#if you've been following along with proof of life you know this is a pretty significant moment for Baz alakjdf

[roomwithanopenfire]

Happy Wednesday!! Thanks for the tags @noblecorgi @rimeswithpurple and @monbons!

I have a lot of days off this week and I've been doing so much resting, writing, editing, and socializing. It's been everything I've needed!

Everything's getting closer to wrapping up WIP-wise. I'm so so close to being done editing all the chapters for Proof of Life and then the only thing I'll have to worry about is posting them. And the posting season for COBB is upon us!! I'm so excited see what everyone's been working on, and show my fic and the absolutely beautiful art from my artist!!

Here's a snippet from the next chapter of Proof of Life:

The Wavering Wood welcomes me back.  Or probably not… I doubt the wood likes me being there. I eat their deer. Rather, I’m welcoming myself back. The forest air fresher than ever, the sky bigger, the light brighter.  I take a deep breath, letting myself feel everything. The slight breeze in my hair, the packed earth under my feet, the scent of pine and dirt and blood. Crossing the drawbridge into the woods has never felt better. My fangs slot into place.

Tags and Hellos!

@alexalexinii @angelsfalling16 @aristocratic-otter @arthurkko @artsyunderstudy

@beastmonstertitan @blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @brendughh @brilla-brilla-estrellita

@cccloudsss @cutestkilla @drowninginships @emeryhall @facewithoutheart

@fiend-for-culture @hertragedyconnoisseur @horsesarenotdeer @hushed-chorus @iamamythologicalcreature

@ileadacharmedlife @larkral @m1ndwinder @nausikaaa @onepintobean

@prettygoododds @raenestee @rbkzz @rimeswithpurple @run-for-chamo-miles

@shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @supercutedinosaurs @talentpiper11 @thewholelemon

@valeffelees @you-remind-me-of-the-babe + anyone else who wants to share! I love being tagged in these! (And let me know if you ever don't want to be tagged!)

[callsign-datura]

a/n: y'all not a word. just literal ghost!simon for those who like this trope <3 tags: cunnilingus, ghost sex, ghost simon. yeah he's a literal ghost and eats you out.

ghost!simon riley. ghost that died, and is now a ghost. you were his wife-- so he haunts your new home. ghost!simon that scares away the men you try to hook up with after he dies. breaking things near them, flickering the lights whenever they're alone. you're his, not theirs. in life and in death, his. of course he's going to make them piss their pants before you can fuck them. he doesn't blame you, though. he blames them.

ghost!simon who can pass through walls and objects at will and touch them, too. so, when he finds out he can touch you? best bet he does.

ghost!simon whose main hobby in the afterlife is watching you. other ghosts may cause trouble... but he's not that type. he wants to watch his gorgeous wife, all the time, no matter what she's doing. ghost!simon who's a little too eager to watch you possibly touch yourself when you get horny. it's been years at this point, and he knows you- your tells. the way your thighs started to rub together as you laid in bed, tossing and turning.

ghost!simon who gets the idea to try and let you know he's there... watching. "bird," he mumbles. he knows you can't hear him, but he'll talk to you anyway. "so pretty." he brings a hand to your leg, dragging it upward gently-- testingly. he's surprised that he can touch you at all, so he continues. ghost!simon who leans down to kiss your arm. ghost!simon who recognizes the way your body freezes at the contact. who snickers when you curse about it. you know it's him... you know you're haunted by him in the back of your mind, even if you're in denial. --- "simon?" you whisper, sitting up. you know in your logical brain that this isn't happening-- you're just imagining it. but when the bedlight lamp flickers twice, your heart sinks and your stomach flutters. "...s'that you?" you ask, and the lights flicker twice once more. you feel more fleeting touches along the outer sides of your legs, and suddenly the bed dips at your feet. you feel something nudging your legs apart, and you curse yourself at how easily you follow suit and spread your legs. you're not the spiritual type... this can't be happening. maybe you're dreaming? maybe you're already asleep?

--- ghost!simon who moves between your legs and leans down, kissing your leg just above the knee. his hands move up to the waistband of your pants, and he tugs lazily. sure, he's been a ghost for a while-- but it takes ghost energy to move things! you should do it for him. and he hums when you do, watching the way your hips shift as you pull them down, panties following. you know it's him, and that makes him smug. even after all this time you haven't forgotten his touch. his love. he moves and lays down, and the bed dips further beneath him. his weight, still tangible somehow even in the ghost plane, or whatever the fuck it's called. ---

you're questioning if you've gone crazy. you feel hands move up your legs yet again, stopping at your hips as you feel a few kisses at your hip bone. your head falls back and your chest swells. you shut your eyes and try to ignore the fact that simon always kissed you there before he went down on you. more proof that this was him. ---

he can't taste you. all of his senses are gone now, but at least he can feel you and at least you know it's him. his tongue darts out, leaving over the flesh at your hip before he nibbles there. he can use most functions of his body, some at will, others are just defunct. saliva is one that he still has. why? he has no idea. it's not like he can eat in the afterlife.

...well, not actual food, at least. ---

your eyes flutter. it's an odd sensation. you feel him kiss closer to your cunt, and you've fully succumbed to the feeling. your chest swells more and you feel countless emotions-- you knew he was with you, in one way or another. feeling his touch, his kisses. it almost makes you cry. you suck in a breath and lift your hips, and you feel vibration against your flesh, as if he laughed at you. you just wish you could hear it... see his face between your legs... the feeling is enough.

---

his tongue dips out again, moving between your folds, flattening against your clit. his hands find the bottom of your thighs, gently hoisting them up to give him better access as he tilts his head, swirling his tongue in slow circles like he always did. two slow swirls, four quick flicks. he knew how quickly it got you to cum when he was alive. he hopes it's still the same.

---

your hips twitch, and your back arches, soft sweet moans falling from your lips. the friction is odd, but lord if it isn't intense, your pent up body relishing the feeling of whatever the fuck this is. if you were doubting that it was simon before, you fucking knew it was now. you whimper and your hips buck, a heat swirling in your lower stomach. you feel another vibration against you and your clit twitches, another whine leaving your throat.

---

he's never forgotten you or your body. he's never forgotten the memories he had when he was alive, and even though he can't taste you now he remembers it. sickeningly sweet, he remembers. like honey. "pretty pussy," he grumbles, more to himself since he knows you can't hear it. his tongue flicks against your clit again, relishing in the way it makes your back arch and your hole clench. neglected. he knows you haven't had any since he died. dammit he's made SURE you haven't. of course he can only control things within the bounds of this home, but he knows you prefer having sex in your home-- where you can control things. the setting, the ambiance. one thing he loved. you always controlled all of that, and all he had to do was love you. and if he knew anything, it was how to love you. he decides now to just use his tongue. he didn't want to overwhelm you.

---

you were already overwhelmed. your clit twitched again with each flick, your back arching further and your legs twitching as you got closer to your orgasm. you know, you never thought it was possible to get eaten out by a ghost, but here you were.

---

you mumble his name, and he's done for. his pace increases suddenly, and he grunts to himself at the way your body writhes beneath him. his grip on your thighs tightens, and he pins them down to keep you in place, opting to flick his tongue against your clit to just get you to the edge. when you start whimpering and wailing, he slows down-- smirking when you whimper at the loss. he keeps doing that for a few moments before speeding up again, flicking his tongue against your clit and swirling it at the same time, squeezing your thighs once or twice. ---

you fold your hand over your mouth, head falling back against the pillow beneath your head. you cum seconds after he speeds up again, gasping and writhing still. it comes over you in waves, vision dotted and mind hazy with pleasure. your orgasm ebbs, and his movements slow until you're panting. you barely notice when he detaches himself from you, the bed dipping a bit more as he leans over you and kisses your head. "still as pretty as ever. haven't changed a bit, my wife." --- ghost!simon who breaks all rules of the afterlife to get between his pretty wife's legs again.

[hopeinthebox]

how do u curate your playlists? they're so good (listening to the glen powell one rn lol)

dearest anon, please know you've made my entire summer with this ask <3333 (here's the playlist in question)

now while i recognise you probably weren't looking for a legitimate breakdown of the process here, you've inspired me to take a deep dive, and i'm prone to getting carried away (and yes, i read high fidelity recently and rewatched the film and the series. but i'm sure that has nothing to do with it). so here goes, under the cut:

Lizzy's Guide to the Delicate Art of Making a Playlist

#1 - What's the Point?

There has to be a theme or mood or connecting thread for the playlist. That being said, as long as it makes sense to you, you've pretty much got this covered.

What's the story? Is it based on a mood, an event, a time in your life, a person, a character, a genre, an era, etc. etc. There's plenty to choose from, so there's plenty of playlists to be made. Go crazy, get weird with it.

(In this example, the overarching theme is: Glen Powell Hot (Twisters Edn.) with a sub-theme, if you will: Country Music for Beginners.)

#2 - Song Selection

Once the theme is set, I gather a few tracks that spring to mind immediately. In this instance:

• Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That - Dolly Parton

• Cowboy Take Me Away - The Chicks

• Country's Cool Again - Lainey Wilson

All of these are fairly self-explanatory if you have been caught up in the Twisters press tour at all recently. No further comment.

From here I flesh out the ~general vibelist~ with more tracks, some classics and some deep cuts. I'm cross-referencing my own musical knowledge, previous playlists, spotify mixes (god forgive me, the occasional algorithm picks), and other user's Powell playlists (topgun-heavy, but you certainly can't blame them).

#3 - Order Matters

There's got to be some sort of flow to the playlist front to back, unless your theme is audio whiplash, for example.

Now here I am a devout follower of the High Fidelity rules, which are as follows:

Track 1 - Open with a killer - sets the tone, gets people invested

(Here, Lady Gaga's You And I ~ it's a banger, and it's country enough to get away with. Can't bring out the banjo prematurely, we'll lose people)

Track 2 - Bring it up a notch - let them know we're just getting started

(Alannah Myles, Black Velvet ~ country-ing it up a notch but staying firmly in the mainstream, because again, we don't want to scare anyone)

Track 3 - Cool it down - now we're settling in

(Chris Stapleton ft. Dua Lipa - I Think I'm In Love With You ~ Dua keeps us firmly rooted in the crowd pleasers, and we can sneak in some Stapleton)

N.B. There is a rule here that I don't abide by, the "only one track per artist" - there's three dolly tracks in this lineup alone and i stand by all of them. Provided you're not adding an entire album or two, I think you can get away with it.

