#i'm sure it's good when in front of your subordinates though.

[ddaz3d-and-cc0nfused]

jealous hotchner because he can’t take his brother flirting with you so he shows you who you belong to 😘😘😘 (as in he wasn’t aware he liked you like that until he saw his brother with you and realised he didn’t want sean doing to you what he wants to do to you)

ps. you are an amazing writer and i love your work 🩷

༉‧₊˚. 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 || 𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐫

— pairing: aaron hotchner x plus size!reader

— summary: things change thanks to the helpful youngest hotchner (or aaron's a little oblivious but then realizes he's jealous and you guys have sex in the bathroom at work).

— warnings: yet ANOTHER pwp, unprotected sex, vaginal sex, mentioned vaginal fingering, rough sex, doggy style, backshots, mirror sex, bathroom sex, dom!aaron hotchner, sub!reader, dom/sub dynamics, kind of mean dom!aaron, he's just being a little mean, but only 'cause he's jealous, the reader is enjoying every second of it though, a lot of dirty talk, teasing, ass smacking (like once), implied oral sex at the end (m rec), they just match each other's freak.

— wc: 1048

⋆ a/n: WOW EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO AND DISAPPEAR INTO A HOLE NOW!! this is just a whole mess if i'm going to be honest, but in like... a good way. i don't know if this aaron is ooc 'cause usually he's sweet in most of my fics, but this is just a whole different ball field!

masterlist | AO3

You really, really had no idea how you ended up here, but somehow you were pulled to the side by your boss and found yourself tugged into the gender-neutral bathrooms.

Your lips were rolled between your teeth and your eyes were squeezed shut tightly in order to try to keep the sounds of pleasure from spilling between your teeth. Your hands curled into the counter of the sink, head hanging low. 

Aaron’s large palms gripped at the fat of your hips, your pencil skirt shoved up and over your waist, your panties pulled halfway down your thighs before they sat on top of your knees that were squeezed together. It was hard to keep yourself still in your heels, but you were determined to be good for him, just like he had asked.

One moment you were sitting at your desk chatting away with Sean, the youngest Hotchner brother when Aaron had come storming over, mentioning something about, “Leaving his Agent,” Alone. The tone was unfamiliarly possessive, but you would be lying if you said you hadn’t felt his brooding from atop of the stairs near his office.

You could always feel him near you, it was like your body was pulled towards the earth that was Aaron Hotchner. 

You could see it in Aaron’s face as he all but dragged his brother away from you, jaw set tight and eyes narrowed, arms crossed over his suit covered chest. They bulged out in the material and you had to keep yourself from moaning at the sight of them.

Sure, you knew Sean was flirting with you, but it was rare that men would show any interest in you, so you can’t blame a girl for taking advantage of a situation in front of her, though it wasn’t the brother that she wanted.

Anywho, that’s neither here nor there. All you know is, is that one moment you’re walking down the hallway after visiting Penelope’s cave to be dragged away by Aaron into the bathrooms and pressed against the door.

The way he peered down at you was dark and hungry, and he definitely had a goal in mind as you coward. He held you there with his body, large, broad shoulders pinning you to the metal as you peered up at him through fluttering lashes.

Your body fucking burned for him. You knew you would do anything he would ask you too.

Of course this was disorderly conduct, that it was inappropriate, and quite frankly taboo, with the way that he was your boss and you were his subordinate; and oh, you guys were currently fucking in the company bathroom.

If you were going to be honest – and nasty – that only added fuel to the fire that was your dampening core.

You had begged in a small voice, shaky hands raising to set themselves on his shoulders, fingers curling in the material to… steady yourself? Pull him closer? You didn’t know, but he just watched you.

“Tell me what you want.” The question was sultry and demanding and a shiver ran its way up your body, wracking it in its haste. “You.” You would go to whisper, gaze falling on his lips before following back up to his eyes.

He had bent you over the counter, fingering you open quickly before tugging himself out of his slacks and entering you.

“Mmf… fuck!” You couldn’t help but cry as his tip kissed your g-spot over, and over and over again. The stretch burned so good, and the coil in your stomach was tightly wound, but not quite there yet. You needed that extra stimulation and you didn’t know if Aaron was willing to give it to you.

“Shush.” He puffed harshly, the warm air hitting the shell of your ear before he tugged on it with his teeth.

“Oh God.” You whimpered, leaning back into his bites. “I need it, Aaron please… Don’t be mean.” You whined. “You’ll take what I give you. That’s the least you could do after flirting with my brother right in front of me.”

The mention of his brother caused him to punch back into you harshly, sending you forward slightly. You scrambled to tighten your hold again, another cry lodging itself in your throat.

“Nasty girl.” He growled. “What made you think that was appropriate, huh?” Another emphasizing thrust. “I – I didn’t think…” You mewled. “‘Want you only. I promise.” You said with a pout, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Yeah? Only me?”

“Mhm.”

He studies your face before leaning forward to join your lips together. Despite the awkward angle, he holds you steady, one of hands leaving your skin to run circles over your clit.

“Gah!” Your yelp is muffled by your lips, the man all but eating it. You don’t know which fountain of pleasure to chase, hips rocking forward and backwards constantly. 

“I… I…” Your words failed you, and your eyes squeezed shut again. “‘M gonna cum, Aaron baby, can I? Can I cum?” You beg.

He forced you to meet his gaze in the mirror, strands of his black hair sticking to his sweat slicked forehead. “Do you deserve it?” He asks darkly.

You think you could cry.

“Aaron…”

“Answer me. Do you think you deserve to cum?”

“You know I do.” You breathe petulantly, but he isn’t having it, the hand your hip slapping your ass instead. “Fuck.” You sigh. “You’re lucky we're running out of time, or I would be making you beg more, understood?”

“Yes, yes! Understood!”

“Good.”

The tight circles return and you keel over, teeth digging into your bottom.

“I wish I could hear you, my pretty girl.” He coos and you cry out as you cum. Your body trembles but he works you through it.

You’re breathing heavily by the end of it, your heavy eyes meeting his in the mirror.

“You think we're done?” He asks with dark amusement. “I haven’t cum yet.”

He maneuvers your body and turns you around, and by the pressure on your shoulders, he’s trying to push you down, and you understand what he wants. You follow his wordless instructions wordlessly, staring face to face with his dripping wet cock that’s stained with your creamy cum.

“You know what to do.” Aaron encourages, and you do.

ೃ⁀➷ my lovely taglist!: @alina02 @louderfortheback @minervadashwood @their-love @fandomsarelifee @theendofthe70s @nomajdetective @mgg-theprettiestboy @phoenixblack89 @celtic-crossbow @hallecarey1 @bunnybabe-babydoll @alixwriter @dixonzzgirl @violettavirus @khxna

[miyukisu]

I Might Bite .ᐟ

❤︎ | Resorting to dirty measures like biting your superior during sparring usually doesn't end without you having a taste of your own medicine... (2.6k wc) ╰ feat. Hoshina Soshiro (Kn8) x afab! reader

kinktober entry no. 2 | kinktober masterlist

tags - subordinate! reader, biting, marking, spanking, pussy slaps, humiliation & punishment, Hoshina's kinda mean, fingering, p in v, creampies, swearing

minors do not interact

The recent uptick of kaiju attacks over the city has every member of the JAKDF on edge. No one knows when the next attack is coming or if they'll live to see their next birthday. The atmosphere in the Tachikawa base specifically felt odd. Most were hopeless, but then there was you.

You weren't the strongest by any means, but you believed that if it came to being persistent—you'd be the best. It showed; after all, you trained your ass off even in your off hours.

There were times you bled and shed a tear, but you never stopped. Your fellow officers often told you to slow down. But there was one person who always watched from the sidelines—silently observing how you improved every night that you would sneak away into the training rooms.

It was none other than your superior, Hoshina Soshiro.

The vice captain didn't seem all too interested to be invested in the lives of the officers. Frankly, he had better things to do. But the rookie that worked themselves to the bone had successfully caught his eye. There was something about them that reminded him of himself. In many ways, he was drawn to that fiery spirit.

Not a lot of recruits had your determination and he was more than willing to foster that. What kind of vice captain would he be if he didn't help you in honing your skills?

────────────

You stared, dumbfounded, at the fox eyed man in front of you.

"Ya heard me right the first time," he insisted.

You gulp down. "Well... I'm certainly not going to refuse your offer, sir. I was just making sure I understood what you said."

"I told ya—I'll help ya train every night. I meant it."

Finding out that your superior knew you have been violating the curfew had you expecting the worst. But Hoshina's reaction was rather unforeseen.

Instead of making you run laps or do cleaning duty—he offered to train with you during your night sessions. It made sense; training with someone better than you would allow you to improve at faster speeds. The choice was a no-brainer.

"Alright... thank you, sir."

Hoshina simply nodded before walking away from you, satisfied that you were cooperative with his ideas.

"Sir!"

He turns around with a small smile. "Yes?"

"When do we start?"

"Have ya skipped a day before?"

"...No, not really."

His smile widens. "Ya have yer answer then."

────────────

Labored breaths filled the training room—though, most of it came from you. Hoshina barely broke a sweat throughout your entire sparring session. It wasn't shocking anymore at this point.

You estimate that it's already about two weeks since he has started joining you in your training. Not once have you won against him.

At first, it felt quite motivating—knowing that you had so much to improve. But as days go by, it becomes depressing how you can never even land a good hit on him.

You weren't fit to face a kaiju with how things stand and it crushed your once blazing spirits.

With your chest heaving and your vision blurring, you continued to anticipate his next move. You figured he'd at least cut you some slack after seeing the massive difference in skill, but he was merciless. You didn't even fight back as he tackled you to the ground.

Hoshina Soshiro wasn't just talented with a blade, but also with his bare hands. Who would have thought he knew grappling as well? He easily put you in a rear naked choke and you felt your airway quickly constrict.

He taught you that if you couldn't even handle basic hand-to-hand combat—then you'd be nothing doing anything else. Besides, before ending your session with the usual bare knuckled fighting, he trained you with swords and other weapons... in which you couldn't beat him in either.

Going up against him was futile. You absorbed his teachings like a sponge, but when it came to applying them—all hope is lost.

You were going to pass out soon; you could feel it.

Despite telling yourself that you'd always fight fair and square—you realized that this wasn't the time to be righteous. Virtues, principles—whatever the fuck it is—chucked out the window.

You bit down on his arm—hard. Did you draw blood? Perhaps. But that hardly mattered to you. He finally let go, failing to defeat you completely. Hoshina hissed, checking out the fresh wound you gave him.

Neither could you move or speak. In fact, you kept your back leaning on his chest. Doing anything other than breathing was a bit too much at the moment.

"Ya play dirty, don'cha?" he whispered darkly into your ear.

The thickness and intimidation laced in his voice was enough to reinvigorate your entire being. You took the deepest breath possible before peeling yourself off of him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Of course ya didn't mean ta do that, right?" he cuts you off, lifting you off of the ground with his impressive strength.

"What shall I ever do with ya? Li'l thing bitin' her superior."

You could only stutter out a pathetic apology as he carries you in his arms.

"Nah, don'cha apologize now. Ya must be sick of me treatin' ya like a ragdoll hm?"

He was right, of course. But you weren't about to admit that to him.

Hoshina carried you over to the side of the room where the long metal bench was. Even out of fighting, he continued to treat you like a doll with the way you effortlessly flipped you over. Your stomach pressed against his lap with one of his hands resting on your nape.

You weren't sure where his other hand was, but you soon found out... the hard way.

A sharp slap made its way to your ass. It had you sucking in more air than usual.

"Not even a single yelp huh? Think ya can handle more? Ya need to be punished after all."

Another slap and then another on the other cheek. Tears were starting to brim in your eyes. With the next slap, you finally yelped in pain. Hearing your sharp breaths, he caressed your poor behind in a soothing manner.

"Think ya've repented enough?"

God, you didn't want to sound weak, but a few sniffles escaped you. His question racked your brain, yet not a single good answer came for it. It was a trap and he was steadily luring you in.

You figured—silence was the best response. However, that pissed off the vice captain even more. Hoshina let out a long and deep sigh. He didn't want to do this; he swears. But you just had to push his buttons.

"Not speakin' huh? How many times will ya disrespect yer superior after I've been kind enough ta be trainin' ya every night?"

If you've learned one thing about him these past few sessions—it was that he never gave you time to react. Only now, you're discovering that it applies to things apart from fighting as well.

He slid you off his lap without warning. Soon as you flipped yourself over, the vice captain was already hovering over you with a stern expression on his face.

He inched closer, slowly but steadily. His eyes never left yours and it seemed to have you in a trance because you failed to realize how he had already caged you between his thick arms.

"Sir..." you managed to say between shaky breaths.

"So you can speak?"

Your eyes finally stray from his face, feeling flustered by the proximity.

"Ya should use that mouth of yers fer talkin' —not fer bitin' ," he said. He leaned in to the point that you felt the warmth of his breath against your neck. It was tantalizing—almost paralyzing. "I think ya should get a taste of yer own medicine," he added.

No time was given to protest as he sunk his sharp teeth into your neck. You gasp, hands finding purchase on his arms. He suckled on the tender skin, sure to leave a mark that you'd have to cover up in the morning.

Then another bite came. Your fingers dug into his flesh. It was painful, but oddly arousing. The intoxicating scent he radiated coupled with his fine looks were a recipe for disaster. But the only one being ruined was you.

Perhaps he felt satisfied after two bites, settling on wet kisses scattered on your neck instead. He kept getting lower and lower until he was met with a barrier.

"Lemme get this out of the way, a'ight?" he says before gripping the soft fabric of your black tanktop—ripping it apart. He smirked at the sight, a flimsy lacey bra.

He pushed it up before smashing his face down on your chest, sucking and lightly biting at a sensitive bud. Your hands went from his biceps to his hair, almost pulling out the strands from the roots.

He bit, tugged, and marked you all over again—like he was staking claim. Hoshina made sure to give attention to the other one as well, sucking on the swell of your breast while using his fingers to toy with the other.

Truth be told, he was too excited and immersed in devouring you that he only now became aware of your sounds. It was delightful to say the least. It made him smile as he nipped at the sensitive flesh.

You began to arch your back, needing more of him. But he took this as a sign to go even lower, planting more kisses that trailed down your stomach. He was giving you whiplash with the alternating softness and harshness of his touch.

He looked up at you and saw your dazed expression, unable to even look back at him. This was fine; this was the only time he'd permit a subordinate not looking him in the eye.

For once, you were able to catch your breath and make sense of it all. You returned your gaze to the man above you. He was hovering over you again, looking down with a feral glare. His large hand gripped your thigh.

"Ya know... fer someone bein' disciplined... ya sure look like yer enjoyin' this."

"I'm not," you retorted. But both of you knew the truth.

"Ya challengin' me? Let's see then, shall we?"

He made quick work of the zipper on your pants before pulling it down and throwing it off to God knows where. His eyes opened slightly, zeroing on the damp patch on your panties. Of course, he was right.

"Would ya look at that—yer pussy's all soaked from that. How naughty."

"I... I... um..."

He huffed. "Ya what?"

Slap. He had slapped your pussy. The stinging sensation had you arching your back off of the cold metallic surface of the bench. A soft groan fell from your lips.

He landed another slap. "Look at how wet ya are right now. Ya shouldn't have lied huh?"

As if to soothe you again, he began rubbing his thumb over your poor cunt. "Didn't mean ta make her cry."

Hoshina smirked at his own joke—because who else would appreciate it? Definitely not you; you were too fucked out to even catch everything that he's saying.

He hooked a finger in the gusset before pulling your panties out of the way. The sight of your dripping cunt made his dick twitch. He had already been especially frustrated this week and the cute little subordinate he trained every night wasn't helping. Her little stunt was essentially the final nail in the coffin.

There was nothing else he wanted more but to fuck you senseless already. But he was a refined man; he had patience.

Hoshina pushed in two digits at first and it almost made him shudder with how tight and warm you were. Patience be damned; he was crumbling all too quickly for his liking.

"Fuck... yer suckin' it in."

A string of soft moans left you. It was music to his ears and he wanted it to be louder.

He began fucking his fingers into you at a faster pace. The muscles of his arm tensed and the veins on his forearm were popping out. A loud and vulgar moan reverberated through the training room. You could only hope that everyone in the base was asleep because there was no way you could be quiet with what he's doing to you.

You tightened around his fingers before unravelling completely. Your pussy fluttered, cumming on to his fingers shamelessly. It almost felt like a task to him—only getting it out of the way to get to the main event.

Hoshina pulled out his fingers, sucking them clean. He would have loved to get a taste of it on his tongue, but all restraint had been lost. He had to sheath himself in you or else he'd actually lose it.

"Take a deep breath for me, a'ight?" he says while unzipping his pants, only barely pulling out his leaking cock from its confines.

Maybe you should have listened because the sudden intrusion of his cock knocked the air out of your lungs. It filled you up nicely, hitting every spot with just one fluid motion.

He groans, throwing his head back in ecstasy. His fingers were practically white with how hard he gripped the bench supporting the both of you.

"Coulda fought me with this instead. Maybe ya coulda won," he teased. He began slowly fucking into you, perhaps a reprieve after his previous actions.

Your hands held on to his back, softly digging your nails into the chiseled flesh. A satisfied groan poured from his smiling lips.

The string of moans coming from you urged him to go faster. He had enough of being slow and soft. He snapped his hips at a maddening pace almost immediately. Your leg fell of the bench, hanging off and allowing him deeper access into you.

He never faltered for a second—even as he leaned down to leave marks on your neck again. You held him closer to you as if you never wanted him to leave... and he wasn't; at least, not until you've cum all over his cock.

His ragged breaths filled your ear as he continued to rut into you. Hoshina was tough, ruthless, and precise—much like on the battlefield.

A familiar clench squeezed his dick. "Ya close? Ya gonna cum on my cock? C'mon, do it," he goaded.

His thumb began circling your swollen clit. After holding on to the cold bench for a while, his touch felt freezing. The warmth you felt inside contrasted with the cold touch of his thumb. The sensation was almost numbing with how good it felt.

"Wanna cum with me? How romantic of ya," he teased again. "Fuck... I'm cummin' —take it all. This is still part of yer punishment. Got that?"

You responded with a breathless moan. That was all it took before hot ropes of cum filled you. The warmth seemed to push you over the edge as well, milking him for all he's worth. And like he said—it would be romantic. He grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him.

"Ya learned yer lesson yet?" he asked, but not before capturing your wet lips in a kiss.

Hoshina let a shaky breath out as he pulled away. He knew it would be good, but he wasn't expecting for it to be this good.

"Shit... was only plannin' one round. Guess it wouldn't hurt ta discipline ya more."

