#i mean silver is definitely into taking down the king but like. they just got their arm cut off so

[star-sim]

espresso ☆ sunoo kim

☆ super mega down bad!sunoo x fem! reader ☆ summary: that one time sunoo had a not-so innocent dream about you, and suddenly you're the only thing that consumed all of his senses. the problem? you're the most popular girl at the academy, and he's just a nerd. driven mad by his feelings for you, it felt like his chances with you were next to zero. it's actually much higher than he thought! ☆ genre: dark academia! au, classic popular girl x nerd, a looooot of romantic and sexual frustration LOL, a bit of nerdy lingo , loser and desperate sunoo!! ☆ warning(s)? slightly suggestive, but mostly just pure silliness and fluff :3 ☆ word count: 9.5k ☆ happy belated birthday to sunoo! the sunoo fic disparity is criminal. this is for you @ashtxrie. inspired "espresso" by sabrina carpenter. i hope i did mintchoco king justice. enjoy!

Ugh.

Popular kids.

Sunoo narrowed his eyes, clutching his textbooks even closer to his chest as he walked past the hoard of snobby rich kids. Their expensive pearl necklaces and diamond rings gleamed under the warm hallway lights, but no golden jewelry would take away how downright obnoxious they were.

"How could anyone be so loud right now?" Sunoo grumbled under his breath, pushing up his thin golden-framed glasses. Seriously though, he had a point. There was no reason for anyone at all to be screaming at the top of their lungs at 10 in the morning. But alas, here he was, rolling his eyes at the stuck-up rich kids.

The Academy had a pretty simple admissions system. Either you pay to get in, or you apply and get evaluated based on your application. Most of the students at the Academy were from wealthy families, so they obviously paid to be admitted. Sunoo, on the other hand, had more humbler origins. 

To say that he worked his utmost ass off to even be able to apply was an understatement. It was almost patronizing to see all of these kids born with a silver spoon in their mouth act so carelessly.

They all acted so condescendingly, as if they didn't get admitted because of their father's paycheck.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" A new voice interrupted Sunoo's thoughts. It was his younger friend Riki, who threw an arm around his shoulder. 

"Nothing," Sunoo murmured, tearing his eyes away from the group of popular kids. 

All of them were the same. All arrogant, all pompous, all vain, all—

"Are you sure?" his other friend, Jungwon, joined. "You look a little bit—err— disturbed."

"I'm not."

Riki and Jungwon shared a look.

Okay, maybe not all rich kids were the same. 

Because there were a few exceptions, such as—

"Are you still mad about that one time that snobby little Sanghyeok threw a ball at you?" Riki asked, blinking owlishly.

"No, what are you—"

"He's a rugby player, isn't he?" Jungwon thought aloud. "Geez, all the rugby players love tossing that goddamn football around, don't they?"

"Erm, actually, it's called a rugby ball," Riki corrected in a nasally voice.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. Why would anyone throw those around? It's like a ball of concrete!"

Sunoo tuned his younger friends' bickering out. He'll admit it, he's just a little bit of a hater. 

Among the snobby rich kids, there's definitely a few exceptions. Jay Park was a pretty cool guy, and so was Jake Sim. Sunoo could've sworn that there's one more person that he didn't mind too much... He just couldn't remember who....

"Watch out!"

It happened so quickly, because one moment Sunoo was lost in thought. And the next, a rugby ball was hurling at him, pummeling him square in the head.

Not again, was the last thing he thought of before he fell to the ground, blacking out.

"Aw man, you hit the nerd again?!"

"Hey, I didn't mean to— Ack!"

Sunoo stirred. It was weird. He could feel himself gain consciousness, but his head and body were pounding. Excruciatingly.

He could hear a little bit of arguing and a few masculine voices, all muffled yet somehow also painful to his ears.

"Quiet down," a new voice entered. It was a voice that Sunoo recognized, a voice that was much kinder and softer on his ears, almost healing. "If you keep yelling, you'll overwhelm him."

Whose voice was this? Sunoo knows that he knows this voice, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who.

Then, Sunoo felt a few gentle fingers run through his hair, and then a cold, ice compress pressed on his forehead.

"Just leave," the voice told the others. "Get to class. I'll take care of him."

There's some murmuring, and then some shuffling, and finally, the door slammed shut.

And the moment that it did, Sunoo's eyes shot open.

The first thing that he's met with as full consciousness pervades his body is a sharp pain everywhere, much more amplified and extreme this time.

The second thing that Sunoo sees is... you.

Of course, that makes sense now. You were the voice, and you were the person he was thinking about earlier. You were one of the exceptions to his "all rich kids are annoying" gag.

Of course you were.

Everyone knew you, and everyone loved you. Who wouldn't?

You were incredibly sweet, had a knack for calling everyone with affectionate nicknames, and every reason why Sunoo couldn't bring himself to hate everyone in the popular crowd. He's had a few classes with you in the past few years. You weren't the top student or academically driven by any means, but he could sense your effort. 

Not to mention, you were really pretty. It was no secret that every single guy in school wanted a chance with you. Sunoo wasn't like that, but he wasn't going to sit there and deny that your face was nice to look at. Truthfully, it was difficult to not like you, one way or another.

In total, Sunoo's spoken to you a total of probably four times. Nevertheless, you were a lot more than just tolerable, compared to the rest of your peers.

Now Sunoo was in the infirmary, after that rugby ball smacked him right in the head and knocked him out. He was lying down on the gurney, a cold compress to his head. And you were taking care of him.

"You're up, sweetheart," you said softly, jumping to your feet once you realized that Sunoo was awake. You handed him his glasses that were folded neatly on the table, and then you went to the shelves. Sunoo attempted to raise himself up to sit, but almost immediately he was met with that horrible, aching pain again.

"Aghh!" he groaned, dropping himself instantly and clutching onto the ice pack on his head. 

You hissed, scurrying over to his side. 

"Don't move," you instructed him. Sunoo got a good look at your face now. Pretty, as always, but you had a pinched expression. You looked frustrated, and as you unfurled the bundle of bandages that you fetched from the shelf, your eyes traveled to him and almost looked apologetic. "Let's get you fixed up, sweetie."

Very gently, almost as if you were dealing with glass, you lifted Sunoo's head just enough so that you could wrap bandages around his forehead.

"Is that okay?" you asked him quietly, your nimble fingers brushing against his skin gently. 

"Mmm—" Sunoo was cut off by a guttural sound in his throat— "Mhm."

You pushed his dark locks out of the way, humming.

While you worked on him, Sunoo couldn't help but notice how.... concerned you looked. As a matter of fact, where were the rest of your friends? Where was that bastard Sanghyeok that threw the damn rugby ball at him in the first place? 

It wasn't like you were a student nurse or anything. Aside from just being a nice person, what reason did you have to go out of your way to fix Sunoo up? It wasn't like you were the one that threw the ball.

You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, your brows furrowing together. Something was on your mind. 

"I'm sorry," you finally blurted, your eyes wide and nearly glassy.

???

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry that Sanghyeok threw that ball at you," you continued, words spilling from your glossy lips like a waterfall, your eyes trained onto the floor and your head hung low. As words tumbled out, you stopped your ministrations on him, your hands taking solace on the hem of your uniform skirt. "I-It was very wrong of him, and it's even worse that you're now injured, and—"

"Why are you apologizing?" Sunoo interrupted you, though with labored breaths between his words, as he didn't want to hurt himself.

You frowned even harder, your fingers wringing each other. "B-But—"

Sunoo's face scrunched. "You didn't throw the ball at me. Sanghyeok did, so there's no reason for you to say sorry to me."

You shook your head. 

"Still!" you huffed, your cheeks filling with air as you tapped your foot. You let out an exasperated breath. It smelled of coffee. "I know that it's not my fault, but— but that doesn't make what happened right."

Sunoo opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off, beginning your ministrations once again. "I'm just doing what's right."

By the end of the school day, Sunoo got out of the nurse's office, just slightly stumbling. His head still hurt, but thanks to you, who missed a few classes, it hurt a lot less than it should have. Once again, you proved that you weren't as bad as the rest. 

If it was any other day, Sunoo would go to the library to fit in a few hours of studying, but after today's events, he just wanted to go back to his dorm.

It's been a long, stressful, and painful day. 

The moment that Sunoo's dorm door shut, he made a bee-line for his bed, completely ignoring his roommate Sunghoon. He threw off his uniform shirt and tie, peeling them off like they were some nuisance. 

And just like that, the second that Sunoo's head hit the pillow, he knocked out.

Sunoo opened his eyes and he was in a bed. Not his own bed, but a softer, much more comfortable bed. 

He felt a warm—really warm— almost fuzzy, feeling in his chest. Sunoo's hands feel around the bed. The sheets are smooth and clean, and under his fingertips they wrinkle ever-so slightly. Now that he was looking around, it seemed to be early morning, with rays of sunlight peeking through the windows. In fact, this dorm room wasn't his. It smelled of espresso coffee, and was so pristine and neat.

Sunoo didn't notice it now, but all the pain he was supposed to be feeling disappeared. And just as he was about to get up to his feet to inspect, someone appeared at the doorway.

You.

"You're up, sleepyhead?" you said, leaning on the doorway as a sly smile spread across your face. 

Why was he in your room? 

And more importantly, why were you in only a bathrobe? 

Sunoo looked down, and that's when he realized that he, too, was shirtless.

Instead of responding how he'd want to— confused out of his mind— words tumbled out of his lips, almost like he had no control over them. "I was waiting for you."

You giggled, pretty sounds falling from your pretty lips. You slowly sauntered over to the foot of your bed, your gentle hands coming down to brush against Sunoo's leg.

"You look so handsome, sweetheart," you rasped. The warmth and fuzziness that he felt earlier began to spread from his chest to his entire body.

And the next thing that Sunoo knew, you were on top of him. Your lips pressed wet kisses all over his bare chest. Sticky gloss clung to his flushed skin, leaving pretty lipstick marks across his skin. 

"God, I want you so bad," you groaned, before taking his skin between your teeth. You sucked on it gently, earning a gasp from the boy. You giggled into his ear.

By now, Sunoo was burning up completely. Each graze of your lips was like a scorching hot iron piercing his skin, but it burned so good. If it weren't for his fingers that dug into the crisp bed sheets, or the way that you gripped his chin, Sunoo would have fainted already. Each gasp for air as you marked his soft skin was ripped from his throat, hot lines of electricity running through his veins. 

"Please..." Sunoo pleaded through a strangled whimper, letting out a soft moan when you bit onto his ear, your warm breath brushing up against his skin in a way that made him shudder. "Please, [Name]."

Everything before had a haze over it, a blurry screentone cast over Sunoo's eyes.

But as you looked up at him through your pretty eyelashes, lips swollen from abusing his skin, Sunoo swore that he could see everything so clearly. Every line on your face, every shadow and every highlight, every blemish and every perfection— he could see all of it.

"Please, what?" you murmured, your lips spreading into a grin. "What are you begging for, sweetheart?"

And it drove him crazy.

Sunoo threw his head back, an airy moan tumbling from his lips, giving you better access to his neck. 

"I need you," he whined, his chest heaving up and down as he failed to catch his breath. "Please, I need you so bad."

You giggled again, pressing a hand against his chest.

"Anything you want you get—"

Beep beep! That was an eerily familiar alarm sound, one that was familiar enough to make Sunoo's head whip around.

You looked unfazed, only giggling again before leaning in to press soft kisses on his chest. 

Beep beep!

There it was again! This time, Sunoo's body jerked at the sound, his face scrunching. Why weren't you reacting?

"Focus on me, sweetie," you whispered in his ear. 

Sunoo complied (because of course he did), closing his eyes as you pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. And just as he was beginning to forget that godforsaken sound, sinking into the sweet taste of your lips...

Beep beep!

Sunoo couldn't help the way that he jerked away from you.

And as he did, Sunoo jerked awake.

His eyes shot open.

Dark room, completely drenched in sweat, burning up, and unfortunately alone.

"I swear, you always look like someone pissed you off."

"Right? He always looks so... constipated?"

On most days, Sunoo could endure his friends' teasing. Not this morning though.

He woke up from that dream completely disoriented. With his hair disheveled and face flushed, Sunoo arose from his slumber with beads of sweat running down his temple. It took him four more rings of his alarm clock and his roommate yelling at him to truly regain his consciousness— for while he was physically awake, he wasn't truly awake. Not after a dream like that.

Sunoo told everyone so far that he woke up with a fever, which was true. His cheeks were bright red, and his skin was hot to the touch, as he was bundled up in a few layers of coats. 

Truthfully, his physical condition wasn't what was causing him to be so disoriented.

It was you.

What the fuck was that dream? 

Usually, Sunoo couldn't remember his dreams, even if they were fever dreams. But now sitting in the dining hall, nibbling on his breakfast, Sunoo could remember every little thing so clearly in his mind. 

He could remember how your room looked, how your bathrobe made your skin look so beautiful, how your plump lips felt against his chest, how fucking gorgeous you look—

Clank!

Sunoo dropped his fork onto the table, the metal cutlery clanking with the porcelain plates around him.

"What's up with him?" Jungwon not-so-quietly whispered to Riki. The two watched, perplexed, as Sunoo's cheeks turned even more red, the older boy's tired eyes squeezing shut as he hid his face in his palms. 

Sunoo groaned, looking through his palms to look at his friends' confused expressions.

He felt hot. Maybe it was the fever. 

He looked down at his palms, the reddy patches sticky with a thin sheen of sweat. 

Definitely not just the fever.

He couldn't get your voice out of his head.

It was well-known that you liked to call everyone a nickname of sorts. It seemed like his nickname was "sweetheart."

Sunoo knew it was innocent, especially when you were fixing him up yesterday. But now with a new context—the context of his not-so innocent dream where you rasped "sweetheart" into his ear— he couldn't help but feel shy.

Sunoo's chest heaved. His tweed coat felt too thick now. His fingertips were held together by threads, and if he wasn't careful, he'd burst with blazing plasma. 

Tuning out his friends, Sunoo couldn't stop his mind from drifting back to last night's dream. 

He'd absolutely combust if he saw you again. Sunoo had no idea how he'd even look you in the eye, after doing unthinkable things with you in his dream.

God, there was no way that he'd ever let anyone, let alone you, find out about this. He felt like some pervert, some sick creep using you to fuel his nasty fantasies. He was not, but he sure felt like it.

Sunoo didn't dare look anywhere except down at his plate. If he did, he feared that he would catch sight of you, and completely die. As a matter of fact, even hearing the names of your friends in passing made his stomach do flips. 

The school bell rang, and now Sunoo had to drag himself to class. Murmuring a small good-bye to his friends, his heavy footsteps took him where his first period morning class would be.

Gosh, he fell asleep almost immediately last night! Quick, was there homework that he was supposed to complete? His morning class started with his elective, botany. 

Botany, botany, botany, he repeated in his head, jotting his memory. There weren't any notes due until the end of the week, and the closest test from today is two weeks. So why did he feel like he was missing something? Was there a presentation that he didn't remember? Maybe they were having a lab today and he forgot to bring his gloves. Or maybe—

Sunoo stopped in his tracks.

Just as he was cooling down, he felt his skin erupt with goosebumps, warmth overtaking his entire body.

If it weren't for his acute awareness of his surroundings, Sunoo would have tripped over his feet.

Because you decided to appear.

Oh fuck, why were you right there? Standing across the hall from him, all prettied up and completely oblivious to the hell that you were putting Sunoo through.

Had you always looked so pretty? 

Of course, Sunoo recalled how perfect your face looked at all times, how jaw-dropping you managed to look even when you didn't try. The way that the light reflected off your skin made you look like you were glowing. Like a halo.

Sunoo's face burned. You definitely looked prettier in real life than in his dream. Not even the intricate workings of his brain could capture your beauty.

A strangled noise escaped Sunoo's throat, his face turning as white as a ghost, eyes big as saucers. 

No, no, no! Sunoo squeezed his eyes shut. Of course. He had morning Botany with you! How could he forget!

"Move, you nerd!" someone grumbled as they shoved past him. Usually, on any other day, Sunoo would cuss back at them, maybe shove past them even harder. But all he could do now was stand back dazed.

He forced himself to pick up his feet again. After all, class was starting, and the bell would ring in a matter of minutes. 

What was harder than pulling himself out of his daze was walking into that Botany lecture hall. Sunoo didn't dare look anywhere that wasn't his shoes, in fear that if he even caught a glimpse of you, he'd evaporate.

With quick, hasty steps, Sunoo scurried along the sides of the hall, ignoring the little hi's and good morning's from his classmates. 

And just as he thought he successfully made it to his seat...

"Good morning, Kim!"

To say that Sunoo nearly jumped out of his skin would be an understatement. 

As you appeared before his seat, seemingly out of thin air, Sunoo felt every inch of his body flare up with warmth. 

You looked even better up-close.

"Oh— Uh—" Sunoo couldn't help the way he stared at you with wide eyes, his lips agape. 

"Good— Um, Good morning, [N-Name]," was all he could manage out.

You stared at him for a few moments, blinking a few times, before a wide smile broke out on your lips. 

You reached out, your hand resting gently on the crown of his head, completely oblivious to the way that the boy tensed under your touch. "How does your head feel, sweetheart?"

Sunoo completely forgot that he'd sustained a head injury earlier. How could he remember when something (or someone) else was making his head hurt?

"I-It's good!" he stammered quickly, words tripping over themselves. "I'm good!"

You cocked your head, your brows furrowing. 

"No one picked on you, right?" you looked around, leaning closer to him— close enough that he could feel your breath on his neck. "Did any of my friends try bothering you again?"

Sunoo flushed at the proximity. This was feeling a little too familiar.

"No!" Sunoo nearly shouted. When everyone turned to look at him weirdly, the room falling silent for a mere second, he muttered a quick sorry. "I mean— No, n-no one bothered me again."

You nodded slowly, before you brought your hand to his forehead. "You're feeling a little warm, sweetie. You aren't sick, aren't you?"

If he had less self-awareness, Sunoo would have run around that lecture hall a few times, dunked his face in a bucket of iced water, and maybe even screamed a few times before answering your question. But he couldn't, so all he could do was shake his head no.

"Good," you said with a smile. "I'll see you around."

With that, you turned on your heel, and went back to your seat. 

Class started, but Sunoo couldn't quite focus.

Sunoo felt like this had to be some joke. It felt like Jungwon or Riki were about to come out behind the curtains and scream "Gotcha!" in his face.

Because why on earth were you and him on the same path to the boys' dormitory?

After his daily study session in the library, Sunoo figured that the chances of him running into you again would be low.

But lo and behold, as Sunoo was on his way back to his dorm, you materialized from thin air and started walking with him. In silence, of course, but you greeted him with a smile.

Even after 10 hours of being out and about, you still managed to look so perfect.

In all the years that he'd attended this Academy, Sunoo's never seen you take this route, let alone go to the boys' dormitory.

Did you have a boyfriend? Or a special relationship with a boy? Sunoo's stomach dropped. What if he's been thinking about you all this time when you were taken already?

Sunoo opened his mouth to talk, but you beat him to it.

"Sooo, Sunoo," you said in a dreamy, sing-songy voice. "How's your day been?"

Torture, because of you. "I-It's been okay."

You hummed. "That's good to hear."

.

.

.

Silence.

It wasn't like he was in love with you. But for some reason, it bothered Sunoo that you could be heading to the boys' dorm for a possible boyfriend. He just needed to know.

"Where are you— Where are you headed?" Sunoo winced at his question. You probably thought he was weird now. He felt hot all over.

You smiled, clicking your tongue with a playful eye roll. "Just to my cousin's dorm. He just transferred here so my parents want me to help him move in."

Sunoo blinked.

Oh.

"Th-That's nice," Sunoo quipped. "I'm just going back to my— uh— dorm."

Of course he'd be going back to his own dorm! Sunoo chided in his head. You definitely thought he was an idiot by now.

The trip up the stairs and down the hall was quiet, awfully silent— only the distant sound of students and footsteps filling the air.

Eventually, the two of you met a stop.

"I should be turning at this corner now; his room is just down that hall," you said to him, earning a nod. "Thanks for walking with me, Sunoo."

"Of course," Sunoo said back shyly, a small smile on his lips. " 'It's my pleasure."

"No seriously," you continued, a bashful smile on your lips. "The halls during this time of year are a little sketchy. Sometimes, I can't even trust my own guy friends to walk me."

Sunoo cocked his head.

"The point is," you said, your eyes unwavering as they met with Sunoo's eyes, "You make me feel safe."

Before Sunoo could respond, you shot him a kind smile, before turning on your heel. "Good night, sweetheart!"

Sunoo was rendered speechless, staring at your retreating back.

"Good night," he muttered under his breath, not audible even to himself. "Sweetheart."

(He definitely thought about this interaction later into the night, and burned up severely.)

Although no one would guess it, the next few weeks were hell for Sunoo. It was almost terrifying.

How did you manage to show up everywhere?

Truly, it felt like everywhere Sunoo went, you just happened to show up. 

It started with little things. In the middle of class you would come in to give back a sweater you borrowed from your friend. Sometimes you would come in and sit at the back of class to make up a test that you missed, or to ask the professor any question you had about the upcoming assignment. Each time, you'd wave at Sunoo, sometimes even before you waved at your friends.

All normal, of course. Every time he'd see you, he'd immediately straighten his back to make sure his posture was perfect— maybe even brush his hair out of his eyes and adjust his glasses, all in the hopes that if you looked at him, he wouldn't be a pain to view.

All as if he wasn't screaming on the inside. There was just something about how you always had that dreamy look in your eye, like a princess. How could he possibly look you in the eye? 

Sunoo wanted to look perfect and pristine for you, but at the same time, he wanted to disappear under your gaze. Sometimes, he wanted to disappear because he simply couldn't handle the power that your eyes had. Other times he wanted to disappear so that he could look at you— observe every line, perfection, and imperfection of your face— without the existence of others around him.

No matter the time, one thing was common: Sunoo always turned four shades redder whenever you walked into the room. And it was frustrating.

"Why are you red?"

"You look embarrassed. Did you fart or something?"

"Tomato boy."

It was embarrassing, especially because his seatmates always ended up being the biggest assholes anyway.

Then, you began waving to him in the hallway. It started with small waves, sometimes with you mouthing hi or hello. But then you'd sometimes run up to him with a wide smile just to say hi.

Maybe you were just really nice, Sunoo thought, though he'd be lying if he said that he didn't wish you were giving him special treatment. In fact, it made him feel sick just thinking about how you called your friends cute pet names like darling, too. He almost had to excuse himself to the washroom when thinking about you calling other people sweetheart. You were bound to, of course, but that didn't mean that Sunoo particularly liked that idea.

All of these were small little things, pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, especially considering that you were the most popular girl in school.

But then it started getting bad.

And it wasn't your fault.

Why— just why— did you have to be in every single one of his dreams?

The first dream he had about you was already enough. Why did he need a bajillion more?

The dreams ranged from extremely mundane to scary to a bit... raunchy. And yet, you still managed to be in every single one of them.

In the mundane ones, you'd be the person that mutters a remark to him before disappearing. 

In the scary ones, you'd be the person that Sun threw over his shoulder as he ran away from the undead. 

In the raunchy ones, you'd be under him, your arms thrown around his neck as he lays wet kisses on your skin, basking in the pretty sounds that you make— Too much!

He couldn't help it. He really couldn't.

There were times where Sunoo was afraid to go to sleep. Not because seeing you was a bad thing, but because the aftermath was always bad.

Sunoo always woke up sweaty and burning up. He'd trudge to the shared bathroom and splash water on his face. No matter how cold the water was, whenever he closed his eyes all he could see was your face. Your pretty, pretty, face. You seemed to get prettier with every dream, yet dream-you couldn't ever compare to real life-you.

Seeing your face wasn't the problem. He loved to see it. The problem was that every time he saw your face Sunoo would get all clammy and mushy and warm on the inside. His cheeks would burn, and he'd feel warm all over. 

And the hardest part was that every single time, all he could hear was your voice calling him "sweetheart" — over and over, in a hypnotizing cadence that only made him want to fall into your essence even more.

It was weird.

So, so, weird.

And Sunoo thought that he was going to die.

It seemed like Sunoo was always in for a surprise.

By the end of the month, Sunoo managed to convince himself to forget about his dreams completely. 

After all, after a few days of doing his best to avoid you, he was able to assure himself that all of these feelings would disappear with time, since his attraction to you was random anyway.

Sure, you're pretty, Sunoo told himself. And very kind and sweet, but it wasn't like you and him were best buds. So whatever delusion that was going on in his head was bound to go nowhere. He was just being a teenager, probably.

He'd never felt this way towards anyone before. It was best to just ignore it.

Sunoo clenched his fists. Yeah, he'd do his damn best to ignore it.

But as he was in line in the Academy's library, preparing to check out a new book about whatever topic he wanted to read up on, Sunoo felt a pair of hands clutch his shoulders.