Anyway, this three-track run fires us into a classic (Islands In The Stream) which melts into Tyler Childers and suddenly we're knee deep in Kentucky and you didn't even know it.

The trick is to not overthink it, which is always easier said than done. Ordering only has to make sense to you from start to finish. This journey's gotta go somewhere - throw in a few peaks and troughs, and the songs are just connecting the dots along the way.

#4 - As Does Shuffle-ability

Now, having said all that, I feel like this is a safe space to admit I am a chronic shuffler, so a degree of shuffle-ability is required.

All this means is that your underlying theme is evident throughout. Any wildcards are going to make sense wherever they pop up.

With this one, the thread of country through all of these tracks is what ties the theme together (saving a horse). There are some classics (Faith Hill, Willie Nelson), soul-heavy tracks (Secret Sisters, Leon Bridges), and and few more pop-adjacent (Haim, Ashe) but they've all got that twang - so it's shuffle proof.

#5 - Points for Presentation

A good cover, title and description can offset a multitude of sins. Don't underestimate the power of presentation.

Duration comes into play here also, where anything shorter than half an hour feels like it has nowhere to go, but over three hours feels insurmountable. Unless you're going for a compilation, year in your life playlist, or some background low-fi stuff, keep it tight.

And there you have it folks, my (lengthy) guide to playlist curation. Final note, don't love it and leave it. If you come across something new, jostle things around to get it in. Similarly, if something doesn't fit anymore, toss it. The beauty of the modern mixtape is you can edit it as little or as often as you like.

If you made it this far, I'm personally sending you a little kiss on the forehead. And to the anon who inspired this article of a response, I can only apologise. MWAH

[ask-thebrothers-kaiba]

"My name's Jobua." The Matoran answered as he followed the CEO into the elevator.

It was obvious that Kaiba wanted something from the mechanoid if he was making him go through some hoops, but what was it that he really wanted? Seeing no other option, the Matoran began to relate his tale. "I come from a planet called Spherus Magna..." Jobua explained how he was dragged along to explore some ancient ruins before accidently triggering a device that transported him to Middle Age Earth where he was taken in by a kindly human and his tribe for some time before setting off to explore the world. "So up until now, I've spent centuries searching for a way back home."

((Aaaaa!!! It's always good to know that there's someone who appreciates Bionicle because I was kinda worried that I'd confuse you or something since it's a very niche franchise. Though I gotta be honest, I don't interact with the wider fandom as they can be pretty overwhelming at times.)

Evidently it was story time in the elevator. Seto stood up straight as the doors closed behind them, staring down at the Matoran with no discernible expression; although in reality, his mind was alight with this new information. Extraterrestrial life did exist? Now that was something. He had an inkling this was true, and now the proof was standing right there before him. Seto wondered briefly how no one thought to stop this Jobua in the building, but if he were honest, the quality of his build most likely exuded "Kaiba Corporation Property, Do Not Touch" energy. The doors had opened to them, after a brief few minutes, and the two continued on down a corridor leading just outside the main building. As he listened, Seto found himself far more engaged with the tale than he let on. The details of the mech's story were not lost on him in the slightest, even during his own train of thought. Yes, Jobua would make a fitting test subject indeed.

"I'll be," he began, somewhat incredulously. "You've been on this planet for quite some time, then. I'll admit, you have me intrigued." Cool as a cucumber in spite of this exciting revelation. Though, if he were truly being honest with himself, the engineer in him felt drawn to poke, prod, experiment, break him down - but this creature was proving himself intelligent enough to delay Seto's idea of scientific exploration, for now. That could come later, most assuredly, if Jobua failed to prove himself.

"But make no mistake: You're not getting anything out of me with that sob story. I've heard worse. If you want to get back home so badly, you're going to have to try much harder than that to convince me. Or you could try NASA, but I doubt you'd get anything out of them but missing parts." Seto chuckled.

"I'll give you a shot, Jobua, if you think you're up to the task. You and I are going to duel. If you don't know how, don't fret. You'll get a crash course before we begin."

[ Nah I remember Bionicle! I never got into the lore or fandom but I remember finding the entire concept really cool. That's valid. Also this is kind of the only way I see Seto continuing to give Jobua the respect he deserves but we're obviously not writing out a whole duel. 'Twould be too much. ]

[createherebk]

Interview: Aatmaja Pandya

What are some of your earliest memories of making art? What's your first memory of comics?

Art-making has always been part of my life, in the way it is for all kids. I do have a really specific elementary school memory of having to make a Halloween diorama for a school assignment. We had this program on the school computer that would let you design and print one. But I made one with paper shapes instead because I knew it would look more distinctive and even at that age I liked that handmade touch. When I think back on that it makes me laugh so much - what a little snob! But to this day I really value analog process, so I guess it is pretty indicative of the person I became. 

My first comics were graphic versions of the Ramayana and, like, stories about the god Krishna. My parents must have bought them for me and my brother in India. Weirdly I wouldn't consider them artistic influences at all - my strongest earliest influences are manga - but I think it's proof of the power of comics that I remember those stories so clearly and fondly now. 

What makes a good story? 

I ask myself this question all the time and the answer changes all the time too. We live in an era of easily consumed art and this isn't necessarily the fault of creators. Big companies are in control of a lot of our media, and art as a corporate product is designed to reach the maximum number of people but is made with as few resources as possible. So inevitably, a lot of mediocre art gets made. I find it pretty unnerving how many books or movies I feel totally lukewarm about, or how many just leave my mind completely after I've finished them. As a storyteller I find that so tragic!

So, at this moment I think a really good story is one that provokes strong emotion. One with some very visible humanity, I guess. Just technically speaking, I also love a really tight, snappy story with a sense of humor and an element of surprise. 

What was your time at SVA like? How has it impacted your career?

I loved my time at school. I'm just a dweeb and have always liked learning environments. Art school was a pretty fraught experience for some friends and it was out of reach for others - I got lucky with my teachers and peers. It was definitely a huge financial gamble, though, and the fear of professional failure has been the fire under me basically my whole career. I owe a lot to my community but in a way I also owe a lot to that pressure. 

I know you're currently working on your first published book that is both written and drawn by you. How's that going and any updates you want to share?

Yes I am! Thank you for asking about it!

It's chugging along - it's a challenge in a way I wasn't expecting. My first book project had a script ready (by author Marika McCoola) and in a way it was much easier, even though the actual labor of drawing a graphic novel is not an easy thing. This time along the book is my special little baby and I want it to be super, super fun and interesting and emotional... it feels like I could tweak it infinitely and I wish I could! I'm also just finding it difficult to hold the shape of this story in my head. I've done lots of short stories and I can usually visualize those in full, but this one is going to be 250+ pages for sure and needs a lot more brainstorming, both on paper and in the literal brain. Thankfully, I really enjoy the process of writing and layout. The feeling of a story clicking into place after you've been fiddling with it for ages is the best feeling in the world. Sometimes I think I write just to feel that satisfaction. 

How much planning goes into your books and do you stick to it? Does a page ever dictate or change the narrative as you work on it?

It depends on the project! Artists either follow rules or instincts and I am definitely an instincts person. Traditionally a comic page has four or so steps - script, thumbnails, pencils, inks, and then tones/colors if the project asks for it. I used to follow this system when I was younger, but these days drawing the same thing over and over just makes me nuts and I find that it takes a lot of life out of my drawing. What I do now is write a rough outline, do a rough thumbnail pass on paper, and then I scan those into a digital program. I use them as a guide and move straight to inks, and then do a clean-up pass so I can retain as much energy as possible while improving readability. If a page or scene is giving me a lot of trouble, I will flesh it out in more detail. I also like to have some flexibility so I can adjust the narrative if it's needed. In my opinion, if you're bored while working on your own story, the game's already over. 

I don't find that a page changes the narrative as I'm working on it, exactly, but I often start thumbnailing with a couple of key "scenes" in mind and structure the story around them.

What advice would you give to aspiring cartoonists?

Unfortunately it's probably advice they've already heard elsewhere - just draw! Draw just for the pleasure of making marks on a page! Start with something small - adapt a story if writing one is daunting. Try not to get caught up in perfectionism. Try and make everything you do better than the thing before it. And try to hold on to the pride and pleasure of creating through it all. Artists make art because we can't live without it!

[jayreviews]

Good games, Great games (Part 3)

Bead sort

God I love games like this, minus the ads but I this one I don't mind as much cause mwah. This game is therapeutic, satisfying and has a good start and good ending all in one. I love sorting through these colors and putting them in their right place. Like, it feel so good to match them to their bowl okay?

I'm at level 899 currently,.

Here's proof of that.

And I absolutely recommend this game, as long as you don't mind the ads. There's a pay for no ads version and if someone did pay for that tell me if it's worth it please, otherwise, play it like this cause mwah.

Figgerits

I have never been more angry and happy about a game like this one in my life.

Now I love puzzle games, but this one tests my patience, it tests my intelligence,  and it tests my will to live which us impressive cause I have no will to live.

I don't know what level I'm at but the pain that I'm feeling because of it is astronomical.

Luckily, and I cannot believe I'm using that word with this game, there's a website that has all the answers. Just type in the phrase followed by figgerits and you'll get it.

I do recommend this game, but thread lightly and do not throw your device on the floor I REPEAT DO NOT THROW IT ON THE FLOOR.

Plants VS Zombies

I'm completely bias for this game, I played it when I was a kid and I'm proud to say that mini me has finished it years ago. I downloaded the updated version cause the original one doesn't exist anymore and let me tell you something, cause I got a few things I need to say.

It's not the same as the original one, I don't remember what the original one had but one thing it did not have was ads. AHHHHHHH.

I hate ads. The original PvZ was years ago and my memory isn't good so I don't remember most things, but I did discover the yeti at one point, and won all mini games. Sadly, it all disappeared long ago along with my hopes of getting it back.

I tried to find a way to download it again but I quickly realised that that doesn't work so I stopped and just played this one.

I am proud to say I have completed this game 5 times...or maybe 4 I don't know. But without all the mini games cause they're so expensive?? Like, I expected Crazy Dave to have my back but I was thoroughly disappointed.

Even so, I recommend the absolute things of this games cause it's a classic and I love defeating the Zombies with my pretty little plants.

