaction. Melinoë is proud of herself for making him feel this good and she only ups her game by rotating her hips and returning to the rhythmical motion in turns.

She manages to pull more raw and rumbling sounds from Odysseus, with his fingernails leaving crescent-like marks in the muscle of her back. Her own fingers rake through his hair, scraping his scalp, keeping him impossibly close as his breath’s becoming more and more ragged. The manner in which he’s kissing her is growing sloppier with each move of Melinoë’s body and she can tell by the way his hips are meeting hers that he’s not going to last long from now.

The Princess thinks she’s going to trip over that edge herself once she hears him speak up again.

“You need to slow down, Goddess…”

“Whatever for?” Melinoë asks, although she knows the answer.

“I can’t…” Odysseus manages, his voice strained and raspy. “You’re going to make me…”

“Don’t hold back, sir. Let go.”

Melinoë’s tender and breathy tone and the way she never stops moving is Odysseus’ whole world at the moment. He also thought that her calling him in this particular way was making him feel all fuzzy but when mixed with her being in charge of such an intimate situation between them both, it is an entirely new level of satisfaction for him.

So Odysseus has no reasons to disobey the Princess. With her continuous and only slightly uncoordinated up-and-down, she leads him to his peak and makes him fall over it, relentless and determined. Odysseus groans straight into the column of Melinoë’s neck as he releases the divine tension that’s built up deep in his gut, grazing his teeth against her skin and suckling on it to muffle the more pathetic sounds that he’s producing.

His hands also tighten around Melinoë’s sides, at the level of her ribs, keeping her still. The lack of movement halts her own impending climax but she soon crosses that border as she feels Odysseus finish inside of her. The warmth and fullness both shoot that dizzying sensation throughout her body and right into her brain and she reaches exactly what she’s been chasing with a long and raw moan on her lips.

Melinoë throws her head back, squeezing Odysseus while mumbling his name again and again, her hands tugging on his hair. It elicits yet another low grunt from him as he’s slowly coming off of his high, kissing and licking the spot on the Goddess’ neck that he was sucking a while ago.

A shaky sigh leaves his lungs as Melinoë’s still trembling in his lap and arms, the afterglow embracing her with the waves of white hot pleasure calming down and not reaching the Princess’ fingertips and toes anymore. She curls around Odysseus steady but also shivering form, seemingly becoming one with him for the time being.

She’s so focused on their shared closeness that she just allows him to fall onto his back and lay her next to him, with her hand on his chest and her leg swung over his hip. Melinoë exhales, tired but happy, and looks up at Odysseus’ profile. She furrows her brows and as soon as he notices it, he hides his eyes behind his forearm.

It doesn’t stop Melinoë from kissing away the tears that are rolling down his right cheek. He sniffles as she does that, biting down on his lip not to let out a quiet sob.

After a moment, though, he stops shying away from her and wipes his eyes dry to meet Melinoë’s gaze.

“Knowing you, Goddess, you’re not going to leave it be, are you?” he asks, some sorrow in his allegedly amused tone.

“You know me too well… But then again – how could I leave it be? Something is clearly… very not right.”

“I’ll tell you in due time, I promise.”

“Does this concern… me?”

“Not entirely.”

“Someone else from the Crossroads too?”

“Someone from the outside.”

“Do I know them?”

“You do.” Odysseus quirks up his eyebrow as he sees that Melinoë opens her mouth to keep questioning him. She resigns from doing so and he continues, “in due time, Goddess. This is hardly a moment for such conversations. Let’s enjoy what we have now instead, shall we?”

Melinoë mulls over his words for a second. Her face soon softens and she smiles lightly, bringing a more genuine smile onto Odysseus’ lips as well.

“Mhm.” She nods her head and gives him a little kiss. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Thank you for not cursing me.”

Odysseus chuckles at that but Melinoë knows that there is some hidden gloom in there somewhere. But she’s not going to pry. Not now at least. There’ll be a better opportunity for that someday.

The idea itself is deeply worrying in her eyes and she’d love to try and solve Odysseus’ problem right here and now but, alas, it’s not possible if he doesn’t tell her what the whole matter is about. She has to brace herself for some waiting and be patient because there’s nothing else that she could do now.

“Don’t dwell on it.”

“Alright.” Melinoë rolls her eyes. “I’ll stop. For now.”

“Good.”

The relief present in Odysseus’ eyes is worth it.

Melinoë loses herself in the serenity she sees in them at the moment. Yet, she jerks in her spot, gasping, when she suddenly hears Dora’s voice and watches her appear at her feet.

“So… Since you two are done now, you’re gonna come and talk to me and the horned guy, Mel? Though as I look at you, it’s gonna take you a while to get yourself back together,” she deadpans, eyeing Melinoë and Odysseus.

“Dora! What…? How…? Have you been here all this time?!”

“Well, you said yourself that you didn’t mind the shades watching you.”

“And how do you know that? Who told you? Other shades heard me?”

“I told her,” Odysseus admits, sporting that stupidly confident grin of his.

“Impossible, the both of you!” Melinoë groans, pressing her face right under his jaw.

[notsogoodangel]

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Longest Tag: 114 characters

#why is that monster brown? why is there so many fucking crumbs on the table?!! there's only one bag of chips there

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Bungou Stay Dogs from story to novel (Spoilers for the manga, Gaiden and Beast)

So, I like to collect the Bungou Stray Dog books. I have collected Volumes 1-17, 20, Beast Manga Volume 1 and the Gaiden manga volumen 1, as well as the Dark Era, Beast and 55 Minutes light novels.

On my journey I have noticed something: the separation of the title with the volume art. 

From the very first volume we see that title “Bungou Stray Dogs” is almost completely separated from the rest of the art, with just little thing connecting the two, like Kunikida in volume 1 and the blood splatter on volume 12. Always switching between black title background (in odd numbers) and white title backgrounds (in even numbers ).

But that change on volume 15: 

See the full post

49 notes - Posted June 8, 2022

#4

Nobody cares about Bungou Stray Dogs: 55 Minutes and I will make it everyone’s problem. (Spoilers for the manga, Dead Apple, Dark Era, Fifteen and Strombringer).

I love this light novel. It’s like one of the only ones light novels I actually care about, and you should to if you care about world building on BSD.

But nobody has read it so I have decided to write some fun facts and food for thoughts that the synopsis and summaries can’t make it justice. Also yes, all those works are mentioned or connected to 55 Minutes.

Firstly, I want to point out how Atsushi’s transformation is described:

“He visualize a tiger… the complete opposite of his weak self… Like night cooling the ground, the frailty hidden deep down inside Atsushi grew until it was sinisterly ferocious. The tiger was not of this world. It only existed within him. It was his arrogance and cowardice, his pride and sense of shame. The more he tired to hide his weakness, the more exposed it became… His skin corrugated as his bones started to creak strangely.”

I just love how despite this taken place after the Guild attacked, he still consider himself weak, a coward, and needs someone to help him.

Europe, in average, has more skill users than Japan, and using the war they manufactured a lot of weapons. Nowadays, a lot of those weapons seem to be hidden or in the governments possession. 

Victor Hugo, Shakespeare and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are all canon, they are all Transcendents (just like Rimbaud), they participated on the war, and he fought and caused more casualties at once in the entire history.

H.G. Wells is also a character in the story, she is an ability user that can send the memories of someone 55 minutes to the past and only once, and she also participated on the War and created a weapon of mass destruction. Which is what most people are fighting for in the story.

Apparently Dazai knows how to control his heart beat because of his suicide attempts… know he does it to be a spy.

Andre Gide is also mentioned in the novel and they are partially part of why one of the villains, the Colonel, it’s obsessed with getting a secret weapon. By the end of the light novel, they were trying to piece together Colonel’s story and that it matches, only to find nothing, because the Mimic attack is hidden to the public and cover the event completely, which Dazai of course says so the ADA stops looking for it, since the government just won’t let them. Only for Atsushi to ask “do you know anything about them?” WHICH HURT MY SOUL WHEN I FIRST READ IT.

Dazai famously gets stabbed on this novel, and it’s so noticeable and impressive because he didn’t predicated it at all. The ADA had to make their own plan to rescue his ass. (And this is important to show that they can solve a case without his help).

It’s implied that Dazai is not the only ability user that has a nullified ability.

If an ability user has a to-the-touch ability (Fyodor) or one that doesn’t turn off (Fukuzawa) and they are dead, their ability cannot be used, but abilities can used on them. So if Dazai dies, Yosano can use her ability because he is dead, and like IRL, there’s a time in which people can still be brought back even if they are dead.

The main reason why I wanted to read 55 Minutes was because of Jules Verne and his relationship with Gab (his ability who obtained consciousness).Verne’s ability is Mysterious Island, in which he gains the ability of any user that dies on Standard Island (where the events of the light novel take place). Gab is what happened when someone abuses their own abilities and said ability mutates and grow. 

Jules Verne was someone who suffered in the war, his parents died and they did everything to stop the War and suffering of others. He met Wells long after the war was over, and they actually met because they were stopping a terrorist attack on the island Verne swore to protect, not only because it was part of his ability, but because it gave him a purpose.

Jules Verne, after his parents died, joined an organization to stop the war when he was around 12-15 years old. They were named the Seven Traitors. They stopped the war by kidnapping a bunch of world leaders so they signed peace treaties to stop the war… and it worked. Once the war was over, they disappeared essentially and they put Verne in charge of guarding the island. He was fine with it, because those years he spent planning with the Traitor, they all became friends. And with no family, and with the knowledge that his friends were safe, it gave him a purpose.

He is pretty similar to Sigma in that way with DOA. They got attached to a group and were put on a place that gave them a purpose. 

