#i liked the corset piercing though but i feel like it should have been more overtly forcefem like in mayu's bad ending

[vivi-scera]

at last. twink eye fucking in my yaoi

[p1utofairy]

holy shit, the glow-up vibes are potent as fuck in this pile! people are going to be in absolute awe of you, pile one. your energy, your body, your face card, and your personality are going to have people bowing the fuck down to you. i'm not feeling any sense of arrogance or conceitedness either – you're just truly about to step into your most powerful and authentic self. this was always destined, pile one. this innate magnetism was always inside of you, but you just never truly knew how to wield it entirely. it's like you were dipping your toes in and out of the water, not sure if you should fully submerge yourself in it and become who you've always known you were, or stay digestible and dim your light so others around you could shine. no more of that. this is, and will continue to be, all about you, pile one. you are shedding the people-pleasing tendencies that have held you back for so long.

you are reclaiming your power. you have such a kind heart with a fierce spirit, and you've been suppressing that fierce side of you in fear of what others may think of you or say about you. too many times, you've had your back kicked in at the expense of sparing another person's feelings, and your spirit guides are getting restless from the sidelines watching you repeat these same situations time and time again. they're giving you the green light to boss the fuck up and show these people what you're made of. they're telling me that this is a rebirth for you.

i see you experimenting with your wardrobe and appearance: more sexy, more bold, and more alluring. dark eyeliner, sheer stockings, red tops, lace, denim, corsets, etc. showing more of yourself but still keeping it classy. i'm being drawn to alexa demie, 2000s meagan good/megan fox, and gabriette. very siren-like and hard to miss. this is going to be completely new to you, but it's going to feel sooo good and rewarding. a lot of what you used to say yes to is going to turn into straight no's.

you're going to notice a shift in the people, opportunities, and love offers you attract as well – more fruitful and abundant. they align more with the lifestyle you've always wanted for yourself now that you're rejecting the projections and expectations that no longer serve who you are at the core. you will not be settling for less, pile one, that's for sure! i'm hearing that it's basically giving your pinterest boards come to life lol. i love that for you. things that you've been specifically journaling about and manifesting for yourself are going to come to you with no effort – it's almost going to be alarming. it's like you've been waiting, waiting, waiting, thinking someone was going to come along and shift your reality for you, when really you were the key all along.

i'm seeing a lot of yellow and orange, so your solar plexus and sacral chakra are going to be so fucking activated. you're going to be very selective and protective of your energy, as you should. you'll just be like, wow, what took me so long to lean more into this side of myself? it was necessary, though, because it opened your eyes to the world we live in and how you have to operate and not short-change yourself in spite of what others want or expect from you. some people might not like this transformation of yours, but that's simply not your problem, and those people are not on your same frequency. you already spark a lot of jealousy, but this energy shift right here?! whew. hoes mad, pile one! i'm like seeing tiktok edits in my head of the hot villainous characters like katherine pierce and jennifer check lmao. you're winning, and they're not, my loves!

OTHER CHANNELED MESSAGES:

ashwini, ballin' by partynextdoor, unhealthy codependency, anuradha, tall in height, 1st house, neptune energy, neptune-asc, blick sum by latto ft. playboi carti, manifest it, shatabisha, fashion/modeling industry. scorpio, aries, aquarius.

things have been seeming very redundant lately, pile two. you've been craving change for a while now. i'm picking up that you're really at your wits' end in regards to the job you're currently working at and/or all the responsibilities you have on your shoulders. you've been pushing yourself so hard, but you're starting to wonder if any of it was worth it because you're not seeing the payoff just yet. you might be feeling overlooked or undervalued at the moment, but i definitely see things changing for you.

i see a new job/financial opportunity making its way to you, and it aligns more with what you love to do. it's an offer definitely worth taking, pile two! this is the beginning of something that's going to catapult you to the next level. i see this one opportunity leading to an elevation of your life. it's a chance of a lifetime. you're closing out this current cycle of stagnancy and getting the ball rolling on your desires and the lifestyle you've always wanted for yourself. this isn't on a small scale either, this is huge. it's damn near like whiplash – so sudden and unexpected but very well deserved.

i see you gaining more friends and networking with people that advance you and pour into you as much as you pour into others. this is oddly specific, but i feel like some of you have some very mean-spirited co-workers around you. do not tell these people your plans or anything personal, because they really don't like you (projection because they really don't like themselves lol), and they're secretly sending you the evil eye. if you don't have an idea of who specifically this could be, just know they definitely smile in your face and pose as someone who likes you but say things behind your back that prove otherwise. they're not stopping shit though, so your spirit guides want me to tell you that you have nothing to worry about.

for my singles, i was also picking up on a new romantic suitor having their eyes on you. this person could have a charming and bit of a cocky vibe going for them – they usually like to be chased rather than do the chasing, but something about you is intriguing to them. for some of you that have just gotten out of a relationship, i see you have a couple of options to choose from. there's this energy of being amused and entertained. a lot of people are going to find you to be very irresistible, and the way you carry yourself so gracefully will have many heads turning.

for those of you that are in a committed relationship, i see you two becoming even closer and more vulnerable with each other. any walls you've built around yourself in fear of disappointment or regret will finally be dropped as you learn to trust not only yourself but your partner fully as well. one more thing i will say is that you should make sure you're budgeting your finances properly and remember to take care of any debts you may owe, okay? 444 on the clock. everything is working out in your favor you shall soon see.

OTHER CHANNELED MESSAGES:

6th house, krittika, dark skin, when one door closes another one opens, revati, transformation, jyestha sprung, ideal partner/dream person, taurus, pisces, scorpio moon, nasty by tinashe, fever by dua lipa & angèle.

you've really been keeping to yourself huh, pile three? you could be clashing a lot with your parents/family or just feeling misunderstood by the people closest to you. i feel like things have been a bit chaotic and unstable in your life, especially in regards to your home environment. one minute things are good, but when things get bad, they get pretty fucking bad. ugh, pile three.

i feel like you're very sensitive to your environment, and whatever is going on around you, you absorb it like a sponge. there's inner child wounds that you're working on, and it's really not easy, but your spirit guides want you to know that they're so fucking proud of you. you're doing the work that others weren't brave enough to do in order to heal yourself and your bloodline. some of you might have a very dysfunctional family, and it weighs heavy on you; most times you have to tiptoe around your emotions in order to keep the peace.

i'm also picking up that some of you might have older sibling syndrome – there's immense pressure and expectations put on you since you were a child. whatever the case may be, i feel like you actively doing the work is going to unlock a part of yourself you never really knew was inside. i can feel the passion, the dedication, and the motivation buzzing off you, pile three. 2025 is gonna be your year. the martian energy is strong in this pile. i feel like you had to learn the lessons and really sit back and observe the dynamics around you to come to the realization that NO, you do not want that for yourself and the ones that come after you. you want something stable, something emotionally fulfilling, something that makes you feel free in so many ways than one. you're a very compassionate and selfless person, and you will find someone who will pour equally into you as you do them.

this person that you're attracting is deeply committed, patient, financially secure, thoughtful, and extremely grounded. you'll never be an afterthought when it comes to this person – they'll support you and guide you (if you need them to) every step of the way. you're so used to figuring things out on your own and having to think for others, but this person wants you to simply relax and just be. i can see you pacing back and forth, venting to them, and just going on and on, listing every single thing you need to get done and do for this one and that one. and i can just see them sitting but rising to their feet and slowly walking over to you with this calm demeanor, putting their hands on your shoulders, and it's like everything melts away. they want me to reassure you that you're not alone – they want to carry the weight and release the burdens off of you because they recognize that no one has truly showed up and out for you the way you do for others. this is very beautiful energy, pile three.

as you step into this new chapter, you’ll realize that some of your past connections were often just bandaids for wounds you hadn’t healed yet. there’s a lot of clarity about your self-worth here. some of you might be working through daddy issues, and this healing is part of why you’re ready for a deeper love now. this is very specific and may not apply to all, but i keep picking up on pregnancy energy, so if you're ready for that, i do see potential for that with this person you're attracting. if not, then just be mindful of that lol. on the flip side, the person could have a kid, but again, this is just some scenarios i'm picking up on for a small fraction of you. i do see you getting long-awaited closure with a specific person or family member. when that happens, it’s going to feel like a massive weight has been lifted. pile three, this is your time to heal, grow, and attract the life and love you deserve. it’s so beautiful.

OTHER CHANNELED MESSAGES:

faking it by calvin harris ft. kehlani & lil yachty, bharani, pussy power, all of the answers are within you so trust yourself, big d energy, a father, purva ashada, having receipts, dhanishta, capricorn, aquarius, pyrmaids by frank ocean, sagittarius, aries, coffee fucking by miguel ft. wale.

mind over matter...hm. that's what i keep hearing, pile four. i feel like you're in your head about something regarding your work-life balance. it's like you deprive yourself of going out and having fun because you worry you'll be overspending or won't have enough time; but i feel like this mentality is causing you to miss out on some really fun moments and memories, especially with your friends.

you're very responsible (almost to a fault, according to your spirit guides lol), and because you're so practical and matter-of-fact, you don't give yourself enough room to be spontaneous and open. for example, if you just got off work and a friend invites you out, you might think about the laundry you could be doing or some work you could be catching up on instead of just saying, "fuck it, yeah, let's go have some fun." gatekeeping yourself isn’t going to get you very far, pile four.

you're meant to be seen, and you're meant to let your inner child run free and have fun. keeping yourself tucked away in your room or isolating yourself is doing more harm than good - your spirit guides really want you to know this. there are potential love interests you don’t even notice because you're not putting yourself out there enough! some of you might have bad social anxiety, and being around new energies might feel overwhelming, but your guides want you to know you can work through this, slowly but surely - you've just got to start somewhere.

your quirkiness could open so many doors for you, and you don’t even realize it yet. there are so many people you're destined to meet and connect with on a soul level because you have such a unique spirit. you have this way of making people feel seen and heard. if you're single, i feel like your next romantic connection will be incredibly healing in so many ways. some of your past lovers or friends might have made you feel misunderstood or undervalued, but that’s going to change. this is just a quick sidebar, but i feel like you’ve got people (unbeknownst to you) talking about you or your personal business. so, be careful who you confide in because not everyone is your friend, especially in a work or school environment. even if they don’t know anything about you, it seems like they’re speculating and gossiping about you with others.

but anyways i feel like this "mind over matter" mentality comes from wanting to control situations and outcomes, and while it’s great to have self-awareness and discernment, it can also be debilitating: if you let it. i feel like you’re about to start challenging yourself to socialize more and just not give a fuck. wherever the day or night takes you, it takes you. it doesn’t always have to be a club or party, but even if it is, you’re still giving yourself the freedom to have fun and live in the moment.

your job will still be there the next day, okay? your laundry too. but memories? they last forever. so please don’t deprive yourself of the good ones, pile four. you are so worthy of them.

OTHER CHANNELED MESSAGES:

hit me hard and soft album by billie eilish, vishaka, want more for yourself, magha, pay attention to the signs, moon energy, this person is manifesting you, pisces moon, purva phalguni, co-workers gossiping about you, leo, scorpio, libra, 11:11.

[thearcherihardlyknowher]

Tell Me Not To Go

Pairing- Danny Wagner x Fem!reader

Summary: You and danny have worked together for three years now and he's gotten on your nerves since the first day you two met. What if, at a party, your hatred turns to something else?

Word count- 6.6k (give or take)

Warnings- 18+ mdni!!, alcohol consumption, degradation, oral (f. rec), fingering (f. rec)

A/N: oh my gosh my first gvf fic!! This has been in the works for like.. a year now. Apologies for any typos, this is very lightly edited!

The entire park is covered in a deep, spine-chilling dusk. Scare actors that range from zombies running at people, to clowns (you being one of them) jumping out of corners when people least expect it, are found at every corner. There's a fake fog that reeks of artificial, plastic cotton candy being distributed at every turn. Piercing shrieks from unsuspecting victims fill your ears and your head begins to pulse once again. The autumn chill nips at your exposed skin and makes your eyebrows furrow even more. You attempt to wrap your arms around your chest, trying to conserve your body heat, but you are unsuccessful due to a tight, black corset and a baseball bat that is covered in fake blood already occupying your hands. The short, black tutu you were wearing, ornated with colorful swirls, two layers of tights, and two sets of colorful leg warmers didn't help much to keep you warm either. You find yourself tucked into a dark corner, not looking to scare the wits out of anyone, but to try to get rid of your pulsing headache. However, your thoughts are interrupted when you feel a presence approaching behind you.

"You look real warm over here sweetheart," you hear the sarcasm oozing out of his voice.

"Daniel, what do you want?" You mutter through gritted teeth. You didn't even turn around to face him. Danny Wagner was the wrong person you wanted to be talking to while already having a temper building up.

"Just came over here to talk about the weather. Such a clear night we're having, don't you think?" He replies and you can hear the smirk in his tone.

"I have the worst headache and I'm freezing my ass off. Can you just not tonight?" You slowly turn around, now looking at him. Sometimes it caught you off guard when you saw him in scare makeup even though he's been wearing the same design for over three years. His face was painted white with big, black-painted triangles going from the tops of his eyebrows into the painted frown on his lips. There was more detail in it but you ignored it as your headache pulsated and started to make you lightheaded.

"Shit, Y/N are you okay?" He saw the look on your face and now his voice was immediately rid of any teasing and was laced with worry. "I'm gonna go get you a drink, just stay right here."

You just nodded softly before pressing your back against the wall of some building and sliding down it till you were sitting with your legs out in front of you.

Danny came back quite fast and bent down to where you were. As he handed you the opened bottle, he placed a firm hand on your shoulder and just stared at you with concern littering his painted expression. After taking a bigger sip than anticipated, you set the bottle down next to you, closed your eyes, and tried to take a breath.

"You okay now?" He asked softly, breaking the silence between you two. His eyes lingered on your face, tracing over your features. You felt your face heat up at the attention but you shook it off.

"Yeah, I think so," you mumbled as you stood up, wiping the dirt off your skirt. Your headache was still there, but it was a dull ache now. He got up as well but he had an unrecognizable look on his face. "Is there something on my face?" You sighed, ready to wipe it away.

"Well yeah, but no," he stammered. He reached his hand towards your face and his fingers barely brushed your already parting lips. "You should fix that," he says smirking, right after he smudges your painted clown nose.

"Oh you fucker," you groan as you slap his hand away from your face. You pull out your phone to see your reflection and sure enough, he messed up the paint on your nose. Just as your head snapped up, ready to berate him, he was gone.

You just huffed as you stomped off to your dressing room to fix your makeup. You walked into the small, dimly lit dressing room which reeked of paint and you sat down at the vanity. You dipped your brush into the red face paint before redrawing the clown nose onto your own. Once you're satisfied with your makeup, you tease your hair a bit more, taking a comb and raking it in the opposite way of your hair. You decide that's enough staring at yourself and you smooth your skirt out before heading back out. You roam around for a bit, taking pleasure in the screams you receive from random passersby as you jump at them. You end up popping out of the artificial fog to scare these two teenage girls. You snicker as they both squeal, clinging onto each other. You walk out of the fog to introduce yourself to them with a smirk.

As you were taking a picture with one of the girls, no older than 15, you felt his presence behind you. The friend who was taking the girl's picture, giggled as her friend didn't realize Danny was behind her. He poked the girl next to you with his finger and she let out a squeal.

He was laughing his ass off but managed to stick his hand out and introduce himself enthusiastically. "The name's Patches and this here, is my lovely wife Poptart, if you haven't already met her." You heard in his voice how he was reluctant to give you any sort of compliment, even just in character, but it filled you with pride. You brush off his introduction of you since you already introduced yourself before making small talk with the girls.

After they walk away and you waved to them, you hit Danny softly in the shoulder. "Asshole," you mutter under your breath before turning to walking away from him.

He grabs your hand before you can fully walk away and he spins you so you're facing him. "Watch your mouth, princess," he grits out, his jaw clenched with an expression you still cannot name. You scoff before shrugging him off and successfully stomping away.

-

The night was almost over; just one more hour till close and you couldn't wait to go home. You were standing around one of the bathrooms that were festively decorated with black balloons and stripes when you heard two familiar voices. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the same two teenage girls approaching Danny. You sneak a bit closer to hear them, ducking behind a colorful pop-up booth, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"Patches, can I ask you a question?" The taller girl with blonde hair asked.

"Yeah go ahead," Danny answered, cocking his eyebrow with genuine interest.

"So, how long have you and Poptart been married?"

"That's a really good question.." He seemed to ponder for a second before replying.  "Poptart! How long have we been married?!" He yelled out for you and his voice seemed to echo across the entire park.

You felt your cheeks heat up, getting caught off guard at the sudden mention of your character's name. You and Danny try to avoid each other every night, even though you're paired up as a couple. This is the most, in three years, that you and him have interacted in a single day. You ultimately have to walk up to them but you have to drag yourself over there.

"Well," you rub your chin as you pretend to think for a second. "It has to be at least 7 years."

You and him never really practiced your backstory as a "couple", never being able to stand each other for more than five minutes. You both just made things up on the spot.

The same girl asked another question. "Do you guys still love each other the same as you did when you met?"

You shift your weight as you take a sharp inhale. This was not the usual question you got. Most of the time you didn't even get questions, just screams.

"I would say I love her even more than when we first met." That was the last thing you expected out of Danny. Your head snapped in his direction as you stared at him, your lips slightly apart. Something about his comment made your stomach flutter. He nodded towards you, waiting for a response, but when he saw your reaction, he started to smirk.

You shake off your surprise before you finally respond. "I love him a whole lot more than I did back then. Not so much when he cheats on me though," you snickered as you decided to switch up the narrative and mess with him.

Both of the teenage girls gasped and you even heard him let out a small noise of surprise.

"I have never cheated on you! Don't listen to her." He leaned closer toward the girls and whispered. "She's crazy."

"Oh no, don't even! I saw you and that trash doll!" You yell at him with a slight grin, pretending to be upset. However, this whole ordeal ended up with you two having a screaming match, mostly for shits and giggles. The girls ended up scampering away and you broke into a fit of laughter. You glance over at him to see his eyes locked on you while he just chuckles. You inhale softly as you try to calm down from the previous incident. When you meet his eyes again, he nods slightly, signaling you to walk with him.

You and Danny settle into silence as you both are seated on a secluded bench, towards the back of the park. Since it was getting near the closing time, there was barely anyone around you guys. You swing your feet whilst staring at the ground, enjoying the quietness. You can still feel the chilly air piercing your skin through your clothes, but it doesn't bother you much. In fact, it's the last thing on your mind, your proximity to Danny takes occupancy of your thoughts.

"Are you going to that party tomorrow?" You heard him ask quietly beside you.

"Hmm?" You hum, softly turning your head to look at him. You weren't expecting any sort of conversation to come out of this.

"Y'know, the party that Josh is throwing for..." His voice trails off as his brows knit together. You watch his expression as he tries to remember the guy's name, who you've only met once when you were plastered at another one of Josh's parties. Honestly, you couldn't even remember his face. Josh was a mutual friend of yours that you met before you worked with Danny. Though Josh, you also met his brothers, which revealed a fact you didn't know previously. Danny was a staple in the boys's life so being close with them, meant having to tolerate him.

"Why do you care if I show up or not?" You huff out questionably as you look back down to your swinging feet.

"God, is there ever a time when you're not being a fucking brat?" He grumbles as he folds his arms across his chest, leaning against the back of the bench.

You feel a heat simmering in your lower stomach before you snap your head towards him. "Seriously? Why are you always like this? This is exactly why I can't stand even being around you." You get up from the bench before looking back at him.

"Have a good night," you grit through your teeth as you ditch the bench, leaving him behind. You hear him say something under his breath but you just roll your eyes.

You marched back to your dressing room, locking the door behind you, before you started to get ready to leave. Thankfully, the park was a few minutes away from closing time. You take down your teased pigtails and you begrudgingly brush your hair out before putting it back into a ponytail. You take a moment before deciding that you'll change when you get home so you strip off your skirt and leg warmers to slip on a pair of sweatpants over your tights. You slide on a random crewneck over your corset before sitting at your vanity. The old chair creaks under you and it causes an annoyed groan to fall softly from your lips. You grab your phone off the vanity desk to check it for the time, making sure the park is actually closed before you leave. Sure enough, it's 2 am, which means you're free to go. You put the pieces of your costume in your patterned tote bag before grabbing your keys and heading out of your dressing room.

As you're crossing the parking lot, you spot Danny getting into his car. His eyes meet yours for a split second before you look away, feeling your face flush. At first you feel like a kid getting caught sneaking into the cookie jar, but you brush off your burning cheeks as residual anger. You get into your car, tossing your bag into the seat next to you before driving away. You have to force yourself not to glance at him on your way out of the theme park.

Soon enough, you pull into your driveway. You sigh from relief previous to turning the car off. You unlock your front door and when you enter your house, you're met with the familiar smell of lavender and a soft vanilla, and you slip your shoes off. You trudged up the stairs before padding your way into your room. You drop down on your bed, plopping face down with a grumble. The feeling of your soft, cool sheets against your skin makes you want to fall asleep forever. However, you're painstakingly aware of the uncomfortable corset under your looser fitting clothes wrapped over it. You force yourself up to get changed out of your sweats and your crewneck, so you can unlace your corset and strip off your tights. You slip out of your clothes before grabbing a satiny silk robe from the back of your bedroom door. You then wandered to grab clean pajamas from your drawer before heading into your bathroom.

You're thankful for the soft smile light illuminating the bathroom, as it's not too harsh on your eyes. You set your clean pajamas on the marbled bathroom counter before letting the robe drop from your body. You reach into your shower, turning the knob till it's sweltering hot. You grab your brush off the cold counter before taking out your lazy ponytail and getting the majority of the tangles out. You set the brush back in its original place before turning the knob on the shower so it's a bit cooler, but still steaming up the bathroom. You hop in and you let the heated water run down your body and through your hair.

-

After your shower, you collapse back into your bed before scrolling aimlessly on your phone, swiping in and out of different apps waiting for exhaustion to take over.

Your phone vibrates and you look up to see a notification that Sam texted you. Your eyebrow raises before reading it.

Sammy: I know Danny already bugged you about it, but will you pleasee come to the party tomorrow? or, technically later today.

You roll your eyes at his technicality. You pinch the bridge of your nose as you try to come up with a response. Sure it would be fun to get out of the house since you don't go anywhere but work, but on the other hand, Danny's gonna be there and there's no doubt in your mind that he'll be an absolute menace. You decide to respond to Sam whenever you wake up and you plug your phone in before setting it on your nightstand.