I'm gonna show you what I do to win.

This is situated in the night, which you unlock after playing 10 levels of daylight. So, the first night strats off with one mushroom that attacks Zombies, and is free. The thing us, that mushroom only attacks from a four blocks distance. I start placing them like the picture below, and don't forget the sunflower which gives you sun to be able to buy the plants to attack. Noe the first night starts off with the sunflower and when you move in on other keels, you'll get the sun mushroom.

As you can see, I place my sunflowers on two rows so I can get more sun faster. After I won this level I went on to level 2, and look how cute the sun mushroom is!

Here I Starting putting the mushrooms in two rows, but I pulled a Crazy Dave and placed them on three rows instead of two.

So this is how I won.

(2475 suns is my personal record of the maximum suns I can get on a level. If you've gotten more tell me how much!)

Tell me what you do in order to win! I'd love to see other tactics!

SO! These were some of the games I'd like to play, I would recommend more but I do like sleep but sleep does not like me.

Until next time.

Byebye!

[house-of-laminations]

Ok let's say because of MC's "I'm the protagonist so I'm different powers", it would make us strong enough to not evaporate or turn insane when seeing cosmic horrors, how would the boys act around us in their true forms?

If we're going for the more angst route (but not too angsty), they were horrified that you saw them in that state and we have to constantly reassure them that yes we aren't dying, turning mad or anything of the sorts.

Idk the is just so funny to me because its sorta like this:

Mc: This is my boyfriend! *points at a biblically accurate angel*

The angel: Hello 👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️

im so sorry this took me so long to get to. but. life. "Hello 👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️" SENT ME i spent so long laughing at that. I love the idea so much and you can bet this isn't going to be the only true forms shenanigans I write. 💛 This one is a little funny, a little angsty, and a little bloody - I hope you enjoy! For those of you following along at home, this was also the ask that inspired this.

cw: violence (against MC and others), blood, death mentions. Implied/mentioned chronic pain for Lucifer. There's a few times where MC gets kidnapped but they're saved pretty quickly. And of course, horror themes. It's also over 11k words so like. have a snack break. Also not proof-read.

Be Not Afraid

The blood in your veins and your magic protect you and allow you to see the 'true' forms of demons - but that doesn't mean they've been willing to test your sanity. A tale of the first time you've seen the brothers, and how those circumstances came to be. Also posted here on Ao3.

Mammon

You wake up slowly.

Your head is aching like you’ve spent the last few days dehydrated and now you’re paying the price. Your mouth is also cottony and dry, while it feels like every muscle in your body aches.

Really. This again?

A stone altar is cold against your back, and the sounds of ritualistic chanting echo throughout the cavernous hall. All you wanted was a night out at the casino, and now this?

It’s what you get, you suppose, for being careless. You had accidentally flashed Mammon’s pact mark at one of the high rollers at the poker table while reaching over the bar for your drink. Their eyes had snapped to your body and you’d spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid them and their goons. Shame your luck didn’t hold out past your wins at cards and dice.

You recognize the hall you’re in as one of the upper levels at the same Casino, large skylight above you revealing a moonless sky. The high roller and their goons at least have done you the service of keeping you in your regular clothes - though the pact mark you notice when you twist enough to see has been left revealed deliberately.

The High Roller is chanting in a vaguely familiar language that sounds a little like greek but feels older, while their goons are shuffling their feet, obviously waiting for them to be done. At least there aren’t any sharp things pointing at you.

“Hey, uhh, do you mind letting me go?” you try. If nothing else, maybe the goons are having second thoughts.

Of course, there’s no response.

“I’m friends with some very powerful people,” you try again, “maybe, if you let me go, they could cut you a deal?”

At this, one of the goons snorts. “We’re countin’ on that, actually.”

Oh great. Big, mean, and in the know.

The chanting rises in volume to combat your voices, and as it does so you notice a tingling sensation in your pact mark.

“While I’ve got you here,” you say to distract from the uncomfortable sensation, “what is it you’re hoping to do?”

It’s a different goon that responds this time. This one’s wearing glasses. You decide to label him ‘Nerd’. The first can be ‘Unhelpful’. “The boss is tryin’ to get rich quick. Got some debts, see. He’s hoping you can help. Turn his luck around at the big game, and all that.”

“If he’s got debt, why are you working for him?” you ask, genuinely curious.

You can tell the High Roller (or not-so-high, if Nerd is to be believed) is becoming increasingly annoyed by your conversation, like you’ve hit on a bit of a sore spot. (Considering your entire body is a bit of a sore spot right now, you think it’s pretty fair. Honestly, you’d like to see him even more annoyed. It’s not enough.) He actually stumbles on one of the phrases (something, you realize now that you recognize the language as Ancient Mycenean, to do with ‘showing thyself’) and it makes your heart skip unwillingly and your pact mark feel like it’s been stabbed through with a hot iron.

Unfortunately, this serves to distract you from Unhelpful’s response. “-ake us along for the ride.”

“Sorry,” you say faintly, “I didn’t catch that first bit.”

“I said -”

Not-so-High roller punctuates his chants with an irritated harsh syllable, cutting you both off. All through your conversation, he’s been crescendoing, and you feel like maybe the ritual is reaching its peak. Your Ancient Mycenean is rough, but Solomon has hammered in enough during your training that you recognize key phrases: separation (confirming your hunch that this is somehow related to your pact), wealth, and -

“- Mégas Kýrie Mammon!”

Shit.

You don’t get to think much else, because one of your pact marks burn with what feels like the intensity of the sun itself. You close your eyes against the pain as your body feels like its being shocked with lightning and then doused in lava. And then there’s a pull. Like the skin that bears the mark is trying to tear itself from your flesh, up, up and out.

A scream is wrenched from your throat, the high pitch of your own voice adding to the scratching whispers that have begun in your mind. It builds and builds and builds because it’s not enough, it will never be enough -

Nothingness.

Empty void.

The whispers, your own screams, have been cut off. The pain of something being pulled out is gone, and now you’re left shaking on the - well. Not the ground. Not anything, really. Your harsh breathing echoes, though you can’t see any walls that would cause the sound to bounce when you manage to crack open your eyes.

There’s only one thing in the hollow expanse before you, immediately grabbing your attention.

It’s a heart. Not human, not with the way that it shines gold even without light. It’s beating frantically, molten gold feeding in only to release cold, curling shadows. Something about it calls to you, and you can’t help but reach out and grab-

sssCHRK!

Reality filters in all at once the moment your fingers brush the heart. You’re so overwhelmed by the love-pain-fear that it feels like you’re once again on that ritual table with a dagger poised over your chest, your own heart beating frantically as you try and sort through the emotions.

Clawed fingers - talons - are scratching at your scalp and behind your ears, cooing whispers and chatters and clacks sing out around you. Sight comes back to you slowly, and when it does, you notice the hands and wings and claws and tails that reach and wrap around you. Golden eyes peek out between fingers and feathers, each looking upon you in concern, while others glare venomously at the now cowering Goons.

Or, maybe not cowering. You can barely look away from the creaturebeingthing for long enough to notice, but it seems maybe not all of them survived whatever had happened. Not-so-high Roller is frozen in place, eyes wide and blank while his mouth is agape in awe and fear. His form is being held up purely through the fact that his suit has turned to almost pearlescent glass, cold and hard to the touch and probably very expensive. Several others have either just keeled over (in shock, or maybe, you think, they had a heart attack) or find themselves shackled with shining metal, glowingly hot and dripping from their flesh.

Unfortunately, not even poor Unhelpful or Nerd had been spared. They’re both on their knees, clawing at their chests while they retch. Unhelpful coughs, and out comes gold coins, covered in blood, bile, and saliva. Molten silver (or maybe platinum) drools from Nerd’s mouth, but he seems to have better luck keeping his stomach. Both are avoiding your gaze, fixated on Mammon like he’s the brightest treasure they’ve ever seen.

“Mammon,” you murmur, and in that moment those eyes that were looking away from you snap to attention. Good. Give it all to me.

�̶̞̥͈͖͖͈͍̩̭̦̮̀͂̈́̄̓͗̾̈̏͛͜�̶̥̅̒͐͜�̷̛̗͖̰͍̪̗̯̻̣̯̼̳̳͇͜�̶̨̦̤̳̱̰̼̬͛̈̌̌̍̒̈̔͒͋́͒͌̕͝�̷̡̗͖̻̐͆̉͜�̸̟̺͔̺̯̙̝̘̥̳̤̒̅̀́͘�̶̧͔̞̲̲̻̠̑͌�̴̝͉̞̫̼̥̤̟̇̆̋̂̈̈̀͑̓̈̇͊́͛͜�̴̛̺͔̰̩͚̝͓̄́̉͗̐̿�̸̡̟͔̱̱͈̌̊�̴̳̭̭͓̜͉͕̪̹̯͔̞͛͠ͅ�̸̻͔̐̾̀

It’s the sound of clinking, tumbling coins hitting the top of a pile, but also the cracking, squeaky hinges of an empty safe. It’s the most comforting sound in the world - right up until it isn’t.

“I’m sorry,” you say for what feels like the second time that night, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

Two of the arms reach out to grab you, and you let them. As they move, you notice a faint gap between the many wings and talons and hands and claws. All those limbs reach inward, like it’s trying to cover or fill a hollow void, but no matter how hard they try, there’s no way they can do it. And that allows you to see it. Only for a moment. The most beautiful thing you think you’ve ever seen. That heart of precious metal, pumping shadow and hope. And then -

gone.

You’re distracted once more by the extravagance of it all and everything else. Golden chains hang from his form, some of them ornamental, others digging into the flesh(?) itself, causing not-blood to ooze from the wounds they create.

"̵͙̉̚Ä̴̭̝́͆̅r̸̠͎͗͛̚é̴̢̖̓̕ ̸̟̒̉̕ỹ̸͚͉̘̦ö̶̝́̿̽ǔ̶̞̫̬́̅͠ ̷͎̥̥͒͆̂̊o̴̡̱̓̌̐̋k̸͔͖͉̀̆͜,̶̧͓̏̊ͅͅ ̴̲̮͑ḩ̵̛̙̯̥ư̵̢̩̠̍m̷̢̻̯͖͝͠à̴͖̖̰ń̴̡̨͕̀͒?̵͚̂̃͒̈́"̸̮͕̣̂̇͒͘

“I was scared for a moment there.”