The difference is that Verne had the ability to steal the abilities of anyone that died in his island, and that would be his downfall. During Wells and Verne’s plan, she died and he was able to use her ability so she wouldn't die next time, and the problem was to that, in his next try, not everyone was safe, people still got injured. So he continued to go back, and something unexpected happen. The found out that Wells’ and his own ability grew every time he used them. He was able to travel more than 55 minutes to the past. So he started to go back in time over and over again, in part to save Wells and the people he cared about, but it got to the point he tried to go back in time enough that he could stop the War itself. That would be good in theory but the island got free will, and as it grew stronger he overpowered Verne, and eventually took over his body.

I have wanted to read this because this could happen to Atsushi at any time, if their abilities get free will. Which sadly they are. Verne's ability was Standard Island, but he got a name Gab. Atsushi's ability name is Beast Underneath The Moonlight. And we see this struggle with Verlaine and Chuuya on Fifteen and specially Stormbringer. They struggle to keep their sense of humanity, and the separation of them as people and as abilities. 

Alongside this, I want you to remember the war was 13 years ago, Jules, Gab and Verne and the entire island have being on a time-loops for over a decade. 

Something important I want to point out: Atsushi didn't fight Gab, it was only Byakko (the white tiger). During the whole battle, Atsushi just let Byakko took over, and defeated him. And most importantly Gab is talking to it. He said:

“I’ve been conscious ever since my master, Verne, controlled this body- but I couldn’t say anything. My voice reached no one. I was neither alive nor dead. I was just alone in lukewarm darkness, wondering who I was.”

(Which sounds kinda familiar if you have read Stormbringer)

There’s also an interesting parallel to the themes of DEAD APPLE: the connections of souls, abilities and the reason to live. “Gifts are lodged deep inside the human soul. You shouldn’t remove them” Which is interesting and notorious since Shibusawa and Verne NEED to kill the users to obtain their abilities.

ALSO, IMPORTANT: Even if Gab is on control, Verne is still conscious inside of the body. He just can’t reach anyone at all. Except, curiously, Atsushi. I wonder why (I have theories, but nothing is confirmed)?

Also @yarrayora here’s your “Bungou Stray Gods can be canon” evidence:

“I think a lot of skill users believe their skill is part of them” Atsushi said as if answering his own question “But maybe they’re wrong. Maybe they come from somewhere else and stick to us. Maybe they’re something we can’t understand… I don’t really know how to put it into words, but that’s how I feel.”

Atsushi, at the end of the events, thinks back to Verne and Gab, wonders if Verne and the Seven Traitors acted like the ADA, and maybe that’s why Gab joined the same group of people while stuck on the time loops, so maybe he could experience what Verne felt with the Traitors; and if Gab ever had true friends that he could have ended differently.

136 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

#3

See the full post

140 notes - Posted April 13, 2022

#2

They are on their way to adopt the internet

286 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Welcome to Tumblr @captainpuffdaddy! As is tradition, you shall be drawn in a maid dress. I have seen some people saying you should be drawn in a butler outfit, so I did both. 

323 notes - Posted January 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[absurdthirst]

Kinktober 2022: October 23rd

Day 23: Gags // Fucking Machine // Erotic Dancing

Dieter Bravo x F!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Masterbation, mechanical sex machines, offers of payment, voyeurism, mentions of rimming, clitorial stimulation, vaginal penetration

|| Kinktober List || MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

“What is this?” You frown when the driver actually manhandles the large box through your front door and into the house. You hadn’t ordered anything and no one ever delivered into the house anymore. Not unless a new appliance had been purchased and was set to be installed, and even then you knew about it. 

The truck was nondescript, no logo on the side but you were looking over a very official freight invoice. The dolly’s wheels squeaked and the driver huffs, giving a shrug of his shoulders. “I just deliver and set them up.” He grumbles. “Instructions say to put it in the golden room.” His slightly annoyed eyes seem to hold some kind of judgment as he looks over to you. “Where’s that?” 

Jesus….Dieter must have ordered something. It makes sense now and you can feel the way that your cheeks flame up and your entire body shrinks slightly under the weight of the man’s gaze. “Oh - uh, it’s-” Your hand flaps, vaguely motioning down the hall and you wonder what the fuck he had decided to buy. “I- I need to get the key.” 

“Don’t they all?” He mutters it under his breath but you catch it non the less. Embarrassment burns into your entire being and you want to melt into the floor. Living in Dieter Bravo’s house while he is out of the country shooting a movie should come with emotional hazard pay on top of your generous salary and very nice living arrangements. 

“I don’t- I don’t live here.” You stammer slightly as you go to the kitchen and open the drawer, pulling out the key with the large obnoxious tag on it. Etched into the metal ‘Golden Showers’ is emblazoned in Dieter’s attempt at humor. You didn’t find it all that funny. 

“Just open the room.” You’re sure he doesn’t care. Has probably heard it all, but you are going to fucking kill Dieter when he gets off set and answers your phone calls. If he answers and if he’s sober enough to care. Which isn’t likely. 

It takes you a moment, never opening this door since you’ve been shown the damn room. You know the maid that comes by once a week goes in to dust but you have steered away from the room that Dieter had designed himself. 

Cursing under your breath at the way you fumble with the lock, the handle finally turns and you can’t even look at the man as it swings open, jumping out of the way. “I- I’ll just be in the kitchen if you need anything.” You mumble, fleeing so you don’t have to witness the man’s reaction to the fucking sex room your boss had behind the very average looking door. 

****

Of course he didn’t answer your texts. Although, to be fair, it was around the time that he would be getting done shooting for the day. If they weren’t having to reshoot scene after scene again. He’s called a few times and complained about the script, the dumbass director, the cast, the weird rules they have in place. All while high, so you think it might just be Dieter whining. 

Whatever that delivery man is doing, it’s taking a long time. Still, you don’t want to see the array of toys Dieter has on display, smirking when he told you it was his answer to the 50 Shades of Grey Red Room. Golden paint walls and black display cabinets housing toys of every shape and size, some of them ridiculous and even creature based. Apparently Dieter bought anything and everything that caught his interest. 

You huff to yourself, trying to ignore the sounds of something being unboxed and set up. Whatever it was, it was big, heavy from the grunts and muffled curses you pretend not to hear. Focusing on making a very normal dinner for yourself, or at least get it started to simmer. You had learned that Dieter’s pots and pans - while top quality - were mainly for show. He didn’t cook and you were enjoying using them. 

“I’m done.” You nearly jump out of your skin when you hear the man speak, turning to find him in the doorway holding a clipboard with the dolly next to him. You hadn’t even heard him approach while you were cooking down the peppers and onions. “Do you want a demonstration?” 

Even if you were curious, there is no way you would survive having someone explain whatever contraption Dieter ordered so you quickly shake your head. “No, um, I’ll just- I’ll let the owner figure it out when he comes back.” You can tell he doesn’t believe you, but you’re relieved that he just shrugs and hands you the clipboard to sign off on the order. Quickly scrawling your signature on the highlighted line, you don’t even look at the description - it’s not your business. 

“Uh, thanks.” You murmur, starting to walk him towards the front of the house and trying to ignore the way you feel like he’s judging you. It’s not your - whatever it is - and you shouldn’t feel ashamed of that. 

He grunts and when the door is opened and the dolly is outside, he turns to give you a small smirk. “Enjoy.” 

God, you’re going to fucking kill Dieter Bravo. 

****

“It’s there?” You wince, the phone yanked away from your ear at the over enthusiastic burst of noise that comes from the speaker instead of a normal greeting. 

“Hello to you too.” You grumble, cautiously bringing the phone closer. “Yes, it’s here. Even though I don’t know what it is.” 

Dieter tuts and within five seconds there is a beeping on your phone making you look at the screen. He’s FaceTiming you. You roll your eyes but accept it, knowing he will whine and complain if you don’t and you see the excitement in his eyes as he grins at the screen. “Hey sexy, show me.” He demands. 

He’s called you sexy from the first time he met you, actually propositioning  you even though you were there for a fucking job interview. Although it hasn't affected you getting the job, obviously. He had taken your rejection in stride and didn’t hold it over you like some would, but the nickname stuck. 

You let him see your rolled eyes this time, huffing dramatically even though you are already heading to the drawer to pull out the key again, making him snicker as you turn your camera around and he sees the keychain. He can be so immature sometimes but you bite your lip to keep from laughing. 

“So did they show you how it works, I mean, I’ve seen the videos, but they left the instruction manual right? It’s pretty easy, the easiest one.” He rambles, making you wonder what the fuck he had bought. 

When the door swings open, it’s a contest to see who gasps louder, you or Dieter. You think that surprise might push you over the edge but his excitement is clear through the speaker of your phone. 

It’s a fucking machine. You’ve seen one in pornos before, browsing through them and landing on a video that sent you down a rabbit hole of filth. Intimidating looking with differing arms and attachments that are all displayed, your face burns in complete embarrassment at the thought of that man giving you a demonstration of the toy. No wonder he had smirked at you, not believing that this was not yours. 

“Why - Dieter, I don’t-” You don’t finish the statement, completely confused as to why he would buy a fucking machine. 

“Sometimes you just need a tongue in your ass.” Dieter chirps, almost giggly as you keep the phone steady and he looks at the top of the line machine he had purchased when he was high off his ass and tired of jerking off. This thing would do everything he could ever dream of, including sucking his cock - so it had been worth the pricetag. 

That’s a mental image. Especially with the revolving tongues that are on a belt, obviously meant to provide continuous licking against whatever body part you strap on the bench in front of it. The fact that there were still more arms for toys shouldn’t make your cunt bottom out on itself but it does. Making you squeeze your thighs together at the thought. You could never afford something like this, but it makes your wand look pitifully inadequate. 