You end up sleeping on and off all night and you finally opt to just get up. You take a second to let your eyes adjust before stretching your arms above your head. You grab your phone from your nightstand with a yawn. You open your phone to see the chat with Sam that you still haven't replied to. You throw your phone down on your bed before shuffling to your bathroom. You go pee, wash your hands and your face, and you brush your teeth as you try to think of what to say back to Sam. You take a deep breath before padding back into your room. You grab your phone off your blankets before you grumble and typing out a short response.

You: I'll be there

As the day goes on, you're able to get a few errands done, trying to be productive before the dreaded chore later. You look at the time on your phone as you're sitting on the edge of your bed and you see it's now nearing 8 pm, so you decide to get ready. You huff as you search through your clothes, trying to pick something to wear. Finally, a short, lilac dress caught your eye. You took it off the hanger and you tried it on. You ran your hands down your body, smoothing out the dress as you looked at yourself in the mirror. It was a silky dress that fit around your curves perfectly and put an emphasis on your cleavage. You just gave yourself a smirk in the mirror as you walked into your bathroom to start on your hair. You're stuck between leaving your hair down and natural or putting it into a braid. You end up choosing the latter and you put your hair into a loose braid. You don't do anything different with your makeup, just mascara, eyeliner, and a bit of lip gloss. Your phone buzzes on the bathroom counter and you put down your lip gloss to pick your phone up and read it.

Sammy: Hey, I'll pick you up in 5?

You: Sounds great

You grab a pair of chunky, white heels from your closet and you slip them on. You put your phone into a little white purse as you go downstairs into the living room to wait for Sam.

Soon, your living room is illuminated with his headlights and you walk out to his car with a grin. You go to sit in the passenger seat, but there you see Danny sitting there with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Your face flashes red with anger but you open the door and slide into the backseat, begrudgingly.

"What the hell, Sam? You could've warned me that there would be an insufferable asshole joining us," you grumble as you cross your arms over your chest.

"You're not exactly tolerable either, princess," Danny replies with a growl.

"Okay ladies, calm down. You guys can handle a 10-minute car ride," Sam retorts as he looks at you and Danny with a stern look before pulling out of your driveway. He then suggests with a smirk, "wouldn't it be easier just to hook up and get rid of the sexual tension than argue all the time?"

You make a fake throwing-up sound as your face is dusted with a light flush at his proposal. "Never in a million years, Samuel."

"I second that, Sam that's disgusting," Danny says with a wince.

You roll your eyes at his comment, feeling a pang of annoyance shoot through you. Sam just shrugs as he continues driving. Thankfully, the car ride wasn't too unbearable, and you guys got to Josh's quicker than expected. The second Sam parks, you swing open your door as you walk up the driveway and you enter Josh's house. You're met with your favorite smell of him; patchouli with a hint a woodsy fragrance. You greet Josh with a smile and a huge hug. He leans into your embrace as he squeezes your shoulder.

"Hey mama, how've you been?" He asks you with a grin, leaving his arm lingering around you. Out of the group, you're definitely closest to Josh. You and him just clicked the second you met a few years ago and you've been best friends since.

"Oh y'know," you respond with a shrug. "Danny's a pain in my ass, Sam's.. well he's Sam, and I haven't talked to Jake in a while."

"Well luck is on your side, mama," he declares. "Jake's here.. somewhere and there should be enough people here soon that you won't have to see Danny at all."

"Thank the lord," you say with a huff. "You should point me in the direction of the alcohol," you add while wiggling your eyebrows.

Josh just chuckles before nodding to the kitchen. "It's all in there, help yourself."

You do exactly that. You walk into the kitchen and you find the nearest bottle of alcohol, which happened to be tequila, and a shot glass. You pour yourself a shot before grabbing another glass to pour one more. "Josh, come take one with me!" You call out to him, standing with two shots in hand. He enters the kitchen with a smirk.

"Fine, only if you're forcing me to." He takes one of the shot glasses out of your hand and you clink yours with his before throwing it back. You relish the way the alcohol burns your throat, enjoying the slight buzz you feel coursing through your veins already. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a bunch of people already trailing in, Sam and Danny being part of the bunch. You lock eyes with Danny but you watch his eyes leave yours as they trail down your body, slowly. You chew your lip as you feel your face get hot and you pour one more shot for you and Josh. After knocking the second one back, you try not to look in Danny's direction as you find other people to mingle with.

After having a full conversation with a stranger whose name you're sure you won't remember tomorrow, you watch as even more people flood in. You're bopping and weaving through the crowd, dying to find a familiar face. From the living room, you see Sam leaning over the counter to grab a bottle of liquor for a drink in the kitchen and you sigh in relief. You trail into the kitchen as you walk back into the familiar space.

"Just the person I wanted to see," you say with a small smile. "Any chance you can make me a drink too?"

Sam's head shoots up when he hears you. He smiles as he responds, "Y/N, I was wondering where you went. Yeah, of course, I can. Anything in particular you want?"

You shake your head. "Just something strong," you say adamantly while leaning against the counter next to him. You feel a certain pair of eyes on you but you ignore it. Furthermore, you ignore the flutter that grows in your stomach from the unexpected, but not unwelcome attention. Sam slides you a drink and you take it without a second thought. You take a sip before humming in approval.

"Damn, I didn't know you were such a bartender," you giggle as you take another sip. "What is this?"

"Why thank you," he replies smugly. "It's just a simple margarita. I saw you taking shots with Josh earlier so I assumed you at least tolerated tequila."

"You shouldn't usually assume but god. This is insanely good, thank you," you praise him carefully so as not to inflate his ever-growing ego.

He just shrugs with that cocky look still plastered onto his face. His gaze wanders towards the crowd before he elbows you softly. "You are aware that Danny has been staring at you since we got here, right?" He whispers into your ear.

You just roll your eyes before taking a bigger swig of your drink. "Whatever, I'm sick of him already and I've barely spoken to him tonight." Of course Danny was attractive, you'll give him that, but you couldn't stand him in general.

"Give the poor guy a chance, Y/N. By the looks of it, he looks as if he's about to come over and rip your dress off," he smirks before you jab him with your elbow and his expression turns to a wince.

"That's vile, inappropriate, and absolutely not gonna happen," you grumble before chugging the rest of your drink. "C'mon, let's go dance," you mutter as you grab his hand to drag him to the open living room, where there's loud music bleeding from the speakers. He just chuckles before grabbing your waist as you sway to the music. A few songs are able to play before Sam leans into your ear.

"I'm gonna go find something else to do before Daniel comes over here to rock my shit, good luck." You just groan as you watch Sam walk back to the kitchen, leaving you in the crowd of dancing people. You shake it off as you continue jumping and swaying to the music. You feel a pair of hands land on your hips from behind and you snap your head over your shoulder. You exhale softly when you see it's just Jake. You smile at him, as a way to say hi, since the music is too loud to try to have a conversation. He smiles back at you before copying your swaying movements, keeping his hands attached to you. Jake Kiszka has always been a natural flirt, whether or not he realizes it, so his actions don't surprise you one bit.

Suddenly, you feel him pull away from you too and you furrow your brows as you turn around to see what's wrong. The second you spin around, you're faced with Danny, whose expression is dripping with anger.

"What the hell," you mutter before you're getting pulled into a small hallway in the maze that is Josh's house. "Danny, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" You grit through your teeth.

"What do I think I'm doing?" He repeats your words, clenching his jaw. "You're out there rubbing yourself all over my friends like a fucking whore," he snarls out.

You feel the heat from yesterday simmering in your stomach again at his degrading words. You push that feeling to the side before responding to him. "Excuse me? Last time I checked, it's none of your business what I do with my body," you hiss.

He just lets out a breathy chuckle. "If you wanted to be fucked that bad, sweetheart, you could've asked."

Your face heats up tremendously as you hear the vulgar insinuation come out of his mouth. You feel a faint throbbing in your core. "I.. what- no," you stumble out in disbelief that he would ever say that to you.

"Deny it all you want, but based on your lips that are already parting, sweetheart," he coos while trailing his thumb over your bottom lip before continuing. "Your dilated pupils, and the fact that you're squeezing your thighs together so hard, you might just fall over," he leans into your ear as he whispers. "I think you're lying."

"What in the world has gotten into you?" You mutter as you put your hands on his shoulders to push him back slightly. He isn't wrong though; without realizing it, your thighs were clamped together, unconsciously searching for friction.

He takes your chin in between his fingers. "I'm sick of you walking around like you're above everyone, I think someone needs to take you down a peg," he says, his voice extremely low.

You feel your breath hitch as he presses you against the wall in the hallway. "People can see us, y'know," you snarl.

He barks out a laugh before his hand grabs the beginning of your braid sitting at the nape of your neck. He grips your hair tightly as he tugs your head back so you're looking at him. "That's the part you're worried about?"

You let out a tiny whimper that you attempted to swallow down but failed. "Danny, what are you trying to do? Because if you're trying to get me into bed, this is not the way," you growl as you feel his grip tighten a bit.

He lets out a low groan at the sound of your whimper. "Shut up," he huffs before attaching his lips to yours. You're frozen in shock for a moment before cupping his face with both your hands to bring him in closer. He slots his knee between your thighs as he pins you firmly against the wall. You feel his tongue dart out to lick your bottom lip, silently asking for permission. You groan into the kiss as his tongue explores your mouth. Your tongues fight for dominance for a short moment before he tugs your head back by your hair again.

"What happened to 'everybody can see us'?" He looks down at you with a smirk as he mocks you. You're already a panting mess and he's barely done anything.

"Fuck you," you grumble as you wrap your arms around his neck to pull him back into another heated kiss. He chuckles into the kiss, letting you take control for a moment before pulling away again.

"You'd like that right about now, wouldn't you? What if I just leave you here, panting like a bitch, waiting for someone to pay attention to her dripping cunt?" His crass words make your face flush again. The muted ache in your core became a needy throb you couldn't ignore. Your hips jerked forward and your clit rubbed perfectly against his knee. You felt your legs almost give out below you as your eyes fluttered shut. You hear him mutter a small "shit" before he lets go of your hair, grabs your hand, and pulls you into a random guest room.

He quickly shut the door and locked it behind you before forcing you against it and slamming his lips into yours again. You moaned into the kiss as he threw you around like a doll. He forced your head back by tangling his fingers into your hair once more before leaving open-mouthed kisses down your neck. He found one specific spot that made your back arch away from the door and you felt him smirking as he continued the assault on said spot. You tangle your fingers in his hair as you let his name fall out of your mouth in small whispers.

"Shit, Y/N," he groaned into your neck. He let his hands roam all over your body before stopping at your hips to grip them in a possessive way. You bring his head up from your neck to lock your lips with his, admiring the familiarity that's growing in the foreign action. His lips move against yours desperately. You gasp into the kiss as you untangle your hand from his hair, opting to explore his upper half. You run your hands into his button-up shirt that only has two buttons keeping it closed, tracing small patterns on his soft skin before raking your nails down his chest. You feel him shutter before his tongue begs for permission back into your mouth. You gladly oblige as you whine into the open-mouthed kiss.

Your breathing becomes increasingly heavier but you refuse to lose contact. He gathers your lower lip between his teeth as he bites down before sucking it into his mouth to soothe it. Another whine escapes you and his grip on your hips grows tighter. He leads you backward and you feel the edge of the bed hit the back of your knees before he throws you onto the white, silky sheets. Your legs involuntarily part and you see his eyes grow darker as he gazes down at you.

"I knew you were a slut. Look at you, legs wide open," he mutters as he kneels on the bed in front of you, slowly sliding his hands up your thighs. He looks up at you for approval and you eagerly nod your head. He lets out a low chuckle before planting small kisses going up from your knee. He hikes your dress up so it sits above your hips as he continues kissing higher. You feel your breath staggering as he gets closer and closer to your throbbing center. Your tongue darts out to wet your bottom lip as you take it in between your teeth.

"You're soaking through your panties, sweetheart," he coos while running a finger over the dark red cotton covering your folds. Your hips jerk into his touch as a small moan falls from your lips. He looks up from your clothed cunt to ask for silent permission and you nod extremely eagerly. Normally, you'd be embarrassed by the speed at which you responded, but with the extreme throb in your core, you couldn't care less. He pulls your panties to the side before gazing at the slight glimmer of arousal leaking out of you. He finally slides two fingers through your folds gently. After a few swipes, his fingers land on your swollen clit, rubbing slow and soft circles into it.

Your back arches slightly as your jaw falls slack at his touch. "Shit," you sigh as your hands reach down to tangle your hands in his hair. You gaze down to see the obscene sight of him smirking with his hand wrapped around your thigh, before giving a small, chaste kiss to your throbbing bundle of nerves. You inhale sharply before biting down on your lip to stop any more noises from falling out.

Danny just shakes his head while his fingers trail through your folds again. "Nuh-uh, if you want to act like a needy bitch, dripping all over the sheets for me, you can let everyone out there hear how much of a whore you are," he grumbles out, his voice gravelly and full of lust.

"I hate you," you murmur before reaching one of your hands down to get the job done yourself. Danny's eyes darken before he grabs your wrists and pins them on either side of your hips.

"Don't even think about it. I'll give this pretty pussy what she needs, just be patient," he smirks. You just throw your head back with a grumble, staring at the ceiling, while waiting for him to do something. You can feel yourself leaking onto the sheets even more from how badly you need his touch, which was unusual considering you hated him. Before you can even second-guess your feelings, you feel his soft lips on your clit again, and you gasp. You can feel his hot tongue lapping through your core. His tongue continues his assault at your slick entrance before flicking back up to your clit. His tongue swirls around the sensitive bud a few times before he sucks it into his mouth. You moan softly as you feel the muscles in your lower stomach already tightening and your hips thrust against his face.

You attempt to grab at his hair to pull him in closer but the restraint he has on your wrists stops you. He frees your clit before his tongue laps at it quickly. You feel hot blood running through your veins as pleasure courses through you. He lets go of one of your hands to tease your entrance with his middle finger. A small whimper falls through your lips as your free hand tangles itself in his hair. You can feel his nose bump against your clit before he flattens his tongue and licks a long stripe up your core. His middle and ring fingers enter you, and you let out a loud whine as he curls them, barely brushing the spot you need him in the most. You moan out, jerking your hips into him to try and chase that feeling again. He sneers maliciously and curls his fingers directly into that spot this time and your eyes roll into the back of your head.

"Fuck! Danny, do that again, please," you plead as your hips twitch and jerk forward. Danny just hums before taking your clit into his mouth, his teeth just barely grazing it as he pumps his fingers in and out of you. A string of moans falls from your lips as you grip his hair harder, feeling yourself getting closer to your orgasm already. Danny can feel you clenching around his finger and he pulls both his hand and his mouth away from you.

"What the hell," you practically growl out. Danny just has a shit-eating grin on his face as his dark, hooded eyes meet yours.

"I'm sorry, did you need something?" He asks while taking a step back away from the bed. You sit up, chest heaving, your face littered with confused dispersed across your face. Your eyes trace down his body, landing on the prominent tent in his black, ripped jeans before trailing up to see his chest peaking through his multicolored button-up. His chest was decorated with a simple necklace chain with a black onyx crystal adorning it. Your senses are overwhelmed with him. The way he smells of sweet eucalyptus and mint drives you nuts as you can hear his soft pants leaving his mouth. Your eyes flicker up to meet his and you see them overridden with desire.

"I need you," you mumble, your face heating up as the words fall from your tongue.

His grins grows even wider. "Me? Why me? I thought you hated me, princess?"

Your eyes gaze down to see him unbuckling his belt and a heat flashes over your entire body. "I.." Your voice trails off as you're almost hypnotized by him sliding off his belt. He stops there and you give him a confused look.

"Answer the question, honey," he spurs you on.

"You're already here, might as well finish what you came here for," you huff as you tilt your head back against the pillow, purposefully avoiding his gaze.

"Well actually, I came here for a party so," he whispers, his voice comes out low from need.

"Don't be a dick, you know what I mean," you croak out, your legs parting ever so slightly more.

"Say it, pretty girl." He tilts your chin up with two fingers as his dark eyes lock onto yours. "Ask for what you really want."

You chew your lip, stuck between begging for more and stubbornly wanting to push his limits. You let out a small whine of displeasure as you see him take another step back, sliding his belt back into the loops of his pants.

"Danny, c'mon now," you squeak out after sitting up, squeezing your thighs together, trying to get any type of friction.

"You know what you're supposed to do, princess, beg for it," his voice is rough and thick as he instructs you.

You simply cross your arms over your chest stubbornly, not wanting to give in.

His eyes flutter closed for a brief moment before he runs his hand through his hair. He towers over you, his expression now softened from the initial lust that littered his face. "Say it or tell me not to go," his voice comes out low but somehow soft.

Your breath hitches at his threat to leave and your mind starts to come to, more rational thoughts beginning to surface. This was your supposed enemy, this guy was basically your best friend's brother, this was your co-worker.

Danny immediately sees the change in your demeanor and he sighs. He cups your face gently whilst nodding slightly. "I'll see you at work, yeah?" he says softly before fixing his shirt, smoothing it out before walking out of the room. He shuts the door without even looking back at you. You blink back surprised tears from the suddenness of it all.

What the actual fuck.

-

[ewesless]

I have the flu. I Crave Death (Thirteen) So it is time to post my fav Thirteen cards!

Double Hide and Seek

The outfit I would sell a kidney to see again 😫 She may be a punk rocker, but she wears Goth so beautifully! The thigh high lace ups fuel my fire and nourish my soul. This artist without compare draws the most beautiful Thirteen 🤌

Diavolo's Diner Dash

THE BOOB WINDOW!! I did not have optimism about fanservice even though Thirteen was specifically included to appeal to the audience who want to date women! She is the most flirtatious and only newbie who actually like likes MC and wants to spend time with us. NB fed us well and you can view any of her interactions as platonic, but in my opinion they are unambiguously her asking us out on dates and even though she's a harsh woman, a bit of a drama queen with a short fuse she is kind, protective and cares about supporting us. Characters who are mean or "mean" to everyone except one special person are my thing. She also equipped us with an item that could oneshot Lucifer. Why else would the guys get huffy and jealous if they didn't feel like she was a threat? 😂 I'm disappointed we couldn't return to the scene at a proper time and promise her our soul the way that MC can make promises with other characters. :/

Matching Costumes

MY FAVE OF FAVS!! The cutest of all! I pretend the men don't exist and that she is holding her skirt up and flashing her thighs like a showgirl. You literally cannot stop me.

Western Showdown (Not my pic, I don't have the access to my side account anymore 😭😭😭)

THE CORSET. THE CORSET. The worst plotline with Thirteen. MC behaves jealously and Thirteen serves as an "antagonist/rival." WHY. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE FUN WITH HER NOT BE PETTY AND JEALOUS. I can't think of any other card where MC could be 💩y to a character and behave possessively over their preferred partner. I like him, but I would have thrown Diavolo under the bus so fast if it meant I could choose Thirteen. The cute artwork and Yeehaw!Thirteen save it for me though hehehe.

Thirteen Thoughts

I think they messed up the opportunity to give Thirteen a navel ring. She has her midriff exposed and with her style, piercings and tattoos it makes NO SENSE for her not to have a belly button ring. I headcanon she does and has other body piercings.

I hope we get Candy next season. I have so many unanswered questions about Thirteen and her sister. It feels like they just scratched Lilith off the list, but I thank them with all my heart for fleshing her out more and giving her a non-passive personality. That she wasn't just attached to a brother the whole time or her human lover and that she had a bold, outspoken personality which is what I treasure about Thirteen too. Thirteen is allowed to be dumb, make mistakes, be rowdy and rude just like the male characters are which I ALSO treasure! I believe that too often women are othered as "too good to do any of that so let's leave them out of the fun". Thirteen and Mammon and Thirteen and Barbatos have some of my favorite interactions, she is far from boring and that she includes us and thinks highly of us despite being such a standoffish loner who prefers solitude...man she is TSUNDERE.

Her history and the Reaper Realm are overdue especially since she's not just an active member of the cast, but one who seeks MC out. She crosses paths with us way too often and "coincidentally" to be anything but intentional since Reaper Realm is described as far from the Devildom. A rant about Michael and Raphael is for another day though. 😒

[doctorstethoscope]

Couldn’t Wait || A. Hotchner x Fem Reader

summary: reader has a hard time waiting for Aaron to get home from a case

pairing: soft!hotch x reader

warnings: oral, m receiving, penetrative sex, praise kink, degradation kink if you squint, cursing

18+ CONTENT MINORS DNI

wordcount: 1.6k

Aaron was completing paperwork on the otherwise silent jet when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He smiled when he saw your name and picture on the screen.

“Hi sweetheart,” he whispered, and you felt butterflies flutter in your stomach, even after two years of being together. 

“I miss you,” you whined by way of greeting. 

“I miss you too. I’ll be home in about an hour.” He tells you.

“Why are you whispering?” You asked. 

“Everyone else on the jet is asleep. Come to think of it, why are you awake?” He asked, a barely-perceptible air of concern floating around his question. 

“The bed’s cold,” you said noncommittally, and though he couldn’t see it, you shrugged. “So, you’re the only one awake?” You confirmed. 

“Uh, yeah,” Aaron said, distracted as he tried to quickly wrap up the paperwork so he could come home to you. 

You smiled to yourself. “Hmm, then I think you should check out the picture I just sent you.” 

“Baby--” he started, and the gravel in his tone shot right through you. But you were on a mission, and you couldn’t be distracted.

“It’ll be worth your while,” you promised. “Go ahead, stay on the line with me. I’ll wait.” 

Rolling his eyes, he did as he was told, and opened up the text from you, revealing a picture of you in a lacy lilac corset with matching panties and garters. He cleared his throat audibly and you let out a little giggle. “Is that, um. Are you--”

“Yes, I’m wearing it now.” You answer the question he couldn’t ask, saving him from his stammering. Aaron closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Hurry home,” you told him in a sing-song voice. 

“I’ll see you soon. I love you,” he told you, as he always did.

“Love you.” 

Aaron was on his feet as soon as the wheels of the jet touched down. If anyone else on the team was making remarks about his hasty departure, he wasn’t sticking around to hear them. He didn’t have any way to defend himself, anyway. 

The door is unlocked when he arrives. “Honey, you know I don’t like it when--” He calls into the house, not realizing you are right behind the door. You stop him in his tracks as soon as he crosses the threshold, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck and kissing him soundly. He drops his go bag and swings the door shut behind him in an instant, raising his recently-freed hands to the small of your back and the back of your head, deepening the kiss. 