"Hi, Sunoo!"

Sunoo whipped his head around and jolted, a small "Ah!" leaving his lips. Startled, he nearly dropped his massive hunk of a book, earning a glare from the snobby student-librarians. 

It was you.

The moment that he laid eyes on you and your silly little grin, Sunoo's resolve weakened. Like walls of a fortified castle crumbling under the force of a cannon, if Sunoo didn't look away now he'd be absolutely beat. 

"H— Hey there, [Name]," he said quietly, tearing his eyes away from you and turning back to the front, holding his book close to his chest.

"Whatcha got there?" you asked him curiously. He could still feel your hands on his shoulders squeezing him playfully.

Sunoo looked down at his book.

Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization?

Oh god, you were definitely going to think he was a nerd.

"Nothing..." he murmured, clutching the book even closer to him.

You shook him by his shoulders playfully, a little chuckle coming from your lips. "Oh, c'mon! I know that massive book isn't just 'nothing.' What're you reading?"

"It's..." Sunoo winced. "It's embarrassing."

You pouted, a little hmph! coming from you.

"Next!" the librarian called, and Sunoo moved forward in the line to check out his book, though he was distracted by the way that you still continued to cling to him.

"You didn't— You didn't get a book?" Sunoo asked as you followed him to a library table, your hands empty.

"Nope," you said smoothly. "I'm just here to study!"

"Oh." Sunoo blinked, pushing up his glasses. It was quiet and he didn't know what to say. "What are you studying?"

"I'll tell you," you smiled, "Only if you tell me what your book is about."

He sighed. Sunoo sat down, and naturally, you followed suit, sitting across from him. He plopped his massive book down onto the table, and slowly slid it over to you.

Your brows furrowed together as you read its title.

Sunoo's cheeks burned. You definitely think he's some nerd. How embarrassing.

You finally looked up at him. Only, instead of looking at him with condescension or ridicule, you looked embarrassed.

"Um," your brows knitted together further. "What's cartography?"

Sunoo stared at you. You don't think he's weird?"

"I-I'm sorry," you continued, letting out a deep breath. You looked perplexed. "I'm not very smart. I don't know what cartography is. Or what geo-something-something is. Can you explain it to me?"

He stared at you again.

After what you just said, there was no way that he'd possibly let his feelings for you fade away. There were a lot of things that Sunoo couldn't agree with when it came to the popular kids at his school. But here he understood why hoards of boys would be at your feet, begging for just one chance.

The corners of his lips lifted. The bashful look on your face was... cute.

"It's okay," he began. "Cartography is just the science of making maps."

You looked even more confused, but also relieved. Relieved that he wasn't going to make fun of you for not knowing. "There's a science behind making maps?"

"Hm," Sunoo paused to think, "Not exactly. But there's a lot of thought that goes behind making maps."

"Why?"

Sunoo thought he was going to fall in love. He loved his friends, of course, but none of them were ever as curious about his interests as you were.

"Well," Sunoo's hands joined to make a circular shape. "The Earth is a three-dimensional globe." You nodded to show that you were listening, staring at him with curious eyes. "Imagine even trying to transfer a 3D globe onto a flat, two-dimensional surface. It's pretty difficult to do without intense distortion."

You nodded slowly, your eyes narrowing.

"Was I rambling?" Sunoo asked quietly, so quietly that he didn't even think you could hear him.

"No!" you jumped to answer, earning a glare from the librarian. "I'm just trying to process it."

After a few moments of silence, you sucked in a deep breath. "I get it now, sweetie. You're so smart."

"Th-Thank you..." Sunoo stuttered out. Did he really just ramble to you about maps? And did you actually just listen to him with interest? "What are you studying?"

"Oh, me?" you looked down, embarrassed again. "It's just history. I can't wrap my head around it and I have an exam next Wednesday."

"Oh...." Sunoo blinked. "I can help you."

And that's how he got invited to your dorm.

(And to hell with forgetting his feelings!)

Truth be told, you weren't the person that everyone thought you were.

It seemed like, to the rest of the school, you were just a perfect little angel. And the fact that you rejected every guy that made advances toward you only helped that image grow.

Everyone thought you were perfect, beautiful, and most of all, untouchable.

And that couldn't be any further than the truth.

The truth was simply that no one was good enough for you. 

Everyone had an essence of snobbery to them, something that you just couldn't get past. You wanted someone raw and genuine, someone that had more substance to them than just their daddy's money.

Which was why you wanted Sunoo Kim.

And you wanted him bad.

There was something so fucking attractive amount the way he'd push up his glasses, eyes squinting to get a better look of the board as he messily jotted down notes.

There was something so charming about the way he clenched his jaw when he was concentrated, his brows furrowing.

There was something that made your stomach flip whenever he rolled up his sleeves to do some math problem that you probably couldn't understand.

There was something that made you so obsessed whenever he swiped his tongue over his plush lips, his eyes brightening as he explained his favorite topic.

God, you didn't just want him. You needed him.

All these years, you did everything with him at the back of your mind. Would Sunoo Kim look up from his massive textbook if you wore this skirt? Maybe he'd even breathe in your direction if you got a better grade on this exam. 

You didn't get it. Everyone looked at you, yet the only person that you wanted to look at you did not.

You wanted Sunoo Kim, and you wanted him bad.

You and Sunoo agreed to meet on Monday and Tuesday to help you study for your history exam on Wednesday.

On Monday, the two of you met in the library right after school. It was a quiet, focused session, covering all the necessary sections in a short amount of time. For the first time ever, you actually understood the concepts!

On Tuesday, the two of you agreed to meet in your dorm at 7PM, because that was when you knew your roommates would be gone.

You glanced at the analogue clock pinned high on the wall near the entrance of your dormitory. Every dorm room had one, as mandated by the school to promote punctuality— all the exact same model with a red-brown base, serif lettering, and a gold trim. Yet, the clock in your dorm felt slower, much slower than it should.

6:47PM, it read, the slow ticks pushing off the walls as if to tease you.

Couldn't 7PM come any faster?

Your eyes fell over to your roommate's mirror in the corner of her desk. 

The Academy's uniform was strict. Collared button-up, the school blazer with its crest crisply embroidered on, for girls the skirt at a reasonable length: it was all very stringent. All students were required to wear the uniform during school hours.

This study session with Sunoo would not be during school hours. You picked out your best top— a pretty, white top with a delicate lace trim. You always got the most stares when you wore this one (and hopefully, Sunoo would stare at you).

You never thought that you had to put any more effort into your appearance than you usually did, but as the clock ticked on the wall, you couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

You knew you were pretty, but what if Sunoo didn't think the same? Did you look weird today? You swore your face was feeling puffy earlier— should you do something? What if you suddenly woke up today and you morphed into a frog-like creature, and everybody knew except you?

You picked at your fingernails as you waited (im)patiently for 7PM to come. Your palms felt a little clammy, and your heart pounded in your chest with each passing minute.

And finally, just when all of your self-confidence was beginning to slip from your grasp, you heard a knock at your door.

If it was anybody else, you would've taken your time to get to the door, maybe even shout a little "Just a minute!"

But because it was the Sunoo Kim, you couldn't help but eagerly scurry to the door. You would've been embarrassed because Sunoo could 100% hear your loud footsteps as you rushed to the door, but you were too engulfed by your nerves to even think of it.

"Hi, sweetheart!" you blurted the second you opened your door, a bright smile on your face. There Sunoo stood, with his delicate face and thin gold-rim glasses, looking composed and focused as ever. And god did that make you want him.

"Oh, hi," Sunoo said coolly, pushing up the glasses on his nose. Though, you missed the way his eyes twitched, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip as he sucked in a sharp breath.

The two of you stood at the door for a few moments, just staring at each other. Your smile never faltered. If anyone were to see you, they'd see hearts in your eyes and a sparkly, pink lovey-dovey aura radiating off of you.

"Come in!" you said cheerfully, letting the boy into your dorm.

The two of you got to work pretty quickly. If there was one thing about Sunoo that you could appreciate, it was his sheer willpower and concentration when it came to academics.

It wasn't like you didn't try in school. That couldn't be further from the truth; you always tried your best, even when your best didn't earn you the best marks. 

Sunoo was just another level. You couldn't understand how he did it. He was so focused and intelligent, it made your chest feel warm and fuzzy.

The moment that he stepped inside, he had your textbook and notes cracked open immediately, asking you questions that were just a little too difficult for your mind to wrap around.

"What?!" you cried, your face scrunching as jumbled words that you couldn't understand fell from his lips. You looked at Sunoo incredulously. "We did not study that!"

You could have sworn Sunoo chuckled at your confusion, his eyes squeezing into thin crescents as the corner of his lips lifted. Usually, you'd feel embarrassed for not quite being the brightest, but Sunoo never made you feel that way.

"Lee is your professor," Sunoo pushed up his glasses, unable to hold back airy chuckles at your outrage. You nodded. "Well, he's notorious for his ridiculous trick questions, right? As your study-buddy, it's my duty to prepare you as best as I can."

That's when you got up from your desk chair and flopped over onto your bed, groaning into your pillows. 

"Why do you have to be so thoroughhhh?" you whined, kicking your feet.

Your heart fluttered when Sunoo laughed. 

Yes, laughed. 

It was high-pitched and breathy, like he was sucking in breaths of air only to push it out with a pretty giggle.

You whipped your head around, picking it up from the pillow. You stared at the boy with wide eyes. 

God, how could anyone be so beautiful?

You watched the boy laugh, completely and utterly infatuated with him. He was so cute. You needed him now.

You threw your head back into the pillow, continuing to groan and whine, in the hopes that it would make him laugh.

"You hate meeeeeee," you whined, "You hate meeeee!"

"I don't!" Sunoo laughed, his hands slapping his knees, "I don't hate you."

You whined again, kicking your feet. "You doooo."

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you, filled with quiet giggles. From your desk, Sunoo nudged you with his foot, earning another cute whine from you.

You were cute. And hardworking and enthusiastic. But that wasn't a surprise to Sunoo. 

Sunoo watched as you shouted at your roommate who came back to the dorm to fetch something she left behind.

"Hurry up, Yujin!" you chided quietly, trying to get Yujin out of the dorm as quickly as possible... before your momentum with Sunoo was lost. "Move it, move it!"

"Geez, sorry!" Yujin rummaged through her things, trying to look for whatever she forgot. 

When Yujin finally left, you never closed the door any fast, eagerly turning back to Sunoo and plopping down on your bed.

"Sorry, sweetie" you murmured, a frown on your face. "My friends are having a party tonight and Yujin forgot her lipstick, or something. Her stupid crush is there so she needs to look 'perfect' or whatever."

"Party?" Sunoo cocked a brow.

"Yeah," you rolled your eyes. "It's for someone's birthday."

Sunoo narrowed his eyes. 

Did you skip your friends' birthday party just to study for your history exam? 

.

.

.

Pause.

Did you just ditch your friends just to study with him?

A strange noise came out of Sunoo's lips as his cheeks felt warm.

Relax, he thought. It wasn't like it was a date or anything. Surely, you were just trying to get a good grade. That's why you chose to study instead of party.

"I was gonna go," you said smoothly, looking at your nails, "But how could I miss out on time with you?"

Sunoo's ears burned. 

"Oh— Well—" Just as words were becoming coherent in his head, you just had to drop that on him. He spluttered. "Thank you...? I-I— I mean—"

You chuckled. You got off the bed and joined Sunoo again at your desk. "Let's study, sweetheart."

For the next hour or so, the two of you were in a deep study session. Every word that you read and every word that fell from Sunoo's mouth, you soaked up like a sponge. You needed to pass this exam, and even more, you needed to make Sunoo's efforts worth it. He already spent yesterday and today helping you; you did not want to waste his time and fail.

Your dorm room was quiet now. Other than the sound of pages turning, pencils on parchment, and the distant sound of partying down the halls, the room was silent. From time to time, someone would run down the halls, probably running after their friend. You and Sunoo would look up at each other and share a chuckle.

You had just finished a practice test a few minutes ago, and now Sunoo was grading it for you. Meanwhile, you read up on your notes once again. Holding the notebook up, you hid behind it, creating a wall between you and Sunoo. 

You feared that if you could see Sunoo, you wouldn't be able to concentrate.

Well, just him being in the same room as you was already enough to make your mind drift. How could you not?

His concentrated expression made you feel weak to your knees, his fox-like eyes drilling into your practice test. His skin looked so perfect and airbrushed, you just wanted to pounce on him and mark it up and—

Okay, too far.

But still.

You've been studying for a good hour now. It wouldn't hurt to take a break, right?

You peeked over the side of your notebook to catch a glimpse of Sunoo. He was minding his own business and doing it quietly, but he looked so good that you couldn't tear your eyes away.

Yep, this was the break that your eyes needed, from those hunking paragraphs of text and difficult-to-read stimuli.

"Do you need something?" Sunoo asked, not moving his eyes from the practice test that he was currently grading. 

You felt your cheeks heat up. How did he notice your staring so quickly? This must mean that he could always notice you staring at him! Fuck, fuck, fuck, were you weird? He definitely thought you were weird now, and—

"N-Nothing," you stammered out, immediately burying yourself back into your notebook. In fact, you even went as far as turning your entire back from him out of embarrassment.

.

.

.

So embarrassing!

"I don't mind..." Sunoo murmured.

You snapped your head over to him. "W-What?"

Did you hear him correctly?

"I said..." This time, it was Sunoo's turn to hide his head behind the paper, making it impossible for you to see face. "I said I don't mind if you stare at me."

You felt light-headed.

Everything— from the deep espresso scent in the air to Sunoo's soft cologne to the way his moles littered his skin to the way he was sat so attractively at your desk, spouting intelligent nonsense at you to the very way that his glasses sat on his nose— everything about Sunoo was driving you mad.

Insane.

You didn't feel like yourself. You didn't feel like the perfect angel that everyone wanted you to be.

You felt like a selfish animal about to pounce on another. You felt like you were going to sink your teeth into his neck and ravage him.

Your head was spinning. Everything was spinning. Your skin felt hot, your mouth dry, as if it needed something to satiate it now. You were thirsty, thirsty for Sunoo, and nothing would be able to satisfy you but him.

And before you could even control yourself, you threw aside your notebook, grabbed Sunoo's face, and smashed your lips against his.

In that moment, it felt like all time stopped.

You couldn't feel anything, other than your hands that delicately clutched Sunoo's face, and your lips that were pressed against his. Your heart pounded in your ears. You felt like you were tied to a pyre, burnt like a sinner at the stake, yet it felt good.

But the moment that you heard Sunoo's breath hitch in his throat, a guttural sound tumbling out, you regained your senses.

Immediately, you pulled away, stumbling back as you caught your breath.

Sunoo's face was bright red as he stared at you. He took heavy breaths, almost like he wasn't breathing before.

"I-I'm—" you blurted, your mind not quite thinking straight. When your eyes met with Sunoo's you nearly bursted. "I-I'm so sorry— I don't know what came over me."

Sunoo only stared at you.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. What on earth did you just do? Suddenly, you were hit with regret and embarrassment.

You spluttered, apologies and jumbled words spilling out of your lips. Yet, Sunoo wasn't listening.

Your words fell upon deaf ears. 

Sunoo was too busy staring at your lips.

And if you weren't too busy apologizing, you would notice the way Sunoo's teeth dug into his bottom lip, his fists clenching as his nails prodded into his palms. You would notice the way Sunoo stared at you with glazed over eyes, how his pupils were blown out.

You would notice Sunoo's own self-control slipping out of his grasp.

After all the torment that he's been through— all your light touches, appearances in his dreams, and goddamn pretty smiles— Sunoo could feel his resolve being torn from his hands. He did his best; he dug his claws into what determination and control he had, but alas, it wasn't enough.

And as fast as you could blink, Sunoo grabbed your wrist and pulled you in against his chest.

Holding you by the waist, Sunoo gripped your chin. 

"Can I kiss you?" His voice was desperate. "Please, can I kiss you?"

"Yes," you whispered, your hands sliding up his chest to hold his broad shoulders. "Yes, please kiss me."

As the last syllable left your lips, Sunoo wasted no time crashing his lips against yours. 

Unlike his usual quiet and calm self, his lips were the complete opposite. They were rough and hungry, eating you like a starved man. You whined against his lips, gripping Sunoo's hair with weak fingers. 

It was a messy kiss. An inexperienced, messy kiss that any of your friends would jeer about. No rhythm, no ebb or flow, just feeling.

But to you, this was what you needed. 

You could taste the desperation on Sunoo's tongue; the taste of someone pushed to the edge and now finally tipping over. It sent electric waves of warmth down your skin, your stomach doing flips as his hands roamed.

Then, Sunoo gently pushed you onto the bed, his lips swollen as he peered down at you.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly, making sure that he didn't push too hard.

You only smiled. "Mhm."

Sunoo got on top of you, being careful to not crush you under him.

It looked just like his dream.

The smell of espresso coffee in the air, the two of you in bed, and did you think he wouldn't notice the white lace top that you chose to wear? Just for him.

Sunoo leaned on his elbows for support as he was on top of you, leaning in to kiss you.

Except, before his lips could meet yours, you giggled, placing your hands on his shoulders to stop him.

Sunoo looked at you concerned, like a deer in headlights. Had he done something wrong?

But you only smiled. 

Gently, you put your hands on his glasses, straightening them out. They had gotten crooked earlier when the two of you first kissed. 

"Can I take these off, sweetie?" you asked.

Shivers ran down his spine at the nickname. Sunoo hummed, too eager to kiss you to even care if he'd be half-blind without them. You took his glasses off, putting it on your bedside table.

Sunoo took your face in his hands, his fox-like eyes staring into your eyes. 

"You look so beautiful," he breathed. Sunoo's head dived for your neck. His breath tickled your skin, making you let out a whimper. "So, so, so beautiful."

With that, Sunoo began pressing open-mouthed kisses on your neck. With each kiss you let out a moan, your arms tightly wrapped around his neck and pulling at his hair. Your legs wrapped around him, your head falling back into the pillows to give Sunoo better access.

"Su— Sunoo— ahh," you struggled out, especially when Sunoo sucked on your skin. Although he was only kissing your neck, your entire body felt like jelly, including your brain. "Sunoo— I-I'm sensi— sensitive there."

"Sensitive where?" Sunoo asked simply, ignoring the way that you squirmed under him.

When you could only moan in response, you could feel Sunoo grin against you.

His lips nipped at your collarbone. "Sensitive here?"

"A-Ah—" you moaned, your arm jerking out to grip the bed sheets below you.

Sunoo kissed a wet line to your jugular, right at the center of your neck. "What about here?"

When all you could do was whimper, he grinned again. His lips traveled to the very side of your neck, just under your ear.

"What about here?" he asked again.

But instead of a moan or whimper, you laughed. You threw your head back again, pulling Sunoo's head into your chest in an embrace as soft giggles left your lips.

"I'm ticklish there," you giggled out. You bring a hand up to brush up against that spot on your neck. You grinned softly. "Sorry, I'm ticklish there I guess."

Sunoo nodded into your shoulder. He took in your scent, the feeling of you pressed up against him. He didn't mind that your little session was interrupted by something light-hearted. After all, he got to learn something about you, no matter how small.

And just as Sunoo was listening to your heartbeat, you pulled him back. 

"Turn over," you instructed. He did just that. You were now on top of him. "My turn."

Just like in his dream. 

He was in for a long night.

"Sunoo!" you shouted, your legs moving faster than you could think. The moment that you spotted his familiar back, you pounced on him, throwing your arms around him. "Sunoo, guess what?!"

Sunoo looked over his shoulder, swallowing back any embarrassment and shyness as you hugged him. Everyone in the hallway was staring at you by now, but it seemed like you didn't care. And if you didn't care, then he didn't care either. "What?"

You turned the boy over. It was now that he noticed the papers in your hands. You shoved it in his face, big red numbers at the forefront.

"One hundred percent!" you exclaimed. It was your history exam. "I got one hundred percent!"

The two of you celebrated (i.e. you hugged Sunoo) in the hallway, completely ignoring anyone that was staring. After all, it was Wednesday afternoon and the dining period was ending soon.

"Good job," Sunoo smiled. He was happy. "You did great."

"I couldn't have done it without you!" Your smile was so bright that it could light up the entire academy. You threw your arms around him again, this time pushing your face into his neck. You squeezed him. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"

You pulled back, looking at him with big, glimmering eyes. You took his hands in yours, squeezing them excitedly.

Feeling bold, Sunoo pushed up his glasses before leaning down to whisper in your ear. "Your neck," he rasped, "I can see the hickeys."

Your eyes widened into saucers at that, immediately fixing your shirt's collar. Your face was painted with shyness, squeezing your eyes shut. Your panic was so evident that anyone could probably tell. So cute.

"Just kidding," Sunoo chuckled, before he turned on his heel and began walking away from you, ignoring your cute shouting as you followed after him.

Yeah, he'd regret that later. After all, you had him on a leash, and there was no way in hell that he could escape you. 

He wasn't going to sleep tonight, one way or another. Not if it's you.

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Silver - Ceremonial Robes Vignette

"I want to repay that debt of gratitude"

[Courtyard]

Idia: Ugggh～～～ Nope, nope, nope! Why's the Spelldrive Tournament have to be broadcasted on TV, anyway?

Idia: Just thinking of showing my face on TV feels like I've gained some kind of embarrassment debuff. I have to figure some way around this…

Idia: It's 19:00 right now… The Mystery Shop should still be open.

Idia: I just gotta buy a welding mask and hide my face all day tomorrow, if that's what it takes…!

[rustle, rustle]

Idia: Waah!? S-S-S-Something definitely just moved―

Silver: WHO GOES THERE!? IDENTIFY YOURSELF AT ONCE!

Idia: Eeek!? I-I-I-I-I'm definitely not s-s-s-s-suspicious at all…!

Idia: I'm I-Idia Shroud!!! F-F-F-From Ignihyde!

Idia: So, please s-stop pointing that baton at me…!

Silver: Ah… I see, it was just you, Idia-senpai. Which means it was not some dubious presence.

Idia: I-I feel like you're the more dubious one, jumping out of a bush like that and brandishing a baton in someone's face…

Silver: Why are you wandering around at this time of night, anyway? Most folks around this time are partaking in dinner back in their dorms.

Idia: I-I was off to buy a welding mask…

Silver: Were you planning on using it for some sort of engineering experiment?

Idia: Urgh… Well, what about you, wh-wh-why're you running around in your ceremonial robes?!

Silver: That is because this attire is perfect for blending in during dusk.

Silver: It is a little difficult to maneuver around in, but at present time, due to an incident, I don't currently have my dorm uniform.

Idia: H-Huh? So, why're you in stealth mode, then?

Idia: S-Silver-shi, are you actually some sort of ninja?

Silver: Hm… What is a ninja?

Idia: Rumored to hail from a far eastern country, they are a people who covertly work to uncover intelligence or do other dirty jobs.

Idia: Haven't you ever heard of shurikens, or fire breath jutsu or whatnot?

Idia: You'd find them in a bunch of animes, and in video games the ninja is a super popular class, on par with samurai!

Silver: Idia-senpai… You're suddenly very loquacious.

Idia: Ah… My bad, went full on geek there…

Silver: I understand your explanation… However, I am not a "ninja."

Idia: When you shoot me down without sparing any emotion like that, I feel even more embarrassed now…

Idia: So… Why were you wandering around the courtyard at night then, Silver-shi…?

Silver: Tomorrow is the Spelldrive Tournament. The academy will be open to the public, and people from all walks of life will have gathered here, from the common folk to foreign dignitaries.

Silver: I was on the lookout for any possible assassin that may have chosen to take advantage of the bustling crowds.

Silver: It would be a disaster if something were to happen to Malleus-sama.

Idia: You're definitely thinking too far! Malleus-shi's got some OP cheat codes, don'tcha think you're being too overprotective?

Silver: My lord and master Malleus-sama will one day be king of the faefolk and rule over Briar Valley.

Silver: Before coming to this school, he would be surrounded by his guards if he ever took one step outside the castle for any reason.

Idia: Uh-huh…

Silver: If something were to ever happen to Malleus-sama, it could lead to an international incident.

Silver: Therefore, I do not consider this as being overprotective.

Idia: Wh-Wh-What's with this epic tale…?

Idia: I've only ever heard of assassins and international incidents ever happening in games, though…?

Silver: This is no game. This is our reality.

Idia: W-W-Woooooah…! I wish I could say a line that cool, too…!

Silver: …? If you wish to say it, you should.

Idia: Nah, it only sounds good coming from you, but if I tried saying that I'd just get ROFL'd at.

Silver: I see… I don't truly understand, but I apologize.

Silver: Well then, I will be going back to my rounds. Take care to not be mistaken for someone suspicious.

Silver: Both Sebek and Lilia-senpai are also patrolling the school grounds as well, after all.

Idia: G-Got it… I'll up my stealth modifier just like you did, then. B-Bye.