“-will you?” You shake your head, not hearing a word Dieter was saying while you were absorbing all the possibilities of a machine like this. 

“What?” 

“Demonstrate.” He huffs out, obviously repeating himself. “So I know it works? How good it is?” 

 “What? Absolutely not.” 

****

Five thousand dollars. Apparently that was your price to demonstrate the toy. Stripped down and biting your lip as you set up the phone on a tripod, you want to change your mind but you don’t. He had offered you five thousand dollars on top of what he normally paid you. All to try out a fucking machine and tell him how it is while he watches. 

“Are you going to use the tongue thing? Use the tongue thing. And a toy. Whatever one you want. They are all clean.” You listen to Dieter babble through the phone, still pointed away from you while you gather the nerve to set out in front of it and let him see you. 

“Fuck.” You don’t know if that breathy sound is from him seeing you naked or something on his end and you don’t really want to know. Instead you pick up the bottle of lube and the attachments that had come with the device so you can get them slicked up. Knowing that you are going to need a little bit of extra lube because of how nervous you are. Even if you feel like you are dripping wet. Performance anxiety was a bitch and this is letting Dieter fucking Bravo be a voyeur while you get fucked by his machine. 

“I’m going to use this one.” You hold it up and glance at your phone just to see Dieter’s head bobble like one of those toys as he agrees. Turning back to get it put on the arm and slicked up before you take a deep breath and lay down on the bench. 

Fuck, this thing has restraints, another two arms to hold a wand, practially anything that you can think of - it’s got. Your stomach clenches at the idea of using this with a partner. Even Dieter, although you quickly close your eyes and try to think about anyone other than your boss. This was just a demonstration. 

For the mechanical parts, the machine is silent, turning on with a soft whirl and you hold the remote up to press the buttons. “Shit.” You accidentally press the wrong one and a wrong arm starts pushing forward. “Okay, uh, here we go.” 

You feel the cool silicone on your clit while you are on your stomach, suspended over the rotating tongues before you press the button. Making you moan as it starts to move, the rotating belt slapping the slick tongues against your clit slowly before you edge the speed up. 

You hear Dieter groan, the words low and muffled by the sound of your own body. Ears filled with the white noise of pleasure already, body jerking from the way that the pressure is almost constant. No one could replicate this, not at the steady pace of a machine. 

Instantly you keen when the next button is pressed, the toy that was butted up against your cunt pushing deep, making your upper body lift up at the sensation of being filled so easily. Experimenting with the speed by taking it up one level past your comfort zone and then bringing it back down with a panted curse. 

Forgetting everything but the way that your body feels, you don’t hear Dieter telling you to open your eyes. Don’t acknowledge the way he is praising you, telling that it looks fucking hot or that he’s going to jerk off watching you. The idea that this is a demonstration fades away until it is just about chasing your pleasure while the steady rotation of the arms and pistons of  the machine continue to whirl. 

You don’t look at him, the phone, don’t hear the bitten off curse as he pulls his cock out and spits into his hand. Your moans drown out his own, nearly whining while the machine constantly bombards you with pleasure until it’s nearly painful. 

Hours pass, or maybe it’s minutes. You can’t tell as your entire body rides on the edge of an orgasm so long that you think your legs are going to shake off. The plunging of the dildo into your pussy in perfect synchronization with the tongues and you feel tears leak out of the side of your eyes as you cry out. 

It’s devastating when you cum. Blinding and overwhelming to the point where your blood roars in your ears and you heave as you try to move away from the machine, quickly pushed to overstimulation and fumbling for the remote so you can shut it off. Unaware that Dieter had just cried out your name while spilling ropes of cum over his hand and thighs. 

Panting after everything goes still and your body continues to shake. The fucking machine was worth every damn penny Dieter had paid for it. 

[englass]

Plains and Valleys

Pairing(s): John Seed x Deputy/Reader

Warning(s): John is his own warning; Possessive/Obsessive Behaviour; John being creepy; Stalking; kind-of Crack, this isn’t taken all that seriously; Not Beta’d; Experimental Piece; NSFW/Explicit, my first (and likely only) attempt at smut -- please kindly let me know if there’s anything else I should warn of here, I don’t know what I’m doing.

Word Count: 4,020

A/N(s): The title is basically a placeholder for while I was writing this because I had no idea what to name it... and truly, I can’t be asked to think of something better for a piece that only exists to see if I can write smut (spoilers: I can’t, but I’m not letting a completed piece rot away in my docs just because I’m embarrassed; I worked and spent time on this damnit!).

On another note, I was gonna just give this piece over as my contribution to WIP day that @derelictheretic was kind enough to tag me in, but decided against it. I’ll post a proper response and WIP later this week or next, so bear with me please hun! Just wanted to get this out there first.

- - -

John had a problem.

Well, he had many problems. Not least of all his growing frustration at the continued resistance from the Fairgraves' in his pursuit for the deed to their ‘establishment’. He also had been unable to play with Affirmation as regularly as he would have liked, so that put him in an even fouler mood than usual. And he wasn't going to even think about the stress he was starting to feel with his brother constantly breathing down his neck; always questioning his actions as though he were a child constantly getting into trouble and needing twenty-four hour monitoring, always asking after the progress of things that take time. A lot of time.

John may have a substantial amount of money at his disposal, but that does not mean he can work miracles.

Not all of the time, at least.

And his problems don’t stop there, oh no. Despite what many likely thought of him (and what a stroke to his ego that is, knowing that people think of him) John was well aware of his problems, his faults. He’d spent a lot of time getting intimate with them, after all; and every now and again they'd crop up like daisies, weeding their way to the surface yet again. He’d become rather good at managing them, if he said so himself, but even John wasn’t perfect (he was damn close to it though, as many would agree). And one fault he hadn’t quite been able to trim back was his tendency to fixate on things; obsess. 

He obsesses over his plane, over its upkeep and maintenance, its flight records, the slightest scratch that wasn't there the day before-- how the fuck did that get there!?

He obsesses over the details on the manifestos he’s given, the contracts he’s made, dates and times for resource collection, rotations, their members' personal records (he denies having those), PR management, expenditures and everything in between. 

He obsesses over his home, the décor, the colours and lighting, materials used, the whole aesthetic. How he presents himself, the clothes and brands he wears (it’s vain but he needs those creature comforts), his posture, his presence, his overall look that creates an identity that just screams nothing but John.

He obsesses over things.

He knows he does. It’s a faulty blessing.

And he has found something new to obsess over.

John has had a few run-ins with the local Deputies of Hope County in the past. Mostly Joey Hudson, delightful as she is, but ordinarily he doesn’t think too much of them. After all, he’s untouchable and they all know it. There’s no reason to worry about them, let alone waste his precious free time (what little he gets of it) thinking about them. They’re insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Nothing but an inconvenience, an annoyance at most. Completely irrelevant.

But then he saw her.

Standing there, innocuous, looking out at something (for something? Nothing?) in the distance. 

There’s a hitch, the catch of a stilted breath.

Where they were keeping her hidden he has no idea, but he is taken the moment he catches that rogue glance of her.

And, strangely, he doesn't know why.

Sure, John and his brothers have been in this County for a good while now and he has never seen her before, so it’s perfectly normal for him to be curious about the unfamiliar face in town. Nothing wrong with that, it’s innocent enough.

Except there’s everything wrong with that.

Because that’s not it.

He can’t even blame his wandering eyes on her appearance; she’s wearing that drab uniform that even a charity shop wouldn’t take, and it does nothing to enhance whatever natural beauty she may have hidden underneath it. Although, the girl-next-door look she gives off is begrudgingly cute (if he dared to utter the word unironically).

Honestly, she’s not the type of woman that he typically would have paid any special attention to back in his lawyer days. Fucked her stupid maybe, for the extra notch in his bedpost, but he likely wouldn’t have taken her number or thought too much about her afterwards. Relegated to just another lay in a long line of bed partners that he doesn’t remember all the names of.

To be blunt, she isn’t anything special.

And maybe that’s part of the appeal, what hooks him in. Because she is different; unassuming and uncomplicated, modest to a point of simplicity. And yet there is something about her that he can’t actively see or name from his spot across the street that has drawn him in without even trying. And he doesn’t know what or why.

It’s as infuriating as it is intriguing.

Perhaps there is some iota of truth in what Joseph had said to him a while ago, John supposed silently to himself at the time: the simplest of things can be beautiful, in their own unconventional ways.

Although his brother could have said as much with far less words, verses, and vague allusions to a potential future that might never be-- a spark of sudden change that sets a new course in motion; scales tipped by the most consuming of emotions; scorched by a soul so deceptively unremarkable that no one would have thought to believe just how uniquely special they would become--

…

…… 

… Huh… 

John creates a special slot in his increasingly hectic schedule just for her from then on out.

He goes out of his way to find more reasons to harass and bother the local population, all in a fruitless attempt to get lucky and have her answer their call for aid and come and tell him what a bad boy he’s being. (Annoyingly she never turns up, though.)

He makes calls and pulls some strings to the businesses he’s procured, makes inquiries to anyone that would listen to him, including those doing menial tasks or even going through their Atonement (they don’t understand the relevancy of his questioning and he may have been a little harsher with them than he should’ve been because of it), and all in the name of his personal investigation into her.

After all, he had argued to himself in front of a cork board covered with documents and pictures of her with a feverish flavour, what sort of Herald would he be if he didn't know everything about everyone living in his-- their, his and his brothers, soon-to-be County?