“Couldn’t wait another second for you,” you whispered against his skin as you moved your mouth from his lips down towards his jaw and his neck, deftly undoing the knot of his tie and making quick work of the buttons of his shirt to expose more skin. 

“How’d I get this lucky?” He asked breathlessly, pulling back to gesture at your lingerie before leaning in to nip at your neck. Your hands scrambled for purchase against his back, the fabric of his shirt soft and surely wrinkling under your fingers.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” you confessed with a sigh as you tilted your head to give Aaron more access to the sensitive skin at the junction of your neck and shoulder.

“Good,” he whispers against your skin. “I want you to forget everything and everyone else but me.”  he smirked, his voice dropping on the last word as reached around to give your ass a quick tap. You moaned into his ear and he groaned in response. “You weren’t joking, huh? You really have been waiting all day. What a good girl.”  He asked as he took your ass in his hands, palming at your rear. “Are you wet for me already?” He asked, ghosting his finger over your panties. 

“God, Aaron, yes.” you moaned out. “All day. I wasn’t joking,” you affirmed. “Please,” you begged, looking up at him innocently and batting your eyelashes. You pushed his unbuttoned shirt off of his shoulders and he crouched, bringing his strong hands down to your thighs. You jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist so he could carry you to the bedroom. You could feel him, already hard against you, and you took advantage of your angle to run your hands through his hair and to leave marks all over the base of his throat. 

He placed you gently against the bed, your hair fanning out around you. He stood over you, taking you in as you laid there, chest rising and falling heavily, eyes lidded with desire and a blush in your cheeks.

“You are so fucking sexy,” he tells you, pulling his undershirt over his head before climbing over you on the bed and leaning in to kiss and suck over the exposed skin of your chest. You brought your hands back to his hair, tugging and pulling in all the ways you knew he liked. He groaned, and you felt it radiate through you. Aaron moved his focus down, hooking two fingers into the sides of your panties and pulling them down, replacing them with open mouthed kisses to your inner thighs. 

“Aaron, wait.” you gasped out. 

“I think you’ve waited long enough, sweetheart. Don’t you?” He asked, still sitting poised at your entrance. He looked up at you tenderly and you could have come completely undone right then and there. 

“I want to take care of you first,” you told him. “Stand up,” you commanded, climbing off the bed and slinking to the floor in front of him. The corset wasn’t the most comfortable of your sexy outfits, but when he raked his eyes over your chest, you were glad you kept it on.

“You look so pretty on your knees for me,” he says with a reverence that almost knocks you over. “So fucking sexy,” he adds in a low growl, and you blush as you look down towards the ground, smiling. You reached for his belt, ridding him of the piece of leather before taking care of his slacks and boxers. You put one hand at the base of him and looked up. 

“Aaron,” you whispered.

“Yeah,” he hissed out. 

“Don’t be gentle.” you told him before taking him into your throat. He groaned, throwing his head back in pleasure. 

“So naughty,” he said with a wicked smile. “Such a dirty girl,” he moaned out as you bobbed up and down on his cock. He thrusted his hips as he took your hair in his hands, forcing himself further down your throat. “Such a good girl, you’re doing so good. Take it all.” 

You continued, motivated by his praise, until he found his release in your mouth. You swallowed before standing up and tilting your chin toward him for a kiss, which he granted, bringing a tender hand up to cradle your face. 

“That was one hell of a welcome home,” he murmured to you.

“There’s more where that came from,” you remind him, although you know he hasn’t forgotten. He’s never once left you unsatisfied. You climb back into bed, reaching behind you to release the clasp of the corset. You toss it off to the side of the room and collapse back into the mattress, letting out a deep breath.

“All this time you couldn’t breathe in that thing?” Aaron scolded you gently, shaking his head even as his fond smile betrayed him. 

“Can we do the lecture on safe seduction practices later? I need you to fuck me,” you whined, looking up at him. That was all it took. His eyes darkened and he slipped into you in an instant, dropping his head to your shoulder and leaving delicate kisses there as he thrusted in and out of you. 

“Shit, Aaron.” You moaned out, not sure if you could say anything more coherent. 

“You feel so good, baby. You make me feel so good,” he said, nipping at your neck before snaking a hand in between the two of you so he could rub at your clit. 

“Fuck. Aaron, if you keep doing that--” you started to warn, but he cut you off. 

“I know, baby. Go ahead, you’ve earned it.” He kissed your forehead as you spasmed around him, riding you through your high. Once your breathing evened out, he rolled over. 

“So, is now a good time for the lecture on safe seduction practices, or--”

“I didn’t hear you complaining when it was on.” You teased him.

“No, and you won’t. But I like you better when you can breathe, and you didn’t have to go to all that trouble just for me.” 

“Trust me, hearing boss man SSA Hotchner tripping over his words because of one little picture was reward enough.” 

“For the record, I also like you better when you leave the door locked. Especially when I’m not home.” He continued with his lecture. 

You let out a little chuckle and rolled your eyes. “I heard you coming, worry wart. I promise you the door has been locked for all of the past three days except for when I was passing through it and when I heard you coming down the hall.” 

“Three days?”

“Well, you left on Tuesday, and it’s… technically Friday morning, now.”

“Felt longer. Missed you,” he said, reaching out to take your hand in his, kissing your knuckles. 

“Well, you have three nights of cuddling to make up for, and I intend to cash in.” 

tagging: @bauhousewife @just-a-fangirl-xd @angelic-kisses13 @sleepyreaderreads @ssamorganhotchner @wolviesbbeslrblg @xyzhoneybee

@choppa-style @wanniiieeee @zheezs14

@ssavanessa22 @isthatme-thatsme @g-l-pierce @ssahotchie @infinite-tides

@itsmytimetoodream @hotforhotchner11 @hotchinkevlar

[imnotwolverine]

Wildland

Kilts’N’Romance one-shot: NSFW, stealing, chasing, reference to abuse and a smidge of smut

Wordcount: 1.879 (7 minutes reading) 

I should have never gone,  to where the wild ones live. 

Darkness was falling and the damp had started to crawl back up from the cool tall grass. It was cold, and yet I felt hot. Cheeks flushed with exertion and anticipation. My heart was racing now I knew that the beast was chasing me. Searching me. The only between us, being a man high boulder that was cold and mossy beneath my fingertips.  

I could hear his ragged breath and annoyed curses. I could hear his heavy feet mulling through the tall wet grass blades. And I could just about smell him. This strange beast. Wild one. His nose now probably up in the air, sniffing me back. Would he find me? The thought made my heart gallop even faster. 

‘Oh wee one..’ He breathed. 

I bolted. 

There was a curse in my heart and on his lips as I abandoned my refuge. And all I could do was run. Run as fast as the soaked skirts around my legs would carry me. I had always hated these skirts, and yet it seemed there was a chance that I would, I could, maybe… 

‘STOP!’ He called, feet thundering in pursuit. ‘Oi! STOP!’ 

I ran and ran as I heard his booming voice behind me. The sound covering all the way to the trees that wrapped around this grassy meadow. They would be my chance of escaping, dusk covering me if only I could be fast enough. Agile enough. Swift as a deer in flight. 

A large object crashed into my back and there I was. Smashed into the grass that now suffocated me, green blades cold, wet and sharp against my clammy skin.  

‘Ah…’ He breathed out of breath. ‘You..Naughty lass..’ 

I wiggled and fought but there was no way to move this lug of a man. One large leg was all it required to keep me pinned down and helpless in the sharp grass. 

‘Think you can steal from a man?’ His voice came closer and I found his face now inches from mine. ‘From me?’

There was a tinge of blue in the eyes that hid behind his dark mane and scruffy chin. And lest my eyes not betray me, he was not quite as angry as he had appeared moments earlier. His sharp jaw clenched as our eyes met and a quiet moment passed.

‘I’m sorry.’ I finally managed, heart racing for a confusing mix of things. I forgot for a moment how wet and cold and uncomfortable I was in this darkening meadow. I forgot how severe this situation probably truly was. I had been caught stealing some of his provisions. This wild one. And it took no fool to realize that there was no escape. 

His blue eyes darkened. 

‘Sorry won’t do.’ 

Our eyes met again, though this time his eyes trailed down the rest of my face unapologetically. All the way to the caress of my breasts against my corset. He looked back up. 

‘I was just hungry.’ I tried to wiggle from under his leg, but it didn’t work. He only pinned me down harder, his other leg now swinging around until he sat atop my hip, hands working up the curve of my clothed spine. Even there the dampness had come, bringing with it a cold, cold shiver. 

‘Could have asked.’ His hand found the back of my neck and I let out a soft gasp. His hands were delightfully warm and gentle as they trailed up through my hair. 

‘Please.’ I begged. 

‘Please what me lass?’ 

‘I’ll do anything.’ 

That made him chuckle, his hand leaving a quickly cooling spot on my neck. ‘Whatsa wee one even doing in these lands? Can’t really go ‘round stealing and begging, no?’ He swung his legs back over and before I knew it his departing bodyweight left me cold and stunned. Did he just let me go? With confusion in my eyes I looked up, hands pressing up to get out of the grass. 

He was walking back to his camp. 

‘Hey..!’ I stood up and watched his broad back silhouetted by the campfire that was burning a little distance away. He didn’t look back. 

‘Hey! You can’t just..’ I felt a shiver run up my spine as I realised what a predicament I was in. Beneath the soaked layers of my skirts, the stolen piece of bread had gone fully soaked. It was hardly a meal at all. And as I felt the bread disintegrate beneath my fingertips, I watched as the man casually sauntered back to his fire. His warmth. His food. His everything-I-had-left-behind as I had run from my husband. 

He could have harmed me. Beaten me. Raped me. But despite all the right reasons to do so, he was nothing like the man I had left behind this morning. He just walked. He. Just. Left. 

Without thinking I found my feet moving. Not away as I probably should have. As I probably should have never come to these barren lands. No, I continued deeper onto the path of trouble. I followed the trails to where the wild ones live. For somehow this seemed more welcoming than returning would. 

He finally turned around, his face now hidden in the darkness. The orange flames behind him cast his silhouette in a warm glow. 

‘Coming to steal again?’ 

My breath choked and I quickly shook my head, tongue flicking nervously over my lips. Was he angry with me? I wasn’t sure. He turned back around and finally settled by the fire. 

I followed. 

‘Wait.’ He said before I sat down by the fire as well. I halted and felt the nerves crawl back up my spine again. Any moment could be my last, lest I not play my cards carefully. I looked at his feet in obedience and waited. 

He sighed. ‘Gods be the devil, what is it with ye lass? You’ll sit in the smoke.’ He gestured to where I had thought to settle down and finally I dared to look up. If there was any devil in this man, it was the kindest devil yet. I sighed in quiet relief and smiled a little. 

‘Sorry.’ 

‘And you stop that too.’ He patted a spot right between the outstretched legs that appeared from beneath his kilt. I sat down there, eyes still hesitating to look him straight in the eye. Was this a smart thing to do? Probably not. Did I want to? I probably did. My heart started racing again as I felt the heat that came radiating off him and the fire before me. 

‘What if I don’t want to?’ I whispered. 

He laughed. ‘What a way, what a way. One moment a spirit steals my old bread, next I have a lass in ‘tween me legs.’ 

I finally dared to turn and look him straight in the eye. He was grinning cockily and I felt my tongue go sharp. ‘Well you better enjoy it!’ 

‘I am..’ His grin smouldered down to a charming smirk. 

‘You are?’ I teased, feeling emboldened as I turned a little way more to get a better look at him. Behind all the grime and disheveled hair set a good looking man with a dimpled chin and sparkling eyes. 

He shrugged. 

‘So you gonn’ be a-staying then little spirit?’ 

‘Maybe.’ 

He raised a challenging eyebrow.  

‘What?’ I asked. 

He laughed and shook his head. ‘You must know that the fire don’t kindle itself.’ 

And as he said so something moved beneath the layered pleats of his kilt. A dragging little thing that moved between his legs. I breathed in cautiously and looked back up, his eyes now a good shade darker. 

‘So I can..’ I brushed a hand up and beneath his kilt. His muscular thigh clenched beneath my cold fingers. ‘..stay?’ 

He licked his lips and it was clear it took great effort to calm himself. With a breathy laugh he looked up at the sky as my hand travelled further up his leg. 

‘Oh lass… monsters live ‘ere.’ His words cut short as my other hand copied the snaking caress on his other thigh. 

‘Mm?’ 

He licked his lips again and kept his eyes up at the sky. ‘Big ones.’ 

‘Dangerous ones?’ 

He looked down and back at me. The light of the flames danced over his features, setting him in a beautiful orange golden light. 

‘Only when they need be.’ 

Both my hands were now at the tops of his thighs, hiking up his kilt until there was little modesty left. 

‘Ah fek it.’ He growled and in a lunging assault I was smacked into the ground again. This time no cold hard grass, but a warm bit of sandy earth. Along with the assault came lips. Perfectly supple and wet against my neck and chin. And then there were hands that wandered, mimicking the way my hands had travelled up his legs. 

I gasped and moaned as there was suddenly warmth everywhere. The sensation of my cold and soaked clothes was swiftly forgotten, making place for a heavy musky scent that infiltrated my nostrils. This man smelled of the earth, sweat, rain. Not of alcohol and abuse. There was no pain in the way he touched me. Even if bounded on something animalistic as he growled into the softness of my skin. 

‘Better warm up this cold lass.’ He mumbled in between open mouthed kisses, his lips now finally moving up to my face. First to my ear, then my cheek, all the way up to my nose, where he rested his forehead for a little while, breathing in raggedly as one of his hands cupped around my face. 

‘You want this then?’ His voice had become hoarse. 

I gasped as I felt his legs shift between mine, realising now how he had settled himself down for more. 

‘Tell me no.’ He said out of breath. 

‘Yes. Yes please.’ I gasped.

He pushed himself back a little so he could look me in the eye. The flames danced ever more wildly over his face from this angle. Smouldering fire burned in the darkness of his once blue eyes and I did what good women shouldn’t. 

I kissed the wild one. 

What followed was warm lips and bumping noses and awkward hands that fumbled with damp wool skirts. What followed also, was his toothy smile as he looked down upon me, admiring me in a way men didn’t do often. 

‘Yes?’ He asked. 

I nodded and breathed out, laughing softly. ‘Ye--’ 

Something prodded itself against my apex. ‘Ah!’ I gasped, but before I could scream at this intrusion, his lips moulded around mine. He took my breath in a most star strikingly slow pace. And as his kisses sweetened, his cock pierced. Deep and wide and stretching he slowly coaxed me to welcome him whole. To welcome the wilderness that coursed through his veins. That burned in his warm fingertips.

I realised then as I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky. That there’s a reason why you should never go to where the wild ones live. A single star appeared from between the coal black clouds and I smiled. 

I should have never gone. For it makes a wild one of me too.

--

Author’s note: Henry in a kilt. Henry in a kilt. I repeat. Henry. In. A. Kilt. 

General Tagsquad: @harrysthiccthighss @tumblnewby @magdelen69 @thereisa8ella @mary-ann84 @darkbooksarwin @summersong69 @madbaddic7ed @luclittlepond @maroonmolly @just-a-normal-fangirl18 @hell1129-blog @agniavateira @tillthelandslide @elinesama @maddyreads14 @aletheladyinred @moonlacebeam

[ozziverse]

I've been procrastinating on art so instead have a DreamSMP Characters Headcanon post! Just a ton of absolutely random headcanons for these characters B), and a few including some design hcs i have, so here goes:

Because he should technically classify as a mob, Ranboo has a very loose grip on human customs (similar to Charlie but not as bad), and is fairly animalistic in some senses, he purrs like when he's happy and will fetch anything thrown. He also does the cat thing where they rub their head on things they like. Because he speaks Ender as his first language, he forgets the english word for things a lot and has to vaguely describe them. He has a hard time interacting with others and making eye contact because of his enderman genes and tends to fidget with his ring and suit pins to help him with it

I hc Tubbo as half-goat and so he headbutts stuff a lot and very often gets his horns stuck in shit and needs help getting them out. He makes small contraptions for fun and really enjoys redstone creations. He has a vase in his house where he puts every flower Ranboo gives him in it. He likes to blow things up because it gives him a feeling of control over the thing that was once used against him.

Tommy enjoys doing art therapy with Puffy and draws out his issues because it's easier to convey than through words. He has low patience and high anger but likes hanging around Ranboo because they're much calmer than him and it helps keep him calm too. He has a lot of battle scars that he tends to hide, but he knows the story for each and every one and finds comfort in explaining them to Puffy in therapy. He has a nickname for everyone, whether he likes them or not, and he rlly likes coming up with them.

Wilbur has trouble breathing now that he's revived as a result of his smoking habits in pogtopia, but he refuses to admit it. He has multiple ear piercings and refuses to explain when he got them and who did them.

Foolish builds for fun and for comfort because it takes his mind off of the past. He's not very informed on the history of the dreamSMP and has a lot of misconceptions about what happened but it's very silly ones. He's lactose intolerant and i won't explain why i believe that. He absolutely hates round shapes and has a perfectionist eye, he will point out all flaws in a building.

Jack has heterochromia, he originally had blue eyes and wore the 3D glasses but after crawling out of hell one of his eyes became red as a representation of hell and a reminder of what happened, though he just thinks it looks cool. He enjoys having power over things, such as owning the hotel, because it makes him feel seen and liked. He has a weird dislike for most american-style food and refuses to eat it because it's made differently to how he would make it. He refuses to wear anything that's not baggy, even his detective suit is a bit big.

Puffy originally had brown hair and dyed half of it because it looked "aesthetically pleasing", almost all of her outfits incorporate pirate-style fashion, such as ruffled sleeves and corsets. She likes to wrap vines and flowers around her horns because she things it looks pretty

Eret has a similar fashion sense to Puffy, just slightly less pirat-ey, so they borrow some of her clothes sometimes if they fit, or gets the same clothes in their size. They prefer to wear skirts and dresses because the flowy fabric is more comfortable for them. Red is one of their favourite colours so most of their outfits incorporate red into them in some way.

Karl absolutely owns those bowling-alley-floor print shirts and bright painted-on jeans and overalls. He has a lot of different watches because having the time keeps him grounded. He always carries a small notepad of important things to remember on it, but ironically forgets to read it a lot. He still owns all the outfits from the different places and time periods he visited, but he doesn't like to wear them much.

Okay that's all i'm doing today i'll probably do more later on lmao

[enha-woodzies]

➸ CHAPTER 4 | " BREWING A SCHEME "

starring: enhypen ft. i-land daniel

pairing: jungwon x fem!reader x sunghoon

genres: royal au, romance, angst, slowburn, 18th century setting

word count: 1.5k

taglist: @serendipitysung (betareader) @angeljungwon @en-sun @affectionaterainoflove @renkiv @softforjungwoo @jislix @fluffi @gyeraniee @stxrryemxlys

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The evening was getting more vivacious as several eligibles twirl around the dance floor not once, but multiple times now; some ladies with different men, as some with the same ones they initially danced with.

The young lord with a hearty appetite approaches his best friend who is sitting alone on the large couch by the lobby. “Where’ve you been? I thought you ran away to the garden with some man.” Sunoo softly chuckles as he plops down beside Y/n with a table napkin in hand. The young miss had her head hung low when he approached her so it took him a while to notice her flushed cheeks and soft sniffles.

“Hey there, come now. What's wrong?”

“Am I that unattractive, Sunoo?” The boy gulps down at her when she suddenly turns to him with a frown. His lips form into that of a slight smile as he carries the napkin towards her flushed cheeks, gently wiping off the tears that stream down her face. He swears internally at the thought that someone seemingly insulted her for her insecurities to pop out again. Sunoo could only presume it was his doltish brother’s doing this time.

“Where is this suddenly coming from, Y/n?”

She sniffs heavily. “Jungwon-”

“That dimbo-”

“we were dancing when he said my eyes were beautiful. But it wasn't long until he excused himself, quickly rushed out and disposed of me like an old, useless book lying on the library floor. I'm completely certain I never said anything wrong for him to suddenly act like that.” Sunoo can only sigh in exasperation while rubbing the corseted back of his very dear friend.

“Am I horrifying?” Her bottom lip juts out as she huffs out a long, dragging sigh. Sunoo’s eyebrows furrow in fume.

“Hey, don’t say that! If you are, then Lord Heeseung wouldn’t probably dance with you out there like you’re his coveted treasure. But of course, he looks at every woman he’s ever acquired like that.”

“He was very charming, though. But whoever wants to be another trophy in his snobby rack of possessions anyway?”

“Oh! Every woman in the ton, babe.” The two rolls their eyes and share a teasing laugh afterwards.

“Sorry about my brother. He's just plain stupid.” Sunoo rests his head on the young miss’ lap. Her hand hovers above him as her flimsy fingers softly rake his luscious locks, fingertips gradually glazing his scalp with the softest, careful touch he's ever felt.

“It's so frustrating, you know? He’d look at you with a smile and the next, he frowns. He’d say you're beautiful and the next, he acts like you're hideous. He'd talk to you nicely like he's very fond of you and then in a split second, he shifts into a complete asshole. No offense.”

“Now that's one way to word it! He's got his brain in a rust. Mother would sometimes think about shaking his head to get it up and running.”

“How about we put on a good show?” The two jolt from their seats and quickly turn to the owner of the baritonal voice. Sunoo stands up in a jiff followed by Y/n, as they curtsy in sync. “Your Grace.”

“Please, Lord Sunghoon will do-”

“Your Grace! How lovely, dear, would you be kind enough to grace our floor with your enchanting waltz?"

The three bows affront the Queen who abruptly appears from one of the arched entrances. With a carefully coiffed beehive and shiny Swarovski jewels draping around the updo, Sunoo almost gasps out loud at the stunning sight that is the Queen.

"I’d be happy to oblige, Your Highness." The marquess turns to the young miss with a raised brow. “My lady?”

Y/n’s eyes widens at the sudden request. The Queen looks at her in anticipation. “Oh! Uh.. y-yeah...”

Sunoo subtly nudges her from the back and she was quick enough to clear her throat and redeem herself. “I mean, yes, Your Grace. It’d be a pleasure to dance with you.” She extends her hand for the very fine marquess only to have the back of her palm softly kissed by the ever handsome lad. “The pleasure’s entirely mine, my lady.”

He gently pulls her from her fingers and soon enough, they find themselves dancing alone gracefully on the Royal Court as the ton circles around them with amused whispers and mouths ajar, caught in the depths of such awestruck sight.