He lazily rubbed his still hard cock. "C'mon, get on all fours fer me and I might not make ya run laps in morning's training." He watched intently as you followed, lining up his dick against your entrance. It was going to be a long night.

"Good fuckin' girl."

©miyukisu do not repost/reupload/translate any of my works on other platforms

╰ author's note slightly longer I guess because I like Hoshina more lol

[unluckilyimnot]

hiiiii, can I please request bonten hc after they found out someone disrespected their gf!!

Bonten when their gf is disrespect

Character: Ran, Rindou, Koko, Sanzu, Mikey

m.list | rules

Note: I wrote that last night I forgot about the "find out" so there's both sorry 😞 thank you sm for your request 🤍

Ran

I hope for the poor guy that it's not in front of him or he can pray for his life and it's gonna be useless

Spoiler it is

It's not written on Ran's face that he's going to kill him, but everyone in the room tensed up at his "excuse me ?"

Your jaw is clenched but you feel so angry and ashamed, you really don't want to help this guy rn

As he started to stammer some useless excuse, Ran shush him instantly

"Come again ? I'm not sure i heard you right"

He's a sadistic, he wants his skin ripped of his body

He lied, not repeating at all his words

Not knowing it's gonna be worse

"So you lie to me now on top of insulting my lover?"

The second he stand up you know it's the end for him

He take one hit, then another, and another

Ran probably exposed a full bottle of alcohol on top of his head to end it

"Never again, do you hear me ?" He said, bend down to his level

Hoping that he made it clear to everyone in the room that disrespecting you it's worse than disrespecting him

Rindou

He got angry and doesn't wait to stand up

They don't even get to finish their sentence that their face is somehow already hitting the table

Doesn't matter where you are, he's never gonna let that slide

"Hey you think you're more important than her to speak shit like that ?"

He hits him until he answers, grabbing his face fiercely, letting the blood of his nose and mouth run down his fingers

"I didn't hear you ?"

If he's already knock down, he call the security to leave him in the street

He excuses himself to you all night even if you tell him it's not his fault, he thinks it is

He's suppose to make sure that all his subordinates respect you

Koko

"What ??"

You tell him what happened tear his eyes off his computer

He's in disbelief, this can't be true

He frown ad you go on with your story, walking in circles in front of his desk

He has to get up and catches you for you to stop but he can tell how upset you are

He will ask for their name again, and calm you down, smoothing your back

kindly whipping the frustration tears that show up in your eyes

He would probably take you out on a nice dinner to clear your head

You won't hear about it for a few days

But one day you'll wake up to see that their company went bankrupt and that they were found dead in their appartement, seemly suicide

If you ask Koko, he'll say he doesn't know about it but deep down you know he did it

Sanzu

He's mad to say the least

He wants to end them himself

You're tough, he knows you can handle your business alone but he just can't stand it

He'll find him himself to make him understand that that's not something you said to someone on of the higher-ups of Bonten loves

If there's one thing Sanzu put at the same place as Mikey, it's you

It's like disrespecting his boss, he can't let it unpunished

He'll probably step into their place and shot them down if there's no-one important

If they happen to be, he'll just make sure to make things complicated for them until they beg for help/found

Mikey

You're so precious he can't even picture someone talking you badly

But on top of that, you're the Bonten's boss gf, they really don't know what they're doing

But he won't handle it himself

He's too busy making sure you know your worth and make it up for you

He just make sure they suffer for good while he's having a good time with you

If it happened in front of him though, they're shot down without thinking

He can always find someone better, he doesn't need someone that don't respect him, and by that he means disrespecting you as well

It's been a while ! I hope you liked it ♡

[kujiba]

【I think, moto moto likes you! 】

୨୧ — ꒰ himbo!reader | he/him prounouns | NPC reader | shit posting

୨୧ — ꒰ Reader who's just your average Joe, going on about their day as an npc for the Traveler to pass by. Yet managed to rizz up a important character with 0 effort

Ft. Pantalone, Kaeya, Zhongli

A/n: I'm juggling two fanfics in one cause I'm him, also I need my himbo reader crumbs. OOC probably cause I can't read for shit

P A N T A L O N E

— Pantalone was never too fond with his subordinates nor co-workers, opting to instead focus his attention on the mora he had collected and Snezhnaya's economic policies. Indeed the man's plate was already a handfull to deal with.

— Though his life definitely took a turn once his eyes locked onto yours

— You were a simple worker for the fatui, only doing your job as a helper by carrying the more heavier and larger crates packed with weaponry for the fatui soldiers.

— To you, you generally look average, having no special qualities to be worth mentioned. But to him, good god you looked straight out of a Greek painting.

— Your muscles would bulge under your clothing, the buttons on their last lives trying to hold everything together. That sharp gaze that could cut through anything with a single stare, oh no.. HE'S HOT

— And before you knew it, your pay check began to SKY ROCKET. You almost thought it was a fever dream seeing 6 digit mora be handed over to you like it's nothing, even after you did barely anything.

— Curious enough, you decided to personally see him in his office, questioning why you abruptly received such high pay. Not that you minded it, but you were kinda worried this was some kind of final goodbye fee before you get fired or maybe worse.

— To say that Pantalone was excited to see you was an understatement, he was absolutely ECSTATIC too see your divine and gracious self in front of him in arms reach. Oh how he wished he could just reach out to you, imagining how your strong and well built arms would wrap around his waist, pulling him closer to your body.

— Pantalone had met with many attractive people in his life, many being above the average, but you? You're a different case. Pantalones legs felt weak and wobbly JUST by being close to you, it must be an achievement to have such an important character like him act like some high school girl with a crush.

— And some days later after, you'd be flabbergasted seeing yourself climbing the ranks in a rapid pace, earning yourself a position of Pantalones personal assistant...though grateful for this opportunity, you can't help but notice the man's undeniable favoritism to you.

K A E Y A

— Kaeya is often depicted as a confident or dramatic man, regularly seen chatting with the locals and having a faint deviousness in his sapphire eyes. Being one of the more relaxed members of the Knights of Favonius, surely nothing will break the man's inner self?

— So why is it that Kaeya is standing infront of you, shy and flustered with your hand on his shoulder, previously catching him after a slight trip.

"Are you alright sir?"

— Kaeya shuddered slightly, his body twitched hearing your voice be so close to his ear, he didn't expect your voice to be so...pleasant to hear

— He mentally cursed himself, being such a high figure and acting all embarrassed for some hot stranger

— But as the days passed by, Kaeya decided to grow a pair. You often found him in some alleyways, a vast field, or even when you take a small stroll outside of your house

— Kaeya might look all calm and collected in the outside, but mentally he felt flustered and even sometimes shy by your presence, he has to take a 5 minute breather before 'coincidentally' bumping into you for the 1947th time

— But you're a pretty nice guy, not commenting on Kaeyas behavior, so like any normal person, you decided to befriend him, thinking nothing much of it but a new friend to talk to.

— But to Kaeya? This was a WAVE of bewilderment

— Mostly, when making friends he's usually considering his benefits, not having much friends anyway despite his 'flirtatious' and 'laid back' attitude.

— Kaeya even sometimes experience a sense of longing, loneliness. He never had a true friend yet all his life, but when you offered to be his friend? He felt... Sort of relieved.

— Though he himself couldn't even explain the emotions swirling inside him, the sight of you soft smiling at him. You weren't befriending him for your own benefits, but to instead genuinely be his real friend.

— And before Kaeya knew it, the two of you began to grow closer and closer as the days passed, hanging out in angels share whenever Kaeya or you had some spare time.

— He only hoped you'd accept his confession in the near future, but for now. He liked it this way.

Z H O N G L I

— Zhongli has his fair shares of companions, some still staying by his side till this day, while some others had to go. The mans basically seen it all at this point, with an experience of over 5000+ he's already accumulated thousands of stories to tell

— And you're just a guy who likes to listen in on stories here and there while eating some freshly cooked Chop Suey (杂碎)

— You two met while Zhongli was taking a small walk in Liyue Harbor, he who was peacefully enjoying the harmony and the people, admiring the sky and plants. And you who traveled from Fontaine to Liyue just to try some food and visit a family member

— You, obviously lost in the city decided to come up to him immediately since he looked pretty wise and handsome. Zhongli didn't mind guiding you around the harbor, since he had some spare time anyways

— Zhongli couldn't help but take note of how.. Tall you were compared to him, it was almost unreal. He'd met with many humans before, all of them being unique with one another, and you were no different.

— Zhonglis eyes quietly glanced at your body before right back at your oblivious smiling face, it wasn't right to check out a stranger so intimately. He had to keep his himself under control and provide you with the necessary details on your trip.

— Though, his keen eye already took notice of how you were absolutely mesmerized at him, not being able to listen much and only giving small nods.

— Zhongli eventually grew curious enough to ask why you stared at him so delicately

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Oh! Haha, sorry you're just very handsome and smart. Thank you alot sir"

— You shaked his hand and left, thanking him for his guidance, leaving a confused yet embarrassed Zhongli.

— Zhonglis gloved hand covered his face that was turning slightly red, what was it that made him so bashful? Was it the way you smiled at him? Or how you bluntly praised him out of the blue? Zhongli wasn't a stranger to compliments, yet when you said it.. Suddenly everything came crashing down.

— By the next day, Zhongli luckily found you once again, eating some of Liyues delicacies while listening on some stories, stories that were specifically about the Geo archon.

— Over time, Zhongli began to grow more and more intrigued by you each time you two cross paths, the way you act so aloof yet kind to the people, or how you always say anything that's on your mind keeps Zhongli more and more entertained by you. Regularly looking forward to meeting you every day.

— Zhongli wasn't unaware of what he was feeling as he grew closer and closer to you, even dropping some subtle hints to show his feelings for you. Yet the himbo you are, you answer completely oblivious to his feelings.

— Well, he has alot of spare time in his hands anyway. Slow and steady wins the race, and Zhongli could wait for thousands of days just for you.

A/n: Likes and reblogs are appreciated! Thanks for reading≧﹏≦

[13knowge]

Hi. For a long time i thought this was pretty weird (?) but after doing more research i found out that many people shared it and it made me pretty happy, i found a part on the internet pretty funny and i want to have fun too.

I'm not very good at English but i tried my best getting a little help.

So, these are my favorite OP characters and some headcanons i have of them of how they are when they are in love or in a relationship.

CW: SFW / KINK

Kaido

Kaido in love can get pretty scary, he knows he's scary and uses it to make fun of you. He also invades your personal space.

When he is drunk he seeks physical contact, sometimes he doesn't measure his strength and you get to feel a bit of discomfort to his grip.

He doesn't care if his subordinates are present or not when he shows his affection towards you, he likes to show you off.

His way of flirting is to take you on his ship to accompany him to eliminate his enemies, he wants to show you how strong he is and the respect his crew has for him.

In intimacy he likes to use intimidation and point out how small you are and that he could tear you apart if he wanted to.

Rob Lucci

He definitely chases you everywhere, no matter where you go, he will follow your footsteps wherever you decide to go. You will never be out of his vision. It's not that he distrusts you, he trusts you wholeheartedly, it's just that his favorite activity is to always be with you even though he recognizes that you need your "space".

He spies and reports on every person who approaches you to know if they are to be trusted. Regardless of your opinion, that is up to him to decide.

It will be better for everyone's sake that no one dares to even draw a tear from you or else he will commit the most violent and bloody murder. Eventually you will realize that this person has disappeared.

He doesn't show you affection in front of others, for him that's too private, but he also doesn't bother if it's you who shows some kind of affection, in that case, he doesn't ignore you.

When it's just the two of you alone, he never lets go, he's a cat that climbs on top of you to lick your neck.

During sex he has absolute control over your body, he knows perfectly where to touch you and how to make you go crazy. He uses his hybrid form to leave marks like scratches and some bites.

On special occasions he likes to be treated as a pet and to wear a collar to dominate him and follow your orders.

Shanks

He is very attentive and dedicated, he treats you with great delicacy and gentleness. Very gentlemanly.

He will always give you the best of the best, you will never be disappointed. He looks for the best treasures to be your property.

He will make you laugh many times, he is a very funny man, especially when he is drunk.

All the time he is talking about you. Even when he fights with his enemies, before finishing them he presumes that he has to leave quickly because he has to kiss someone.

He recognizes your strength and independence but is secretly terrified of something bad happening to you.

In a drunken state is when he is most sexually active and becomes a complete stranger, he is very wild. He has a fetish for smells and is very aroused by the contact when both are sweaty. In the midst of this activity he likes to talk dirty.

Sir Crocodile

It must be a miracle when he says something nice about you. He is not very affectionate, it is very difficult for him, sometimes it seems that he is not even interested in you.

He is a man of very few words, he has peculiar ways of letting you know he loves you and makes sure they are unique and special.

He does not like you to get involved in his work. He will keep the relationship very private and would expect you to do the same.

He is very jealous, as soon as someone wants to flirt with you, Crocodile squeezes your waist with his hook.

He doesn't like to murder people when you are present, he thinks it's something you shouldn't witness.

Although he thinks Buggy is an idiot, he is one of the few people next to Mihawk that he feels safe for you to be with.

When it comes to sex he is rough and gentle at the same time. He makes sure you feel comfortable. After that he feels more open to express his feelings and tell you how much he loves you.

I had a lot of fun writing this hahahahaha, hope you like it <3

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Idia Shroud - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Idia: Look at all these dynamic brushstrokes that can only truly be appreciated because they're from a real painting… Fheehee! This is the real thrill of seeing one live!

Idia: ―Ah! Th-Th-Th-This is…! A PAINTING OF THE LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD ON HIS CHARIOT!!!

Idia: It hits so hard～ In order to rescue a captured comrade, the king himself rushes to the front lines�� Oooowee～ Doesn't that just get your heart pumpin'?

???: Indeed… However, is it appropriate for a dutiful commander to leave his base and head to the front lines?

Idia: Eeek!!! Silver-shi!? D-Don't just cut in when I'm talking to myself like that. This is why I can't deal with extroverts…

Silver: My apologies for startling you. I found your comment to be interesting, so I could not help but chime in.

Idia: E-Even if you think it's interesting, don't you think your impression of him was pretty shallow just from this one anecdote...?

Silver: Meaning?

Idia: I-If he was just a minister or something, he coulda just split after setting up the strategy, leaving it to his subordinates to execute everything.

Idia: But he still went to such a dangerous place to stir up morale, because that mission would be the linchpin of the whole battle. So, basically…

Idia: That means his responsibility meter is through the roof!! Wheeew, he's a totally different breed than any naïve and useless politician who just hoists their title around.

Silver: So you're saying that he himself went out there because it was a crucial situation. I would say that he does have an overwhelming sense of responsibility, indeed.

Silver: Hearing your opinion on the matter has allowed me to delve deeper into understanding this painting and its story. You are quite wise.

Idia: S-Sure, yeah～! You should follow my example and study up on things a little better, Silver-shi!

Silver: I will do just that. …However, it feels as though what you said about how other leaders may act had some weight behind it.

Silver: I had heard that you took up the title of Housewarden after being recommended by the previous Housewarden...

Silver: Was that because you had had previous experience as a leader, and were thus therefore chosen for the position?

Idia: Huh!? N-No, nuh-uh, wut are you even talking about? No way, no way… 'Sides, I'm more of a solo player even in my online games, y'know?

Idia: I mean, sometimes I've taken the lead of a party when I absolutely had to for a raid, or something…

Silver: As I expected, you do have experience in leadership.

Idia: It's not that big a deal… I mean, I got a reliable battle buddy who tanks and usually takes the lead.

Idia: Generally, I go for healing or DPS roles. Or more like, I just stack as many buffs as I can to increase firepower.

Idia: But it's not like our schedules always line up, so whenever he's not around, I take the lead… Because I have to!

Idia: It's usually the high-level players with great skills that take on the leader role. And in that case, I've basically maxed out all my stats in every position, so…

Idia: And I can grasp what the scenarios call for, see? And I can also play the tank roles to take charge on the front lines, right???

Idia: "Thanks to you, I was able to clear this high-level quest! I'm so thankful to have joined this party!"

Idia: …THEY SAY, ELECTING ME MVP OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

Idia: And I was just taking on the leader role because I had to. I'm just way too good…

Silver: So, those who fought alongside you showered you with gratitude. That just proves even further your leadership capabilities.

Idia: I-I wouldn't go that far― …Or maybe, just a little bit further? H-Hee Fheeheeheehee!

Idia: But also, I don't want to deal with failing a quest because some loser was placed in charge, so.

Idia: So I guess next time I have to put together a party, if my friend isn't available, I'll just have to lead them all again!

Idia: Wheeew, it's hard being so awesome～!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Silver: This is a painting of a lion, warthog, and a meerkat, I see. The three of them are singing a song and seem to get along well.

Idia: Ain't they waaay too upbeat, to be able to sing while walking like that? Like, this painting shows the lion crown prince that was forced to leave his own country…

Idia: It's showing him singing along with some friends he ended up making, while he tries to ignore that pain, right?

Idia: Lucky him, that they chose to glorify his hiatus from his royal duties like this. Tch!

Silver: I've heard that singing can raise one's spirits. Perhaps they all wanted to brighten their own moods.

Idia: Speaking of singing to take your mind off stuff, there was this one time when I was a kid when my little brother was too scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night…

Idia: So we would go there while singing the theme song of our favorite anime together.

Idia: Eh, anyway, whatever their reason for singing, having that moon in the background composition like that's super moving. Kinda like what you'd see in an MV.

Silver: Em-vee…?

Idia: Eh… Y-You don't know what a music video is? It's a video recording that goes along with music and lyrics…

Silver: Ah, so you call those MVs. I understand.

Idia: I-If you feel like checking out some MVs sometime, I'd recommend the idol group "Precipice Moirai."

Idia: Premo's MVs are so awesome that you could watch them 100 times and never tire of them…!

Silver: 100 times… That's quite a lot. Is that generally something you'd watch so often?

Idia: A true fan would absolutely! More like, it's way too insolent to think that you could truly appreciate their MV with only one watch!

Idia: The first watch is all about enjoying the song and video in its entirety. The next three times the focus is shifted to checking out each of the three members' dance moves and expressions one by one.

Idia: Next, there's the actual composition of the MV, and digging deep into the actual message of the video… At a minimum, it should be watched ten times.

Idia: On top of all that, Premo's super casual MVs can put even a film director to shame!

Idia: There's no way to fully comprehend their art with only a couple viewings. That's why it needs to be viewed hundreds of times.

Silver: I had no idea their work was that deep… It may prove useful in training me better in emotional expressions, and perhaps could even be incorporated into the academy's music courses.