Silver: Right, see you.

Silver: I should link up with Sebek and Lilia-senpai and let the know that Idia-senpai is wandering around the courtyard.

Silver: It could be disruptive to others if Sebek were to encounter him and cause an uproar.

[Courtyard]

Idia: Whew… Done with class, finally. But, ugh, the sun's so bright today… This is the worst AoE for a shut-in…

Idia: On days like these, I just wanna hole up in my room and just lose myself in my dailies.

???: …

Idia: …Hm, is someone there?

Idia: S-S-S-S-S-Silver-shi!? Why're you collapsed dead in the courtyard!?

Silver: Zzz… Zzz…

Idia: Oh… Is he just sleeping…? The shock made me think the worst…

Idia: …But, dang, he sure has a handsome face. I bet everyone flocks to his good looks～

Idia: He looks all sparkly and princely when he's sleeping, to the point where even small, wild animals would gather around him…

Idia: He's completely different now than the guy I encountered right before the Spelldrive tournament.

Idia: It was scary having him point that baton at me…

Idia: He's the type of guy I never woulda gotten involved with if that'd never happened.

Silver: Mm… Rrhn…

Idia: Eek! H-H-H-He's w-waking!?

Silver: [yawn] Oh… I had a fleeing suspicion someone was there. Hello, Idia-senpai…

Idia: N-N-N-N-Nuh-huh!! I definitely wasn't staring at your sleeping face, Silver-shi!!

Silver: Hm? Please, calm yourself. You seem to be startled and tense whenever we meet.

Idia: Th-That's just a normal introvert reaction, though…

Idia: A-A-A-Anyone'd be jumpy, anyway, if they got a baton swung in their face, like last time.

Silver: You may be right… I apologize for what occurred then.

Idia: Urgh… Now I feel bad that you're apologizing so sincerely.

Idia: Silver-shi, you're pretty strange… Not only are you way more straight-forward than any of my dorm students, but also pretty loyal…

Silver: …Is that so?

Idia: Y-Yeah. There's no way anyone in Ignihyde would patrol after dark just to keep their Housewarden safe…

Idia: …Ah! O-O-Or maybe, does Malleus-shi rule through fear to keep the Diasomnian in line?

Idia: Th-That would make more sense… So, you were forced to do those night patrols, then?

Silver: He has no need to rule Diasomnia through fear. Even our patrol the other night was done of our own volition.

Silver: I do not know the relationship between you and the other Ignihyde students, but I would do whatever I can for the one I have sworn allegiance to.

Silver: The fact that I am here today is all thanks to my father and Malleus-sama.

Silver: Simply put, I want to repay that debt of gratitude to the both of them.

Idia: Wow… You may have kept a cool face throughout that speech, but that was just as passionate as any nerd infodumping…

Idia: Maybe we're just two peas…

Silver: In addition, I would like to prevent any sort of conflict between human countries and Briar Valley, if some trouble were to befall Malleus-sama.

Silver: I may not have much power, but I would like to do as much as I can.

Silver: My father always said while I was growing up that fighting was not the answer.

Idia: Woah… That's pretty deep.

Idia: Sounds like that father of yours is one of those charas with muscles of steel and an indominable will.

Silver: Yeah. My father was a member of the royal guard who served the royal family of Briar Valley.

Silver: I hear not only was he a renowned warrior, but the Queen herself trusted him personally.

Silver: He may be retired now, but back then, he was a soldier who had put his life on the line in battle and gained much accolade.

Silver: I'm sure he's had many a harrowing experience that I cannot even begin to imagine…

Idia: Y-You serious? This sounds like something out of an open-world RPG or something…

Silver: "Open-world"?

Idia: It's a type of online game. Yeah, sorry, I know a normie wouldn't know that. Sorry I'm such a nerd.

Silver: No, I know of online games. My father often stays up all through the night playing those sorts of games.

Idia: HUH!? Your pop just went from hero to zero in one go!?

Silver: My father has always loved keeping up with whatever is currently all the rage. He recently got a Magicam account, as well.

Idia: Huuuuh!? The image of a battle-hardened general of an elite royal guard is crumbling before my eyes…!

Lilia: Heeey, Silver. Why're you just shooting the breeze over here?

Lilia: You promised to help me out with that extra hard quest after classes.

Silver: Fa… Lilia-senpai. My apologies, I'll be right there.

Lilia: Hm…? Oh hey, it's Idia. Didn't expect to see you here with him.

Idia: Ah, uh… L-L-L-Lilia-shi. This is, uh…

Silver: He just happened to encounter me sleeping here.

Silver: Idia-senpai, see you later.

Idia: Y-yeah, later…

Idia: …It was kinda cool hearing about Silver-shi's dad.

Idia: He's a decorated soldier from Briar Valley, but also is really into video games and is a Magicammer lol.

Idia: If a guy like that really exists somewhere out there, even someone who hates people as much as I do would probably enjoy meeting him…

[Diasomnia Dorm – Hallway]

Lilia: I need to grind to prepare for the new items that are dropping soon. There's going to be a seasonal event next week, too. Ah, so busy.

Silver: You seem to always be in good spirits when talking about your games.

Lilia: They didn't have these newfangled online games when I was younger, you know.

Lilia: People from around the world can now enjoy playing with each other without worrying about physical borders. Society truly as gotten so blissful.

Silver: You're absolutely right. And when it comes to the world in which you are able to enjoy gaming so much…

Silver: I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I must protect it.

Lilia: …You've grown to talk pretty big, it seems.

Lilia: Well then, let's put money where that mouth is and start our marathon of gaming! I be letting you sleep on me tonight～!

Silver: P-Please, anything but that, Father…

Requested by Anonymous.

[rayroseu]

Some Crowley and Lilia Parallels(?)

?? am i reaching here but doesn't "Crowley searching for a way for Yuu to go home" similar to "Lilia searching for a way for Malleus to hatch"?lol

like they both travel to far away places to search for clues to solve their younglings' problem and both Malleus/Yuu are frustrated whenever they're gone for their travels, Crowley/Lilia can't find a logical explanation why they're taking so long solving their problem too (like how Lilia foolishly trust wishes to make a dragon egg hatch bcs its just impossible to find another dragon and how Crowley seems like he's being lazy because he truly doesn't know how to transport a human back to another world) even though they're the person best suited to solve Malleus/Yuu's problem (crowley being the manager of orientation so he definitely must know(?) where the students came from and lilia being the only person Meleanor told that he'll hatch Malleus) also both of them are quite detached by how much Malleus/Yuu depends on them (by that i mean they leave them alone too much and lack communication with them even though theyre the person who took them under their wing)

They also have a habit of surprising people by falling from the sky (like Crowley's animation during special lessons and how Lilia always appears upside down to scare people)

and the difference between their serious and goofy personality is striking (like General Lilia with his mean attitude and deep voice vs Peepaw Lilia and then Prologue Crowley w his ominous vibe and again deeper than usual voice vs Weird Headmage Crowley).

Also idk if this means anything but they're also the characters with the most unique voices in-game, and im unsure about this too but i think their speech patterns both uses old english phrases yet still maintaining a modern pattern (to fit with the youths yk) and they both have "groups of bats/crows" surrounding them and serving as their only motif-- which makes me think both of them have familiars????

also both of them have "minimal magic usage"..... Crowley really doesn't casts any magic atleast in-game (but in other TWST media Crowley casts basic magic) and we know how Lilia is losing his magic because he exhausted it for hatching a dragon egg- Both of their (potential) twisted Disney characters (Bat goon and Diablo/Diaval) have a role in searching for Aurora too (I remember the Bat goon and co. was originally the ones tasked to search for Aurora but he failed so the task was passed to Diablo instead, and Diaval bcs he discovered that King Stefan had a daughter which raged Maleficent in the live action-)

I'm pertaining that if Crowley is Levan,,,, then these similarities would point out to the fact that [Lilia and Levan were always together](than Meleanor did) to the point where they kind of adapted each other's qualities, even if centuries pass-- Also TWST likes mirroring the "knights" of this game (i.e Silver and Sebek, Deuce and Ace), Lilia and Levan were Right and Left Generals (knights), so it kinda explains why they're having similar struggles and similar life pattern(?) (like babysitting an unprecedented child amidst their independent life and being hit with an important problem that is "impossible to solve")

so In conclusion?? did Meleanor cursed her generals to be eternally struggle babysitting troubled children?? XD

totally reaching here-- if Crowley is Levan and his life truly is similar to Lilia's,,, then then does that mean he cut his hair like Lilia's ???? 😳 bcs think about it,,,, all the Briar Valley characters we got has long hair (Meleanor, Baul, and Gen. Lilia) so does that mean if we do get a reveal of Crowley/Levan,,, we'll see Crowley with a longer hair as Levan- ✨🙏

If that's true,,, atleast Levan's hairstyle as Crowley wasn't a chaotic job like Lilia's,,,, LOL it kinda matches their description that Levan is more prim and proper KDHWKHD atleast as Crowley, Levan is actually attempting fashion instead of randomly matching whatever like Lilia 😭 also didn't Crowley had a tangent about his very specific food taste when asking for souvenir(GloMas Event)?? which hits the nail about Lilia's complaint about Meleanor and Levan being picky eaters lol

[sunnyfoxsstuff]

Hey felt a little sick kinda nauseous lastnight but im not dead xD anyways i hope you all are fine and well and that your days are going well ;)

Chapter 3: new's

FX:"if he's dead why would he be there then? I mean it doesnt seem like him to want revenge"

Xie lian didnt really know what to do or say but he decided he'd still help shi qingxuan if he need help on that note mu qing and feng xing left soon after,

A little while later shi qingxuan came out with the New fresh robe on that xie lian gave him it had only one color but he seemed content with it, they've continued the day by chatting catching up while at the same Time shi qingxuan would help xie lian with chores and such soon enough the Sun started setting down for the day

Sqx:"between do you know if uh, hua cheng's gonna Come?" Looking at xie lian

XL:"he probably will why? Do you need something? I could try to help you" looking back at shi qingxuan with a gentle smile

Sqx:"ah- uh- well i dont think you could help me honestly, dont take it against you though!" He said a bit awkwardly, a silence then took place until he spoke again "actually could you ask hua cheng to bring he xuan? I wanna start over our friendship and make it up for what my brother did to him because of me but i know hua cheng wouldnt even want to help me" looking straight at xie lian with a determined look keeping his bright smile on sure of himself

Xie lian was speechless he wanted to refuse after all shi qingxuan had countless nightmare's about what happened back there in black water's manor, he xuan's manor and now he was willing to see he xuan again, "i'll see what i can do but are you really sure?" He answered concerned, shi qingxuan just nodded and smiled at his Friend, xie lian went on and prepared their diner which shi qingxuan was fearing he did not want to die a seccond time by xie lian's food but before he could say anything a swarm of silver butterfly's appeared and a tingling sound could be heard

"san lang! Welcome home" said xie lian with a bright smile looking at the red ghost king that appeared out of the swarm of silver butterfly's

HC:"did gege missed me?" He chuckle smiling back but glaring back looking over at shi qingxuan "what is he. Doing here gege? Is he bothering you again"he say's in a calm but strict ton

XL:"now now he isnt here for that actually he's only staying the night he wanted to Come visit me, we'll talk about all this around diner alright? It's almost done" he say's calmly putting a hand on hua cheng's back to then go back to cooking, hua cheng followed xie lian watching him cook

Shi qingxuan on his side decided to go outside, take some fresh air knowing hua cheng could've definitely tried to put him out of puqi shrine, After what felt like minutes but were only second's shi qingxuan got up and went a bit forward on the grass and started to dance like he used to to summon the wind his right hand acting like he was still holding his fan,

Xie lian noticing shi qingxuan wasnt inside proceeded on goin to the door looking outside seeing shi qingxuan dancing his old dance even noticing the gesture he was doing as if he had a fan, hua cheng soon joined xie lian's side

XL:"Say san lang do you think you could call the black Ghost king over for tomorrow?" He say's keeping his eye's on shi qingxuan dancing as calm as the wind is

HC:"why if i may ask gege" raising an eyebrow turning his head to xie lian

Pausing for minute xie lian then turn's his head to hua cheng "shi qingxuan he..came here to ask to meet black water"

HC:"tch, im not gonna do something for him." He say's crossing his arm's

XL:"san lang!" Sighing "then do it for me? After all im the one asking you it"looking away having his mind up about it

HC:"fine if it's what gege want, though you do know that your 'friend' is dead right? Its as clear as day light" walking back to the table setting bowl's down to eat and glasse's

XL:"of course i know even if it's hard to take it in" looking at hua cheng setting the table

Sorry but imma stop it here again i already wrote it longer than i thought i could it was hard to put up sense in what i would write next and all sadly no he xuan in this chapter and dont mind the title please i didnt know what to put :')

[moonshine999]

Aegon and Gold 

Side note : this is a very mixed up “analysis” that sort of combines both show elements as well as some popular fan theories/assumptions since we barely had time with the character (may I remind you all, to possible infuriation, that we never saw Sunfyre up close). So yeah <3

So I do think it is said quite a lot that Aegon would wear gold to honour Sunfyre and what not and I do believe he would happily do that, it’s just he can��t.

Okay so first let’s just get straight what gold can mean for him. 

Yes of course, it’s the colour of his most beloved dragon. They aren’t strongest dragon - rider bond in all of Targaryen history for nothing. Sunfyre was able to kill dragons much larger than him, defended Aegon in crisis and would not go down without a fight even when he was on the brink of death. Looking at the larger picture I think Sunfyre represents a sort of freedom for Aegon. To fly anywhere he’d like, on his own terms, never to be found and be freed from these shackles of duty that he (initially) does not want. Sunfyre also symbolises him finally having bonded with someone. His father acted as though he didn’t exist ; his mother was too young and pressurised to shape him into a worthy heir (and taking whatever means it takes to do so). His dragon is his very first true bond, him claiming the dragon alone is proof enough that he is a worthy Targaryen (in his head) 

Other than Sunfyre however, gold is also the colour of the first dress we see (a grown up) Helaena in. His lady wife and younger sister. Now going off the show alone, sadly we do not have any scenes of them together but in context and background clues alone (Helaena laughing at his taunts at Jace, Aegon getting jealous when she accepts Jace’s offer, Helaena looking at him with pity/worry when he is crowned - knowing what this means for both of them and so on) I do not think that their marriage is a utter disaster (as some fans suggest). Gold is the first impression of his wife, the mother of their three children. Who do you think he had the courage to vent his heart to when he got too drunk in their shared rooms? Who do you think he constantly sends gifts to, as an apology for not being around? Who do you think Alicent brings up first when the Dyana situation happens? (“think of the shame on your wife..on me”). I do believe that Helaena is some source of happiness for him. It may have taken years to develop a strong bond ,as he did with his dragon, with her but they are there. After three kids and six kingdoms to manage, I think it is fair to assume that they get along fairly well.

Now obviously there is a lot more to Helaena and Aegon’s marriage than “getting along fairly well” but for the convenience of the post and the topic at hand, I have had to make it somewhat more concise. 

So Gold is definitely a positive colour for him. But one thing that is not gold is the very symbol of his title, claim and rule. His crown.

The crown of the conqueror is black with the red ruby in the middle. I’ve also heard some people call it a dark silver (which would be the direct contrast to gold). So while gold represents his freedom and happiness, silver (the direct contrast) or black (the title colour representing the opposing faction) represent the cage of duty he has to put himself in for his and his family’s safety. During the coronation itself, he does not wear dark green (as he did earlier) or gold (even though he may prefer it) but rather black to represent this in a way. 

In comparison, the crown worn by Rhaenyra (the key figure of team black) is gold. And I think arguably Rhaenyra (even as a Royal woman in Westerosi society) has more freedom than Aegon.

Also the gold crown of The Old King was also worn by Viserys. I do not think that in Aegon’s perspective, his father was a source of happiness in any way. But what could have been, was his crown. Gold and the symbol of King Jaehaerys I, someone who had a long, relatively peaceful reign over Westeros. Since the idea that he was to inherit the throne was put in his head so early, he must have thought about it quite a bit. He did not want it of course but if it had to be done then perhaps, he would have desired a reign like the Old King’s. (Not to mention, he and Helaena named their first borns after Jaehaerys.)

A few comparisons to my Alicent “analysis” : 

So similar to Alicent leaving her childhood memories with Rhaenyra behind when she became queen (abandoning the colour blue), Aegon also leaves his freedom behind when he becomes king (not wearing gold or green but black)

Both her eldest children and now king and queen (Aegon and Helaena) are following her patterns and reaching their breaking points and have had a shift in their wardrobe to symbolise as such.

[ritcchamadayo]

This came to mind so

What Twst Characters Would Use as A Weapon (Mafia AU!)

Heartslabyul

Heartslabyul is known for being a strict organization. Every little mistake goes unnoticed, and will be judged by their boss himself.

Riddle Rosehearts

He definitely uses his scepter as a short range weapon, like a polearm would. But, just in case, he'd like to keep a handgun on his hip at all costs so he can fight against longer ranged enemies. Definitely something elegant, a rather old model but definitely shows Riddle's personality.

Ace Trappola

Handguns, definitely handguns. He can even dual-wield, if he wants to. He's not always precise and wastes a lot of bullets, (much to the dismay of Riddle and the Heartslabyul finances) so make sure to pack more spares and get him aim training! He's surely a force to be reckoned with if he hits those shots.

Deuce Spade

Ah, the classic baseball bat with spikes. He nailed the spikes in himself- and it doesn't look as neat as he wanted, but oh well. He'd usually let Ace or someone else take the kill but he won't hesitate to bludgeon someone when needed.

Cater Diamond

Assassins pop up when you least expect 'em, honey. He'd be all over you on parties and celebrations, giving you gifts and calling you nicknames- until you find his signature jewel-embedded, poison laced folded knife ledged between your chest. Cay-cay's here to slay-slay, and i mean literally!

Trey Clover

Definitely the mom- i mean supervisor of the gang. He'd usually watch from the back lines, and then use his medium-range sniper rifle to snipe off some heads with precision when you least expect it. Don't underestimate him though, he's still got you beat on hand-to-hand combat when needed!

Savanaclaw

An unruly bunch, to say the least. Chaos always follows behind their footsteps, as their leader, the Great King of Lions, executes high-risk high-reward bounties perfectly.

Leona Kingscholar

Who needs weapons? Only herbivores. Leona would face guns with his own bare hands, pouncing forward with the speed and agility of a Lion and knocking his enemies out of balance, swiftly destroying their gun *and* their skulls. Out of all the gang leaders, he's the least likely to die assassinated because of his instincts and reflexes.

Ruggie Bucchi

Watch out, cuz this guy's got a machine gun! Despite his scrawny stature, he's strong enough to hold down an area by making it rain bullets, effectively cleaning the way for Leona to pass through. Although, he'd never use it unless he knows there are no civilians in his line of fire. Shishishi, It's always better to get your boss through clean and unscathed, cuz blood on laundry is god awful!!!

Jack Howl

He owns a pair of silver brass knuckles! His speed and agility almost matches those of Leona himself, and Jack prides himself in his pack. He'd go on bounties with a big group, and if they ever get into a gang fight with the other gangs, he'll be sure to run to your rescue if you're getting beaten up!

Octavinelle

The mafia group behind the infamous Mostro Lounge industry. They affiliate themselves with blackmail and infiltration, and most of the time for monetary gain. They're led by a capitalist, after all.

Azul Ashengrotto

Does he fight? Sometimes, maybe. But he's usually breaking out deals with other companies and families while his two bodyguards stand behind him, ready to strike whenever. So, i guess his weapon of choice are Jade and Floyd? But he'd land the killing blow using the sharp edge of his scepter, a clean shot to the heart and blood staining the octopus ornament on the scepter. You better accept his business proposition, unless you wanna end up dead!

Jade Leech

This particular Leech twin doesn't like to get his suit dirty. He'd be manning the long-range sniper rifles and precisely taking out enemies quick and silent enough to not out himself. He's the one to go on most infiltration missions for Azul, so he also has high precision on using a handgun with a silencer. Don't cross this one, cuz you're going down and nobody's gonna know.

Floyd Leech

The full opposite of Jade, Floyd would rather crack someone's skull open instead and bathe in their blood. Floyd leads the more violent missions, and also in charge of torture. He has a pair of brass knuckles with elegant eel engravings given to him by Azul and Jade, and he loves them! But sometimes, his *real* knuckles are enough to break someone. Or would you rather he use his teeth instead and chomp off your flesh?

Scarabia

Possibly the richest gang around. Their leader, Kalim Al-Asim, acts as their front face in public scenarios while his right-hand man, Jamil Viper, does all the dirty work and cleaning behind everyone's backs.

Kalim Al-Asim

Knowing Kalim, he's probably forgotten to bring a weapon. It would be hard to imagine a name as big as Kalim's to not gather attention though, and there would be a lot of assassination attempts. Luckily for him, Jamil always hides a nifty shotgun for him if he ever gets cornered. Just one quick aim to the head, and boom- But this rarely happens, because Jamil's here to intercept before they could even see Kalim!

Jamil Viper

Jamil, Jamil, Jamil. Part bodyguard, part housewife /what. He's always looking out for the gang! But underneath all that, he's a crafty assassin out for your blood. He knows every single way to take someone out, be it using firearms, poison, sharp objects, or even his own fists. Though, his weapon of choice is a revolver! It's only thanks to Jamil that Kalim gets to live without a care, and Kalim loves Jamil like his own family.

Pomefiore

You wouldn't think there'd be elegance in the art of murder. Think again, with Vil Schoenheit now on the case! Pomefiore specializes in providing any type of poisons and drugs to whoever dares to strike a deal with them.

Vil Schoenheit

Don't be fooled by his intoxicating beauty, darling. Because most likely, the sweet scent of his perfume is also toxic! Vil has grown quite the resistance towards poison, and he always knows which one to use for which types of occassion. You better believe when i say each crime scene left by The Queen, always looks as beautiful as he is in his craft.

Rook Hunt

Vil Schoenheit's personal bodyguard. You don't see him beside the great Vil all the time, but rest assured, he's lying in wait with his bow and arrow aimed to your head. One misstep, and it'll cost you your life. Even a slight graze from the arrow would kill you, as a hunter never forgets to lace their arrows with the finest poisons and anesthesias. He was part of the Savanaclaw gang once, but after a scuffle between the two leaders, Rook decided to join Pomefiore in pursue of beauty and elegance.

Epel Felmier

Definitely not the most elegant one in the group, but 200% deadly. He prefers the head-on way of charging into battle with a bat or a metal pipe, but Vil taught him how to make use of his looks and kill more cleanly. Act like a maiden in need of assistance, infiltrate their defenses. And when you least expect it, a shotgun to the back will be your end. He still comes home all drenched in blood though, in Vil's dismay.

Ignihyde

The main gang for technological advances and info-broking. In addition to their human forces and the ever-adept technology team, they also have the forces of a couple dozen war robots if you ever cross their way!

Idia Shroud

Fighting? No no no, no way. Some shut-in like that wouldn't have the physical capabilities to go on front line fights. Instead he leads his gang to technological advances and innovations, most of the time making and rigging his own set of firearms from the confines of his room. But if anyone ever tries to assassinate the leader of Ignihyde gang, if they aren't killed by the security system, Idia himself will finish you off with his signature electric gun. Get ready to be fried to a crisp!

Ortho Shroud

Despite still being young, Ortho replaces his brother on the front lines and spreads his words to the gang. A being of technology himself, he's rigged to the brim with ground leveling firearms and first aid tech to help the team out. Just give him 10 seconds- his firing beam will level cities in a blink of an eye. But Ortho isn't allowed to use the beam without Idia's direct order, and Idia doesn't want any trouble with any other gangs, so shooting smaller beams with his fingers would work better.

Diasomnia

A well-feared gang. Diasomnia holds power to higher-grade firearms because of their leader, Malleus Draconia, and his royal upbringing. Diasomnia has privileges to firearms harder to procure, and typically just looks like royal guards instead of a gang.

Malleus Draconia

Malleus rarely gets into fights due to his position. Most of the time, Diasomnia's forces will be hard at work while he strategizes from atop his throne. But if he's forced to fight for his life, he would pick up his antique handgun. The wood carving simply bleeds elegance, and you should be thankful if your last sight was The Malleus Draconia pointing his gun at you while he towers above your beat-up body. Goodbye, Child of Man. This should teach you to never cross Diasomnia.

Lilia Vanrouge

Right hand man to Malleus himself, but he prides his work on assassination more than being on the front lines. His signature weapon is a cleaver, and you'd know it's the work of one Lilia Vanrouge when the victim have multiple slash wounds all over their body. He's been around in Diasomnia for so long, everyone suspects he's older than he looks- even his skills and experience way surpasses the rest!