The lad has his hand resting politely on the slightly arched back of the lass, with the other hand carefully gripping hers as they sway and twirl in elegant motions along the grand tune from the pianoforte. With a close-hold stance, it is without a doubt that the two can feel each other's breaths of tension and agitation.

“Are you okay? You're downright flushed, it's starting to concern me. Is it perhaps the corset you're wearing?” Sunghoon whispers against the space almost enclosing them. She fixes her gaze upon the mole on his nose bridge and wonders how someone can possibly look this ethereal even with all these on random parts of the face.

“Miss Park,” He steals her attention from the pretty dots on his magnificent face that resulted in her now fixing her gaze upon the marquess’ eye-piercing stare. “are you alright?”

“Uh-huh.” She smiles naturally as if she didn't almost gag from anxiety a few moments ago. Despite the obvious lie, the young miss earns a soft chuckle from the gentleman. “They don't call me the lie-detector for nothing, Miss Park. Your shaky breaths against my presence is enough proof that you're not at ease. Might I add, you cannot even look straight into my eyes for more than three seconds.” He chuckles lightly.

“It's just… I’m just…” She shudders.

“Let's go get some air now, shall we?” It was very timely that the music ended when the marquess suggested a change of scenery. The crowd applauded at the spectacular performance the two had put on and it wasn't for long when everyone joined in the center of the hall to dance once more.

His other hand steadies on Y/n’s back while the other is holding her hand as he carefully avoids the ton's eyes. The ton swarms the floor and Sunghoon takes it as a perfect timing to sneak out the royal court and out in the open.

What they didn't know is that one person caught them; and he was just standing at the very corner of the room cautiously eyeing them the entire time with an obnoxious, deafening regret swallowing him from his gut.

Under the incandescent gleam of the chandeliers stands Yang Jungwon, a boy who just had his heart crushed by the mere sight of torture for his soul and a brainrotting guilt for giving away the woman to not just an apparent threat with a face that screams trouble, but to an all-knowing, remarkable snake who perfectly knows how to play his cards right.

The moment they step foot on the grassy lawn across the royal staircase, the two continuously huff out exhales of reliefs and share a rather boisterous laugh afterwards.

“Didn't think we'd get past them, did you?” Sunghoon, with both hands on his waist, huffs out shaky breaths while looking at the almost helpless miss who’s now wiping her forehead with the back of her thumb.

Sunghoon fishes out a small piece of cloth from his pocket and walks closer Y/n leaving the two a tiny gap of distance. “May I?” He offers to which Y/n responds with a light nod. He gently taps her forehead from the sweat of anxiousness and the sneaking out they did a while back.

“Are you sure you're okay?” He twitches his head to get a good view of her face and before he knew it, he was locking his eyes on hers.

“Forgive me, it's just, your eyes, they're... divine. I’m completely charmed.” Y/n blinks twice at the pithy remark from the favorable marquess. Almost all thoughts of her dearest lord vanished at that striking remark from another fine nobleman.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Y/n’s brows furrowed in confusion. “the idea of putting on a good show?”

“I thought we just did?” She questions.

“Not the dance. I meant we should play pretend. Only if you wish to, of course.”

“Pardon me, Your Grace, but I don't think I’m catching up.”

Sunghoon almost sighs in frustration but quickly stifles it with a chuckle. “Forgive me for eavesdropping back there but I couldn't help myself. A chap gave you a heartbreak?”

“A longtime crush that I couldn't ever acquire attention from let alone a good moment.” Sunghoon lets out an amused smile with a jerked brow.

“Let's play a game.” He snaps. “Two witches brew a scheme to make the perfect concoction of envy. Whoever indulges the contents will either conceal their long-hidden truth, or swallow it down until all there's left is nothing but void. What do you say?” Sunghoon playfully smirks at the young miss who seems very impressed with the whole ploy.

“I’d say cheers to that!”

*send me an ask or a message if you wish to be added on this series' taglist!

ㅡ © ENHA-WOODZIES, 2021

[rhabakoli]

Be Mine

This is the thing y’all have been waiting for! It’s must, who would have tought???

Taglist: @dreamwritesimagines​ @riviawitch3r​

"You never loved me, did you?" You could swear you had caught the infamous Witcher off guard, with the way his eyes snapped to yours, "What?" "I hoped for it, I- I wanted it but that's the truth. You didn't love me." A growl escaped from his lips, "Careful. You have no idea what you're talking about, princess." 

"I think I do have an idea." You said, narrowing your eyes as you took a step closer, "You only wanted what those men downstairs wanted. Merely an illusion. You don't care about me, and you certainly don't care how those- those men pay those women to act like me when they bed them." He was on you so fast, you had no chance to dodge him. His hand was clamping down on your jaw, his fingers digging into your cheeks. “I’ve had it with your behaviour, princess.” He snarled the words, the whole room suddenly shrunk down to just him, his presence filling it completely. “Those men are the scum of this earth, and if they weren’t human, I’d have slaughtered them all, even before you had a clue about their existence.” He was furious, he was frustrated. His hold was bruising and hot and send shivers down your body. “How dare you say I never loved you.” Geralt pressed in, made you stumble backwards until you hit the wall. “I lay my heart out at your feet, and you dare to say shit like that?” Your heart somersaulted, your stomach flipped in synch and you thought your lungs might just explode. It was rather hard to breathe, with him all up in your space, taking your air and your sanity, word after word. His hand shifted, slid from your jaw to the nape of your neck and then up into your hair. “I never loved anyone like you, princess. None of all the women I had can give me what you can.” You were speechless. All the fear and anger were just gone, had taken all rational thought with them and left nothing but lust, desire and a wetness between your legs that grew more intense by the second. And then he pulled. You knees buckled, you gasped and your spine felt like it became liquid. Geralt caught you, however, pinned you against the stone with his hips, with a hand against your shoulder. His thumb caressed the line of your collarbone, sweet and so, so teasing. When he spoke again, his voice was barely more than a deep rumble, a growl that made you want to whine. “You’re so responsive, my princess. And so, so blind.” He bit his lip, followed the trail his fingers found with his eyes. From your collarbones to the soft, vulnerable spot right above your sternum, then up, up along your throat. You were trapped, completely at his mercy, his discretion. He was so much larger, so much stronger than you could ever be, and it should not be such a turn on for you. But when his fingers wandered across your skin, left impressions you’d feel even after he was gone – oxygen was hard to come by, your blood was rushing deafeningly in your ears, and you wanted to die right then and there if it meant he’d be the last thing you’d ever see and feel. “You have no. idea. How much you mean to me, princess.”   Geralt chuckled darkly, not an ounce of humor to be heard. “You have no idea how it feels to have found the one person you want to live for.” His thumb pressed into the soft underside of your jaw, making you swallow hard. His eyes were piercing, almost glowing, and you fought so hard to keep your eyes open, keep looking at him. “You don’t know how it feels to have lived a dozen lifetimes alone. You don’t know how it feels to have someone, and then loose them again.” The bastard was hovering, his face so, so close to yours, his lips just a hair’s width from yours. You were begging already, with your eyes, your open, ready lips; your whole body. You were stretching, pressing into him, hoping to cover every inch of your skin with his, engrave his touch into your very soul. But when you reached for him, he hissed, took a step back and hauled you away from the wall. You were putty in his hands, willing to do whatever he wanted. He didn’t tend to hide himself from you, but tonight he was an enigma, a dark vision of his usual self. You did not mind. He'd crossed your arms behind your back, the hand that was previously in your hair now stroking down over your shoulders, checking if you were alright. “This is how you’ll hold yourself, unless I say otherwise.” Heat pooled low in your stomach, your heartbeat migrated between your legs, every beat stronger than before. “Geralt-“ “Shh.” The harshness of his voice made you jolt. He leaned in, let his nose brush against your neck and up, breathing in as he did. Then he planted a sweet little peck at the corner of your mouth and whispered: “Hands against the wall, princess.” What else could you do other than obey. The coldness of the stone was a relief, a sharp contrast to your burning up body. Geralt hummed low in this throat, as his hands slid down your back, to your front, up, up, and stopped just underneath your breasts, before he let go entirely. You strained to see what he was doing, but he tutted and pushed your chin to face forward with a single finger. “Just feel, princess. Your eyes lie to you anyway.” You expected his hands on you, his lips, no matter how bruising; you did not expect the sharp snap of laces ripping and the dress going slack around you.   “Geralt!”, you shrieked. “It’s just the laces, mylady.” More tearing fabric, and the corset you’ve worn was rendered useless. You didn’t have time to mourn it, as Geralt was sliding his hands across your shoulders, his fingers tucking into the sleeves of the dress. “Arms down.” The room was rather cold, contrast more extreme now, that he was at your back, but not your front. He was fire and ice, always intense, helpful, good, but deeply mesmerizing and had so, so much potential to cause destruction, fear, panic. And this is what he made you feel like. You wanted more, more, more, but you feared he’d hurt you if you got too close. His touch was burning you, devouring you, and you were an addict, were unwilling to leave off. It was a contradiction. He’d slipped the sleeves off, the corset and the fabric now falling to your feet. It left you in stockings and shift, hiding barely anything. He was intertwining your fingers, pressed his body against your back. He was still fully clothed, the buckles and rivets of his chestguard digging into your skin. Geralt raised your hands, kissed your knuckles and placed them back against the wall. He tippy-tapped his fingertips up your arms, chuckled at the hairs rising to stand, and smoothed down your shoulders, down your sides. “You’re beautiful, my princess.” He buried his nose in your hair, his voice barely audible. You were sure you’d pass out the moment he touched you properly. “You’re also smart and compassionate. And you have a weird love for life itself, for the quiet moments.” His arms came around your middle, and he just held you, his face still in your hair. “You came into my life like a thunderstorm, blew me away, made me crave the light you shine like a beacon.” He squeezed; made you gasp. “How can you say I don’t love you.” It wasn’t a question, per se, it was just… he wondered. Your eyes were tearing up at his words, at the softness of them, at their meaning. He nipped at your neck, suddenly all business again. “But you can’t see it, apparently.” He stepped back, his left hand now curling around your hip. “We can’t have that.” The sounds of buckles opening, fabric falling met your ear; metal meeting wood as Geralt set down his variety of weapons. You couldn’t wait, you just wanted him, in whatever way he’d let you. The thought lured a moan from you, quiet, low, and you rubbed your thighs together to create at least some kind of relief. “What are you doing?” Geralt had heard, of course, and was back in your space now, his hands like vices on your hips. “No, princess.” His knee came to push between yours, separate your thighs. He also knocked your ankles with his, commanded: “Spread them.” So you did. He knelt behind you, let his hands run up your legs, and take the shift with them; get it out of his way. You felt exposed, vulnerable. A cold hand gripped your heart, a vicious voice told you he wouldn’t want you now that you were used, now that he had had you once already. You tried to ignore it, but he was silent, frozen behind you. You hid your face against your arm instead and prayed he’d not just get up and leave. “Princess.” A kiss to your left cheek. “My princess.” A kiss to your right cheek. “Breathe.” He got up, stretched along your back, engulfed you in a violent hug. He brought his mouth right next to your ear and grabbed one of your wrists, to bring your hand down between his legs. “This is how much I want you. This is how much I need you.” You startled at his boldness. He knew what he was doing though, because it certainly helped erase any doubts you had. Carefully, you wrapped your hand around him, as far as it was possible. He was hard, hot, and leaking. You peeked at him, tried to gauge his reaction. His mouth had fallen open, a breathless groan fell from his lips. “Fuck, let go.” You did, and moved to turn back to the wall, when Geralt caught your hand and licked a broad stripe across the palm of it. “What-“ “One day-“ He growled into your ear, caused you to shiver. “One day I will come inside you, make you cum so hard you pass out, and then I’ll eat you until you wake up.” You felt his grin against the shell of your ear. That bastard. He nipped your earlobe and got back to his knees with your ass in his hands squeezing and teasing with his touch but never giving in.. “Oh, look at you. So wet and ready.” You whimpered, pressed back against his hands. You needed him, needed something. He watched your arch your back and couldn’t hold the warm rumble in his chest. “So pretty. Do you think you can take me already?” He didn’t really ask, you didn’t think. Geralt didn’t wait for an answer at least. His finger was enough to have you moan, and he wasn’t even inside you. No. He circled from your clit to your entrance, through your lips, gathering and spreading your juices. “I think I’ll have a taste first.” Oh no. “Geralt, st- hhhng.” He had no mercy, he lapped you up, held you close, pressed even closer. Your legs were shaking, your lips hurt from biting them. Moans and whimpers, breathless gasps when he caught your clit between his teeth; the room was filled with it. When he had enough, he gave your ass a soft slap and got up. You canted your hips, begged him to get it on; oh, didn’t he need to be asked twice. “Can do you me a favour, princess?” He held your hip with one hand, guided his dick between your folds with the other. You whimpered in answer, his name hissed in desperation. “I want you to let go. Don’t hold back. You won’t be able to, and no one knows who you are.” He breached your entrance, the stretch mind-numbingly good. You mouth fell open, your head fell back and you closed your eyes. “Geralt.” “Hm, louder, princess.” He pushed in, wrapped his arms around you and didn’t give you much time to acclimate. He went all in, covered you in kisses, in his scent, made you his; you’d never forget him. “Scream my name, princess. I want them to know that I am the only one who can make you feel like this. And I’ll always be the only one.” Every thrust pushed a breathless gasp from you. Your hands were scrambling for purchase against the wall, until you gave up and sunk you nails into Geralt’s forearms, half mad in hopes of some anchoring. He didn’t stop talking, he just went on and on, and you were so wet, you dripped. “All this for me. You’re so good to me, princess.” The way he said it. You thought you melted right then and there. He straightened, wrapped an arm around your chest and hiked you up until your toes barely even touched the floor. “Wait!” You slapped a hand against the wall, balancing yourself as you fell forward. Not that you could have gone far. The change in angle and the missing support from below had you roll your eyes so far back, Geralt half feared they’d get stuck. But then a shiver ran through you and you tried to move your hips. “Sh, I’m here, you’re alright.” “Geralt, please, please.”, you pressed out, your feet trying to get some leverage. “Please, just fuck me, please.” “As you wish, my highness.” He made sure to have a good grip on you, and then he started moving earnestly. He wasn’t pulling any punches, using his superhuman strength to keep you where he wanted you and where he could hit that one perfect spot that had you keening and begging. You’d have bruises later, but all you could think about right now, was the way his dick felt inside you, how warm he was, how safe you felt, and how good he was. Your mindless babble amused him somewhat. He wasn’t even halfway done; you’d learn to question him. He bit your neck, licked the spot and then murmured pet names and love words into your skin; you were ascending to heaven, it couldn’t be any other way. “Come for me.” It didn’t take more. You were so tense, the knot in your belly was just waiting for release. Geralt cursed when you went rigid around him, clenching so hard he could barely move. “Fuck, yes.” He set you down and buried his face in your hair, just breathing and trying not to blow his load. He had Witcher stamina, but not even that was any help against the spell of you. “Fuck, I love you.” You were too far gone to hear it, your orgasm having you completely in its hold. Geralt held you up, peppered kisses all over your shoulders and neck as he waited for you to come back to him. “I’m not yet done with you, princess.” He slipped out, ignored your whine and threw you over his shoulder with an arm wrapped around your thighs. You protested, vaguely really. Your mind was still processing your first orgasm, and definitely wasn’t able to consider the possibility of another one. Geralt dropped you on the bed, nipped your shoulder and straightened. “On you belly and arms where I want them, princess.” You were a bit drowsy, out of it; he smirked. You fiancé wouldn’t be able to fuck the memory of him out of you. He’d make sure he was branded into your flesh, into every fiber of your body, nestled into every crook of your mind. “C’mon now, be a good girl.” You rolled onto your belly and crossed your wrists behind your back. It was as much as you were able to do; your limbs didn’t exactly obey you. Geralt shook his head. “You can do better than that.” He kneeled between your legs, uncrossed your wrists and rearranged your arms to his satisfaction. The position wasn’t as strenuous as before, but you’d not be able to get out of his grip anyhow. Your cheeks was smushed into the mattress, your hair in knots and loops, your body exhausted, your cunt leaking. “Keep them like this.” He let go of your arms, grabbed your hips and lifted, causing you to automatically bring your knees in. Your gasp didn’t go unnoticed, nor did his deep appreciative rumble. Your arms threatened to fall to your sides, but Geralt was faster. One of his huge hands wrapped around them and kept them there. “Geralt, please..” You thought you were going to die, if he touched you right now. You were still clenching around nothing, still pulsing. “What, princess?” He covered your ass with his free hand, smoothed down the outside of your thigh, just to switch to the inside and tease you as his fingers travelled closer and closer to your soaked cunt. “Do you need something?” His fingertips brushed over your clit; he was trying to kill you, no doubt. “No, please,-“ Geralt chuckled. You shouldn’t be so attracted and influenced by a simple sound, but fuck if you didn’t press your face into the fabric underneath you and spread your legs further. “Oh, you want more?” He pressed a single finger inside you, pulled out, pushed it, pulled out again. You were dripping, and he loved it. His fingers swirled through the wetness, his chest heaving as he filled his lungs with your scent, your neediness. “Just a moment, princess.” His dick was still hard as stone, so it didn’t take much more than some of your juices to help him along. He stroked through your folds, gathered enough to slather his cock with it. When he lined up, you wriggled your butt and clenched around air, trying to get him in faster, or maybe make it harder for him, you didn’t even know yourself. You knew you were crazy about him, his touch, his voice. He’d be your first and your last, if you’d any say in it. He situated himself, leaned forward to make sure you’d stay where you were. “Scream, princess. Let them know who satisfies you.” He pushed in, didn’t give you even a second to acclimate. He pounded you into the mattress, his hips slamming into your ass. Your knees started slipping, giving out, and your brain was sludge. You felt as if it was leaking out of your ears, your lungs denying you air and your voice raising with every move. “Fuck, Geralt, oh please, please.” He was grunting, huffing, cursing even, especially when you clenched around him, as if you tried to keep him with you forever. It was raw, animalistic, and you loved it. He didn’t hold back, every touch of his hips hitched you further up the bed before he pulled you back against him. It didn’t take long for your second orgasm to roll through you. It slammed into you with the force of a war horse and you were left scrambling after your mind. “Yes, oh fuck.” Geralt let go of your arms, brought them down onto the mattress and pulled out. He stopped for a moment to admire the view of your red and swollen cunt, how your juices and his precum were mixing and clinging to you both. If he wasn’t so keen on making you come around his cock once more, he’d eat you. If he was a lesser man, he’d be openly drooling. But he was a goddamn Witcher, and he could keep his wits about him. “Geralt.” The softest little moan, barely audible. Or maybe not. He flipped you over, gathered your legs, held them against his chest and slipped back into you. You jolted, whined, gripped his cock. His golden eyes roamed all over you. Your flushed skin, your stiff nipples, your mouth, raw and swollen from biting. You were beautiful. So beautiful, it made Geralt almost look away. How dare he touch you with his soiled hands? He'd stopped, his hands on your thighs, his fingertips leaving bruises. Why didn’t he move? “Geralt.” You reached for him, eyes merely slits, tongue peeking out of your mouth as you wet your lips. “Geralt, please. Please.” He grunted, slid a hand underneath your lower back to support you and moved. He may have dirty hands, bloody and brutal, but you didn’t seem to mind. You were the best thing happening in his life, aside his daughter, and he wasn’t willing to let you go without making you understand how much you meant to him. You were his. His alone. Your fucking fiancé would have to brainwash you in order to get you to moan any other name than his. He’d make sure of it. “No one will ever get to be on your mind like I am, princess. You’ll never find another one who’s going to be so good, so darling to you, ever.” You nodded, his voice making it’s way into every nook and cranny of your soul, rooting there, festering. He wasn’t going to leave, not without a fight. “I’ll make sure no other dick will ever be good enough for you. No one will be able to fill you like this, make you feel whole and stretched and loved.” His hips moved faster and faster, his dick slamming in like a hammer; every thrust made you keen, your fingers clawing at the sheets and trying to find purchase. He made you feel like you were floating. “You will not be able to forget me, princess. You’ll maybe sleep with your fiancé, but I’m the one you think of, I’m the one you will dream of. I’m the one who will make you come, even when I’m not there.” He let your legs fall, spread your knees and leaned in, essentially folding you in half. “Scream my name, princess.” The new angle made you see stars, made you feel like you were short of exploding. “Come for me, princess.” One hand snaked between your bodies, to play with your clit. “Make me proud, princess.” You had forgotten how to breathe, your whole focus was on Geralt, beautiful, gentle Geralt. “I’m yours, princess. Be mine.” Your whole body locked, your legs trembled, your cunt clenched rhythmically. And this time, you did scream his name. Geralt cursed, pushed in until there wasn’t anymore to go and tensed. “Fuck, princess.” You were sure you’d passed out for a moment there, because when you became aware of your surroundings again, you were curled up against Geralt, tucked into his side with your face pressed into the crook of his neck. Your body was aching, some places more than others, but it would be a pleasant reminder of what you’d done. His fingers treaded through your hair, detangled some of the knots in it; his breath ghosted over your skin, his warmth had leaked into you, thawing your ever-so-cold toes. Geralts rough voice interrupted your thoughts. “I love you.”

[mischiefthedreamerx]

To Be Glorious & Free

Synopsis: Lady Loki visits young (kid) Loki in a dream, he feels lost and ashamed of who he is but she has a few words of wisdom to be shared.

A/N: Just an idea, nothing that’s logical but it’s a fanfic so it doesn't have to make sense 😂 Also Ik nothing about Loki in the comics, this fic doesn't really fit in the mcu either so just take it as it is. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I kinda imagine Lady Loki as Eva Green XD

- - -

Radiant white light blinded his vision. Young Loki placed a hand to cover over his squinted eyes. The radiance was warm and comforting. Though the feeling quickly faded when a thought entered his mind;

Was this Valhalla? At least he was grateful to have died a peaceful death in his sleep.

Loki still felt the rise and fall of his chest, the soft texture of grass between his fingers, the sound of soft winds. He pulled himself up to a sitting position, the mysterious light was the blazing sun. Loki rubbed his eyes; he was in a field. The sky was the perfect shade of blue, in fact, the whole place seemed too perfect to be real.

He studied his surroundings in hopes of finding a way out. Instead he saw a large beech tree in the distance. A darkened figure sat against it, hidden in the shade. If this was a dream, his dream, surely he'd remain safe from any potential threat. He hoped so anyway.

Loki began his walk towards the giant tree that swayed gently with the wind. The figure was shadowed by a hood that covered most of their facial features. Loki kept a few metres away to analyse this guest in his dream.