Immediately, the arms try to drop you, but you don’t let them. The form tries to retreat, and it pulls away from your touch like it burns.

"̶̦̐i̶͔̿m̴͕̆ ̴̧̋s̵̩͛o̶͓̎r̴̥̈́r̸̠̈́y̵̯͌ ̸̪́i̸̜͛m̶͎̋ ̵͕̈s̵̖̾o̶̮̽r̵̮̍r̴͎̔ẏ̷̯ ̸̺͗i̷͔̔m̸̬̅ ̸̭́s̶̨͛o̷̱̓r̵̥͋r̶̟̚ẏ̴͍ ̵̥̕î̶̥m̵̨͂ ̸̒ͅs̷̰̒o̵̹͝r̶͓̆r̵̥̈́y̶͎̽"̵̰̅

“No, I’m sorry! That was a dumb thing to say,” you quickly say when it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop trying to get away from you, “I wasn’t scared of you, I promise!”

It - he halts in his tracks. Even that beating heart in his hollow centre stops when that reaching, filling, grasping mess pause in response to your words.

"̴̻̍Ỷ̶̲ǒ̴͉u̴̦͝r̸̻͝e̸̛̹ ̶͔́ṇ̷͐o̷̭͂t̷̻̋ ̶́ͅs̵̞̕c̶̢̀ä̵ͅr̴̖̓e̴̯͠d… of me?”

“No,” you say firmly.

There’s a moment where he appears to be judging you with his many, many eyes. But eventually, he reaches back to you, and you once again let him lift you.

“Well, I did get a bit of a shock,” you can’t help but add, once again playing with the golden chains looped around one of his many wrists, “it’s the first time I’ve seen a demon’s ‘true form’. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing it again, if we’re being honest.”

“Really?” this time, it’s Mammon’s voice as you know it. Clear, a little growly, and oh so full of hope.

“Yeah. Can’t get enough of it.”

Lucifer

Of course it’s witches. Why is it always witches?

The drama-of-the-week this time around comes from a witch who took exception to Asmo’s beauty. According to her, no one could be that beautiful without magic or makeup, and thus cursed the Avatar with a spell that compels the bearer to show who you really are, to be vulnerable with those who matter most. Unfortunately, the witch had been jealous and inexperienced, and so the curse had power but no direction. It hit all the Avatars.

Curses like this wouldn’t normally be an issue - typically Solomon or Lucifer could break them after learning about the parameters or focus fairly easily. Not without shenanigans taking place, much to your amusement.

And true, there were heart-touching and heartbreaking moments in equal measure. Mammon had been honest, and Levi had been forced to own just how cool he is. Satan was able to let his anger and insecurities out and the twins opened up to each other about their guilt. Even Asmo was able to be vulnerable to you and Solomon about his fears of love and intimacy.

Lucifer, though…

Well. What would one expect from the embodiment of pride itself?

You’ve managed to extract secrets, honesty, and vulnerability from all the other Avatars and Lucifer is your final stop. Solomon claims it’s only a matter of being honest, a rudimentary curse with a simple solution. But you had both exchanged wary glances when you realized who the final target would be.

You knock on his door, waiting a few moments for a response, but nothing happens. You try again, and alas, it’s just a repeat of your first attempt.

“Lucifer?” you call, hoping to the high heavens (and deep hells) that he hasn’t magically blocked out the noise from outside, like you know he does when he’s overwhelmed. “Can I come in?”

Again, no response.

Sighing, you put your hand on the door handle, praying silently that he hasn’t cursed it to keep you out. Normally you’re the one with a free pass, while Mammon, Asmo, and even Dia are sometimes barred entry. With a turn and a click the door opens, and you let out the breath of air you were holding.

Your first impression as you glance around Lucifer’s room is that it’s empty. He’s not home?

But no, there - the covers of his bed. They’re shaking slightly, shuddering not with breathing but irregular shivvers. You hurry across the room and peel them back, and you can’t hold back your gasp when you see him.

Lucifer looks so much younger like this. Sweat is beading on his forehead while his clawed fingers latch onto the blanket, trying to pull it back over his head and shoulders. His hair is a mess and he can’t even bring his eyes around to meet yours in his customary glare.

But the thing that steals your attention away from his pale, shaking frame, is the gaping, raw wounds in his back. Blood that isn’t red but isn’t gold or black or any one color oozes from two almost identical abscesses on his normally pristine lower back, angled towards each other in a ‘v’ shape. The skin around the wounds looks like it has been pulled taut and then abruptly slackened, leaving dead flesh tags to roughly scrape against the blankets as you pull them back further.

“Go ‘way,” a venomous voice hisses, the normally clear diction slurring.

“No Lucifer, you’re hurt! Let me -”

“‘S nuthin’ new,” he murmurs, curling up more tightly. His wings are limp and lack their normal sheen, and they shiver violently every now and then.

If this is the effect of the curse, then does that mean this is what Pride looks like while vulnerable?

No, not Pride.

Lucifer.

His pride is nothing more than a pillar of strength, a coping strategy. Vulnerability strips that away, willingly or not. If this is nothing new, does that mean that some part of him always -

“What can I do to help you?” you ask, heart thumping wildly in your chest when you realize the implications.

“‘S the curse. You can’ do anythin’.”

His words hang in the air between you. And then you realize, “does that mean you can do something?”

Lucifer gasps in pain and then tries to pull his wings around himself. You shoot out a hand to stop him, gently catching the freezing feathers before they can cover his face. “‘Ts about being vulnerable. ‘-ve to show what ‘m hidin’.”

You learned from Asmo that the curse makes them feel agitated, anxious, and restless to the point of pain. It affected Mammon the worst, and Levi pretty harshly too. The twins, in comparison, seemed fairly okay under the influence, if a bit uncomfortable. Throughout the day you had been bugged by the fact that you know you’ve been missing something. Something obvious. And now you know -

“Damn it, Lucifer,” you sigh.

The curse’s strength is tied to the strength of the bearer.

And Lucifer is one of the strongest beings in existence.

“It’s fine,” he grunts through his teeth. The effort to properly enunciate clearly causes him more pain. “I can manage it.”

“Lucifer,” you say, letting the command slip softly in your voice. His red eyes finally meet yours. “It’s okay. Let go. I promise we will be okay.”

You don’t know whether it’s the pact or whether Lucifer just trusts you, but finally, finally he gasps out and then -

Galaxies.

Entire universes span as far as you can see, nebulae swirling infinitely as stars edge on the brink of collapse. You’re so high up, above everything and everyone, and your heart thuds as you toe your way closer to the edge. You can’t help but feel like you’re being watched, the multiple twinkling lights for moments at a time resembling bright irises caught in your gaze.

I could get closer.

The thought enters your mind unbidden, and you cannot help the way your feet move one after the other, dragging you towards infinite collapsing nebula. You reach out your hand, you could practically touch-

Freezing flames and scalding ice, the physical feeling tied up in all the emotions that seem to leak from his form. fear-grief-love-hope tumble around deep in your stomach, and you throw your entire body into the expanse.

This close you can see the marrs in the facade. The jagged edges that bleed dying realities and discarded futures. The expanse around, above, beneath you is unbalanced, incomplete. Torn.

And yet. And yet.

It’s beautiful.

Y̴̛͇͗̌͐͛ǒ̴̟͋̓̇̋u̷̢͕͂̾͐̍̂'̸̠̌͂̈̓r̶̛̞̾ě̶̳̉ ̶̨͚͒̂̍͗͠ẃ̸̮̼̮̗͆͘͜r̶͙̾o̶͍̠̊̀̚n̴̤̎̈́̌͑́g̸̥̯̗̤̍̉̈́..̸̡͇͖̱̞̑̂̍ ̸̲̱͍̮͒

The voice comes from everywhere and nowhere, thundering in your ears and whispering in your mind. It’s the song of stars and planets turning, that sound only celestial bodies can make. And it’s enough to make you aware that you’ve been saying everything out loud.

The awe that you’re feeling staring up at this great, immense being inspires so much love, so much fear in you. But not enough.

“I’m not wrong. You’re stunning. Literally.” You’re a little surprised at your ability to talk. And that what you’re saying aren’t just praises, sighs of worship at this great, awe-ful being.

He, it, Lucifer shifts away, like he’s trying to hide. But it’s like a cloud hiding the sky, you know he’s still there and still infinite, even if the brilliance momentarily defies your sight. And he’s not entirely hidden, either.

Those ragged edges - some have been clawed at, ripped and pulled by its own hands. But others…

Cut. Both careless and deliberate. The final rebellion of a shackled son.

Ỷ̶̜̳ǫ̶̫̿ͅu̶̦̘̜̍'̵̩̬͌̌̕r̶̰̈́e̸͉̐̍ ̶͚̰̻́͂n̶̨̖̝͆͝o̵̞̝̫͛͂̚t̵̡͋ ̴̧̙͈͘a̴͖̔́f̸̳̕ŕ̸̜̰a̵̞͍͌̌̓i̸̺̐͘d̷͉̰͌̒͌ͅ?̶̜͙̊͠

You snort. “Lucifer. I’m terrified.”

That loud, overwhelming singing and turning suddenly goes silent, and you watch as multiple stars collapse into one another, a black hole yawning wide and threatening to consume everything and you.

You frown. That’s not sadness, like you’d expect. It’s -

“I’m terrified of never seeing you like this again,” you hurry on to say, wanting to erase that horrible, creeping guilt in your chest. “I’m terrified for you, knowing this is a hurt you carry and always will. I’m terrified you will never share it or let us help.”

A million stars-as-eyes stare at you, while a billion more blink and turn their gaze away. It's neither reassurance nor excuse. But at least it's acknowledgement.

And that's the first step.

Leviathan

You kind of wish you had turned down the all-expenses-paid cruise. But hey - hindsight is 20/20. And you’re not one to turn down free stuff. Especially not free holidays.

The cruise is hosted by your university’s Exchange Society, advertised as an ‘opportunity to meet, work, and play cross-culturally, cross-disciplinary, and cross-communally!’ The only caveat? By agreeing to the cruise you’re taking part in an ‘Ethnographic Survey and Cultural Exchange’. You’ve participated in weirder research for less, and you have some time to kill while in the human world. Honestly, you could return to Devildom early, but you want to regain some confidence in your home plane, especially after all the shit you’ve been through recently.