Idia: N-No, I mean, you don't gotta go that far… But it's great that you know just how awesome they are.

Idia: Even between us Premo fans, there's always those who still don't understand their art at all…

Idia: Every time a new MV comes out, there's always people saying stuff like, "She got the most screen time," or "She's definitely the manager's favorite," and the like…

Idia: But does that have anything to do with the quality of their work? It doesn't, right? They don't care about understanding the heart or essence of the songs.

Silver: I see… I feel as though I have learned a lot from you, Idia-senpai.

Silver: When we return to campus, I will look into, hm… Premo? Yes, Premo's music videos.

Idia: Eh, no way!? S-S-Seriously!? They have all their latest MVs on their official Magicam account!

Idia: P-PLEASE WATCH THEM! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Idia: Ooh, here's the Sea Witch floating in the darkness… She's got a nice, bewitching smile going, too.

Silver: This is a painting depicting the scene of when the Sea Witch drew up a contract.

Silver: If I recall, it was said that the contract was so unbreakable that even a powerful spear couldn't rip through it.

Idia: I mean, you'd think that just having a contract that doesn't tear apart or bleed ink in water is strong enough...

Silver: Perhaps the contents of the contract was dire enough she did not wish it broken.

Idia: Who cares about the contents, the material of the contract is way more interesting. How high of a defense stat did it even have to not get ripped up by a spear?

Idia: But I totally get it, everyone wants to make invincible things every so often.

Silver: I cannot say I understand, but… What sort of thing would you make, Idia-senpai?

Idia: Like a "game console power cord that can never be taken away," or something like that… A-Actually, I tried to make something like that when I was a kid.

Idia: Whenever I'd play video games all day and into night, my mother would end up hiding all my cords.

Idia: If all she did was hide them, I could just make myself a new one, but she'd hide the cord materials as well. Totally overboard!

Idia: So I had a thought. I had to do something so she couldn't hide it!

Silver: I can only imagine your mother was concerned for your health… Did you never consider quitting your games?

Idia: Why would I? Ahh, but I really did burn the midnight oil like a little worker bee back then.

Idia: Like, I'd put a motion sensor on it, so that the cord could automatically run away from whoever was holding it...

Idia: Or I'd make the cord transparent so it couldn’t be found, or attach a homing function to it so it'd come back on its own…

Idia: And finally, after many failed attempts… I finally did it…!

Idia: I MADE A TRANSPARENT POWER CORD THAT ONLY RECOGNIZES THE AUTHORIZED USER!!

Silver: I do not really comprehend what that is, but… It is amazing that you invented something with your own two hands.

Idia: Nope, not at all.

Idia: My family also has a real stubborn genius, and every time I came up with some tech, it'd quickly get shot down by some kind of countermeasure...

Idia: And it took me a few months of that game of cat and mouse before I realized I should just convert my game console to wireless.

Idia: Hmph… But the peace and quiet that came from switching to wireless didn't last long at all...

Idia: Soon after, the Final Boss appeared: a device capable of disabling all wireless tech within a 10-meter radius!

Idia: Well, all the experience I got developing the motion sensing and automatic functions helped when I was putting Ortho together…

Idia: So I guess all that trial and error wasn't for nothing.

Silver: Even if you can picture your ideal outcome, it is rather difficult to actually put into action.

Silver: However, you have made real many of your thoughts. I can respect that.

Idia: Wai― What're you trying to say all a sudden? Getting complimented to my face randomly like that is a little scary… W-Wait, is this all a plot to beguile me!?

Silver: A plot? ...Hm, I see it has gotten late. I have kept you for some time. My apologies.

Silver: I am grateful to have heard such wonderful stories from you. Well then, I shall be on my way.

Idia: Whew… I'm exhausted having to actually talk to people for the first time in a while… Ah, this is…

Idia: It's the hero from that one myth. Look at his sparkling expression… He looks like he totally believes the future ahead of his is bright.

Idia: Life doesn't always go as swimmingly as you hope, though… Hope he doesn't get too excited that he gets carried away by the river of the underworld!

Requested by Anonymous.

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 악인전기 / EVILIVE.

EVILIVE is a 2023 Korean crime drama about a mild-mannered middle-aged lawyer who becomes convinced by a beautiful tall mob boss that he is tired of being nice and does want to go apeshit.

I'm going to try real hard not to do the "[guy who has only seen Beyond Evil, watching a second Korean drama] this is giving Beyond Evil vibes" thing, but you have to admit up front that comparisons are inevitable. Both of them are tight, emotionally charged dramas with a lot of blurred lines about right and wrong, and both star the absolute acting powerhouse that is Shin Hakyun playing against a gorgeous younger man who sexually threatens him a lot.

However, EVILIVE makes Beyond Evil look warm and fuzzy. The series is tight, violent, messy tale of what happens when bad choices are the only choices left to make, but you lean real hard into them anyway. So especially if you're a fan of Infernal Affairs, The Gangster, the Cop, and the Devil, and/or other homoerotic East Asian crime-and-punishment media, let me give you five reasons why I think this ten-episode series is worth your time.

1. Daddy's home

But which one of them is Daddy??? Well, that's part of the fun. See, one of the characters is older and more composed, but also clearly the economically and hierarchically subordinate of the pair; the other is younger and has spent more time obediently submitting to his crime bosses, but has all the money and wields all the power in any room he walks into (and also uses every inch of his 6'2" frame to do it). So whichever one you think deserves that title, you're right.

Watching Shin Hakyun in a couple other things, I realized how often he's cast as a sniveling, pathetic, nerdy boy-man -- and he makes good use of that experience here. His Han Dongsu starts off as a wet paper towel of a person. They put that handsome fellow in the worst possible haircut a Korean man is allowed to have by law, frumped him up in some ill-fitting suits, and left him out in the rain for a couple scenes. It'd be criminal how much they nerfed his hotness if you didn't know from the start he's got a glow-up coming.

And it's a perfect contrast to the tall, lanky, and always slightly underwashed Seo Doyeong, played perfectly by Actual Runway Model Kim Youngkwang. Equal parts sleepy-eyed and vicious, Seo Deoyeong is a perfect handsome thug. He too looks like a lion who asked a good fairy to turn him into a beautiful Japanese lesbian, only his good fairy missed slightly, but the results were still pretty great.

And oh boy, does he want to fuck that old man in half.

There is a lot going on in this show, but the core dynamic is the weird dance between these two as Seo Doyeong opens the door to the criminal underworld and Han Dongsu makes the choice to step through it. The Korean title translates roughly to 'Villain Story,' so you know from the start this is going to about one guy looking at another and going, I can make him worse. And then he does.

I know there are those of you reading this right now who like it when those boys get rough with one another. I am here to tell you that EVILIVE does not disappoint on that front. If you consider stabbing someone a love language, this to you will be romance.

2. The TENSION

And I don't just mean the sexual tension, though, as my previous point noticed, there sure is a whole lot of that.

EVILIVE is not an easy feel-good funtime show. The very first scene (a flash-forward) involves seeing a character get stone-cold murdered by another character. This show features Legitimately Bad People Who Do Legitimately Bad Things. You may want some of them to get away with it because you like them for other reasons! But you know that geting away with it gets less and less likely every time you see them do yet another Legitimately Bad Thing.

The general shape of the plot is that a deeply stressed normie man who has been repeatedly fucked over gets a chance to strike back against the people and organizations that fucked him over by going to work for a violent mobster -- because all the systems that were supposed to help him are deeply corrupt and run by people arguably even worse than said violent mobster. So you don't even get the moral high ground of saying that Han Dongsu should have done things the right way because, motherfucker, he tried. He tried doing things by the book, and all that got him was a bunch of debt and humiliation. Worse, it got his loved ones a bunch of debt and humiliation to go right along with his.

Yeah, you notice I call him "normie" up there, and not "normal"? Han Dongsu is not a normal guy. Maybe he was, once, a long time ago, but life broke him very badly. Now he's trying to do what all the nice people say he's supposed to do, all the while being a bottled-up rage monster beneath the surface.

That's where Seo Doyeong comes in.

I do think the back half of the show is unevenly paced, to the point where I don't think it should have taken your full standard sixteen episodes of a regular-sized Korean drama, but I definitely think it should have gotten more than ten. The show kind of handwaves over months-long stretches of time that I very much would have liked to see play out, especially to watch Han Dongsu and Seo Doyeong bounce off one another some more.

If I were to put on my tinfoil hat, I would say that you would have to fast-forward over those stretches, because if you did show the extent of those boys' interactions during those periods -- enough to give some later events in the show the gravity they deserve -- things would quickly get unsustainably gay.

All right, all right, I know I'm calling things gay again, but how gay is it?

Well, to some degree, only as gay as these things ever are. I mean, you know the genre, so you understand the inherent sexiness of busting the lip of a guy you have a complicated life-or-death relationship with. If one of them were a girl, there'd be no question about what we're looking at here. (See: the Butch and Sundance digression in point 5 of my Sand Sea rec post.) You pretty much can't create the intense dynamic needed to sustain this kind of story without getting into at least a little unintentional homoeroticism.

Except I don't think it's entirely unintentional, and for that, I'm going to point (again) to Seo Doyeong.

When we first meet Seo Doyeong, he claims to have a girlfriend -- but then we actually meet her, and she's everyone's girlfriend but his. He never shows any interest in women. He never mentions romantic or sexual histories with women. I don't think he even interacts substantially with any adult women, minus one critical scene. Actual Runway Model Kim Youngkwang playes Doyeong like he clearly has the 'fight' and 'fuck' sections of his brain cross-wired, and he is always spoiling for a fight.

Now, of course, we are getting into the murky territory of 'just because a guy doesn't express interest in women doesn't necessarily mean he's gay!' Which, you're right, it doesn't. But when said guy is spending damn near every scene looking like somebody's about to get their dick sucked, yeah, it kinda does.

Wait, did I say we weren't talking about sexual tension? Well, that's fine, because there's still lots of high-stress surprises left! I've already made allusions to some of the general shapes of the narrative, and I'll make even more before this rec post is through -- and I don't feel like those are spoilers, because you can know the trajectory of the story and still find yourself holding your breath about what's going to happen next. It's like Breaking Bad! You know he breaks bad! That's not a spoiler! It's in the title!

EVILIVE's plot exists in a tangle of warring organized crime factions, all the bosses and goons vying for power inside said factions, the politicians they've paid off, the lawyers who know all their secrets, the businessmen trying to maximize their profits through illegal enterprises, the corrupt law enforcement agencies trying to make the conclusions fit their preferred narratives... What I'm saying is, it's going to get messy.

Oh, and there's also the one honest cop who's onto them, so, you know ... good luck with that.

3. Baby brother. Baby.

Every tragedy needs collateral damage. EVILIVE's comes in the form of Han Dongsu's dipshit younger half-brother, Han Beomjae.

God's perfect failure to launch, Beomjae is an underachieving doofus who has some real computer smarts, but lacks the ability to get his shit together in any meaningful fashion. Dongsu has taken care of Beomjae pretty much their whole shared lives, and now he also takes care of Beomjae's precious daughter, Minhui, who lives all but full-time with Dongsu and his wife.

I like that Beomjae's not some perfect angel either. Pretty much the first thing we do is see him scamming a customer at his part-time job so he can earn some extra cash. He's sweet and earnest, but he's also absolutely capable of taking advantage of situations to get by. When he's lying to customers about the price of refurbished hardware, that's one thing. When the big brother he'd do anything for gets wrapped up with a mob boss, that's quite another.

The show is kind of fuzzy about what the age difference is between them. Shin Hakyun is nearly twenty years older than Shin Jaeha, Beomjae's actor, but we get one little flashback when we see the boys together as kids, and there they look like they're maybe five and ten. I'm going to call bullshit on the flashback and go with the actor ages, because to me it definitely makes a big difference in Han Beomjae's character if he's supposed to be thirty and has been managing being a single dad -- and mismanaging everything else about his life -- since he was twenty.

Beomjae's a gentle little disaster, a petty fuckup who's used to getting by on petty crimes and trying his best (which is not very good). He is not a bottled-up rage monster. He does not want to go apeshit. He wants a mild-mannered existence, scraping together what he can to make a, well, mostly honest living for himself. Unfortunately for him, he's wound up in a genre that doesn't reward honesty.

Shin Jaeha turns in a solid performance here, especially considering his part is more understated than a lot of the others. Most of the time, he's sharing the screen with at least one of two real heavy hitters, but he holds his own. At first, I thought Beomjae was going to be annoying and exhausting, little more than a burden on Dongsu, but he turns out to be wonderful -- and because this show is the kind of show it is, you know eventually that's gonna hurt.

4. It's just beautiful

Ugh, this is the point where I have to get mad about how few screenshots there are of this show to poach from the internet, because it's lovely. The folk behind the camera are quite talented, and shots are framed and lit so well.

Here, I'm going to do my best with what's out there.

I mean, yeah, this show gets a cheat in how Actual Runway Model Kim Youngkwang is so gorgeous that you can't really get a bad shot of him. But the camera knows how to lean into his menace so effectively that it uses his natural resources perfectly.

Also, the posters they did for the main three are stunning.

I actually think this beauty is not just an incidental charm, but a key feature of the show. As I've said a couple times now, this show is quite violent. The violence, however, is presented in a way that is both lovely and awful at once, so you have something worth looking at even during the brutal scenes that isn't just ceaseless human misery. This is especially important to me because I'm pretty squeamish about violence! While I had to look away from the screen more than once (scenes with severing and breaking fingers in particular), I always kept wanting to look back.

Also! This show is set in 2008, which means it's got a cool recent-past vibe to it. Pretty much everything looks modern, except all the technology and cars are just out of date. It's a neat effect.

5. It resists an easy moral

Ah, we're back to Beyond Evil! You knew it was coming. Anyway, Beyond Evil ends -- and I'm saying this in as unspoilery of a way as possible -- with the people who did bad things getting punishments suitable to the level of badness they did. It's a show that skates the edge of copaganda but avoids it because of its steadfast belief that power and privilege should not insulate you from the consequences of your actions. Through this belief, it creates a story about a fantasy world in which power and privilege do not insulate you from the consequences of your actions.

Ha ha ha oh boy that is not EVILIVE's take on things.

EVILIVE exists in a world of extensive corruption and collusion between organized crime, politicians, and businesses -- and that world is very real. I remember when the South Korean president declared martial law last month, which prompted an immediate oh hell no response from pretty much everybody in the vicinity. A lot of non-Korean people were asking online how a country whose citizens seem so cool and action-oriented keep electing a bunch of absolute shitbags. And the answer seems to be, the whole system is jaw-droppingly corrupt, which means all the candidates are shitbags. You must be this shitbag to play. There is no non-shitbag option.

So it's not like Han Dongsu and Seo Doyeong are inventing some new kind of crime here. This is not the tale of how two bad dudes disturbed a pure and perfect ecosystem. It's a story about how, when presented with the choice of becoming the abuser or staying the victim, the "moral" choice is not the easy one.

I don't even think you can draw an easy conclusion about "oh, back when he was poor, at least he was happy and had friends!" because no he wasn't! His lack of money created so many problems for him and everyone around him! He has moments of happiness and togetherness, but they are vastly overshadowed by the grinding horror of his day-to-day life and the way it keeps him from being able to provide for or protect his loved ones. And he's haunted the whole time by the knowledge that the reason everything is so fucked up in the first place is that, once upon a time, he tried to do the right thing.

The real villain of the show is poverty, with a henchman of how it's so much easier to join a bad system than it is to challenge it. If anything, I wish the show had been a little more upfront about that, because I think that it's subtle about it to the point where it's easy to take away a shallow 'wow, bad things happen to people who do bad things!' lesson. That's not what it's saying. Yes, bad things happen to bad people, but sometimes good things happen to bad people. Actually, frequently good things happen to bad people, because the bad people do the things that make enough money to keep the bad things from happening to them. And bad things happen to good people because the good people don't have enough money to keep the bad things from happening to them. And if you're going to end up suffering either way, why not choose the way that also lets you live in a really nice house?

...I mean, okay, I guess there is at least one easy moral here, and that is DON'T GAMBLE ONLINE, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, JUST SET YOUR MONEY ON FIRE, IT'S FASTER

Ready to play ball?

For some reason, EVILIVE is not available on your regular streaming services. MyAsiaTV was how we were watching it, except that between episodes eight and nine (argh!), whatever external site they were hosting the videos on went kablooey for me. I'm leaving the link there because maybe it'll work for you? However, in searching for a replacement, I found that this DailyMotion account has the episodes as well, and has had them uploaded for over a year now, so perhaps that's a more reliable source. Whatever works for you!

In both cases, the subtitles are absolutely fine -- definitely some hiccups and typos here and there, but on the whole they're fine. They are, however, bowdlerized to the point of hilarity. You get scenes where these blood-covered gangsters are stabbing one another, and the subtitles have them yelling things like, "You jerk!" Which adds to the experience, but maybe not in a good way.

Anyway, watch it, then come back here, and we'll go together to see what AO3 has in the way of fix-it fic, okay?

He's a Benjamin Button baseball boy!

[a-living-canvas]

-request from anon for continuation <333

Part 1

Decay II

"Henchman, can we talk for a moment?"

Whumper asked, nodding their heads to Henchman to enter their office. Henchman followed their steps, closing the door and stood in front of the desk. "Yes, boss?"

Whumper seemed to be deep in thought, tapping their fingers on the table. They took a deep breath, sighing softly. If possible, they didn't want to question Henchman like this, he's their loyal subordinate, after all. But they couldn't shake the weird feeling pooling in their stomach. Something must have happened that he didn't know of.

"I told you to take care of Whumpee. Where were you when they broke the vase?"

"I was using the restroom at that time…"

Whumper went silent again, thinking. "Did you ask them why they did what they did?"

Henchman raised an eyebrow, turning the wheels inside his brain. Of course he didn't ask Whumpee, but he wouldn't tell that to Whumper. "Whumpee said they couldn't stand living here. Maybe it's just them being defiant. You don't need to worry so much though. You already punished them, right?"

Whumper sighed, feeling frustration building up at Henchman's tone of voice. " Well, yeah…"

Another silence but this time Whumper lifted and locked their eyes with Henchman. They narrowed their eyes, examining Henchman carefully. His body language and energy. He was nervous, Whumper could tell. And when Henchman evaded his eyes from Whumper— Bingo.

"Are you lying?"

Henchman was caught off guard by the question. He cleared his throat, chuckling nervously. "No, I'm not. Why would I?"

Whumper shrugged, crossing their arms. "I mean, I know my Whumpee. They might be a brat, but they know when to stop fighting...and that brat stopped resisting after I cut off their tongue."