Young Loki struggled to keep his composure in order to stay calm.

The firmly built figure was dressed in some kind of green leather dress with golden armoured plates on the arms, accessorised with a black corset. The dress had a long slit on each side of the hips to reveal tight black trousers and boots underneath.

Loki felt his heart hammer in his chest.

The finely dressed female let out an amused laugh of the richest honey. The dark hood was was removed.

Waves of long black hair fell in place accompanied with piercing blue eyes painted in thin layers of black. A small horned headband rested around the forehead.

"I was expecting something more glamours than a field. But this shall do." She said, looking around at the view. Her voice spoke in confidence that demanded to be heard.

Loki attempted to swallow down his anxiety. "W-who are you?" He asked.

This..version of Loki rolled her eyes. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to.” She patted the ground next to her underneath the tree.

"Sit. You're wasting time." She commanded. Loki obeyed silently and sat down. He felt captivated and almost jealous at this future version of himself. She began to inspect him, eyes moving up and down.

"You still have such a long way to go." Her voice sounded like Mother's, though it was lightly edged with darkness.

"Are you from the future?" He asked.

"Yes and no. I'm just one of the many version of who you'd wish to become one day." She responded. Loki pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them.

"Of someone I can never become." Young Loki said in small voice.

"Nonsense. You can become whoever or whatever you wish to be, you know you have the power to do so. The only thing stopping you is your own fear." Lady Loki said, she made it sound like an easy thing to overcome.

Loki felt his chest tighten. "Fear of what others may think of me." Though still so young, there were whispers of what many thought of him. A growing shadow amongst warriors.

"It's too late to fear what others may think of you, they have already decided." A hint of sadness laced her voice. "You are not responsible for how others perceive you. Show everyone you are better than them. They are the weak minded fools who follow what they have been taught, never having the courage to think for themselves."

Loki locked eyes with his female self, he could feel the confidence radiate from her.

"They are not free." He said, both of their lips mirrored a smirk.

"You are learning well. The world follows their little pathetic paths that are controlled by others. But you, us, are glorious and free." Lady Loki brushed a gentle hand along her younger self's cheek. "We make up our own rules.”

Loki closed his eyes, savouring this strange moment. These were the words he needed to hear for so long. A part of him did not wish to wake up. A brief pause of silence fell between them as Lady Loki waited for a response.

"But it's.. it's not natural to be..." Loki wasn't sure how to word this correctly

"To be both, or neither, somewhere in between." His female self shrugged. Loki nodded.

Lady Loki let out a chuckle. "Says who? There are many unnatural things in this world. Take our idiotic brother for example, " She joked. "It is only considered unnatural because others find it uncomfortable. Many tend to fear those who are different. I find being normal rather tedious."

"That is true." He mumbled to himself.

"We are not the only ones who feel this way. There's a realm that is more..progressive and accepting, a realm of those who are similar to us."

Loki turned, appearing surprised. Surprised that he was not the only one. It brought him a sense of comfort that a world so far away lived beings similar to him.

"Where is this realm?" He asked.

"On Midgard. They are only mortal, they live such short lives."

"I've heard of that realm." Though he did not know much about it. It shocked him that mortals seemed to be more accepting than those who lived far far longer.

"Believe me, it's not a very exciting place to visit. I've had my fair share of fun with them” Well she wouldn’t exactly have called it a fun time...

"If they are more accepting then I'd much rather be there anyway.." Loki sighed.

Lady Loki's eyes widened. "No." She pointed a finger at him. Loki let himself laugh at her response.

"I see they do not like you very much?" He dared to ask.

Lady Loki moved in closer and smirked. "Not quite. They just couldn't handle all of my glory." She spoke proudly, twisting a strand of long hair with her finger. Young Loki let himself freely smile.

This.. dream gave him some hope but the fear still remained strong underneath.

"Let me ask you something." She said in deep thought. Loki nodded.

"Do you believe women are weak creatures in need of protecting?" She asked.

Loki frowned. "No, of course not!" He said in dismay. He knew many strong women, his mother especially. Her magic was something to truly admire and even fear at times.

"Good. Do you believe their appearance dictates their worth?"

Loki shook his head. "No that's completely absurd!"

Lady Loki chuckled. "If only you could see the look on your face, young one.”

Loki felt slightly embarrassed. "Why ask me this?"

She let out a soft sigh. "Because it is what many people believe. It's something that has been ingrained in us since we were children, in story books, in legends, when we are young it is easy to subconsciously believe these ridiculous ideation." She tapped the side of her head. "We both believed this without even realising it.” It took a great amount of years to break away from it all, she only wished it hadn't taken so long.

“Oh and also, it’s possible to be both beautiful and strong at the same time.” She added with a wink.

This had never come to Loki's attention before, it was a lot to take in in such a short amount of time. He realised how much the idea of fear truly controlled everyone so easily, even him.

She continued; "No matter how hard you try, you'll never stop others from judging you no matter what you do, it's inevitable. You could pretend to fit in to avoid it all but that isn't who we are. Not when we were born for greatness. "

Lady Loki's prideful speech soon began to loose its confidence. "My only advice is to not strive for too much, it will only leave you disappointed."

Loki could see the hint of sorrow in those ancient eyes.

"Power is addictive." He commented, he was afraid of asking what sort of things had happened to her. Or maybe he did not wish to know at all.

With a frail smile, Lady Loki replied; "If only I knew that before it was all too late."

"It's never too late to start over." The words that left his lips sounded rather naive, though perhaps it was true in some ways. ".. are you happy?"

Happiness seemed like such a childish word.

Lady Loki tried to suppress a laugh for the sake of her younger self.

"Is anyone ever truly happy?" She responded.

A question in response to another question. Typical. Loki wasn't surprised.

"You're avoiding my question."

"It's one of our many talents." She replied, but Loki wanted an answer.

"It's my dream, I deserve answers. Skip the fancy philosophical responses for once."

Lady Loki raised an eyebrow, she should at least have the courage to be honest with her younger self, right?

She leaned back against the tree, eyes lost into the distance of the vast field, struggling to come up with a response.

"For awhile I forgot what it even meant to be happy, I was lost within myself, consumed by rage, never satisfied with what I had. Some people are just cursed to never feel satisfied and I've come to accept that as a part of my life... but now, after many years, you ask if I am happy... then yes, I am happy." She risked turning her head to meet her younger self's curious eyes.

"Liar." He whispered. Lady Loki's face tightened with anguish, a hidden fist began to clench but nevertheless, she smirked. She was unsure if it really was a lie or the truth.

"Guilty as charged." She said. "Lying may be our native tongue but we have yet to believe the lies we tell ourselves." She then began to stand up. "Looks like our time is up."

“Why so soon?” Loki stood up too. "Please don't go. I still have so many questions." Eyes pleading upwards to his older self. She was truly a beautiful sight to behold, so much power with a single look.

"All in due time. You'll find all the answer you seek soon. Don't forgot what I have told you or this would all have been for nothing." Would he even remember this dream when he woke up?

"Then can you promise me one thing before you go?" He asked. Promises weren't exactly her forte but she'd try to make an exception.

"Go on." She urged him.

Loki fiddled with his fingers. "Promise me you'll be happy one day." He said in a quiet voice, he knew how silly this sounded.

Lady Loki fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I promise." She said, though they were both not satisfied with her response but it would be enough.

Then she spoke again; "A promise for a promise then; promise me you won’t give up. Your story has only just began."

Loki nodded.

Lady Loki closed her eyes and began to fade away. He wanted to reach out to stay for awhile longer but it was no use. They shared a smile together before she had completely vanished away, a trail of glistening sparks flew up with the wind.

Sleep soon arrived to take Loki back home.

Loki drifted off and fell backwards thinking he'd fall on the grass but within an instant, his eyes opened wide as he awoke on his bed. He pulled himself up, moving his legs out to the side, feet touching the cold floor. A slow and steady sigh exhaled from his lips. He remembered.

He would not tell anyone, it would be his little secret. Though like all dreams, they are soon forgotten.

Loki got up and walked to his full length mirror, looking at his reflection. Placing a hand against the glass and holding his head up high, Loki spoke these words like a sacred prayer;

"Your story has only just began."

- - - -

A/N: As a trasguy who likes feminine clothes but is often scared to wear them, this felt really nice to write 🥺💚

[sugarmaplewings-fics]

Midnight Ball

Pairing: Todoroki x reader

Warnings: None

Author’s Note:

Day two of Sugar’s Spooky Days/Fall Special

Hehehe I have managed to finish something! Can’t say as much for the Kirishima one, so that might have to be late :(. I should have that one done sometime over the weekend though, so fingers crossed!

I also may or may not have been thinking about Heartless by Marissa Meyer while I wrote that first bit 👀👀 (read it, it’s good, especially if you want to sob your eyeballs out like I did)

I hope you like this one! It was fun for me to write!

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.

You had insisted on not coming to this party.

You, of course, had said this as if you had a choice. Really, as someone with your status, you should have the power to make decisions for yourself. But nooo, as the only daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness, it was your duty to attend the king’s bi-annual masquerade ball. Bother.

So, here you were, all dressed up with little intention to dance or even have fun. You clung to the sides of the spacious dancefloor, hoping to keep to yourself enough that no one would try to talk to you. It was truly dreadful what some of your fellow nobility could come up with for small talk. Exchanging formalities and remarking on politics, only then to run off into a tangent on whatever subject may have recently captured their trivial attention.

You longed to be elsewhere—in a library perhaps, or in your garden, working on sketches in your notebook. Gracious, come to think of it, maybe sleeping would even be the better option. It was dreadfully late.

The king always insisted on throwing such parties as these so late at night, stretching all the way to early hours of the morning. You’d gotten plenty of rest prior in preparation for this autumn Midnight Ball, but between the lack of meaningful interaction and your desire to be elsewhere, you found yourself capturing yawns in your gloved hand.

Your childhood best friend didn’t seem to have this problem. You could see her now, indigo skirts swishing around her ankles as she danced with some green haired man. You couldn’t quite tell if you had ever seen him before, but he was probably from some foreign kingdom. You’d certainly hear all about him tomorrow.

You began to grow antsy at your position on the west wall. Your heels were beginning to make your ankles ache, and your mask was growing progressively warmer with each breath. A glance towards the banquet table told you that the coast was clear for you to browse the selection of food laid out, but your corset made you think twice. Your handmaiden had done it so dreadfully tight.

Curses. Not to her, she had done nothing wrong. Maybe at your mother, who insisted on lacing it up in this way.

You chewed at your tongue. Maybe a walk in the courtyard would clear your head. It would definitely be cooler and not so bright. If you were lucky, you may even be alone.

Gathering your (F/C) skirts in your fists, you strode to the door to the outside, ducking through small gatherings of people and curtseying to the guards positioned at the exit. You knew you had made the right decision as soon as the night air hit your face, a cool October breeze seeping behind your mask and ruffling the feathers that adorned it. A full moon lit your path as you walked further into the manicured gardens. You’d been around here before, yet you still allowed yourself time to admire the hedges and trees closing off spaces of land. Flowerbeds were artfully placed wherever they could fit, although you could tell that most of their plentiful blooming yield had already gone back within themselves for the frosty winter. What you were truly interested in was a small pond located in the back, hidden behind a few bushes at its side.

The clear pool laid stagnant before you as you knelt down to look into it. The light of the moon bounced off your bejeweled costume mask, causing the water to sparkle even brighter beneath you. A large koi fish took notice of your signal, lazily sliding its stout, tri-colored body towards the surface in hopes that you may have brought it some food.

“I’m sorry, little friend,” you whispered to its expectant gaping mouth, “I don’t have anything for you.”

You watched him for another moment, little splashes made by the fish’s fins breaking the stillness of both the silent night air and the pool’s surface.

“You’ve upset him.”

The sound of an unfamiliar voice made you start. You straightened, brushing off the front of your skirt. Turning, you saw the figure of a man standing a few paces away from you. His build was lean and strong, and a mask of his own glittered in the all-encompassing moonlight. It was difficult to make out any identifying features, but a part of you just knew that he was intangibly handsome.

“Sorry?” you said, trying to compose yourself.

Perfect. This was just what you had been trying to avoid: interaction. Maybe he’d go easy on you and let you leave soon, or maybe he could have something genuinely worthwhile to say.

“That fish,” he clarified. “He’s hungry.”

You pursed your lips together in thought as you stole a glance back at the pond. Your koi friend had retreated back to the depths of his home as soon as you had turned your back. The air hummed with silence once more.

“Is he, though?” you asked. “He probably gets fed just as well as any other creature living on the grounds.”

The mysterious man shrugged. “True, but perhaps that’s the most joy he gets out of life.”

“Oh.” You stood there awkwardly for a second in silence, trying to think of a response. “That’s a little . . . grim.”

“Sorry.” He shifted. “I’ve always felt bad for fish.”

“How so?”

He took a step closer to the pond, bending a bit at the waist in order for him to see into it better. “They have less freedom. Little to do, nowhere to go . . . sometimes they remind me of myself a bit.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not terribly fond of my father.”

You blinked, wondering if he was going anywhere with this.

His eyes finally snapped up to yours. The moon caught their shades perfectly, drawing out hints of color that would normally be lost to their own depths. It struck you suddenly that you had seen these eyes before; one a steely silver while the other was a lovely cerulean that nearly seemed to glow. Where had you previously seen these eyes?

“Sorry,” he apologized again. “I didn’t mean to overstep.” He straightened up to properly face you, his posture rigid and practiced, just as you had seen all the other noblemen do your whole life. “My name is Shouto Todoroki, son of Duke Enji Todoroki,” he said, piercing eyes growing a little glassy at the voicing of his own name. He bowed to you, and around the top of his mask, you took notice of his perfectly split bi-colored hair. “My lady,” he said.

“Shouto?” Yes, that was right. You’d met him a few times as children, playing together while your families held council meetings. It had to have been nearly ten years since you’d seen him last, and to be honest, he’d grown into quite the man.

“Yes?” he answered, uncertain.

“It’s me,” you said, lifting your mask a bit to better show off your eyes and features in the dim light. “(F/N) (L/N).”

You watched as he did a double take; eyes scanning you from top to bottom as he put a name to your person. “(Y/N) . . . wow, it’s been a long time.”

You chuckled, fiddling with the material of your skirt between your fingers. “You’re not saying I’m old, now, are you?”

He snorted, his posture relaxing. “Of course not, my lady.”

You began to chat, settling in beside him as you wandered around the gardens together. It was only now that you realized how much you had missed your old friend, finding it shockingly easy to talk with him. He spoke of his father and how he intended for Shouto to take his place in power when his time came. You noted the bitterness he carried in his voice, vaguely remembering the emergence of the issue from the last time you’d conversed. He listened to your own life updates, interested in your hobbies and what you had to say about life and time. In fact, it nearly felt as if no time had passed at all, and you’d remained close throughout the years.

The light of the castle began to creep upon the path ahead of you, and you noticed that you’d circled the entire perimeter of the gardens. Music from the ballroom floated to your ears, and you recognized the tune. Influenced by your improved mood, you began to hum along to a few of the notes, nodding your head to the light, peppy rhythm.

Shouto took notice of this, eyeing you with a small smile gracing his usually stoic face. He sped up just enough to come up in front of you, causing you to halt in your tracks. He bowed before you again, one hand behind his back with the other outstretched for your own. “If I may, could I have this dance? This is your king’s ball, and I believe that my lady deserves at least one before the night’s end.”

An unexpected heat climbed to your cheeks. Why were you suddenly feeling this way? Your childhood friend had certainly grown into quite the handsome young man, but you couldn’t ever remember thinking of him in this manner. He’d only ever shown kindness and respect towards you, and it was only now beginning to weigh on you how much you liked him. But this weight wasn’t in any way unpleasant, in fact, it made you feel giddier, almost light and intrepid. What could one dance together hurt?

You rested your hand in his, the fabrics of your gloves sliding together as your fingers met. His head turned up so he could once again make eye contact, drawing your offered appendage to his lips. They brushed over your knuckles, feather light, and you found yourself wishing that the silken material could have been removed. How soft were his lips truly?

Shouto walked you a few paces away onto an open area in the grass, the fragrance of greenery and crisp evening air wafting through the space. Every surface was bathed in a fine layer of moonlight, giving the world a dark, silvery glow. Shouto’s skin gleamed pale and resembled porcelain, eyes shining behind the contrasting shadows of his mask.

With your palm in his, he guided you closer to him, his other hand alighting on the small of your back.

“The moon highlights your beauty remarkably so. I’ve never felt this . . . enamored by someone.”

You shivered at his words, the gentle intensity of his gaze boring into you. You began to fall into step with the music wavering in the background. The cheerful rhythm made your heart soar as you glided over the grass with your partner. He led you through some practiced steps, others entirely new. Your skirts swirled around your ankles, adding an extra flare to each of your movements. The sound of the hidden orchestra was distant and thin, and yet there was such a feeling that instilled through you, almost as if the music had seeped all the way to your marrow.

You watched as Shouto’s face began to relax into a little smile, twirling you this way, dipping you over his strong arm, pulling you back into his chest. The whole ordeal took your breath away, and even in the cool night air, your cheeks began to ignite in a palpable warmth of their own. Time slowed, and it was as though you’d been his dance partner for centuries, finding a rhythm and flowing together as one.

That is, until a shooting pain fired through your ankle, causing you to gasp and stumble. Shouto caught and steadied you in his arms before you could fall very far, worry clouding over his face.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

You grimaced, shifting your weight on your feet. “It’s my heels,” you explained. “Sorry. They’re not the most . . . practical.”

“Here,” Shouto said, offering you his arm. “Take them off. You don’t need them out here.”

Your face heated once again as you leaned on his outstretched appendage, fishing around in your skirts until you found your foot. Within moments, you were free, feet bare in their thin tights, discarded shoes unbuckled and placed neatly aside on the grass. The both of you found a stone bench nearby, and you sat side by side to help ease the strain on your feet. While you took this bit of a breather, you remarked to yourself how much taller Shouto was compared to you. The sight of how much he’d grown over the years, mixed with this newfound urge to rest your head against his broad chest . . . .

“Are you feeling better now, my lady?”

(Y/N). Your name was (Y/N). He could have just as easily called you as such, and yet, the formality set your heart aflutter.

“Yes, I believe I am. Actually, I’m feeling much better. This party was so dull until you happened upon me.”

Shouto’s smile returned, the slightest shine appearing on his upturned lips. “I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a long time either. Thank you for accepting my offer to dance.”

You hummed and flashed him a genuine grin of your own.

He averted his eyes suddenly, a new tension gripping his shoulders. “I know we haven’t talked in years,” he began, “but if you didn’t mind, I would like to get to know you again, (Y/N). Our kingdoms aren’t too distant, and I would like to write to you sometime when I return home.”

Your smile widened. “That sounds lovely. I’d love to keep in touch with you.” You let your hand wander over to his, taking it up in your fingers.

Shouto smiled again at your touch, raising your joined palms to press another kiss to your knuckles. “I look forward to your response,” he said, lips brushing against your gloved fingers as he spoke, eyes locked on yours.

You could still hear the band playing in the ballroom. To the king, the night was still young, and the party would continue for some time longer. Within moments, you were on your feet again with him, twirling your body to the tempo of the strings and winds. With stars serving as your only audience, you danced with your newfound partner until the early hours of the morning under the light of a full hanging moon.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.

Taglist: @aahilovetheatre​ @heartpaw12​ @todoroki-waifu​ @basicaegyo​ @iiminibattlehero​ @katsugay​ @nabo39​ @pyrofanatic​ @sendhelpimstupid​ @sokkasangel​ @xoxopam4​

[ffangirlingsince2001]

The Witcher and the Princess: Fire and Ice

Geralt of Rivia is not a babysitter, he is not a bodyguard, and he has no interest in transporting princesses across the continent. Until gold is offered and for the next 90 days he’s saddled with a chirpy, bubbly, princess, who is betrothed to the prince of Narok and has a desire to see everything before she’s trapped behind another set of walls.

Geralt x Reader

Warnings: angry witcher, angst, hypothermia reader, skin on skin but not smut, language

She was gone when he awoke.

The bed was made, her clothes were gone as was her pack, and she was nowhere to be found.

“Fuck,” he growled scrambling around for a set of clothing, the drunkenness of last night still weighing heavily on his mind.

And he couldn’t find a damn pair of pants. Because of course when he needed them the most he couldn’t find them. He swore he had left them on the ground when he had climbed into bed last night, but that’s where he thought he had left his shirt too, and it was nowhere to be found either. He was stranded, princessless and without any clothes. “Fuck,” he yelled again, throwing his fist into the bedframe, the wood splintering ever so slightly, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Gold wasn’t worth it. She could find her own damn way to her godforsaken prince. If he loved her that much, he should have sent a carriage instead of relying on him to bring her. He was going to kill her if he ever saw her again, selfish spoiled brat. If he had anything to say about it he was going to teach her a lesson in some goddamn respect He was going to teach her what fear meant. He was going to-

“Can you unlock the door? I forgot my key.” The familiar voice froze him in his rage, still panting with anger the words he had for her threatened to bubble over. When he didn’t move the call came again, accompanied by a soft tapping that he assumed she considered to be knocking.

He marched towards the door and flung it open to reveal a very innocent looking princess.

“Oh!” she gasped, averting her eyes as quickly as she could, cheeks washing pink. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I-,”

“Where the fuck have you been?” he growled pulling her in by her arm as forcefully as could without pulling her arm from her shoulder.

“You’re hurting me,” she gasped, the parcels in her hands falling to the ground as she struggled to get out of his grip, his fingers leaving tight purple bruises in their stead.

“I asked you a damn question, I expect an answer, Princess,” he spat, eyes blazing with fire, hands shaking with anger.

No. He wasn’t shaking.

She was.

Eyes wide with fear, lower lip quivering as she tried to maintain eye contact. She wasn’t sure if the fury in his eyes or his nakedness were more intimidating, but his eyes were far less foreign.

“Shopping,” she squeaked, glancing at the parcels that littered the floor.

“Shopping?” he snarled, and she flinched away, pulling at his heavy grasp once more, but he pulled her closer, not stopping until her arm was pressed against his chest and his breath was rustling her hair. “Your father might be paying me to take you to your dearly beloved, but he is not paying me to flounce after your every whim. And where are my clothes?”

“Drying in the bathroom.” She was near tears now, but her voice didn’t even shake.

“Why are they drying?”