The first three days were filled with rest, relaxation, and a surprising amount of productivity on the writing-front. Many coffees were consumed, and just as many cocktails were gulped down.

It’s on the third evening (the 13th of the month and a full moon) when you’re sculling down your fifth espresso martini (its about the efficiency!) that you start to feel sleepy. Which. With as much caffeine and sugar running in your veins right now, is a very big red flag.

You don’t remember closing your eyes, but you sure do remember opening them again.

You’re woken by the sound of rhythmic chants. It’s not the first time, and it probably won’t be the last. This chanting sounds practiced, but it doesn’t sound fluent. There’s a forcefulness to the pronunciation of the ancient sanskrit, one that Solomon is currently working to train you out of yourself.

Cracking open your eyes, you notice you’ve been tied up alongside quite a few of your fellow students, laid at points around a ritual circle. Your wrists are bound in front of you, and that’s just one mistake of many. Around the outside of the circle, standing hand-in-hand, are a number of hooded cultists, humming and chanting like they kind of know the words but not really. Ran pelts your face and you’re forced to squint to minimize the water hitting your eyes. By the sting it’s both rain and sea - the waves towering and crashing onto the top deck of the cruise liner.

And yet, despite all this, none of your fellow students awaken.

Glancing around as subtly as you can, you seek out the leader of the chanting. At what you assume is the northernmost point of the circle is a hooded figure, though the patchy, ill-cared for scruff growing on their chin reveals their identity: the president of the Exchange Society. His fellow hooded cultists, you now realize, are members of that same club - each of them bearing the same crest.

The volume of the chants increase just as you manage to wiggle your wrists out of the cheap rope keeping them bound. Not wasting any time, despite your heart thudding loudly in your chest, you untie your ankles and try to roll free of your position in the circle.

Your movement is immediately noticed by the cultists, and they rush to grab you. You try to cry out, to stop this nonsense, but your words go unheard over the sound of the storm and the waves.

What the fuck what the fuck what the fu-

“What are you doing, you idiots?” you try asking the two cultists holding you, and they’re surprised by the disdain in your voice that overrides your fear.

Not that you’re not terrified out of your wits - but at this point you’ve learned to roll with the punches. You’ve spent an entire year scared out of your mind and you’re very used to functioning through it.

“We’re finally summoning the Great Serpent. No one has achieved it before, and when we manage it he’ll give us all the power and riches we could ask for!” the one holding you on your right responds.

Oh shit. They’re insane. Wonderful.

Lightning crashing from above down into the sea and for a moment the sky is painted an eerie orange. Beneath your feet, deep, deep in the ocean, you can hear groaning. It sounds like rocks forced together, sliding against one another like the crust of the earth itself is splitting.

“Our Lord Rises!” cries the club president in triumph, finishing his chant.

The ocean seems to darken to the same color as the stormy sky as it rises and rises, and you’re not sure where the horizon is anymore. If there’s even a horizon at all. Something opens in the waves, dark and all-consuming. You get the impression of teeth, of venom, of a sharp and jagged tongue but they’re so much larger than the ship, than the sea itself.

Something knocks into the ship and the whole thing rocks precariously from side to side - you didn’t even realize that was possible in a ship this large. The screeching of metal assaults your ears as the mouth in the ocean widens, and you get the distinct impression that the reason why this Great Serpent hasn’t been summoned before is because it’s very likely it would’ve swallowed the whole world. Whole.

The sky around you gets impossibly darker. Unless, no. It’s not the sky. Something large, scaled, and jagged is rising up and around you, coiling around the ship. You yelp and tear yourself out of the grasp of the cultists as it comes slamming down onto the deck, narrowly avoiding crushing you.

You manage to catch yourself on the edge of the thing, the scaled coil, and you feel a bright, harsh burning in your chest.

You’re terrified. But you also feel bitter. There’s a sour taste in the back of your mouth as the inevitability hits you - why is this happening to you? Why now? Why aren’t you powerful enough to-

Wait.

Though the storm is raging and the cruise liner groans and creaks, your voice defies all this to call out and be heard clearly above the din.

“Leviathan?”

Your voice cracks across the sea like thunder, even though you’re really only calling out a name in confusion. The chanting doesn’t stop, but everything else around you does.

Lighting pauses in its arc across the sky, illuminating the ship’s deck in an unnatural light. Towering waves that tread the line between a watery mountain-range and tsunami freeze in place. The large creature too big to see or name, with its mouth open as if to swallow the sky itself seems to tense as if a shock has run through it.

Slowly its massive, earth-shattering jaw closes, though its coils do not loosen their grasp on the horizon. Then all at once, the wind, the waves, the screeching of manufactured metal joins sing together to form a voice:

"̸̧̗̪̻̬̈́.̴͔̹͗͘͜.̴̛̤͙̝̘̱͒̍̆̚.̸̨̰̪̙͂͗M̸̛͍̜̀̚͘C̸̛͔̎͛̎͗?̴̧̟̻̾̾"̵͕̗̞͋́́̽̚ͅ

At this, the chanting falters, though you barely notice it through the sheer love, relief and confusion that floods you at the sound of your name. You make sure to check your DDD - thankfully spared from the ritual nonsense that has decimated any other technology on the ship - and yup. As you thought.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the midnight release for the latest TSL game?” you ask.

He’d been looking forward to it all week - wanting to get his hands on an exclusive copy. You’ve received message after message about the early-access footage and reviews the entire time you’ve been on this cruise.

The moon seems to dim from that brilliant orange hue as the great beast’s coils slacken. Overhead several more cables snap, and they sound almost like a pitiful wail.

“̸̣͙̿͝Ḯ̵͉̍͆ ̴̪̜̌w̸̖̽̽a̸̙̳͒͗s̵͙̤̯͒̏ ̷̨̢̬̾̕p̴̭̾ͅu̵̢̺͔͂l̶̩̩̖̐͝l̶̼̭̮͋͐̃e̵̩͈̥͒̊̎d̴̠̖̒͝ ̷̝͔̋̀a̴̛̦̺̙͑͛w̴̡̞̓͜a̸͙̰͝y̵̜̯̩̌̀.̷̧͕́”̵͈̮̝̇̊ ̷̖̤̗̓̽

By now the chanting had well and truly stopped. Several of the cult members are curled on the ground in the fetal position, blood pouring from their eyes and ears. Only their leader remains, and he seems frozen in the face of the very beast he had tried to summon - the Lord he was trying so very hard to appease.

You barely take stock of this though as you frown and approach one of the gigantic, glittering coils. The individual scales are the size of buildings and they glitter with a beautiful orange sheen.

“Aw, I’m sorry babe,” you console, reaching out to stroke one of his scales. “If you want, I can take care of this for you?”

At your touch, there’s a ripple of air, of light, of sound. The world unfreezes around you, radiating out from that point between your hand and Levi’s scale. The line between ocean and sky defines itself once more as the coils of the serpent loosen their grasp. But it’s not enough.

There needs to be one more push, an offering to satisfy the yearning, all-consuming void. Something greater than the seas and horizon itself.

You’ve got just the thing.

“I’ve decided to cut this holiday short - how about you pick up that game so you and I can play it together? We can be the first to complete the co-op route!”

It’s enough.

The ship shudders as the serpent releases it, innumerable, immeasurable coils slipping back beneath the waves. It turns to face you, its heads and limbs merging into one.

You recognize the insecurity in those eyes.

“̸I̷ ̵-̷.̷.̷.̴ ̷I̵ ̷a̶c̷c̶e̶p̴t̴ ̶t̸h̶o̸s̴e̶ ̷t̶e̴r̵m̷s̸,̶”̴ it says and you hear the words in your mind as the shape of them causes more of the ship’s supports to screech and snap. “But-”

The ocean seems to groan and tremble beneath you - the cry of unknowable creatures reverberates through the ship and into your chest. They sound mournful. And just a little bit afraid.

“Do you really w̶a̷n̵t̶ ̵t̶o̵?̶ Especially now you’ve seen me like this?”

You reach out one more time, grabbing onto the edge of the ship’s railing so you can steady yourself. Your fingers just brush against those great, beautiful, glittering scales.

“Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with one of my favourite people?” you ask. “Especially after they’ve had a bad day.”

It seems impossible, but the Great Serpent’s face flushes red - likely a reflection from the glaring alarms, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. Garbled nonsense escapes from its mouth, and this time it really is just noise and sound. No meaning to it except deliciously pleased panic.

“Sheep got your giant, forked tongue?” you tease and that mental image practically sends the Avatar into spasms. More garbled nonsense crosses your heart and your ears as it hurries itself beneath the waves.

The final trace of all-consuming blackness disappears below the horizon to reveal a shining, orange dawn. You take a moment to appreciate your continued existence - yours, and everyone else’s on the planet.

It’s a shame you’re interrupted by the scared whimpers behind you.

You sigh, approaching the president of the Exchange Society. “Sorry. Where were we?”

The man panics, flailing backwards but there’s nowhere to go besides over the ship’s ledge.

“Wh-who are you?” he stammers.

You grin your best ‘evil grin’. You’ve always wanted the opportunity to indulge in a dramatic reveal. You’ll have to reward Levi for such a thoughtful gift when you finally get back.

Satan

The human world is not without its own perils. You’re used to constantly being on your guard in the Devildom, that the instincts you so finely honed there are probably what saves you now.

Your walk home is normally a pleasant twenty minute stroll through well-lit streets. However tonight the skies have opened up and rain is pelting down like knives. There’s a shortcut through some of the commercial buildings, through the alleys that separate them. There’s also the benefit brought by all the overhangs from air-conditioning units and fire escapes, offering some slight shelter from the freezing rain.

There’s a few others thinking the same thing, and you find yourself awkwardly scooting past them, throwing a glance over your shoulder as you pass them - sometimes seeing them doing the same at you. It never hurts to be too careful.

But then you take a wrong turn. And it’s not entirely your fault.

All you know is the area around you becomes pitch black, and you’re forced to put your hands out on the grimy walls to lead you. There are dim lights from the apartments above that lead you in the direction of the street (you hope).

Lightning flashes overhead.

And that’s enough. You see him - it? - there, something extending towards you fast.

You dodge just in time, internally thanking Beel for all the times he took you out to teach you some Fangol basics. When you roll to your feet, whirling around to face your attacker, you can still barely see. But again, it’s enough to once again elude another writhing limb your way.