His invasive and not completely legal search into this new Deputy (and she is new it turns out, freshly transferred in fact) goes on for a full, nonstop month before -- during one of his totally-random-and-not-planned stops into town -- he discovers something else about her.

When he first saw his Deputy (and doesn’t that feel good to say) she was alone, leaning against the wooden beam of the Sheriff’s Department’s porch and staring out into the distant fields; the late afternoon sun haloing her figure in its golden warmth, its light making the colour of her eyes blaze bright and her hair shine silkily. The perfect picture of ease.

This time, when he finally manages to spy another in-person look at her, he finds that she has company. She’s standing next to the ever friendly Hudson, posture held strong by an understated confidence and arms casually crossed beneath her bust, an amused smile on her decidedly pretty face as Hudson talks animatedly about something that he can’t hear.

And she’s looking up at her.

John blinks, and blinks again.

He’s definitely seen her file, he even remembers glossing through her medical records (which he would most assuredly deny having if anyone asked), so he knows how tall she is. But for some reason it apparently hadn’t quite registered to him until now what that would look like in a physical comparison between the two of them.

He knows that the lovely Hudson is a couple of inches shorter than him, not too far off from meeting him eye-to-eye. His Deputy, from what he can see, is about a full head shorter than Hudson. Which would put her, what, roughly just about eye-to-chest with him...?

He thinks about it. Thinks about her next to him, imagines what that would look like. Thoughts surprisingly innocent as he wonders after clichés of reaching for something that she can’t reach, of cocooning her in his arms as he effortlessly wrangles her into his lap. Envisions the domesticity of easily resting his head on top of hers as he holds her from behind, slotting himself into the mould of her figure like matching puzzle pieces, perfectly meant to be and belong… 

A high pitched, shaky sound slips free at the mental reel.

It’s not a secret the type of life that John used to live. He has been with numerous types of women, something he used to take a great deal of pride in, and has indulged in and explored his fair share of kinks in the comfort of expensive silk sheets. But who would have guessed that the former playboy, John Duncan now John Seed, would have a thing for domestic bliss.

Or rather, domestic bliss with little. ol’. her.

John makes the executive decision then and there to talk to his Deputy as soon as possible. Preferably alone. Without interference.

It feels like forever before he gets the opportunity.

A week later, on a daily walk through Falls End that has only admittedly become a thing in order to check up on the lucky woman of his blazing affections (I am not stalking her, Jacob, he had grounded out menacingly to his accusing older brother over Sunday dinner; who proceeded to look on at John with a slow quirk of an eyebrow), he finds his ever elusive Deputy resting around the corner of the Sheriff’s Department’s building. Eyes closed, head down, arms crossed, and safely concealed in the shade; unsuspectingly calm in her desired time alone.

And John is quick to ruin it.

He can’t help himself, he really can’t. The opportunity is here and he would be remiss to let it pass him by.

Even if she does look rather serene.

He's seen a few photos of her, more than a few actually-- albums worth even, so he knows what she looks like up close. He even printed one out (it’s a favourite of his, a near perfect replica of the first time he saw her) and has it framed on his bedside table; but it turns out no amount of photos quite do the real her justice.

The closer he gets to her the more he notices how petite she is, how the loose yet deceptively form-fitting hug of her bland uniform subtly accentuates the curves and slopes of her modest figure; the daintiness of her fingers as they rest against the exposed, smooth skin of her arms; that familiar magnetic draw snapping to life in the colour of her eyes as they lazily open, sparkling as he gets closer and she looks up at him, wide and wondering.

Innocent.

Oh, he was so wrong about her, he realises wondrously. Did her such a disservice in his initial judgement of her all those weeks ago. She is far from average.

And being here in front of her, close enough to touch, to be able to easily reach out and trap her against the wall and between his arms if he so wanted to, safely protected under the cage of his form -- her neck craning back in order to comfortably gaze up at him, meeting his eyes as he stares down at her… 

It makes something inside him go wild.

John lays the charm on quick and swift, hand attractively running through his hair as a practised but handsome smile lights up his face, eyes twinkling through his lidded gaze with an aweing hunger he knows he is failing to keep hidden.

Getting the first word in, he leans close to the wall, not quite putting his full weight against it (his shirt was expensive) but close enough to allow him a moment of privacy with her by limiting her field of view to only him. Blocking out everyone-- everything else with his taller frame (and doesn’t that thought spark a sudden twitch of interest) as he eagerly monopolises her attention.

Daringly he edges further into her space while he talks ardently to her, truly basking in the unexpected pleasure he gets in watching her unintentionally baring her neck to him; being so beautifully submissive for him without consciously realising it. Amusement colouring his tone in pale notes as he watches the way her pretty eyes darken and narrow at his progressive disturbance and invasion of her time and space.

Fuck. He didn’t know it would be this intoxicating to be so close to her.

Even as he dances through conversation with playful words and hinting remarks, becomes enamoured by the soothing intonation of her voice as she is dragged along with guarded comments and wary retorts, he can’t stop the way his mind ever so sinfully wanders… 

It really would be so easy to have her up against this wall. To crowd her in with his frame on all sides and her vision filled with nothing but him. The centre of her universe and attention, him; and his hers. The concept of that sort of all-encompassing intimacy and devotion makes John shudder. Hungry all the more for it and the woman that has unknowingly given him a taste of what it could all be and become, of what that level of pure, unadulterated want is inspiring in him.

He could easily have her against this wall. Have her looking directly skyward up at him as if he were her moon and stars, as he looks directly down at her-- his entire world and more.

Snatch her thigh and hoist it up towards his waist. Have her balancing precariously on the tips of her toes and clutching desperately at him, trusting John to help hold and support her and keep her steady as he shields her from the world around them. Hides her away from the unworthy just as the unworthy have hidden her away from him. His lips sweetly latching onto hers, her taste finally on his tongue after all these weeks of wanting, involuntarily grounding his hips into hers as a desperate sound breaks within his throat.

Oh, John can visualise it now: the two of them breathing in each other's air, bodies flush as he tugs and pushes closer, her shirt riding up as it's snagged by the rough brickwork at her back, arching into him on an unsteady foot to escape its harsh bite. Teeth nipping teasingly at her lips and tongue licking moreishly into her mouth as his free hand roams down her stomach, pulls the rest of her shirt loose and fumbles in his eagerness with the buttons of her jeans, yanking the zipper down and shoving his hand below the waistband and into her underwear. Hearing her whine sweetly into his mouth as he feels just how wet she is for him, how much she wants him and how eagerly she welcomes him into her as he plunges his fingers into her slick cunt with a needy and quaking moan of his own. 

Would she want it quick and rough? His fingers thrusting knuckle deep as he presses tight circles to her throbbing clit, teeth at her throat as he claws into her thigh held tightly in the dip of his waist. Listening to how her moans get higher, her breathing gets quicker, turning into desperate little gasps before he tugs his fingers free of her; lips devouring hers in quick apology as he battles to pull his aching cock free, cursing lowly against her lips as his slick covered fingers slip on the metal of his belt. She’d help him, he knows she would -- such a good girl --, nipping and kissing him back with wanton sounds as she bats his hand away, revelling in the noises he makes for her -- only for her, only ever for her -- as she pulls him free; rolling her hips until his cock catches on her slit and he’s thrusting home into her.

Only then -- while feeling her walls flex around him, mouth hanging open as they both bask in finally, finally being so intimately connected to one another -- would he finally hike her other leg up to wrap fully around his waist, fully supporting her weight and driving himself deeper into her, one of his arms coming up to press into the wall beside her, hand caringly slipping behind her head; bracketing her in. Shivering as her breath warms his neck and she cries out for him.

And considering her height… fuck, he can only imagine just how tight she’d be for him, chocking his cock as she squeezes him, milking him for all he’s worth until his teeth are stained red against her lovingly maimed neck. His hips snapping into hers with a guttural growl, panting sensual snarls of encouragement into her ear as he demands and begs in equal measure that she touch herself for him, dexterous fingers chasing her end as he chases his own until-- she’s coming around him with a high and shuddery keen. Her soft walls sucking him deeper into her, legs locking tighter around his waist and keeping him there as he spills himself into the back of her hot cunt with a strangled moan. Claiming her as his as he presses in closer, plugging her full with his cock and cum and praying that it’ll take-- 

…

……

… Huh.

He will definitely be exploring that at a later date…

Or perhaps she wouldn’t want it like that. Wouldn’t want him to be so rough and careless with her. Maybe she would want him to go slower, to be gentle-- to be good for her, to take his time and truly enjoy and appreciate every sweet beg and whimper that falls from her perfect lips. Perhaps she wouldn’t want to fuck him at the back of her shabby place of work, or even anywhere out in the open; maybe she would prefer privacy, for him to make love to her. Would want him to steal her away into his home, to carefully lay her out on his bed and unwrap her like a delicate gift, hands tracing teasing paths along her body before spreading her wide for his tasting pleasures. Taking his time to truly savour her unique flavour on his palette, wanton sounds pressed into sensitive flesh as he takes her throbbing clit into his mouth and sucks.

Broad strokes of his skilled tongue parting her lips and drinking her down, fingers firm as they hold onto the soft meat of her thighs and hips, thumbs rubbing soothing motions into her skin as he opens her up for him. Urges her with hot breathes, praising words, the flick of his tongue and the dip of his fingers into her wet heat, to cum for him; pleads with sound and touch and a greedy haze over his lust-darkened eyes. The gravel in his gluttonous voice vibrating into her, in love with how she reaches and cries out for him as he tells her how good she’s being for him, how badly he needs her to cum for him-- a debauched sound choking out of him as she does. Completely enraptured as she reaches the height of pleasure -- pleasure he brought her, that he will always strive to bring her --, bearing witness to his own personal God-given vision as he watches her writhe against his sheets and listens to her songs of praise, easing her down from that divine high and back into his devoted embrace.