“I washed them this morning, you said.. you said you wanted to leave early so I thought if washed them we could leave earlier.” He studied her closely, searching for a lie, and when he found none he released her, stalking off towards the bathroom to check for himself.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered he found his clothes hanging from a makeshift clothesline. The stains and the smell were both a thing of the past. As he put them on he couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably, not quite use to the feeling of fresh cotton and linen against his skin. It was strange to be anything but dredged in dirt, yet now he stood cleaner than he had in months.

When he left the washroom, he found her huddled on her bed, knees to her chest and watching him tensely.

“Don’t run off again.” She nodded silently. Maybe he should have yelled at her sooner. “What did you buy anyway, we can’t afford to carry clothing, it’ll slow us down.”

“Oh, I didn’t buy clothes, I guess I traded the old one for a new one, but that’s all food,” she rambled bashfully, picking up the parcels she had dropped in his bout of anger. “Venison mostly, but some stuff for Roach, too.” As she stood and stared at him he noticed the dress she had mentioned. Green velvet had been traded for cream colored cotton and golden embroidery swapped for a leather corset that cinched her waist in ways that were far more tempting than the loose style dresses princesses often wore. It was hard to think of her as princess in the way she stood before him, doe eyed and expectant. Standing merely feet away in his bedroom no less. Had she been anyone else he was sure his fingers would be hoisting her skirt while she squirmed beneath him, but she was not anyone else. He shook the thought from his head, nothing good could come from lusting after princesses, especially those were already set to married.

“Why the dress?” he grunted, noting the way she had begun to draw circles in the carpet with her shoe as he studied her, just like she had the night before.

“I thought the princess thing would make us a target for bandits,” she explained and he grunted in agreement.

“Won’t your prince mind your dressed like a commoner?”

“I can always buy a different one.” Of course she could.

He grunted and threw his pack over his shoulder, marching out the door. It took a few moments for the soft patter of her shoes to follow and when they came so did her chattering. “I’m sorry for making you worry.” When he didn’t even offer her a hum of acknowledgement she continued, “It’s just I didn’t want to make you wait any longer than you had to, and I thought I would be back before you woke, and I know don’t really want to do this so I thought I would make it easier for-,”

“Do you always talk this much?” he interrupted as he saddled both Roach and the white horse her father had provided her.

“I’m trying to apologize,” she snapped, her tone a little too privileged for his taste.

“Listen Princess-,”

“My name’s Y/N.”

“Alright, Y/N, listen, out here is my kingdom. I’m the king, it’s my rules, and if you don’t like it you can find a new babysitter.”

“And then you won’t get your gold.”

“Your father’s not the only one with gold.”

“Why did you take it then?” To that he didn’t respond, merely mounted Roach and began to ride out of town. “So, that’s your argument then? Just walking away?”

“I don’t argue with naïve children,” he called back urging Roach forward, not even bothering to wait for her. She would catch up, and if she didn’t no skin off of his nose.

 She caught up of course and the silence that he so desperately craved the day prior accompanied her. Though, it had a lot more tension than he would have preferred. It was harsh and cold, hurt feelings driving it, but the coldness had nothing on the store brewing in the clouds above them.

The snow had started falling a couple hours in and by the time the sun was beginning to set it had turned into a full blizzard.

Wind pierced the travelers hard and fast, pellets of ice digging into their skin as they trekked forwards. It was lucky he had had the sense to tie her horse to his when the storm had first started to pick up because he was sure she would have been left behind long ago. He could feel her horse bumping into his, her cloak brushing against his arm but the sheet of white between them prevented him from seeing any of it. He knew he should have stopped the moment it began. He should have tied up a shelter and them huddle beneath. He should have kept her safe, but pride had prevented it. Pride and annoyance from the morning demanded they keep going. And to make him feel worse she hadn’t complained once.

As requested she had stayed silent throughout the ride, it was only when she could no longer hold it in that the chattering of her teeth began. He should have stopped right then, but he kept moving, insisting mostly to himself that wasn’t that long to the next town.

He knew now they had long since passed the nearest town, and any further hope of warmth. He would have to hope that the horses would keep them warm until he was able to find a spot to hide them in.

“Geralt,” came the first timid whisper of the day, and it sounded terrified.

“We’re almost there,” he lied and silence followed. He knew she knew he was lying so the silence worried him, and the worry only grew when her leg knocked against him as she tumbled off her horse and into the snow. He yanked against the reigns and threw himself off before Roach had even come to a complete stop. Wind whipped through his hair as he blindly felt for the princess, praying that the snow had failed in covering her up. When he found her the shaking was so violent it was a struggle to hold her.

“Y/N you need to get up. C’mon Princess, we need to keep moving, we’re almost there,” he yelled over the snow, but she didn’t budge, there wasn’t even an attempt. “Fuck.” He pulled her into his arms and wrapped the cloak around her before climbing back onto Roach. They continued to ride, her shivering never slowing, even as the wind backed down. Trees began to come into view, and much to his elation so did a crawl space within the knot of a trunk. Wasting no time, he maneuvered his horse towards the salvation and carried her inside.

It barely fit the two of them, but it didn’t allow for any wind or snow either. Though it was notably warmer, she continued to shake, her lips a nasty shade of blue.

“Wake up, Princess,” he pleaded, rubbing his hands against her arms. “I know we should have stopped, just wake up.” When she didn’t stir he began to panic and instincts fought propriety. Everyone who lived in the wild knew, skin against skin, but she wasn’t from the wild, and from the way her gaze had searched for anything other than him her innocence was still very obvious; however, at this moment, her imminent death was just as obvious.

Whispering foreign apologies, he removed his shirt and tugged her dress as high as he dared. The leather corset he had imagined removing taunting him as he struggled to remove it as quickly as possible. As he pulled her against him, he allowed the dress to drape across as much of her as he could manage.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the shaking slow and she shifted against him. Her skin grew warmer and her flesh swelled against him with each breath. This was what he had worried about, how his body would react to her warmth. And react it did. With every movement a wave a relief and terror washed over him. He thanked whoever would listen that she was alive, but it grew harder to control the animalistic urges that normally accompanied soft flesh and pretty faces. The torture lasted for hours, their cave growing hotter with every passing moment, until he was gasping for a breath of fresh air. It seemed to go on forever, until finally she called out to him softly.

“Geralt, are we there yet?”

***

Taglist: @mallorydoesstuff​ @facelessfiction​ @aphadriel-fanfic​

[missluthorwillseeyounow]

Wed By Candlelight (The Portrait of the Secret Bride)

Supercorp/The Corpse Bride AU

Kara inherits the old ancestral house in Argo when she turns twenty-eight. 

She’s never been there before, never even heard about it -- until she learns about the provision in Alura’s will two weeks after she announces her engagement to Mon-El, and the crusty old executor of her mother’s estate tells Kara that the house is hers, should she want it.

But only if she gets married there, like Alura and all the women in her mother’s family were.

Two weeks into planning the wedding at the elegant old house, surrounded by family and friends who are rushing about to get everything ready for her special day, Kara’s still not sure she made the right decision. 

She’s always been curious about her mother’s family. Even when Alura was still alive, before she was adopted by the Danvers family, Kara never heard much about the Inze family. She knows vaguely that they were well-to-do, but since they moved to Metropolis when Kara was a baby, she never had much of a connection to Argo. Even less when her parents died, and she’d had to move to Midvale.

It’s a beautiful house, Kara thinks. Elegant furnishings, exquisite moldings, and vast open windows to let in the light. It’s warm and open and inviting. She couldn’t have found a more perfect venue for her wedding, even in National City. No wonder the women in her mother’s family always chose to get married here.

But apparently, this wasn’t the only tradition her mother had neglected to share before her death. The antique necklace now hiding in Kara’s pocket is apparently another heirloom Kara has never heard of -- passed down from bride to bride in the Inze family in a generations-old tradition that started almost two hundred years ago. Eliza had suggested that she make it her “something old” at her wedding. 

The wedding that she isn’t even sure about.

It’s not that she doesn’t love Mon-El. They’ve been together for years. It’s just that.... things aren’t always so peachy between them. And marriage, well, marriage is so permanent. At least it is for Kara.

And for her parents too. It’s been so long, and while it hurts a little to think about them, one thing she always remembers about Alura and Zor El is that they were so in love. They filled their home, and Kara’s life with their love for each other, and their love for her. Married for fifteen years, and they were devoted to each other until their last breath.

Is that what she and Mon-El really have?

And all of these new things that have been shoved at her since finding out about her mother’s family. Looking through this house that is somehow disconnected, yet a part of her, seeing the legacy that her family left behind.... It feels a little  like she's cheapening it by going through with a marriage to someone she can only get along with for short periods of time before everything inevitably devolves into an argument.

Kara goes for a walk to clear her head. She’s been doing this a lot lately, and a small part of her feels that if she walks far enough, she can leave this whole mess behind.

There’s a trail she’s been following for the past week that she’s found she likes a lot. It’s deserted and a little overgrown, but there’s a sort of tranquility to it as she walks slowly, dried leaves crunching under her boots.

She’d found the graveyard last week, and she’s been going there every day. It's really old, the tombstones are nearly crumbling with age, and there's something..... melancholic about the place. Something sad.

But Kara doesn’t mind. She feels a strange sort of calm here. It's quiet here, no one's fussing over Kara about venues and flowers and seating charts that she really couldn't care less about.

She walks over to her favorite grave, an old tombstone she’d found when she first got there, covered with vines and leaves until Kara had brushed them off and found the name ‘Lena Luthor’ carved into the crumbling, weathered stone. 

She’s visited the site ever since, feeling that vague sense of melancholy again. This person had died almost two hundred years ago. Whoever this Lena Luthor was, she was the same age when she died as Kara is now. For some reason, that makes her inexplicably sad.

Today, she comes bearing a few flowers from the arrangement Eliza had been draping over the church pews. Kara had been planning to place them at the old grave, to brighten things up a bit. 

But before she can approach the familiar tombstone, she hears a quiet sobbing sound. She sees a pale figure kneeling beside the grave, and at first, Kara thinks she's a mourner. Though why another person would be there mourning someone who had passed two hundred years ago, Kara doesn't know --disregarding the fact that that's what she’s been doing every day for the past week.

“Hello?” Kara keeps her voice quiet to avoid spooking this other mourner. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’ll leave you to it, but I just wanted to make sure -- are you okay?”

The sobbing stops as Kara comes closer, and the pale figure rises. And Kara's jaw drops, as the light reveals that the pale figure is actually a woman -- a very stunning, ethereally beautiful woman.... who is dressed in a bloodstained wedding dress.

What the fuck?

And not just a little bit of blood. The whole front of the dress has been dyed red with blood. And Kara can see where her dress has been slashed open to expose torn, jagged flesh, and Kara gags a little bit.

Before Kara can cry out -- in confusion? Fear? Panic? Before she can even think to make sure that the other woman is okay -- there's no way she is, not with that much blood on her dress -- the other woman turns, and her eyes fix on Kara's, piercing her where she stands. 

A slender hand reaches out, fingers trembling, and pearl-like tears slip down her pale cheeks. 

"Kara...?”  Her voice is soft and tremulous, and Kara is frozen, watching her trembling, bloody hand reach out to touch her face. 

It never does. Kara can see those fingers brushing her face, but she feels nothing. As if the woman in front of her isn’t real. “You’ve come back to me....”

The shock of it breaks the spell. Kara stumbles in her haste to back away from those bloody, outstretched fingers. The other woman steps forward, murmuring her name again, and Kara finally manages to make her legs work. She scrambles to her feet and runs away, nearly missing the trail in her fright.

In her haste, she drops the white flowers she’d brought and crushes them into the dirt with her boot.

_________

When Kara gets back to the house, she tells no one about what happened.

That was... that was just a crazy hallucination, brought on by all the stress of wedding planning and inheritance laws and every crazy little thing she’s been through the past two weeks.

When Mon-El asks where she’s been, she responds with a tight smile that she’s just been out walking. When Alex asks why she’s so pale, she reassures her she’s fine, and accepts the cup of tea she offers before retreating to her room.

That’s the first night Kara dreams of her.

In her dreams, she is still beautiful and otherworldly, but her dress is pristine. Her pale skin is smooth and unmarred, painted amber in the thin light cast by their solitary candle.

In her dreams, Kara knows her name, whispers it into the skin of her shoulder as she slowly unlaces her corset. This is her favorite time of the night, when her lady’s mother is in bed, and Kara has Lena all to herself. When the marionette strings holding Lena up are cut and she falls, eager and pliant, into Kara’s arms.  Lena’s rigid spine melts like candlewax under the heat of her fingers, and she sighs so prettily as her chemise falls to the floor, unheeded.

“I’m sorry about today.” Lena turns around at her vanity, facing Kara. Her eyes are mournful and tired, and Kara’s heart aches for her. “The things Lillian said--”

“That is how one is supposed to talk to the maid.” She makes a half-hearted attempt at mimicking Lillian, but it falls flat, and Lena merely grips her collar with angry fingers. “I’m used to it. You, on the other hand, should stop antagonizing her when she does, or she’ll end up starving you until Christmas.”

“I don’t care! She went too far.” Lena protests in a heated whisper as she pulls Kara closer by her collar, their foreheads touching. “You shouldn’t have to be used to it.”

Kara savors the warmth of her lady’s breath against her cheek, and her hand comes up to mold against Lena’s neck and jaw. “Nor should you.”

Their lips come together in a fierce kiss, tender and hungry, softness yielding to desperation. Lena tastes bittersweet and oh, how Kara loves the taste of her. Kara loves her, and she wants to yell at the unfairness of a world that would ever hurt her lady. She wants to scream and cry and rage at how unfair it is that the only love Lena has ever received is in this cold, damp room lit only by the last of the candles Kara can light for her. Kara loves her so much, she aches with it, with the need to show her just how much. 

Her hands slip over smooth, quivering skin, and as she pulls away from the kiss, Kara breathes the promise into Lena’s open mouth. “One day, I’ll take you away from here. I’ll build you a beautiful house filled with light and warmth, just like you always wanted. And I’ll fill it with books and flowers, just for you.”

“As long as I’m with you.” Lena sobs breathlessly into her mouth, her fingers digging into Kara’s back, “I only want it if it’s with you.”

And Kara wakes in the wide bed of her ancestral home, breathing heavily, with the phantom sting of a lover’s fingernails on her back. 

Beside her, Mon-El snores lightly, completely oblivious.

_________

It’s not the last time Kara dreams of her.

Sometimes, Kara dreams of being a child, running along the fading, derelict halls of what she somehow knows is Luthor Manor, and being whipped viciously by Lillian until her lady intervened and got herself denied meals for the next two days for her trouble. 

She dreams of drawing pictures in the dusty floor for her lady’s amusement, her small clumsy fingers honing their talent first in dust, then the little bit of charcoal she can pilfer, and then -- when Lena secretly spends what little money she’s able to save on a gift for her -- oils and paints, all hidden from Lillian under a loose floorboard in their room.

Kara dreams of a once-great house crumbling down around their ears, of standing dutifully beside Lena and Lillian as the debt collectors took beloved artifacts from the house, one by one -- priceless paintings and sculptures, generations-old; Lena’s precious books and the cherished ornate microscope that had been a gift from her brother -- until they were left with nothing but the shame of an empty house and an empty name.

Kara dreams of her own trembling, yearning fingers helping her lady undress each night after the pompous, oppressive suitors had left and the two of them were alone in Lena’s room, shedding each layer of clothing. Her polite and careful hands unraveling, unlacing and unfurling with a secret pleasure, like peeling away the petals of a flower to reveal the tender, fragile flesh underneath that only Kara was allowed to see, but was forbidden to touch.

She dreams of the first kiss shared in that cold, dim room -- when the single candle Lillian had spared for them fizzled out into smoke, and the dark had made her brave enough to trace the invisible outline of her sleeping lady’s lips. Only Lena hadn’t been sleeping, and Kara’s own name was pressed into her impertinent fingertips in an tremulous whisper, and terrified but aching, she had replaced her hand with her own lips instead.

After the fifth night of waking up from dreams that make her heart pound and her whole body ache, Kara can’t pretend anymore. 

These dreams clearly mean something, and the woman in them -- the same woman she had seen bloodied in the graveyard -- is clearly significant.

She slips away from the wedding preparations without being noticed and begins to investigate. A search for the name ‘Lena Luthor’ yields no information on the woman herself, but it does lead Kara to an old family tree that she finds in the old town records.

The Luthors, she discovers, were an old family that used to be very powerful in Argo several hundred years ago. Except their money, it seems, had run out a few generations before, and the last of the line she sees are two names: Alexander and Lena Luthor.

The family tree doesn’t list anymore information on Lena that wasn’t on her gravestone, but it certainly has more information on Alexander “Lex” Luthor. It lists that had been married and had had a child, though both his wife and infant had died during childbirth. 

However, when Kara digs deeper into the story, she finds an old article in an old newspaper that speculates that Lex Luthor had killed his wife and their baby. The article further states that Lex had fled under suspicion of murder, and that all the properties he had inherited as the sole male heir of the dwindling Luthor fortune were seized during the investigation until he could be found.

Kara spends all day in the library, poring over old articles and books, trying to find any more information on the Luthors. Her reporter’s curiosity is piqued by this mystery, and it’s awakened that old instinct to try and dig for the truth. She tries not to think how this has consumed more of her passion and attention than her own wedding, which is a week away.

Instead, she just burrows deeper, trying to find the location of the old Luthor Manor. Unfortunately, she discovers that it was torn down a few years after Lena’s death, and that a new family had built their home on its grounds.

It takes her several tries and the aid of a very helpful librarian, but Kara is finally able to find some records of the sale of the estate, and a current map of Argo to compare with the old map of the town so she can find where the old Luthor Manor was.

Her jaw drops and she has to sit back and exhale slowly when she sees current location. No way. This is too bizarre. But in a weird way, it makes sense.

Kara’s ancestral home has stood for almost two hundred years on the ruins of the old Luthor Manor.

She checks the records of the sale again, and it’s all crystal clear on the page. Luthor Manor and the land it stood on was bought by the artist Kara Inze-Dey nearly two hundred years ago. The old house had been torn down, and a new one built in its place. The same house that stands in that spot to this day. 

The very same one Kara is to be married in and inherit.

Kara returns the books and the maps in a state of muddled shock. How has she gotten so swept up in this? Three weeks ago, she’d never even heard of this house, and now she’s tangled in this mess and having dreams of a long-dead woman who may or may not have appeared to her as a bloody ghost few days ago? Not to mention, her great-great something grandmother was actually a prolific artist and she didn’t even know it? What is going on?

Maybe it’s time to go back home. Put this obsession away, and focus on the important stuff, which is preparing for her wedding. She feels a little guilty. She hasn’t had a proper conversation with her fiancee for a week. She hasn’t shown up to fittings or tastings or any of that. She hasn’t even thanked Eliza and Alex and her friends for all the work they’re putting into preparing the house for the wedding.

When Kara returns to the house, multiple people descend upon her -- the wedding planner, her assistants, people asking her to please make a decision on where she wants the centerpieces, or when Mon-El’s mother is arriving, or whether it should be the white or the pink petals in the flower girl’s basket.

Luckily, Alex, bless her, seems to sense her panic immediately, and she pulls her aside to a quiet corner, and asks her what’s wrong. “And don’t tell me it’s nothing. You’ve been distracted lately. You’re barely ever here. It seems like you’re doing everything you can to avoid getting involved in this wedding. Kara, if something’s wrong, you know you can talk to me, right?”

And Kara would appreciate her sister’s genuine concern, and might even be tempted to answer her truthfully, but at that same second, she spies a familiar figure underneath the arch of white flowers on the gazebo outside.

“I’m fine, Alex,” she musters a reassuring smile. “I promise, I’ve just got a lot on my mind lately. Everything’s fine, I promise.”

With a quick hug to reassure her sister, Kara hurries away to the follow the pale figure outside the window. She approaches cautiously, half-expecting her to be a hallucination.

Lena turns to her, and after all those dreams, those green eyes and that small sad smile is so familiar that Kara can feel her fear and confusion fall away to be replaced by a vague familiarity.

"I'm sorry,” The soft voice is familiar too. “I didn't mean to frighten you last time. And I don't mean to frighten you now. It's just.... you look so much like someone I used to know, and I couldn't help it, I had to see you again...."

She looks so sad and beautiful and delicate that Kara's heart just goes out to her. Kara waves her hand and scoffs. "Nah, you didn't frighten me. I'm not scared of you. You just.... startled me, that's all."

Lena chuckles softly, and there’s something almost affectionate in the sound. She reaches out to touch one of the flowers on the arch, her fingertips not-quite brushing the white petals. "Plumerias were always my favorite....She always remembered."

"Who's ‘she’?" Kara asks quietly, even though she thinks she knows the answer. She doesn't really need to whisper, there's no one around, but it feels right in the moment. Like if she speaks any louder, the other woman will disappear.

Tears begin to shine in those luminous eyes. "Kara. My Kara."

Kara swallows.

"She looked just like you, you know..." Lena smiles at her, her fingers reaching toward her instead of the flowers this time. Kara doesn’t mean to, but steps back reflexively, and a flash of hurt spasms across Lena's face before disappearing into another sad smile, this time with a trace of bitterness in it. Her hand drops to her side instead. "I'm sorry. It's just..... I've been waiting for so long, I...."

"What do you mean, 'waiting'?" Kara asks, unable to suppress her curiosity. "What have you been waiting for?"

"For my Kara to come for me."

"You - Why..." Kara doesn't know what to say to that. "How long have you been waiting?"

"I..." Lena trails off, seemingly confused. "I don't know. I just..... a long time."

"You're Lena Luthor, right? That was your grave I've been visiting."

"No - I - yes, I suppose it is." Lena nods, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Yes, I am Lena Luthor. Or... I was. But... I don't even remember that being a grave. I don't remember anything, except... I was waiting for Kara there. I've been waiting for so long..."

“Why were you waiting there?” Kara presses.

“We were.... We were going to run away together.” Lena murmurs, her voice barely a whisper. “I was finally going to leave that place, with her. Always with her... She said she would come back for me there.... but she never did.... I don’t know, I--”

“Kara? There you are!” Mon-El’s voice cuts harshly across Lena’s soft whispers, and Kara turns to him, startled. “Where have you been?”

“I--” Kara whirls around to see that Lena has disappeared and the gazebo is empty. “I was just--”

“Did you forget? My Mom’s coming over tonight. She should be here any minute. I made reservations at that restaurant in town, and you know she hates when we’re late. C’mon.”

Kara allows herself to be led away, but she casts one last look at the spot where Lena was just a few moments ago.

There’s nothing there.