It grazes your side, and it feels like slimy, cool flesh pulled taut over bone. But it’s far too long and flexible for that to truly be the case. The man? Monster? Figure in front of you chuckles as you duck out of the way of his grasp.

“You have some fight in you? Oh I do enjoy a chase.”

His mouth splits open wider than a human’s would, his grin stretching up to his ears. Unlike the Little D’s or other demons you’ve run across however, there is no void within, no writing mass of darkness, sin in physical form. Instead, you see flesh and blood, a direct line to the back of this throat, his skull. Teeth extend down and you feel dread pooling in your gut.

Your body aches and throbs, and only now you notice his ‘graze’ must have gotten you a lot deeper than you thought. Both you and the creature watch mesmerized as a drop of your blood rolls from your hoodie and splashes onto the ground below, instantly diluted by all the rain.

“Oh,” the creature says, “How beautiful. Shall we see more?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

This voice is new. And oh so very welcome. You feel yourself relaxing even before turning to see who spoke. Lightning crashes, illuminating the dark alley in bright green light. It instantly grounds you, while simultaneously making the world around you look unreal.

Satan steps between you and the creature, giving you a long, concerned look as you go.

“Two for the price of one? How fortuitous,” the creature growls. The green light from the lightning has yet to fade, and you notice now long, spiraling horns. They look like antlers - like Levi’s antlers. But the way they twist and poke is out, rather than inwards.

“A cambion? I thought your kind were all dead?” Satan responds, his tone disgusted and just a little bit curious.

He looks to be in his human form, though the edges blur in the rain. Every now and then a drop inexplicably bounces back up, in roughly the same places where his horns would be. Maybe that’s why the creature in front of you seems incensed by his words.

“How dare you speak to me in that tone. Do you know who I - ghrk!”

The change is instantaneous. Satan’s long, sharp, barbed tail whips out, piercing the creature through its chest. It lingers for a moment, the two connected while Satan stares dispassionately with vile, green eyes. Then, just as suddenly, he rips, the tail pulling its way through the creature’s chest to the side, freeing itself, flinging black blood as it goes.

Some part of you notices the way the blood settles on top of the water, rather than washing away like your own. But that part is overwhelmed with fear-love-relief, adrenaline in your veins responding to a fight that now will never happen.

“I don’t particularly care about who you thought you were when you woke up this morning. All you are now is a mistake that has been rectified,” Satan says coolly.

When he turns and sees you, it’s like he becomes a different person. Though his horns, tail, and claws are still accounted for, their presence is softened by the sheer amount of love, care, and worry directed right at you.

“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Satan fusses over you. He’s careful not to nick you with the ever-growing talons at the tips of his fingers, even as soft hands brush over your face, your shoulders, your arms.

“I’m fine,” you manage to say, teeth chattering. It’s cold - freezing in the rain.

(And maybe you’re still just a little bit spooked).

Satan takes off his jacket, wrapping it around your shoulders. You’re somewhat impressed by the way he manages to do it without nicking the fabric with his claws. But more than that, you’re grateful. His jacket is warm, and you put your arms in the sleeves to be more fully covered.

He tuts at you, while pulling it tighter over your chest. “You need to be more care-”

Grhk!

Satan’s green eyes are wide, his mouth open in shock around the long blade now stabbed through the back of his head. You barely manage to duck out of the way of the blade yourself, avoiding succumbing to the same fate.

You know that Satan is strong - he’s an Avatar for devil’s sake.

But it’s so sudden, so surprising, so horrible and graphic that you can’t help the scream that is torn from your throat as he drops, mouth open around the blade.

“Stupid runt. I’ve been wandering the Earth since the fall of the Roman Empire. You Devildom demons are soft - it takes more than an impaling to bring me down.”

The creature is back despite the gaping hole in his chest, his ribcage broken and exposed. Heart thudding in your chest, you can’t hear anything but the rain falling and the roaring of blood in your ears. You should be terrified, afraid, but -

You’re angry. Blood is rushing through your chest, your face is warm and probably red and you feel like screaming in frustration. Why is this happening to you? It’s not fair, it’s not right-

sshhhhCRASH!

Lightning strikes again, somehow greener than before. Sparks glance off the fire escape above you, falling harmlessly to the water below. It was so bright it’s b̷̮̖̊͋͛͒̂l̷̲̍͛̏̕i̷̝͉͙̗͂̀̈́̾͛̾̚͘͝ñ̶̡̜̪̥̋̈́̎͝ḓ̶͆̿̈́̉i̵̡̎n̴̛͇̗̤͊̀̀̊͠ġ̶̨̥̯̮

You blink your eyes rapidly, trying to dispel the whiteness but all you are getting is after-images that don’t make any sense. You can still hear, and what you do are screams and crunches and tears. A sword clatters to the ground but you inexplicably see one larger, more twisted, jagged, and deadly.

It feels like an eternity before you can see again. But it’s not right, it’s not real. Because what you’re seeing is a unicorn.

But not quite. There is no horn. There is only sharp, deadly steel.

You reach up and touch the horse’s skull. Sickly green fire escapes in the gaps between jaw and teeth, and though it singes your clothes it does not hurt your skin. The sword protruding out the top makes him look like some kind of gruesome unicorn. There’s no blood, only more of that green fire dripping from where the sword is impaled beneath the jaw.

The neck, the spine, and the tail of his form stretches and stretches and never seems to end. Vertebrae after vertebrae after vertebrae, each hooked, pointed and sharp and you yknow that just touching them would be enough to draw blood. Wings, black and feathered, and oddly out of place on the white bone, bleed gold from where what looks like barbed wire keeps them secured to the top of his rib cage.

Finally you bring yourself to look into the eyes of Satan’s form. The skull gives way to dark, hollow voids. They lack any kind of physical feature within, but they’re not empty. They are brimming with promise.

The promise of hurt. Revenge. Retribution.

It’s the anger of a mother whose child was taken from them too soon. It’s the fury of a serf who has been stepped on for far too long by their king.

An eye for an eye will make the world go blind.

You realize now that though Satan can very likely sense, there is not an uncovered eye in sight. There are faces that scream and spectral forms that wind through ribcages that have been torn asunder. Where their eyes would be are hideous scarred abscesses or bleeding bandages.

Again that anger is back, making you shake more than the cold ever could. The hilt of that giant, wretched sword is about at head level with you, and you wonder how hard it would be to just pull -

Satan ducks Its massive head, the horse skull - the gruesome unicorn - careful to not impale you. You take a deep breath, closing your eyes and forcing your breathing to calm. The blackness gives you a reprieve, some perspective. The anger is still there. So is the fear. But it’s not everything.

“I’m alright,” you murmur. “Thank you.”

You think he’s looking at you, but it’s hard to tell without any visible eyes. But you know him, and that’s enough.

“Can we go home?” you ask, and It takes an earthshaking step back. There’s no way It fits in this narrow alley, and yet there is always just enough space.

“Together,” you amend firmly, when you realize It - he - was moving away to let you through.

There are still no eyes, and yet you know he is looking at you in amazement

The last block of your walk, from atop the back of Satan’s massive, skeletal form, passes by the courthouse. And there, something catches your attention. It's a statue, one you're so familiar with you basically tune it out.

An eye for an eye? Perhaps that is why justice is blind too.

Asmodeus

You will swear to your dying breath (which could be quickly coming) that this was all Solomon’s fault.

The sorcerer had stumbled across an ancient jewelry box during his recent travels and had left it behind in his room unsupervised. Asmo, of course, had been fascinated by it. The three of you had been hanging out in purgatory hall alone when one of Solomon’s wards had been activated up in the human world, leaving you and the demon in his bedroom with the promise not to touch anything.

Asmo, of course, touches the jewelry box. It’s still Solomon’s fault.

The box glows with a dark energy. The temperature plummets, and all of the clocks in the room stop their constant ticking. You feel a force wave out from the box and throughout the large manor, making your teeth vibrate uncomfortably in your skull.

“Asmo, maybe you should drop-”

There’s a groan from somewhere outside.

“No need to get grumbly, MC,” Asmo croons, putting down the box. He doesn’t look affected by whatever just happened.

“That noise wasn’t me,” you say through gritted teeth.

There’s another groan, this time closer.

Followed by another.

And another.

Asmo cocks his head with his hand perched on his hip. He seems to be studying you intently.

“Are you feeling o-”

CRASH.

The door shakes in its hinges, and you jump. There’s all sorts of groaning and growling now - coming from the other side of the door and even outside the manor. You run over to the window and peer out. You wish you could be surprised by what you see, but honestly, you kind of expected it.

Crawling in from every direction is hundreds upon hundreds of bodies. All in varying levels of decay and most of them human.

THUD

You jerk away from the window as something jumps up and gnashes at you with angry teeth. The only thing stopping you from reaching a bloody end is the quickly cracking glass.

Asmo yelps loudly and grabs your wrist. He pulls you quickly into the closet, door slamming behind you.

“Does this even lock from the inside?” you ask, trying to wrestle your heartbeat down to normal levels.

Asmo tuts. “Of course it does. We made sure, just in case we’re ever interrupt-”

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” you sigh. As much as you love both Asmo and Solomon, if you get the Avatar started, he just won’t stop. “Now that we’re here, what are we going to do? I don’t think those things are particularly friendly, and the necrotic energy from that box felt pretty terrible.”

“Exorcisms aren’t really my area,” replies Asmo and you snort. No shit.

“We could always see what they want,” you offer up sarcastically, “maybe they’re just here to say hi?”

Loud groans and growls pierce the air with almost comedic timing. They don’t sound very happy. The do sound hungry.

“You don’t have any spells do you? Turn undead?” asks Asmo, his chirpy voice only wavering slightly.

“That’s-” you take a breath, willing yourself not to snap at him. “That’s a Dungeons and Dragons thing. And it’s a feature, not a spell, and I’m not even a ‘divine’ class-”

BANG

The sound of something hitting the closet door alerts you to the fact that you’ve been found. The banging continues, like something is hitting it repeatedly, trying to get in. You look around in vain, but for a ‘magic closet’, there’s very little around you that would help in, say escaping. No secret passages or anything.

You’re out of options.

“I could-” Asmo starts, but then cuts himself off. He looks uneasy - something you’ve never really seen before.