Sebek Zigvolt

One of Malleus's bodyguards. He traditionally has an AR at hand just like Silver, but he uses a Revolver when the AR isn't in use. Typically you'd choose small, unnoticeable guns as Mafia to not get caught, but Sebek shows his domination over his enemies with his choice of firearms. He'd usually go for the attack, while Silver defends.

Silver

One of Malleus's bodyguards. He traditionally has an AR at hand just like Sebek, but he also uses a baton as a weapon of choice. He'd usually go for the defense, and leaves Sebek to attack and get rid of enemies. Silver specializes in defending and protecting, so if you're ever in trouble, Silver will make sure you live to see the next sunrise!

[calekinnieplus]

Would you look at that? Another update? So soon? Well, it's to be expected after WHAT I've read today hahah... 3 ½ hours of losing my mind, definitely worth an update! Reached chapter 1177 thanks to the desperation to reach a safe spot!

God, there's so much to talk about. I have to restrain myself from just endlessly talking about how much I love Klein Moretti rn. Like. So much. I will definitely be sprinkling my love for him in this post. A lot. I'll do that a lot.

OK, FOR A THOROUGH DISCUSSION, I'll pick up the chat from the ending of volume 5. Which means I'll talk about like... 20 chapters? Hm. They definitely felt more than 20 in number.

Amon kidnapped Klein after Klein successfully destroyed King George III's ritual, so he was exhausted and spent. Perfect opportunity for Amon, ngl.

The subsequent time spent together was full of ups and downs. Amon gave Klein hope that was barely in his reach until BOOM the reveal that it wasn't an avatar, but the actual true body! Man, wasn't that stressful.

That also came with the realization that Amon can't bear the risk of stealing Klein's destiny just like that. Win! For now...

We reach the destination that Amon was going for (in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, btw!! God, what a crazy place...) and there, ANOTHER motherfucking bomb gets left at our door.

Fucking Chernobyl. Fucking- it's Earth! It's always been Earth!

(That was spoiled in a partial manner to me. Like, I saw someone mention "Chernobyl" in relation to LOTM and I was like "wait what? No way- AH, NO THINKING ABOUT IT. IT'S SPOILERS" but inevitably I connected some dots.

Like, I distinctly remember how Roselle attempted to bring forth the industrial revolution, but when he searched for oil and such fuels, he was unsuccessful. Which made me think about the Chernobyl thing and wonder if the previous humans used it all up and eventually perished, but then another civilization rose and that's the present.

But uh. I didn't know about the fact that the ancestors of vampires and elves are ALSO humans?? Like wow. Incredible)

Paired with that comes the realization that Klein can't go home. Technically, he IS home. Just... not in his era :') AGH I cried. ESPECIALLY when he conjured the silhouettes of people dear to him that have long since perished. IT WAS SO SAD WBSJJDJD Man...

After that dreadful discovery, Klein doesn't let that stop his desire to escape Amon, implementing Another escape attempt, helped by the Evernight Goddess. Gosh, his escape attempts were so creative! And the interactions between him and Amon were so funny after them too lmao

Anyway, after Chernobyl, Klein digested the Scholar of Yore potion successfully AND escaped to Sefirah Castle after committing suicide (what an ODD way to escape).

And next, we have Klein thinking of ways to get back on his feet AND analyze his experiences. Which brings us to the NEXT big thing!

The third "transmigrator" is in fact the Evernight Goddess!

(Ok, I got fully spoiled on that. Booooooo...)

Still! She's taking such good care of Klein <33 what a lovely lady <33

During the Tarot Club, he put in motion his plans: collecting what he needs for the Miracle Invoker potion and strengthening the Tarot Club.

And thanks to the combined effort of Pallez, Derrick and himself of course, he successfully revived in the City of Silver and ran away! Yay!

That's where I am right now. But Man, the road to getting here was emotional.

Poor Klein... hunted from so many directions, no home to return to, friends and family to protect.

And let's not ignore the fact that Klein successfully escaped Amon!!! I mean, SURE, Amon was "playing" with him in a way. But that doesn't mean he wasn't taking Klein seriously, he just had a different goal than killing Klein, which was to take ownership of Sefirah Castle.

Klein is so resourceful, so determined, so intelligent. I adore himmm! Ahhhh and sometimes, he makes me sad, but he keeps going and that's just... hah... admirable.

Praise the Fool! Can't wait to read more, but definitely not tonight. Finally reached a point where I can close the book with a light heart, I'm not risking starting another stressful arc hahahah...

[vilandel]

Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 9 – Two and a half Realizations

A/N I love the tile of this chapter, it is such a good sum up of what is happening 💜💙 And Nozel definitely has problems with one of his knights...

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

“I have more than enough of your excuses, Samuel.”

“But, captain Nozel-“

“What did I just say? Stop with your pitiful excuses. We both know that none of them are even true.”

Samuel Évantail tried to talk again, but Nozel just glared at his knight, making him close his mouth again. Good, not only would he have said something terribly stupid, but he also had a terrible, screeching voice, making your ears bleed. Nozel refused to listen to him more than necessary.

“You have no right to protest that you didn’t got a star on the last mission. Do you really think I haven’t read the rapport Rob Vitesse and Alysanne Dragonstone wrote about it? Do you really think I wouldn’t listen to Julia Ambrosia about her complaints?”

“But that old lady is senile, she should have retired a long time ago, she doesn’t think-“

“Julia Ambrosia has one of the best and straight-up spirits in this squad, despite her old age. It was her choice to not retire and given the energy she still has, it is clearly not a loss for the squad. Besides, you should show more respect to the elderly. Don’t you dare think I haven’t heard about how you insulted Curtis Warren two days ago?”

“It was his fault, he-“

“You tried to force your chore duty on him, despite him being of a far higher rank than you.”

“But he’s from low nobility!”

“Curtis Warren is still a noble and he’s acting with more nobility than you by miles. Do you think I forgot how badly you talked about the Wizard King when his current form became public knowledge? And just after he thanked every squad for the help they gave to the civilians in the Forsaken Realm.”

Samuel looked down in shame. He was arrogant, yes, but even he knew that insulting the current Wizard King was something all squad captains and almost every Magic Knight wouldn’t tolerate. Even the majority of the nobles would think twice before talking ill of Julius Novachrono.

“Back on that mission,” Nozel continued coldly. “Rob Vitesse, Alysanne Dragonstone and Julia Ambrosia pointed out that you took a toilet break during most of the mission and that you only came back when everything was over. Not even barely, you had no action taken during this mission, why do you think you would deserve a star?”

Samuel looked like he wanted to reply, but of course, with what Nozel just said, he didn’t had any counter argument.

Which didn’t meant he wouldn’t still try, sadly.

“You should be ashamed,” Nozel said in a colder tone. “Do you really think you can call yourself a knight when you just wearing the robe of your squad? A robe means nothing if you don’t act like a knight. Protecting the kingdom and his inhabitants is a knightly duty and it takes many forms. Even helping people who are commoners or peasants. We Magic Knights often failed them in the past, as I witnessed it myself. And before you say something stupid again, commoners and peasants are also essential to the kingdom. With this mission, you had also the opportunity to learn it directly and you didn’t took it. This is on you alone.”

Samuel bit his under lip, clearly holding back to say something. Nozel knew that it wasn’t because he was ashamed and regretted what he did. No, like most Évantails, Samuel was too blinded by noble rank to care about anything that would go against his arrogance.

And he was stubborn. Nozel knew that there was no way he could make Samuel understood where he did fail. But not scolding him would be wrong. Samuel might have only be accepted as a Silver Eagle because of the centuries old agreement the squad had with house Évantail, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to let him pass with his intolerable behaviour.

“Did you also felt unnecessarily insulted because your half-sister was also sent on this mission? Samuel, after being part of the Silver Eagles, of a Magic Knight squad, for six years, you should have learned that it is also necessary to team up with people you don’t hold in your heart, for the sake of the kingdom. Putting your pride aside won’t kill you. Besides, unlike you, Grenadine took the mission seriously and got rewarded with a star.”

“She is a shame!”

“To house Évantail maybe, but not to the Silver Eagles.”

“No, she is also a shame for the squad! It was a mistake of you to even accept her as a Silver Eagle.”

Oh, now Samuel was concerned about the squads reputation?

Nozel closed his eyes, trying to not get affected by this pity accusation. He was used to it, after all. Since more than seventeen years, he was used to so-called critics and accusations, to a point that he couldn’t even recognize if it was ill-intended or actually to help him.

In appearance, he had the reputation of being a perfect royal, of being a perfect royal Head of House. But behind that golden curtain, the truth was something entirely different.

Even when he didn’t took other people than nobles and royals in the Silver Eagles, so many people already had critics about him. Whatever he did, it was never good enough for nobles, for most royals and his father always used his so-called failures for his own goal, whatever this was.

But now, with Grenadine, he made a really bold move, which made the offences clear instead of subtle. Of course so nobles felt for some reason personally insulted that he took a noble bastard daughter in his squad. Nozel admitted that he wasn’t the most open-minded royal, but he respected strengths, even from people outside his class. The Black Bulls magicless peasant proved himself very quickly and even rival worthy. In fact, all the Black Bulls were strong in their own ways. Especially Noelle, who bloomed in this squad who never cared about her past reputation. And Vanessa, of course… Even though her strength wasn’t only due to her magic, of that he was certain.

Grenadine was like that as well. She might be a bastard, but no Évantail was able to wield and control fan magic like she did. She was clever with her magic and never let her bastard status hold her back.

Considering the captains, Yami, Jack and Dorothy were also examples. A foreigner, a commoner, a witch and yet, each one of them had unique magics and were strong in their ways of using it. In some cases, it was hard for Nozel to recognize strengths of others, but he still did, because it was better for the kingdom to work together than to cling on arrogance.

And when he saw how most nobles still clinged on their status and privileges, Nozel decided that it was actually much easier to swallow his pride.

“You shouldn’t question my decisions that easily, Samuel. If you can’t continue in this squad, we could of course transfer you to another one. Although I highly doubt that you would be happy in any squad, since none of the other captains think that bastards are unworthy to be one of their knights.”

“I just thought, that… you took some liberal decisions considering the squad,” Samuel replied and immediately put his nose high in a snob attitude.

Liberal… For most nobles and royals, this was considered the biggest insult. And Nozel wasn’t known to be the most open-minded, so Samuel obviously hoped to have hit a hurtful point.

But Nozel didn’t care about so-called critics against himself. If someone wanted to hurt him, his mother had to be involved somehow or his siblings, his Vermillion aunt and cousins, his rival, most of his knights. Vanessa as well, at this point, even though he still didn’t quite know why.

Why was he thinking so much about Vanessa?

“The squad comes before my own preferences. If a liberal decision is more beneficial than a traditional one for the Silver Eagles, of course I take the liberal one.”

“Don’t you have any pride anymore?”

“You can still leave the Silver Eagles, if you can’t take it to be commanded by a liberal captain. With how you are now, it won’t be a big loss the squad. So, if you don’t want to leave, you better get a grip of yourself.”

“You can’t throw me out, the Silver Eagles have a contract with my house!”

“And when did I say that I will throw you out?”

It was sadly true, he couldn’t throw Samuel out because of that agreement between the Silver Eagles and house Évantail. If only he could at least exchange Samuel for another Évantail. But most members of this house were such a pain, so Nozel highly doubted that he could exchange one horrible knight for another horrible knight.

Samuel was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Grenadine entered, a bunch of envelopes in her hands. Samuels eyes hardened as he saw his bastard half-sister. Nozel sometimes wondered why he never blamed his father, Cygnus Silva, for having conceived a bastard daughter. Then again, it was almost like a golden rule within nobility to always blame the bastards for their existence and never their noble fathers.

Another reason why Nozel hated adultery.

But it was actually pretty obvious that Samuel and Grenadine were half-siblings. Like any Évantail, they both had delicate, angelic traits, an elegant frame which gave each of them naturally elegant gestures and of course, the typical turquoise coloured eyes. But while the Évantails had either cold or pastel hair colours – Samuels had baby blue hair – Grenadines hair colour was a dark, strong red. Not to mention that her eyes were always brightening. Most Évantails Nozel knew made the turquoise of their eyes dull with their arrogance, which was honestly impressive for such a vibrant colour.

“What are you doing here?” Samuel asked, not hiding his disgust.

Grenadine didn’t answered, she only went to Nozel and handled him the envelopes over. “Some evening letters for you, vice-captain Agatha told me to give them to you, but she doesn’t think it’s anything urgent for now.”

“Oh, now you’re bootlicking the vice-captain too? Must be easy, she is just from low nobility.”

Both Nozel and Grenadine turned towards him with such a cold glare that Samuel actually got a bit scared.

“I’m not bootlicking and it’s not my fault that YOU can’t bootlick anyone in the Silver Eagles, dear brother.”

“Samuel, have you already forgotten the talk we just had? I won’t tolerate how you talk about my vice-captain. Sure, Agatha Austen might not be from high nobility like you, but she’s done more to the squad than you ever did. Why do you think I have chosen her as my vice-captain? Now leave and think about your attitude. Because if you continue, I will report to the Wizard King. And trust me, you being from high nobility and house Évantail won’t help you in this case.”

Samuel looked like he was about to explode, but thankfully, he was clever enough to not reply. He just run out of the captains office and slammed the door behind him. Which wasn’t very suited for a noble, ironically.

“With all due respect, captain Nozel, I don’t think Samuel will question his behaviour. He’s a lot like… our father.”

“I know. I will need to report him to the Wizard King soon. You can leave now, Grenadine, good evening.”

“Good evening, captain Nozel.”

Grenadine was about to open the door, before she actually stopped and turned again.

“Um, captain Nozel?”

“What is it?”

“I just… wanted to thank you for giving me a chance. I think you’re the best squad captain in the Clover kingdom.”

Nozel was taken aback by this compliment. It was so unusual. Even more, it was normal that he gave Grenadine a chance, she proved herself very well at the entrance exam and never stopped since she joined his squad.

But it seems to mean a lot to her.

Nozel had no idea how take compliments, so he just nodded. Grenadine wished him a good evening again and left the office.

What was with the compliments, lately? First Vanessa who never stopped those with her flirty nature. And now, Grenadine thanking him for that chance he gave her and saying he’s the best squad captain in her books. That was not like the fake compliments nobles would gave him on balls and receptions, Vanessa and Grenadine were more genuine. Something he wasn’t used too since…

Well, he better look through the letters before he’ll take his evening. He would have loved meeting with Vanessa again, but she had a mission with some her squadmates today in a dungeon, which meant she would need rest once she returned.

Somehow, it made Nozel sad. He enjoyed her company, it was soothing for his soul. He knew he didn’t deserved her kindness, but once it was with her, that thought didn’t seemed important anymore.

Why did Vanessa had such an effect on him? She was just being nice and surprisingly enjoying his company as well, it seems. Which he didn’t understood, but it didn’t seemed that important.

She even loved the sewing box he got her a few days ago. In fact, Vanessa was enthusiastic about it and she lately told him she already started to use it for a special project. She winked at him while telling him this and Nozel didn’t know what she should think about it. But Vanessa was happy, this was the most important.

Back on the letters, Nozel admitted that Agatha had been right. There was nothing urgent, which meant he could go home earlier than usually today. A perspective that didn’t appealed to him, since he wouldn’t see Vanessa today.

Why was he immediately thinking about her again?

As he reached the last letter of the pile, Nozel froze. He recognized the seal. He recognized the handwriting. He even recognize that high-quality paper with the branded initials on it, L.S. on the left upper corner.

His father wrote him.

Nozel felt anger and fear dangerously mixing up within him. How bold of his father to write him directly at the Silver Eagles headquarters after leaving him and his siblings alone in their time of need and always trying to put him down in order to go higher.

How dare he write him after years of ignorance, disgusts and attempted manipulation? How dare try to get contact again after he put him down during the few times he visited after his wife died? How dare he sent a letter after he didn’t even appeared at his wife funeral?

Nozels hands were shaking while he was holding the letter. Remembering all the times his father ignored the affection and love his mother was giving him, using her position and her house for his own goal, whatever that was. Nozel couldn’t forget how that man definitely broke his mother’s heart that fateful day…

What did Lac Silva wanted from him? Nozel knew that it was something for himself, not for any of his children. Should he read the letter? Should he ignore it? No one could knew what that man was up too. Last hope of a house of low nobility, he abandon them and manipulated three royal house heads good enough to get a perfect marriage. Not to mention he managed to have perfect reputation within nobility, he was loved, considered perfect royal even though he wasn’t born into royalty and even though he was now widowed.

Nozel hadn’t heard from his father for so long. Seven years, maybe even ten? He didn’t know. So, after all this time, what did Lac Silva wanted?

Slowly, he broke the seal and took a prudent look at the first lines.

Like always, fake kindness, apologizing that he couldn’t be here, that he will stay in another country for longer due to his diplomatic skills. Nozel probably should stop before he came to the part where his father put him down with all his glorious subtility.

Suddenly, a word got his intention and made him froze even more.

Marriage.

Son, you can’t stay a bachelor for the rest of your days, you even should have been married years ago. Given your incapacity to choose a bride, it’s better that I…

Nozel didn’t continue to read. He stood up, took the letter, ripped it in so many pieces that it couldn’t be put back together again, throw it into his bin and left his office and his squad, all that in not even one minute.

As he flew back home, Nozel tried to calm down his anger.

He haven’t thought about his duty of an arranged marriage lately. The bonding of his sisters, the still new peace the kingdom lived after Spade and Vanessa filling most of his rare free time… That uncomfortable thought didn’t seemed that important anymore.

But now, with his father talking about it, even mentioning he would take this matter in his own hands… Nozel now hated that perspective even more.

He never liked it in the first place and it had been more for his siblings freedom on that matter than for the reputation of house Silva.

But now that his father talking about finding him a betrothed, Nozel loathed that perspective of an arranged marriage even more.

Lac Silva would choose a party who would not be beneficial for house Silva, but for himself. Nozel knew his father. If he let him decide over him like a marionette, Nozel would either get married to a noble lady from a house who owed a lot to his father or to a woman through which Lac Silva would get better control not only of house Silva, but maybe even more.

Nozel refused to be a chess piece. His father might be popular and have influence. But he wasn’t head of house Silva. Nozel was. The decisions concerning the Silvas were his, it wasn’t his father’s political chess plate.

Besides, he was out of the country right now and enjoying the diplomatic missions the king gave him so much, he won’t come back so soon. He said it himself once, years ago, to insult him and Nozel knew, his father was many things, but he never lied. In fact, Lac Silva used the truth to gain what he wanted and put others down. Especially his children.

Nozel hoped it endlessly. If he never saw his father again, it would be the best on many levels.

Oh, how he wished he could meet Vanessa right now. She always had that mysterious talent to somehow soothe his worries for a while, to make his problems smaller as long as she was with him.

But he couldn’t allow himself to be selfish and wanting her presence every time. Vanessa also had a life outside of their meetings, the Black Bulls were like her family and as such, more important for her.

It hurt a bit, but he could live with that. He lived with that for more than seventeen years, since his mother died… It what he deserved, after all the wrongs he did.

At least, thinking about Vanessa was already enough to calm himself down a bit. How can she had that effect on him, even when she wasn’t here?

When he arrived at the Silva palace, one of the head butlers told him that he got a package today, which looked mostly like a present, and the servants were so free to put it in his bedroom.

Nozel frowned. Why would he get something? His birthday wasn’t until the end of the year and why would he of all people get something out of the blue? He did nothing that would deserve a spontaneous gift in return.

Still, he was curious. And he hoped it was nothing from his father. Every time that man gifted something, as rare as it was, it was mostly another tool for his own goal.

As Nozel entered his room, he immediately saw the present on his bed. It was covered with brown paper and there was a letter on top of it. The brown paper was already a proof that it wasn’t a present from his father. Nozel sighed in relief.

He first took the letter. If he wanted to know who gave him a present and for what reason, this is where he needed to start.

Hello there, Stud!

Hope you had a good day today. Sorry I can’t meet you, but it was a long mission and I need some rest. Which sucks, I hate it when I can’t see you, you’re one of the best company I know. But at least, I can send you this. Yep, handsome, it’s a present for you! Made thanks to the amazing box you gifted me! I told you already, but I LOVE that box so much! And I thought you deserve a treat too. So, the first thing I made using the material in the box is for YOU! As thanks, for many things and because I love being with you. Hope you like it. I used silver threads for the embroidery, I haven’t forget that you prefer silver over gold. But I used a fabric with darker colour, because you look so good with darker colours. I haven’t forgotten how handsome you looked at Finrals wedding, in fact, it was my inspiration for this gift. Don’t worry, I choose a colour that goes well with silver, but to be fair, I think any colours goes well with silver.

Your absolute favourite witch

Vanessa

Nozel couldn’t help it, a small smile appeared on his lips. Vanessa was always so full of joy, even when she wrote letters. But he still couldn’t forget that she could be sad and upset as well. Sometimes, he wondered if she just hide her sadness, ignoring it. Hopefully not, he knew first-hand how terrible this could feel. But unlike him, Vanessa didn’t deserve that kind of terrible feeling.

He wanted to comfort her when she was sad.

Nozel frowned. Did that thought just came to it like that? As if it was only natural for him to comfort Vanessa…

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Nozel now focused on opening the package.

The first thing he felt was satin. High quality satin. One of the fabrics he gifted her along with the box?

It was indeed a piece of satin. Burgundy satin, with some silver embroidery representing vaguely branches and leaves with birds. But in the middle of those birds and leaves, there was something like an eagle and a cat, standing really close to each other.

This embroidery was really a work of art. None of the royal tailors were able to create something like this and Nozel doubted that even the ateliers of Soie Velours ever did managed such a magnificent embroidery on their creations.

Putting the piece right in front of him, Nozel realized that it was a one shoulder cape. A bit like the one he wore on his ceremonial suit at the royal wedding. But somehow much prettier. How did Vanessa remembered so well what he wore back then? Sure, they had danced together, but still.

Nozel wanted to try it, so he went out of his knight robe and tried the cape on.

How surprised he was to find out that it fit him perfectly. Also, burgundy suited him better than he thought. Red wasn’t his usual colour, but this shade? It was perfect somehow. After all, it wasn’t a Vermillion kind of red.

No, this shade reminded him of Vanessa.

Vanessa…

As he took his new cape off, Nozel couldn’t help but bury his face in it. Somehow, he could smell Vanessas scent, the cheap but sweet rosewater she always used. As if she was right there with him…

Wait. Did he really just thought that? By smelling a one shoulder cape? Why did he smell it in the first place?

There it was again, the uncertain feeling he always had since his talk with Fuegoleon. Alone in his room, thinking every passing second about Vanessa… and what she was to him.

Fuegoleons words basically haunted his nights, when he wasn’t thinking again and again about Vanessa. Or when he wasn’t sleeping. His thoughts about Vanessa were a different matter, because she not only haunted his nights, but also his dreams.

It wasn’t that much at the beginning, it became more frequently only after they started to interact more and more, since almost a month. But if Nozel was honest, maybe all started originally from their talk in Spade… 

It was as she bewitched him somehow and knowing Vanessa, it was surely not on purpose. But it became almost impossible for Nozel to not think about her. Even when he was working at the Silver Eagles, even during the captains meeting. He was not as attentive as he was before during those reunions. And he had been one of the few captains to pay the most attention!

It should have upset him to not be this attentive anymore. But he wasn’t.

Nozel sighed. He let himself fall on his big canopy bed, lying with his back on the mattress and stared at the ceiling, as if he hoped it would gave him answers. As if a ceiling could give any answers.

Or did he already know his answers? Was he just afraid of them and so, tried to avoid them with ignorance? Why wouldn’t he have realized it?

Was he overthinking this matter?

Fuegoleon pretended to be sure that he was in love. Nozel had first find it ridiculous. He couldn’t be in love, because… of many reasons. He was unable to feel romantically, he didn’t deserved it, he just made a friend who was kind and caring, just because he wasn’t attentive as before or thinking about her practically every day, didn’t meant that he was in love.

And many other reasons that were more or less ridiculous. Nozel felt so embarrassed thinking about them.

But it didn’t took long before Nozel realized something. If it really was true that he wasn’t in love… Why would he then still convincing himself over and over again that he wasn’t love?

Since then, it had been like this. He was frozen, denial behind him and the unknown truth right in front of him.

Nozel still had so many questions. Was it really possible to fell in love this quickly? What consequences will that have for him, his house and his siblings? Would he be able to choose between duty and his heart?

He groaned, hiding his face between his hands. Every question revealed other questions and for some mysterious reason, each one hurts. Especially… Was love even an option for him? Nozel Silva, head of house Silva and captain of the Silver Eagles? Brother of Nebra, Solid and Noelle Silva? Son of the late Acier Silva?

Mother…

She had been in love. With her husband. Some would consider her really lucky, since it was an arranged marriage. But Aciers love had been one-sided, Lac never loved her back. She was just an important step for his own goal.

