#i may or may not have had a moment of weakness

[strawberrystepmom]

dante x f!reader. established relationship, a minor disagreement that ends up in hurt/comfort. | wc: 1.4k, reading time: ~5 minutes

“I’m coming with you.”

Your remark is firm while you practically chase after Dante who slumps down in the chair behind his desk for the briefest moment, pulling equipment from the drawers of his desk and putting it into his pockets. 

“No, you’re not.”

It irritates you how he won’t even look up, preoccupied with getting out of here. Your jaw slackens, eyes narrowing.

“Why not?”

Now he looks up, his own teeth clenched. 

“Because I’ve said no ten times and meant it every one.” 

He hates fighting with you. In fact, he hates telling you no about anything and you’re all too well aware of it judging by the way you seem to think you can wear his defenses down into a yes right now. 

Disengaging by looking down, he loads a few bullets into his guns which further irritates you. 

There’s no such thing as a truly unexpected job in his line of work. He gets calls at all hours of the day or night sometimes, reporting to wherever he needs to be to take care of business, but you don’t understand why he won’t let you come. It’s midday and he’s clearly playing coy about the threat level of whatever is out there meaning there may be a need for help.

Laughing sarcastically, you stand in place in front of his desk. 

“It amazes me how you are never this serious about a no until it has to do with what I want.”

Whipping his head upward so fast his hair falls out of place against his forehead, the man you love more than any other curls his lip and points all five of his fingers toward you, eyes wide.

“And it amazes me that you’ve never bothered to wonder why I'm so serious about it. How many times have we had this exact conversation?" 

There has never been a time where he’s raised his voice at you and he has no plans of starting now but you are seriously testing his patience. 

You fold your arms across your torso and raise your brows adversarially high. "I wish you’d just admit it’s because you think I'm weak and can't protect myself. Your little liability."

Finally, you push Dante to the point of a frustrated, humorless chuckle punctures the tense air of the room. You flinch in place, averting your eyes from him to other corners of the room that seem a lot easier to look at. Walls don't have eyes that pierce to your very soul the way his are right now, feeling them even if you don't see them.

"Will you please stop thinking the worst about me? I know better than anyone you can take care of yourself." 

He scoffs, another ironic chuckle following it. 

"In fact, this isn’t even about you. Have you ever thought for even a second that I keep you away from my jobs because I don't know what I would do if something happened to you? That nobody does?" 

You look up and he looks directly at you, brows furrowed. 

"Yeah, I've been called out about it before. By Trish and Lady and everyone who has ever seen the way I am when it comes to you." He shakes his head, rising from his seat behind the desk, reaching across it and grabbing your trembling hands. "They’ve all had the same thing to say about how you can't be around because my focus becomes keeping you safe."

He looks away from you, retreating to somewhere distant in his mind. 

"I catch myself thinking about a world without you sometimes and it's dark and heavy and...and I know I couldn't do it if I didn't have you."

"Do what?"

"Any of this.” He waves his hand around the waiting room of Devil May Cry dramatically. “Exist."

"Dante..." 

You click your tongue, chest aching at his words. They’re well meant but even the faintest insinuation of him stumbling into the bad shape he was when you first met makes you feel hollow.

"I mean it, sweetheart. You could come up with a hundred arguments and probably already have but I wish you wouldn't waste your time arguing with me about what the truth is. It’s not that you're weak, it's that I'm weak for you."

Now you feel like a real problem, pouting like a little girl while he airs out the truth. “Stop it.”

“No, you stop. Let me tell you how I feel and maybe, just maybe, actually listen to me for once.”

Pushing your fists against your eyes, you take a deep breath and allow the pressure of your knuckles to keep the levy holding back your tears from breaking. You probably look as pathetic as you feel standing there like this, shoulders slumped inward and breaths coming in staggered pants. 

Merciful man that he is, Dante never lets you suffer for long. 

You hear his footsteps round his desk in the  same pattern you memorized a long time ago, his warm arms coming to cradle you even if you won’t look at him. Your body naturally leans against his chest, fists pressed against his shirt, face hidden. 

“You’ve made me a man, not just someone pretending to be half one.” He unburies your face to kiss the tip of your nose, pulling you against his chest to bury your head beneath his scruffy chin. “And you’re one thing I wanna keep safe forever because of it. Is that so wrong?”

Shaking your head no, you sigh in lighthearted defeat. How can you put up a fight, especially when he is safely nestling his beating heart in your hand? You protect it, he protects you. 

It’s not all that bad of a deal when you really think about it. 

“You’re starting to give me a stomach ache,” you joke, lifting yourself up on the tips of your toes to kiss him. It’s a little brush of lips against lips, far less searing then how you usually approach. 

Still, it says everything. The pair of you remain locked together - two bodies and one shared soul - refusing to part even to continue the conversation. 

“Sorry for thinking the worst.” 

Your apology is only slightly muffled, mashed between his mouth and yours. He parts his lips to reply but chooses to kiss you instead, tongue dipping between lips he could not successfully exist without. You’ve given his world more than color, you’ve breathed life into every last corner of it. The least he can do is tell you so once in a while. 

Smiling against your lips, he stops for a breath and backs away enough to look down at you. 

“Let me know next time that happens so I can get ahead of it, okay?”  

A lighthearted reminder, sealed with another small kiss. The tension in the room gradually soothes itself, minute by passing minute. The safety of his arms even improves your mood slightly, your fists pressed against the center of his chest rather than over your eyes. 

“Please stay behind and let me come home to you in one piece.”

Chewing the inside of your cheek, you fight the urge to insist you need to continue fighting for your place in his life. He’s telling you clearly that you’ve earned it. 

“Alright,” you acquiesce, raising yourself up on tippy toes to kiss him again. 

Opening your mouth to continue speaking he shoots you a look, not venomous or dangerous, but serious. He doesn’t wanna argue about this again. 

You lean into him, big eyes staring. “Fine, God, okay. But you need to call me as soon as you’re done because I don’t know what I’d do without you either and cannot think about it so please don’t make me.”

Dante nods, chuckling. 

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Later on, after you’re less emotional and he’s home safe and sound, you’ll admit he’s right. You’ll mutter against his hair that he’s not merely a good man but the best one for thinking of you the way he does and that you constantly question if you deserve it or not. He’ll whisper to you that nobody has ever deserved it more, rocking you gently until you fall into a fitful sleep and leaving him awake for a little longer. 

Only then will he find himself alone enough to silently thank whatever force brought you, this stubborn, beautiful woman, into his life to save him. He’ll insist to this same force that he’s only making up for lost time by protecting you from danger to begin with. 

It happens every time.

[materia-girl88]

Third Date Shenanigans

18+, minors dni

you're on your third date with bucky and a little mishap and shared clothing leads to some good times

warnings: smut smut smut, oral (f and m receiving), fingering

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Bucky Barnes didn't have many weaknesses. Having a past as traumatic as his and pushing through to become a better person tended to strengthen someone.

However, you may just be his undoing.

Your third date was a more relaxed affair, the two of you enjoying some dinner you made together and watching a movie at Bucky's apartment.

You were both sat on the soft cushions of his couch with crossed legs, facing each other with bowls of spaghetti balanced on your laps as you talked and laughed.

It was nice.

However, things took a turn when you were both laughing over a story you were telling from your days in college, and as you were lifting a forkful of your pasta to your mouth the noodles slipped and slid down your shirt.

The surprise of it caused you to jump, and in turn your bowl tumbled and your jeans were ruined too.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Bucky." you huffed, using your napkins to clean the mess on your lap. Thankfully none had gotten on the couch. "I swear I'm so clumsy sometimes. I knew we should've ate at the table."

Bucky let out a laugh as he set his own meal aside on the coffee table and helped you, "It's okay, doll. It happens."

Once the mess was cleaned, you both take in the damage done to your clothing.

While the noodles were cleaned up, there wasn't much saving the saucy mess left on the fabric of your shirt and jeans.

"Well this sucks. I guess I'm gonna have to go early so I can clean up. I really am sorry," you sighed, aggravated with yourself.

Bucky looked over you contemplatively for a silent moment before speaking.

"I could let you borrow some clothes if you want? We're just staying in to watch a movie. It's no big deal," he shrugged.

You bit your lip at him before a small smile spread across your face.

You really hadn't wanted to leave him this early anyways.

"If you really don't mind?" you said, and the way you peered at him through your eyelashes made his chest flutter.

"Not at all, one sec," he stood, heading to his bedroom and grabbing a black t-shirt and some sweats, taking his time to change into his own comfy clothes so you didn't feel alone, then leaving a quick scratch to his cat Alpine's head where she was snoozing on his bed before heading back you.

You smiled at his change of clothes and stood as he came back before you took the ones handed to you. As you passed him you raised on your toes to press a quick kiss to his cheek and give him a soft "Thank you" before you head to the bathroom.

He took the time that you were in the bathroom to clean up your dinner and head back into the living room to set up his newly acquired Netflix account.

He was settled back on the couch by the time you came out and all he could think as it was probably a good thing as he may have fallen over otherwise.

"The sweats were too big even when I tied them," you said, flushing as you fiddled with the soft fabric of the shirt that fell to just above your knees, you bare legs poking out underneath, "Is this okay?"

He couldn't help but have to swallow down the lump in his throat before nodding, "Yeah, it's uh. It's no problem at all."

You smiled shyly as you made your way to him, curling back up on the couch with your knees tucked under you.

The dark metal of his vibranium arm moved to grab the blanket he had on the back of the couch, bringing it to you.

"Don't want your legs to get cold, doll" he said and watched as you gratefully took the blanket and spread it over your lap.

You both bickered playfully on what movie you would watch before settling on an old horror movie that you loved and Bucky hadn't seen before.

You weren't long into the beginning of the film before you had scooted into his space, his flesh arm winding around you.

"I love this movie but I always forget how much it freaks me out," you said, looking up at him and a grin.

"It's a good thing I'm here, then," he said, leaning down to press a soft peck to your lips.

Your first kiss had been after your second date, chaste and with a taste of wine that you both had enjoyed at the restaurant you had gone to and since then you had been nearly craving the next one.

"My hero," you said softly, leaving one more kiss to his plush mouth before leaning on his shoulder.

Everything was going great.

Until, that is, you had shifted to get into a more comfortable position and stretched your legs out over Bucky's, letting the blanket rest on both of your laps.

It was meant to be an innocent cuddle, but the feeling on your warm smooth legs against him as you were now practically propped up on his lap was slowly becoming a distraction, his thoughts becoming clouded as the scent of your perfume overtook him, and he couldn't help the tightening he felt in his sweatpants.

Especially when he had risked a glance at you and saw a flash of dark blue lace where you hadn't realized that your shirt had ridden up some.

You could feel his eyes on you and you turned to look at him, wanting to make sure he was still enjoying the movie.

You couldn't help the way you froze when you saw the look in his eyes, hungry yet apprehensive.

"Bucky?" you asked softly, but you let out a surprised gasp as he leaned in and kissed you again, his lips harsh this time.

You couldn't help but let your eyes slip closed as you responded, shifting to wrap your arms around his neck.

Even if you were shocked at the slam of his lips, you weren't upset by it in the least.

You couldn't help but press your thighs together when you felt the slick heat of his tongue against your lips and you were quick to open up to him, letting it brush against yours.

"God, angel. You don't even know what seeing you in my shirt and feeling you against me is doing to me, do you?" he growled as he pulled back just enough to speak.

Your pupils were blown and your lips were red, a bit of stubble burn on your chin, but you loved it.

"I think I have a notion of it now," you said with a breathless laugh.