Kissing a line up to her bitten lips, answering her mewls with soft coos and grounding touches, brushing over a nipple before taking the perky flesh into his mouth with a brief suck and fleeting skim of teeth, letting go with a lingering kiss before moving across and repeating the process to its twin. Reluctantly drawing away to playfully nip and press wet kisses into the column of her throat before letting her taste the tanginess of her juices on his tongue. Languidly kissing as he strokes her sides, writing indecipherable words of affection into her skin, content to let her enjoy the bliss of post-orgasm before he slowly pulls away, descending back down the line of her body with a husky, ‘one more, just one more for me, darling...’ 

John knows he wouldn’t stop at just ‘one more’ though. Hopefully she’d be generous enough to give him a few more before he finally slakes his need for her.

And hopefully she doesn't see the hard-on he’s now sporting after such vivid fantasies.

In a particularly bold move, temptation spurred into a fever from improper imaginings, John reaches for her; fixates on a strand of hair that has become untucked from behind her ear. She tenses, muscles coiling tight as she gives him the most suspicious look somebody has ever given him before. He’s actually rather offended. And very hurt.

But it’s sobering, in its own way. Because suddenly he can hear Joseph’s voice in his head from last Sunday (what a turn-off…), advising him that if he wanted to pursue a relationship with this Deputy that he was so smitten with then he needed to be gentle, considerate.

John may have done his ‘research’ on her, extensively so, but that did not mean that he was entitled or even deserving of her affections. He could not expect her to be on the same page as him, especially considering he had yet to even interact with her at that point. She may not have even heard of him yet, Joseph had speculated-- John and Jacob quietly sharing a disbelieving look. Everyone in the County knew their names, and with her being a Deputy there was no way she hadn’t heard of them.

Regardless, Joseph’s point still stood: if John wanted a genuine chance with her then he needed to soften himself, to be delicate, more tactful with her. Demonstrate that he can hear and see her for all that she is and can be, and that he accepts her without reservation.

Think of it like Atonement, Joseph had supplied sagely, fingers steepled, she needs to willingly give her confession over to you, John. Her affections. You can’t just take them.

And to Joseph’s credit, that actually made sense to John.

Atonement was all about accepting one’s sins, confessing them to another whom they trusted would never condemn nor judge them for their past actions or choices; unburdening themselves so they may be reborn pure and untainted for the hopeful future ahead of them. In that regard, his pursuit of his Deputy wasn’t too dissimilar.

So in that brief moment, in that flash of hurt as she steels herself against his considerate gesture and where John remembers Joseph’s words, he pauses. Convinces himself to go slower, to not try to grab at her like a spoiled brat reaching for things that weren't his-- yet. Reigns himself in enough so he doesn’t give her anymore of a reason to potentially be wary of him, to which he has very likely just given her quite a few. Trying in his own distinct way to smooth over her obvious distrust of him.

John knows he’s made mistakes throughout his life. Many would say he’s not a good man, and he wouldn’t necessarily disagree with them. But seeing and learning of her, of recalling his brother’s words and advice, of the many fantasies he’s had before and even during meeting her in this moment, he thinks he could change that. Knows that, if she would have him, if she gave him the chance, he’d be good. He’d be good for her.

Joseph always talks about love, about the power and control it wields over people and-- admittedly, John doesn’t completely get it. 

But with her? For her? He thinks he just might.

… 

He thinks he already does.

[stargazer-balladeer]

“Eyes on me” [Twisted Wonderland]

Song lyric: Eyes On Me - OR3O

Based on the prompt: “no need to impress me since my attention is always on you anyways.”

Characters Included: Ace Trappola, Cater Diamond, Deuce Spade, Riddle Rosehearts, & Trey Clover + GN! Reader.

Notes: This came to my mind when silver (in my game) kept stealing the spotlight, and i mumbled those exact words and boom xD im sorry if trey's and riddle's started to sound like im on crack or smth but i was already rushing it since i accidently made azul's first and it's late for me- i was supposed to do every boy but decided to do the heartslabyul boys first. yes silver is coming dw, this prompt started with him afterall- hope ya'll like this!

Warnings: Mild spoilers here and there. And some swear words.

Heartslabyul || Savanaclaw || Octavinelle || Scarabia || Pomefiore || Diasomnia

Ace Trappola

This boy LIVES for your attention. Would whine if you ever avert your attention away from him even for one second when you two are together, in his (chaotic) mind, your attention should solely be his and his alone. Ace would definitely do something stupid just to gain your attention. Smiles cheekily at you when you start to reprimand him for doing such actions (and tagging along poor deuce), but one swift kiss on your cheek would definitely shut you up (he find this amusing and abuses it everytime just to get away from the scolding).

Even before dating, he craves for your attention. So one day, during a boring class day of learning history of magics, he noticed that your attention was on Deuce. Ever the kind soul you are (no matter how many times Ace insisted you were a devil disguised as an angel), you were helping the poor boy in understanding the lessons being taught to you all by Professor Trein.

Huffing in exasperation, he nudge the back of your head with his pen but was disappointed when you didn’t even glance in his direction. He huffs, pouting childishly, and starts to annoy you by poking his pen on your head constantly. It isn’t until Trein reprimands him that he stops. Huffing once more, his glare filled with annoyance shifted to you. “hey! what’s the deal? You’re ignoring me!” Ace whispered-shouted at you.

The instant you turned around to him, he lets out a victorious grin that shifted to a smirk quickly. Quirking up a brow at him while smirking yourself. “You do know you don’t need to annoy me so much just to make me notice you, right? I mean, you’ve always have my attention.” Boy was he the same color as his dormhead’s hair as he buried his flustered face in his hands. “that’s uncalled for!” he mumbles whilst you laugh. Safe to say, you two were promptly kicked out of Trein’s class after that.

But hey. At least he knows your attention is only for him :D

Cater Diamond

Though not as touch-starved as the previous one, he would also want your attention solely on him. Would whine pitifully when he notices your attention was taken from him, especially if it’s a random faceless student he doesn’t know. He understands if it’s Riddle or Trey or Adeuce, though he would still pout about it. Though he whines and pouts, he doesn’t really make a big deal out of it. But do expect him clinging to you for the next few hours or so. Also, he would definitely post his misery.

*picture of you talking with a fellow Heartslabyul student* LOOK AT THE AUDACITY OF MY DARLING TO PUT ALL HER ATTENTION TO THIS STUDENT AND NOT ON HER BOYFRIEND 😭😭💔💔#betrayal

Before you started dating, he would always use the “selfie time!” excuse to bring your attention to him. Always does this out of the blue too so you would always whine at him for taking it so suddenly. Complaining to him that you don’t look good in the picture and he would always object to that sentence by saying; “WHAAAT? You always look cute y/n-chan!” Trey and Riddle always noticed this and can’t help but conceive a heavy sigh, feeling second-hand embarrassment for their friend.

Determined to help him, Riddle and Trey decided to make a plan to hook you two together (let’s face it, you two have a thing for each other and everyone in the school notices it except for the bloody couple themselves). By forcing Cater to paint the roses red, the duo forced the Adeuce to help them in the plan by bringing you over to help the diamond-based man. Cater didn’t expect to see you there but was happy nonetheless.

As you two worked together to make every rose red (which Cater swore were red earlier but now were all white for some reason), you two chatter about mindless things. He often jokes to bring the sweet sound of laughter out of you just to hear it. Then falling into a comfortable silence, save for the painting splashing around whenever you dip your brush in the cannister. Cater almost drops his wand at your sudden words, effectively breaking the silence around you. “So I noticed how you always grab my attention whenever I gave it to another student.” You giggle. “You shouldn’t worry too much since my attention is solely reserved for you.”

How the hell did he get so lucky for such a cute partner-

Deuce Spade

Wholeheartedly believes he’s not like Ace, but he’s even worst. He’s just not that outright unlike his other braincell. He keeps silent whenever your attention isn’t on him, but it is noticeable how he gets sad and disappointed when your attention was stolen. The rest of the First-year gang can attest that he looks like a kicked puppy (and we all thought Jack was the dog here but apparently not- look out Jack, your title of being the dog in the group is being stolen-). But he does get clingy afterwards with you, pouting and mumbling incoherently. His mood would shift tremendously if you peck his cheeks-

Before you two dated, he would look like a lost puppy following you around, trying to grab your attention. It’s honestly a pitiful sight, Ace and Grim attested. Definitely uses his lack of academic brain to his advantage by asking you to tutor him, that way, your attention would be on him right? He brightens up whenever you accept his proposal of a study session, but ignores and flat out rejects his fellow friends if they tried to join in. It’s strictly for you and him only!

One day, Ace has enough of seeing his other braincell being a lost and hopeless puppy that he decided to be a good friend and helped him out. He suggests showing off in front of you so that you’ll see how amazing he is despite being stupid in terms of academics. Deuce, being an innocent beanie he is, decided to believe in Ace and followed him (Sebek, Jack, and Epel all shakes their head at their poor friend). Deciding to show off his skills in riding a magical wheel, he decided to give you a ride on one.

Ortho and Iida, feeling generous, decided to let him use one of theirs, after thanking them profusely he began his journey to you. After agreeing to his ride, he starts the motor and steers his direction in a specific road, his mind already knowing where to go. His smile grows wide when he hears your laughs and your arms tightening around him, making him go faster. Once you two arrived on the beach, he nervously asked how was it, only to be beet red by your answer. “It was so cool! You really know how to ride these things! Though I didn’t think you were this desperate for my attention hehe. Deuce, precious baby, my attention is always on you!”