[razorblade180]

Rosebud Prologue:The first move.

In times of despair and sorrow there are fundamentally two options. Wallow in it, or move forward despite through the pain. A wise person would recommend escaping one’s own personal suffering. A wiser man would ask the question nobody else does. When you move forward, what happens to things left behind? They don’t fade away, not always. Sometimes...they try to keep up.

It was just another day. Ruby was doing dishes while her fourteen year old daughter, Carmine, held her baby brother in her arms. The little monster was enjoying his bottle while his happy sister hummed Gold to him. Ruby couldn’t help but feel all warm inside. Carmine had been doing everything and more to help out. This past year could’ve been way harder without her, but now things had fallen into a decent routine. More importantly, Ruby could say goodbye to sweatpants again and hello to corsets! Her body was back in action like it was before pregnancy. Loving her children had no limits but it felt heavenly to not feel like a balloon again. Jaune never complained though. Most likely because it meant it was his turn to whip her into shape. The sneaky husband loved helping with her stretches.

Ruby put away the last dish and dried her hands. “Wanna switch off?” She asked, clearly seeing Carmine enjoy her current duty. The girl shook her head no. “I’m fine feeding Garnet. Just another role as big sis!” Her smile practically reached her eyes. Ruby noticed Carmine had her red contacts in. “Going somewhere soon?

“Yep. When dad gets back with groceries I’m gonna head out to do a bit of patrolling. Thought I’d stop by Sun’s place and see if Aero wanted to join. He gets snippy if I don’t at least try and convince him to join.” Ruby laughed, that was pretty on brand for the boy. “Just don’t go around town starting trouble. I’m tired of the cops telling me you’re playing vigilante.” Carmine couldn’t help scoff at such exaggerated claims. “How’s it my fault I happened to encounter a gang leader in his hidden base of operations? It was poorly hidden. Besides, the cops haven’t called in weeks.”

Ruby’s scroll immediately starts ringing with the Vacou police department ID on it. She turns to Carmine and sighs. “Listen, I was wild like this too, but not this wild.” Carmine raised an eyebrow. “But...I haven’t done anything. In a while, or that they can prove…” she hoped. Ruby only shook her head tiredly and answered. “What or who did Carmine break?” The officer laughed lightly before it faded off. “No no, this isn’t about Carmine. One of the stations a couple of miles out of the kingdom to the neighboring towns called our department. If I’m correct, you were very close with Maria Calavera, yes?” Ruby moved away from her kids and spoke lower. Maria had passed away several years ago. It was the first time Carmine looked so hurt. “Yes, is everything okay? Did something happen to her house,”

“Her home is fine, but not her tombstone. Apparently some punk kid decided to defile it. The cops are wondering if you can drop by and scare the punk into proper shape. You know how people get when they meet you. Also you take care and technically on it, so pressing charges have to come from you.” Ruby was still processing someone disrespecting a grave. To what gain? Maria had no more enemies. Not to mention that her grave wasn’t in a cemetery. It was moved to a hill near the outskirts. “Yeah I’ll show up. I can’t promise I won’t scare the kid to death though. I can’t believe a person did such a thing. This world I’ll tell ya; give me a few minutes to head out. Have them with me so they can admire their work before I make them clean it all up.” Ruby hung up and let out a sigh. There was always something.

“Everything okay?” Carmine asked. She walked towards her mother and held Garnet's adorably chubby face in front of Ruby’s face. It was impossible not to smile at it. “Hehe, I’m fine. Looks like a certain baby is fine too. I might have to put this boy on a diet!” She poked his tummy and patted Carmine’s head. “I gotta go to your abuela’s gravesite. Somebody was messing with it and I gotta give them a stern talking to.” Carmine looked as stunned as Ruby did, then her face scowled. Ruby had seen that before. “Nah ah, you can not come and beat them up.”

Carmine poked her lips out. “You’re no fun. I guess I’ll keep the house safe with Garnet then.” As if she had a choice. Who else was gonna do it!? She stopped pouting when Ruby kissed her forehead. Carmine wanted to rub it off but her hands were full. “Mom!” Ruby stuck her tongue out childishly as she walked away. “Lock the door! You dad will be home soon.” The front door was closed and the house became a little more quiet. “Well it’s just you and I now.” Garnet blinked his eye at her curiously before spitting up a little on himself. Carmine closes her eyes to collect herself. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

xxxx

The trip to Esperanza from the outskirts of Vacou was only a couple miles; not a real problem for someone who walked all the way to Haven. Ruby reached Maria’s small and festive hometown in about half an hour. It was still rather early for everyone to be out and about but noise and smells of food sizzling filled the air all the same. Ruby always liked this place. She spotted the tree that stood proudly on the hill on the other side of the town. Even from here she could see some limbs had been broken off and some kind of fabric flowing off of it. “Why would-ugh, teenagers.” Ruby groaned. Under the tree she could see a cop and another individual draped in a black hood. Now she was even more confused. An over eager fan or hater maybe? Many people around here loved Maria and her legendary status. Ruby wasted no time racing up to the vandalism, catching the raven haired officer off guard. Her emerald eyes bugged out at the sudden appearance.

“Gah! Wow, you’re faster up close. You should come with a bell.” Ruby chuckled at the statement. “I bet the grimm would love that idea.” A closer look at the tree revealed more damaged limbs and roughed up ground. Ruby turned to the cloaked figure who avoided her gaze. They were taller than Ruby expected but that’s all she could decipher. “Care to explain why you felt so compelled to ruin a memorial? Disrespecting the dead is pretty low.” She said firmly, crossing her arms for more affect.

The person hid further in their hood. Ruby waited for any possible response but there was only silence. They looked at the ground and dug their right foot into the dirt. The cop touched Ruby soldier. “He’s been pretty silent since I caught him red handed. There’s a mark on the back of the tree they spray painted. I can’t make sense of it but I was hoping you might be able to. For all I know, no gangs use that tag.” Ruby pointed star the culprit. “Don’t you dare try to run. We’re not finished young man.” He nodded. Ruby backed away slowly. There were always a few that tried running. It was as if they forgot what her semblance was.

A few steps from her and the cop told her that the dude was just gonna stay there. She finally turned around to examine the tree. “You said the back right? Gangs spray paint all the time so I might not know what….” her voice drifted into silence as she reached the other side of the trees. She had to take a few steps back to make sure she was seeing things okay. “This-This is…” words still eluded her as Ruby stared at black spray paint that perfectly made the image of a queen chess piece. Ruby could feel her face lose its color. “Cinder…” it was as if her name was a trigger for disaster. The tree suddenly was cut into by a blade that pierced the other side. Ruby was barely able to dodge the surprise attack, getting a clear view of the weapon. It was a scythe. Their culprit was holding a standard scythe that counted swinging at her. A small smirk was visible on the young man’s face as he came at her in full force.

The scythe constantly spun in his hand as he tried to swipe Ruby.The woman was done being surprised however. Ruby easily ducked and whipped out Cresent Rose. “Wanna play huh? Fine.” She hissed. Fighting first and asking questions later was something Ruby could get behind. She gripped the pole of her weapon tight and swung horizontally. The force alone caused enough pressure to push her opponent back while the blade barely scratched his torso. He had good reflexes. Ruby blitzed behind him and slashed him back before disappearing and reappearing in front of him. Ruby spun the bottom of her scythe and clipped his chin, then took a shot to thrust it forward. The sharp metal end would’ve connected to his face if an unexpected bullet didn’t hit Ruby in her arm. She turns her head to see the cop’s gun trained on her with deadly accuracy.

“What the hell are you-huh?” The emerald eyes of the cop turned pink and brown along with her hair. A familiar mischievous laughter comes from the old adversary as she twirls the gun and watches Ruby avoid the opponent in front of her. “Hey Rubes! You’re looking good; filled out quite a bit. I know your husband must like that.” She fired a few more bullets at Ruby’s feet to keep her moving as the red reaper was easily out classing the man in black, but he was nothing but persistent. He forced Ruby to jump by sweeping her feet and shoulder bashed her to the ground. Expert or not, Ruby was only so big. She quickly recovered by tumbling backwards and dashed towards Neo. For the first time in a long time, an ache more deadly than any blade pierced Ruby’s heart. Ruby couldn’t help but be bombarded with the memories of seventeen years ago.

“WHERE IS SHE!?” Ruby screamed at the smirking woman. That smirk pissed her off to no end. Not again, they’re not taking anything again. She swung Crescent Rose downward at Neo’s face, but quickly spun it sideways to shoot herself towards the right. The cloaked figure sprinted in front of her and blocked a horizontal slash that looked like it would’ve hit air, but wouldn’t. The Neo behind her shattered and the real one poked her head out from behind the man, happily surprised. “Damn, nothing gets past you anymore huh? Saw right through me.” Neo tried getting off another shot. “Still fast?” One bullet fired at close range only hit a rose petal. Instincts told Neo to push her partner out the way and duck. It was the right call. The edge of a scythe blade had been dropped and yanked backwards where Neo’s neck was. “I’m faster…”

Neo’s partner swung the end of the shaft to Neo to grab a hold of then Yanked her to safety behind him. “Phew, thanks darling. Told you she was the real deal.” Neo finally stopped smiling and glared at Ruby. “That’s What makes this next part so satisfying.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a detonator. Ruby’s body tensed up and her assault was halted. Neo’s thumb rubbed the top of the bottom rhythmically. “Guess where the bomb is?”

Ruby didn’t even flinch. “Leave the townspeople out of this or I swear-”

“Times up!” Neo hit the button and Ruby gasped. She went to dash at Neo but was hit in the side with a scythe from behind. The image in front of her shattered as she stumbled into it. An anger growl left her throat as Neo laughed. “Hahaha, kidding! This trigger does nothing.” She tossed it to the ground. “Still gullible after all these years. How are you not dead? Oh wait, others die for you.”

“Little…” Ruby grit her teeth and fired round after round at Neo. The cloaked man spun his scythe to deflect each one. He jumped forward with a downward slash but missed. Ruby spun in a tight vortex of petals that kept his feet fry the ground. She hooked his scythe with hers and yanked it out of his hands then hurled it Neo; not a shred of concern was seen as Neo leaned to the side and caught it. She turned to wink but saw Ruby behind her partner with the man on one knee and gripping the pole off Crescent Rose in an attempt to remove it from his neck before Ruby could choke him out. Neo pointed her pistol again but didn’t pull the trigger. With most of Ruby’s body behind his, it wouldn’t be a good idea to test her aim.

“Heroes take hostages now? That’s so cold”

“You would know.” Ruby pulled harder. “Must mean a lot to you if you’re not shooting. Where’s Cinder?”

“What? Am I not enough for you? Is my vengeance second rate? I thought you’d like me more after all we’ve been through.” Neo pouted.

“LAST CHANCE! OR-” Neo dropped the gun and yawned. “Or what? You’ll strangle him? That would be a terrible way to end a reunion, right Dustin?”

Just like that, Ruby felt her body go numb. “D-Dustin?” She muttered. Her grip accidentally loosened and the man ducked under the metal bar against his neck and rolled away in less than a second. The ground beneath Ruby trembled. Vines armed with thrones shot from the dirt and wrapped around her legs, waist, arms, and neck like barbed wire that pulled her down to her knees. The pain drained and felt a numbing, but Ruby could only stare at the black roses that bloomed on them slowly as the man walked towards Neo and grabbed his scythe. He looked back at Ruby who stared in disbelief, tears flooding her eyes. “D-Dustin…?” She repeated, her voice cracking. Ruby watched the man pull the hood off. Suddenly the world didn’t seem real. Her body felt ice cold with only the warmth of her tears on her face that came from silver eyes that became dim and cloudy; a perfect reflection of the ones in front her. Including the red and black hair. The difference being it was on a face that reflected not just her, but the man she married. It was only once, but Ruby never forgot that face. The face of the boy that made her a mother. The face she mourned for more times then she dared remember.

He finally spoke, “Hey mom. Glad you can make it.” The weight of cold and dense bone gripped Ruby’s shoulder. There wasn’t a nerve in her body that didn’t feel like fire and a heartbeat that didn’t sound like a boombox in her eardrums. If she was trembling before then she was now. Ruby didn’t even bother looking up. The shadow on the ground was enough. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s been quite some time since I met your mother in person. Isn’t that right?” The hand grabbed Ruby’s chin and turned it up to the right. Now Ruby had no choice but to look.

Cinder stood there looking down. Her previous outfit was ditched for dark purple leather pants and a black shirt that faintly glowed a deep fiery red like her heels. Not only was her arm different, looking fully formed and in case the bone armor grimm is known for, her eyes weren’t the same. One remained the same as before. The one that was never harmed. It was the injured one that made Ruby’s mouth run dry. The eye, it was silver as well. “Why don’t we catch up a bit? Normally I’m on a time crunch but since everyone is held up….” She turned Ruby’s head to the left and let her see what she had been missing out on. The wind around Vacou had picked up and turned a dust storm. In it, Ruby saw thousands of red eyes and the sign of fire. Alarm sirens blared seconds later.

“My gods…” Ruby gasped.

“Got to love subterranean grimm. Just have them move slow enough and a little magic to tip the weather in your advantage, then boom. Ambushed without a warning.” Cinder finally let her go sauntered over to Neo and Dustin. “Unfortunately it’s more smoke and mirrors than an actual bang. Tragedies on the scale of Beacon’s are hard to replicate. All you kids have grown up now and everywhere. It’s a pain in the ass. This event was just made to keep us uninterrupted.” Ruby tried struggling through the vines but could barely move. Every shift made her wince as they tightened. Not only that, but she actually felt weaker. They were doing more than restraining her. Cinder found amusement in the struggle. “Your son’s semblance is pretty annoying, isn’t it? Best not to move. Dustin, don’t over do it. I still want my fun.”

The pain eased and her strength was less inhibited. Ruby still couldn’t believe what was happening. She stared at her child who stared back, despondent. “Dustin, it’s me. I’m-”

He silenced her by tightening the single vine on her neck quickly. “I know exactly who you are.” Anger and vigor flooded his eyes in a glare that could only be seen as murderous. “And I have nothing to say to you.” Cinder rubbed his back. “Don’t mind him. You know how teens are, all rebellious and angry.” This situation was going so well she couldn’t help but laugh. “That being said, he’s grown into such a fine young man under my-”

“Ahem!” Neo said loudly. Cinder rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Under our guidance. He’s been quite helpful. Killing silver eyed people and learning their abilities has been far easier when he started helping out. It’s a shame, getting old that is. I used to go collecting by myself. Now he brings back the prizes for me sometimes.” Cinder rubbed the side of her face and saw Ruby shiver in shock. Their attention to each other was disrupted by a flashing light from Ruby’s pocket. The girl tried struggling again as Cinder reached for it and pulled out a scroll. Today got even surprisingly better all thanks to a home screen. “Oh well you look at that? Carmine was a person we expected to hear at least once, but I had no idea about the third one. What a handsome boy.”

Dustin’s body tensed tightly. “What…?” He muttered. Cinder tossed him the phone and sure enough, there the baby was with the rest of the family. Brand new silver eyes and all. The photo was blurred as Carmine’s name came up as the scroll rang. There was no hesitation in answering.

“Mom! Vacou’s being attacked and dad still isn’t back. Garnet is fine and no grimm are heading this way yet but-”

“CARMINE! TAKE YOUR BROTHER AND RUN!” Ruby screamed as loud as possible. Dustin hung up and looked at Cinder and she nodded. “Time for a family reunion.” She snapped her fingers and a nevermore descended from the sky for Dustin to jump on and head towards his brother and sister. Even with him gone, his vines still had a grasp on Ruby. It was weaker but the numbing pain still ran through her as she finally forced her way out of the ones around her arms and neck; air and sensation tried to fill her being again as she fell on her hands and knees. “My son, what did you do to him?” She raises her head with tears running down her face. Moving now would be stupid. Ruby had no choice but to recover.

“Me? You make it sound like I brainwashed him or abused him. No, no such thing.Granted it wasn’t my idea to keep him. The boy would’ve been dumped in a grimm pool or something if I had my way, then Neo had to step in and proposed a better idea.”

“Disguising as your nurse was far too much work to just have it end with a dead newborn. Besides, even I have my limits unlike some people” she glares the hell out of Cinder. “I can play the long game. A missing son returning to his family to erase it? That’s way more interesting don’t you think?”

Cinder circled around Ruby, watching the girl carefully as she indulged herself with explaining how a day like this could happen.“You asked me what I did to him. I did the only thing that made sense. I told the truth.” Ruby’s face softened. Her eyes scanned the ground as she tried to understand. The truth? Cinder groaned, “Boring I know, but a lie this big would be impossible. Ruby Rose, a name known by every last goddamn soul on Remnant. Between that and Dustin’s features, he’d figure out that he wasn’t ours sooner or later, so I told him exactly who he was. A child stolen by a hero's worst enemy. You should’ve seen the way he wept for you. I told him all I could. How incredible your reputation was to the masses and how you would be remembered throughout history for all time along with your friends. Surely a hero that elite would rescue their son, right?” She smirked, Cinder could see Ruby get pale from the implications.

“He...was waiting for me.” Ruby’s voice crackled and shook. A stark contrast from the laughter Cinder had. “Hahaha, oh he did more than wait! Time after time, your son tried escaping. Each attempt meant him killing grimm that I didn’t even have to influence, and each time it was up to either me or Neo to save his life. His will was quite astonishing, his mind sharp. He tried for years until one day...he actually escaped.”

“What?” Ruby wasn’t expecting Cinder to say that. “He escaped?” Cinder pulled out a scroll and nodded, “He was young too. Barely twelve if I remember. At this point I was at my wits end. I thought my choices were to cut my losses or kill him out of spite; Never did I expect him to come back with a look in his eyes I’ve never seen. The anger for his situation had changed. All because of one simple little thing.” The scroll was flipped around for Ruby to see. “Remember this day?”

Of all the things that Ruby expected, a picture of her from an old news photo wasn’t one of them. It was her holding Carmen up proudly after the girl’s first tournament. Her daughter had entered a jr competition at eight and took first place. Cinder put the scroll away. “Apparently he made it all the way to that event. Imagine the look on his face, seeing you smiling so purely with the sister he had no clue about? All that faith he put into you...and it meant nothing. Congratulations, how’s it feel to move forward? It brought him closer to me. My sweet Dustin.” Cinder and Neo fawned dramatically. Their laughter grew as Ruby’s anger rose. Her blood started to feel like it’s boiling and vision started to blur. Her eyes started glowing before flickering in and out constantly as she tried her damnedest to eradicate Cinder to no avail. A pounding in her head started forming that made her grip it. Cinder bent down and tugged hard on Ruby’s hair to stare right into her face with complete disdain. “That’s right Ruby, hate me. Hate me as much as I hate you. This isn’t about justice or preservation. Your anger vs ours. Let’s see who edges out.” Cinder backs away and blasts a wave of ice that only freezes then shatters only the vines. Crescent Rose is stabbed into the ground next to Ruby. This day was unavoidable. These feelings had been building a festering for years. Not just because of Dustin. Beacon, Pyrrha, the friends she’s hurt; the despair Cinder brought into Ruby’s life was too much and too often. Ruby had enough. She pulled herself up off the ground with her scythe. Eyes devoid of light beamed into the two pairs of glimmering evil as the clouds darkened the sky. Ruby could only think of one thing.The only thing that Cinder had thought about for ages.

“I’m gonna kill you.”

xxxx

The sounds of thunder and gun fire raged through and electrified the air as Dustin rode the nevermore. He looked back to see a concentration of wind and varying elements coming from where he left. “Looks like they’ve gotten serious. Time for me to get my party started.” He would be over Ruby’s house in a matter of minutes. Karma was finally gonna come knocking on her door. “A shame she won’t see this. Alright, time to see what my little sister I made-” a sudden pressure and force came upwards that hit like a canon. Next thing Dustin knew, the nevermore no longer had a head and was swan dive to the ground. He quickly jumped from the bird and rolled onto the sand to break his fall. Carmine watched the whole thing while cleaning grimm blood of her blade several feet away.

“I’ve never heard mom sound so panicked before. Grimm herds aren’t anything we haven’t handled before so I knew there was more to the situation; but what exactly is the more?” Carmine couldn’t make out his face from distance but the scythe on the sand and cloak were more than enough to be off putting. She stepped closer cautiously. The color of his hair and eyes immediately made her stop and jump back, placing her sword in front of her body as he stood. “Stop! Who are you?” He patted himself off and looked at his sister. Admittedly, he was caught off guard. This was already more interesting than he anticipated.

“What on Remnant possessed you to take out a grimm mid-flight? I doubt you noticed me.”

“A lone grimm going after a house outside of the kingdom when its friends are having a blast inside is pretty freaking suspicious. Now answer my question!” Her body tensed. Carmine didn’t know why but she felt as if his gaze alone might swallow her up like a pit of tar. There was no mistaking that color. His eyes looked fogged and hazy but they were definitely silver. Then there was his face. Carmine never imagined Garnet would look like grown up but this man’s face would’ve been pretty close.

“Huh, figures they never mentioned me. It was probably too shameful and humiliating to reveal such a major example of arrogance.” His words felt like venom and on the verge of being unhinged, yet maintaining a low tone of composure as he grabbed his weapon. “I think you already have a good guess on who I am, or do you need a closer look?”

Carmine saw the man vanish in the blink of an eye. She quickly rose her sword in front of her in a block that covered her entire body. A clash of metal crashed right into it and rattled her arms from the force. Now they were face to face with a similar look of intensity. “I….I don’t understand what’s going on!” Saying that this was unnerving was an understatement. Carmine has a job to do though. The longer he was with her, the further her clone was with Garnet. The only regret was splitting her sure evenly. Fighting an unknown opponent could go wrong.

“It’s simple really. You’re not the first born child of Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose. That kid got snatched by a witch.”

Carmine’s world felt like it stopped. “Cinder Fall.”

“Bingo.” A vine shot from the ground and wrapped around Carmine before flinging her. Dustin followed up with a leaping downward strike but Carmine corrected herself mid-air yo block it. “Heh, look at you…” his hand slid to the bottom of his scythe and started swiping side to side against Carmine’s defenses. Each contact made sparks fly and her arms ache from the weight of the attack. She couldn’t take it anymore and ducked under the next attack to get in close. Both opponents were no stranger to the limitations of a scythe or had to overcome them. Carmine knew he was likely to pull the entire thing back by bringing his hand to the top of the shaft, so she jumped straight up and grabbed her curved blade, Stamen, from both ends and swung it down to have it drop like a guillotine. The impact left a small crater where Dustin stood before he jumped out of the way. She had no expectations of hitting him but she needed breathing room. It was her turn on offense.