“You could what, Asmo?” you prompt, hoping that his reticence is only because the situation itself is off-putting.

His beautiful eyes lock with yours, and though you’ve never been susceptible to his charm you can’t help but think he is the loveliest creature you have ever seen. He seems to be studying you, trying to memorize your face, your hands, the ratty, blood-splattered clothes you’re wearing.

“I could transform. Into my true form,” he admits, and you don’t understand the reluctance.

There’s a growl somewhere nearby, and you hold your breath as it passes. You hope it hasn’t smelled you yet.

“What are you waiting for,” you say through gritted teeth, only after you’re sure as safe as you’re going to get while the rogue denizens of the abyss are circling.

The door rattles against its hinges again, and the thudding picks up in speed. Safe in this case, being relative.

“What if you hate me? I couldn’t bear it if you hated the way I look or feel.”

This is not the time. This is so not the time. There are zombies and monsters and all manner of chattering creatures quickly converging on your closet. Your death is moments away at the claws and teeth and spikes.

But that doesn’t matter. Asmo matters. He always will. He’s everything.

You take his face in your hands. “I trust you to not hurt me. Can you trust that I will not hurt you in return?”

Asmodeus stares at you once more. His glowing eyes are the only thing you can see in this dark, dark closet. They blink closed slowly, and that’s all the warning you get before plush lips graze against your own.

Really not the time. But you lean into the kiss anyway. If these were to be your last moments, at least you’re dying while kissing someone that you love. The lips move against yours, and you feel them brush your hands, your shoulders, your neck, your cheek - all at once.

Soft hands, clawed hands, talons, scales and carapaces brush up and around you and you feel enveloped.

You peek open your eyes, and you see him.

And he sees you, not with eyes in his face but the eyes in his chest, his arms, the ones that smile at you from the edge of your own vision. The lips and mouths continue to taste, to bite, to caress and the feeling is so overwhelming. Your eyes see wings, they see legs, feet, hands, and tails, but your mind is struggling to stitch them all together in one form.

There’s a certain beauty to each part individually, but as a whole - it’s too much. The form shifts and writhes, and as it ‘breathes out’ you see the edges flicker, dissipating in what your mind comprehends but your heart knows is not a pink mist.

Breathing it in feels like suffocating. Like drowning. It’s like that time you went to the dentist and they gave you the gas that makes you feel happy, relaxed, giddy. It’s sweet and it’s your favorite smells and tastes and you take it in like you can’t get enough. You feel so good, and you don’t want to feel anything else.

You reach out to stroke a horn, an ear, a fanged pout, and the sight of your own hand - your chipped nail polish, the tiny scratches and blemishes - brings you back, not to reality, but to him.

A moment of clarity. It’s all you need to recognize the unspoken anxiety.

You’re barely aware of the silence that has now gripped the manor. The thuds are not of flesh forcing entry but rather the collapsing of bodies. The sight of him, slipping through the cracks of the wardrobe, encompassing you, enveloping the entirety of purgatory hall, is enough to stop anyone in their tracks. Its overwhelming and overpowering and the addiction to it is instantaneous.

But all that matters is Asmo. There’s fear in those many, many eyes and no, that’s not right.

“It’s okay, my love,” you croon, and the endearment makes him, it, everything shudder. “Well done. We’re safe.”

Logically, you know this isn’t something you should be able to know, to claim. Not from the blackness of Solomon’s closet. But how could your words not be true? There’s a certainty in you - driven from your own experience, but also your faith, your trust.

Then, a voice from somewhere that’s not between the two of you-

“What did I fucking say about touching the box?”

Beelzebub

Your DDD buzzes in the middle of class. You glance at the screen as a single text notification slides across.

Bring food to study time.

You sigh. Should’ve guessed, really. You made sure that he had some of your leftovers to take with him today, but that would never be enough for Gluttony Itself.

A quick glance at your GrimmAccount reveals an unfortunately scant amount. Oh. That’s right. You loaned your latest pay to Mammon. And of course he hasn’t paid you back yet.

Well. Not in Grimm.

As soon as the class is dismissed, you book it out of RAD. If you have no grimm, then leftovers will have to do. The House isn’t too far away, and if you hurry, you’ll have time to pop in and out before you’re supposed to meet Beel in the library.

The door to the House creaks open easily at your touch, and you’d be a bit disturbed at the way it responds to your mere presence, if you hadn’t already gotten used to the way it welcomed you much earlier in your stay. The House has a heart and a soul, Barbatos explained to you once, and it’s tied to the brothers. It’s fond of you because they’re fond of you.

Your footsteps don’t echo, despite the cavernous emptiness. You think it’s the House’s way of reassuring you you’re not alone.

As you bypass the kitchen briefly on your way to your room, planning on dropping off your Mathematics text books, you notice the door to the kitchen is slightly ajar.

Huh.

Typically the House will close any doors that don’t need to be open - the need for privacy or just empty rooms in general. The fact that the kitchen is slightly open is a bit odd, but you chalk it up to the reason you’re back so early in the first place.

Still, curiosity and the cat.

You reach out, but this time, the door seems to resist your touch. It actually takes throwing your whole body against the solid paneling to get it to budge. You know you should take it for the warning that it is, but…

zzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ̸̙͋̌̈́͝͝Z̸̨͉͎̪̤̦̥͉̈́̂̏͋͒͝Z̶̢̘̬̹̘̝̬͙̫͒̾̾̏̿̈́̀͠Z̸̢͉̳̝̩̟̫̤͂͝ͅZ̴̨̟̤̲͎̳̍̍͂͐̂̈́̕Z̷̨̺̫̠̩̥̑͒̄̏͂̐̂̕͝Z̸͖̮̾̓Z̴̧͍̲̄̈́̋̎̈́͘̕͝

An overwhelming cacophony of sound greets you the moment you finally manage to pry open the door. It’s the buzzing of a thousand flies, swirling around the room in no fixed point. Tearing and gnawing and snapping and chewing punctuate the irregular drones. In the midst of it all you can just make out the frantic patter of a quickly beating heart.

The sound is so vast and overwhelming that it takes you more than a minute for your eyes to be of any use - your brain struggling to keep up with the input, trying its best to differentiate your senses. There’s a taste in the back of your mouth that’s a little coppery and reminds you of blood but it’s delicious. Saliva pools in your mouth and you swallow and swallow and swallow. Your skin is crawling like there’s a thousand bugs scattering all over you, their tiny feet digging into your flesh to latch and grasp.

The smell is too much too, clogging up your nose and your stomach and your mind. Rotten meat, fresh flowers, dusty, empty basements, and rich wine. It’s the smell of your favorite home cooked meal but also of your bag from primary school when you left it out in the sun with a tub of yogurt and some fresh fruit for several days.

Even when your eyes do manage to get their message through, you’re not quite sure what you’re looking at.

You can’t tell whether the kitchen is covered in a thousand swarming insects and a herd of grazing deer and a pride of feasting lions, or if it’s just one being, large and interdependent, practically consuming itself like a snake eating its own tail. There are mouths and fangs and teeth everywhere you look, and they’re all eating something.

There’s also an energy to it. A constant moving and thrashing, the deer limbs sprinting away from those of the lions’, while the lions in their emaciated forms catch prime flank between their claws moments before it can slip away. You find yourself ducking out of the way of the creature’s (creatures’(?)) demented chase, stepping closer to the disjointed, sprawling mass.

Mouths that gnaw and chew snap their teeth at you as you get close, and then seem to purse closed, almost remorseful. The grasping arms and hands remind you in a way of Mammon - pulling everything around close reach out for you and you let them.While they hold you the mouths that gnaw at them pause in their meal.

“Hey,” you whisper, heart in your throat, “it’s just me.”

H̵̤̫̱̒͐͝ͅȕ̵͓̯̥̰̟̣́̀̈̿͘͜ͅn̵̝̣̪̼̗̦͕̈́̾ġ̶̹̪͑̍̂͝r̸̡̳̮̻̒͑̕͝y̶̟̫̰̅̔̃̓̃̑̕͝

It screams from all of its mouths, and it adds to the din echoing through the House. Now you know why your footsteps were silent.

The House was protecting you.

Your heart breaks.

The House was wrong.

“You’re not going to eat me,” you say firmly, and it’s not an order. There’s no telltale warmth from the pact marks, or power forcing its way through your throat.

It’s an affirmation. A fact. And the House needs to know it.

Beelzebub needs to know it.

All at once, the Chase stops. Silence greets you as the parts of him that were chewing and eating and consuming swallow each other whole, folding in and feasting on each and every limb and mouth and eye and hand and horn. It’s as sick as it is mesmerizing, and you watch until all that is left in front of you is Beelzebub in his humanoid form.

There are still parts of him not quite right - like the way his irises are not round but honeycombed and many, and the teeth that extend past his lips and jaw and further.

He collapses into your lap, and you see hints of madness in his eyes as he stares up at you.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, biting at his lip. “It’s just… quieter when I let go.”

You think about that constant buzzing and gnashing and chewing that overwhelmed the space.

Instead of commenting on it, you gently put your thumb on his chin and softly pull down, releasing his lip from his sharp, jagged teeth.

“It’s okay,” you reassure him, even as the hunger pangs eat at your own stomach. The need to burn off excess energy also rests in your body - already you’re again craving the rush of adrenaline that’s slowly ebbing away. Gluttony, you realize, is more than just hunger.

It’s survival.

At the cost of everyone, everything else.

You run a gentle hand through Beelzebub’s hair. It’s a reassurance as much as it’s an apology of your own.

Belphegor

It’s a cool, clear evening in the human world.

Feeling quite drained after a long afternoon of training, you’re enjoying the night wrapped up in Belphie - both of you happy to just rest. The others are all still up - pulled into a low-stakes game of not-quite-poker. You can occasionally hear the cheers of Mammon every time he wins a hand, or the groans from Leviathan when he’s forced to give up one of his exclusive prints.

Belphie had fallen asleep roughly an hour ago, but you don’t think it’s a restful slumber. Even now he buries his head into your side like he’s trying to block out the world.

He gets like this sometimes. Nightmares plague even the Avatar of Sloth’s dreams. He hasn’t opened up to you with what he dreams about, but you think maybe it’s Beel and Lilith and the Fall. All you can do is try and be there for him on the nights he can’t pull himself out, running a comforting hand through his hair.