Henchman shifted slightly, fidgeting with his fingers. It's a rare occurrence for him to be scared of Whumper, and he was pretty sure Whumper had already seen right through him. They could smell people's fear anyway, and right now, Henchman was reek of it.

"Lock the door." Whumper ordered. They hoped the slight flinch coming from Henchman could make them feel a bit better but no, they felt so much anger and annoyance to even feel happy about it.

Henchman locked the door hesitantly, he could feel Whumper's gaze burning through his skull, straight to his soul. Whumper walked closer and Henchman forced himself to stay calm and not let out a pathetic whimper that was bubbling at the back of his throat.

Whumper was just that intimidating.

"Kneel. Hands behind your head."

"B-boss, please—!"

"I said kneel, you piece of—"

"Okay, okay! I will do it…"

Henchman got on his knees, lifting his arms as he brought his hands behind his head. Whumper was circling him, taking in his form before they crouched down behind him. They pulled out a scissor and with one swift motion, tearing Henchman's shirt apart.

"Boss, w-what are you—"

"Shut up."

Whumper stood up, unbuckling their belt before wrapping the end around their right fist. They hit Henchman's back with a light smack, and a slight whimper was heard coming from him.

"It will get more painful after this."

Henchman bit down his bottom lip, trying to control his emotions. He couldn't get caught now, he wanted to have more fun bullying Whumpee. And actually, he didn't even know if Whumper would let them live if they knew the truth. 

"I will ask you some questions like earlier. Everytime you lie, I will hit you for punishment. Deal?"

"Y-yes…"

"Good. You signed for this." Whumper paced back and forth slowly behind Henchman. "First question, where were you when Whumpee broke the vase?"

"Y-you asked that earlier—"

A sharp, burning pain landed across Henchman's back. He took a deep breath, holding his trembling body as Whumper repeated their question. "Tell me the truth."

"T-toilet—"

Another hit, another pitiful whine and whimper.

"I don't believe that. I will ask you for the third time, where were you when Whumpee broke the vase?"

Henchman stayed silent, sniffling and panting softly. Whumper sighed, lifting the belt again to leave another mark on his back. "Answer me—"

"W-watching!"

Whumper raised an eyebrow, lowering their hands. "Watching?"

"Y-yes…"

"...You watched them break the vase?"

Henchman nodded and something clicked inside Whumper's mind. They grabbed a fistful of Henchman's hair, pulling it upwards to meet his gaze. With a gritted teeth, they asked, "Did you force Whumpee to do it?"

No answers. Only a look of pure fear reflecting in Henchman's eyes. Whumper let go of his hair and without hesitation, sending a few painful strikes across Henchman's back. He let out a blood-curdling scream, arching his back as he pleaded desperately for Whumper to stop.

"I will keep doing this until I heard some truths coming out from that filthy mouth."

~

"Ah, little one's sleeping."

Whumper murmured softly. They sat beside Whumpee's small bed, looking at their peaceful expression. 

'They move a lot in their sleep, huh?'

Whumper thought, pulling the blanket up under Whumpee's chin. They tucked Whumpee's arms inside, feeling guilt washed over them.

If only they listen to Whumpee. If only they investigate the matter first before punishing them, Whumpee wouldn't end up in this state.

Whumpee stirred awake in their sleep, looking up at Whumper with half-lidded eyes. Whumper smiled softly. "Hi, little one…"

They pushed a few strands of hair out of Whumpee's forehead before looking at them apologetically. "I'm sorry about your hands, I should have known it's not your fault…"

Whumper sighed. "Are you mad at me?" 

Whumpee hummed a little before shaking their head. It's not Whumper's fault, it's Henchman's. Even though they lost their hands for nothing, Whumpee still wasn't mad at them. They were mostly only scared…

"I can't give you your hands back but I will let you rest for…um, three days? Are three days okay?"

Whumpee nodded again, smiling this time. Whumper sighed in relief, ruffling Whumpee's hair. "I already fired Henchman, you won't see him again, okay?"

"Mhm…" Whumpee hummed softly. Little did they know Henchman's already dead and was being fed to Whumper's dogs because of them.

~

@nothing-but-glitter-and-lashes @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @risk606 @heyyitsworld @electrons2006

[a-world-with0ut-dr34ms]

Kinktober Prompt ~ Deepthroating

Phillip Graves x Shadow!Reader

You decide to pay your commander a little visit during one of his later nights in the office...

NSFW 18+, Shameless Smut, Porn w/out Plot, Teasing, Flirting, Slight Build-Up, Commander/Subordinate play (but with no non-con dynamics), Blowjobs, Mentions of drooling, Gagging, Face-fucking, Facial (?), Graphic Description, Drabble, Scarcely Proofread

I have too much freetime at work (.-. )

Masterlist

"You have a minute, Commander?"

Graves looks up from the mountain of paperwork littered over his desk, letting his tired blue eyes lift from his monitor screen and towards your frame in the doorway.

The white glow from his screen illuminates the blond streaks to his hair and stubble, as well as the growing wear and tear on his face from the past few week's assignments with the company. The amount of things he had to do within a given day would no doubt age anyone in this line of work by a few years. Though the sight of you always seemed to bring some sort of that lost youth of his back. It often showed in his smile, with those pearly whites he so proudly liked to show off.

"For you darlin'," Graves pushes himself from his desk, letting his chair roll back towards the wall behind him. "I've got two minutes. Hell, maybe even three, if you ask me nicely."

"Lucky me." You laugh beneath your breath, the blush rising to your cheeks at his dumb little humor. You knew he only joked around twice as much with you because he found you adorable when you laughed.

The door clicks shut behind you, and not even two seconds after you're already sauntering your way over, a flirtatious smile slowly forming on your lips.

Graves watches you as you do, his body further sinking back into his chair as though it were the only way to properly take a good look at you. The man could watch you all day if time allowed it, always getting a kick out of watching you scurry about base trying to fix everyone's problems for them, his included.

"You're up late," Graves comments, his eyes quickly catching that 11:43 P.M. timestamp at the corner of his screen.

You push the man's many office supplies to the side before making the corner of his desk a seat. "So are you."

"Duty calls," the commander shrugs. "The sooner I get all of this shit wrapped up though, the sooner I can move on with things."

"Is that right?" you begin to tease. "Now where have I heard that one before?"

"Oh don't you start." Graves lets out a heavy sigh as he sinks back into his chair, closing his eyes and letting his head rest back against the cushion.

You giggle mischievously to yourself, before an equally dubious idea piques your fancy. You sit up from his desk, tip-toeing your way over silently, stalking your commander as he continued to sit with his eyes closed.

You bring yourself in front of your him, towering over Graves, smiling. "Feels like you're always working late nights these days."

"Yeah it does," he groans. "But, it'll payoff."

"Well..." you say, purposefully being coy. "Do you have time for a little break?"

Graves opens one eye, finding you standing over him with that little look of yours. The look of trouble. It riles him up a bit, safe to say.

"I have three minutes," he coos teasingly.

You slowly bring yourself to your knees, letting your hands rest on his thighs on your way down. The subtle squeezes you make as you adjust yourself send shivers up his legs, making the growing bulge in his uniform start to throb with anticipation.

"That's all the time I need," you say.

Graves chuckles. "That's a bold claim."

Your hands slide up his thighs, making their way to his belt and teasing him with your fingers the entire way.

"Don't doubt me love," you purr.

"Oh I'm not doubtin' ya," he says. "I'd just love to see you try, sweetheart."

"You'll owe me a favor if I prove you wrong."

"I can live with that."

You just loved to tease your commander; it wasn't often he gave you the opportunity to. Graves was always so sure of himself, and it got you off seeing such a man licking his lips and humming to your touch like you're the most powerful women in the world. It only excited you for what you planned on doing next.

The bulge in his pants is already hard as a rock once your hand finally glides over, your fingers feeling the large shape of him through his uniform. You grope and paw at him as your other hand unbuckles his belt, the man already moaning lightly beneath his breath and letting you know how ready he was for you.

"Clock's ticking," he playfully warns.

The belt falls to the floor, your hands making quick work of his buttons before you've finally pulled his pants halfway down his thighs, the bulge in his underwear sitting there uncomfortably like a tent. It makes you giggle as you pull him out, your delicate hand wrapping over his cock, feeling the soft skin and veiny limb of his that had been dying for some more attention from you.

You bring his head to the edge of your bottom lip, letting your breath tickle the tip of him, chills shivering down him with anticipation. You let your tongue touch him first, soft wetness playfully lining the head of his cock as you let your tongue swirl around him, already tasting light remnants of pre-cum webbing from him to your lips.

Your tongue travels down his shaft next, leaving a long trail of saliva on its way down to the base of his cock, as your lips gently grazed him, your hand tugging lightly as you licked and tasted your commander like a popsicle. And as if your teasing hadn't been enough, your other hand had already been dancing over him, finding his balls and cupping them your palms as you licked him. It makes Graves groan delightfully, the man's head cocking back again and his abdomen flexing at your touch.

"Mm, there you go baby," he hums. "You've got it."

Graves can't help but have his hands rest against you, having one feathering your arm and the other against your neck. You already knew the man couldn't wait to bring that hand up to your hair and grab a handful of it, forcing your mouth down on his cock.

Your tongue travels back up to the tip, giving it another good swirl, until you've finally had enough and let your lips clasp around him, his cock slowly entering your mouth.

Graves' hands tangled into your hair, his rough grip taking a more firm hold against you. He guides your mouth down on him, helping you bob your head and using you to his own ends. At each thrust down he makes you go deeper, greedily taking more and more of him.

Sharp groans leaves his lips when he feels his cock squeeze its way down your throat, feeling that tight, wet space tighten around him and your gagging voice vibrate against his skin.

He can't help but hold your head there a little longer, feeling you gag and choke over him as your spit made a mess of his uniform. He waits until the bitter end, feeling your nails dig at his thighs before he finally lets you come up for air; he damn near finishes right then and there when you've immediately brought him back into your mouth not even a second after you got your breath again. He couldn't be more proud of his girl.

He wanted to feel every inch of your mouth, have his cock hit the back of your throat so many times that when he finally pulled away you were gasping for air. Graves wouldn't complain if you'd just wanted to fuck him instead, though he'll never say no to this. Nothing beats that doe-eyed expression you had, looking up at him as you took him all in your mouth, as though to taunt him. It makes him smile, his body damn near at the edge of his seat.

Your speed quickens, your lips locking around Graves cock as you continued to suck and lick at him, only coming up for short breaths of air before taking him back into your mouth again. With this kind of performance, Graves almost felt he should give you a promotion.

The faster you went the less the man found himself in control of things. His hips buck and jirate at your touch with less reservations, his toes practically curling in his boots. When you go even faster, the man's body unconsciously humps into your mouth, thrusting and making you gag over him as he's hit the back of your throat.

When he wanted you even deeper, he brought his hands back to your head, helping guide you over him. Though you did so good on your own, he could barely concentrate enough to actually be of any use.

He fucks your mouth more aggressively, feeling every bit of raw emotion bubble in him, until his cock has finally reached it's limit.

He pulls his cock back from your mouth, furiously pumping at himself as you sat there with you mouth open, tongue out and ready for him. His voice shakes as he cums, his warm fluids gushing over your tongue and lips. You lick everything up without question, giving his cock a good cleaning with your tongue as well before parting ways.

"How many minutes was that?" you ask.

Graves looks at the clock and smirks. "Three."

Now you laugh. "Looks like you owe me a favor then, Commander."

♡´･ᴗ･`♡

[anyasathenaeum]

Elysium (Dad!Vash fic) - Chapter 2

A/N: Hello again everybody! Here is chapter 2 to my Dad!Vash fic that I randomly got inspiration to write. This chapter is a heavy-duty angst platter, make sure you read the warnings because this gets kinda dark and real sad. There's hurt/comfort in there too, though. And she's a chonker at 6.4k words. Anyways, enjoy! This chapter was cross-posted to AO3 here.

Story Summary: Vash the Stampede remains in hiding after the disaster of Julai city. In the year since the disaster, you and Vash have had children and are living a quiet life in town, until one day, the arrival of bandits threatens to rip away the life you and Vash have built together. What will Vash give to protect his family?

Warnings: Reader is AFAB in this work, referred to using she/her pronouns and "Mama" by the kids, explicit and graphic descriptions of guns, blood and violence, the children are included in the angst and violence so please proceed accordingly

Chapter Wordcount: 6.4k

Chapter 2: Calamity

Darkness surrounded you. There was nothing you could see or smell or feel near you that could tell you anything about where you were.

'Vash... Oh, Vash...' You thought to yourself over and over, 'I'm so sorry. Please... be okay.... please, find us.'

It had been complete and utter chaos before either you or your children could react. The three of you had been happily playing together in the living room of your home when you suddenly heard the front door open and shut. You thought none the wiser of it and called out when you heard the door close.

"How was town, my love?"

However, when you received no reply, you immediately knew something was wrong. Before you could even turn your head, you saw little Rem and little Nicholas's eyes go wide and Rem screamed out "MAMA!" before you felt something hard connect with the back of your head and you plunged into darkness. You never even had a chance to look at the person who had attacked you, but given the fear in your children's faces, it wasn't somebody you knew.

Eventually, the darkness that had surrounded you for however long you'd been unconscious for began to recede, and you began to hear snippets of conversations happening around you.

"-ou think this was a good idea?"

"The bastard had it coming for showing us up like that!"

"If you're sure, boss."

You could make out two distinct voices - the first sounded uncertain and nervous, wobbling slightly as the person spoke, while the second sounded aggressive and irritated, as if trying to justify their decision. If you had to guess by the sounds of the voices, and the fact that the word "boss" was used, this was a conversation between a subordinate and their higher-up. Were these the individuals responsible for your kidnapping? Your children's kidnapping?

With a quiet groan, you slowly opened your eyes, your head throbbing painfully where you were struck when you were knocked out as the light shone in your face. As your vision adjusted to the light, you began to look around, trying to determine where exactly you were. It was a decrepit building, long-abandoned by the looks of it. The walls were faded and the wallpaper peeling, all the windows were cracked or shattered and scratched up from the sandstorms the building had weathered. Piles of sand lay in empty corridors that stretched endlessly, the glaring suns shining down through cracks and holes that had been made with the passage of time and lack of care given to the structure. As you began to look around, you put the pieces together of where you were - the abandoned school house that rested on the outskirts of town. You were laying on the ground, your hands tied together behind your back and your ankles bound together with rope.

"Hmm? Boss! She's up!"

You heard the first voice call out, and as you looked up, you saw a particularly nasty-looking bandit's face come into focus, smirking down at you.

"Ah? Well, well, well, good morning, Missus Saverem! About time you rejoined us in the land of the living!"

"Maybe if you or your goons hadn't hit me as hard, I would've rejoined you sooner," You snapped at the bandit, glaring at him with a look that certainly would've killed him were it possible.

"You've got some fire in you, haven't you, doll? I guess that's why your husband chose you, huh?" The bandit chuckled coldly, and you felt your heart sink in your chest as the bandit brought up Vash. What did he have to do with all this?

Before you could retort, a small sound caught your attention - a terrified whimper. You quickly looked towards the source of the sound, and you felt a combination of emotions flood your veins. Fear. Helplessness. Rage.

The source of the sound: your children.

Rem and Nicholas were laying not too far away from you, both of them bound exactly as you were. However, in addition to the ropes binding their arms and legs, there were pieces of fabric tied across their mouths to silence any potential cries or screams that would alert people to the situation. Nicholas was squirming like crazy, trying desperately to free himself from his bindings, while Rem was looking at you, the fear she was feeling unmistakably visible in her eyes, tears coursing down her little cheeks. She let out another terrified whimper as she tried to cry out to you.

"Release them!" You shouted at the bandit leader, your rage blazing through you, "They're just children! Let them go!"

"Hmm, I don't think so," The bandit leader replied coolly, a heartless chuckle escaping him as he snapped his fingers at his subordinates. The other bandits present came over to where Nicholas and Rem were laying and picked them both up, causing them both to wriggle uncontrollably and let out muffled cries of terror.

"Leave them alone! Put them down!" You screamed, your voice borderline pleading for the safety of your children. You had never felt so helpless in your life, unable to reach your babies, unable to protect them. They were mere feet away from you and felt more out of reach than they had ever been before.

"Move 'em. As we discussed," The bandit leader commanded, and his henchmen swiftly headed towards the outside of the building.

Before you could scream out again or even think, a burning pain erupted in your head as the bandit leader grabbed your hair and pulled hard, his face getting way too close to yours. The grin on his face made you want to beat him to a pulp, pure unadulterated hatred coursing through you. You let out a pained hiss, refusing to cry out as the man pulled your hair.

"We're following 'em, doll."

Another pained sound escaped you as he pulled on your hair ruthlessly, and you struggled as you tried to escape the bandit leader's grasp, but to no avail. The bandit leader simply laughed at your pathetic attempt to free yourself of him, and you found yourself being dragged by one of your arms through the sand and across the floor of the abandoned building. You winced as you felt sharp, broken tiles scratching and tearing your skin, but you bit your lip hard to keep yourself quiet, refusing to allow the bandits and your children to have any inkling of the pain you were feeling. You refused to give in. For Rem and for Nicholas.

By the time you were dragged outside, your legs and arms were torn and bleeding in multiple places, but you refused to so much as glance at your many wounds. You could hear Rem and Nicholas's muffled screams as they no doubt caught sight of you bleeding, and you quickly looked over to where your children were laying in the hot sand, both looking at you with eyes wide with terror.

"I'm okay, babies," You called to your children, your tone as gentle and soothing as you could possibly make it, "Don't worry. Mama's alright. They're just scratches."

Nicholas continued to thrash aggressively, still fighting his bindings with every ounce of energy he could possibly muster as he tried to get to you, regardless of the hold that the bandit had on him - a truly stubborn spirit, much like his namesake. Rem, however, lay in the sand calmly, just gazing at you and studying you carefully for any sign of distress. When she heard your words, she relaxed, no longer crying out through her gag, instead just focusing on you and keeping her eyes on you.

"That's right, my love," You called to Rem, smiling at her comfortingly, "Keep your eyes on Mama. I'm right here. Nick, love, stop squirming. It's okay. You're okay."

Nicholas immediately stopped when you spoke to him, his wide eyes looking up at you incredulously, as if surprised and slightly insulted that you should tell him to stop fighting. Had the situation not been what it was, you would've laughed - little Nicholas was proving to be a lot more like Wolfwood than you had ever anticipated. Your choice of name for him could not have been more appropriate.