You made the move this time, leaning back in to kiss him again.

Before you even realized what was happening you were laid back on the couch, head resting on a throw pillow as he positioned himself between your thighs.

His shirt had fully ridden up to your hips now and he couldn't help the groan he let out at the sight of the dark blue panties you wore, a patch of fabric in the middle nearly black with arousal.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his vibranium hand on your right thigh. He wanted nothing more than to trail his fingers upwards and feel the warmth of your skin and the wetness of your need. He was grateful that having full sensation to match his flesh arm was one of the touches added in when he got this arm in Wakanda.

You smiled at him, a bit nervous, and nodded.

"I don't want to...do everything. Not tonight. But you can touch me, Bucky. I want to touch you. I trust you," you told him.

He grinned down at you before he kissed you once more with more heat and need than any of your previous ones.

A soft moan left you as his hips shifted and pressed against you and you reached down, your hand grabbing the metal of his on your thigh, and began to slowly push it towards your panty covered mound.

Your lips broke from his as he cupped you, a gasp leaving you at the sensation.

It didn't deter him as he began to trail his lips to your jaw and then your neck, soft sucks and kisses left to the smooth skin there, leaving marks that you would admire later on.

"Bucky, please," you whimpered, hips moving as he began to rub circles into your wet panties.

He pulled back from you, a whine leaving you as he gripped the bottom of his shirt that you wore, waiting for your nod of permission before he pulled it up and tossed it away.

Your nipples hardened in the cool air of the room and he couldn't help but admire you as he let his flesh hand come up to cup one of your full breasts, wasting no time in getting to work playing with your perked nipple.

At one particularly sharp pinch to it you moaned, back arching.

"Stop teasing me and do something," you huffed.

A chuckle left him as he leaned down to peck your lips once more.

"As you wish, doll."

His lips began back on their trail down your neck but this time they continued on, leaving kisses to your chest and licks to your nipples until you were squirming, before kissing his way down your belly.

When he got to the edge of your panties, he glanced up at you.

"Can I taste you?" he asked, lips brushing your abdomen as he spoke and causing your muscles to tense.

You bit your lip.

"Nobody's ever done that before," you told him, a bit embarrassed over it.

You were by no means a virgin but no guys you had been with before had ever taken an interest in giving oral, even if they received it themselves.

He shook his head.

"That's a crime, baby. I could live between these thighs." he said, turning to press a kiss to the thigh on his left, "We don't have to, but I would love to."

Fuck, this man was a dream come true.

"I want to. With you, I want to," you told him, and a grin graced his beautiful features.

He went back to trailing kisses along the waistband of your underwear before pulling back, hands sliding up your thighs and to your hips, grabbing the fabric and sliding it down.

You helped him get rid of them, lifting your hips and laughing as he tossed them carelessly over his shoulder.

You were naked beneath him now and you let out a yelp as he tugged you closer, your thighs being slid over his shoulders.

You had no time to say anything before you felt warm heat sliding over your clit.

"Oh," you gasped, thighs seizing at the sensation.

Your hands flew to the messy hair that was currently between your legs, fingers entwining in it while his head moved.

His tongue ran from your soaked entrance up to the hard bud of your clit.

"Doll, you taste amazing," he groaned against you, leaving a quick suck to the pulsing bud, "It's a shame nobody has done this for you. I could feast on this pussy for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

A breathy laugh escaped you before it turned into a moan as he got back to work.

"Bucky, holy shit," you whined, and he had to use one arm to rest over your hips as he worked to keep you still.

His free hand soon joined in and he pushed one, then two fingers into your soaked entrance, stretching you open. He explored for a moment before finding the spot within you that had you yelling out your release.

He continued flicking his tongue against your overstimulated clit until you couldn't take it anymore and you pulled him away gently.

He looked up at you, and you were sure your flushed cheeks matched his.

His lips were swollen and glistening but you didn't care as you pulled him up to kiss you, humming at the taste of yourself on him.

Your fingers fisted the fabric of his shirt and pulled it up a bit, "We're a bit unevenly matched here, babe."

He hesitated for a second before letting you pull the shirt off of him.

Your eyes landed on the scar of where his arm used to be where it met the dark metal of his artificial one.

You met his eyes for a moment before leaning in, kissing the gnarled skin.

"You're beautiful to me, Bucky." you told him and a soft smile graced him.

You leaned back up to brush your lips against his as you spoke.

"Now, lean back so I can suck your cock," you commanded softly.

Bucky didn't think he had ever moved so fast, leaning back and taking in the glory of your nude body laying in front of him.

You could see the evidence of his need pitching a tent in his pants and you sat up, quickly switching roles so now he was laying back as you hovered over him.

You leaned down and kissed him as your hands wasted no time in finding the waistband of his pants, tugging them down to expose his cock.

Your jaw dropped at the sight, easily the biggest you've seen.

But you were up for the challenge.

Your right hand came down to wrap around him, barely able to make it all the way around, and you laughed at the soft grunt he let out.

"This is impressive, baby." you told him as you began to stroke the hard length of him.

You straddled his thigh so you could reach him easier and you couldn't help but grind yourself against it just a bit, feeling arousal grow in you once more at the sight.

Bucky was unable to speak, jaw slack as he watched you.

After stroking him for a moment longer you leaned down and let your tongue come out, licking him from root to tip and feeling pride swell in you at his groan.

Your lips wrapped around the tip of him and you sucked, letting your tongue dip into the slit.

"Fuck, doll, you're gonna kill me," he growled, eyes nearly black with arousal.

A giggle left you, causing him to moan once more at the vibrations of it.

Your eyes closed as your head began to bob on him, cheeks hollow as you went.

Your hips began to pick up their pace as you ground on his thigh and he lifted it to help you get a better angle.

The feeling of your moans around him were driving him wild and he grasped the back of the couch with his metal hand, the wood base creaking with his strength as his flesh hand went to cup your cheek, thumb tracing your lips wrapped around him.

You opened your eyes to glance at him through your eyelashes, your free hand that wasn't holding him coming up to tease his balls, and he was done for.

"Goddammit, baby" he growled, and tried to tug you back in case you didn't want him to come down your throat.

You shook your head, speeding up both your mouth on him and your hips, determined to come at the same time as him.

A shout left him as he came down your throat and you whined as you ground your soaked pussy onto him, releasing for a second time.

You took a page from his book and suckled on his tip until he pulled away, unable to take it anymore.

You sat up straight, licking your lips before crawling up to lay on his chest, your naked bodies pressed against each other.

He grabbed the blanket you both had been using before, pulling it over you both before glancing at the movie on the TV that was now scrolling through the credits.

"I think date three was a success," he teased, and you laughed as you propped your chin on his chest to look up at him.

"I can't wait to see what date four brings," you said teasingly, leaning up to kiss him.

[moirasdolly]

˚ ⋆ﾟ୨୧ Office Siren ୨୧ ˚ ⋆ﾟ Sevika x Fem Reader

Synopsis: Sevika took immense joy in irritating you. It didn’t matter what time of day it was or what she had going on, she would always make time to make your life hell. Working for her as her assistant was not for the faint of heart, but perhaps it wasn’t all bad.

Contains: NSFW (men and minors DNI), oral sex (r!receiving), dom/top Sevika, oral (r!receiving), spanking, office sex, Sevika is kinda toxic but gets soft at the end.

Listening to ♪ ིྀ: Can’t Get You out of My Head - Kylie Minogue

Notes: It’s been a while since I wrote for Sevika, but I drew inspo from a TikTok by the user _echo_riot_ and their CEO Sevika headcanons! I may write a second part to this but who knows hehe… I think it would be fun to explore a relationship between reader and Sevika.

Surviving with Sevika as your immediate boss was undoubtedly not for the weak. She ran the office like it was the navy and she never let up. When you first took the job you were meek, timid, and a pushover. You were a people pleaser in every sense of the phrase, but Sevika had hardened you to what you were now. Her harsh attitude gave you no room for mistakes and she wasn’t one to sugarcoat anything. If you made one, she would tell you down to the very last detail what you did that displeased her. You learned quickly what she liked and what she didn’t like at the expense of your naive personality.

Now, you knew how to match Sevika’s behavior with your own. You never took it too far though, just barely teetering on the edge of having an attitude with her. Often, you were quick to quip back at her only to feign innocence after. The older woman hated your little shows of defiance that she couldn’t really call defiance because you were still technically doing what she asked. She knew you were doing it to get under her skin—undermine her—in any way that you could. It’s like you loved to test her patience. There was always underlying tension too that both of you felt, but none of you wanted to address. You had your own little fantasies, but you’d take those to the grave. 

It was never one sided though, she had a special penchant for making your life especially harder. As her secretary you worked with her every waking moment you were in that office. She needed coffee? She bluntly told you her order, no please or thank you. Not even an order to get yourself something. Her schedule was impossibly full and needed to drop some meetings? “Clear my schedule.” She would bark at you. She loved bossing you around, and she also loved how easily you listened to her… well most of the time. If you weren’t being difficult to get back at her. He er favorite pastime was making you print out meeting reports in a specific format, then telling you it was the incorrect one before throwing out all your hard work and making you redo everything.

Currently, that’s exactly what you were doing. Profanities were mumbled under your breath, just spilling out like a waterfall. Anger bubbled up in your chest, just begging for a reason to escape. Usually her antics didn’t make you this frustrated, but today Sevika had humiliated you so terribly in a room full of men who probably already thought you didn’t know how to do your job properly.

She had been wearing that stupid smirk of hers all the way to the board room like she already had something planned the whole time. You kept up with her strides though, your sleek black pumps echoing against the pristine floor with every step you took. Your perfectly manicured hands smoothed over your knee-length pencil skirt before stepping into the room right after her. A folder with everything Sevika had requested for the meeting rested in your arms as you sat down beside her. You slid the folder over to her with a curt nod before your hands settled in your lap.

You weren’t shy by any means, not anymore, but the men in this room made you want to shrink into your seat. They were all old, rich, and looked like they had never struggled a day in their life. Sleazy jokes were made before the meeting officially started and you couldn’t believe just how disgusting a group of people could be. Sevika didn’t seem to find them amusing either, but this was an important deal that could have been made. An air of annoyance settled over you and you kept to yourself throughout the meeting, only speaking when the older woman asked for statistics and reports. You still tried to make a good impression, you knew the importance of this meeting for the whole office.

As everything was coming to an end, one of the men who had been eyeing you the whole afternoon piped up, his yellowing teeth on full display in his sickly grin. “What’s your little assistant over there even good for?” He crudely gestured towards you. “She barely even acknowledged us the whole time, these females have no respect anymore.” He grumbled the last part under his breath. Your face glowed red with anger, and you could even feel the small vein on your forehead pulsing with every passing second. His words hung in the air for a moment before everyone burst into laughter. Not Sevika though, she just had the same smug look on her face from earlier. Her eyes darted to you before opening up her mouth to speak. “All she’s good for is fucking up these reports and giving me attitude.” She said as she smacked the manila folder onto the table. This sent her business partners into another fit of laughter, and it was almost so ridiculous that you felt like you were getting pranked. There was absolutely no way people actually behaved like this.

You cleared your throat loudly, reaching for the discarded papers, “Well if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.” You scooped up the papers so harshly that one of your french tip acrylics cracked as your hand slammed onto the table. A yelp of pain was threatening to escape your throat, but you already felt embarrassed enough as it was, so with the last bit of dignity you had you exited the boardroom with the folder in one hand, and a bloody nail on the other.