It had broken her heart when she finally realized it. Romantic love didn’t brought her joy. Often Nozel had wondered if that would be the case for him as well, if he ever would fall in love.

Slowly, his eyes wandered to his bedside table or rather, to the two small pile of books on it. Another memory of his mother he refused to flee anymore. Romance novels she had loved and to be fair, he loved them too.

Wasn’t it kinda ironic he, of all people, had a secret appreciation for romance novels? This wasn’t something he wanted to be out in the open, but… Nozel wondered what Vanessa would think of it. He suspected her to be a romantic, given how sometimes she would rant and even complaint about some of her squadmates being too oblivious to love. The names Gauche and Grey fell most often, but sometimes she complained about Yamis dense mind as well.

And there, he just thought about her again. It’s he couldn’t stop at all.

One pile were novels about courtly love. Tales of very old times, back when Magic Knights weren’t divided in squads, when knights were just serving their king and their country, riding from one place to another, defending widows and orphans. Back when a knight offered his heart to a lady of his choosing, even when they couldn’t be together. Loving from afar in all innocence, without hoping for more and cherishing that pure emotion.

Nozel often thought that if, if he would ever fall in love, that only this kind of romance would be possible for him. He was more than aware of his duty for an arranged marriage. At least with courtly love, there was not such a risk as adultery. He would just offer his heart to someone, without hoping for more and do his duty while cherish that feeling of purity in his heart.

But that vision didn’t seem very appealing anymore.

The books of the other pile were novels from his mother favourite author. Romance novels, simple romances with happy endings, but those still touched the soul and the heart very deeply.

Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility…

Nozel knew the titles of each of those novels by heart. They weren’t as sad as the courtly love novels and more hopeful. Some of the male heroes were aloof, like him only in certain ways. And still, they did find love.

But none of them had done such horrible mistakes like he did and they were just fictional. Wasn’t that another proof that it wasn’t possible for him, that he didn’t deserved that kind of happiness?

That mantra had followed him for so many years and for the first, Nozel wondered if he was maybe lying to himself.

He had a few crushes in his life, yes. But he had to admit that concerning romance, he was completely clueless. Except with romance novels, but those were just fiction, they didn’t count.

So, how could he be sure he was in love?

Of course, he could ask someone. But Nozel immediately groaned at the thought. No, he couldn’t. He still had his pride and it was so… ridiculous. Him, a captain, a royal, asking for help because of… love. Besides, who could he ask? His Vermillion aunt? Fuegoleon, who was apparently in a happy relationship? Kaiser, who was apparently happily married? Another captain? But the rest of the captains were all single. Okay, Charlotte was in love. But she wasn’t in a relationship and she was in love with Yami! Who was Vanessas captain! No, that just couldn’t go. Besides, Nozel didn’t even want to ask anyone for help.

Actually… No, that was wrong. There was one person he definitely wanted to take advice from. But that person was dead and buried since over seventeen years.

“Mother… what would you tell me to do?”

Nozel waited in the silence of his room. But of course, there was no answer. He didn’t even know why he even expected her to respond him. Nozel tried to imagine his mother talking to him. But he couldn’t.

Not because he was unable to imagine Acier Silva talking to him. But because next to her, Vanessa appeared in his mind. Both smiled at him, with their completely different smiles and still in a way so similar.

Acier Silva, Vanessa Enoteca. Two different women, from different circles, who never met, never knew each other.

But for him, they became somehow equally important.

One was dead, the other was alive.

One was his mother, the other was… was…

“Why don’t you smile more often, stud?”

That gorgeous smile…

“You really should stop working so much.”

That gentle care…

“Guess it’s too much to ask for letting me do your braid.”

That laugh, like waves crashing on the beach…

“Let’s go to our café again, shall we?”

That kindness…

“You know, you can look me in the eye when you talk to me.”

Those eyes, like amethysts in the sun…

“Thank you so much for the gift!”

That joy…

“Your hair looks really great in the sun. Guess that silver is more shiny than gold.”

Those hair, that breathetaking shade of rosewood…

“Don’t you have any baby Noelle stories to tell me?”

That genuine curiosity…

“Like what you see, handsome eagle?”

That frame…

“Thank you for holding me…”

That gratitude…

Nozel slowly took his new one shoulder cape, holding it close to him. He had no idea where he would go with this. He ignored if he could keep the secret forever or if he would be unable to just do like the knights with their ladies in the novels. He had no idea what the next steps were supposed to be.

But…

“I love her. I love Vanessa Enoteca.”

It was just a whisper, but Nozel had the feeling that his words echoed through the whole Silva palace.

♣♣♣

The cemetery of Heladise just looked like any other cemetery in the Common Realm. Crosses and gravestones on grass. A tree here and there. Some tombs looked like they were taken care of, but must were probably abandoned a long time ago.

But Yami didn’t care about that. He cared about the investigation and even more about Charlotte.

Seriously, why did Goldie Guts speech from a few days ago making him think and overthink EVERYTHING about Prickly Queen?

Yami side-glanced at his companion. Charlotte was focusing on the tombs, searching for the mother of her half-brother. A dash of sadness and compassion was shining in her eyes and for him, it made the blue of her orbs even more brightening than normal.

Wait, did he really just thought that? Why did he always have thoughts like that about Charlotte since his talk with William?

And why he focusing on Charlottes beauty instead of their quest? Fuck, he already knew that Charlotte was more than beautiful, he didn’t need to look at her beauty as if he just discovered it for the first time!

Besides, they had an investigation for a lost sibling going on!

The first thing they did Heladise was searching for the inn where that Grace girl was working. Only to find out from the innkeeper that she died years ago and that her son – that stupid innkeeper was getting old as he didn’t remembered the name – had been sent to an orphanage. Apparently, that kiddo has some weird habit to fight and to always smile, even at his mother’s funeral. After he got his grimoire, left to become a Magic Knight and well, he never returned.

That story sounded pretty familiar to Yami, but he didn’t gave it much attention. His thoughts were turning around Charlotte mostly or to things related to her.

It was like his something in him, maybe his subconscious or anything hidden in his spirit, wanted to tell him something. One specific thing. Like for many, many years and since he probably didn’t listened, it was now screaming that thing. And he still didn’t get it! What was going on?

“Looks like that we need to search within the Magic Knight squads for our next step. Too bad the innkeeper didn’t remembered my brother’s name. Well, he probably doesn’t have good memories of him as well, he must have caused him some difficulties in the past, given how he talked about my brother.”

“Hm…”

“Yami, are you listening to me?”

Charlotte punched him slightly with her elbow, causing him to interrupt his merry-go-round of thoughts about her.

Normally, Yami would have been happy for the distraction. But since Charlotte was the one haunting his mind, it didn’t really helped. Which honestly sucked in his books. But Yami would never dare to accuse his Prickly Queen of it. After all, it wasn’t her fault he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Wait… did he just considered her his Prickly Queen?

“Oh, um, sorry, I was in thoughts. What did you say?”

Charlotte sighed deeply, before repeating what she just said. And afterwards immediately adding, “I can’t say it’s not like you to not pay attention, but this seems too much even for you. Couldn’t you at least tell from my Ki that I was talking to you?”

“Come on, Prickly Queen, you know me. I’m not an idiot, I can read every Ki.”

Except hers, for some mysterious reason, but he wouldn’t tell her that. Although, this was indeed the proof that something was wrong with him and that he included Charlotte. Her Ki was so unique and he was unable to understand it. Him, one of the two only Ki-readers in the whole kingdom and the only one out of the two who wasn’t an idiot. And didn’t Goldie Guts mentioned something about his ability to read Ki in his speech? Damn, William really put his finger on something and Yami couldn’t tell what it was.

But that didn’t meant that it was stupid or dense. No, no, no! He wasn’t stupid when it came to Charlotte, he was just…

What was he, actually? Something else than stupid, surely. But what? It was so difficult for him now to not think about Charlotte. She even haunted his mind when he was taking a dump now! And since he thought more about his Prickly Queen than the fierce battles he fought against his digestion system, his toilet breaks took longer these days. Much to his brats worries.

Hold on… he just considered Charlotte his Prickly Queen again? What was that supposed to mean?

Time to change the subject, definitely.

Yami took a look at the bouquet of purple lilies and white roses in Charlottes hands. “What are those for?”

“For Graces grave. Didn’t I told you that already?”

“Of course, of course,” Yami replied, hiding the fact that he haven’t listened to that part as well. “It’s nice of you, but why actually? You haven’t known her at all.”

“Just because I didn’t know her doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t care or that I shouldn’t pay my respects. What happened to her was horrible and she didn’t get any justice. She deserves respect, even after death. It doesn’t matter that she’s my brother’s mother or not.”

“Actually, you’re right, Prickly Queen. Sorry.”

Charlotte just nodded. He traits were soft and sad, as she walked to the cemetery, searching for Graces tomb. That caring and compassionate side really made her look so much more beautiful as she was already. Oh, she might seemed cold and aloof, but Yami knew very well that Charlotte was a caring person. For the kingdom, for her girlies, for any other people, civilian or knight, noble or commoner, royal or peasant.

His Prickly Queen was probably the most caring person Yami knew.

There again! He thought again about her like his… For the third time in less than five minutes! Vanessa would have said that the third time always was a charm and for the first time, Yami might admit that she was onto something.

Okay, Charlotte was definitely special for him, even more so, unique. But how? And why? Couldn’t he just have the full answer and be done with? Apparently no, whatever was messing with him, Fate or something else, probably thought he needed more steps to get his answer.

While he was blaming something he didn’t even know what it was, both he and Charlotte finally found Graces tomb. The innkeeper did described the gravestone as a simple cross with her name, her birth date and the date of her death.

“Oh… she wasn’t even twenty-five when she passed away,” Charlotte said, her voice full of sadness and compassion. “And this also means… She probably got my brother very young.”

Yami just nodded. That poor girl didn’t get a fair life. Losing her parents very young, working her health away to supply, got pregnant by a noble jerk who abandoned her with a newborn, was left alone taking care of her kiddo and died very young probably due to exhaustion, because it was too much for her.

Grace deserved justice, to be taken care of and didn’t get any of it.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you…” Charlotte whispered while putting the bouquet of roses and lilies in front of the grave. Some tears were lingering in her eyes, one of them rolled down her cheek.

Yami looked at her. It was clear that this whole story went close to her. Her father did this and Charlotte was deep down a sensible, caring person. She probably wished that Grace was still alive, to give her protection and to take care of her. Some would say it would be too late, but Yami knew that often, it was better late than never. Sadly, for Grace it was never.

Her father was a jerk, no doubt about it. Yami wished for a second that mama Roselei would have cheated on him with a better man and got Charlotte from her lover instead. Because it was so hard to believe that a jerk like that got such a wonderful daughter.

But Charlotte had his eyes, so there was no doubt. Sadly.

Strange… they had this in common. A jerk dad. Yami haven’t thought about his father for a while and his memories of him were pretty much never positive.

Looking at Charlotte, who now knelt in front of Graces grave, Yami couldn’t help but realize that both their fathers didn’t hated them, but were still jerks. Well, his father died. Hers was still alive.

Yami had the sudden urge to take Charlotte in his arms, to hug her. He had this strange longing quite often lately after his talk with William. But since he didn’t make any sense to him, he ignored it. Which hadn’t been as easy as he thought.

But this time, it felt different. This time, he didn’t want to hug her because some mysterious power pushed him specifically to her, making him long for her touch. No, he wanted to hug Charlotte to comfort her.

Would she accept to be hugged by him, though? Just because they were getting along slightly better didn’t meant that Prickly Queen would appreciate to get hugged by him out of the blue. She sometimes complained about his smell – which was true most of the time, but Yami would never admit that – or about his rude attitude – true as well, but well, being polite was future Yamis problem.

But this time? Maybe it was the right thing to do. After all, he didn’t need to drown Charlotte in his arms. A hand of her shoulder or one arm around her seemed more appropriate than a bear hug and could say so much more than any word.

So, Yami knelt down beside her.

But just as he was about to put a hand on her shoulder, something did catch his eye. On Graces gravestone.

The cross stood next to a tree and the shadows of the branches and leaves covered some of the inscriptions on the stone.

Like Graces family name.

But a soft blow of the wind, a small movement of the tree branches, the sun fell on that spot for one second.

Yami frowned, looking more closely, trying to identify the letters.

Grace Voltia.

Voltia. Voltia… Wait a fucking minute!

He heard Charlotte gasp next to him and when he turned to her, she was looking at him as well. Her eyes wide open in surprise, proving that she was doing the same conclusions as Yami.

Voltia… That was the family name of Luck.

Which would mean…

That Luck, one of his own knights, was the lost half-brother of Prickly Queen.

[kleenexwoman]

3, 8

8: I'm answering this one first because fandom lol.

I think people are off a lot when they say that a male character is female-coded. A lot of the time what they mean is that a character does not live up to the standards of masculinity set by the universe of the media itself, or that other characters in the show consider them less than masculine, or that they're portrayed as a realistic victim of abuse.

Or, sometimes, they just have transfem vibes. Why? Dunno. Vibes.

Now, some female coding is deliberate. I'll swear on a stack of Celluloid Closets that Steve and Bucky swap off the "girl" parts in the MCU in ways that have everything to do with the relationship the characters have to their genre. It has to do with who gets captured and rescued in what way, and it's something that plays into the homoeroticism of their relationship.

But that's different than me going, "Steve might like to wear panties but he has masculinity issues but Bucky envies dames." That's Vibes and me projecting because I think manly men in lingerie are pretty. Big shrug, dance for me.

There are definitely fandoms where people lean into dudes being "female coded" when they're:

Denigrated for their apparent lack of masculinity by other characters. Usually this says a lot more about the other characters, sry.

Class difference class difference class difference. Masculinity and the working class are socially conflated because it helps keep patriarchal capitalism churning. If your guy is "feminine" for traits that he shares with Hannibal Lector, who is about as feminine as a vagina dentata, then he's not coded feminine. He's coded rich.

Short kings. I'm sorry, does nobody love petit butches? Smol mascs? Pocket princes?

3: I have seen many run-of-the-mill bad takes on Tumblr. Many of them I respond to. Some belong in their tags, shaming people, and I don't think I shall choose to dignify them.

Just about the worst take I've seen on Tumblr was reactionary, tbh.

My bestie runs @loveisintheearth , a neat rock blog that shares fascinating geological information along with some metaphysical uses and just tons of shiny rock pics.

Now, some rocks have been used over the years for physical as well as metaphysical effects in magical talismans. I'm actually editing a book about it right now. It's not exactly simple, or anyone would be able to grab a chunk of whatever and suddenly get healthy, rich, wise, or laid. It's shit like, you have to calculate when Venus is trine the seventh mansion of Jupiter and sacrifice a silver feather while chanting and burning heliotrope as you carve the secret name of the angel Raziel into turquoise.

And also, y'know, it's a moot point if you don't believe in magic in the first place. Go on with your day, y'know?

So this person rocks up and demands, like, academic proof that wearing citrine can lower your cholesterol or whatever. From a rock blog online that posts, like, really cool pictures of bismuth inclusions.

Okay. Not the place to do it, but bestie obligingly posts a disclaimer that, uh, "Look at these neat lapis orbs!" isn't a place for medical advice. The information was frankly more of an intellectual curiosity.

Out of my own curiosity, I manage to track down the website that @loveisintheearth got the information from and ask the lady who posted it about where she got it. I mean, there are plenty of historical texts about the use of rocks in--

Her spirit guides.

Okay, did she try it out? Ask for detail? So further research?

NOPE. Just slapped it up there.

Context is everything. Don't expect a casual rock blog to offer you solid medical advice. But also, if you have spirit guides who tell you that citrine can help you lower your cholesterol, ask them for details.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

this is our get-along fic

two years after shadow and vio's evil takeover, the gang reunites for dinner. this is a multi-chapter continuation of the oneshot "thank darkness for that," which introduces a corruption-type au that's actually super chill. definitely read the one-shot before following this one!

chapter 2 of 7: it's so nice to have the friend group together for dinner (4500 words)

“Well, wait!” Red says, digging into his pockets. For a second Shadow sees Vio stiffen—he’s probably picturing Red whipping out a crossbow or something—but he softens when Red reveals two wrapped presents.

“For you,” he tells Vio, lifting up the purple gift. He then turns to Shadow and raises the other one, wrapped with a black paper covered with silver constellations. “And for you. If that’s okay.”

Behind Red, Blue facepalms. Zelda notices this and rolls her eyes, while Green’s expression is completely unreadable. Shadow gives Red an uncertain smile and nods.

“That’s… you really didn’t have to. But thank you.”

“Well, we never got you wedding gifts, so…!”

Vio crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow—not at Red, but at Blue. “I seem to remember a few.”

“Water under the bridge,” Shadow says, which isn’t a phrase he normally uses, but nothing about this evening feels normal anyway.

“Really?” Blue challenges him. “Because we tried to kill you, several times. I think you’re just saying that so we’ll feel obligated to forgive you for what you did to us.”

read the full chapter on ao3 or under the cut:

Shadow is nervous. He can admit that. Not out loud, of course—but inside his own head, where Vio can't possibly hear him? Sure. He's pretty much terrified.

"Maybe I should sit over there," he says, glancing towards the rarely-used second throne. Vio shakes his head and pulls Shadow closer by the waist.

"No. I need you here."

Shadow raises an eyebrow at the possessive behavior. "Vio, come on. Let's not immediately remind them of the last time they saw us like this."

Recognition passes over Vio's face and he loosens his grip. "Fine. Yeah, I see what you mean."

"I love you," Shadow tells him, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He hops off the armrest and feels himself pulled in for a second kiss, this one on the lips.

"Love you too," Vio says, his expression almost comedically despondent.

"You're being uncharacteristically clingy," Shadow teases as he pulls away.

"And you're being uncharacteristically calm."

"Well, at least one of us has to be."

Shadow boops Vio's nose and heads over to his own throne, trying to get comfortable in the unfamiliar seat. Yeah, this is definitely better for the others—the image of the two of them seated separately, professionally, not at all how they'd been in the Fire Temple.

"Your Majesties," calls a voice from outside the throne room, "your guests have arrived."

Shadow's heart aches as Vio stiffens in his chair, clearly missing his presence on the armrest. Maybe this was a mistake.

"Send them in," Vio says, his voice cracking at the end. Okay, yeah, this was definitely a mistake.

And just like that. their guests enter the throne room. As expected, all four of them immediately look up to Vio, whose elevated position kind of speaks for itself. Shadow feels selfish for his relief at being completely ignored.

Thirty seconds pass without a word from anyone. Finally, Red takes a step foward.

"Vio," he says, his voice friendly but uncertain. "Or, uh, King Vio?"

Oh, Shadow knows this Vio expression well. His husband is about five seconds from allowing his anxiety to overtake him physically. Whether that means he shuts down completely, or starts shaking, or tears up, is pretty much dealer’s choice.

But, no... Vio pulls it together. He takes a deep breath, runs a hand through his long hair, and gives Red a small smile.

"Hi, Red," he says quietly, as if it's a secret between the two of them. “I like your sweater.”

Red’s face lights up. “Thanks! I made it myself! I like yours too!”

Yeah, Shadow is also fond of this particular Vio sweater. It’s a super flattering shade of lilac, slim-fitting, and made with the softest wool imaginable. Red’s sweater, by comparison, looks patchy and amateur. Shadow finds it incredibly charming, and knows even the most talented craftsperson would fail to make something quite like it.

Vio looks down at his sweater as if he forgot he was wearing it. “Oh, uh… thank you. I didn’t make it, though.”

“Well, wait!” Red says, digging into his pockets. For a second Shadow sees Vio stiffen—he’s probably picturing Red whipping out a crossbow or something—but he softens when Red reveals two wrapped presents.

“For you,” he tells Vio, lifting up the purple gift. He then turns to Shadow and raises the other one, wrapped with a black paper covered with silver constellations. “And for you. If that’s okay.”

Behind Red, Blue facepalms. Zelda notices this and rolls her eyes, while Green’s expression is completely unreadable. Shadow gives Red an uncertain smile and nods.

“That’s… you really didn’t have to. But thank you.”

“Well, we never got you wedding gifts, so…!”

Vio crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow—not at Red, but at Blue. “I seem to remember a few.”

“Water under the bridge,” Shadow says, which isn’t a phrase he normally uses, but nothing about this evening feels normal anyway.

“Really?” Blue challenges him. “Because we tried to kill you, several times. I think you’re just saying that so we’ll feel obligated to forgive you for what you did to us.”

Vio had warned Shadow about this, that Blue’s main goal in nearly every interaction would be to piss them off until they snapped. Something in Shadow wants to add fuel to the fire, put his own antagonistic streak on full display, but he knows he can’t take the bait. Not when Vio’s depending on him to be on his best behavior, not when he genuinely wants these people to accept him by the end of the night.

Luckily, Shadow doesn’t get much time to respond. Red turns around and gives Blue a disapproving look.

“Whatever,” Blue says, hands raised. “Go on.”

Red cautiously steps closer to the raised platform where Vio sits on his throne. “You can open it now, if you want.”

The hairs on the back of Shadow’s neck raise. What if this is another assassination attempt, carried out by the least intimidating of the four? Vio, noticing Shadow’s discomfort, motions for him to stay in his seat as he weighs the gift in his hand.

“Thank you,” Vio tells Red as he carefully removes the wrapping from the package. He places the rolled-up ball of paper on the arm of his throne, and Hylia, Shadow wishes that was him right now.

Vio opens the small gift box and peers inside. Judging from his expression, it isn’t anything dangerous—just bewildering.

“What… is it?” Vio asks, finally removing the item from the box. It’s purple and hand-knitted, but not nearly as large as a sweater or a scarf. It’s like… a little circle, buit it’s hollow in the center. Vio stretches it out with his hand, demonstrating some elasticity beneath the chunky knit.

“It’s called a scrunchie!” Red says, and the word definitely sounds accurate for the item he’s describing. “You can use it to tie up your hair. I noticed at the wedding that you’ve been growing it out.”

Vio blinks at the item in his hand, and then down at Red. “That is very considerate. Thank you.”

Red looks from the scrunchie to Vio, probably hoping that he’ll use it to tie up his hair. Vio puts it on his wrist instead, a gesture even Shadow is unable to fully understand.

“And for you!” Red exclaims, his shoes tapping on marble tile as he crosses to Shadow’s throne. Shadow takes the gift from his extended arms and unwraps it, trying his very best to keep the pretty paper intact. It’s another box, and when Shadow opens it he doesn’t find a srcunchie. Instead there’s a pair of fingerless gloves, knitted with black and silver yarn. Shadow rolls up his sleeves and immediately slides them on.

“They’re beautiful,” he tells Red, and means it. “Thank you.”

“I’m so glad!” Red exclaims, his expression relieved. What, had he expected Shadow to be mean? To throw them on the ground and step on them?

Oh Hylia, that’s probably exactly what he had expected. Because how would he know better, having only seen Shadow in action during his villain era?

Noticing Shadow’s silence, Red rambles on. “I heard from one of my employees—a Dark Worlder—that it’s a lot easier for you guys to get cold during the winter. But I also know you have those long nails, so I thought these would be better than mittens. Just… maybe don’t wear them when we’re eating.”

Shadow blinks. The amount of thought Red put into this tiny gift, for someone he isn’t even supposed to like… it’s crazy. If it were anyone but Red, Shadow would be suspicious, but like… come on. Look at this guy. Look at his little sweater. He’s a sweetheart.

"Let's take our seats," says Zelda, gesturing towards the table in the center of the room. Red nods, happy to step out of the spotlight, but pauses before actually sitting down. There are six seats at the table, naturally—two on each side, and then two at opposite ends.

"I assume you'll be taking the heads of the table?" Green asks Vio and Shadow, crossing his arms over his chest. Shadow cocks his head. While Green isn't outright hostile like Blue, he's also weirdly tense.

Vio stands up and waits for Shadow to follow suit. They descend from the platform in unison and take their seats at the opposite ends of the table. On one side Green and Zelda do the same, while Red and Blue take the other.

Before anyone can speak, Tingle bursts into the room. He wears a chef's hat over his green hood and wields a large wooden spoon.

"Soup will be out soon," he tells the group, looking from face to face in mild interest. He stops at Green and points the spoon at him. "We've met, right?"

Green nods.

"Different outfit, though."

Green nods again, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, we're all wearing different outfits."

"Thank you, Tingle," Vio cuts in, giving him a very clear cue to leave.

"Yep." Tingle bows with a flourish of the wooden spoon and exits the room.

"Okay," Blue says, gripping his rolled-up napkin tightly. "Who the fuck was that?"

"Tingle," Shadow shrugs.

"He officiated their wedding," Zelda reminds Blue, who just rolls his eyes.

"I encountered him on my way to Death Mountain," says Green, who turns to Vio. "How did you guys come across him?"

"Uh, well... he'd found his way into our—the—palace on the top of Death Mountain. Was looking for Force Gems, or something. Swore his loyalty to us after he overheard our pla—conversation."