As you looked at the bandits holding you and your children hostage, you realized that none of them were looking at you or Rem or Nicholas anymore. All of them were looking towards the town, and when you followed their gazes, you saw exactly what they were looking at; there was a figure a little ways off, somebody walking towards the group. You didn't even have to catch sight of their features to know who it was, your heart beginning to thunder in your chest.

Vash.

***

Vash didn't really remember how or when he got to the path leading to the abandoned school house. All he remembered was the feeling of his heart shattering in his chest when he found your wedding ring, the children's broken toy, and the note left behind as indication of your whereabouts. Endless questions raced in his mind as he took off running towards the place where his family supposedly was. Were you and the children hurt? Were you alive? What would he find when he got there? Would it just be a trade-off? Him for you and the children? Or would he come too late to save you all? Would he find his family, all those he loves in the world, too far gone to save?

'Gods, no... please, no,' Vash thought to himself on repeat, pleading and begging any deity that existed that he hadn't lost his family the moment his peacekeeping nature made him interfere with the bandits. 'Let them be safe. I'll never ask for anything ever again. Let them all be safe. (Y/N)... Nicholas... Rem...'

Your faces swirled in Vash's mind, all three of you smiling, laughing with not a single care in the world, just as you had this morning, the same morning that felt like it was a different lifetime now. You... his life partner, his best friend, his spouse, his soulmate and better half. Nicholas and Rem, the proof of your and Vash's love, half of him and half of you embodied, his babies that he loved more than life itself and would sacrifice anything for. All three of you... his reasons for still living.

As Vash approached the abandoned school building, he could see figures coming out of it. He could make out Rem and Nicholas, tied up and hoisted over a bandit's shoulders as he carried them outside before laying them down in the hot sand. Shortly afterwards, another figure appeared, dragging a final figure behind it mercilessly. It was you, also bound, and from what Vash could see at this distance, you were bleeding.

A spike of white-hot rage went through Vash. How dare they hurt you? You hadn't done anything wrong. He was the reason to blame, not you. He should be the one being injured for his daring to interfere, not you. Thankfully, from what Vash could see, neither one of the children were hurt, and from what he could make out, you were saying something to them, smiling at them in a way that made his heart twist violently in his chest - you were comforting them. Vash's love and respect for you, although already endless and infinite, reached a new high as he witnessed you speaking and trying to reassure your children, even though you were hurt and undoubtedly in pain.

The bandits caught sight of Vash and looked over at him, all of them focused on him as he approached. He watched as you followed the bandits' gazes, and when your eyes landed on him, he saw them widen in recognition. Then, Rem and Nicholas looked over and saw him, and they began to squirm again and let out desperate, muffled screams. The sound of his children screaming for him through their gags made Vash feel like somebody had reached into his chest and torn out his heart and crushed it in a vice.

"Quiet, you brats!" One of the bandits shouted, and Vash watched as Rem and Nicholas both flinched at the shout and stopped thrashing, their eyes wide in terror.

"Don't you yell at my children!" You shouted in turn at the bandit, anger blazing in your eyes. Vash would've smirked at your feistiness had he not been terrified for your and the children's safety. The bandit in question seemed to be taken by surprise when you yelled at him, but the bandit leader just let out a bellowing laugh as Vash got close enough to become a concern.

"Glad to see you got my note, Mr. Saverem!" The bandit leader taunted, smiling coldly at Vash before sweeping his arm out dramatically, "As you can see, I think your luck has begun to run out."

Vash felt his heart racing in his chest as the bandit spoke, but he fought to maintain a façade of complete and utter calm, so neither you nor the children would be able to tell just how scared he was for all of you. He had a few ideas of how this could play out, and most of them were ugly, to say the least. His only goal was to protect you and Nicholas and Rem, regardless of the cost, and to get you all out of this situation as unscathed as possible.

"What do you want?" Vash asked bluntly, keeping his eyes on the bandit leader and keeping tabs on the others in his periphery. He continued to approach slowly until the bandit leader suddenly un-holstered his pistol and pointed it at him, the cold smile on the bandit leader's face only widening.

"That's close enough."

Vash, however, didn't listen, focused only on getting as close as possible to you, Rem and Nicholas, so that when things went down, he could quickly get over to you and get you out of danger. It wasn't until the bandit leader quickly pointed his pistol down at your head that Vash froze in his tracks. He could see the other bandits pulling out their pistols before pointing them down at Rem and Nicholas, causing the children to scream hysterically through their gags as they began to thrash crazily, the scene and sounds shredding Vash's heart in his chest. He bit his lip so hard that he could taste blood, refusing to give in to the stinging of his eyes, not letting the bandits realize they were pointing their pistols at the only things keeping him alive. It was tantamount to having a pistol flush up against his chest, right over his heart, and preparing to pull the trigger.

"Stop, stop!" Vash exclaimed, putting his hands up in surrender. "Please, just don't hurt them! Your fight is with me, not them."

The bandit leader let out a maniacal laugh, and when Nicholas and Rem continued to scream and squirm, he glanced at the bandits near them and snapped, "Shut 'em up! Now!"

Vash couldn't help but watch as the bandits pressed their boots into Rem and Nicholas's backs, pinning them into the sand and keeping them from wriggling, pistols still pointed at their heads. This only terrified Rem and Nicholas more, causing them not only to scream, but now to cry hysterically too, tears of terror coursing down their cheeks as their little bodies were pinned down.

"Please, stop! They're innocent!" Vash pleaded, watching his babies screaming and crying helplessly in terror as the bandits pinned them down. He could hear you roaring at the bandits to get their feet off your babies, and he watched you manage to get to your knees in a rage, fighting to get to your children as you hurled every possible insult you could think of at the bandits. The rage and terror continued to grow in Vash's chest as he watched the bandits mistreat his family. The final thread keeping him calm began to fray with every second that passed. He could feel his façade beginning to slip, his true emotions, his rage, his hatred, his desire to hurt those threatening you and the children beginning to take over.

The final thread snapped the moment after the bandit leader's pistol fired and the bullet lodged itself into your back as you fought to get to your children.

The force of the bullet knocked you forward into the sand, and Vash could only watch, stunned into silence, as blood began pooling beneath you as you lay motionless in front of Nicholas and Rem, their horrified little faces stained with sprays of your blood.

"M-Mayfly?..."

Red. That's all Vash could see. The red of your blood, mixing into the sand beneath you. The rage and hatred boiling over within him, driving him to the point of breaking. You were hurt, possibly dead, in front of your children.

In front of his children.

Vash didn't even register the pain of his skin cracking and shifting to allow his beautiful, feathered yet misshapen wings to begin bursting forth all over from him. His back, his arms, his torso, wings burst through his skin, feathers growing and covering his wings and body. His fangs, while present before, became prominent now as he snarled at the bandits. The beautiful blue of his iris was taken over by an ethereal, inhuman white as nothing but pure, unaltered rage coursed through him. He could no longer feel sadness or fear, no longer masquerading as a human. Vash was now a calamity, the embodiment of fury itself, set on destroying whatever lay before it.

The pure terror on the bandits' faces as they witnessed Vash's true form did nothing but feed the flame of Vash's rage, of his hatred, as neither you nor his children had been spared from the terror inflicted upon you by the bandits.

"S-Stop! S-Stop, o-or... or we'll shoot them!"

The bandit leader's voice was no longer cold and confident, but rather shaky, weak and filled with fear. He made the grave mistake of cocking his pistol and pointing it directly at Rem's head, her little eyes filled with horrified tears and a scream of terror slipping through her gag.

With unmatchable speed, Vash was gripping the bandit leader's arm so hard that the man cried out and dropped the pistol instantly. However, Vash didn't stop there, tightening his grip until he felt a crack and the bandit howled in pain, struggling to free himself of Vash's crushing hold.

"You hurt my family. You hurt my wife. You terrorize my children, and now, you threaten to kill them before me. You threaten to take everything I treasure most in this world away from me. For that..." Vash's voice was scarily level, echoing across the dunes of sand and filled with nothing but sheer venom, his glowing white eyes remaining fixed on the bandit leader's face, "I'm going to make you pay."

The bandits hovering over Rem and Nicholas scrambled backwards as they attempted to flee, screaming and hollering in pure fear and panic, but Vash's wings had extended and managed to wrap around them, before throwing them with inhuman force towards the abandoned school building. The sound of the bandits making contact with the solid walls echoed, and they both fell motionless into the sand, leaving the others running for dear life while the bandit leader remained in Vash's hold.

"S-Spare me! Please, spare me! W-We'll never step foot i-in this town again! I swear! P-Please!"

The bandit leader begged and pleaded pathetically, tears going down his face as he continued trying to free his now-broken wrist from Vash's grasp. However, Vash didn't let go, instead tightening his grasp even more and making the bandit leader howl in agony and bringing his face very close to the leader's, his voice still scarily quiet and level but still retaining its otherworldly air.

"You think you deserve mercy after what you've done?"

Before the bandit leader could even begin to process Vash's words, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped like a stone into the sand, going unconscious from a combination of pure terror and pain from Vash gripping his broken wrist, who had broken other bones, too, in his rage.

As the final threat went unconscious, Vash's gaze went to his family. He could see the twins, now freed of their bindings, kneeling by your side, shaking you with their tiny fists and screeching for you to wake up, tears pouring down their faces.

"MAMA! MAMA, WAKE UP! MAMA, PLEASE! MAMA!"

Both Rem and Nicholas's voices, begging you to wake up, broke Vash's heart. Thankfully, in this form, he could sense your heart still beating in your chest - you were luckily still alive. You were not yet lost to him or to your children. The bullet had missed anything vital, but you were still bleeding and needed help as soon as you could get it.

However, as Vash took a step towards your motionless form, the twins looked at him with pure horror in their eyes. Vash's heart plummeted as Rem and Nicholas clutched each other and began to scream at the top of their lungs, clearly terrified by Vash's form.

"Nicholas... Rem... my loves, it's me," Vash spoke softly, trying to seem less threatening, lowering his wings and approaching them slowly, "It's Papa. I'm your Papa."

But the moment he reached his hand and wings out towards you, Nicholas ran forward and placed his tiny body in front of yours, his arms outstretched as he looked up at Vash almost defiantly. His beautiful blue eyes, a mirror of Vash's own in human form, were still filled with fear and tears continued to slip down his cheeks, but his little voice was determined.

"No! Don't touch Mama! You'll hurt her! Go away!"

Rem bravely stood beside her twin, her own face filled with terror and fear as she looked at Vash in this form, but she stood her ground, protecting her mother and echoing her brother.

"Go away! Don't touch our Mama!"

Vash kneeled down before them so that he was eye-level with them, before closing his eyes and lowering his head, taking deep breaths as he tried frantically to calm himself enough to revert back to his human form. Slowly, his wings retracted and his feathers began to molt, his blue irises reappearing as he calmed down, allowing himself to let go of the fury and the hatred that had been coursing through him; the fury and the hatred that had died the moment he saw his children's terror directed at him.

Eventually, Vash was back to normal, and when he opened his eyes, it broke his heart to see that his children were still looking at him warily, clearly unsure if they trusted him despite recognizing him now as their father.

"My babies... my loves, it's me," Vash tried again, his voice gently pleading as his heart twisted in his chest painfully. "I'm sorry I scared you both. I'm not gonna hurt Mama, I promise. I'd never hurt Mama. But Mama needs help right now. We need to go."

Nicholas and Rem stood their ground, looking uncertainly at Vash before nodding and turning towards where you lay on the sand. Vash stood slowly and stepped forward to embrace the twins, but as he hugged them to him, the horrified shriek they each let out and the way they struggled to escape his grip broke Vash's heart in a million pieces then and there.

'What have I done?' Vash thought to himself as he let go of Nicholas and Rem immediately, seeing how his own children stumbled in an attempt to get away from him, scared of their own father. He hadn't accounted for the fact that snapping would've terrified his children to the point where they no longer felt safe around him. Letting them see him like that terrified them worse than anything else had that day. A soft sniffle escaped Vash as his emotions finally overwhelmed him, and tears welled up in his eyes as he moved towards you, scooping you up into his arms gently. Your head rested limply against Vash's shoulder, and seeing the blood staining your skin only worsened his heartbreak. He pressed his forehead against yours, squeezing his eyes shut as a sob escaped from Vash's lips, his tears falling onto your cheeks.

How did this happen?

"Rem... Nicholas, come on. Please, my loves," Vash said softly, not even trying to hide his tears anymore as he looked at his children. "We need to go to the doctor right now. Mama needs help."

Nicholas and Rem stood away from him, but seeing how he held you in his arms, and watching as Vash began to cry holding you, the twins' fear seemed to lessen and they nodded, slowly following Vash at a distance as he took you to the doctor in town.

Immediately, the doctor jumped into action, his old eyes wide behind his glasses as he saw the bullet wound in your back and the scratches and cuts all over your limbs. Two of the nurses looked after Rem and Nicholas, examining them and wiping the blood and sand off their face and giving them lollipops for their cooperation while the rest of the team looked after you.

Vash, however, isolated himself in the tiny waiting room of the clinic, resting his head in his hands as he covered his face, his whole body shaking. Guilt, sadness, helplessness, heartbreak, fear, self-hatred, all of these emotions swirled within him as he fought to stay in one piece. Snippets of what had occurred replayed in his mind in an endless loop; the twins being pinned down, their desperate cries and tears of terror, you fighting to get to them and getting shot in front of them, the horror in the twins' faces as they watched Vash take out the bandits in his Plant form, the screams they let out when Vash tried to hug them, them protecting you from him...

"Mr. Saverem?"

Vash's head shot up as the doctor looked at him, his expression understanding and kind. He walked over and sat in the rickety chair next to Vash's, sighing heavily.

"(Y/N)'s fine. She's recovering now. Managed to get the bullet out no problem and stitch her up. But she'll need some tender, loving care for a couple weeks as she recovers. No lifting, no twisting, nothing that could pop a stitch or reopen the wound."

Vash nodded, letting out a breath of relief as the doctor announced that you would be fine. He ran a hand through his long, messy blonde hair, and replied shakily, "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate it. Thank you for looking after her and my children."

The doctor nodded before frowning, "I believe I owe you an apology, Mr. Saverem. This incident was because I revealed your name to the bandit after you saved me from their beating me. I'm so sorry, Mr. Saverem."

"This isn't your fault, doc," Vash replied immediately, looking at the old man with a guilty expression, "It's mine. I couldn't even protect my own family."

"But you did, son," The doctor said, looking back at Vash with a kind smile, "You protected them. They're still here because of you. At least, that's what the twins have been saying. Although they still seem pretty shaken themselves, the poor little ones."

Vash bit down on his already-injured lip once more, fighting hard against the stinging behind his eyes again as the doctor brought up Rem and Nicholas being shaken. Their screams of fear echoed in Vash's ears, and a choked, strangled sobbing sound escaped from him against his will. The doctor placed his hand on Vash's back, rubbing it comfortingly as Vash finally began to fall to pieces.

Soft sobs escaped from Vash as he covered his face with his hands, his tears going down his real and prosthetic arms, his whole body shaking with every sob as his heartbreak overwhelmed him at last. The doctor stayed with him as he cried, not saying anything but just rubbing his back and offering what comfort he could. After a few minutes, Vash tried his best to pull himself back together and get his emotions under control, wiping his face and sniffling as he struggled to calm down.

"It's alright, son," The doctor spoke softly, his tone gentle and understanding, "You and your family have survived a terrifying ordeal. I'd be worried if you weren't upset."

The doctor stood slowly from his rickety chair, before disappearing back into the clinic for a few minutes. Then, when the doctor returned, there was a smile on his face.

"Your wife is awake. She's asking for you."

Vash's heart jolted in his chest as he shot to his feet, immediately following the doctor back to the room where you were laying, recuperating from being patched up. As he stepped foot into your room, you sat up in your bed and your eyes widened at the sight of your husband, his eyes red and puffy from his tears, the tear tracks still evident on his cheeks. You reached out towards him, wanting him to come to you so you could comfort him, hold him, reassure him that everything was okay.

Vash immediately walked over to you, his steps large as he urgently made his way to your side. He hugged you tightly, his body pressing against your own as he held you close. You could feel him shaking, and you squeezed him tightly to you as best you could without agitating your wound.

"Vash... oh, Vash, I'm so sorry," You mumbled immediately, hugging your husband with every ounce of strength you had in your body. "I couldn't protect them. Rem... Nicholas... I failed to keep them safe. They kidnapped us and knocked me out, and-"

"It's not your fault, Mayfly," Vash cut you off, his tears beginning to course down his cheeks once again as he saw how much you blamed yourself for this, "It's mine. I'm so sorry, (Y/N). It's all my fault. I stepped in when the-the bandits, they were attacking the doctor, and... and... they saw the picture I had of you and the twins. They went after you because of me. I'm so, so sorry. You got hurt because I couldn't protect you. Because I was reckless and stupid. Forgive me, (Y/N). Please... forgive me. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry."

You felt your heart breaking in your chest as Vash wept and begged for your forgiveness, and all you could do was tug him until he was curled up in your hospital bed next to you, sobbing into you as you held him close. You ran your fingers through his hair to soothe him, just as you had done over the years you had known him, pressing gentle kisses to Vash's face in an attempt to comfort him.

"I forgave you long before you could ever do anything needing forgiveness, Vash," You whispered to him, kissing his cheek tenderly as you held him close, "You don't need my forgiveness for this. You protected us."

"I... I lost control, (Y/N)," Vash admitted through his tears, sobbing into your skin as he does so, "I... I changed. I changed into... into..."

Vash was unable to continue, weeping harder than before as his memories replayed of those moments, of everything that happened when he was in his Plant form. However, in seeing his distress, you managed to put the pieces together as to what had happened.

"Your Plant form?" You finished for him, your tone gentle as your husband sobbed in your arms, inconsolable; all Vash could do was nod against you, his tears only worsening.

You couldn't understand why Vash was so distraught by the fact that he had changed into his Plant form, especially given that your entire family was safe. He had managed to protect you all.

As if reading your mind, Vash sobbed out, "T-They saw, (Y/N). Rem and Nick... they saw. I terrified them, (Y/N). They screamed when I tried to hug them afterwards, they-they fought to escape me. They wouldn't let me near you. They... they thought I'd hurt you. They're terrified of me."

The heartbreak, so evident in Vash's words and on his face, was enough to make you tear up. You knew that he loved Rem and Nicholas more than life itself, and that he would give absolutely anything for them. So to have them be afraid of Vash, afraid to let him hug them or be near them, to see him as a threat? Your heart ached for him worse than ever before.