That was what landed you in your current fit of rage. You were so lost in your own thoughts and reposts of how everything went down that afternoon that you hadn’t even noticed Sevika’s presence looming over your shoulder. “What was that?” Her husky voice purred into your ear. “I’m a piece of shit who humiliated you for male validation?” She repeated your mumbled words that you had assumed no one else heard because you were so lost in your own mind.

Your body jerked back at the sound of her voice so close to you, but she had caught you by the hips as you ran into her. Your back had just barely hit her chest as her bags ghosted over you, just barely leaving a wispy feeling on your skin. You wanted so badly to just sink into her hold, but you quickly snapped around to face her, your index finger pressing harshly into her chest to push her away.

“What the hell was that about Sevika?” You said in a hushed tone in order to keep your frustrations at least somewhat controlled. “Is it your life’s mission to just make me miserable every fucking day?” Every word was emphasized with a shove to her chest, inching her further and further away from you. “All you do is boss me around, I never even get a single ‘Thank you!’ or “Good job!’” It was like a dam broke and all your complaints just freely flowed and there she was, standing there with that stupid, smug smirk of hers as always. It’s like your words were going in one ear, and out the other.

“See, you’re not even fucking listening now either!” You had enough of her evil antics and shoved the folder full of supposedly “messed up” reports into her hands, and made your move to exit her office.

Papers flew everywhere as Sevika tossed the reports, not caring where they landed before taking large strides over to where you were heading. She grabbed your wrist, yanking you back to her. Her grip was firm, yet not harsh enough to hurt. “Where do you think you’re going?” The older woman’s tone sent shivers down your spine, and the catty attitude you had harbored just 10 seconds ago was starting to vanish into thin air. Still though, you managed to hold your ground and remove yourself from her grip.

“Anywhere but here.” You spat out, your words dripping like venom. Her grey, steel-like eyes narrowed and she chuckled, “Yeah right, like you’d ever quit.”

“You wanna bet? I’ll do anything to get away from you. I’ll go somewhere I’ll actually be appreciated.”

A low hum escaped her throat as if she was acknowledging your words, “You wouldn’t leave.” She echoed her previous sentiment. “You enjoy ogling at me too much to ever think about leaving.”

Your cheeks were flushed with color at her words… Sure you definitely stared, but was it really that much? It wasn’t your fault her suits were always tailored to perfection, showcasing her broad shoulders and back that cinched perfectly into her tight waist. And who wouldn’t stare at the way her slacks always hugged her hips and thighs perfectly?

Your lips fell open in a silent protest, but before you could even make up a lie on the spot Sevika had began slinking closer and closer to you until she had backed you against the door of her office. You locked eyes with her own mist-colored ones and you hadn’t even noticed her hand snaking down to turn the lock on the door. The click pulled you from your trance for just a moment before she wrapped her metallic arm around your waist to hold you close to her.

“You can’t even deny it. Whether you like it or not, you’re bound to me” Her flesh hand cupped your cheek and you couldn’t help but nuzzle your face into her touch. You had long given up trying to leave and opted to be completely shameless in your desire for her.

She was so close to you, you could feel her breath on your neck as she spoke, “Do you want this?”

There was no denying you wanted her, but it scared you that your dynamic could change. Everything you worked for could go down the drain if Sevika decided that all she wanted from you was a quick fuck and nothing else.

The other woman could see the hesitation in your features when she pulled away from your skin, and it worried her. Her smug facade dropped for just a second as she uttered her reassurance to you. “If you don’t, we can stop this right now and it won’t affect anything. I promise.” 

Her voice was softer than usual and it made your heart race at a ridiculous pace. You were sure she could feel it beating out of your chest. Her sincerity touched you in a way that cleared all your doubts though and you simply nodded.

“I want this, I want you more than anything.”

With that confirmation Sevika wasted no time hoisting you up into her arms. Your legs wrapped around her waist and her lips locked onto your as she brought you to her desk. She set you down gently in contrast to the sloppy, heated kiss. It was all tongue and heavy breathing being exchanged and you wouldn’t have it any other way. A loud whine escaped your lips and Sevika let out a little chuckle.

“Careful sweetheart, we don’t want anyone to hear. Right?”

“Mhm.” You nodded frantically, your mind already hazy from the kiss.

The half smile she gave you sent you reeling. Her lips were slightly swollen from the kiss, and the little gap between her teeth peeked out. You couldn’t contain yourself, so you pulled her in for another rough kiss. You tried to lead, but Sevika would never let anyone other than herself be in control. She slotted herself between your thighs and you instantly squeezed her close to you. Her flesh hand fiddled with the buttons of your blouse at a teasingly slow pace. She took her sweet time undoing every last one until your cleavage spilled free from its confines. She broke the kiss to take in your lingerie clad chest. You were adorned in the daintiest black push-up bra that as much as she liked the view of it, she wanted to see what was underneath too. Her other hand trailed up your waist to join her other one on your breasts, kneading them softly.

“Do you always wear shit like this hoping to get lucky, or was it a special occasion today?” She wanted to just bury her face into your plush tits, but she had half the decency to let you answer first.

“Always, you never know when you’re gonna score.” A little smile made its way onto your lips before you wrapped your arms around her neck, pulling her closer to your chest.

Sevika wasted no time placing dozens of kisses onto your breasts and littering your chest with small bruises. You definitely wouldn’t be able to wear low cut tops after this.

“Let’s get rid of this now…” She trailed off as she reached behind your back to unclasp your bra. Your breasts sprang free and she immediately took one of your nipples into her mouth, coating it with her saliva. You sighed shakily, trying to stay as quiet as you could, but her mouth felt so good. You couldn’t imagine how it would feel on your slick pussy.

You took your other breast into your hand and gently rolled your nipple between the pads of your fingers. The stimulation to both of your breasts felt heavenly and you could wait for your pleasure to intensify.

“Fuck, Sevika your mouth feels so good…” You damn near whines when her mouth left your nipple with a satisfying pop, but you couldn’t stay mad for too long because she dropped to her knees instead, hungry for something else. She pressed chaste kisses along your knees up into your inner thighs, just barely dancing around where you needed her the most.

“Please don’t tease.” You pouted, peering down at her through hooded eyes.

“Since you asked so nicely…” Her metal hand shredded your stockings open and you gasped at the sudden movement.

Her thumb hooked around your matching lacy to pull them to the side, revealing your arousal to her. You were absolutely dripping from just a couple of kisses, it was absolutely pathetic. Sevika found it hot though, she dove in, eating like a starved woman.

Her mouth focused on your clit first, giving a few experimental licks before wrapping her lips around the sensitive bundle of nerves. Her tongue swirled around your clit, working in tandem with the rest of her mouth to make you feel things you had never felt before. 

You felt a high pitched moan threatening to spill from your lips, but you hand slapped over your mouth with quickness. You wanted nothing more than to squeal out her name like it was the only word you knew how to say, but your dignity was stronger than that. You couldn’t risk the whole office hearing you. Something about the secretiveness is this whole ordeal sent shivers down your spine though, anyone could knock on the door at anytime and discover that you, Sevika’s faithful assistant, was really just a whore for her.

Your thighs clenched even tighter around her head as she dipped her tongue into your drenched cunt instead. You missed the stimulation on your clit, but her tongue deep inside of you was a completely different sensation that drove you insane. Her pace never faltered, she was steady and ate like she’d never see a meal this good again.

“Oh shit…” You whispered through your hands. Your body felt hot all over and you couldn’t stop yourself from bucking your hips up into her mouth. Her flesh arm gripped your body as if she was telling you to still your movements for her. You tried to the best of your abilities but you still squirmed around while trying not to knock things off of her desk.

The noises coming from the older woman’s mouth were downright nasty. She moaned into your wet cunt, absolutely drunk on your taste. You had never heard anything as lewd in your life, but you weren’t complaining.

Your hands found their way into her short, blunt hair, tugging her impossibly closer. You felt yourself growing closer and closer to what you had been chasing this whole time. Her tongue dipped deep into your core to draw your orgasm from you. Your thighs clamped around her head on instinct, and she let herself get smothered. It didn’t bother her, she only continued to eat like a starved woman until your legs fell open in exhaustion and overstimulation. Your almost perfectly manicured hands pushed her head away gently before letting your back fall onto the desk. Sevika presses gently kisses all up your stomach, past your chest, and onto your lips before standing up to her full height. She loomed over you, her presence oppressive and unavoidable, “Up, sweetheart.”

You let out a breathy whine as to say “no” but she wasn’t having any of it. Her sweet demeanor was still there from the previous kisses, but there was something else brewing just underneath the surface. Part of you wanted to find out, but the other part of you wanted to be good for her, so you pushed yourself up to stand. Your legs shook as you found your balance, you were beyond tired and all you wanted to do was sit back down, but instead Sevika guided you to face her desk before bending you right over it. Your arms found purchase on the cool wood to support yourself as your cheek rested against the surface as well.

“You didn’t think I forgot about that little stunt you pulled earlier, did you?” Her large hands roamed the material of your skirt that had been covering your ass. “Do you still want to leave? Find someplace that’ll appreciate you more than I do.”

You knew your voice would betray you, so you shook your head as well as you could.

“Use your words.”

Her tone left no room for defiance. “No! I couldn’t never find someone who would treat me like this.”

You were so far gone it didn’t matter what had happened earlier in the day, you couldn’t even remember why you were so mad at her in the first place. You just wanted to stay with her. Whether these were lust driven emotions or something else was for another day.

She hummed, semi-content with your answer, but she wanted a little something more. Her hands slid under your skirt this time, making contact with the ripped, sheer tights under your skirt. She hooked both her thumbs under the waistband before delicately pulling them down. Next were the lacy panties that she absolutely adored, she’d make a mental note to ask you to wear them again. Both articles of clothing pooled around your ankles and you were completely bare except for the barely buttoned blouse that hung off your shoulders and your black pumps that managed to stay on throughout this whole ordeal.

Her rough hands kneaded the flesh of your ass before her organic one came crashing down onto the supple flesh. She immediately soothed over it with her gentle touch, making sure to not put too much pressure on the sensitive skin. “That okay?”

It was more than okay, the sting felt delicious, and you found yourself wanting more. “Mhm.” You hummed, pushing yourself into her as much as you could in the position you were in.

“Okay we’re gonna count to ten. Just nine more to go.”

Her palm made contact with the sensitive skin once more, and a quiet, “two” slipped past your lips. You were really trying your hardest to keep quiet, but each time Sevika brought her hand down on your ass you wanted to squeal at the mix of pain and pleasure.

By the time you had made it all the way to number ten tears were pricking the corner of your eyes and you felt like you could just melt into a puddle of pleasure at Sevika’s feet. Your legs were struggling to keep you upright, trembling like Bambi.

“Do you think you’ve learned your lesson, sweetheart?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m sorry for threatening to leave, Sevika.”

Her heart fluttered at how softly you had uttered her name and she pulled you back up and into her arms for a quick peck to the lips. Seeing your lipstick smudged, eyeliner messy, and your glasses crooked made pride swell in her chest. She was glad she could bring you so much pleasure, but she was also concerned she might have been too rough with you.

“You okay?” She plucked the glasses from your eyes, setting them down on her desk before using her thumb to wipe the smudged lipstick from your chin.

You nodded, reassuring her, “‘M fine, I don’t regret anything…” You trailed off softly, something still heavy on your mind. Now that the lust driven haze had lifted you had remembered why you wanted to leave in the first place.

“I just don’t get why you had to embarrass me like that earlier. I get that you do it all the time when it’s just us, but in front of all of your business partners was taking it too far.” 