"Plan,” Blue corrects him. "You meant to say plan."

"What even was your plan?" asks Green, resting his chin on his hands. Shadow looks at him, surprised. Why would he ask that, right here and right now?

Shadow sees Vio clamming up and swallows his own discomfort. “I, uh, can answer that,” he says, fidgeting with the cloth napkin under the table. If this thing was made of paper, it'd be eviscerated by now. "As you know, Vio had originally planned to betray me, and that's why he joined my side in the first place. But—“

"Wait,” Red interrupts, "but I thought that was a lie. That's just what he told us, so he could..."

Shadow shakes his head, ignoring Vio at the other end of the table. "No. He fully meant to betray me for the majority of the time we spent together. That’s why he spared Green’s life, but didn’t want me to know it. He actually got pretty close to shattering the Dark Mirror, which would have cut off this world's connection to the Dark World and killed me."

"Do we really need to go into this?" Vio asks across the table.

"Yeah," Shadow says sharply. "I think they deserve to know what really happened. Honestly, I thought they already did."

"Sure looked like Vio was enjoying himself during his time undercover," Blue says, as if the person in question wasn't seated directly next to him.

"Shut up," Vio hisses. "You don't know anything."

"And why'd he change his mind? Because he decided he wanted to betray Shadow Link less than he wanted to betray us? How about just not betraying anyone?"

"Blue," Zelda warns, eyes narrowing.

"What? These are all very reasonable questions! Vio had no reason to torture us the way he did, even if he'd initially meant to betray Shadow Link. And he didn't even do that! He changed his mind, and used that original plan to manipulate us!"

Shadow wants to tell Blue that his name is Shadow, just Shadow, but he manages to hold his tongue.

"I don't owe you answers," Vio tells him coldly. "I had my reasons."

"Well, obviously! 'Reasons' is sitting right here at the table, living it up as a king when he should have been killed two years ago!"

Vio stands abruptly, shaking the glasses on the table. Shadow tears his cloth napkin in half.

"I need everyone here to understand one thing," Vio says between gritted teeth. "You can insult me, threaten me, interrogate me, whatever. But if you so much as mention harming my husband, I will have you immediately removed not only from this castle, but also civilized Hyrule itself."

"Vio!” Shadow exclaims. “Sit. Down. I’m fine.”

Vio looks from Shadow to Blue, to Shadow again, and it's like something defuses behind his eyes. He sits.

"Glad I made that clear," he mutters, and Blue flips him off.

Red picks up one of his forks and examines it intently, allowing his napkin to drop onto the floor. "This is nice silverware.”

"It's part of the royal set," Zelda says, but not in a backhanded way. "I have no particular fondness or nostalgia for it, but there is a pretty interesting story behind it."

Red smiles, clearly appreciating Zelda’s assistance in changing the subject. “You're really into that kind of stuff these days, right Zelda?"

"Yes. I thoroughly enjoy researching Hyrule’s history, as opposed to being a major player in it. It always felt strange to me, being expected to have the wisdom to rule while being denied time to study those who preceded me."

Shadow feels his body tense. Now it’s his turn to change the subject.

"Tingle's making soup," he informs his guests. "I love soup."

Now everyone looks at him like he's the freak.

"What?" Shadow asks, blush spreading on his face.

"Soup is good!" Red rushes to agree. "I guess it's just, not something we'd expect you to say, being a creature of darkness and all."

"What, so creatures of darkness can't love soup?"

Surprisingly, it's Vio who cuts in next. "There's actually a historical precedent for individuals, uh... adjacent to the Hero enjoying soup. Pumpkin soup in particular. The Hero of Twilight, for example, encountered a pumpkin soup during his travels that helped him survive battle with a nasty Darknut. The Hero of the Sky delivered pumpkin soup to a whale inside a thunderhead. It’s even said by some historians that the Hero of Winds’ grandmother came up with the original recipe for health-restoring pumpkin soup.”

Shadow smiles at Vio. There’s the nerd he knows and loves.

“So,” Vio continues, beginning to doubt himself but proceeding anyway, “it’d make sense for even Shadow to enjoy it. After all, he is a reflection of the Hero.”

“Pretty weird to marry a reflection of yourself,” Blue says as he traces the rim of his glass.

“Oh come on,” Green chastises him, “you know it’s not like that. Besides, you and Red—”

“You and Red?” Vio interrupts, a smirk growing on his face. “Do tell, Blue.”

“There’s—there’s nothing to tell!”

“He’s right about that,” Red says with surprising coldness.

Shadow has kind of lost the plot at this point, but honestly it’s just nice for someone else’s drama to be the source of contention. Also, for the record, it’s not weird that he married Vio. If anyone’s to blame for their union, it’s Hylia and Ganon, who created Vio and Shadow respectively as pawns for their game of good and evil. Shadow and Vio are cut from the same cloth, sure—the Platonic ideal of the Hero—but they have free will, and visual variance, and no actual blood relation or innate connection beyond the one they’ve formed with effort and time.

Blue’s projecting, Shadow reminds himself, and he’ll say anything to trigger a reaction.

“So, Zelda,” Shadow says, choosing to completely ignore Blue’s entire… thing. “Have you found anything like that in your research? About the soup?”

Zelda gives him a short nod, happy to assist in changing the subject yet again. “Not really. I’m mostly interested in politics and philosophy, rather than lore and religion. I’ve had enough of the latter for a lifetime, I think. Being… relieved of my Triforce has allowed me to broaden my horizons, and I appreciate that.”

“You’re seriously not thanking him for tricking you into giving up your power,” Green says. “Like, I get that we don’t hate them anymore, but—”

“I’m allowed to say whatever I want to Shadow,” Zelda tells him stiffly. “We’ve talked about this.”

Red and Blue exchange a confused look, while Shadow nervously catches Vio’s eyes. This is going off the rails. They have to redirect the conversation, before—

“Soup update!” Tingle announces, bursting back into the room. His spoon is now covered in an orange-yellow bisque, which splatters on the marble floor as he waves it around.

“Yes?” Vio asks, trying to keep his irritation at bay. “What is the update?”

Tingle shrugs. “Soup.”

“Is it ready?”

“No. But it’s definitely soup.”

Vio sighs. “Okay, Tingle. Thank you for the update.”

“My pleasure, Your Highness,” Tingle says, turning to leave. After a second he pauses, calling over his shoulder: “And rest assured, Green, the recipe is vegan.”

Green’s eyes widen. “Thanks Tingle, now please leave us alone, okay!”

Blue raises an eyebrow at Green’s exclamation, which sounded more like one long, panicked word. “Wait a second… how would he know that you’re vegan?”

Oh, shit.

Shadow avoids both Green and Vio’s eyes, looking instead to Zelda. She takes a deep sip of water and clears her throat. “Well, ah. We made note of it when we RVSP’d. Right, Shadow?”

“Yes,” Shadow says, nodding vigorously.  

Blue’s frown somehow manages to deepen. He swivels his head towards Zelda. “And why are you calling him Shadow?”

Oh, fuck.

Zelda takes another sip, raising her pointer finger as if to say, ‘hold on a second, I can’t answer your question because I am currently drinking water for a prolonged period of time.’

“Something weird is going on,” Blue tells Red, looking across the table at Zelda and Green. “Tell me it doesn’t feel wrong.”

Red frowns. “It is a little strange that they’d know about Green’s dietary preferences. I don’t remember space for that on the RSVP letter, or else I would have mentioned your lactose intolerance. And… it is kinda weird that you’re calling him Shadow, Zelda.”

Shadow finally meets Vio’s eyes, giving him the smallest nod. Jig’s up in five, four, three, two—

“Fine!” Green exclaims, placing a firm hand down on the table. The glasses rattle again, but not enough to spill. “You figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” asks Red, as Zelda completely downs the water in her glass.

“They’ve been conspiring with the enemy,” Blue says. “Enough that they know Green’s a vegan, and for Zelda to use a familiar name for Shadow Link.”

Shadow raises his hand limply. “Can I just point out that it’s really not that difficult to say ‘Shadow’ instead of ‘Shadow Link?’ Like, no one calls you ‘Blue Link.’”

“Yeah, because I’m a real hero, not a monster like you!”

“Blue!” Zelda scolds, “Fucking give it a rest!”

Shadow tunes them out, shifting his focus to Green. “We brunch together,” he explains to Red in a low voice. “Every Sunday. Started up a few months ago, when Zelda signed on as royal advisor.”

To Shadow’s horror, Red begins to tear up. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you invite me?”

“Well, you’re so close to Blue all the time, and…”

“So I just don’t get to be a part of it? How is that fair?”

“You’re their royal advisor?” Blue attacks Zelda at full volume, reaching out a hand to motion towards Vio.

“Unofficially,” Vio clarifies, and Blue looks like he’s about to smack him.

“I guess it’s nice that you’ve all been getting along,” Red says softly to no one in particular, although it’s clear that he’s hurt to have been left out.

Blue turns his rage on Red. “Hylia, you are so stupid.”

Vio swats Blue on the shoulder. “Hey. Don’t talk to him like that.”

Blue ignores him, eyes narrowing towards Red. “No wonder they fooled you the first time. It’s like you want to let them ruin our lives again.”

Everyone immediately goes silent. Yeah, they can all exchange insults without the argument feeling unbalanced, but Red? Blue, saying something like that to Red? Even Shadow knows it’s uncalled for.

Red doesn’t cry in response to Blue’s outburst. Instead he just looks him up and down, genuinely disgusted, a rare and scathing condemnation.

“Actually, Blue,” he says, “I think I’m just fine. I’m not ruining our lives, and honestly, neither are Vio and… Shadow, as we now know he prefers to be called.”

“Thanks,” Shadow says quietly, and Red gives him a small smile before returning his attention to Blue.

“They haven’t hurt us in a long time. What’s hurting us, who’s hurting us… is you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow watches Zelda grab Green’s water glass out from under him.

“It’s not my fault that you refuse to be happy,” Red tells Blue. Zelda takes another very long sip.

Blue blinks twice, as if awoken from a deep sleep. “Red, I—”

“SOUP’S READY!”

Tingle bursts into the hall again, this time accompanied by several castle cooks with trays of piping hot pumpkin soup. Blue avoids Red’s gaze as the bowls are placed in front of the guests, their contents incredibly fragrant and appetizing.

“Thank you, Tingle,” Shadow says, sending every possible social cue for him to vacate the premises.

“Yep.” Tingle bows and excuses himself, along with the castle cooks.

The six dinner guests eye each other wordlessly. Finally Shadow caves, because he’s caused so many of tonight’s problems just by existing, and taking the first bite will at least help get the others through the rest of the gathering.

He raises his spoon and tries the soup and—holy shit, it’s really good. Like, maybe Tingle’s real calling has been the culinary arts this whole time.

Vio follows Shadow’s lead, sampling his own soup. “See?” he tells the others, “We’ve both had some. Not poisoned. Dig in.”

Green looks to Zelda and they both shrug, doing as they’re told. Red gives his soup a sniff and immediately grabs his spoon, enamored even by that tiny sensory hint. Surprisingly, Blue tries his soup as well, although the scowl on his face remains.

Shadow had known, of course, that Green and Zelda were keeping Red and Blue in the dark about their newfound alliance, but seeing the betrayal on their faces is still hard. He feels bad, even though this time it’s not his or Vio’s own betrayal causing the problem. In a way, that probably makes it even worse.

Shadow almost wishes he and Vio could have taken the blame entirely for Green and Zelda—but then again, there’s really no believable way to back that up. What could they even say, they hold Green and Zelda hostage every Sunday for mimosas and avocado toast? Shadow forces Zelda to advise him on political policy and social justice initiatives? Shadow could barely kidnap Zelda without getting bitchslapped, and while uninformed, she had given up her Triforce willingly.

And Green… well, he makes it pretty clear at brunch that he’s there for Zelda, not Shadow and Vio. It makes sense that Blue would bring some of that lingering resentment out of him.

“You know, Vio,” Green says, startling everyone at the table. “You haven’t said much since we all sat down.”

“He did threaten to banish us,” Blue reminds him. Green ignores the slight, clearly over Blue as much as he’s over Vio and Shadow’s bullshit.

“I don’t get what you wanted out of this,” Green continues, and Shadow can see how uncomfortable it’s making Vio. He sometimes shuts down when he’s overwhelmed by anxiety, it’s not an abnormal behavior, but it also makes sense that Green would be annoyed by it. He hadn’t been nearly as enthusiastic about this dinner party idea when Zelda pitched it, even outright saying that he thought it’d only make things worse. Ironically, Vio had agreed.

But Shadow remembers backing Zelda up, encouraging them both to take a chance. And he still stands by that, even though the night has gone so off the rails. Maybe for such deep fractures, things simply need to be fully broken before they can be fixed.

At least now, the truth is out.

But still… Shadow doesn’t really want to listen to Green giving his husband a hard time while he’s fighting off a panic attack. So he clears his throat to catch Green’s attention, and shakes his head.

Green rolls his eyes. “You two are insufferable sometimes. It’s like your feelings are the only ones that matter.”

“Your feelings matter,” Zelda tells Green. “Everyone’s do. If we all want to go separate ways, that’s fine.”

She looks to Shadow for reassurance, and Shadow feels a pleasant warmth in his chest. Of all the people at this table, he loves his husband the most—but Zelda is his friend. Really and truly. They’ve worked long hours together these past few months, talking about politics and philosophy and the worlds of Dark and Light. They’ve even discussed their respective friends and partners, more personal stuff that Shadow usually holds very close to the chest.

“You’re right,” Shadow tells Zelda. “We weren’t trying to trick anyone into anything. We just wanted to see if, with time, we all could… find some kind of peace.”

Vio nods, his voice distant. “Yeah.”

Blue pushes his chair back on the marble and gets to his feet. “I want nothing to do with the four of you,” he says, addressing Zelda, Green, Vio, and Shadow. He then offers Red a hand. “Come on. You know I didn’t mean it.”

Shadow believes him, at least. He’s no stranger to saying awful things out of insecurity and rage.

Red, however, seems reluctant.

“Blue, I think you should leave. I’ll see you when I get home and we can talk about it.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He looks hurt and lost, and again, Shadow gets it. He wish he could tell Blue that he gets it, but… well, that would probably be the worst possible thing he could do at the moment.

“H-hey,” Vio says, looking down at his own hands. Shadow startles immediately at the paleness of his skin, the way his eyes can’t seem to focus on a single thing. He’s not having a panic attack, Shadow realizes, ice filling his veins. This is something else entirely.

“Vio!” he exclaims, pushing out his chair and joining his husband’s side. Vio leans against him, frighteningly limp.

“Shadow. Shadow, check on the others.”

And sure enough, their dinner guests have already fallen into a similar state of disorientation. Shadow’s eyes dart around the room for an explanation as Vio loses consciousness in his arms, then runs over to stop Zelda before she passes out face-first into her bowl of soup.

Oh, Shadow thinks to himself, heart pounding in his ears. The soup. Something was put in the soup.

But I ate the soup too, and I’m—

He hears the footsteps too late.

A blunt object meets Shadow’s skull, and everything goes black.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

And finally we have reached Part 3! I have actually done this little segment at the end of every year, and EVERY YEAR it gets harder and harder to narrow it down. So here is Sunny’s:

Top 5 Writings from 2022

5. Washing Each Other’s Body (Haddotin drabble)

“I love you too.” He whispered.

There was a shaky exhale and a soft press of whiskery lips against his shoulder blade. The simple gesture alighted his every nerve, and stole away his pain. A potent drug that Tintin vowed to seek out more of in the future.

@dimdiamond has done a great job of sucking people into the Haddotin ship, and I was certainly not an exception this year.😂 I’ve done a few drabbles and one-shots for this ship, but this was one of my favorite lines and I have to thank @tra-golden for the request!

4. Guardian of Kings, Chapter 6: Ushmarê (Bagginshield fic)

He did not know it was his to break! He would have done nothing less than wrap it in the softest of comforts, if he knew he had the right.

I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE I FINISHED THIS FIC THIS YEAR!! It should have been much sooner, but I finally got it done. Sadly, this means this is the last year that I have a line to share from this story.🥲 But that just means, we can make room for other stories next year.😁

3.  The Twelve Transformations of Bilbo Baggins, Chapter 2: Baby (Bagginshield fic)

“I never liked the dark.” He admitted. “I could make up so many monsters that had somehow appeared in dark corners. So when I was little, my mum and I used to spend the evening catching lightning bugs and putting them in a jar. We would then place the jar next to my bed before I went to sleep, and the glow would comfort me. However, I’d always wake up the next morning…and they’d be gone! I figured out later in life, my mum would come in and let them out through the window. Much too kind to let them die overnight, but…it’s silly I know…but I always thought they just turned into dreams.”

Thorin hummed appreciatively, and Bilbo thought that may be the end of share time when the dwarf opened his mouth once more.

“We didn’t have fireflies, as my people call them, inside the mountain when I was a pebble. But we had glow worms that would cling to the stalactites in the deep caverns. Their light was more blue than green. Still after Smaug came, and we were spending so many nights camped out under the stars, I would see the fireflies and think…the glow worms sprouted wings and followed after us. Because even they couldn’t stand us not being back in our mountain home.”

Are you guys confused yet? Yeah...this chapter was supposed to post last week, but holidays...surgeries...end of the semester stuff...BUT I hope you guys appreciate this teaser all the same because this chapter will definitely be posted first thing this new year!!

2. As Brothers Do (Durin Family Feels)

“But…” She interrupted him with a sharp look. “I was reminded last night of something else I had lost without even realizing it. Faith. So I’m placing my faith in you Thorin Oakenshield. And with that faith, my entire family. Don’t you dare let me down.”

So this was a prompt @guardianofrivendell posted as part of her birthday celebration in June! This is a “what-if Vili lived” fic, but this particular line from Dis was so powerful and raw when we consider it from a canon standpoint, that I had to throw it into my top 5. 

AND FINALLY!!

1. A Smile for a Cold Spoon (Bagginshield drabble)

Thorin stood there and just stared. Stared at the Cold hobbit who can smile at a silver spoon that reminds him of his dead mother. Stared at the rather fussy being who can remind Thorin of the good qualities in himself. He didn't know what this was. But for the first time in his life, he didn't dread his gifts. He didn't worry about a path of madness that seemed to be the only fate ahead of him. Because here was a being that knew how not to let the emotions he inspires in others take over the emotions he feels himself. 

I polled some of my friends “which of my writings were your favorite” and unanimously, this fic was voted into my top 5. This is CRAZY to me, especially considering I wrote it at the gym in a couple of hours!🤣 In a lot of ways, I really feel like I need to go back and give this thing a major facelift and in a lot of other ways, I like it how it is.🤷‍♀️

If you didn’t get a chance, check out Part 1 and Part 2. Here were my Top 5 Writings from 2021, and below are the “Honorable Mentions” that I struggled with keeping out of my top 5. 

One More Little Adventure, Chapter 6: To Grow with You

“I feel like you have only borne witness to my worst moments, but I make this vow to you, little acorn. Just like the mighty oak that is my epithet, I will be a shield in defense of my love instead of the sword cutting him down. I will shade and shelter him as any husband ought to, and most importantly, I will treasure him as dearly as a hobbit treasures life on this earth. Kanayuthu (thus be it).”

99 Problems But Our Love Ain’t One, Chapter 10: A Lesson Carved in Stone

“What do you mean you can’t help me?” He demanded, trying to hide his aggravation. “You’re the HEAD LIBRARIAN! You’re the only person who could possibly know about Mahal’s Anvil.”

Ori stopped just long enough to fix Fili with a raised eyebrow and a twisted scowl.

“You’re talking about an object that most dwarves don’t even believe exist!” He complained. “Of the maybe five books in here even on that subject, I doubt even one of them goes in detail about the powers or the anvil or how did you phrase it again? How to ‘undo an act made by someone unworthy’? What’s that even supposed to mean?”

The Marali Festival, Chapter 13: Kiss

“Just once, plainly, for me…tell me you love me?” He whispered fearfully, shutting his eyes against the idea of rejection now.

A string of kisses traced his jaw before finding his lips once more. Chaste, questioning, but present. 

“Bilbo Baggins, I love you.”

[alissaming]

Paper Mario The Origami King

So we're on the most recent Paper Mario game to be released, and it's actually very good.

The story follows Mario who, along with his brother Luigi, has been invited to an Origami festival. When they arrive, they find Toad Town abandoned. They go to the castle to find out what is going on, only to find an origami version of Princess Peach talking about how much better an origami world would be and how Toads need to be crumpled. No matter what you answer to her questions, the floor becomes a trap that deposits Mario into the castle dungeon. It's here we kinda learn what's going on. With the help of Olivia, an origami girl who's excited by everything, we get out of the room, and find out that the minions are being turned into origami soldiers, forced to serve the Origami King, Olly, who is Olivia's brother. The actual story is explained throughout, but I won't talk about it here. Mario and Bowser are forced to flee the castle and Mario and Olivia go on a quest to undo the streamers.

Olivia is a lot of fun as a Navi character. She wears her emotions on her sleeves, and is incredibly endearing. Though she brings up one of the now clear differences between the first three Paper Mario games and the other three. That being in the original Paper Mario and Thousand Year Door (less so in Super Paper Mario) we see a lot of different kinds of creatures. Goldbob and his family are gold. General White is silver/white. Yeah, there are the normal instances of NPCs looking the same, more or less (especially true of the Mario universe) but still some differences. In the newer Paper Mario games, outside of the toads having different colors, all the races look exactly the same. Like yeah, I get it, they always have, but part of the fun of Paper Mario games is getting to see some different kinds of the same species. At least in my opinion. But at least I got a good chuckle out of there being multiply Bobbys by Olivia's standerds.

Finding the different toads turned into origami animals is actually a lot of fun. It's one of the few things I've tried to some degree to complete. Find all the toads. Find the different origami bugs, flowers, etc.

The attacks are pretty well done here. You can only cary so many and you have to equip the not basic ones. Oh, and those will break after a certain number of uses, so make sure to carry extra of your favorites.

The bosses are interesting. It's stated in the game that these are tools used in Origami. Things like colored pencils, tape, staples, and rubber bands. Now, to the best of my knowledge, the art of Origami is the making of creations using only a single piece of paper. But I do want to ask, is any of that stuff actually used in the art of Origami? And Olivia's transformations seem like they should be taking more than one piece of paper. If for no other reason than several have multiple colors. The fire Vellumental has both orange and red, as well as detatchable feathers. And the Earth Velumental is green and brown, with the brown head, tail, and feet coming out of the green shell.

The only real issue I have with this game is Luigi. In the other two games, he either wasn't really a presence or was a fun joke. Here, he just kinda gets in the way. He's on a quest to find the Key to Peach's castle and is CONSTANTLY, and I do mean constantly, getting the wrong key and making things more difficult for us. Once he gets the Shogun Studios key, meaning we have to track him down to get it and get the streamer here. Later, he takes the room key we need to know how to access the Fire Velumental's temple, so we, again, have to track him down. It only happens one other time, but seriously I wouldn't even need to keep going out of my way if he would just stop grabbing just any key and assuming they're all the key to Peach's Castle.

All in all, definitely give this game a play if you like the series. I give it solid 4/5.