"Oh, Vash..." You whispered softly, tears welling in your eyes as you held him close, just letting him clutch onto you and take comfort from you however he needed. "I'm so sorry, my love. But... I'm sure they're not terrified. You frightened them, yes, but give them time. Today... was a very difficult and scary day for them. They went through a lot, even if they weren't physically injured. Seeing you like that on top of everything else... must've just been the tipping point. Give them time, my love. They're in shock. They need time."

As you spoke to Vash, continuing your loving stroking of his hair, he began to slowly calm down, his sobs becoming little more than hiccups and sniffles as his head rested on your chest. You had never seen Vash so distraught before, and it both warmed and broke your heart to see just how much you and Rem and Nicholas meant to him. It was undoubtable - you three were everything to him. Eventually, Vash's exhaustion got the better of him, and you watched as his eyes, those beautiful, expressive eyes you loved so much, fluttered shut, and listened to his breathing evening out as he fell into slumber in your arms.

You studied your husband's face as he slept in your arms, taking in every single detail you possibly could. His face was still youthful, almost as youthful as when you had first met him, and his chin and jaw was covered in the stubble you had grown to love on him. You gently traced over each of his features with the tip of his finger, over his eyebrows, his eyes, swollen from all his tears, his nose, his tear-stained cheeks, his lips, his jawline, you were committing him to memory.

"Mama!"

A small cry came from the doorway, and as you looked up, you saw Rem and Nicholas standing there, both looking ruffled and shaken but otherwise unharmed. Your heart ached as you saw the look on your children's faces as they looked at Vash; their expressions were unsure, cautious, even slightly afraid. Both Rem and Nicholas shifted anxiously from foot to foot, as if deciding whether they were going to be brave enough to approach you while Vash slept in your arms.

You decided to press a gentle kiss to Vash's forehead before brushing a strand of blonde hair out of his face, and then looking back at your children, who were watching you carefully. When they saw that Vash wasn't a threat and that you weren't afraid of him, they approached your hospital bed slowly.

"Come here, my loves," You patted the bed next to you on the side opposite Vash, and to your surprise, Rem jumped up without hesitation. Nicholas, however, seemed more reluctant at first, until his sister jumped up. Then, he followed suit.

You pulled both of your children into a tight hug, feeling their little arms wrap around you as they snuggled in against you right next to Vash. You could see Rem and Nicholas studying Vash's sleeping form carefully, as if trying to make sense of what they were looking at.

"I know Papa became different today," You spoke softly to them, gazing at Rem and Nicholas as you spoke, "But he loves you both so, so much. You see, Papa is special. He has special powers that let him protect us, just like he did today. When he needs to protect us, he grows wings, so he can pull us into a big hug and hold us close."

You paused, before pulling your children into a big hug to drive your point home. Rem and Nicholas were both watching you with wide, curious eyes, taking in your every word. You took their little hands in yours and slowly had them trace over Vash's face, much the way you had done before they came in, as well as down his arms and to his hands. As they traced over their father's skin, you taught them about Vash's Plant form as best you could, telling them as much as you knew about it and what it meant. By the end of it, Rem and Nicholas looked amazed, and they gazed down at their father as he slept next to them.

"When he wakes up, Papa needs a big, big hug from all of us. Do you think you can give him that?" You asked gently, looking at your children.

Nicholas simply nodded, but Rem shifted on the bed and got closer to Vash as he slept, looking down at her father. She leaned down and pressed a little kiss to Vash's cheek.

"I love you, Papa. Thank you for saving us."

Her gentle whisper and the way her small hand rested on Vash's stubbled jaw made you want to cry, and you heard Nicholas mumble softly, "Thank you, Papa. I love you."

For the first time since your kidnapping, even if just for a split second, you knew that things would be okay. There was still a long recovery ahead of you, and your children would likely need some time to work through everything they had been through, but you would work through it together, as a family. Eventually, Rem and Nicholas fell asleep on your bed, too, tucked safely and happily in between yourself and Vash, curled up in a position identical to Vash's. You couldn't help but laugh a little to yourself as you gazed at the twins and your husband. Three of a kind.

"Mrs. Saverem? There was a letter addressed to you that was dropped off by the postmaster."

One of the nurses stuck her head into your room, and you nodded your head, allowing her to hand you the letter. On the envelope, you could see your name written out in familiar handwriting - one you hadn't seen in a few months and one whose owner you knew very well.

Wolfwood.

You quickly tore open the envelope and began to read its contents. You felt your heart drop into your stomach as you took in the words on the page.

"Knives is alive. He's out to destroy humanity. We need Vash."

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Do you have any ✨spicy✨ headcanons for the Wizard/Magnus with a male farmer? (It doesn’t have to be anything TOO spicy, but I saw the Isaac/Lance/Farmer you just posted so I HAD to ask)

Absolutely love your stuff, by the way! I could spend hours reading through your blog 🥰💛

One smut Magnus/Farmer headcanons to the dear anon! 🌝

You know, I'm still not sure about my nsfw headcanons, and I don't know if I'll continue to write in the same format. But you won't know until you write, and so far I'm quite enjoying writing this sort of thing as well. But yeah, enjoy, and thanks for the ask! 💕

_________________________________________

Some random smut Magnus/male!Farmer headcanons:

⚠️ Warning: NSFW

Honestly, in the beginning Rasmodius behaved very carefully and cautiously with Farmer during sex, which made him a bit ashamed. He, an experienced wizard already at quite a respectable age, wrinkled and worried as if it was the first time he was doing it. It was just that he had not had many partners in his experience (and only with women, Magnus had no male partners), and he didn't want to hurt Farmer. After a while, when old wizard had gained confidence, he not only began to feel comfortable, but also to suggest to Farmer a couple of fantasies he might like.

Magnus had to admit: sometimes the members of the Ministry of Magic held meetings so meticulous, pointless, and boring that he envied Camilla and her nerve to walk out of event without remorse. Oh well, at least now he had a way to distract himself with something else. Like dreaming about what he'd do to Farmer in bed when he finally got back to Stardew Valley. So many opportunities to have a wild night and relax, to hear Farmer's moaning in pleasure and him screaming wizard's name over and over again... Magnus wouldn't dream much, though, for it would be rather awkward to cover protruding boner under his robe.

Spanking is probably one of Magnus' favorite practices. And the old wizard favors the role of a dominant more than a subordinate. His bloved Farmer tease Rasmodius in front of his colleagues again, or start using magic where he shouldn't, giving his wizard partner/husband a headache because of the Ministry of Magic? Expect a "lesson in good manners" this night. Though the two of them love spankings, Magnus does have a heavy hand after all, so Farmer's ass won't be looking for an adventure for another two or three weeks for sure. Or maybe Farmer will, hee hee...

DID SOMEONE SAY FROTTING- *Bonk*

No, don't even ask him for a degrading kink. He's not going to do it, and Farmer's puppy eyes aren't going to help him talk Magnus into it. It's just... Humiliating and insulting and disrespect your favorite person like that... It's so wrong, it's beyond Magnus' comprehension. Yeah, he understands that Farmer might like it, but he- Magnus can't even say the word "whore" to him. Some thrills he's willing to accept, but not this. Sorry, but no.

Not to say that Magnus is against magic and spells in sex, but usually his arsenal includes only things to be used after lovemaking. Healing spells for scratches, restorative potions, that sort of thing - just about everything you need for aftercare. Though there was one book in his library with some very, *ahem*, interesting spells for variety in bed (that headcanon with the soundproofing spell). He wouldn't mind exploring something interesting with his partner. Within reason, of course, and nothing dangerous or out of bounds.

[arachnidamoon]

Ok may I shall make request,

It’s basically a fluffy hyperfixation I had that I wish to make true but I am no writer sooooooo-

Plz?

Request: Do you do muzan stuff I hope you do- ok ok listen, muzan finding a child (y/n) in the middle of the woods and some how fell in love with the sweetheart, like loves us so much he will literally have the upper moons be body guards for this little human child-

And when I mean fell in love I mean platonically- I hope this is good- you can change whatever you want, your the writer!

Yes, I love the idea! So cute! Also, I'm weak for anything related to Muzan or the Upper Moons.

I tried my best to fit everything into one story, but I hope you like it 🥺!

Adoption (Muzan + Upper Moons + Child! Gn! Reader)

"You will look after my child until I get back."

Muzan glared at the Upper Moons as he made his order clear. His gaze only softened when he glanced at (Name)’s sleepy form in his arms. Muzan brushed a strand of hair out of their face, admiring how adorable they were. He would never admit that out loud, though. At least not in front of his subordinates.

"Not even an ounce of harm should come to (Name), so make sure you attend them correctly."

Muzan had to leave to investigate a lead that could bring him to finally find what he had long been searching for: the Blue Spider Lily. That led to a problem: he had to find someone to take care of (Name). A frown appeared on his face because, in all honesty, he didn’t want to leave his child with the Upper Moons. (Name) was human. Fragile. His subordinates, some more than others, could be a menace to the safeness of the little one.

He had no other option, though. They were the only ones strong enough to protect (Name). Muzan rubbed his temples, trying to calm down. The memories of when he found (Name) were still engraved in his mind.

——————————————————————————

The demon lord was walking around the forest, trying to find some sort of information about the whereabouts of the Blue Spider Lily. It had been snowing since the morning, making walking around the area at night difficult. Even for him. Still, he wasn’t going to let any sort of valuable information go to waste without checking it first.

Like always, it was useless information. His face turned to one of pure anger as he hit the nearest tree, which made some fragments of snow fell on top of him. Muzan brushed it off his clothes, his red eyes narrowing. He only cared about one thing right now: his and his subordinates' constant failures to find the flower he desired so much. And that was the sole reason behind his anger.

He was about to leave when a mumbled crying noise got his attention. A child. A small one, too. Muzan got closer, trying to see what was going on. And he found (Name). The human child was covered in snow, sobbing, shaking, and trying to warm up. They were quite young—around four years old. As soon as their eyes met, they stopped crying.

"Dada!"

The child wrapped their tiny arms around his leg, their (e/c) eyes fully focused on the man in front of them. Muzan wasn’t the type to feel sympathy for anyone, but his cold heart slightly melted as the human child called him father. He decided to pick them up, wrapping his arms around (Name). Muzan tried to warm the child's body, his free hand cleaning the snow off their shoulders and hair. It wasn't long until he heard a grumble from the little one's stomach.

"Let’s get you something to eat."

——————————————————————————

Now, Muzan had fully adopted (Name) as his child. All the demons knew about it since he told them. They also remembered that meeting very well. His announcement included two things: a phrase about adopting (Name) and some threats. Just in case someone decided to hurt his child.

Muzan stopped recalling the past. He had things to do. So, he finally tucked (Name) in their bed, leaning in to kiss their forehead. After that, he sat on the edge of their bed, giving instructions to his subordinates. (Name) kept peacefully sleeping the whole time, unaware of what her father was still talking about with the Upper Moons.

"If (Name) has even the slightest complain about any of you, be sure you’ll never live to see another day."

After the threat, Muzan promised himself to go back home quickly. He would check if the information was authentic, and he would return. After all, he never fully trusted the Upper Moons. Muzan put his hat on, staring at the door of (Name)'s bedroom. His eyes met a drawing (Name) had made of them, making him smile for a mere second. Then he left.

——————————————————————————

The time (Name) was able to share with the Upper Moons went by without incident. All of them acted in different ways, but the demons grew to adore the little human child.

Kokushibo acted like a guardian, not allowing anyone to hurt (Name). The Upper One was once on a walk at night with the child. As soon as they kept walking, a group of kids slightly older than (Name) crashed into them, making the little one fall to the ground. The situation didn’t end well. At first, Kokushibo asked several times for them to apologize. When they didn't, he didn’t hesitate to unsheathe his katana. A warning look in his six eyes.

"I’ll not repeat myself anymore. Apologize to (Name)-sama or face the consequences."

The kids were quick to bow now, apologizing to (Name). Once they finished, they flew away with pale faces filled with cold sweat. (Name) turned to Kokushibo, thanking him. Their eyes glinted with admiration, and their adorable smile was back on their faces.

"Whoa, you are amazing! Dad has such a strong warrior by his side!"

Kokushibo couldn’t help but crack a slight smile as the child praised him, picking them up in his arms as they carried the child back to Muzan’s house.

Douma loved playing with (Name). He was the most outgoing and affectionate of them. The Upper Two liked to make sure the little one was happy and entertained. He bought (Name) toys, tickled them, read them stories before they went to bed, and even took them to the Eternal Paradise Faith. His followers whispered and looked at the child with confusion, unable to fathom where they came from. Still, they treated (Name) with the uttermost respect. After all, their Lord Founder's guests were their guests too.

"(Name)-sama, look! I made an ice sculpture of you! Isn’t it cute?" The Upper Moon placed a small sculpture on the child's hands, signaling them to look closely at it. An excited expression in the Upper Two features.

"It is! Is super cute!" (Name)'s bright smile as they admired their present was contagious, which made Douma smile back at them.

Much like Kokushibo, Akaza was like a guardian for the little one. He was always around the kid as much as he could, trying to avoid other demons from hurting (Name). Akaza always stayed by their side as they slept, alert to any sound. One of those nights, Douma tried to enter (Name)’s room to sleep by their side, wanting to give affection to the child.

"(Name)-sama is sleeping. Get lost." With that, Akaza closed the door in Douma’s face, not allowing the Upper Two to even speak before doing so.

Hantengu used his clones around (Name) since they were able to take better care of the child than him. Sekido was the scariest one for (Name). Not only because he acted like an authoritative figure but also because of how easily he got angry. Patience was not his strong suit, but luckily Aizetsu was always by their side to calm Sekido down. Meanwhile, Urogi and Karaku cracked jokes around (Name), wanting to make them laugh. Urogi also loved taking (Name) in his arms as he was flying, always making the kids' eyes widen in amazement. Their little hands held onto him as they giggled.

"More, please!" (Name) always begged when Urogi landed, wanting to experience that again.

Gyokko spent his time with (Name) doing more creative activities. He taught the child how to paint and draw, although only the basics. (Name) loved his explanations, admiring his work as he taught them. The child got closer to the vase he was painting, and when he was about to tell them to step back because of how easily it could break, (Name) said something.

"Your work is so pretty!" That was such an ego boost for Upper Five that he even allowed the child to paint one of his vases.

Daki was the most reluctant to bond with (Name) at first. She didn’t want to interact with the human that now had Muzan’s full attention, not understanding what was so special about them. Still, she was unable to avoid the kid when, one day, they grabbed her leg, giving her puppy eyes and the most adorable look she had ever seen. The Upper Six melted, hugging the child.

"I’ll be your older sister from now on!"

Since then, Daki started pampering (Name) a lot. She bought them cute, expensive clothes. She made sure (Name)'s outfits were always up-to-date with the latest trends. Daki would brush the child's hair, loving to see how shiny it got each time she brushed it. When Gyutaro was out too, they went out for walks or even to food stalls

All of this led the Upper Moons to want to spend more time with (Name), becoming both attached and protective of the little one.

But soon, Muzan came back. The demon lord was quick to snatch his child away from them.

"Your work here is done."

The Upper Moons were all devastated when Muzan told them that. Some showed it more than others. Daki was even about to whine, but then (Name) spoke.

"Dad, I want to see them more often. Please."

(Name) begged, not wanting to say goodbye to the Upper Moons. Muzan sighed, but he ended up agreeing. He would go to any lengths for (Name), after all.

[alexxncl]

‼️NIGHTBRINGER HDD CH. 2 SPOILERS‼️

masterlist | events | ch. 1 | ch. 3

leave it to me to make everything angsty

i'm a mammon shooter til i die

all he wants is to be rich (obv) and appreciated by his brothers :(

it seems as though he feels like they see him as a joke or as someone they can't look up to. like yes he's immature at times and a bit of an airhead but he means well. most of the time. but even still, he's a good big brother. i wish the devs touched on that side of him more, and i wish his brothers expressed their appreciation towards him in a way that isn't immediately followed by either a backhanded compliment or an outright insult

like yes, it's clear they love him and he loves them. but it's gotta be exhausting on both ends, especially if you're on the receiving end and constantly being (sometimes affectionately) shit on as someone who's already doubtful of their significance to their family and friends' lives

i'm lowkey surprised it was just levi and not lucifer there too...maybe it's bc he knows he's lucifer's favorite deep down and doesn't need it to be reiterated in his ideal world

attic club sandwich...get it? cuz you're sandwiched between...but also...

...i'm sorry. moving on

NEVERMIND NO MOVING ON WHY ARE THEY BOOTY BUTTERBALL ASS NAKED ????? i get that beel loves having his titties out but i did nawt need to be jumpscared like that

satan vehemently denying asmo being his favorite brother and then asmo appearing first in his dream world is PEAK sibling shit

i love them

also asmo's little bow having a mix of pink and green in his ideal world ??? reminiscent of asmo painting his nails pink and green for satan irl ???? SOBS the brothers ever

and lucifer also being there :((((

oh baby 😭 him and mams really just want acceptance and the ability to indulge in what makes them happy

"i couldn't be more proud" :((((( he's already proud of you

i wanna kiss him on the forehead and tell him he's doing a great job

PLEASEEEEEE not luci just wants to fuck on peace 😭 are we sure asmo's the avatar of lust bc lucifer is always on demon time (no pun intended)

like he's arguably the horniest out of all of them.

"business as usual" is a CRAZY thing to say when witnessing a dream of propositioning and borderline foreplay in front of your man's brother /hj

fym "hush-hush" ?? horny yandere type shit. doesn't he have any other friends ??? /j

ig sorcerers can be on demon time too. we love to see it

i hate an ass kissing tsundere...BE UPFRONT

it makes me sad that the only interactions we have with them are side stories or hard lessons or devilgram, like just make them a part of the main cast atp. the devs have to know that everyone wants it

my beloved girlfriend giving me advice for a long journey

MAKE HER DATEABLE OR SO HELP ME

oh :(

simeon makes me so sad. so unbelievably sad. i just want him to be happy

ik he regrets not falling with the brothers, and he beats himself up about it constantly. it's why he helped them during the war. i already went on a tangent about his struggle to pick a side before the war here but GOD it still hurts reading this

barbatos' ideal world revolving around diavolo is unsurprising, but also very telling of his character. he's so focused on everything and everyone around him, making sure space-time stays stable, that he doesn't have time to think about anything but that. not even when it pertains to himself and his happiness

barbatos' happiness revolves around fulfilling his duties as butler/subordinate, but also making sure he stays sane long enough to ensure that the instability and semi unpredictability of time itself doesn't prevent diavolo's wishes from coming true

[hiramaris]

Dusk Fragments #3

Summary: He has you by his side but your heart has always been with her. It's a battle he knew he'd lost anyway.

Pairing: Platonic Jake x Gender Neutral MC & Mentions of Jessy x Gender Neutral MC & Jake x OC

“You're staring.”