Sevika gave you a look akin to a kicked puppy before apologizing, “I’m sorry I know it was shitty, I knew it was before I did it, while it happened, and after it was done.” She looked to the side not wanting to face you, “Our dynamic shouldn’t always be me just… making you miserable, although it is fun to see you get mad.” 

You smacked her shoulder gently at the last part, “I’m serious Sevika. If you want whatever this is to continue, I don’t want to be fucked over everytime you need a quick laugh.”

“So you want this to continue?” You couldn’t quite place the emotion you sensed in Sevika, but her eyes lit up at the proposition.

“If you can promise me you’ll make an effort to be nicer to me.” You reminded her, eyes narrowing slightly.

“I thought you liked it rough?” That stuoid little smirk appeared on her face again and you had to keep yourself from giggling.

“I mean in the office! You know what I'm saying.”

Her eyes softened before nodding, “Okay, okay,” She put her hands up as if to surrender, “you got a deal.”

[biggianteggplant]

Chocolate Covered Almonds

KUROO TETSURO

The sun was warm against your back as you sat beside Kuroo on the bench, the courtyard buzzing with lazy chatter and distant footsteps. Between the two of you sat a small, half-eaten bag of chocolate-covered almonds, glinting softly in the afternoon light.

Kuroo, as usual, looked annoyingly comfortable. His legs were stretched out, phone in one hand, the other lazily picking through the snack pile like he owned it. You watched him for a moment before slipping one of the almonds into your mouth, letting the chocolate melt slowly on your tongue.

You didn’t say anything—just pulled the bare almond from your lips, holding it out to him without looking.

He glanced at the offering, brow lifting slightly. “Oh?”

You still didn’t meet his eyes. “You said you only like the almonds.”

There was a beat of silence. You could feel his stare even before he spoke, the corners of his mouth tugging upward.

“So that’s how it is,” he murmured, setting his phone down with exaggerated slowness. “You wanna take this up to the next level, huh?”

Now you looked at him, puzzled. “What level?”

A smug little smirk curled on his face. “Using an almond… as an excuse for an indirect kiss?” He leaned closer, voice dipping with all the fake sultriness of a drama prince. “I mean, I get it. I know I’m hot, but damn.”

Your laugh burst out before you could stop it. “It’s just an almond.”

“Is it?” he asked, plucking it from your fingers, letting his hand brush yours far more intentionally than necessary. “Because this feels a lot like a bold confession.”

“You’re so dramatic,” you said, rolling your eyes as he tossed the almond into his mouth.

He chewed slowly, still watching you like he was trying to decode some hidden message in your smile.

“If I were confessing,” you added, “trust me—you’d know.”

Kuroo chuckled under his breath. “Guess I’ll just have to keep eating until you spell it out, then.”

You arched a brow. “Maybe I should start charging per almond I pre-melt.”

“That’s fine,” he said, reaching for another. “I may be broke in money, but I’m rich in charm.”

You couldn’t help but laugh again, nudging his shoulder gently. “You're unbelievable.”

He looked down at you, a softer smile forming now, something quieter sitting in his eyes.

“And yet,” he said, “you’re still here. Sharing snacks. Letting me flirt.”

You picked another almond, holding it between your fingers for a moment before popping it in your mouth again.

“Yeah,” you said with a smirk, after a pause. “Guess I’m weak for idiots who like almonds.”

He leaned back, hands behind his head, victorious. “Admit it. I’ve got you wrapped around my little chocolate-covered finger.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t spit that one out.”

“Romantic,” he teased. “Absolutely romantic.”

USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI

Ushijima stood beside you in the school hallway, arms crossed and expression as calm and unreadable as always. The two of you had just wrapped up a study session, and now you were nibbling on a bag of chocolate-covered almonds while he watched, only half-interested.

“They’re good,” you said between chews, holding the bag out to him. “Want some?”

He shook his head gently. “No, thank you. I try not to eat sweets.”

You blinked. “Not even a little?”

“I’m careful with my diet,” he replied, voice steady. “Especially during training season.”

You looked down at the almond in your hand, thinking. Then, with a shrug, you popped it into your mouth and slowly melted the chocolate away, careful not to bite down too soon. Once it was just the bare almond, you took it out, holding it out to him in the palm of your hand with an innocent smile.

“There! No more chocolate,” you said cheerfully. “Just the almond part. That’s healthy, right?”

Ushijima stared at the almond. Then at you. Then back at the almond.

“…You… took the chocolate off?”

“Mhm!” you nodded, clearly proud of your clever solution. “See? Now you can have it. No sugar or anything.”

He hesitated—just for a second—then slowly reached out and took it from your hand.

“Thank you,” he said blankly, placing it in his mouth like it was a perfectly normal thing to do.

You beamed, swinging your legs a little where you sat. “It’s kind of fun. Like, I get the sweet part, and you get the crunchy part. It’s teamwork.”

Ushijima chewed thoughtfully. He still wasn’t entirely sure what just happened, but there was a soft warmth creeping into his chest at the way you were smiling at him.

“…I see,” he said eventually, as if trying to convince himself. “Teamwork.”

You offered him another “de-chocolated” almond, just as sweetly as the first. And without another word, he accepted it.

No complaints. No logic. Just… trust.

And maybe, just maybe, the tiniest twitch of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

AKAASHI KEIJI

The afternoon light spilled softly into the classroom, casting long shadows over your desk as you lazily snacked on a small bag of chocolate-covered almonds. Beside you, Akaashi sat in his usual calm silence, flipping through the pages of a book, occasionally glancing up when a student walked by or when you rustled too loudly.

You held out the bag in his direction without looking. “Want some?”

He shook his head gently. “No, thank you. I… don’t really like the chocolate part.”

“Oh,” you said, frowning a little. “Just the almond, huh?”

He gave a small nod. “Yeah. But it’s okay. You enjoy them.”

You stared at the bag for a moment, then without a word, picked up an almond and popped it into your mouth. Slowly, you let the chocolate melt away until only the nut was left. Then, you took it out carefully and held it out to him in your palm.

“Here,” you said simply, smiling like you’d just solved a puzzle. “No chocolate.”

Akaashi blinked.

You continued to smile at him—completely unfazed, like this was a totally normal, very practical thing to do.

He looked down at the almond in your hand, then back up at your face. Something about how you were offering it—so cheerfully, so sincerely—made his heart give a small, unfamiliar flutter.

“…You… took the time to melt it off?” he asked softly.

“Mhm!” You nodded, eyes bright. “Figured you might still want some. Just the almond part.”

There was a pause, quiet except for the sounds of the school outside the window. And then slowly, gently, he reached out and took the almond from your hand.

“Thank you,” he said, a little awkward but genuine, his fingers brushing yours for a second longer than necessary.

You went right back to snacking like it was nothing, preparing the next almond like you were just doing a normal routine.

But Akaashi sat there, a little stunned, heart warm and chest a little tight in a way he couldn’t explain.

He looked at the almond in his hand and then at you.

What an odd, sweet thing you are.

KITA SHINSUKE

You sat on the school steps with Kita, the afternoon breeze brushing past quietly as the two of you shared a peaceful break together. In your lap: a crinkled bag of chocolate-covered almonds. You munched happily, eyes half-closed in contentment.

Beside you, Kita sat with his usual composed stillness, sipping from a water bottle. His gaze drifted to the sky, calm and unbothered, until—

You gently tapped his arm and held out an almond.

“Here,” you said, smiling. “No chocolate.”

He glanced down at your hand. Just the almond, slightly warm. You had clearly eaten the chocolate off again. Like the twelve times before.

He accepted it with a polite nod. “Thank you.”

And again, you continued—popping the next almond into your mouth, waiting for the chocolate to melt away, then happily placing the bare almond in your palm and offering it to him like some kind of squirrel proudly sharing its foraged treasure.

He took that one, too.

You were on your thirteenth almond when it suddenly hit you—mid-offering, almond in hand, smile frozen on your face.

Your eyes widened.

You turned slowly toward him.

“Wait,” you whispered, voice trembling with realization. “WAIT—”

Kita blinked, eyebrows lifting ever so slightly. “Hm?”

Your face went completely red. “Oh my God. OH MY GOD—Kita, I’ve been giving you pre-licked almonds—with my saliva—and you’ve been EATING THEM???”

He just… blinked again. “Yes.”

You gasped, scandalized by your own actions. “That’s SO disgusting. I’m—Kita, I’m SO sorry, I wasn’t even thinking—I just thought you didn’t like chocolate and I wanted to help but I didn’t—oh my god you must think I’m—”

He reached out and gently placed a hand on your head, as if calming a panicking cat. “It’s alright,” he said calmly, like you hadn’t just fed him thirteen chewed-on almonds like it was a love language.

“I—I basically spit in your hand thirteen times—”

“I don’t mind,” he said simply, almost smiling. “It was very considerate of you.”

Your brain short-circuited. “You… don’t mind???”

He shrugged. “You did it with good intentions.”

You stared at him.

He looked down at the next chocolate-covered almond in your hand, still smiling softly.

“Though,” he added, “if it bothers you, I can start peeling them instead.”

You looked at him, flustered and horrified but also a little giddy inside, and groaned into your hands.

“I need to go hide forever.”

“No need,” he said, plucking the almond from your palm. “We’re even now.”

You stared. “Wait. What does that mean?”

He just popped the almond in his mouth without answering, like he hadn’t just made your brain implode.

KYOTANI KENTARO

You were seated on the gym bleachers during break, lazily chewing on chocolate-covered almonds while watching the team mess around. The bag rustled in your lap as you popped another one into your mouth, letting the chocolate melt off, as usual.

You glanced to your right and noticed Kyotani sitting nearby—arms crossed, headphones around his neck, that usual scowl of his resting comfortably on his face.

You remembered him mentioning once (in his gruff, awkward way) that he liked almonds. Just not sweets.

So, naturally, you smiled and reached into your mouth, carefully plucked out the almond, and held it out to him.

“Here,” you said sweetly. “No chocolate.”

Kyotani’s eyes snapped down to your hand.

Then to your face.

Then back to your hand.

His expression twisted into some mix of confusion, mild horror, and the kind of frozen panic a cat gets when it’s caught knocking something off a table.

He didn’t speak. Just blinked. Twice.

“…The hell,” he muttered under his breath, ears slightly pink. “Did you just…”

You blinked. “Oh—OH MY GOD.”

It hit you all at once.

“I chewed it. I—oh my god, that’s so gross, I’m sorry—”

You recoiled, hand still halfway out, your other hand covering your mouth as embarrassment kicked in at full speed.

Kyotani looked away quickly, rubbing the back of his neck like his entire soul was glitching.

Before either of you could say anything else, a very familiar voice piped up behind you.

“Well, if he won’t eat it,” Yahaba drawled with a smirk, leaning over your shoulder, “I’ll gladly take it.”

You looked up at him, flustered. “Wait—what?”

He winked. “An indirect kiss from you? What a treat.”

And before you could react, he leaned in just a little too close, eyeing the almond still in your hand.

But before Yahaba’s fingers could reach it, a firm hand grabbed your wrist and pulled your arm back—just enough for Kyotani to lean in without hesitation, eyes sharp.

And then—dead serious, jaw tense—he bit the almond straight out of your hand.

There was a split second of silence.

Yahaba’s eyebrows shot up.

You went red as a tomato.

Kyotani chewed, face burning but composed. “Back off.”

And just like that, he turned away again, headphones sliding back over his ears like nothing happened.

You sat frozen, brain blank, hand still hovering in mid-air.

Yahaba let out a low whistle. “...Damn.”

You, whispering under your breath: “Did he just—eat it out of my hand??”