[cold-arrow]

Doctor’s notes Book 5 Part 11

| The Gates to Gauntlgrymm | Part 2 summary, things of note since last entry, Shown the city, accommodations and food meeting the king The Bet The Fight The aftermath Rescheduling, the tour to the depths below the sleeping titan, she who slumber in the magma below Round 2

The Giants Assault

| 4 / 9|

The city… Didn’t really seem that impressive at first. They fortunately weren’t able to understand me, when I said that. But it kinda just seemed like any old dwarven settlement. Not too dissimilar really to Mirrorbar. don’t get me wrong, the dwarven architecture was impressive. it was just a bit -- plain. Or normal I should say. Simple stone buildings hewn from the cavern walls, or made of stone bricks. I guess I just was expecting the entire city, to be this great or grandiose underground metropolis. With either beautifully carved, but ruined, dwarven architecture or décor everywhere. Or this amazing and lively city made of gold and silver, now that we know that it is no longer abandoned and deserted. There Is some decoration, but not as much as I expected. atleast not in the common living or residential area. the minecart and rail system that took us here was impressive though. long stretches of rails the led into the depths every which way. (Thoug they did make me rather nauseous. ) when we took them to a different section of the city, Ill… admit to actually being a bit more impressed. The upper-class, and nobility that live here, live in far grander or grandiose and ornate homes. Incorporating even Wood in their beautifully carved or masoned homes. ( Woodworking and carpentry must be quite a noble profession down here, considering the lack of trees.) The homes, as well as the streets and cavern walls, were a lot more ornate and decorated as well. With silver and gold filigree. And clusters of gems embedded and intentionally left in the cavern walls, I presume. To portray the prosperity and wealth of this section of the city. Beautifull and luxurious, though perhaps a bit too ostentatious. Cant say that it doesn’t look good though. It definitely put the city of Gauntylgrimm in a better spotlight. in terms of their refined craft and architecture. ( it might have been the only thing in this city worthy of a spotlight though ) … our guides were kind enough to eventually provide us with accommodation after the initial tour. Food and drink, and place to rest for the night. however before that… we were to have an audience, with the king…   

We were allowed to “freshen up a bit,” and eat, prior to our meeting with the king. And by “we” , I mean everybody besides Omrick. Who was send to “roughen up a bit” instead. Put to work at the mines, and work up a sweat so that he was presentable before his highness At the very least, we got to partake a bit in the “culture” of this ancient dwarven city. Getting to try out several dwarven foods and dishes. We weren’t allowed to drink yet however, which was a bit disappointment. I was looking forward to trying to some of the dwarven ales and liquors. But we had to wait, or weren’t Allowed to have any of the stronger drinks and refreshments, until after ( or probably during) our meeting with the king. the tubers, and roots and fruits and prepared meats served with strange vegetables, were rather tasty though. And having a bottom, before trying any of the strong dwarven beverages, didnt seem like the worst idea. I just hope I don’t lose any of it on they way, if we have to take another ride on the mining rail system.

| 5 / 9 | managed to survive to minecart ride, and keep my stomach contents, as we made our way to the throne room. But I wish I could have drowned and drank myself into stupor though. Instead of having to be sober, and experience, and suffer through entirety of our meeting with the king. Which Lym wasn’t even allowed to attend by the way, or enter the throne room for that matter. Which was just the start to this disaster. -- to give some context. The dwarven king is about what you’d expect. A king. Who rules over dwarves in this old and archaic dwarven city. Stuck up his own arse and all that. The only difference being that, the entirety of his court, and the rest of his city for that matter, consists out of these conservative narrowminded idiots. -- first and foremost: women, especially unmarried ones, were not allowed to be in the presence of the king, or in his court or whatever. which is the reason Lym had to stay outside. next up, apparently it is improper, or sacrilege to -- Travel -- with an “unmarried” woman. No matter the fact that she is still a minor. ( not a funny joke, they can go screw themselves. ) That fact that they initially assumed Lym to be Omrick wife didn’t really help the matter either. When they realized, after Assuming, that the both of them Weren’t a couple. they also seem to be racist, as fuck. Only seeing Omrick, as a real warrior and proper gentleman. “A Young dwarven man, carving a name out for himself”. Which, even with that, they didn’t hold much regard for him. For his accomplishments, and purpose / reason for being here. ( And actually, Im not even gonna mention anything about their thoughts on elves ) apparently the regard magic in general, as inferior. Like, any kind pretty much. ( The blunt minded twats.) they wanted us to “prove” ourselves, as if we had to. Omrick getting of pretty easy with his combat prowess. And Baras portraying a rather intense firework display. Aka setting off a rather intense fireball and explosion. but seemed to suffice But me, they pretty regarded as useless. Disregarding all my skills in terms of alchemy, or medicine and healing. Barely acknowledging my “niche utility”. And overall wasting my time and energy, by having to try and entertain their advisors and guards, by having to find and scramble together something “flashy” to show to them. Something that was actually worth Their time and effort, instead of the boring or dull things they world told or shown from me. I havnt actually felt that useless or worthless for a while Not like I could even speak up either, even if had to courage. Insulting or offending The King of an ancient dwarven city, wouldn’t be the smartest. Especially if he holds such a low opinion of anyone who isn’t a dwarf or a skilled fighter. -- At that point, I’d already regretted my decision of not joining Lym, and keep her company outside. Because things really took a turn for the worse from there. And me being there didn’t really help or aid with any of that either. Which It I should have, in fucking hindsight. But instead, im just a good for nothing coward who cant even stick up, or help, or even defend his friends. (and their worth, values and morals)

| 6 / 9 | I wouldn’t be surprised, If everything that had led up to this part was all just a clever ploy, to try and trick us. A clever manipulaltion. And oh boy did it work, for the next thing we know. the King proposes a bet, a fight, for Omrick to truly prove himself as a mighty warrior. Ofcourse, They accept. Omrick being sure of himself, and thinking he’s probably stronger the any of the guards present here. While Baras was busy talking himself into a corner, in regards to being Lym’s so called “guardian”, and that’s she unmarried. trying to remain composed and sure of himself. -- While I am just standing there, dumbfounded and stupefied. And to much of coward to speak up, Or to prevent them from betting, Lym’s Hand in Marriage… Betting her off like, she’s just property or something. like her opinion about all of this doesn’t even matter. At the very least not to the King and his damned court. I wish, in hindsight, that I could take my anger about this whole situation, and direct it at the king, his court and advisors. Talk some damned sense into them, despite the consequences. But, here we fucking are. With Omrick getting ready to fight his opponent. And Baras panicking, after realizing the folly of his mistake, and the words he;s spoken. And the promise he’s made. Beseeching Omrick to win this fight… For Otherwise Lym would murder us all dead. again, I should I have spoken up. Or done anything to help. But its not like I could simply speak against the king, or take the risk of cheating and aiding Omrick in his fight. For if we had gotten caught, I fear that the consequences would have been much worse. I just… was too scared to risk it. And too upset about this whole ordeal to even want to try and help them dig themselves out of this hole. Lym doesn’t deserve this. … it… was a close fight, ill admit. Even I had a false sense of confidence that Omrick would more than likely just win his fight. His opponent proved to be quite strong however, and very much skilled. Equally so, if not more than Omrick… So when halfway through the fight, when the tides really began to turn in his opponents favour, All of our confidence and hope shattered. Already had begun to fracture, a few seconds into their match. His opponent had some incredibly well timed blows, while Omrick on the other hand, couldn’t find a rhythm against his opponent. By the time the fight started to reach its end, it was already clear as to who the superior warrior was. His opponent going so far as to  “let him get a hit in, and to give him a chance”. Bastard nearly paid for it though, for the anger fuelled blows that Omrick managed to land, pretty much made him eat those words. But after that…. After another round of trading blows… it was his opponent who remained standing. His powerful ruby axe, landing a final blow, and sending Omrick crashing to the ground. He had lost the fight. They’d lost the bet. And Lym would have to give away her hand in marriage. I… I don’t even know who she is supposed to marry. The king? one of his advisors? Or either Omrick, or the champion???  Maybe… if I poison one of them, it would perhaps cancel the marriage.      The reality of the situation really seemed to sink in for Baras at that point. If he was able to express himself it would be rather obvious I think, as to how he’d feeling right now. Then again I can pretty much already guess. And I …   I am just at a loss for words. Just… seething. whilst gritting my teeth, I loaded of my healing syringes into my crossbow. And shot Omrick in cold blood. Definitely gave the king and his court a scare. Which ill admit gave my a slight sense of joy. But when they realized that Omrick began to return to consciousness, they relaxed. The guards taking their hands of their weapons and relaxing their stance towards as well. which I honestly couldn’t less about at this point. Let them e Anyways, now that Omrick is conscious again at least. I guess we get to tell Lym the “ ” Good. News. “ “

| 7 / 9 |

im surprised she didn’t kill any of us to be honest. The verbal lashing she gave us however, to Omrick and Baras in particular, are sure to leave a deep wound / nasty mark. It be an understatement to say that she, wasn’t Happy. But hey! The “ “ Good News “ “ is, that we get to go on that tour we made that bet for... LIKE, AS IF THAT WAS FUCKING WORTH IT !!! -- When I said there wasn’t anything I could think of, that be worth betting away Lym’s hand I marriage. That meant there was NOTHING that… Honestly, sincerely, would be worth such a thing… be worth making a gamble for.    NOT, that they should try and come up with something that “might” be perhaps be worth it, and take that risk. Or to even make such a stupid and idiotic fucking bet in the first place. I sincerely hope none of us are going to gamble with our souls in the future. For I doubt, or Im certain actually, that it wouldn’t really end well. … Its when we discussed what to do next. Thinking of an exit strategy to leave this god-forsaken place, that I realized something. Baras was trying to assure lym that Everything would be fine, that he didn’t promise to actually gave away her hand in marriage. Only that he’d said that, he “would consider it”. ( as if that was actually gonna help) But whist he was trying to explain as to why we couldnt help Omrick with his fight. help him cheat or gain an edge, that I started to really question… IF it actually had even been a fair fight in the first place. I… have never actually seen a warrior strike or attack someone that quickly. And while Ive heard legend of such heroic and amazing skills from fighters, his opponent definitely didn’t seem like it he really was one. Like… it didn’t seem plausible, unless they were just really…. quick. Like, hastened for example. The more I though about it. The more similar it seemed to the effect that I had recently learned how to create and use for myself. Like, similar enough, and certain almost, that I could assure Baras that there might have actually been foul play at hand. He, taking the opportunity and this final hope at getting us out if this goddamn mess, and the bet we made. Strode back into the throne room and proclaimed that the fight, had been unfair. That someone had cheated, and indeed that there was foul play at hand. And that as a result -- the bet should be declared void. The king, cleverly pointed out however, that Baras himself had attempted to cheat… which he quickly tried to glance past, the best he could. And that instead, a new arrangement would be made. There would be a rematch. No cheating. And No magic. Taking it as our only hope, we accepted. And Omrick was due to once again fight, and have a rematch against his opponent, once he had recovered and fully rested up in a day or two. And “graciously enough”, the king even allowed us to go on the tour… to The Forges and Maegera’s pit, as well. Showing us his “generosity” and “merciful, and lenient” nature. ( pretentious prick )  I think though, that one of the guards might have overheard our conversation about leaving and teleporting away. Bor they mentioned that it “surely it wouldn’t be a problem if we had a guard escort, and watch over us, during the remainder of our stay. – I guess that plan’s gone out the window as well than. So at this point we are Really betting on, or our only hope really, is that Omrick is going to win his fight and rematch against his opponent.

| 8 / 9 |

Understandly, Lym didn’t really want to see any of our faces that night. And got a room of her own as we rested at the tavern. I myself was more than happy to get the day over with as well, and turned it in early for the night and rest, till the following morning. seems everyone woke up, alive and “well.”   Mostly… which is atleast a start I suppose. We are going to head on the tour it seems, which “we all look so much forward to”. Hopefully we can get it over with quickly. … honestly it wasnt that bad of a tour, for the most part. The forges and heating network were actually pretty fascinating. I’d be curious to see how they work exactly. And the smithing and metallurgy workshops were remarkable, amazing. Having refined their craft to perfection. or amazing lengths atleast. the rest of the tour was, rather boring though. none of the religious parts of the city were too exciting. or particulary extraordinary.     The… least favourite part of the tour however, was the final section. The descendt towards Maegera’s pit. It was already getting pretty hot by the forges and metal workshops. But it only got worse, as we descended further and further down below the city. We weren’t even halfway I think and I was already drenched in sweat, and slowly dying inside from what I think was a heatstroke. The… nerves and anxiety of going to visit A slumbering primordial titan, didn’t really help either. And semmed like we continued our downward descend for what felt like ages. Going Deeeep beneath the earth. I think it was mostly me though who was suffering from the temperature and heat and such. Baras and Omrick seemed to be doing fine. The former simply glowing from the heat the closer we got, interestingly enough. But Lym, she seemed to be doing perfectly fine. refreshed and relaxed almost, and fully comfortable with the heat. Bless her infernal heritage. (am actually little jealous of her with how well she can handle these temperatures Atleast I got to have a closer look at the heat-transference network, which was nice. But once the cave opened up, into the glowing magma pit below, I very much decided to keep my distance. Our guide mentioned that Maegera was slumbering below their city, powering their homes and forges with her fire. And the she “probably” wouldn’t wake up like anytime soon. Or that she atleast hasn’t, for the past century or so. only stirring in her sleep from time to time. That was not nearly enough to reassure me in any way however. since it only seemed more likely that she might wake up at any moment. The others -- seemed pretty curious about the nature of Maegera. But Lym in particular, seemed fascinated. Listening quite intently to everything that the guide had to tell. And gazing at the eye. at the centre of the pit with awe. I myself didn’t really pay much attention to be honest. The heatstroke was really getting to me at that point. The dry and scorching heat being at its worst at this place. so I simply tried to stay cool the best I could. Both temperature wise, and with the fear of “She who slumbers in the fire below”. I was Very glad once the guide told us that we wouldn’t be going any further down, and heading back up. If the tour had taken much longer, I probably would have fainted there, and the other would have to carry me back up…

| 9 / 9 | the rest of our stay, during the days in between the rematch, were uneventful. We tried strategizing a bit, but there wasn’t much we could really do besides cheer him on. Omrick had a good idea, of only using regular weapons. Which should hopefully help. But I still don’t know if it’s going to be enough. the day of the rematch, we were all pretty nervous. Lym once again had to stay outside. Not even being allowed to watch the match that would decide her fate. I offered to keep her company, but she declined my offer. -- I’d probably be more useful if I were there to watch to fight, and made sure it was fair. the king and his court of assholes (inculdign him) seemed confident, excited to see the fight, and get started. We were offered food and drink, along with the other spectators, which there were a lot more of this time. And after making sure, that none of it all was poisoned, I decided to atleast try and take some of the edge. And to try some of their cheap ales that they had availabe. ( id expected there to be better stuff to be honest…) Before the fight, Baras and I were called to the throne to join his advisor, and to inspect the staff he brought. Which apparently appeared to be a staff of “Anti magic field” Which… should supress both the advisors, and our magical capabilities. I Still don’t really trust things though. -- I just hope Omrick stands a better chance this time. … It was a pretty… tense fight. But it still seemed to be in favour of his opponent unfortunately. Who Somehow was still as incredibly fast, as he was the last time.  But that was the least of our worries. A couple of times during the fight, the throne room had… shaken a bit. Small earthquakes, that were only a little concerning at first, until they eventually started to get bigger. and more intense. But it wasn’t until halfway through the fight, when someone stormed into the throne, shouting something in Dwarvish with a fearful expression, that I really started to worry After a few seconds, it became clear that… Fire giants, had launched an assault on their city, and had breached the front gates. The people in the throne room panicked for a bit, before they eventually were silenced and rallied by the king. before being send to defend the city gates. And to start strategizing. Omrick’s opponent quickly headed out as well, joining the other soldiers as they headed out to try and defend the city. But not before inviting Omrick to join him on the battlefield, to truly prove themselves. Accepting the invitation, the both of them immediately left. Me, Lym and Bara however, remained behind. I myself was… unsure as to whether we should follow, and help out. But Baras, he seemed content to just wait. Being mostly of the opinion that “if they wanted help, they would ask for it.” Which on one hand I could kind of understand Lym seemed a bit distracted as well. busy… or, focusing on something. Not caring much for the wellbeing of this underground shit hole, which is fair. And understandable. -- So we just remained there, waiting to see how things would turn out. *( she might have been trying to Send someone? ) -- I nervously kept glancing between our group here in the throne room, and the rail tracks that led towards the city gates, -- when another messenger arrived. With even graver news. the Fire Giants, had stolen Maegera, from her molten bed below the city. And were leaving with The Primordial Titan of Fire, in tow. realizing the disaster the that that would fore spell, we started heading out as well. rushing to join, and help the frontlines. Maybe we can help stop them? Or provide support, or heal the injured? It be better than doing nothing at least.

* ( If they needed a power source for their gargantuan construct. Then I… guess they found one )

[tathrin]

Either I got an anon asking if Gilthawen was Thranduil’s queen and deleted it, or I dreamed that I got an anon asking if Gilthawen was Thranduil’s queen, and tbh at this point in my brain I’m genuinely not sure. So either way here’s a quick (silly) run-down on the cast:

Oropher, Thranduil, and Legolas you obviously know (I assume).

Angmeril is the one who marries Thranduil actually, although they were very Stoic Warrior Bros about it when they first realized they like-liked each other during the Last Alliance, because they had Their Duties To Consider, and didn’t actually get together (or talk about it except That One Time Vaguely, as you do) until after they got home. She has the standard “no, fewer battles than that pls” Greenwood energy, but is (relatively speaking) Very ResponsibleTM most of the time because she’s trying to live up to mum’s example and be a Dutiful Leader. Deadpan humor, mean right hook. Likes short weapons so she can make sure her enemy is dead up close and personal. Y’know, ladylike queen shit.

Merilgais was pretty young when she want to war and lost her mum and now is basically feral. But a really cheerful feral! (tbh she was kind of feral to begin with.) On one hand, you definitely want her with you in a sketchy bar, because she is always down to fight so she’ll have your back when a brawl inevitably starts. On the other hand, you don’t want her with you, because she will also 100% start the brawl if one doesn’t happen naturally. Think: Gabby Kinney, Middle-earth style. Is single-handedly responsible for at least 60% of everyone else’s (metaphorical*) grey hair. (Thranduil gets the other 40%.) Likes big long weapons for causing maximum chaos.

*elves have silver hair, not grey. we get it, professor.

Gilthawen was the mother of Angermil and Merilgais. They’re all native Silvan elves of Greenwood. She was a commander in Greenwood’s army in the Last Alliance and basically Oropher’s #2 during the war. They die together in the fatal charge, Gilthawen crumpled over the body of the king she died knowing she’d failed to save (because Greenwood is a tragedy underneath a golden smile, even when I’m being flippant). Always felt sort of guilty for bringing her daughters to war, but given the stakes she couldn’t come up with an argument good enough to justify stopping them. One of the few contenders in this madcap forest for role of The Sensible OneTM. That’s why chaos won and Greenwood is Like ThatTM now I guess: no more Sensible Mom Energy.

Tiraran is basically second-in-command after Thranduil, and oversees the warriors of Greenwood. He’s one of the oldest native-to-Greenwood elves still living (since most of them died in the L.A.) and was Oropher’s first good buddy in the forest. Often serves as the closest thing Greenwood gets to a voice of reason, which isn’t saying much. Generally unruffleable, so when he loses his cool you know shit’s hit the fan. Super loyal to Thranduil, but will not hesitate to tell him he’s being a dick. (Will also just smirk to himself silently watching the dick-moves when he thinks they’re funny.) Just because he can recognize what would be the sensible course of action doesn’t mean he’ll do it, though. He’s still a Greenwood dude.

Tarlas is Thranduil’s closest councilor and is the dude whom Oropher left in charge when he went to the Last Alliance. Favors speechcraft over warfare, and is probably 80% of Thranduil’s impulse control in any given negotiation. He and Tiraran disagree in just about every situation which makes them very effective advice-giving-partners actually, and they basically tag-teamed their way through the Third Age holding Greenwood (and Thranduil) together with spit and elf-tape. Eventually the dumbasses realized that they liked arguing a little too much and got married. This did not make them start agreeing on anything, they just smooch too.

Rílaerloth takes after both her aunt Merilgais and her grandad a little too much for her own health or anyone else’s good, and Legolas would like to point-out that having an older sister who is two thousand years older than you is unfair on many levels actually. Very much embraces the Greenwood Style of yeeting herself into combat even especially when the enemy is seven times her size. Teases her brother mercilessly. Believes that having fun is a way of fighting the Shadow, or at least giving it the metaphorical middle finger. Would give it the actual middle finger too if someone ever introduces that gesture to Middle-earth. Would probably get on super-well with both Boromir and Éomer; less so Faramir or Frodo.

Eregmegil is a Sindar elf who followed Oropher to Greenwood (or the son of two who did; I'm still going back and forth on whether or not he’s old enough to actually remember Doriath). Now he’s Mister Stoic Warrior Guy who is super zen about all things no matter how crazy everybody else gets about shit. Might make for a good calm-the-fuck-down effect on Thranduil (and Merilgais) if he wasn’t too chill to bother. Has an even bigger anti-Noldor grudge than Thranduil, he’s just quiet about it. Also super loyal. (Good thing Thranduil doesn’t want to do a Kinslaying of his own, because Eregmegil would just assume he had a good reason and start slicing without questioning.) About as buff and burly as elves can get. If anybody in Greenwood carries an oversized anime-sword, it’s this guy.

Also I don’t read The Hobbit enough so I kind of forgot Galion existed, so at some point I need to work him into things because you can’t just ignore the One And Only Named Elf In All Of Mirkwood whoops.

No I’m not having too much fun designing Greenwood/Mirkwood’s elves for my stories why do you ask.

1. Oropher  - first king of Greenwood. would punch god. no chill. 2. Thranduil - second king of Greenwood. prince of sass. 3. Legolas - oh sweet summer child. 4. Rílaerloth - too much big sister energy in one container. 5. Angmeril - punched gil-galad once. not sorry. 6. Merilgais - SHE HAS A KNIFE 7. Tiraran - keeper of Greenwood’s one brain-cell. very gay. 8.  Tarlas - married to the braincell keeper. shares custody sometimes. 9. Eregmegil - tall. broad. very chill. might actually be a tree. 10. Gilthawen - did not ask for any of this. and yet here we are.

[picrew source]

[talesofsonicasura]

Sun Wukongs I know and personal nicknames

Something I thought of writing down and will update. Go from most known to least known.

Hero Is Back- Dāsheng

A name that he's commonly called throughout the English Sub of the movie and for the videogame. Quite simple plus more easy for me to remember. Has a small stubby tail that he prefers to keep hidden.

Lego Monkie Kid- Diva

He gives me pure diva vibes. Exaggerate some situations like running out of peach chips or is too lax at a serious problem such as MK's magic mishaps. Makeup game is on point alongside some outfits.

Saiyuki Journey West- Hermit

Wise and mischievous type that only travels for important business or visit loved ones living far away. Otherwise he gives advice, assist, and tell tales to his kingdom.

Journey To The West 1996- Teacher

Most likely to get out of a problem without much issue due to 'Out of the Box Thinking'. (Man literally acted like a marriage councilor for Demon Bull King/Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan.) Happily teach others if they are willing to listen to his rules and is quick to help those struggling with something. A little extra but means well. Tail acts a bit wonky making it unable to hold stuff for long.

Stephen Chow movies Sun Wukong- Feral

The type to stir trouble in two ways. Extravagant or stealthy manipulation, anything explosive and embarrassing are the most used. Will bite someone's ankles if they call him short. Has a stubby tail so he keeps up his human glamor as he rather not have someone notice.

Adventures From China Monkey King- Trick

Pulls small pranks or tends to trick people. Would definitely start a prank way for shits and giggles. If someone does manage to prank him, he takes it in stride. Not really a sore loser.

Digimon's Gokuwmon- Silverback

Second biggest Sun Wukong iteration. A bit reclusive fighting fanatic. Very bitter from having the tightening circlet placed to his head after being born. Takes time to trust others but is fiercely loyal once a bond is established. Nickname being given from his silver fur coat.

Monkey King Reborn- Flame

Hotheaded and fiery temper to match. Will throw hands with someone that pisses him off so you got to hold him back. Mischievous shit who is quick to get annoyed upon being caught in whatever shenanigan he's currently up to.

Nezha Reborn Sun Wukong- Gamble

Will bet on almost everything and likes to take a dangerous or insane route for any situation. Most likely find him at a casino that ends up going bankrupt since he's an expert card shark. Has a short tail and doesn't really care if someone sees it.

Unruly Heroes Sun Wukong- Wild

The type of person to be chilling on someone's rooftop or sleeping in trees. Probably jump into animal exhibits at the zoo or jailbreak all the simians. Will steal food from people like a wild monkey.

Smite Sun Wukong- Warrior

Fighting fanatic. Most likely host a small tournament or issue a friendly challenge. When not in a fighting mood, found enjoying good food and fine wine. Great drinking buddy, martial arts teacher from hell.

Aura Star Online- Acrobat

Has a hard time keeping still and will be a bit extra whether traveling and in a fight. Most likely to free climb any tall structure to even performing flips across the terrain. Will sneak into any performance just to steal the show. Has a short stubby tail that he prefers to keep hidden but doesn't have much of a reaction if someone sees it.

Tower of Saviors- Casanova

Suave smooth talker capable of seducing many. A huge wine lover that tends to shift between young, old, handsome or beast like appearance. Very committed to a solid relationship. Is very polite to advances if they didn't know he's in a relationship and understand that he's taken. Shift into a more monstrous form to chase off any that don't get the hint and keep pressing.

(Aura Star Online Sun Wukong btw)

[sukirichi]

acquainted

You had no intentions of becoming acquainted with the clan your family had cut ties with, but when Naoya Zenin himself is willing to teach you a lesson and you’re determined to show him what you’re capable of, it becomes a silly game of power and dominance.

REQUEST. naoya putting reader back to her place

WARNINGS: Naoya Zenin, rough sex, orgasm denial, face fucking, slight voyeurism, degradation, slight bondage, cowgirl riding, manhandling, spanking, hate sex

WC. 5.4k+

NOTES. Because Naoya is my favorite, his fic is the only one I’ve ever edited, LOL. Even though this is requested, this is written out of self-indulgence, purely because I love Naoya and even though he’s nasty, he’s my comfort character. And freaking FINALLY I have written more for this man. I worship this King 👑

There were so many ways this day had gone wrong. First, your shower broke. Second, the maintenance men couldn’t come until late in the afternoon, so you had to drive all the way to school looking like a half-mess. You weren’t a slob, of course, but you were beyond irritable at the thought your hair felt greasier than most.