Jake's eyes darted from you to turn to the redhead before him. Her voice was gentle but great amusement was dancing across her cerulean orbs. The stinging pain from the cotton ball this person– Aerith, he reminded himself– was using to dab across his cheek- was a harsh reminder of his current predicament. It felt like a bee sting, and he couldn't help but wince.

Jake closed his eyes momentarily. He'd been dying to close them for minutes already, but the temptation to look and observe you had always been stronger. Maybe if he didn't open them, he could pretend he hadn't been caught staring by your subordinate of all people.

“Chief got you good, huh?” Aerith continued as she tended to his wounds, her touch surprisingly gentle despite the situation.

Jake slightly opened one tired eye, and it didn't escape him how her gaze wandered towards you. You were currently engrossed in a serious conversation with Charlotte. Your eyes occasionally glanced toward their spot, which told him he was probably the topic of conversation with Charlotte.

"They have to do it, you know?" Aerith's voice brought him back to the present.

“Who?” Jake asked simply despite knowing exactly who she was talking about.

“Chief L/n.”

Jake fell silent for a moment, contemplating whether he should discuss these matters with anyone other than you. “I know Y/n’s plans. We have talked about this possibility long before something went wrong with our plans.”

Aerith raised an eyebrow. “I figured. You wouldn't be willingly so compliant with us if the chief hadn't told you anything.”

 “What do you mean?” Jake's voice was gruff, still carrying the discomfort from the injuries he'd sustained. He winced slightly as Aerith applied a bandage to one of his facial cuts that you had given him.

Aerith didn’t speak for a moment, choosing to grab some bandage to put on some cuts he had on his face. You really got him good; broken nose, a couple of bruises and cuts, and all that.

"You'd given CIA some trouble pinning you down, you know? Not that I'm surprised given how incompetent their system is. If I were assigned to track you down, I would have wrapped it up before it all went sideways,” she remarked, a smug grin playing on her lips. Jake, despite his current state, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her audaciousness. “Anyway, what I mean is... a man of your nature would pretty much prefer to be killed or be locked up rather than work with us. You were pretty vocal about your hatred of us, so it was quite surprising to see you being so compliant.”

“I trust, Y/n,” Jake answered almost automatically like it was normal as breathing. Like it was supposed to be the only reason. But even though he said that, a part of him is starting to question his own beliefs.

“Yeah, sure.” Aerith eyes him skeptically, unable to believe his words. “After they beat you up earlier in front of hundreds of agents and CIA officials no less, can you still say that you trust our Chief?”

The memory flashed back in his mind for a brief moment. Despite his absolute trust in you, he couldn’t help the sudden fear that bubbled up in him when you walked towards him earlier. Eyes devoid of emotions met his helpless ones as you kicked and tossed him around in front of so many people.

Feeling such enormous pain spiking up in his body almost broke his resolve. It almost made him think that he was truly indeed captured by you, and he’ll probably meet his demise in your hands.

However, he knew you. He knew you better than he knew anyone else, even himself. And he knew that the act was part of a grander scheme, a plan that involved protecting something much bigger. But that didn't mean it was easy to endure.

“I was beginning to question that myself.” He couldn't help but mutter, voice hoarse from his throat feeling so dry.

Aerith laughed softly at that. “Don't take it to heart though. Chief had to do that to ensure your custody falls on us rather than the CIA. And I guarantee you that we are the best shot you got."

Jake continued to eye her skeptically. He was only here because he trusted your words. But in this unfamiliar territory, trust was a fragile thing.

“I'm going to be blunt. CIA wants you dead,” Aerith stated matter-of-factly as she handed him an ice pack for the swelling bruise on his right eye, her demeanor remarkably casual given the gravity of her words. “Chief had to take drastic measures to prevent that from happening.”

“Beating me up sounds so helpful,” Jake mumbled sarcastically. He wasn’t angry at you by any means, but he was rather frustrated about the whole situation. The only thing he was holding onto was the words you had told him when you were both in the car, and that was what kept him going.

“Can you maybe stop predicting things, Jake?”

“You and I both know how this will all end.”

“Do we?” You challenged, a small smirk creeping into your features. “Maybe we should start trying for a few alternatives.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if you’ll approve but I think I can help your defection to the FBI.”

“Y/n, they are after me, remember? In what world would they allow me to have clearance?”

“As far as I’m concerned only the CIA wants your head and we’re just tasked to capture you. But what if, Jake? What if you prove that your skills will be valuable to our Agency?”

“It does.” Aerith’s answer made him snap back to reality. “Chief has to make sure that our Agency is fully capable of controlling, even subduing you if necessary. By beating you up, it serves that the Chief held you by the neck.”

Jake pursed his lips, almost wincing due to the cut on his lips. It felt like this woman was spouting nonsense but the possibility that was your way to help him, never mind that it hurts like hell, is something that he could see you’ll do.

"I see."

****

“You're staring again.”

Jake sighed, realizing that his eyes had been locked on your figure. You were slouched in your office chair, engrossed in your phone, staring at what seemed to be a picture of Jessy. There was a distant longing in your eyes that Jake wished he could fulfill, but he knew well enough that he couldn't be the one you were yearning for.

“What do you want?” His voice came out colder than he intended. However, Aerith didn't seem to mind.

“Chief said that people like us who spend most of our time in front of our computers find it difficult to connect with people and understand their feelings,” she mused as she swiveled her chair back and forth.

The office around them was quiet, with only the soft hum of computers and distant chatter from other agents. It was a stark contrast to the intensity of their recent missions, a temporary respite from the action.

“And your point is?”

“Tell me if I'm wrong but it seemed to me that you are harboring unrequited feelings for our Chief.”

Jake raised an eyebrow, taken aback by her blunt assessment. “And what, pray tell, made you come to that conclusion?”

She shrugged, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. “I have never met someone who could tear my eyes away from a computer screen for as long as you just did. You’ve been staring at Chief for minutes already! Either you like the Chief or you’re probably planning their murder already, which is highly unlikely, so I assumed it would be the former."

“You’re awfully perceptive, it’s scary.”

“It’s a perk one must have if you have to be in Gamma,” Aerith replied nonchalantly, leaning back in her chair. “You’ve worked with Chief before, right? Then you have probably seen firsthand how scarily perceptive and manipulative they are.”

Jake raised an eyebrow at that but did not comment.

"In a good way, of course!" She hastily added, realizing her choice of words might sound negative.

Jake sighed and nodded. "Y/n is a good agent. They manage to notice things I wouldn’t. And their emotional intelligence is something that shouldn’t be overlooked."

Aerith grinned, seemingly satisfied with his response. "Well, our Chief has sung nothing but praises about you. Not that we need another hacker in our team because I’m awesome already,” she began to quip making Jake quirk a small smile behind his mask, “but I can say it's a relief to know that someone as capable as you are on our team. Let's just hope Chief doesn't catch on to your... affections. It could get complicated."

Jake's expression grew serious. “I don't intend to let it affect our work. Y/n is a dedicated leader, and I respect that.”

Aerith chuckled. “Well, let's just hope your feelings don't get in the way of your judgment.”

Jake didn't reply, but his troubled expression spoke volumes.

****

“You shouldn’t be staring.”

Jake pursed his lips but didn’t tear his eyes away from the monitor. He had spent months already hearing this voice so he was already familiar with it.

“I think I should be. This is our task after all.”

“I think the right word should be ‘watching.’” Aerith points out with an eyebrow raised. “We need to watch all 50 monitors not one.”

He sighed. She’s right. He shouldn’t be just watching the monitor you’re only in. Such incompetence could compromise not only this mission but as well as his clearance.

Watching every monitor is of importance as such it will help you navigate your way through your culprit’s location without compromising your presence to them. And that’s where the tech team comes through. The Tech team comprises Aerith and him so technically they’re not too many in the team but as a person who’s used to working alone, he felt like it was too crowded.

He’d like to think that’s the case but in reality, it just doesn’t feel the same when he’s not working with you. Aerith is a good company, but she’s not you.

“I am just wondering if it’s such a good idea for Y/n to be alone infiltrating the base and we’re just here watching and sitting when we could be much of help to them.”

“Chief prefers to work alone. We’re just here to provide any means they may need if such a situation arises. In any case that we’ll be there with them, we’re just going to be a liability to them.” Jake was about to open his mouth, but Aerith continued speaking. “Even if they need backup, they would have brought Charlotte and the others with them.”

“But the others have their own mission to attend to.”

“Exactly. This is why it’s just the three of us.” Aerith rolls her eyes at him before throwing a snack bar on his face that he almost barely caught. “So sit your ass down and let’s do our job.”

****

“What were you thinking, Jake?” Your voice rises significantly at every syllable and Jake could only stare at you. “I already got it! You shouldn’t have done that! What if you got killed for Christ’s sake!”

“I’m not gonna say ‘I told you so.’” Aerith whispered against him as Jake found himself being bandaged again by her.

As it seems, Jake doesn’t have the presence of mind to think about his own safety whenever he sees you’re in trouble. After Aerith told him to just do their jobs, his eyes caught one of the monitors of a room next to where you are. There were at least a dozen armed people waiting for you at the door.

Aerith was busy barking up warnings your way to notice Jake bolting out of the van and into the scene. Long story short, his impulsiveness got him shot in his shoulder, the mission was a success despite some shortcomings and now, you’re mad at him.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters so low that Aerith might be the only one who heard it. “There’s just so many of them… I–“ he paused and finally looked at you. “I just don’t want to lose you.”

The fire in your eyes didn’t die down at his words and Jake knew then it wasn’t the right choice of words.

“I’m not yours to lose.” Your reply was swift and unthinkable. It doesn’t need thinking because Jake knew it was a fact. You were not his to lose. Never were and never will.

It felt like a punch in the gut. Hell, that hurt much more than the bullet that pierced his skin, and yet he didn’t know how to react. In fact, he’s not sure what his face looked like right now and he badly hopes you couldn’t see in his eyes how those words affected him.

Even Aerith froze at your choice of words but remained quiet. She knew this was a subject matter she shouldn’t even be hearing.

It took a moment of silence before your words sank in you. Closing your eyes, you plopped down the nearest cushion before addressing the redhead, “Ae, are you done? Can you give us a moment, please?”

“I’m just about done,” Aerith replies as she secures the last gauze on Jake’s arms. She stood up, “I’m just going to buy some coffee. You guys need anything? Uhm… no? Okay.”

When Aerith left, Jake didn’t dare to look up from his seat but the feeling of the cushion pressing down beside him let him know you sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry,” you began, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No… I shouldn't have said what I said. What I did was foolish as well.”

A firm hand was placed on his shoulder, forcing him to look up. “I’m sorry for forcing you into a life like this. I know this isn’t what you had in mind.”

“Don’t worry about it, Y/n. There’s not much choice in the matter. Either I get killed, die in prison, or join your team.”

“I know. But if you hadn’t come into the mine with me, you wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“It’s my choice. I wanted to ensure you’re safe. And that stands until now.”

“Jake…” You sighed. “You shouldn’t be making a choice based on me. Look where it’s gotten you. You’re stuck in a job you didn’t want under the same people who were chasing after you a couple of months ago.”

“I have no regrets, Y/n. I hope you know that.” He said firmly. “I don’t ever regret meeting you, knowing you and…” he paused, not sure if it’s even appropriate to say it, but he said it anyway,” loving you.”

He can see you’re trying to make a neutral expression, but your eyes never fail to hide what you truly feel, and yet this time, he saw it beneath the cracks of your mask. There was a brief surprise in them. If it’s a surprise about his feelings for you or the fact that Jake finally voices out the words that remained unspoken for months, he didn’t know which.

For someone like Jake who has known warmth solely from the presence of his mom, his beanie and hoodie, and his ever-trusty laptop, he never knew what loving and caring for someone feels like, however, his actions for the past months have been more vocal than his voice ever could. And for someone perceptive as you, he wouldn’t be surprised you’d already catch on his feelings the first week.

It also didn’t help when he found out that you have taken a particular liking to Jessica Hawkins. So even without confessing, he already knew he lost the battle without even starting.

“I’m not saying this for you to say it back.” He continued after a minute of deafening silence. “Just…” He clenches his fist. “Just let me feel this, Y/n. It will go away eventually. Just give me some time.” Some time to desensitize myself from the ache I’m feeling from having you but not truly having you.

You gazed at him, your lips parting briefly before closing as if you were about to say something but decided against it. You visibly swallowed, your eyes staring deep into his soul that Jake wanted to look away. “I care about you, too.” You settled on.

There was an unspoken sentence beneath those words. You cared about him. Just not the extent he wanted it to be.

“I’ve had a lot of people die under my watch. Please don’t be one of them, too.” Tears started to gather at the corner of your eyes. But you didn’t dare let them fall. Instead, you leaned back, resting against the headrest, your eyes fixated on the unseen sky beyond the van's roof. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Your words echoed his own ones making him freeze on the spot.

Had he been selfish all this time? Focusing on his love for someone who already loves someone else? Focusing on you while you were busting your ass making sure he won’t be killed?

I don’t know.

You love him. You care for him. You’re here with him. Even though it isn’t the type of love and care he wants, it was always there for him. You were giving it to him without asking anything but to stay and be alive for you. It should be enough. It should have been enough.

The ache in his chest began to dissipate, replaced by a comforting warmth swelling within him. Taking a deep breath, he mustered up the courage to take your cold hands against his warm ones. A flash of surprise flickered in your eyes, but you didn’t dare pull your hands away.

“I don’t want to lose you either.” He mutters softly. This time his words didn’t anger you. It was then you knew what he meant. That he understood what you said and he finally understood what to do about what he feels.

***

“You’re staring.”

Jake blinked at the redhead before him. Somehow this scene felt awfully familiar. But this time, Aerith wasn’t here to dress his wounds nor were his eyes glued at your back.

Strange.

In the passing weeks, he realized a newfound appreciation for the color red. Not the crimson of blood, but the allure of red lips, fiery hair, and flushed cheeks. When did he develop a fondness for such a hue?

“Keep staring at me like that and I’m starting to think you’re crushing on me.” Aerith teased, her voice filled with a playful arrogance, pulling him back from his trance—clue: red hair.

"I'm not staring," he weakly defended himself. He was glad he kept the mask on. It saves him in such embarrassing prepositions like this. He mutters a soft ‘thanks’ when Aerith places the cup of coffee and a slice of red velvet cake in front of him.

Yeah, definitely not staring. Aerith can only snicker as she watches Jake’s dark orbs follow her every move.

A/n: Sorry for the long wait, guys. This has been in my drafts for months and I wasn't able to finish it when my Internship started. I was so busy I barely had the energy to write. Then the holidays came and yeah, I only got the motivation now to finish it. Anyway, just wanted to point out that I wanted to write these one-shots in different POVs. After this, I promise we're going to get crumbs on our favorite couple. Though I cannot promise I'll be able to write the next one soon. Thanks for the wait! Adios!

[queen-dahlia]

𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱

I didn't proofread this, will fix it later. Maybe

Note: Translation is not 100% accurate. Expect grammatical errors.

// : alternate translation | ⫘⫘ : flashback | 4:4 answer

The beast said only what he wanted to say and released me from his lair.

Knowing that a harsh reality awaits me when I return to court.

Clavis: "Oh no, it was the right decision to send the knight to pick you up."

He's talking about Cyril

Clavis: "I didn't expect more than 10 people to try to reach you in the morning."

Nokto: "You know, this could be the first and last time in your life that you'll be popular? Congratulations."

Emma: "… I can't be happy about it."

(The day should have just begun, but I'm tired.)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Nobleman: "… How selfish. Even if that was Prince Chevalier's plan the other day, it's impossible."

Nobleman: "Do you intend to repeat the tragedy of Prince Yves's time? It's deplorable."

══════════════════

Noblewoman: "I never thought that someone who had a private affair with Obsidian would walk around the court with dignity."

Noblewoman: "What kind of nerve does it take to fall in love with someone who doesn't know how to handle herself?"

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(I tried to explain to various people that it was all a misunderstanding because they were being sarcastic about it. But they didn't believe me at all.)

My thorny emotions only stab me one-sidedly, and they don't listen to me.

I was trapped in a worse environment than before, and I was stuck in all directions.

(There are many people in the court who have a stronger dislike for Obsidian than in the city…)

(I guess it reflects the princes' idea that "reconciliation is impossible".)

Clavis: "Haha, don't look so glum. You haven't done anything wrong, have you?"

Clavis: "It is just right to follow the example of Lord Gilbert's brazenness and smile at the situation."

Nokto: "Oh, yeah. I think even King Highness would say, "So what?" I'm sure he’ll say that."

Nokto: "You are King Highness's direct subordinate, so you have to be tough."

Clavis: "The fox that borrows the authority of the tiger—or is it the rabbit?"

Nokto: "Ahaha, she's tough."

(Even in this situation, Nokto and Clavis are the same.)

I glance at the large number of letters piled up on the foreign policy faction's office desk.

The letters listed were inquiries about me, and the two seemed to be busy responding to them.

Although they are busy with unscheduled official duties, I don't hear any resentment.

(If I fret, I'll only make you two worry about me... Enough of this, look over the front.)

Emma: "Thank you. I'm certainly not doing anything wrong, so I have to be confident!"

Clavis: "Yeah, what's the big deal?"

Nokto: "By the way, "this" is just our official business. It's not something you care about."

Clavis: "Rather, it's really interesting that the friendly and anti-Obsidian factions have become clear, isn't it?"

Clavis: "So far, though, it looks like there's a lot of opposition."

Clavis: "Obsidian betrayed Rhodolite once in the past. It's hard to believe."

Nokto: "If you think about it, I wonder which side is King Highness now."

Clavis: "He's a militant. He's not looking to build friendships."

(I see…)

The ally's position is the guideline for the whole.

If Prince Chevalier does not have the idea of approaching Obsidian, the discussion will be extremely difficult.

(... Even if we show a friendly attitude, we do not know if the Obsidian country will betray us at all.)

(A good example is the way Prince Gilbert treats me.)

(I guess Prince Chevalier's way of thinking is rational and steady.)

(Leon would say the same thing about this.)

It is difficult to swallow more than a glimmer of violence, even if one understands.

Clavis: "It's not just Chevalier, we are also being questioned in the situation now." **

Clavis: "If you talk about friendship with Obsidian, it's because the anti-royalty faction that has become active is likely to attack."

Nokto: "But there are anti-monarchy people who think the opposite, right?"

Clavis: "In their case, 'The royal family has made a mistake in judgment, and we can't leave it to them again.'"

Nokto: "I can't believe it got that complicated."

Nokto: "… I mean, has the distrust of the royal family reached this far?"