Yahaba patted your shoulder. “Girl… I think that was a declaration of war.”

(Was watching reels on FB and saw a girl talking about how she did the exact same thing with her man before they got together—literally same energy, it was so cute and funny 😭💗 Anyway, posting this before I get absolutely cooked during research defense later! Enjoy, my pretty little walnuts. You guys are the real snack 😌✨)

[lunajay33]

Not as Planned

•🤍🧺⛓️‍💥🪽•

Summary: Kozik was your world and with a baby girl on the way everything was becoming clear, but you worried for his safety with the cartel, happy being both of your best friend he was always there to reassure you, but what will the future hold?

Pairing: Kozik x f!reader, Happy x f!reader

Included: Pregnancy, Character Death:(, Depression, Grief, Flashbacks, Fluff, 18+

•Masterlist•

The moment I met Kozik in Tacoma I knew, I knew he was my soulmate, he moved in next door and the rumble of his motorcycle intrigued me, I always was weak for a strong tattooed man in a bike and this was my chance to live out that dream

When I went over with a batch of cookies he was smiling brightly as he answered the door, he invited me in and from that point on we were inseparable, I knew what he did and it didn’t bother me, as long as I got to be with him

He introduced me to his club, where I got to meet some guys, some were okay, civil about me, but through that I met Happy Lowman, he was one of Koziks best friends and over time he became mine too, he was stand offish with me at first but Kozik told me that’s how he is with new things

But after many nights of them both staying over at my house and the many meals and desserts I filled their bellies I won him over, now he was like a welcome third wheel in our relationship, there for when I needed advice on Kozik or just when I needed moment of silence with a good friend he was there

All three of us made the move to Charming to the Redwood charter, they wanted a smaller area and of course I went with them, that where I got to meet the guys, Tara, Lyla and Gemma, they were glad to have another girl around the place

When I found out I was pregnant 7 months ago Kozik was over the moon, very nervous but so excited to grow a family with me, always joking that the baby would be protected constantly because it has a psycho uncle

And that leads to now

Sitting at the bench outside the clubhouse as I twist the gold band around my ring finger, waiting for Kozik and the rest of the guys to pull into the lot after another gun run for the Cartel

“Sweetheart all this stress isn’t good for the baby” Gemma states as she comes to stand by the table

“I know but I can’t help it, ever since I found out I’m pregnant I have this constant fear he’s gonna get hurt, worse than the usual” she rubs her hand up and down my back

“Oh honey we all feel that way, but the guys have each others back out there, your knight in shining armour will me riding through those gates any minute” and just like that we hear the distant rumble of motorcycles

One by one they pull into the lot and soon they’re all getting off, I wobble over to Kozik and throw my arms around his and his arms immediately wrap around my waist

“Shit I missed you baby girl” he sighs into my neck and I knew it was a rough one today for them

“I missed you too, I get so scared everytime you leave, I feel like you take a part of me with you and if you don’t come back I’ll never be the same” I’ve gotten alot more emotional in these last steps of my pregnancy but every word I spoke was true

He’s everything to me, always has been, not many people find their soulmates and luckily I came across mine, he pulls back and places his hands in the sides in my baby bump

“You know I’d never leave my girls”

“In this life style, it may not be your choice” we look at eachother for some time just admiring what we have when Happy comes and claps a hand on both our backs

“Come on love birds, do you need to declare love everytime he comes back” he groans glaring at us both only making me laugh, knowing deep down he was jealous of getting no attention

“I missed you too happy” I smile pulling him down into a hug, he’s not a touchy feeling emotional guy but he held a special spot for his best friend, he held on a little longer than usual meaning even Happy was stressed about whatever was going on which had to be bad

“Come, you boys need to relax”

We walk inside and Rat is already ready handing them both a beer, quick to grab and water for me

The both slump down in the old couch letting out big sighs as I try to maneuver a way to sit without falling backwards with my huge belly since the couch was so low

Soon feeling four hands on me helping guide me down till the ache on my back is gone and I’m nestled into the soft leather and between the two most important men in my life

“How is she today?” Kozik asks wrapping an arm behind me so I could rest my head on his shoulder, happy taking my legs and resting them on his lap as he continued a conversation with Tig who’s at the table next to the couch

“She’s good, she was kicking alot more, definitely missed her daddy today” I hold his hand in mine across my belly, moments like this I cherished, being in his arms surrounded my people I love

“She’s not the only one, I can tell, you’re stressed the doctor said that was bad for you both”

“I know but I can’t help it, you guys aren’t just in risky stuff anymore, it’s straight up dangerous…..it scares me” I feel happy rub up and down my leg soothingly even if he wasn’t in the conversation I know he could hear my worry, he always had his own way of showing affection and comfort

“Just promise me you won’t put yourself into unnecessary danger, make another guy do it I don’t care just…..don’t go all macho and end up dying leaving me and Lily alone”

“Okay I promise, now relax you’re running your head wild, we’re back, I’m back……I love you baby girl” he whispers into my hair

“I love you too Kozik”

•

I walk into the club house with a container of fresh brownies for the guys knowing how famished they get after being hungover, the opposite of most normal people

“Thank god our saviour! Koziks got himself a lucky one” tig yells out and the guys swarm me taking brownies, bringing one over to Happy and Kozik at the bar

“Feeling under the weather today boys?” I mock not being able to help but smirk as they rub their heads

“I love you baby, but please be quiet” Kozik groans as he slowly stuffs his face with brownies

“I second that” happy grunts

“Sorry” I hold my hands up in mock surrender, we all sit in silence for a while but there was something in my mind only the two closest men in my life could answer

“Can I ask you both something?” The change in my voice had them both looking to me, Kozik hand immediacy coming to my thigh

“Everything alright?” Happy asks, his voice grumbling

“I guess I don’t know ever since I’ve gotten bigger I don’t feel well…..as desirable anymore, will all these skinny perky croweaters around it’s hard not to compare” the were silent before they both bursted out laughing

“Guys I’m serious”

“Trust me baby, you’re the sexiest you’ve ever been”

“Yeah definitely up my alley” happy days earning a arm smack from Kozik

“Hey im just saying, she’s hot, we’ve been over this”

“Creep, she’s mine buddy” Kozik scoffs jokingly as he looks back at me

“But he’s right, you’re smoking baby” he brushed my hair back, his fingers brushing my cheek

“Maybe you just have to show me” he perks up like he wasn’t just completely hung over, picking me up bridal style and running to his dorm, leaving a trail of laughs in our wake, and Happy feeling left confused at the bar, these foreign feelings for his best friends girl who was also his best friend

•

Clay had Happy, Miles and Kozik going on a run having to keep the guns at Happys mom and aunts house so I thought it would be a fun little trip to tag along, I drive behind them, miles in the truck, happy and Kozik on their bikes and me in my own car because they didn’t want me getting in the mix if something happened

Soon we’re pulling up to Happys mothers house and she comes out with her sister, bright smiles as usual, always happy to greet guest, how happy came from her I’ll never know

I walk up to the house with Kozik at my side, happy and miles ahead of us

“I’m so happy to see you mijo” she beams pulling happy down to kiss him on the check

She turns to me and laughs as she gently touches my bump

“Oh chica you’re glowing, congratulations to both of you” she kisses my cheek and pulls me into a hug

“Thank you ma’am! We’re very excited for her to join our little family, Happy won’t say it but he is too” I whisper the last part to her as the guys have gone inside to eat

“You know sometimes I wish he got to you first, eyes never lie honey, and I know my son, I see the way he looks at you” my heart flips at her words making me feel flustered

“Happy? Like me? I don’t think so”

“I’m just saying I wish you were my daughter in law” she leads me inside to the table leaving me stunned but u try to brush it off as I sit next to Kozik, my plate already filled

Happy like me? That’s insane he’s koziks best friend and mine, plus I’m not really his type, atleast I don’t think I am

•

After dinner I helped clean up even though Kozik and Happys mom tried to stop me I couldn’t just sit their while everyone cleans up, that’s not me especially when I’m a guest

Placing the last plate in the dishwasher I stand up placing my hand in my lower back sighing

“Your back again?” I hear happy ask behind me, leaning against the counter with a toothpick in his mouth like usual

“Yeah, she’s getting heavier really strains my back, kozik helps by holding her up sometimes but he can’t hold me all the time” I laugh and his eyes travel to my bump

“Your mother had some interesting to say earlier” I say filling the silence

“Oh yeah?”

“She said she wished I was her daughter in law, I’m thinking she’s wanting you to get yourself a nice lady Hap” I smile taking his upper arm and we walk out to the living room where Kozik and Miles are sat watching a boxing fight, Happys mom and aunt gone to bed

“God I’m tired” I sigh sitting next to Kozik and slaying across his chest cuddling into him as he wraps his arms around me

“You work yourself out too much Angel, the doctor said you have to take it easy”

“Yeah yeah well I wasn’t gonna put all the work on Happys mom, even though I’m pretty sure she wants to keep me around”

“Sounds like she wants happy to steal you ol lady man” miles chimes in making Kozik laugh

“Yeah I’d like to see him try” happy doesn’t say anything just watched us both with those intimidating eyes

“I’m crazy, not crazy enough to steal another man’s ol lady” he grunts looking back to the tv

“Awe see he does love us” I joke making Kozik and miles laugh and the rest of the night is quiet…..comfortable

•

The guys loaded up the truck and I sat out watching them as I drank some iced tea, Happy comes out grumpy

“Who made pancakes it’s a mess”

“I did” miles says as they strain to lift the crate into the truck but watching my man’s arms flex was quite the show

“You gonna clean it up?”

“Have your mom and aunt”

“They’re not your maids” I could here the anger in his voice

“It’s okay I can do it” I say trying to ease the situation but trying to stand seemed harder as u huffed when I finally stood up straight

“No he made the mess he cleans it up” happy grunts

“Go he hates messes and my woman isn’t cleaning up after you” Kozik pushes and miles huffs as he walks inside leaving the three of us

“You’re to nice, he’s gotta learn” happy says as he puts his hand on my lower back and helps me sit back down, they join me sitting in the lawn chairs facing me

“I know I just wanna help you guys, I know how much stress you guys are under and it worries me sick when you’re both out there, me cleaning up some messes is the least I can do” Kozik brushes back my hair cupping my cheek

“It’s not your job Angel, I love you but you’re so stubborn, I love it but you’ve gotta relax at least until Lily is born”

“Think of the lil girl” happy says with sincerity in voice, which was a rarity

“Okay…I’ll take it easy”

“Good, and you have nothing to be worried about, we’ve got eachothers backs out there right Hap” he grunts in agreement and I feel a bit more at ease

Happys mom comes out with a bundle of clothes in her arm making her way towards me

“Mija, I’ve dug out some of Happys baby clothes, you should have them” she laid them in my lap, little onesies, beanies and handmade blankets

“Oh Mrs. Lowman I can’t these are your memories, keep them for when happy has children” she shakes her head patting my shoulder

“I want you to have them, your important to happy and his dear friend, keep them mija” I look at happy to make sure it’s okay and he nods and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face

“Thank you so much, I’ll take good care of them” she kisses my cheek before going back inside, I hold up a onesie and it’s so tiny

“Awe happy you must’ve been adorable” I tease and he snatches it from my hands as me and Kozik laugh

“You’re lucky you’re my friends old lady” he scoffs but I can see the subtle hint of a smile

•

The day had come where they were moving the guns so I was gonna head back to charming and wait for them there

Miles gets in the truck and I hug Happy, whispering in his ear

“Please watch out for him Hap, and be safe” his arms squeezed a little tighter leaning back he nods and gets in the truck

I turn to Kozik and his arms are immediately around my waist and I’m holding him tight, breathing him in

“Be safe baby, we will be waiting for you, me and our little girl okay”

“I’ll come back to you angel, I love you so much” being in his arms was my favorite thing in the world he always made me feel safe

“I love you too, with every fiber of my being”

He looks down at me gently holding my face in his hands and I do the same to him

Pulling me into a hard passionate kiss I never want to leave, when we separate I’m out of breathe making him smirk

“We’ll finish that later” he hops in the truck and they’re off, I watch as the truck drives down the road and I can’t help this awful feeling in my stomach

“Before you came they were just two men struggling, you know Koziks past and happy well he was a bit out of control, but when you came it’s like they both found something to ground them, they’re lucky to have you mija”

“Thank you Mrs. Lowman, you’re so sweet to me, I’ll be sure to visit again soon”

She gives me a bag of homemade cookies and I pack up my car and drive home and all I can think about is the two most important men in my life

•

Part.2

Part 2 soon, it’s gonna get angsty, it’s gonna be a rollercoaster, if you wanna be in the taglist comment!!