He doesn’t know whether to kick Ace or thank him (he did both dw)

Riddle Rosehearts

Would certainly pout and be grumpy if your attention isn’t on him, I mean, he already has little time to spend with you since his dorm leader’s duties, only for your attention to be taken away from him?! The audacity. Sulks about it very obvious and has the courage to even deny it when everyone can see and feel it. During these times, make sure Ace is far away from him or else it’s collar time. Would only forgive you if you give him more kisses and cuddles when you two return to his room. Would also try to find a rule in the Queen of Hearts rulebook about one shifting attention from their partner to another (much to his dismay there wasn’t, but he did find some interesting stuff).

Before you two began dating, everyone can already tell he was soft for you. Ace and Deuce can testify that they see Ryoucho’s (dormhead’s) eyes soften when they land on the said-person. And adding to the fact (or rather wound) is that Riddle never uses his Unique Magic on you. He just reprimands them and reminds them to never do that again, maybe if he’s in a good mood pats their head. (Adeuce searched up “how to be y/n” more than once).

RIddle always love to impress you, whether inside the classroom or outside. He loves giving you trivia’s about topics in the history of magics, teaching you the correct way in potions, etcetera. Another good use for his knowledgeable mind. So when you two were partnered up in Crewel’s Potions class, he wasted in no time to impress you with his knowledge behind the ingredients of the potion you were tasked to make.

“Did you know that these fungi were actually found in-“ Riddle goes into a rant as he added them in the cauldron, watching it shimmer down the boiling murky waters. Hearing her humming in response to his trivia, he looks up to see their gaze shifted to Silver, their fellow classmate, who managed to drift off to sleep. Watching them shake him awake, something nasty stirred within him as he looks away to focus on their task. Hearing you chuckle at him, he looks up to see you looking at him rather adoringly which makes him flush pink.

“What?” he huffs. “Nothing. Just found it cute how you became jealous when I shift my attention to Silver.” Blushy blush Riddle time. “Don’t worry though, since my attention would always be on you.” You winked at him only to watch him fall to the ground. “R-RIDDLE??” “HOLY SHIT YOU KILLED HIM-“ “WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM ACE-“

Trey Clover

This guy is so basic, so that means he’s neutral. He dislikes that your attention was taken away from him but what can he do exacty? He just kind of accepts it. But, if he feels extra cheeky, he would sneak his way in the conversation, complete with his arms around your waist while talking to that person casually. Does he care that it makes the other person uncomfortable? Heck no. Besides it’s their fault for trying to steal his s/o so it’s only right that he tries to steal it back :)

Before you two started dating, he would watch from afar as your attention was on the Adeuce combo. He believes it’s for the best so that they won’t cause much trouble, but then again, since when did your attention stop them from causing trouble? He shakes his head fondly before deciding to insert himself in your mini friend group. With his usual friendly facade up, he greets you all normally, his distance between you two was close which made the Adeuce raise their brow.

Step 1: Insert yourself into the conversation smoothly check. Step 2: get you to focus on him. Easy said than done unfortunately-

One day, he decided to invite you over to help him bake some goodies for the next unbirthday party that Riddle would host. Whether you know how to bake or not doesn’t matter, just keep him company or better yet let him teach you! He would happily teach you the basics of baking while excitedly instructing you what to do next. Would definitely do the thing where he holds your hand that is stirring with his own to help you, smooth mf.

While you waited for the first batch of cookies, he struck up a conversation with you while starting to prepare for the next batch. Starting the conversation with a topic he knew you liked rambling about, just hearing you ramble rather adorably makes him want to coddle you with hugs and kisses but he has to refrain himself since you two aren’t yet official. As you two started to decorate the cookies, you decided to strike just when he started to squeeze the icing, making him accidentally squeeze it too hard. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you trying to divert my attention, Trey. It’s kind of cute though. But next time, if you want my attention, just tell me. Though I would beg to differ since my attention is always on you anyways…”

ha ha what 😄

[x] Main Page || [x] Heartslabyul Page

[nanamislvr]

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒

⊹ part 1

⊹ pair : sano manjiro x fem! reader

⊹ w.c : 5.5k

⊹ sypnosis : Mikey’s secret is finally out after you see him appear on the news. He wasn’t a stranger after all, not when the whole world knows who he is but they don’t know him like you, they only know Sano Manjiro. You love Mikey, but he’s afraid that you won’t love the stranger on the screen.

⊹ c.w : minors do not interact! guns, mentions of violence, blood, angst, f! (oral) receiving, f! reader, dry humping, manga spoilers, bonten timeline, crying, death mentions, panic attacks, hurt/comfort, fluff

⊹ a/n : after hearing a lot of feedback from the first part it really inspired me to write a second! here it is, it’s a bit long! but I also had a lot of fun writing it. If there is anything that isn’t tagged, please let me know.

The sound of someone knocking at the door pulled you away from the screen. It was relatively late, though, and with the confusion that was rushing through your veins, it was impossible to think straight. Your shaky hands grabbed the gun from the table as you walked over to the door. Without thinking, the moment it opened, you put the gun up to the person's head.

“Never thought you’d try to kill me with my own gun.”

The voice is recognizable; you used to hear it all the time. You missed that voice for a year, and now you’re finally listening to it again. Before Mikey can speak anymore, you pull him inside, peeking around the corner to check if anyone saw him.

“So, you found out….”

Dark eyes watched the tv, the flashing lights, and warnings about Sano Manjiro being seen after a year. The truth is, he did it on purpose. You were in the dark about him, and it was pathetic to risk that. Now people know he’s back, and he could be in a lot of trouble. He had a plan, though; it involved you and him leaving. All he had to do was convince you.

“Have you killed people?” you mused, tears bubbling in your eyes. “Yes, I’ve killed a lot,” he whispered, turning his head to the floor, unable to face your gaze.

“How many people have you killed since you were gone?”

“None, I stopped after I met you.”

He only killed people who owed him money or didn’t give him what he wanted, but he already had enough money saved up, and he decided there were better ways of doing business deals. Killing is something Mikey does like it’s his morning routine, but his morning routine changed when you came around. He started to make breakfast instead of putting a bullet through someone’s skull. He began to wipe pieces of food off of his skin with a napkin instead of rubbing bloody hands off on his shirt.

Sano Manjiro didn’t want to take lives anymore, and sure, his business members were confused about it, but it didn’t matter because it was for you. If he could have the only person he loved by his side with this, then he’d make it work.

“Would you kill again?“

“No, I don’t want to do it anymore,” he swallows, standing up, so he’s face to face with you. He pulls you into his embrace, resting his chin at the top of your forehead.

You should be angry and scared because Mikey has been a stranger this whole time. Did you know him? Or was it all just a facade? You can’t handle knowing that everything was fake.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t think you’d love me anymore. If you knew what kind of person I am.”

“I don’t know what to think, Manjiro,” you spit, squeezing his body into yours. “If time is what you need, I’ll give it to you, but I have to say something selfish,” he mumbles against your head.

“I have to leave soon, and I need to know if you’ll come with me.”

You pull away from his grasp, looking for any sign of him joking. His face is stern, his eyes are dark, and his eyebrows are furrowed in concentration. He’s trying to figure out what you’re thinking in that head of yours.

When people love people, that love overrules everything. If someone is deeply in love with someone, they will do anything to be with them. Because love makes people do crazy things, and when you love someone, you love them no matter what.

So here you are, standing with someone who feels like a stranger all over again, but some memories come flooding through your mind, memories of Mikey smiling and laughing with you. Memories of him washing your hair gently and kissing you goodnight. He’s a human. If that person is the one you saw on tv, it means that Sano Manjiro is just a human too, but you’ve never met him before.

“How can I go with a stranger?”

A sharp pain hits Mikey in his stomach, and there’s a taste of bile that crawls its way into his throat, but he swallows it back down. You have every right to be upset with him, so why does it hurt when it’s true? He's a stranger, and he’s hardly opened up to you about what kind of life he lives beyond your home. It’s only fair that you’ve built up some walls to protect yourself.

“Do you still love me?” he asks, searching your eyes for an answer.

“Mikey, just because I’m angry at you, it doesn’t mean I don’t love you anymore. I’m just confused! you hid this from me for such a long time,” you sob, stuffing your face into the middle of his chest. “You need to tell me about the past. I deserve to know who you are. Stop being a stran-” your words get interrupted by hiccups.

The hiccups get louder, and your chest starts to feel tight. Mikey knows what’s happening, and he’s quick to pick you up into his arms and carry you with him into the bathroom. You start to sob louder, almost screaming that it feels like you’re about to die. You’re about to lose your breath when streams of cold water are falling onto your clothed body.

He sits on his knees in front of you in the bath, pushing your now wet hair away from your face. “Hey, hey, look, you’re in the shower. It’s cold, right? do you feel that?” he spoke, bringing your body into his. “Why did you lie to me! You’ve been lying this whole time, why?” you yell, hitting your fists against his chest.

Mikey doesn’t speak, knowing if he does, he’ll make it worse. Instead, he rocks both of you back and forth, letting the cold water run down his body too. After some time, your sobs start to turn into slight sniffles, and you’re no longer yelling at him. Your breathing is more profound, slower against his chest. You’re asleep.

Guilt swirls in his stomach. It’s his fault you had to go through this. He never wanted to hurt you or make you sad. That’s the one thing he never wanted to do. Maybe he should have stayed a stranger after all.

You wake up hours later, the moon is still out, and every light is off. When you sit up, you look down, seeing a different pair of clothes. Just as you’re about to turn on the lamp on your side of the bed, the light on the other side is on, revealing Mikey.