Clavis: "No… Even if it wasn’t for Lord Gilbert’s instigation, I feel like it’s been a bit too extreme recently."

Clavis: "The anti-monarchy faction was originally cautious. It's only recently that they've started showing some signs of activity."

Clavis: "Perhaps someone is behind the scenes?"

(… I don't think that "someone" has anything to do with Prince Gilbert.)

Clavis: "No matter how things turn out, my current ideal is for Lord Gilbert to leave our country."

Clavis: "I hope he will return home after the four-parliamentary talks as soon as possible."

(Is that... is that what it's all about for Rhodolite now?)

(In the end, I can't do anything…)

My own helplessness pierces my chest with a sense of emptiness.

Clavis: "Sometimes, I've been somewhat curious..."

Clavis: "What happened to your neck?"

(I knew you would ask.)

I gently placed my fingers on my bandaged neck.

Emma: "It's a secret."

Clavis: "Well... does that mean that you want to keep the hot night with Lord Gilbert to yourself?"

Emma: "No… it's not!"

Nokto: "If you have nothing to hide, you can say it, right?"

(… What should I do? I could say I was bitten, but I feel kind of embarrassed…)

Clavis: "Emma, don't make that face. Even if you don't mean it, Lord Gilbert will misunderstand you, won’t he?"

(Uh.)

Nokto: "… You can't possibly—"

Emma: "I was just bitten!"

(… I ended up saying it.)

Clavis: "Oh my…"

Nokto: "Did you know? A man who bites a woman is very possessive."

Nokto: "You might end up with bite marks soon."

Emma: "… It seems possible, and I don't like it."

(Even though it still tingles and hurts.)

Every time my neck hurts, I think of Prince Gilbert.

I should have been scared and in pain, but in the end, the only feeling left in my heart was sadness.

(As long as he is a real beast, the idea of approaching him is just a dream.)

(I thought about having a conversation with Prince Gilbert... but then I realized that I couldn't even do that without turning him back into a person.)

Though I always feel deceived by his refreshing and gentle smile,

Prince Gilbert has never been friendly with me or Rhodolite.

Whether I like it or hate it, the idea of "domination" won't change.

(His Majesty the Emperor may be behind it…)

As I unconsciously put strength into my fingers, a hand extended from behind me and grabbed me, pulling my hand away from my neck.

When I turned around, Cyril, who was standing beside me, shook his head as if troubled.

Clavis: "Emma, if your neck is bothering you so much, the gentle Prince Charming will prepare some medicine that works instantly, okay?"

Emma: "Prepare?"

Nokto: "I don't know. Despite his appearance, Clavis is a professional drug maker who has contributed to numerous medical breakthroughs."

Nokto: "… I'm not sure what to expect."

Clavis: "Do I have to say it twice?"

Emma: "… I can't believe you were such an amazing person."

Clavis: "Haha, did you fall in love? I'm a guilty man."

Clavis: "I'm afraid this is going to make Lord Gilbert jealous… but where's the important guy?"

Emma: "I don't know. I didn't see him, at least not this morning."

(I usually meet Prince Gilbert at the breakfast table, but...)

Since we came back together from his hideout, he must be at the court.

Nokto: "How unusual for someone who spends all his time with you." // "Isn't that unusual for someone like him to be with you all the time?"

Clavis: "In times like this, it's reasonable to assume he's planning some evil deeds."

Emma: "I hope that's not the case."

Emma: "… By the way, Prince Chevalier isn't here, is he?"

(Even though at this time of the day, he's usually in his office.)

Clavis: "He's been missing since this morning, too. I went to wake him up, but his room was empty."

Nokto: "It's unusual for King Highness to be active in the morning."

Clavis: "Oh. Where the hell did he go—"

══════════════════

Gilbert: "—That's rare, isn't it?"

Chevalier: ". . . . . ."

The sound of footsteps echoes in the chapel in the early morning air.

Gilbert, seated in the front row, crossed his legs without turning around and looked up at the ceiling.

Gilbert: "Greetings to the gods so early in the morning? Haha, I didn't know you were religious."

Chevalier: "… Nonsense."

He proceeded through the aisle leading to the altar, his white cloak fluttering gallantly.

He sat down on the opposite side of the seat without so much as a glance at the other person in front of him and let out a languid breath.

Chevalier: "It seems that you are the one who frequents the chapel."

Gilbert: "Isn't it relaxing to be in a quiet space?"

Gilbert: "You see, I hate people. Sometimes I miss the silence."

Chevalier: "Hating people makes me laugh."

Chevalier: "… I thought you were really repentant."

Gilbert: "Unfortunately, I don't have anything to repent for."

Chevalier: "I suppose."

Snickering, Chevalier looks up at the statue of the god sitting in the chapel.

Chevalier: "I'm going to ask you straight. What are you going to do with that?"

Gilbert: "By "that," you mean the little rabbit? Right…"

Gilbert: "I'm going to get her, and I'm going to take good care of her." // "I'm thinking of getting her and cherishing her."

With his carefree and refreshing smile, there was a firm determination that it was already a matter of decision.

Gilbert: "Because, even if her term as Belle ends, she won't be able to go back to town anymore, right?"

Gilbert: "Right now, rumors are circulating in town that "the girl in Akatsuki's bookstore is an Obsidian woman"..."

Gilbert: "Even the Obsidian pests will hear the rumors and come to see the little rabbit with all sorts of ideas."

Gilbert: "If she gets along with other guys without my knowledge, I'll be jealous."

Chevalier: ". . . . . ."

Chevalier caught his red eye softening. **

Gilbert: "What's that look on your face, like you're trying to say something?"

Chevalier: "I just don't think it's like you."

Chevalier: "As you know, that woman is not a noblewoman."

Gilbert: "Oh, you're just going to admit it."

Chevalier: "We're not in a public forum."

Chevalier: "You are famous for your brutality against those in power, but you are also rumored to be merciful to the weak."

Chevalier: "Even if I think about you in the past... isn’t it against your principles to hurt and corner a common woman?"

Gilbert: "Ahaha, that's just me as a member of the "royal family."

Gilbert: "Not in my private life, okay?"

Chevalier: "Oh, so any malice towards the rabbit is a private matter?"

Gilbert: "Yes. She honestly has nothing to do with my plans."

Gilbert: "It doesn't matter if you're there or not. You don't have to mess with it or not."

Gilbert: "Look, there's no point in a beast slowly torturing its prey without killing it, right? It's the same."

Chevalier: "You're not even interested in her position as "Belle"?" // "You're not even interested in the situation of "Belle"?" **

Gilbert: "Of course, I can't think of a plan to use it, but it's a bit troublesome to prove that she's Bell."

Gilbert: "There's no reason for me to go through all that trouble. Maybe not Benitoite and Jade, though."

Chevalier: ". . . . . ."

The conversation dies down, and a sacred silence returns.

After a moment of searching for something, Gilbert's sigh dissolved into the air.

Gilbert: "You must have figured out what I was after the other day with all that fuss."

Gilbert: "That's why I came here."

Chevalier: "… Ah."

Gilbert: "Okay? I'll at least listen to what you have to say since we've known each other for so long."

Chevalier: "Well? Then…"

Chevalier stands up and quietly draws his sword.

He took a few steps and drew a beautiful trajectory, which was intercepted by a jet-black cane.

Chevalier: "Can I see that cane of yours?"

Gilbert: "Eh, no. Why would I lend it to you?"

Gilbert catches the sword while sitting and laughs out of place.

In contrast, Chevalier etched a wrinkle between his beautiful eyebrows.

Chevalier: "At first I thought it might be a made-up sword, but the position of the cut is unnatural for that."

Chevalier: "If it were just a sword to begin with, there would be no need to disguise it. It's not forbidden to wear a sword belt."

Chevalier: "And it can't possibly be an ordinary cane either. Because according to the little rabbit, it has an unnatural weight to it."

Gilbert: "Then, what do you think?"

Chevalier: "100 years ahead… No, it's the crystallization of technology that's even further ahead, isn't it?" // "It's the culmination of technology that's a hundred years old... maybe even more."

Chevalier: "It's a new type of weapon that no continent has ever seen, with the potential to overturn the world."

The "World Disaster" says nothing.

He dismisses it with a refreshing smile that shows no signs of faltering.

Chevalier: "… When it is introduced to the battlefield, the continent will undoubtedly usher in a new era."

Chevalier: "The time of knights will be over, and the time will come when the common people will have weapons to fight."

Chevalier: "Obsidian's military development has been spectacular... but it seems to have gone far beyond my imagination."

Gilbert: "Fufu… Then why do you think I did what I did so that you would find out about it?"

Gilbert: "Chevalier, you are an uncertainty. Even if we advance our technology a hundred years into the future…"

Gilbert: "You're the only one who can come up with a plan that can overturn that." **

Gilbert: "I value you. I never underestimated you."

Gilbert: "What's the point of me giving you all this information if you can't even guess?"

Chevalier: ". . . . . ."

A small click of the tongue echoes through the chapel.

Gilbert: "Yes. Because we've already done the preparation."

Gilbert: "It's too late for you to realize it now. My piece is on the verge of checkmate."

Gilbert: "Rhodolite is now fanged... yet no one but you is aware of it."

Chevalier: "It seems so… But I have some concerns."

Gilbert: "What?"

Chevalier flicks the cane with his sword and returns it to its sheath.

Chevalier: "There's no reason to wait for a checkmate, is there?"

Chevalier: "You are ready. Then, execute it promptly."

Chevalier: "Why don't you do it?"

Gilbert: ". . . . . ."

Chevalier: "It's a contradiction, isn't it? Especially if you see me as a risk."

Chevalier: "The more time you give, the less chance you have of winning—there's no way you can't understand that reason."

Gilbert: "… Hmm."

Chevalier: "I see... it seems that there is a purpose that has not been read yet."

The glacial eyes stare down at the beast.

Chevalier: "Your evil deeds are very rational and worthy of the name "Ever-Victorious General," but..."

Chevalier: "Your own actions are wasteful and filled with contradictions."

Chevalier: "Even if I know "what to do," I can't honestly understand "what you want to do."

Gilbert: "You think I'm going to tell you nicely?"

Chevalier: "I'd like to hear it out…"

Gilbert: "You don't want to see what's in the cane… yet, do you? It's a bad bet for you."

Chevalier: "It's not bad to accept that bet, but I might accidentally kill you."

Chevalier: "It's troublesome to keep you alive, and it's troublesome to kill you."

Gilbert: "Ahaha, I'm the same. If I kill a prince in Rhodolite, I'll never get out of here alive."

Gilbert: "If you want to kill—"

Chevalier: "You have to figure out a way."

The two beasts laugh as their murderous atmosphere clashes in the air.

It was a smile that seemed to be deeply amused, as if no one else could understand it.

Gilbert: "Hey, I've answered a lot of questions, can I at least get something in return?"

Chevalier: "… I'll listen to you."

Gilbert: "It's about Little Bunny—"

══════════════════

—And again, silence returns to the chapel.

Chevalier's expression after hearing everything was not bright at all.

Chevalier: "… I don't want to say this out of my mouth, but…"

Chevalier: "The woman you like may be the most unhappy person in the world."

Gilbert: "It's obvious, isn't it? I'm the world disaster."

Chevalier: "There is that, but right now it's like..."

Gilbert: "Like what?"

Chevalier: "… Nothing, I thought something stupid."

Chevalier stands up gallantly after saying that his business is over and heads for the doorway.

He pushed open the heavy door without difficulty and stepped out into the blowing wind—

Gilbert: "Oh, I almost forgot. On a different note, I have a gift for Rhodolite."

With his back turned, Gilbert spins as if singing.

Gilbert: "Look forward to it, okay…?"

══════════════════

Jin: "I'll disturb you."

Emma: "Oh, Jin?"

While I was helping with official duties in the foreign policy faction's office, Jin came in with a package of sweets in one hand.

Jin: "Oops, you're here too."

Emma: "Yes. I was originally scheduled to help out today…"

Jin: "It's rare that that bastard isn't there."

Nokto: "Jin is the same as always."

Clavis: "Haha, that's why being with Emma has become the norm."

Emma: "… I'm having a headache."

Jin: "Stretch your wings while you still can. By the way, have you seen Luke?"

(...? Jin, you seem to be less relaxed than usual.)

Emma: "I haven't seen him."

Clavis: "So do I. It's rare for him to participate in official business, is it?"

Nokto: "Well, but I certainly haven't seen him around lately. I did manage to get him to attend the memorial service, though."

Nokto: "… No, wait, Jin, is that honey candy?"

Jin: "Yes. I asked Yves to make it for me a while ago, and it's a real masterpiece."

Jin: "I'm walking around the place with this, but I haven't seen him at all."

Clavis: "Oh my…"

Nokto: "… It's a strange situation."

Emma: "What's wrong?"

(Everyone seems to have suddenly changed the look in their eyes.) **

Clavis: "Luke never misses a hint of honey, no matter how far away it is."

Nokto: "Whether he's on official business or eating, as long as he smells the honey, he'll definitely come."

(I-I didn't know he likes honey that much.)

Aside from Jin and Clavis, even Nokto has a straight face, so it must be true.

Jin: "… I've been noticing that he's been acting a little strange lately."

Jin: "I was just curious and wanted to talk to him…"

Clavis: "Hmm, really? I didn't notice anything unusual…"

Nokto: "Me too. I think you're thinking too much. He's probably sleeping somewhere."

Jin: "Then that's fine, but what kind of honey cake does he want to eat?" **

Clavis: "You're too soft on Luke."

Nokto: "That's why Luke is most attached to Jin."

(Come to think of it… I haven't seen Luke lately either.)

(I think that was the last time I saw him, except for the ceremony…)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Jin: "You're looking a little pale, aren't you?"

Luke: "… It just looks that way because of the sunset."

Luke: "But if you're done with your business, let's go back home."

Emma: "Whoa, Luke!"

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Luke was not talking much that day.

Even after getting into the carriage, he seems to be lost in thought.

Emma: "… Shall I look for Luke, too?"

Before I knew it, those words were coming out of my mouth.

Jin: "But you, you're going through a difficult situation right now, aren't you?"

Clavis: "You can't stay in one room just because things are difficult."

Clavis: "A change of scenery is important. Isn't the air outside better when you're depressed?"

(Clavis…)

Clavis: "Cyril, just to be safe, you're coming with her. Or rather, from today onwards, you can be Emma's exclusive bodyguard."

Cyril: "Eh, is that okay? That's good, now I can get away from my troublesome master for the time being."

Cyril: "I'll do my best, so please look forward to it, young lady!"

Clavis: "… Oi."

(Yes, I wonder if it's okay. I'll have the head knight of the foreign policy faction as my escort…)

(But Cyril seems very happy… and I can't say I don't have a fear of being targeted myself…)

Emma: "Thank you very much. I'll take your word for it!"

Nokto: "I think he's the right person for the job. Cyril is a former Obsidian soldier, and he knows Gilbert, right?"

(Uhm.)

Cyril: "I'd say we've known each other, but that was a long time ago."

Cyril: "Well, I think I can stand up to Gilbert better than most soldiers."

(… So, Cyril, do you know the past of Prince Gilbert?)

I'm curious, but right now it's more about Luke.

Jin: "Sorry Emma, we'll have to split up to find him."

[frost-eyed-autumn]

@starsburned {--Oops, my hand slipped : > --}

"In light of recent events, I'm sure you're well aware that another Executive seat has opened up."

Of course he knew. He had been there when Dazai had made the announcement to him, picture in-hand and all.

"Chuuya, in recognition of your accomplishments in the field, I would like you to fill that seat, effective immediately."

Words he had waited and struggled for... -- what, nearly two years now? -- to hear.

And yet...

Chuuya stood in front of Mori's desk, his feet spread just perfectly apart to align with his shoulders, which were squared with arms rested behind his back in an at-ease sort of posture, his spine drawn carefully just-so. It was a very formal, professional stance showing respect as a subordinate of the Port Mafia's Boss.

And yet...

Try as he might to put on an unaffected face, he couldn't help the despondent distance in normally sharp blue eyes, or the tight draw of a furrowed brow, or the deeper lines of a half-resisted frown that still pursed his lips thin.

The casualties and damage to the Port Mafia had been no laughing matter. A good chunk of the organization had fallen in the conflict, the all out war that had raged in the streets for months. So soon, too, following the Verlaine incident less than a year before, when they were still recovering from those losses as well.

But for as bad as things were, even losing some of the most powerful Gifted in its ranks, the Port Mafia still remained standing where all other of their rivals had been decimated.

And the war was finally at an end. Because of him.

And yet...

Not soon enough. His achievements had come too late in making the differences that really would have mattered. Empty accomplishments that had done nothing to prevent the death of the Colonel or of his friends whom he had found scattered around White Giraffe's feet or the many other members of the mafia whose bodies were strewn on every city block.

A reward built off of stepping over the graves of the fallen, where walking forward meant he couldn't help but look back at the bloody footprints he left in his wake.

He'd wanted this promotion for years. He had joined the mafia knowing that he would race to climb the ranks to get the answers he'd always looked for. The Arahabaki records left by Rimbaud, that only a person of Executive rank or higher had clearance to read. But not like this. Not at the cost of people he cared about, knowing that they were the sacrificial lambs slaughtered on the altar of his newly awarded power.

Reality was never that kind though. The last couple of years had really driven that home for him, and he had spent the last few days in the infirmary recovering from using Corruption doing little else but reflecting on his failures, while all the organization celebrated and sung his praises seeing it as some sort of great success.

And yet...

The weight of success was heavy.

"Thank you, Boss."

His words rang hollow. They tasted like poison. Like a betrayal on all of those who had had to die for him to make it here, even knowing that it's what those people would have wanted for him too.

It was only by their deaths that he made it to the top so quickly. Without their deaths, it may instead have taken years. Perhaps even decades. Perhaps, when Dazai had taken the Executive seat ahead of him, as Chuuya knew he would have under any other circumstances other than this, he would have read and burned the Arahabaki records and held them over his head for the rest of his life, and made chasing after the Executive position meaningless from the start.

That was why Chuuya had clawed his way towards it so desperately. Because all of this couldn't be meaningless. Not after everything he had lost. Not after everything he continued to lose.

He wasn't ungrateful, but he wasn't so sure he really deserved this. At the very least, he didn't deserve to be happy about it, but he tried not to let that carry too much into his voice, even as his voice -- normally sharp and cocky with a defiant fire that couldn't be snuffed out by anything -- came far too quiet, subdued, and mechanically somber.

"I'm honored that you would choose me to make an Executive. I'll do my best to honor the position, and continue to crush anyone who dares to threaten the Port Mafia."