Taglist: @mamawiggers1980 @samcrosfaith

[st4rry4543]

Threadville: theories and analysis

Rocky:

Okay, from what we've gathered from the trailers and other short videos, supernob we can easily figure out that rocky is being controlled or under the influence of the "entity."

From what we know(based on the threadville pages), Rocky is the "perfect candidate" for these 2 key elements

• strength

• weak mentality

It seems as if this entity here needs a thing's mind to be weak in order to fully control them. Rocky seemed to be easy to be manipulated. But how is the question. How does this "entity" break one's mind? Do they have a physical form? Or do they communicate mentally? I have no idea, but I do know one thing. This entity is extremely smart. Now, it doesn't take rocket science to write notes or pages, but for this thing to have a full-on plan on who it wants to control is interesting.

The only question I have is: What do they want? Has something happened to them, or are they just simply evil( I'm going with the second answer)

Veena:

Veena drops in the category of "potential candidate" because of her lack of physical strength and because her mentality is also quite weak.

But it was noted that her teeth could come in useful. Which makes me wonder. Why does veena look the way she is? Well, from her character card, we know that where she comes from, everyone saw her as a "freak" and she just wanted a place where she could be accepted.

Let's take a look at her child photos:

Yeah, she doesn't seem too happy. Maybe because she had a rather grumpy attitude as a child OR the more likely reason is because she's unhappy with what she's wearing. Notice how veena is much happier when we're in threadville compared to her younger self. That's most likely because she's a spooky girl! She loves spooky things. That's probably one of the things you can tell about her, right off the bat.

Oliver:

Oliver is a "strong potential candidate," mostly due to his physical strength

But it seems as if he has the strongest mentality out of everyone in threadville at the moment. That amazed me considering that his family is not in a very well state. Heck! We're not even sure if his family is alive. But we do know for sure that his dad is gone.

From what we see, oliver is pretty neutral with everyone in threadville. Except for veena because they are best friends.

From what I've observed, oliver may feel threatened by rocky. Either because of his size or the fact that he knows what's going on. Notice how oliver didn't exactly freak out when he saw rocky in that state. Instead, he focused on guiding us through the tunnels. Is it because this has happened before? Does he know what's going on with Rocky?

Family in threadville: Oliver's and rocky's(maybe Charlotte as well)

Here are some images

Oliver's family: Evelyn(mother), jasper(Brother), and June(sister)

Maybe it's just me, but doesn't Oliver's mom look kind of sick in the first picture compared to the rest? Also, I realized something about the second picture. This was from supernob's Twitter, and the caption read: "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. There was nothing you could have done." What happened here? What could have occurred so bad that she had blamed herself for it? Was it something regarding oliver? Probably not. My best guess is that it had something to do with her husband. And is that fire reflecting off her eyes? Did her husband's death have something to do with a fire?

Oliver's siblings:

Realize how Oliver's siblings look NOTHING like him or his family. Could they be adopted? Of course, in the real world, people can inherent traits from their ancestors or other family members. So I guess that applies in the puppet word as well.

Rocky's family:

So, from Rocky's character card, we already know he's half bear half dog. But this photo of his parents confirmed it.

Here, wait a minute, take a minute to look at younger rocky

I don't have anything to say in regard to younger him he just looks adorable.

ANYWAYS-

I'm guessing his parents are still alive, but do they know what's become of their son? We know nothing about them. We're not even sure if they were good parents. But I wonder how they would react if they saw the state rocky is in now.

Charlotte:

Charlotte's character card says no one knows who Charlotte's parents are or where she comes from. So they just left their child there. Why? Was it because they didn't want her? Or because they really COULDN'T give her the proper care she needs.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS THATS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW BUH BYE MY ST4R BABIES.

-St4rry out☆

[thewalrusespublicist]

Hi! Your blog is so well-researched and thorough, going through your tags is a delight. I’ve been going through a rabbit hole reading about John and Yoko in the late seventies, and I’m morbidly fascinated but it’s so sad. You make me want to read Dakota Days, but I’m afraid it’s going to be really depressing.

Do you think John’s journals (1975-1980) will ever come out, assuming they haven’t been destroyed?

Because I feel that the best piece of evidence we have that all was not well during John’s househusband phase is that the Estate has chosen not to publish them. Not that I think that there’s anything wildly scandalous in them: in fact, they’re probably pretty boring. I just think it will paint the portrait of a deeply depressed man, paralyzed by his mental illness and pathologically jealous of other pop/rock stars (Paul). It’s not positive for the Estate, and it’s not positive for Paul, because it will make people question once again if John even liked him. Given all that, I can’t think of a good reason for Sean to publish them, except for money, lol.

But if he does, I can totally see it becoming a watershed moment in the fandom. It’s an extreme comparaison, but bear with me: I remember when I was in university and Heidegger’s black book was published. All of a sudden everyone was like did you KNOW he was wildly antisemitic?? And like, yeah. We already knew he had a card in the nazi party. But his stans could always rationalize it in a way that becomes very hard to do when it comes in the words of the man himself. Ironically, considering the mild nature of the material, I can see his journal striking a worse blow to John’s reputation than Goldman’s book, or May’s, or John Green’s or Seaman’s.

Hi anon!

Thank you so much for your lovely message!

Late 70s and John and Yoko is endlessly fascinating. They're almost like a gothic tale mixed with absurdist satire served with a side of good old-fashioned dysfunction. John's whole existence at that time seems akin to a 1970s remake of The Yellow Wallpaper and its crazy to see how the gap between reality and PR started to widen as the decade wore on. On that note, I would highly recommend Dakota Days. True, you are being taken round on a journey by a con-man guide who does everything to lure you into his perspective as well as twist events to frame himself as the ultimate truth-sayer and voice of reason. Nevertheless, the picture he paints to me is so consistent with their characters in the 70s that it seems at worst a bang on parody of their true personalities and I believe the skeleton of his narrative is accurate.

On the diaries, I do believe that at least some copies or illegal copies are still out there in the world. Whether the originals have been destroyed ... I don't think so BUT, they are probably locked in a safe in the heart of the Dakota at this point considering they got nicked twice (like how, how??). I also believe that the manuscript for Peter Dogget's book will still exist somewhere (even if it's just on Dogget's laptop) and will probably be published at some point/things will leak out about it.

As for how I feel about the contents and them getting released, I'm conflicted on near every level. I get your comparison totally. From what we know of the contents, whilst some passages seems to have contained endearing elements of love, self-improvement and self-reflection, a lot of it seems to be dripping in self-absorption, delusion, lust, paranoia, narcissism and petty, jealous thoughts towards others. And it's disappointing, there's no other word for it; mundanely, day-to-day, deep bone disappointing. It's hard not to feel an exhausted disappointment when Robert Rosen talk about John wanting Yoko to get back at Paul by buying a really nice cow. It's hard not to feel disgust over John allegedly gloating over Paul's arrest. From the sounds of it the diaries go further than showing a human being with flaws: they show a pretty awful, weak individual. (To be clear I'm not saying that's who John was, just what the diaries apparently present.)

Therein lies one of the ethical problem with releasing the diaries because is that really fair? If you really think about it, most people have passing unpleasant thoughts and for a lot of people a diary is a form of venting where they only write about a fraction of their actual thoughts and feelings down and often their most anti-social ones. Is it fair to judge John on probably his most base and aggressive thoughts and impulses; impulses that are likely being fueled by severe, untreated mental illness and an abusive dynamic?

The whole private venting aspect also leads on to the other question of is it fair that anyone should even be seeing the diaries as John never intended unedited publication? In any normal circumstance I would say absolutely not, these are private thoughts that should be kept private. The unique issue with these circumstances though is that this isn't just anyone, this is John from JohnandYoko, the couple who presented their lives as a glass case to look in, who taped their own therapy sessions and miscarriages for public consumption and who most significantly presented themselves as an aspirational marriage. It's exhibitionism but significantly, it's artificial exhibitionism with the faux candidness and lack of boundaries being a smokescreen for the actual dynamic and what was going on.

It’s a bit of an ethical quandary, how far is reasonable when it comes to refuting a lie? If we are invited and encouraged to see an intensely intricate albeit false view of their relationship, should we also feel entitled to the real deal? Or should we just accept the inaccurate PR about the couple as that is what his widow wishes to present, even if we know that it isn't entirely true? Should we be okay with attempts to refute the established narrative being sued out of existence on feeble legal grounds and occasionally by illegal means? The recent David Sheff Yoko bio apparently still perpetuates the idea that John's life did not have happiness nor meaning before Yoko. Is a claim that controversial and arguably demeaning to John's life and work pre-Yoko fair to have out without any allowed pushback? Crucially, would the diaries be kept from publication if they were mostly positive as you raised? (I think no, and that's part of the problem.) If you disagree with the idea that the Lennon estate narrative should go unchallenged, does it justify using the personal and private ramblings of a long deceased man who can't consent to support the argument? Like you said, we know enough to know that the diaries are the smoking gun that all was really not well in the depths of the Dakota and that the PR of the blissful latter half of the 70s was a fantasy. Is it just enough to know that the diaries exist and their outline, do we really need to hear any greater detail? These are questions I wrestle with and don't have any solid answers to, save the gut instinct that Dogget’s work should not have been blocked given the situation John’s legacy is in.

In any case I think handling and discussing the diaries would require nuance, care and a level of emotional detachment that I think would be difficult for nearly anyone interested to achieve. If they ever do get released, I can't imagine the backlash to the contents being anything but seismic.

(Adding to all this is, if the diaries are released in full, I really hope it's, NOT in Paul's lifetime. He seems to have finally got to a good place with John's memory post-Get Back. The last thing he ((or anyone)) needs to see are literal novels worth of their best friend's mental illness induced obsessive rants about them. It would be heartbreaking and disturbing and just cruel at this point in his life.)

[chibi-celesti]

Time for Your Tune Up Part 11: Lilia Vanrouge (ft. Jade Leech)

Warnings: Slight spoilers hinted at for the Playful Land event, Grim getting scared/ sensitive, and an oddly helpful Jade. Oh, and a very confused Giddel. Also voyeurism. But not the lewd kind.

Side side note: I do not know much regarding Playful Land’s events bit by bit, but I know a small bit where some of the cast was captured. This will take place around that part, with some creative liberties.

(This was supposed to be posted a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago. But I held back cause I didn't like it. But it's been in draft purgatory for nearly a year, so...... may as well let it out! Sorry if it's terrible)

~TFYTU~

Events leading to disaster:

“Come on, man! Please?”