So when an unfamiliar mop of blonde hair sat at your place, the sight of pierced ears meeting your gaze as you smiled at the young man, you had to clutch your bag tighter. No need to be harsh to anyone; you reminded yourself.

“Hi,” you greeted as politely as you could.

The young man in your seat was handsome — terribly so — feline eyes emphasized with an eyeliner, and stunning green eyes that peered up at you with utmost boredom. He looked familiar, but you couldn’t pinpoint where you’d seen him before.

“I believe you’re in my seat.”

You expected he’d kindly take another seat since the hall was empty, but he only leaned back in your seat, brow raised with a slight smirk. “So?”

Your mouth fell agape, hands falling at your sides. Who was this guy? “What do you mean, so? Get the fuck out of my seat.”

“Women,” he rolled his eyes, “Always so tempered and dirty mouthed,” the words felt like stinging slap in your face, and he easily read through you when he snickered to himself, waving a hand in the air as if he was swatting a fly away. “I’m already sitting here, so go find someplace else. I came here first.”

“You little — who do you think you are?”

“Who do you think you are for speaking to me? Did I give you permission?”

His condescending voice made you lunge at him if not for your friend’s hand wrapping at your arm, shooting worried glances over the guy. His smirk deepened when your friend pulled away, the words mutter under her breath. “Come on, let’s go,” she tugged you away despite your protests, pushing your shoulders down to make you sit. Once out of earshot, she rolled her eyes. “I seriously hate that guy. Don’t you ever involve yourself with him.”

“Who’s that prick anyway? He acts so high and mighty like he’s some rich daddy’s son. Look, he’s totally claiming my seat as his!”

“That’s Naoya Zenin, and yeah, he is some rich daddy’s son,” she confirmed, shivering at the mere mention of his name. “He’s an absolutely big misogynist. Don’t be fooled by his pretty face — he’s the worst fuckboy to ever exist. That dick of his isn’t worth getting fucked over. He’s already made half the women in school cry and run after him like a horde of lovesick zombies,” your friend gagged with a shake of her head, “It’s terrifying, actually.”

“Fucking asshole,” you hissed under your breath, sending side glances at the corner of your eye.

That stupid guy was still in your seat, a bored expression on his handsome face, his long lashes fluttering against his cheeks at every blink. He just had to be a sexist pig with that gorgeous face — no good men existed anymore. “Whatever. He’ll get a taste of his own medicine soon.”

“Whatever it is you’re planning, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“I’m doing this for all of us,” you announced with your spine straightened. “I’m not letting a man walk like that acting like he’s got the whole world at his feet. I’ll teach him a lesson or two.”

“You do know he can sue you if you punch him right?”

“Who said I was going to punch him?” a smirk painted your lips at the same time he felt your eyes burning holes at the side of his face, your expression even more triumphant when he tilted his head to the side, eyebrow cocked at your gaze. He must’ve assumed you’d fallen for his looks judging by the satisfied smile on his face, making you laugh because it would be fun to teach him a lesson.  “No, I have a much more interesting plan in mind.”

It turned out that Naoya wasn’t that much of a stranger.

You had his reputation to thank for — people spoke his name left and right that it was nearly impossible not to know of him. It had you wondering how you managed to live through university so long without knowing him when the name drowned you; he was a Zenin.

No wonder that name was so familiar.

The Zenin’s were a close business partner of your family, but they cut off ties with their company years ago due to them having an intolerable attitude. Clearly, it ran in the blood, and their heir manifested it so well.

Thoughts of Naoya and his stupid face were soon drowned out by expensive champagne, the golden liquid sparkling in your hands. You had to attend this dinner gala where businessmen and powerful families alike conjoined for a formal opportunity of forming connections and solidifying deals, pressuring you to be at your best behaviour lest you wanted your black card to be cut off.

You made your way through the crowd to get another one of those hors d oeuvres, opting to just sit in the corner while you watched your family plaster on big, fake smiles with even louder, faker laughter.

It was quite sad, really, that people had to do stuff like this, but who were you to complain when it was what fed you on a silver plate all the time?

For now, you just wanted to enjoy the new dress your mother had gotten you, the silk black material hugged around your curves delectably. Pearl drop earrings hung to frame the sides of your face, legs lengthened and accentuated with stiletto heels.

You felt sexy — especially when you got lingering gazes from men who were slightly older and definitely richer, though you made no move.

The last thing you wanted was to become someone’s trophy wife when you could become so much more.  Plus, only your parents had the task of befriending people and building trust with others. You were only here to help represent the name somewhat with your pretty face, not really having much of an intention to be acquainted with anyone.

You swiped another glass of fizzy alcohol from the waiter that passed by, glossy red lips pinched around the glass when a sultry voice mused at your ear, “Still can’t find a seat?”

Swirling around so fast that the contents nearly poured out the glass, you weren’t surprised to see Naoya fucking Zenin stood before you, his tall stature draped in only the finest and hand-stitched three piece suit.

He looked absolutely delectable this way, earrings glimmering under the golden chandeliers and eyes lined with kohl, the aura of elegance that perfectly concealed his less than pleasing personality excessively charming.

You were beyond appalled.

“Still can’t find a brain?” you retorted with a roll of your eyes, eyes still narrowed at Naoya’s displeased ones as you dunk your drink in one go. “What are you doing here, pig?”

“I’ll let that comment slide once — only because you look hot tonight,” his predatory gaze ran over your form, the careful pattern of him pausing at the swell of your breasts sliding to the curve of your hips heating up each inch of your skin. “And it’s Naoya for you. Naoya Zenin, the rightful heir of the Zenin Corp—”

“What’s that scent you’re wearing? Baby powder? Fitting for your cute face, actually.”

Naoya’s jaw clenched, clearly unaccustomed to people cutting off his holiness, and you had to bite down on your lip to prevent the chuckles from slipping through. “It’s Tom Ford.”

“Hmm, why am I not surprised? My horrible ex also wore the same scent. Maybe it’s a trademark for all limp losers, huh?” Naoya opened his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it, stepping forward to grab at the space between his tie to pull him down. His face was mere centimetres away from you, close enough that his breath ghosted over your lips, the intense anger flaring through those eyes hot enough to burn you. “You act so smug and defensive, Naoya. Trying to have a big man personality to conceal a small dick?”

“I have nothing to prove to you.”

“You don’t need to prove me anything,” you glanced down at his pants with a smirk, ignoring the heat pulsing in your veins because the sight contradicted your words. There was a noticeable bulge inside those shiny black slacks, though the last thing you wanted him to see was the way your mouth watered in anticipation. “I already know what I need to know.”

“Yeah? You and your shitty girlfriends can’t stop talking about my dick?”

You shrugged sarcastically, “You know women. We’re tireless complainers.”

Naoya’s jaw ticked upon you using his words against him, his hands coming up to caress at your neck, his nails scratching behind the thick silver chain you wore.

From afar and in the eyes of others, people would’ve thought you and Naoya were simply getting a little too heated, his lips dipped to graze your ear while his slender fingers pressed a little tighter into your air pipe. Your positions could easily be mistaken for Naoya seducing you, and you supposed he was, since your body responded differently from your verbal protests.

“You should watch what you’re saying,” he warned, voice low with warning. “I could easily dump your body into a river and no one would even notice. In fact, maybe the world might even thank me for doing them a service and ridding them of a spiteful woman like you.”

“Oh, pretty boy,” you chuckled back and stood to your tippy toes. One of your hands wrapped around his neck to forcefully tilt his neck to yours, nose pressed above his collar to inhale the intoxicating masculine scent he wore. “You’re all bark and no bite. Why don’t you show me what you’re capable of? If you’re as awful as they make you out to be, maybe I’ll shiver enough to drop my panties for you.”

You didn’t miss the way Naoya’s hands gripped at your waist to pull you close, enticing you to continue with your insults because maybe Naoya liked this a lot more than he let on. Could it be his superiority complex didn’t always like submissive women, after all?

Well, it would make sense; everyone always liked a little challenge, didn’t they?

If that was what he wanted, then you’d be generous enough to grant it to him.

“Wouldn’t you like to get a chance to put me in my place, to teach me a lesson for defiling the oh-so-mighty Naoya Zenin?” you purposefully toned your voice down to a more breathy tone, your chest swelling with pride when Naoya sucked in a sharp inhale beside your ear.

God, he sounded beautiful — and you hadn’t even fucked him yet. Now, you were eager to hear what else those disgusting lips could be capable of other than degrading you.  

Pulling away from him just to bat your lashes at him, heat pooled straight into your core when Naoya’s gaze had completely darkened, dark orbs pooled with lust and anger. Only he could make such an expression look so good.

“You don’t scare me, Zenin. You’re nothing but a small boy wearing big man pants.”

For a moment, your smile widened, believing that you’d won this time around. Naoya was still breathing hard at each brush of your stomach to his now hardening erection, but then he smirked and gently pushed you away from him. “I’m not fucking you here,” he stated calmly, not even bothering to keep his voice low. “You’re a lot dumber than I thought you’d be if you really think I’m whipping my cock out during this dreadful dinner.”

“This dreadful dinner you speak of is an opportunity for people like us to establish connections. I would’ve assumed you wanted nothing more to impress others but it seems I was wrong. If you hate this event so much, why bother coming here in the first place?”

“Just had a feeling I was going to meet a little minx,” he watched you seductively, his smirk adorned with his tongue peeking out to lick his lips — in turn wetting you in places he promised to make his by the end of the night. Curse him, you chanted in your head, curse him for being so attractive. It would’ve been easier if he was ugly. “And as always, I’m right.”

You tilted a brow, slightly impressed. “So you’ve done your background check on me. That doesn’t explain why you’re still here though. Surely a woman couldn’t be enough for a reason to make a man like you go all this way?”

“You’re right, a woman would never be a good enough reason, but I wanted to put you in your place,” his eyes flickered back up to you, now twinkling with danger and something else entirely. “Bad little girls need to be a taught to a lesson.”

“So what’re you waiting for? Go ahead and show me your ways, Zenin.”

“I will,” he nodded to himself, “I’m about to,” Naoya was nothing but confident as he strode your way until his arms was locked with yours, his breath tickling your collarbones that had unknowingly exposed itself at each heated touch. “You’re not that bad for a slut. You look like one, smell like one — I bet you also feel like one.”

A dry laugh left your lips as you fisted his shirt, mirroring his smirk to show that if a match was what he looked for, then a match he’d find indeed. Only this time, you would be worse.

“Why don’t you go ahead and find out?”

Naoya, despite being an absolutely poor excuse of a human being, was somewhat redeemable for being a man of his words. Find out he did, and he wasted no time into shoving you inside his McLaren, barely able to keep his hands off you the whole way up to his penthouse.

It was a blurry mess from there.

Moans spilled from your lips while he ripped your clothes off, not bothering to apologize that he’d just ruined one of your most prized possessions, his lust-clouded haze mumbling that he’d just buy you another one.

It was the last thing you expected to hear from him, but you couldn’t protest, not when he’d angrily snapped the buttons of his shirt away, a low growl mixing with your breathy whines as he loosened his tie.

Your eyes widened at the sight, legs rubbing together as you imagined what else he could do with that pretty tie of his.

Would he tie you to his bed, fuck you stupid and call you useless? Or perhaps, you could do it?

Naoya cut off your train of thought by pushing you back to his mattress, his hands tugging at his belt before he pulled his boxers down, his thick length slapping at his abdomen. Your mouth immediately watered at the sight. You were beyond wet from nothing but your sloppy make-out sessions, but would he fit?

Just the thought of him giving you that burning stretch made your legs spread beside his sides, the sardonic laughter ripping from Naoya’s lips absolutely disgusting.

“Fucking pathetic. You’re just like everyone else; submitting to me at the sight of my cock, but that’s not true, is it? Moment you saw me, I knew you were clenching around nothing,” he gripped at your jaw to force you to look at him. You glared up at him from his bruising hold, your cheeks squished under his rough hands. “But that’s okay; wanting me is not something you should be ashamed about. Although you should be thanking me I’m even letting you near me like this.”

“I’m so honoured. Come on, Naoya, let me feel you — let me make you feel good.”

Naoya, too lost in his ego, missed the sarcasm dripping in your voice. “So eager to be my cock sleeve, huh?” he grinned, tugging at your hair to push you deeper into his mattress.  “Get on your knees. Now suck.”

He was too harsh in his pace, determined to exert his dominance over you. You could feel every ridge of his vein as he continued fucking into your mouth, his abs rippling above you. It felt like witnessing a Greek god come apart, and you took pleasure in being his ruin, prompting you to hollow your cheeks and bob your mouth up and down on his cock harder.

Naoya’s chuckles were broken and often mixed with curses of fuck, you feel so fucking good, his nails now scratching at your scalp.

Soon, Naoya stilled inside you, his hold around your head deadly to keep you in place. Tears flowed down your face as he kept thrusting inside, making sure to hit the back of your throat before his muscles tightened. Spurts of warm cum followed after that, but instead of swallowing it like you expected he’d command you to do, Naoya whipped out his cock and came all over your face, his seed shooting all over your cheeks and lips.

You took it all obediently, just enough to give him the false pretense of submissiveness that he was so willing to force from you.

While he was occupied pumping his still rock hard cock, eyes closed and massaging your scalp almost soothingly, Naoya failed to notice your hurried movements of standing from the bed, fingers looped around his tie.

A small wail resonated from him when you shoved him down onto the bed, knees locked at either sides of his waist before you tugged at the cloth wrapped around his neck. Naoya kicked his legs behind you as you tied his wrists to the bed hard enough that Naoya winced, the tie only forming tighter at each lame grapple of his.

You looked back at how he got more beautiful laid out in front of you like that, chest heaving up and down while he struggled against the restraints, face flushed with anger — no, this wasn’t anger anymore — he was furious.

“What are you doing?! Get this off me — how dare you!”

“How dare you,” you spat back, discarding your lace bra off to wipe his cum away from your face, gagging when the bitter cum left a tang on your lips. “I just got my skin appointment last week and you came on my face like that?”

Naoya kept fighting back before he realised it was a futile attempt, leaning back down onto the pillows, though that didn’t soften his heated eyes on yours. You cooed at how adorable he submitted to you, running a finger down the sides of his jaw. “Aw, don’t look so angry, baby. I’m just starting my fun,” you purred, “You should’ve known better than to mess with me, Naoya. I’m not as nice as the others. And I’ll show you just how awful I can be.”

Naoya’s breath hitched when you shimmied out of your underwear, a dark glint in your eyes as you stretched the elastic into a fake arrow until it snapped into his face.

“You fucking bitch,” he growled, turning his face away from your panties soaked with arousal. “Once I get out of here, I will ruin you.”

“Huh, yeah, sure,” you mumbled incoherently, too lost in the pleasure as you sunk down on his cock. You were right, he was fucking thick, stretching you out better than any of your toys could. Plus, he was warm and leaking with pre-cum that he slid in easily, erotic groans leaving both your mouths once he was finally seated inside you.

Naoya was growling at you to let go of him when you laughed, lifting your hips up slowly before sliding back down on him just as slow, almost as if you made love to his cock the same passionate way you did with a lover. “You do have a wonderful cock, though. I’ve never felt this good in my life,” you leaned down to lick a stripe down to his neck, allowing him to hear the needy pants you graced with him. “You feel so good, Naoya, oh. If you weren’t such an asshole, I might even fall in love with you.”

“Go faster. This is unfair!”

Naoya tried thrusting deep into you, evidently unsatisfied at this torturous pace you set, but you only gripped at his thigh in warning, your eyes no longer sweet as you glared at him.

“Nothing’s ever fair in this world, sweetheart,” you reminded him, shivering every now and then as you bounced on his cock, his length slipping past through your walls magically. “Like how such a gorgeous face and amazing dick is paired with the most disgusting personality ever. No, it’s not fair, indeed...”

You closed your eyes with your head thrown back, placing your hips flat on his pelvic bone instead, fingers rubbing at your clit while Naoya throbbed inside you, desperate for release.

The little whines you gave were nothing but mocking. You knew that Naoya suffered through this position, but did you care? Absolutely not. With Naoya’s cock stretching you full and his tip kissing your most sensitive spots, in addition to your fingers rubbing and tweaking at your clit, this was the most pleasure you’d ever gotten from sex.

You were stimulated everywhere, your other hand reached up to tug at your hardened nipples.

Your walls clenched around him, signalling him that you were close and you let out a broken moan, falling forward to gyrate your hips around his cock to push you over the edge. It wasn’t enough to get him off since you were mostly still fondling with your clit, the sounds of your moans like torture to his ears.

“No, don’t you dare cum, I swear if you—” Your orgasm washed over you comfortingly like a warm blanket. Instead of seeing white, it was like your vision cleared, the sight of the sweat that made Naoya’s hair stick to his forehead in clumps crystal clear. You prolonged your orgasm by thrusting your hips in a sickening rhythm of thrust, pause, thrust, stop ­— and by then Naoya was losing his mind.

Naoya lost control as he snapped his hips upwards inside you hard enough that you winced in pain, pushing off his dick until he’s left humping the empty air, his body drenched with perspiration. “No, no, no, fuck you! Get back here you useless slut!”

You lay beside him, giggling in post-orgasm bliss. Just to tease him, you rolled to his side to press a kiss to his cheek, laughing harder when your lips came in contact with his flushed skin.

“You’re so adorable like this,” you cupped his face tenderly, perfectly aware that Naoya had begun to growl, his wrists almost bruised from how hard he brawled against his tie. “If I didn’t hate you so much, I would’ve let you cum inside me,” you offered with a pat to his chest, moving off the bed with wobbly legs.

“Well, whatever, that was fun. I would say we both had the most sensual sex of our lives, but that would be a joke for you, don’t you think?” you snorted as you inserted your arms to his discarded suit jacket.

Naoya stayed still on the bed, his cock still painfully hard and slick with your cum. “Don’t look so angry, Naoya. You had it coming for you. Don’t worry, though, as a thanks for letting me cum that hard — though I mostly did all the work — I’ll keep this between us so you at least get to keep whatever’s left of your dignity,” you blew a kiss his way, “Bye, sweetie. At least now I know people weren’t exaggerating when they called you a good fuck.”

Not bothering to slip your heels back on, you looped your shoes into the curls of your fingers, about to button Naoya’s jacket as you made your way to his door.

You never got halfway across the room when strong arms suddenly lifted you off the ground, your vision transitioning from his door to the pads of his feet, your body slung across his shoulder. Naoya gripped at your ass in warning when you kicked your legs, leaving him with no choice but to hug your thighs with one arm.

The next thing you knew, he slammed the balcony doors open with one hand and slammed you on the pool table. His rough hands yanked his jacket away from your body, the chilly night of the air bringing a shiver down your spine as it hit your drenched core.

Naoya had pinned your arms flat on your back in a painful angle, making you cry out just as he kneed your legs open, his free hand that wasn’t pinning you down aligning his cock against your hole. You were a moaning mess underneath him, the pain only an intoxicating addition to the pleasure he was pounding into you. Naoya then leaned to whisper your ear, the sudden movement making his cock slide deeper into you, the pleasure overwhelming.

“Oh, Naoya, fuck—”

“I am not just a good fuck,” he corrected you, “I am Naoya Zenin — and you will do well being silent and submissive while I fuck you, do you understand?” You were too lost in the feeling of him rutting deep into you that he had you seeing white this time around. When you didn’t answer, Naoya slapped your ass, your yelps echoing from the dead night. “I asked you a question.”

“No,” you bit back, “I refuse to—” you were silenced when Naoya hit your sweet spot, laughing at your state that you were too fucked out to give him a proper answer.

Naoya’s pace was merciless as he fucked deeper into you, the hand on your ass moving up to grab at your waist to keep slamming you back to his cock. He watched as your lips sucked him in so tight that he didn’t know whether you were pushing him out or refusing to let go. Turning your head to the side to gasp for air, you opened your eyes, only to be met by the sight of men crowding on the building across yours to witness your undoing by Naoya’s hands.

“I’ve barely started and you’re already so wet for me,” he mocked in your ear. As if on cue, squelching sounds accompanied your desperate moans, hands grabbing at nothing in particular. “Shall I try upping my speed?”

“N-Naoya- there are people looking.”

“Let them see,” he seethed, using one arm to lift your other leg up to the table to gain him more access into your warm, wet cavern. The sudden stretch made your muscles ache until you lay there limp; jaw clenched at the pleasure Naoya drowned you with. “Let them know how much I’m making this pussy mine. Gosh, can you hear yourself? You sound like a dirty fucking slut,” another slap landed on your ass, hard enough to leave a mark there for tomorrow. “You claim to hate me, so then why are you dripping all over me, huh? Pathetic whore. You women are nothing but cum dumps to me.”

Naoya spread your butt cheeks open, laughing at the silly way you clenched around him every time he pulled out, your puffy lips sucking him back again until Naoya buried himself to the hilt. His dick did wonders in letting out the most erotic whines and whimpers you never thought you’d be capable of, leaving you a drooling and panting mess under him.

“You little fucker, don’t even think about cumming inside me, I will literally castrate you and feed your balls to yourself.”

“Such a dirty mouth. Though that’s expected of a nasty woman like you,” he sassed, his thrusts faltering while his hand clenched your flesh tighter. That was enough to send you over the edge when Naoya slammed his hips harder and more desperately this time around, his cock twitching against your walls. “You wish I would cum inside you. But I have a better plan in mind.”

All it took was one rough hand for him to pull you before him, pushing you down into your knees again as he came inside your mouth. You could feel your cum and his dripping onto his dark marble tiles, the white pool of liquid shining.

Naoya thrusted lazily into your mouth, a sickening grin on his face while he kept you down there. His glare deepened when you tried to pull away from him. “Swallow, you slut. Or I’m fucking your face until I break your jaw.”

Furiously, you swallowed around his cock, Naoya groaning at the feeling of your walls convulsing around him. The moment you gagged from when his tip poked the back of your throat, Naoya pushed you off him until you were left choking on the ground. You gasped for air, hands clasped around your neck, sure that you were going to have a sore jaw and a fucked throat tomorrow.

You kept glaring at Naoya, but this didn’t deter him from gripping your chin down, humming to himself upon seeing that his cum was now gone in your mouth. “Hmm, so you did swallow it like a good girl. I’m glad I’ve disciplined you well.”

“Go to hell.”

“I’m King there already, baby,” Before you could retort, his arms encircled your waist until you were heaved in his arms again. You pounded against his back because you were too done, you couldn’t do another round. Naoya sighed as he threw you in the bed as if you were a ragdoll, disappearing in the bathroom for a while before coming back with a wet towel, which he rudely flicked your way. “Clean yourself up and then leave. Take the back elevators. I don’t want the staff to see a whore leaving my place.”

“You’re the one who brought me here.”

“Only because I had a duty to put you in your place,” He stared at you with his smirk now permanent in his face, admiring the bruises he left on your body.

“We’re not over yet, Zenin. I’m going to break you one way or another.”

You rolled your eyes at him, walking to his closet to wear one of his shirts. Naoya was silent the whole time as he watched you button his shirt with trembling hands, his presence hot on your heels as he followed you out the large room.

As you were about to leave, you picked up the towel you used to clean your cum with and threw it right at his face.

Naoya dodged it easily, eyeing the towel with a scoff. “Still resilient, I see,” settling down on one of his lounge chairs like it was a throne, Naoya rested his cheek on his fist as he stared you down. “But fine — I accept your challenge. A true man never backs down from a challenge, after all.”

“Oh, honey, I’m more than just a challenge,” you sneered.

Naoya’s gaze left your eyes to stare at your perky nipples that poked through his shirt, feeling his cock swell all over again. But he was a man of control and dignity — he wouldn’t do anything more with you, not when it was clear you’ve had enough for tonight.

It didn’t bother him though, he knew he’d have more opportunities to put you in your place.

“We’ll see about that. I’ll be the one to decide your worth,” he declared oh so smugly, the mere sound of his voice pushing you to slam a fist to ruin that pretty face of his, though you held your ground, far too tired to move a muscle. Naoya saw this too, and he smiled to himself, head tilted to the side as he studied the mess he’d made of you. “Tomorrow, same time same place?”

There was no telling what pushed you to agree, but the words left your lips far too confidently for you to even wonder why.

“Be ready for me, Zenin.”

“I always am.”

All the way back to the back elevators that Naoya had directed you at, you pondered on how you’d be able to tell your parents you suddenly needed a ride home when they had no idea you left the dinner gala in the first place. But most of all, how were you supposed to tell them you’d acquainted yourself with the Zenin clan all over again?