“What the fuck?! you scared the shit out of me.” you gasp, gripping at your chest.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Why was the light off? you could sleep with it on, remember?”

He smiles at that. You remembered that he’s afraid of the dark. The dark doesn’t scare him anymore, though, because, throughout the year that he didn’t have you, he remembered one thing and repeated it over and over like a mantra. You told him one time that as long as he has you, nothing would get him in the dark.

“I don’t need it anymore. You helped me sleep in the dark.”

You look over at the clock that reads 5 am and then back at the man next to you. Part of you wants to reach out and touch his face, but the other part of you is still hurt. Mikey notices you’re deep in thought, moving his hand to brush against your cheek. You swat it away, closing your eyes to avoid the broken look on his face.

You keep your eyes closed until you can hear the sound of his footsteps, silence by a door closing. You’re left alone now, with all these questions running in your head, except there’s one that you can answer. You pull out your phone from the nightstand, quickly typing in Sano Manjiro. There are more than seven pages on google search about him. News reports are on the top.

BREAKING NEWS SANO MANJIRO HAS BEEN SEEN AT AN AIRPORT 1 day ago

BREAKING NEWS EX CRIMINAL SEEN WITH S.M FOUND DEAD 3yrs ago

WHERE DID JAPAN'S MOST WANTED GO? 1yr ago

Do We Know How Many People Sano Manjiro Has killed?

— Sano Manjiro is a well-known criminal in Japan. The most recent incident we connected to him was the death of another criminal. Though we can not expose the name, is safe to assume this person was connected to Manjiro.

“Hey, why are you crying? What's wrong?”

You look up at Mikey with tears in your eyes, showing him your phone. His eyes widen as he pulls it away from you, throwing it on the side of him. He was afraid this might happen, but he knew there was no way to avoid it. He had to come clean after all.

“W-Why did you kill people?” you sniffled, still avoiding his gaze. “Because they owed me… If they didn’t have the money, then I'd kill them,” he sighed.

“What if they had families? kids? a wife?”

“Then that was their fault. People in that line of work know the consequences,” you peek your head up to finally look at him. “Before deals, I told them if they didn’t give me my money, I’d kill them, and all of them either agreed or left.”

He’s lying is what the voice in your head is telling you, but would there be any reason to lie? What if he’s hiding the truth again and just saying that to make you feel better?

“I’m not lying, I have no reason to lie anymore, I don’t want to make you hurt because of me.”

“You haven’t killed anyone since you met me, right?”

“Right, and I won’t do it anymore” he nodded, scooting closer to your body. “What if I said no to going with you? Would you start killing again?”

Mikey looked in your eyes before he spoke. He’s thought about it before, and his answer is still the same.

“No, I’m done with it. I’ve started to feel like a bad person because of that life.”

Ever since he met you, he’s started to become aware of what he’s done. Regardless of whether he’s taken lives that belong to other criminals, it was beginning to take a toll on him. He couldn’t stand coming to you as a stranger with blood on his hands, laughing like he didn’t just punch someone to death.

You knew from the moment you figured out who he was that trusting him now would be difficult. Mikey knew that too, which is why he would start to show you the truth rather than tell you.

“I want to know everything, now.”

With hours of talking, you learned many things about the stranger you love. Like how he had siblings, but they died and how he used to be in a gang as a kid, and now it has eight people in it. He explained everything about what he did from the killing, which was only ever with business, he never harmed a civilian. When he robbed banks or did heists, it was to get the money or prized possessions he was owed. Not once did he harm anyone there. The closest he did was make them go unconscious. At the end of his talk, you realize that Sano Manjiro is still a stranger, but you’re starting to get glimpses of him.

“I love you…so much…,” he mumbled, laying his head into your lap. “You can ask me anything, ask me to show you anything, and I’ll do it, okay?” his voice began to crack, and you could feel his body shudder.

You look down at your lap, puddles of wetness start to form. The shuddering of Mikey’s body kept going until you rubbed your hand over his back. This is the first time you see him cry, and it’s painful to see. You don’t want to feel bad because you shouldn’t, but it’s always sad to see someone you love cry.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never felt like this before, I’m not sure what’s happening.”

“You’re crying. Have you never cried?”

Mikey turns his face up to you, puffy eyes blinking away tears. You thumb away the remaining droplets, letting your hand rest on his cheek.

“I haven’t cried since Emma passed away,” he sniffles, leaning into your soft hold. “But this cry feels different. It’s not like last time.”

And for that moment, you saw Manjiro shine through. Not the Mikey you knew who was good at making you laugh, but the stranger who lived beyond your walls. He’s never loved anyone like this before, and it scares him so bad that he sheds tears.

“I missed you while I was away. I thought about you every single day.”

“When do you leave again?” you mumble, twirling pieces of his black hair. “I have to leave in 4 days... I know it’s soon, but even if you don’t come with me, you’ll have a ticket to see me whenever you want” he smiled, bringing your palm up to his lips.

Your heart starts to ache again. He’s giving you all the time you need because he truly does love you. He’s willing to throw all of his life away to start a new one with you. And here he is, showing you parts of Sano Manjiro even if he’s scared you’ll stop loving him.

Why are you still here?

“Because I’m angry at you, but I love you” Mikey looks up at you again with furrowed brows, he didn’t mean to say that out loud, but he’s glad that he did.

“You still love me? even though I lied?”

“I can’t just stop loving you. That’s not how love works,” you smile, leaning down until your face is inches away from his. “Love can’t be turned off and on like a switch. It’ll always be there.”

Mikey closes the gap between your lips, getting up from his spot, so he’s in front of you. His hand reaches to your neck, pulling you further into the soft kiss.

While he kisses your lips, your cheeks, your nose, and your neck you only realize then that you’ve missed him. You’ve missed the way his lips form a smile against your skin every time you gasp. You’ve missed the way his tongue sticks out in concentration when his fingers are caressing your insides, searching for his favorite spot, and you’ve missed the way he whispers how much he adores you.

He pushes you onto your back, falling into you with his hips against yours. His lips go back to attacking your neck, kissing at every piece of skin he can find.

“Missed you so much, let me show you,” he pants in the crook of your neck, “Will you let me show you how much?”

Your nod is all he needs before he’s lifting your shirt, dragging his lips down your chest, to your ribs, and then finally above the hem of your shorts. He doesn’t waste any time pulling them down along with your panties, and oh, the sight he sees is mouthwatering. No panties—cunt glistening in your slick clenching around nothing.

“M-Mikey,” you whine, running a hand through his hair as he dips down to lick a strip between your folds. “M-Missed you too!“

Your words go straight to his cock that’s straining against his pants. He tries to relive the slight pain, grinding his hips into the bed while the tip of his tongue swirls around your clit. The pressure mixed with your sweet sounds is enough for him.

His free hand slithers up your body, gripping onto your breast. He pinches your nipple, and the mewl you let out has him groaning into your cunt. Every sound you let out makes his tongue work faster, lips wrapped around the little bud. You look so beautiful when you’re like this— sprawled out for him, Moaning for him with your mouth in an O shape, Cunt dripping for him, and only him.

With his other hand, he brings his thumb over your clit, tongue now pushing past your walls and your back arches off the bed, hands tugging at his head between your legs.

“Wanna see you cum, missed it so much, please?” he groans, circling your clit. And how can you hold back when he pleads that way? When he confesses that he’s missed you and thought about you every day while he wasn’t there.

His tongue leaves your walls, going to your clit as his lips latch around you. With one more flick, you let out a sob, legs wrapping around his head as your orgasm reaches its peak. He doesn’t stop drinking in your juices until you push at his head from the stimulation.

“Did you?-”

Mikey cuts you off, getting up on his knees again to let you see the wet patch against his pants. He couldn’t help it. He hasn’t seen you in a year, and hearing you say you missed him was what pushed him over the edge.

It was already 5 pm by the time you both got up from bed. Half of the day was Mikey explaining himself, and the other half was him making you cum. Now you’re both in the kitchen. The only sound that can be heard is the water boiling on the stove. Dinner was being served early tonight. Spaghetti and meatballs were what Mikey chose.

It’s not that Mikey didn’t try to talk. He did. You just didn’t give him the impression that you wanted to speak with your short replies.

“I made homemade spaghetti while I was away. I’ll teach you sometime.”

“That sounds pretty time-consuming,” you shrug, grabbing the dried pasta. As you’re about to put it in, Mikey stops you, pulling it away. “Hey! You’re supposed to salt the water before you put that in there,” he scolds, throwing small dashes of salt inside the pot.

“What are you talking about?“ you yell, trying to grab the spaghetti noodles. Mikey doesn’t let you, putting them over your height so you can’t reach, “When did you become a spaghetti expert!?” you sigh, nudging him in the side.

He throws his head back, laughs tumbling out. The sound goes straight to your heart, and you can’t help but laugh with him over something stupid like a spaghetti expert. You both continue bickering about what to do next even though it’s just boiling the pasta noodles and warming up the meatballs. For a moment, it feels like old times when he would help you cook dinner.

For a moment, you forget all about him leaving you to become a stranger again until his phone rings, making both of you stop laughing. He picks it up by your side, holding it to his ear.

“That’s right now?”

“Alright, I’ll be over soon. I’m bringing her with me” he looks over at you, smiling before ending the call. “ Come on, we have to go somewhere” he grabs your hand, pulling you by his side.

“What about the spaghetti!”

“We can just turn it off. Look, the noodles are done anyway.”

You thought Mikey would be the one to take you both to wherever he’s going, but it turns out someone’s driving you instead. A pink-haired man sits in the front seat while you and Mikey sit in the back. He gives you both a bright smile before taking off. The rest of the ride is silent until the car pulls up at a modern-looking house with gates.