“No.”

“But, Yumei. The guy we saw said it was a world of wonder and play!”

Said boy crossed his arms. “Ace, Kalim. How can you be sure what he says is trustworthy? What if he was just conning you guys? Need I remind you of the Azul incident, again.”

“Yumei-san! The tickets are legitimate, there is no need to be concerned of fraud.”

“Still…” He looked away one moment, and the next the trio are on their knees, looking at him with puppy eyes and pouty lips(or as much pouting from Ortho cause of his face mask.)

“Ok, fine. It does sound kinda fun.” 

“YATTAAAAA~~~~!!!”

“Hopefully nothing disastrous happens.”

~Said Disaster Later, Playful Land: Backroom Cages~

‘Me and my big mouth…’ Yumei lamented in his place inside the cage, where he was rightfully stuffed in there alongside Lilia, Grim and Jade. He tried to block out Fellow’s monologue of what their fates entail, his face getting warm combined with what felt like a headache forming. ‘Why am I feeling like this…I should be fi-’

“Fuck!” He panicked. He forgot to take the Agent before coming to this Sevens forsaken place! ‘How did I miss that?!’

“Yumei-kun? Are you alright?”

“Indeed. You seem rather pale.”

Lilia and Jade saw their friend looking rather uncomfortable. As if he was close to having a panic attack. Grim took notice, too, not happy with their situation but also worried about his friend. Seeing some of the obvious signs had his fur standing on end. “Uh, Yumei? Why are you acting like that?”

“Like…” He noticed that he felt woozy and very light headed. He slumped over on the bars of the cage. His words slurred together.“Li wa, Grim?”

“You forgot didn’t you?!”

“Hu’?”

“Grim, what did Yumei forget?”

“His Life Extending Thingy!”

That set off alarm bells to the other boys in the room. “Seriously?!”

“Yumei, when were you supposed to take it?!”

Mustering enough strength to think, he gave his answer. “...Today.”

‘Of course. No doubt this park and Fellow made him forget.’ Lilia thought to himself. “Do you have it on you?” He saw the dual eyed boy nod, patting the side of pocket. Understanding what he was asking, the bat fae carefully maneuvered his hand around and dug out the crystal.

“Ok. I got, Yu-kun.”

“...im.”

“Huh?”

“Grim…scared…”

“Grim is scared. Scared of what?” Jade asked him. He turned to the cat in question, and he looked like a nervous wreck.

“I’m fine! Just help him!”

“...Ok. Show me where it goes, if you can.”

Weak but still mobile, Yumei suggested towards his mid back. Lilia caught on and carefully pressed it into his back.

He let out a painful moan as the tip of the Agent went inside. His mouth was quickly covered by Lilia who wanted to keep him hidden from their captors. “Stay quiet, Yu-kun.”

A muffed “I’m trying!” and tears came from the frail Reyvateil. He really was trying his best to remain calm and quiet, but the pain was unbearable. Damn his childlike curiosity and this damn park’s distractions!

Lilia shushed him again, this time a bit more gently. “It’s ok. The pain will be over soon.”

Grim on the other hand wanted to do something to help, but he was feeling quite squeamish during the procedure. Jade, feeling some pity for the small creature, petted him a bit. Hoping this would ease his heart a bit.

When his hand touched the boy’s back only then did he move his hand away.“There. All done.”

“Thank you,” he sniffled. “Sorry about that guys.”

“Say no more. We are just relieved you didn’t keel over.” Jade smiled before noticing something-or rather someone-from his peripheral. Giddel had seen everything; totally confused about the whole ordeal.

Even though they are trapped, Jade kindly asked the muted child. “You promise to keep this a secret won’t you?”

Still confused, but honest to a fault, Giddel nodded.

Later, after Playful Land was smashed to pieces, most of the group retired for the night:

“Let that be a lesson for you boys, from now on.” The elder fae chided.

“Yeah, yeah. Don't have to tell me twice, Lilia-senpai.” Ace whined.

“I’m relieved your Telomere levels are stabilized, Yumei-san.”

“Thank you, Ortho. And um, Lilia.”

“Hmm?”

“Could you ask Jade to put me down? I’m fine now, honest.”

“Nonsense. I’m perfectly capable of carrying you.”

“I’m fine! I swear!”

“Hmmm. Nope.”

“Nope?!”

“We’ll leave you be, once we’ve given you a proper meal.” He only gulped at the sight of the Moray and Bat scary grins.

“Farewell, Yumei. You shall be missed.”

[kwyoz]

drawing random references with my inky

[aturnoftheearth]

we can should and must continue to relate everyday mundane tasks to destiel

[puppppppppy]

Atla live action 😐

[tunapesto]

you guys ever go thru a stage in art where it feels like everything u draw is solely for socmed and that ur interest in something is not genuine and ur just overall burnt out in art and draw like once a month. lol lmao xd

[wolfwarrior142]

It really is a curse to my fuckin brain that my favorite show has a character named Viren and my fave videogame has a character named Riven. Two very different characters. One a human mage, one a massive reality-bending and extremely dangerous wish dragon. Both with extremely similar names that I mix up ALL THE FUCKING TIME.

[kralmajales]

I’m having Moment after Moment tonight for some reason. All while listening to music..

[muffinlance]

Consider: Post-canon Zuko wakes up in the body of his childhood self, the morning of That War Meeting. Would he still speak against the plans, knowing his fate? What do you think he would do differently the second time around?

"Turned away at the doors, Zuzu?"

"Shut up, Azula," her brother sulked. But sulked weirdly, after staring at her too long and too wide-eyed, not like she'd surprised him but--

But like he hadn't expected her to be there. At all.

He turned away. ...He turned back. "Hey, Lala? Do you think you could help me practice that one set?"

He didn't meet her eyes.

She narrowed hers. "Which set?"

"The one I'm bad at."

She scoffed. Pushed away from the wall she'd been leaning against. "That's all of them, Dum-Dum."

He didn't shout or stomp or yell about the nickname. His lips twitched.

"It's okay," he said. "If you're afraid you won't be a better teacher that my instructor..."

It was the most obvious manipulation ever.

Perhaps if he proved an adequate firebending student, she'd work on his courtly survival skills next. Honestly, it was good that not even Uncle Gets-Cousins-Killed had been fool enough to take Zuko into that war meeting. She could only imagine how terribly that could have gone.

"Keep up," she said, and turned her steps towards the training grounds.

He did. There, and during the katas she ran him through.

Azula kept her eyes narrowed.

"Hey," he asked, "do you know how to bend lightning yet?"

As if he could have missed it, if she'd been able to get more than sparks. "I will soon," she said.

"You will," he agreed, and flowed through his next set. The one she'd only just mastered.

Father didn't notice how weird Zuzu was being. Uncle never noticed anything. Zuko ate dinner and asked a servant for seconds and didn't stutter or flinch or lose his appetite when father asked, coolly, what he'd done with his day. Azula's shoulders tensed, because one mention of how she'd squandered her own training time teaching him--

"Azula hogged the training grounds. For hours," Zuzu scowled, exactly like a petulant thirteen year old.

Exactly like he hadn't been acting all day.

By the time Father was looking her way, Azula had her usual smirk in place. "I'm sure there would be room for both of us," she said, "you're not afraid of a little friendly fire, are you, brother?"

Zuko sulked. And ate his seconds, like he was enjoying each bite. There was something in his eyes, like a joke no one else was getting.

---

Father died that night. A heart attack. There were the faintest of burns to either side of the treacherous organ; the royal physician hypothesized that he'd grabbed at his chest, fingers burning hot in his final moments; so hot they'd only exacerbated the problem.

The royal physician would never have been brought any victims of lighting strikes. Those that occurred in the capital did not generally require a doctor in the aftermath.

Zuzu ate a hearty breakfast.

He didn't order seconds. Azula gave him points, at least, for not being tacky.

---

The sages named Iroh as regent.

They named Zuko as Fire Lord.

"No," the tiny Fire Lord in his perfectly miniaturized Fire Lord robes said, sitting at the head of his war council. "We're not doing that. And I'll be reviewing all recent battle plans, as well. What's this I hear about a division of new recruits being deployed to the front?"

He did not mention how he'd heard of the 41st Division. No one asked.

"Prince Iroh, surely--" one of the generals tried to appeal.

The young Fire Lord's regent was looking as startled as the rest of them, for a moment. Then he sipped his tea, and smiled.

"Your Fire Lord is correct, of course. A change in our leadership--a change the other nations may mistakenly view as weakness--will necessitate a change in our strategy."

"Now," said their lord, "what, exactly, is our overall objective in this war?"

War, the new Fire Lord decreed, was not an end unto itself.

---

The new Fire Lord continued to have time, to pretend to be trained by her. Azula watched him. Adjusted her footwork. Did not tolerate, and was not offered, any commentary on who was teaching who.

"What did you do with my brother?" she asked, as they flowed from one set to the next. As her hands, poised to throw fire, just so happened to be pointed his way.

He missed a step. It didn't look like an act.

"I'm, uh. Right here?"

She didn't bother to dignify that.

He didn't bother to look worried about her hands, one movement off from a true attack.

He looked around, then grabbed her sleeve, and tugged her further from any walls that may hide ears. The royal family's private training grounds were wonderfully large, and wonderfully open.

"It's me," he said. "It's still me. Just. More of me? Longer of me?"

She narrowed her eyes. A familiar expression, by this point. "Explain."

"...I found the Avatar," he said. "And this is definitely his fault, but--but I guess it started at a war meeting, when I was thirteen."

Azula listened. It was a very Dum-Dum story.

[orphicmusings]

nothing’s gonna hurt you, baby

summary: the aftermath of what happened in skyhaven with pre-relationship sylus. hurt/comfort, exploring mc’s trauma.

A simultaneous sigh blooms from both of your lungs as the last wanderer crumbles into oblivion. The dust of its essence floated up to the polluted night sky of the N109 zone, painting artificial stars for the pair of victors below. Sylus lifts his gaze to you after he scrapes what’s left of the aftermath from his fingernails. He looks infuriatingly unaffected. You, however…

“You look like shit.” He remarks playfully, his eyes softening as he holds out his hand to help you up. You, like he anticipates, softly slap it away and get up on wobbly legs. “Fuck off.” You retort, still trying to catch your breath, and he simply smiles- striding next to you and subtly offering you his weight to lean on. You tried stubbornly standing on your own, but found yourself surrendering to his quiet help as you walked back to his bike.

“I’m not letting you ride back to Linkon like this.” He huffed, handing you his spare helmet, the one that is practically yours at this point. “Spend the night at the base.” Coming from him, it sounded more of a purring command than a gentle suggestion. “Get some beauty sleep.”

You had felt your muscles tense and your heart clenched as you were rapidly reminded of the last time you stayed over someone else’s place. The sound of doors locking, the pills, the confusion, the breathing man that you still mourned. Before you could refuse, though, a traitorous yawn escaped your throat. You knew he was right, that you were in no shape to travel home, and it’s not like he could exactly traipse into Linkon at the moment to accompany you. Besides, you’ve been fighting alongside him for a while now, and while he has little weaknesses, you’re willing to exploit them if need be. “Alright.” You breathe your surrender as you put the helmet on, bracing yourself for his driving skills.

Luke and Kieran greet you at the door like eager puppies. What happened, boss? Boss lady? Did ya kill something? How many? How bloody? Any guts?

Sylus held out a commanding hand and answered for you, thankfully. “Don’t ambush the poor girl, she’s beat up.”