Carmine shot off three aura slashes before pursuing him. She watched closely as his scythe spun to block the attack and leaped over him to get a hit in from behind. More vines shot up and stabbed her hand before connecting. A low hiss came from her. This was obviously his semblance but knowing it’s function was hard to tell. More shot up around her in a circle. A simple spin cut them down to size easily and she unleashed a flurry of rapid attacks that clanged and bashed against his scythe when she wasn’t missing him entirely.

“Geez, maybe I overestimated. All the talk about my little sister and this is it?”

“Big talk from someone fighting a kid, and we’re not family!” Carmine swung at his left torso but was stopped dead in her tracks when he grabbed the blade with his hand. A jab to the throat made Carmine choke on her own breath as Dustin twisted her arm behind her then put her in a choke hold. Her feet barely scraped the sand as she desperately tried to breathe. Carmine could feel his breath on her ear as he whispered angrily through his teeth.

“Don’t act stupid and face the facts. It’s the least a sorry excuse for a replacement; don’t even have silver eyes like our brother.” He squeezed her wrist so tight she could feel it start to give. Stamen was dropped as she tried not to scream. “As for the age difference, three years ago I was already filling graves. What do you do? Rule over the talentless? Tournaments are useless. Just like you.”

Carmine squirmed and bit her lip till she bled. Screw the pain and his words. Weak was the last thing she was, and she was gonna prove it. “LET. ME. GOOOO!” Carmine felt a pop in her wrist as she jerked forward, hard. Her feet stomped the ground and two rose clones appeared on each side, the first grabbed her sword and drove it against Dustin’s ribs. The blow broke his hold on the original by pushing him back. The second clone grabbed his legs so he would fall backwards. It worked. Dustin’s head hit the ground and he stared up to the sky as the first clone did the guillotine drop the original did earlier. “Take this!!!!” It screamed.

Dustin hit his fist against the ground. Vines shot pierced right through the clone then swooped low to stab the other. With the last of its strength, the first clone tossed the sword to the original as she watched her clones go limp; their bodies faded as black roses bloomed the vines. Maybe it was their manner of defeat, but Carmine started to sweat. She hadn’t even realized she picked up her blade and was backing away from the man surrounded by a garden of death. A gut feeling told her that being trapped in those spelled the end.

Her semblance was info Dustin knew nothing about. To see it was genuinely surprising, but nothing he had to fear. Not with Carmine looking like a deer in headlights. “Do you know what black roses symbolize?” Carmine didn’t answer. Instead she pulled out the second part of her weapon, Pistil, and combined it with Stamen. The blade curved downward while the collapsible tactical baton connected to the hilt to make her scythe. Dustin felt a surge of excitement run through him. Another surprise from his sister. “HAHAHAHA! Oh please don’t tell me you’re about to challenge me with that?” He laughed hysterically, his calm demeanor completely shifting to nothing short of rage. He stabbed his scythe in the ground. “Rotten Rose will ruin you.”

“Rosebud hasn’t failed me yet.” Carmine got low and held on with both hands. Her right wrist aches but adrenaline and necessity demanded its use. Carmine needed all the reach she could muster. Dustin was done talking and put up his hood. Alarms, screams, explosions, even the wind blowing felt muted to Carmine. The only thing that mattered was the reaper in front of her. She was going to get through this and reject those black roses. Today wasn’t death day. Not for her. The vines shot straight at her. Carmine shredded through them like a blender by twirling Rosebud. Two more vines from each side forced her to jump straight up. She pulled a trigger on the shaft of the used to be tactical baton. A slug round recoil sent her back to the ground where a massive sweeping attack severed the vines. It wasn’t enough.

Her brief rest was interrupted by more sprouting from the ground around her. Another gunshot sent her out of the center before they all stabbed her from every side. More and more dove in and out of the ground like serpents chasing prey. Dustin stood motionless as his sister fired herself in any direction she could to avoid a strike. Occasionally she was forced to stand her ground to cut several before dodging again. She tried to hide it, but Dustin could see the fear in her eyes. He was gonna force it out of her. A wall of thorny vines walled off Carmine from back stepping again. Dozens of vines came from everywhere in the front. The fear he wanted didn’t come. Carmine grit her teeth and started slashing through them head on.

Chunks of plants flew everywhere as Carmine hacked angrily through them. “Haaaaaa!” The girl could only scream through the pain as thorns scraped her skin like a million stabs. “Just...a little...more!!!!” She refused to stop until a swing cut through to the other side. The sight of Dustin’s shocked face spurred her on. Another gunshot was sending her straight at him with Rosebud’s blade eagerly awaiting to connect with his throat. “You’re done!!!!” All her force went into swinging the blade; too much strength in fact. Dustin simply leaned back Carmine completely whiffed. Her momentum kept her body rotating. In the moment her body had turned away from him, her eyes could only see the blood stained thorns she borrowed through. Carmine’s anger subsided and was reminded of the most basic rule of fighting. Keep track of your aura. Her mistake for forgetting was an instant and excruciating pain that crossed her from each shoulder down to the opposite hip. It all had happened so fast yet time felt slow as the ground seemed to rise to meet her.

Carmine laid face down on the ground. Her back started to feel wet. Like if someone was pouring something warm on it, something thick. Tears filled her eyes seconds later when the shock of it all was met by the stinging of sand and reality.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH~”

Carmine couldn’t stop screaming in agony. Her arms did her best to lift her but her right wrist gave out. Everything was giving out. There wasn’t a muscle that wasn’t shaking in her body. There wasn’t a thought of anything anymore with the sound of creeping plants and footsteps approaching while a shadow loomed over her. The silhouette of her blood dripping off the scythe that was ready to draw more. The shaft of it flipped her battered body over for her to stare into the eyes that should’ve been preserving life; but all she saw was them asking for hers. Was this despair? Carmine never felt anything like it before. For the first time in her life she felt powerless, weak. Her tears ran down her bloody and soiled face. “Pl-Please…” she said, quivering. “ I don’t wanna die…” she shut her eyes and lost all sense of self. “I DON’T WANNA DIE!!!”

“CARMINE!!!” Multiple people cried out from a distance. Dustin turned his dead and was immediately blasted by a laser gun in the face that knocked him away. The current of electricity stunned him momentarily as he saw three more people. Two of them he had heard and learned about. The leader of team SSSN and his partner. The third was an unknown boy with bird wings that picked up Carmine while the other two stood in front of them. “Sun and Neptune. What are the odds the partners of a disbanded team are hanging out today of all days? One of you doesn’t even live on this continent.” He glared at Neptune.

The duo immediately recognized the man in front of them and gasped. No way they wouldn’t. Neptune gasped, “Is that…?”

“No way…” Sun said. He looked back at an injured Carmine then to Dustin. No doubt about it. He clapped his hands together and summoned clones. Now wasn’t the time to let his guard down. “I don’t know how you’re here but I’m not letting you go. Aero, get Carmine far away from here.”

“Not on my watch!” Dustin dashed forward immediately. Neither the clones or pro huntsman were quick enough to stop him blitzing the both of them. He reached to grab the boy holding his sister, then poof, nothing. It was like magic. Dustin blinked and they were gone. They went from right in front of him to already being in the sky, several minutes away. Whatever happened wasn’t speed. He didn’t know what that was, but it was definitely the boy’s doing. He looked back at Sun and Neptune who were charging at him in full force. Dustin clicked his teeth and sighed. Play time was over. “Two pro huntsmen like yourselves is way more than I bargained for. Especially after my other reunion, sorry.” A faint light in the distance caught his eye while planning his exit. Whatever it was had speed and was heading towards the storm over Cinder’s battle. “If I was a betting man…” Dustin used his vines to left himself into the air and grab a passing nevermore to ride, leaving Sun and Neptune in the dust.

“Damnit!” Sun yelled.

“Never mind him, let’s get back to town and help.” Neptune said, seeing the light. “Jaune’s gonna be pissed.”

xxxx

Aero was flying as fast as he could to the medical station set up. Finding Jaune or his friend would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. What he wouldn’t give to have a healing semblance right now. The blood that came from Carmine and dripped down his arms as she wept in pain was burning a memory into him he didn’t want to ever see again.

“Hang in there Carmine! You’re gonna be just fine. Your clone found my mom so don’t worry about Garnet. He’s perfectly fine.” He told her to ease whatever pain and stress he could. The way she clung close to him wasn’t inspiring any change. Carmine kept weeping and shaking.

“Hurts…” she winced. “It hurts so much.” Aero felt a lump in his throat. The boy kept flying with all his might. The tears of the strongest person he knew weighed heavily on his heart the entire flight.”

xxxx

That fight against Reaper and Maiden wasn’t fairing too much better. Neo could attest to that as she laid on the ground, aura flickering and writhing in pain. The normally dry, dusty air was soaked with pouring rain thanks to Cinder. Neo picked herself up painfully slow and could barely keep track of the hundreds of petals and embers that danced in the air over panicking villagers. Who would’ve thought Little Red would’ve grown into such a warrior? To Neo, both Cinder and Ruby might as well be freaks. She watched Crescent Rose carv through ice thicker than a goliath’s flesh and slam into Cinder. The woman went right through the already destroyed memorial tree before recovering with a tiny cyclone of lightning and fire that enveloped Ruby. That too was immediately reduced to nothing. Fortunately, Ruby looked tired. Her own aura and breath looked to be draining.

“Looks like this might be it.” Neo aimed her pistol. “Sorry Cinder, I get the kill-” the blur of bright light raced into view and then before Neo. Her eyes were witnesses to the shining white aura of a furious knight with a sword poised to strike her neck. Any time to move was erased to her as the blade was swung. The force would’ve been enough to take her head. The only thing stopping that was Dustin’s scythe between them that went unnoticed until now. Dustin’s arms went numb but his face remained stern as he stared at his father inches away who was lost for words.

“D-Dustin?” He uttered in disbelief. The hesitation left Jaune open for Dustin’s vines to grab him and throw him towards Ruby. The battling women had finally realized company had arrived

Dustin helped lift Neo to her feet. “You alright?” A pinch on the cheek and a nod told him that was a yes. Cinder landed near them while still facing Ruby and now Jaune.

“Why are you back?” She growled.

“Things got complicated, more huntsman. Time to go. We didn’t come here from a swan song.”

“Like hell! I’m just getting started.” Cinder made a bow and arrow out of lightning and took aim. “Ruby dies today.”

Not if Ruby had anything to say about it. She was ready for another exchange of blows but her anger was quelled when the sight of fresh blood was washing off of Dustin’s scythe. “Dustin, what did you do?Where’s Carmine and Garnet!?” Jaune was still shaken by who he was seeing. How was this possible? The sight of Cinder and Neo enraged him but the words Ruby said were brought to the forefront of his mind. “Carmine? Sun and Neptune should’ve-”

“I never saw Garnet.” Dustin interrupted. “As for Carmine...I’m sure she’s in shock by now. Fortunately for her my full swing wasn’t possible with how close she was. All blood, no lasting damage. Well...that’s not true. Trauma is tricky like that.” He smirked at his parent’s mortified faces. Dustin touched Cinder’s back. “Let’s go! We’ll kill them later. That wasn’t the point of this anyways.”

Ruby and Jaune tried their best to ready themselves as their son stepped forward and pointed at them. “Mark today. The peace you’ve cultivated in my absence will fall as easily as your daughter did, by my- our hands.”he declared. Ruby wasn’t even sure who she was looking at. The face she remembered was not covered in a hate and tragedy that mirrored the two by his side. Her heart couldn’t take it, it wouldn’t. Ruby was about to try and grab him when a shriek filled the air. The villagers down below were being trapped and attacked by vines. Ruby looked at Dustin. “Stop this!”

“You can either stop it yourself, or chase us. Choose fast. It’s not healthy to be wrapped too long.” The nevemore more extended its wing for them to walk on. He watched Ruby take another step before tightening his grip on screaming children. Ruby and Jaune looked in conflicting frustration before Jaune went to help them. “Ruby! I can’t do it all alone!”

Once again Ruby was asked to make the choice to chase her child or do her job. Grief filled her as she looked at him then stared at Cinder in seething hate. “Your head will roll if it’s the last thing I do.” Ruby threatened, joining Jaune to save the people. The nevermore took off and Cinder angrily aimed her bow before Neo blocked her sight with her umbrella.

“Don’t. Let’s not give them more reasons to hunt us now. It’s like Dustin said. This was just our first move. Break their world, then their lives. We waited this long. Just look at our handy work.”

Cinder watched the chaos of a small town and kingdom struggle with her grimm. To say it didn’t make her smile would be a lie. Yeah, she needed more of this. “It’s no Beacon, but it’s a damn good place to start.” Cinder looked at Dustin with more pride than she knew how to deal with. “Oh how I have high hopes for you. Do keep making your mothers proud. Dustin bowed respectively and watched the ruin along with her.

Finally a new game had started and the first move was theirs. Dustin couldn’t wait for his next one. “Here’s to a speedy recovery Carmine… Your big brother will be sure to visit.”

[virryth]

Magician of the Empire | Jeonghan AU

The infamous grand magician has a soft spot for the queen’s knight.

1k+ | fluff, Magician Jeonghan x Knight female reader

tw// mentions of death

Author’s note: happy 25th birthday yoon jjongjjong ❤️

Read more SVT AUs | Masterlist

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You’re never one for parties. 

The empire has won the war, at long last, and if the celebration had not been required, you would have forgo tonight for another training session with your knights.

But instead, your hair is pulled back into a half bun, soft waves falling on your shoulders as simple jewelry adorn your collarbones. Your dress feels stuffy and the corset hugs your waist a little too snug. But it’s the trend! Your fellow knight had said as she tightened the lace on the torture device, the grand magician will be pleased!

Except you are not here to please any man. The queen, a dear benefactor you adored and admired, had extended her invitation, and only for her will you be on your best behavior at the gala tonight. 

Truly, you would rather go back to the armored uniform of your ranks. This is really… not you. You make a mental note to utilize this painful corset method the next time any of your troops fall out of line.

“There you are, my lady.” 

You turn to the beaming face of the man you were hoping to avoid. Yoon Jeonghan. 

The grand magician gleams at you, piercing fiery eyes flutter beneath his silver locks of hair. He was adorn in a white robe with gold trims to match his eyes, and he looks as stunning as usual, though you’d never dare say it out-loud--the vocabulary he’s used to hearing from you is frivolous at best. He approaches you with a smile beautiful enough to capture the entirety of the empire and all of its inhabitants.

“I’ve been looking for you, my dear.”

“Do not jest me, magician.” You turn your back on the man and step towards the garden, “I have neither the time nor patient to entertain you today.”

You half expected him to follow, but you didn't hear footsteps until you were far away from the main ballroom. And suddenly, you’re floating, feet dangling in the air as your body glides across the daisy field, straight on to the bench in the middle of the extensive terrain. 

The magician loves playing trick on you despite how regal he may seem. He loves pulling pranks, cheating his way out of his duty, and popping in and out of the palace as he pleases that not even the king can put a stop to his mischievous behaviors. At first, it irritated you to no end how irresponsible and carefree he seems, running around in the queen’s garden with his little subordinates as if he owns the place. What kind of frivolous man dares to visit the queen quarter without permission?

Eventually, you’ve learned to just let it go per the queen’s request. 

“He doesn’t mean any harm, my dear.” She had said on one of those days where you could no longer hide your annoyance. “The grand magician is like a son to me. As someone who often has to deal with the darker side of humanity, sometimes he just wants to be a child.”

And a child he portrays. He had accompanied you to the war and had lived through many months of hardship with you. The blood of the enemy splattered on his face is far more than the amount on your hand as a knight. The cruelty of war has given you a new perspective on the grand magician, and you now know his true self is much deeper than the surface he paints.

“Please stay,” he whispers before you manage to stand, “just five minutes.”

“Two.” 

“Four.”

“Two minutes.”

“Fine,” the magician concedes, “three minutes is all I’ll ask.”

“Fine.”

He leans against your shoulder in earnest and takes your hand in his, imbuing magic into your soul, and you watch as the blue and gold sparks glow like fireflies dancing up your arms. You’ve gotten used to this feeling, the aching warm that soothes your injuries as magic flows into your heart, but it doesn’t make it any easier. 

“You should let me heal you more often, what will you do the moment I am away for more than a week?”

“I won’t die.”

His gentle laughter sends vibrations all over your arm as he joyously intertwined his fingers with yours. 

“My dear,” his voice is soft like the lullaby you dream of when you were younger, but the urgency and sincerity in his tone makes you tremble slightly. “Please never say that you will leave this world, even as a joke.” 

You owe your life to the magician who put the fragmented pieces of your soul together on the battlefield, and you’re grateful to him. But sometimes you don’t know if the feelings you have are just out of gratitude or genuine affections for him. You won’t die if he’s not with you, truth be told, there are plenty of capable magicians in the continent, yet he’s the only person you have ever allowed help. The magic sustains your life, but also depletes his, and one day this burden will be too much for you to shoulder. 

“If I die one day,” he starts.

“You will not.”

“Well, all humans die, don’t they? Someday you and I, too, will perish from this world.”

You don’t want to imagine a world without Yoon Jeonghan. Your routines would simply be overturned. No one to annoy you at breakfast, nor before the sun sets over the mountain as you gaze out your window. No one to pick you up despite your protest whenever you’re needed in the magic tower. A life without Yoon Jeonghan would simply be… boring, not that you hold any sort of romantic affections for him. And not that he easily lowers your guard just by staying next to you.

“When I die,” he starts again, squeezing your hands to stop you from cutting him off once more, “will you be by my side until I take my last breath?”

“I won’t let you die.”

“That is not what I asked--”

“I won’t let you die,” you repeat plainly. “I’ll kill you myself before you can leave me. And didn’t you just tell me not to joke about that?”

He laughs, the vibration from his body makes you blush and you hope it’s too dark in the garden for him to see. 

“How reassuring that I’ll be able to see your face when that moment comes.”

The autumn breeze gets a bit chilly in a dress, and you snuggle closer to him, pretending to have forgotten the three minutes that have long expired.

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Read more SVT AUs | Masterlist 

[aidensm8]

I love all the DR portraits and doodles you did for the sides! Are you planning on drawing anything for like executions for any of the sides? If not could you at least tell us your head cannons on what each side's execution might be should they be found guilty?

Thankies, anon uwu

I am considering it, but maybe I won’t post it since Danganronpa is pretty graphic, sorry. But I will share headcanons because hecc yea, Danganronpa:

(Warning: Danganronpa are brutal)

Emile would go through many popular cartoons and have to play the roles in them. He gradually gets more and more injured as he shifts through roles, and until finally, he reaches ATLA. He stands before who looks like Ozai in Agni-Kai. He knows this scene. He tries to run but is too weak from previous injuries. Ready for Ozai to burn his face, he is instead burnt to a crisp.

Virgil and his closest spider companions are in a dark webbed room. Basically, he knows he is about to be prey to a gigantic venomous spider. They’re trapped in a web but before Virgil is ready to accept his death, a giant duster frees him from the web. He falls to the ground and tries to run but is then trapped in a cup (like how people always do when they try to release a spider back to the wild) but rather than being freed, he suffocates in the cup.

Remy would likely be subject to an imitation of the bouts of insanity and hallucinations one would feel when sleep deprived. He’s told he ‘may’ be freed if he remains awake so he continues drinking coffee. The insanity drives him to drink coffee while it’s still too hot so he’s suffering from burns and insanity. He tries to remain awake but eventually, he reaches a caffeine crash. He collapses and falls asleep. The room begins to flood with the very same coffee Remy had been consuming, and his death is either by drowing or burns

Remus is at a fancy ball, being a duke and all that, and everyone is being all fancy at him. He’s irritated but tries to act fancy too. The people around him begin to degrade him, this eventually becoming physical like people fixing his sash, or making him wear a different shirt, shoes, etc, until finally, he is in a very tight outfit, a corset making him feel suffocated. The people around him demand it to be tighter, Remus tries to lash out, swinging his morning star at the fancies but it’s all for naught when the corset turns out to be like an Iron Maiden, the spikes suddenly pierce through him and he falls.

Patton gets an execution based on moral dilemmas: self-sacrifice or self-preservation? Patton constantly picks self-sacrifice, sacrificing things like his glasses, an arm, a tooth, etc. Finally, he reaches the tram dilemma. The dilemma setting being the one of either push a person on the track to save others or don’t. Patton refuses those choices and jumps forward himself.

Logan would likely be subjected to an Ultimate quiz bee where he gets punished every time he gets a question wrong. The game is like hangman, except instead of hanging, you lose a limb (This means 5 chances: 2 arms, 2 legs, and a head). The game starts fair at first with logical questions but then becomes nonsense like “What did Washington have for breakfast on [random date and time]” so he uses luck to try to get far. He makes it to the end with at least 2 or 3 remaining limbs but then the [insert the Monokuma mascot here] destroys the physical score counter, causing an error in the system and it automatically counts it as Logan losing the game and being executed.

Janus is surrounded by copies of the others. He has to distinguish who the fakes are but they ignore him so he figures he has to use his ability to shift into who he thinks that side would talk to. He gets it right for most of them but when he gets to the Creativitwins, Janus goes back to his true form to talk to Remus but fake Remus attacks him with a morning star. Janus tries to defend from this while dealing with an internal betrayal of how he isn’t among who Remus trusted. He shifts into Patton, hoping fake Roman would save him but his guess is once again wrong and now he’s got both twins against him. The other fakes take notice of this. I’d guess Janus’s execution would be late in the game so suddenly, fakes of those who died (looking like they did after their executions) appear and attack him too. He is haunted and overwhelmed until he is backed into a corner. He figures he’d try to impersonate one more person: Thomas. The fakes slowly calm down but then Janus steps forward, but suddenly feels someone behind him. He turns around and there stands a fake Thomas who deals a fatal blow. He cycles through his forms of the others until finally shifting back to his normal form, which angers the other fakes. They finish him.

Roman, being the mastermind of this AU, would go out with a grand finale. He’d be on stage, a grand finale performance. The crowd would boo at him, he relishes at the despair as though he were a performer getting cheered for. He begins to act out a summary of the events and murders that had occurred throughout the game. The crowd begins throwing fruits, which then escalate to stones, then larger objects like chairs and tables, until the shaking of the objects landing would cause the stage to slowly begin to collapse. Roman, though weak, continues to perform and when he moves to make a final bow, the stage collapses around him. Still alive under the debris, he is left to the mercy of the faux audience. They surround him and the curtains close on the mastermind’s final act.