“Hello, I’m Sanzu, it's a pleasure to meet the woman the boss speaks about finally, please let me open your door” the pink-haired man nods, running to your side of the car.

Your hand laces with Mikey’s as you walk along the path into what you assume to be his home. You’re met with two men in the main living room all bickering about a card game. They silence upon your arrival, throwing the cards down. Mikey gives them a stern look, and they get up from their seats, Sanzu joining them.

His home looks relatively empty, but blank walls are expected with how he lives. This is the place he probably came to after leaving you every other day. You can’t help but wonder what the rooms are like, what his room is like. Maybe you’ll ask him one day, but for now, you listen to his stern voice.

“Make some room for her. She’ll be joining us at this meeting, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” the men say in unison, making space for the both of you to sit together.

You take a seat next to Mikey, eyeing how he starts to talk. All of the smiles and the laughter fly out the window. It’s like a switch was flipped. No, this isn’t Mikey. Right now, he’s Sano Manjiro.

“So we’re transferring all of the money over to Italy?” a man with short purple hair questions. “When does it need to be done?” the other purple-haired man speaks.

You interrupt their speaking, pointing at the one with the long purple hair. “I’ve seen you before. Didn’t you deliver that package of Italian pastries a couple of months ago?” he gives you a toothy grin, nodding, “That was me, yeah I'm Rindou. The boss was the one who told me to do that.”

Everything makes sense now. He was the one who sent you the pastries all along. You weren’t losing your mind. He was thinking of you at that time, which means that he went to Italy.

It feels like hours have passed with how much they spoke. You managed to slowly fall asleep against Mikey’s shoulder while he talked about the plan of moving.

“Takeomi, Kaku, and Mochi will stay here to keep this place safe and secure.”

“You three are coming with her and me if she decides to leave that day.”

Those are the last things you hear before darkness takes over. You wake up from the sound of a car turning off, followed by two voices speaking. The sleepiness is still hitting you, so you can’t make out what they’re saying, but you can feel your body being lifted into someone’s arms. Your hand reaches up to touch the hair of the person, and you smile with your eyes closed. It’s Mikey, you can tell from the way his hair feels.

“Sorry that was so long, but I wanted to show you instead of telling you, remember?”

“Hey, let’s get you some food, and then you can sleep, okay?”

You slowly open your eyes, looking around to see you’re inside of your house again. Mikey sets you down on your feet and walks over to the kitchen, plating you some spaghetti. You take a seat by the table, still coming out of your nap, as he sets your food down.

“You’re going to Italy?” you mumble, picking up some food off your plate.

You’re. You didn’t say we, but you’re which means him. It hurts him to think that you’re not coming with but again, he understands. “Yeah, that’s where I was before because you said you wanted to go there,” he nods, plopping some of the food inside his mouth. “It’s nice there”

Suddenly you remember the night he left. You were in this exact spot, eating this same food giggling away at lady and the tramp, and you had no idea that he would be gone by morning. The thought alone makes you feel like crying, but no tears can come out. Your tear ducts are probably exhausted from today, so all you can do is stare at your spaghetti with your eyebrows furrowed.

“I don’t want to eat anymore, I’m full,” you mutter, pushing your plate forward. Without looking at the man across the table, you leave him there, making your way into your bedroom.

Mikey stares at your plate with a frown. You didn’t even eat anything at all. He only realizes the reason why after finishing his plate with a sigh. He’s putting you through it again without even knowing it.

After cleaning up, he joins you in your bedroom, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Your back is facing him, and the room feels colder than usual. It feels almost lifeless like you haven’t even been staying inside. That’s how it felt, though. Without having a stranger visit you from time to time, it felt a little empty. That’s precisely how Mikey felt every time he wasn’t with you, though, a little empty.

“If I go shower, will you still be here?”

“Do you want me to go to the bathroom with you? I'll just sit there until you’re done.”

“O-Okay..”

He meant it, joining you in the bathroom. He doesn’t shower with you, but he sits on the floor facing the door, so he doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Surprisingly it wasn’t awkward for him. He’d do anything to make sure you know he was telling the truth about everything. While you showered, you started to think about Sano Manjiro. The person that you’re slowly getting to know.

Sano Manjiro won’t ever die. No matter what kind of life Mikey chooses to live, that person is a part of him. It’s still hard to accept what he’s done, but you know he can’t go back and undo it all. He can only start again and do better as Sano Manjiro and Mikey. You want to try again with him, but there’s still that leash pulling you back.

“I can leave if you want so that you can get dressed,” he coughs, reaching for the door handle. “You sorta saw me naked earlier, so I don’t think that’s a problem..” you laugh, grabbing at a towel.

In bed, Mikey looks like he’s about to fall off of his side. It’s only because he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable. He doesn’t want to screw up again. Your body physically aches to be touched by him, missing his soft touches that caress your skin, but your heart’s too stubborn, and your lips don’t let you speak.

The fear of him leaving doesn’t let your eyes close, yet you remain quiet, facing the wall in total darkness. He’s not asleep either, too busy staring at the ceiling, hoping that you’ll talk to him. At a point, your eyes start to burn, and you can barely keep them open. You try to fight it, blinking them a couple of times, but it’s useless. There’s a certain comfort that lies in your subconscious knowing that Mikey is by your side again, and that’s enough to let you fall asleep.

He’s not sure how many hours have gone by, but the moon’s still out, and you’re sound asleep. Too many things are rushing in his head right now, and sleep is the last thing on his mind. He wonders if you’re going to come with him when the time comes or if you’ll stay. If you hate who he was before or if you’re capable of loving him like he was a stranger. There’s a lot he needs to think about, but his thoughts are cut short when he hears you crying.

He rushes to turn the lamp on, ready to console you, but he stops when he sees your eyes are still closed.

“Don’t leave! don’t leave me, please, I love you, please stay,” you cry, wet tears streaming down your closed eyes. “Why did you leave me? You didn’t even say goodbye,” you sob, clenching the sides of the blanket with your fists.

“You turned into a stranger again!”

Mikey feels his heart sink in his chest as he spoons you from behind, pressing his chest up against your back with his hands coming to wrap around your front. “I’m sorry I left. I promise I'm not going anywhere anymore,” he whispers, kissing at the top of your head, “I’m right here, right here with you. It’s okay to rest. I'll be here when you’re awake.”

Arms are no longer wrapped around you when the sun shines on your face. Instead, your arms are wrapped around a body that lays against your chest, snoring away the softest sounds. This is how you wanted the night he left to go, you wanted to wake up with him in your arms.

As you lay there with the one you love in your arms, you start to imagine what it would be like if he were gone again. Sure, you’re pissed about what he's done, but it doesn’t mean that you’d like him to leave again. The idea of moving to Italy is scary, you’ll leave everything behind, but at least you’ll be with Mikey. At least you’ll be happy again, so it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“If I don’t like it in Italy, I can come back, right?” you gaze down at the man laying on you, brushing your fingers through his hair. “Yeah, but how did you know we’re going to Italy?” he rasps, snuggling into your chest.

“I heard you talk about it before I fell asleep….”

“At any time you’d like to leave, you let me know, and I’ll bring you back to your home here” he sits up crisscrossed, fiddling with your fingers, “And if you don’t want to see me anymore, then I won’t ever contact you again” he smiles, but you know that there’s a frown underneath.

You crawl into his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck as you rest your face against his chest. The smell of teakwood fills your lungs, and you slump into his hold. It’s so hard not to forgive him so quickly and just let it all go, but you can still be upset and be with him.

“I love you, Manjiro, I love all of you, and I can’t stop even If I’m mad at you,” you hum, squeezing his body against yours.

There it is. With those four words, you’ve taken away his number one fear, his fear of you not loving who he is. That’s why he hid everything from you, and that’s why he wanted to keep being a stranger because he was afraid you wouldn’t like what’s underneath.

“Does that mean you’ll go with me?”

“Yeah, but I have to fix everything with the bills and work and—” He pulls away from your hold, gripping onto your shoulders with a beaming smile. “You don’t have to worry about all of that. It can be done while we’re in Italy, I promise.”

It should have been hard to believe in a promise after what you’ve learned, but it wasn’t. It was easy to say yes and start packing your bags. Mikey said not to fill a lot since Ran and Rindou would also be taking stuff over to Italy once you both have things settled; however, you did end up bringing the gun with you, the one that has S.M engraved on the side. At first, you were scared since you weren’t sure they would allow those things on a plane, but Mikey assured you that you weren’t going on a plane, you were going in his jet.

“Ever been flying before?” he chuckled, pulling the cover-up from the window, “It’s lovely, just look out there.”

You felt like your stomach was about to spill out of your mouth, the rumbling from take-off making you shake in your seat. Mikey laced his hand with yours while the jet started to go into the air, and the scary part was finally over. The scenery from the top was like nothing else, and you felt so big compared to the cities below. The realization didn’t even hit you until you looked over at the man next to you.

You’re about to start a whole new life with this person. Strangers don’t do this. They don’t trust each other like this. Trust is not given to people so quickly. You never know their intentions or what they’re thinking or if they’re even who they say they are. Yet, here you sit, ready to see who Sano Manjiro is and who he could be because all you can do is love him anyway.

“Hey, what are we? Are we still strangers?” you question, tilting your head to the side.

“I love you. Do you love me?”

“Yes, no matter what.”

Mikey takes a second to think. You’ve seen a lot of him, and with this trip, both of you will explore each other in time. He believes that since you’ve seen the stranger, he’s been trying so hard to hide, since you’re trying to love that part, and since he loves you, that your relationship deserves a better title.

“Then we’re lovers.”

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