You rolled your eyes at that. “I’m not beat up-”

“Come.” He holds his arm out for you, and you defeatedly take it, blindly following wherever he deigns to go.

“My head…” You groaned at the harsh overhead kitchen light being flicked on, rubbing your temples. “Does the big bad mob boss happen to have ibuprofen?”

“I’m not headache proof, believe it or not.” He exhaled a small chuckle. “Sit down.” He ushered you to the sofa across from the kitchen table. You obliged, but not because he told you to, of course. You were achey, dirty and exhausted. He held a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other, and you hesitated slightly as you let him give them to you. Turning the pills over in your fingers with a squint of your eyes, you looked for the label etched into the chalky red circles to identify that it was, in fact, ibuprofen.

Sylus noticed. Of course he noticed, he always does. “What?” He tilts his head, confused, but his tone still holds a hint of safe and familiar teasing. “You think I’m slipping you something?”

Swallowing back those nagging memories again along with the medicine, you force a chuckle. “Can never be sure with a lawless scoundrel like you, can I?”

He grinned, one of those rare smiles of his, toothy and reaching for his ruby eyes. “I may be a lawless scoundrel, sweetheart, but I’m not a monster.”

Not a monster, because a monster would do that.

Your best friend in the whole world would do that.

A deep breath left you, ready to be rid of this conversation topic. “Can I take a shower?”

His wide grin melted down to his signature smug smirk once again. “In which wing?”

Sylus’s living situation was fucking ridiculous. Four bathrooms with showers, three of them with tubs. For, what, three people? You shake your head in disbelief as he leads you to a guest room. Just as lavish as the rest of the place, the first thing that stares back at you is the neatly made king sized bed. A leather futon sits across it, right next to an enormous closet. Before you can gawk at any other evidence of luxury in the room, he shuts the door behind you. Your gaze instinctively flies to the knob, the phantom click still ringing in your ears. Your shoulders hunch, posture stilling as you find yourself waiting for it— but the door remains unlocked. If Sylus noticed, he gave you the grace of ignoring it and deciding he teased you enough for now. He opens the closet, unhooking a hanger from inside, draping a plush back bathrobe from it. “This should fit you.” You ran your hands along the fluffy material, unable to stop touching it. “And could I wash my clothes after-“

“I will.” He assures you with an interruption. “Leave them outside the door. I’ll find something laying around for you to change into so you don’t have to wait for them to dry.” You nodded, not expecting this level of consideration from him. It brings an irritating, fond heat to your cheeks. “Right. Thank you.”

“Just being a good host.” He smirks, opening the bathroom door. The bathroom was, of course, also fucking ridiculous. Dark marble walls, spotless black tile floors. A black Japanese bathtub next to the spacious shower stall. Woody, spicy potpourri wafted through the air from a bowl on the sink. He moves to shut the door, and you turn. “Um…” Swallow. “Is it okay to keep the door unlocked?” He frowned in confusion, and you quickly added, “It’s the steam. Too much in an enclosed space, I get a headache and I already have one, so I-“

“Okay.” He simply agrees, leaving you no room to over-explain and lie further. You’re almost taken aback with the ease he’s treating you with, but if you think about it, he’s always just accepted. He may question once or twice, but always nods his head without judgment.

You showered all of the blood and grime off your skin, but the reminder of Skyhaven clung under your fingernails no matter how much you scrubbed. It was something you had been pushing away from the forefront of your mind for weeks, almost a month now.

It’s not what you think it is, you remind yourself as you clench your fist, watching the hot water droplets roll off your knuckles. It’s Caleb. He was trying to protect me…

“No, we’re not doing this right now!” You mumbled aloud to yourself. Think, think, think of something else. You abruptly turned the valve to the wall, the water turning freezing cold. Your breathing seemed to slow down with the ice hitting your veins, and by the time you caught two chills, you stepped out and toweled off. The robe felt nice against your damp skin, the fuzz of it all absorbing the water droplets quickly. Opening the door, you see the clothes Sylus left for you in a neat pile: two items. A black satin button down with an “S” monogrammed into the breast pocket with golden embroidery, and grey basketball shorts. A dry snort found its way out of your nose. What a look.

You swam in them, of course, but in a cozy way. You folded the waistband of the shorts until they would aptly rest on your hips, and you didn’t mind the way the shirt’s sleeves hung past your fingers. The shirt smelled like him. Like his stupidly nice cologne, the familiar scent of spices and leather on the collar.

You let your exhausted body drive you to sleep.

The door is locked.

The eyes you used to seek comfort in refuse to soften.

You blindly take his sleeping pills.

The door is locked.

He pins you down on the sofa, next to a photo of the two of you in a frighteningly similar position, play-fighting and laughing.

He threatens to wrap a collar around your throat.

Your pleas fall on deaf ears.

The man in front of you is breathing, but he is long dead.

The door is locked.

Your heart drops you awake, out of breath and eyes watery.

You are not in your bed.

Where are you?

You push the covers off you before you could even remember, rushing to swing the door open. The force of the mahogany hitting the wall got the attention of your gracious host.

“Sweetie…” A deep voice rumbled up your spine. Sylus.

You’re with Sylus.

The pet name lacked all the familiar playful condescension, more of a brace, a concerned approach to a wild, wounded animal. “What’s wrong?”

You don’t answer at first, your clouded mind still assessing the situation. Your shoulders relax a fraction as you register your surroundings, Sylus’s base. You spent the night here after a hunt. You’re with Sylus, you want to be here, and the door was unlocked. Your grip on the doorknob loosens. Sylus slowly comes out from behind you and into your field of vision. “Sit.” He ushers you back into the room, sitting on the bed and patting the silk sheets. You slowly obey, perching on the bed with your knees hugged to your chest. A gentle expression paints his face, something you could’ve sworn you’ve never seen before. “I’m going to ask again.” He urges softly, slowly, the brisk command his tone usually carried melted away.

You can lie to anyone in your life. You could have said it was a bug in your blankets. A noise, he thought of an intruder. Even a nightmare about something else. You can lie to anyone in your life, except for the man in front of you who looks worried for the first time you’ve seen it. You can lie to anyone in your life, except for the man who seems to know your very soul despite only knowing you for a handful of months.

You don’t even try, clenching your fists so tight you’re sure your fingernails would draw blood out of the meat of your palm.

“I can’t tell you…” You murmured, holding back the flood. “Because if I do, it becomes real.”

He frowned, his head tilting to the side slightly. He pushed a soft smile out of the corner of his mouth. “I won’t tell reality if you won’t, sweetheart.”

You exhaled out of your nose shortly, an amused puff of air followed by a sniffle. “No, I’m…it’s serious.”

“I know.” He sat back on his elbows, blanketing the atmosphere with a sense of leisure and ease. That was something you had to admit he was good at. “I’ve noticed.”

You turn to him. “What?”

“You checked the pills I gave you.” He started. “I thought that was a one off, maybe you being extra careful, but then you announced you were gonna shower with the door unlocked-“

You scoffed shakily. “Okay, I didn’t announce-“

“The point is…” He interrupted. “You’ve been…off tonight.”

You don’t know how to answer. You know that at this point, if you open your mouth, the tears will start free falling.

“You don’t have to explain.” Fuck him for always reading your mind. “But you just need to tell me you’re alright. No guest feels unsafe under this roof.”

“It’s not you.” You assure shakily, resting your chin on your knees. “It’s…a long story.”

He nodded, accepting again. “I don’t have anywhere to be.”

“Um…” You suck in a breath through your nose. Here we go. The tube of toothpaste is squeezed. Your voice is slow, measured as you continue. “Remember about three weeks ago I went to Skyhaven?”

You began to unload. From the top. He knew of the explosion, the one you wrongfully blamed him for. The reminder of that moment brings a flash of mortified heat to your cheeks, expecting him to bring it up. You pause for it, the tease, the coy ‘Yes, kitten, I’m so bad,’ but it doesn’t come. His eyes just pave a delicate path down your face, waiting for you to continue. You watch them widen slightly when you tell him your childhood best friend survived, and that you found him up there. Your words shake and choke in your throat when you get to the next part, tears pricking the back of your eyes. You squeeze them shut, and feel a feather-light weight on your hand; his covering yours. A soft affirmation, a silent I’ve got you. The action is so tender, it pushes even more tears to your waterline. You purse your trembling lips at the gentleness of it all, the opposite of the force you two exuded over one another when you first met. You shoot him point blank in the chest, and he holds your hand like it’s precious gold.

“Sweetie…” He looks at you as if the sight of your face twisted in tears makes him violently ache. “Don’t cry.”

Which of course, makes you cry more. He closes the distance between you within a second, pulling you into his side. “I’m trying not to.”

“I know, sweetheart, I know.” He whispers gently, rubbing his thumb over your bare shoulder, the collar of his shirt hanging off of you. “It’s okay. Take your time.”

It takes a few minutes to gather the words, because how exactly do you say, I think my best friend held me hostage in his home and slipped me pills but I think it’s not really him based on zero evidence?

His thumb stopped its soothing rhythm. “He what?”

You cringe and stammer. You feel caught, for some irrational reason. “I-I know what it sounds like, but-”

“No.” He shook his head, his tone still soft but firm. “No, you don’t have to protect him.” He has to bite back the snarl in his voice, fight to keep his words gentle. “Not after he does this…” He wipes a tear from your cheek, his fingers lingering on the skin for a moment. “Not after he does this to you.” His voice shakes alongside yours, for different reasons. “You don’t need to tell me anything more, but you don’t protect him, either.”

You look up at him, drawing in a deep breath. It makes you realize that’s exactly what you’ve been doing all this time, refusing to acknowledge it. While he was ruining you, you were protecting his memory. At the same time, though, what you know about the professor and Caleb’s abnormal behavior flipping like a switch makes you doubt it was fully him that did this to you. Even if it wasn’t, it doesn’t mean it didn’t affect you so deeply that you’re crying into the arms of the person you’d least expect. You watch his fists clench. “He didn’t…” A hesitation. “He didn’t touch you, did he?”

You vehemently shake your head and you could hear a small breath of relief. “It wasn’t like that.” You go to explain again, to defend him, but stop yourself. “It was so scary.” He breathes a deep sigh, tightening his arms around you.

“I know.” He whispers. “I know, sweet girl, but you were brave.”

You scoff tearfully. “No I wasn’t.”

“You’re here.” He pointed out, brushing his hand through your hair. “Not there. I know your prowess firsthand.”

A pathetic half-laugh exits your chest, followed by more sobs. He holds you even tighter as you cling to his grounding familiarity. He does that for as long as you need it, waiting patiently as he assures you you did the right thing, that you’re safe with him, that he could walk into Linkon and take you home right now, bounty be damned; whatever it is you need to hear.

“I’ve got you.” He whispers into your hair. Your head is atop his chest, laying down now. Your eyes are closed, and he can tell you’ve cried yourself to sleep. “Always have. Always will.”

When your breaths turn steady, he moves slightly to get his phone from his pocket. One hand on your back, the other on the keyboard, he types a message to Luke and Kieran.

Farspace Fleet Colonel. Lives in Skyhaven. Name’s caleb. Need any and all information there is to know ASAP.

Another message.

Boss Lady will not let you hurt him, as much as I am dreaming the different ways I could make him hurt right now. Do not go after him. Just watch.

Two pairs of thumbs up from the twins follow the message, not needing any further instruction or explanation. He locks his phone and leans his head against the pillow, giving you a soft kiss on the forehead. It’s quiet now, the only sound surrounding him are your soft breaths and Mephisto’s caws into the night as he suddenly takes a trip up north.