You listen to the game happening outside your doors while you play with Belphie’s dark locks. There’s a moment where you think they might wake the Avatar of Sloth when Satan shouts indecipherably at Mammon, but a quick glance reveals that Belphie appears unaffected by the noise.

Your hand is halted, however, by the cold, sharp feeling of a horn.

You pull your hand away in surprise - not because of the demon form itself, but the transformation. The sudden emergence of the horn had cut your hand slightly, and you hiss as a drop of blood lands on Belphie’s cheek.

The demon snaps up, pushing you down and flipping you on instinct. Your hands come up to protect yourself from the claws and horns, pushing at his chest while his own grasp your shoulders, close to your clavicle, tightly.

“Wait, Belphie-”

Finally the demon’s eyes snap open, and you can tell it takes him a moment to realize where he is and what’s happening. And when he does -

Terror.

Belphegor pulls his hands away from your neck and flees the room before you even have a chance to call out to him.

A few moments later, Beel rushes in, followed by Mammon.

“MC, what-” starts Mammon but Beel cuts him off.

“Why was Belphie scared?” he growls, shedding his own human form. His voice drops into a lower register and you feel like you can hear it rattling in your own chest.

“I- I don’t know,” you answer. Beelzebub is terrifying in his protectiveness, but you know that he would never hurt you. You’re one of his now. “He was having a nightmare, but then he was woken by the game and…”

You trail off. At this point, the others have wandered in, and their glowing eyes stand out in the darkness. Solomon has a witchlight bobbing beside him, and he looks more intrigued than worried.

You think back to that moment, when Belphegor woke. His hands pinning you down, claws digging into your flesh close to your neck. His nightmare and his restlessness during the day. It’s been about a year since -

Oh.

Your head snaps up.

“Where did Belphie go?” you ask, dread filling you.

“He left the house entirely, running as if Cerberus himself was on his heels,” Lucifer explains, but you could hear the worry in his tone.

“We need to find him,” you say, and it’s almost an order. “He shouldn’t be alone.”

Beel is the first to run out, chasing after his twin. He’s realized what anniversary is marked by this day. Mammon chases after him, calling out for an explanation.

You shoo the others out of the room so you can pull on some proper clothes - tugging on the first things you can find. Something in you dimly registers the jacket is one of Belphie’s soft sleeping cardigans.

When you exit the room, only Solomon remains.

“The others are all looking for Belphie, but…” he pauses for a moment, “a demon can go a long way in the human world very quickly. They could be searching for a while.”

You push past him. “I’m going too. He shouldn’t be alone.”

Solomon nods, but doesn’t make any move to follow you. “I’ll monitor the situation from here - see if I can scry for him and let the others know.”

You take maybe three steps outside the house before you realize how freezing it has gotten. The day had been quite pleasant - middle of summer, with the sun shining down all day, nary a cloud in the sky. But now you see your breath fog as you breathe out, and you shove your hands into the pockets of Belphie’s jacket. You entertain the thought of going back inside and pulling on something more appropriate but no, there’s not enough time.

Belphie shouldn’t be alone.

Grass crunches loudly underfoot as the blades have frozen solid. Your runners are only going to last so long out here now. You push on, into the garden and past the wrought-iron gates.

Every step you take, you feel like the world around you is getting darker. A mist has rolled in from over the hills, slowly obscuring the sky and everything around you. You’re shivering uncontrollably, teeth chattering loudly but -

It’s not like anyone is going to hear.

You bring your arms up around you, rubbing furiously to try and get some warmth back. Ice lodges itself in the back of your throat and you feel like you’re swallowing glass. No, this is wrong, it’s too much it’s -

Breathe.

Belphegor. Remember?

You have to find Belphegor.

You swallow again, but this time the ice has cleared. You let yourself relax slightly, heart calming down as you try and make sense of everything.

It’s dark. You can barely see three feet in front of you, and this dark mist has obscured the sky. Everything around you is muffled, like your head is underwater and the world is screaming at you but you focus.

There.

In the distance a single, f̷̟͊l̴̳͊i̶̟͗c̷͚̽k̴̮̽ë̵͓́r̴̫̉i̵͓̾ń̸̠g̸̗̔ ̷̮̌l̴̦̀i̷̘͝g̵̨̅ḩ̶̀ț̴͐ shines like hope.

You take a step forward. And then another, and another. Soon, you’re running in the direction of that light but-

You’re not getting any closer.

You continue pushing yourself until you’re out of breath, sprinting in the direction of that damn light. You don’t know where you are anymore, and you’re not sure if you could find your way back to Solomon’s manor.

Eventually, your own human body forces you to stop, your chest tight from lack of breath and your legs freezing stiff from the cold. You hate the fact that you’re human, that you’re mortal.

The moment you stop, you collapse. It wouldn’t be bad if you took a moment. What if you just rest -

A cow moos loudly somewhere to your right. It sounds sad.

Your eyes snap open. You didn’t even realize they were closed.

Slowly, painfully, you pick yourself up from the frozen ground. It takes some effort to peer through the mist, but the cow continues its mournful groans, and that helps you more than anything else to find your way through the darkness.

Your foot catches on something warm, living, breathing, and you go tumbling. Your hands shoot out to catch yourself before you crush the small calf suddenly in your way. Your head snaps up, and you meet the four eyes of the two-headed creature, your nose inches away from its left snout.

You blink. There’s something wrong here.

Constellations are reflected in the wide black eyes, glittering in the distance despite the impenetrable mist. They’re so beautiful and so far away and you knǒ̴̼ẃ̵͓ ̷̹̅y̴͍̍ŏ̶̰ṵ̷̽’̶͖̿l̶̺͝ĺ̵̯ ̵̦̚n̴͉̚ė̴͓v̴̼̋ȇ̴̬r̵̢͌ ̷͕͠r̴̪̉ḙ̷̾a̵̩̾c̶͚̐h̵̨͗-

Oh.

You take a deep, calming breath.

“Belphegor?” you call. You feel like you haven’t spoken in years.

There’s a freezing breeze pushing through the mist, but now you inexplicably feel warm. The calf has disappeared, and you’re not sure if it was ever real.

“Belphie?” You try again, “It’s ok. I’m here, nothing bad has happened.”

More and more of the world comes back to you. The sounds of crickets. The crunching of grass beneath the hooves of the nearby grazing cows. The distant calls of six demons looking for their brother.

“It was just a dream.”

These are the magic words. The freezing mists around you release their unending hold on the world around you, crawling slowly inward. Your arms feel heavier and heavier, until you realize you’re holding on to a body - its shape flickering and hazy around the edges.

“It’s ok, I’m here, I’m alive, I love you,” you press affirmations into his hair between his horns, and slowly his hands come up to grasp at your own.

Belphegor curls into you, trying to make himself small enough to be protected by your grasp. It’s such a stark difference to the vast, sprawling, helplessness of the Avatar of Sloth’s true form and you can’t help but appreciate how despite everything he’s yours.

A few minutes pass like this, and slowly you become aware of some low murmuring.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

“Shh,” you soothe, “It’s ok. I’m here, I’m alright, I have you, I’m not afraid of you.”

You reach out to wipe under his eyes but Belphie flinches away and your heart breaks when you realize why.

“Oh, Belphegor,” you sigh. “I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t be afraid of little ol’ me.”

He blinks slowly at you, trying to see the lie in your words. When he finds none, he relaxes further into your hold. This time, when you reach out to wipe his eyes, he lets you.

You hug him close, even as his form slips between being there and not, whispering assurances and loving words until the sun comes up.

Back to Masterlist | True form headcanons

[angeli-marco-writes]

Hi there! Congratz on 200 followers! I came across your T-Swift post and I couldn’t resist! Could you do “Don’t You” with Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, or Tom Hiddleston? I’ll leave it up to you (: please and thank you!

A/N - Thanks for the request! I chose Tom Hiddleston... I think he fits this really well. I hope you enjoy :) I do not know Tom Hiddleston, nor do I claim to. I don't own the song lyrics used, all credits to owners.

Warnings - none.

My heart stops when I see him. The steady beat halts, no longer pumping, and yet blood still roars in my ears. After all this time, and I see him here... I knew I'd run into him somewhere, I just wasn't expecting this. I’m staring, I realise after a moment, and I don’t mean to, but it’s been a while. A long while.

I sling my bag over my shoulder and shutter the tears from my eyes, repeating two words to myself like a mantra, “Don’t you,” a warning to myself and to him. I’m out on the promenade a moment later, cold air hitting me like a brick wall and finally allowing fresh air into my aching lungs.

That's when his cologne hits me and I feel the familiar weight of his hand on my shoulder, the warmth seeping into my body, my rigidity melting, rendering me helpless to whatever he may say.

"Y/n?" A smile breaks over his face. "Are you okay, darling? How have you been?"

The platonic 'darling' breaks my heart a little more... But God, his voice is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Tom's signature woody cologne infects my senses, and has my knees trembling. The worst thing about this is the beautiful new piece on his arm, legs to her armpits and effortlessly windswept blonde hair. I heard she's nothing like me, and this is just the picture perfect proof.

"Yeah! I'm great. Sorry, didn't see you there," I respond sheepishly, instinctively scratching the back of my neck.

"Yeah, of course. I just saw you hurry out and, you know..." he trails off, "but this is my partner, Lauren."

"Hey," she beams at me, a faux-saccharine quality to her voice.

"Lovely to meet you," I say, and turn to Tom, "I'm sure she'll make you happy."

His smile dims, the stars in his eyes fading along with my melancholy words. Good, I think. You deserve this.

"So how did the two of you meet?"

"It's a really funny story, actually. So I was back in Cambridge..." he starts.

I'm not listening, too lost in my own thoughts. I'm not even sure why I asked, other than basic courtesy.

Sometimes, I really wish that I could hate him. It'd make my life a damn sight easier, because then my chest wouldn't feel like someone was taking a sledgehammer to it every minute he pops back into my thoughts, curly auburn hair and glasses and pretty jumpers all combined. I've tried to hate him, I've really tried, but that's something I can't do.

My heart knows what the truth is.

"That's lovely," I tell them, offering them a forced smile, "I must be getting off though."

Don't you smile at me and ask me how I've been.

"Yes! Us too," Lauren says, "it was nice to meet you."

"You too."

"We'll have to meet up soon," Tom says.

"Yeah, sure. Just text me," I say, and take one last look at him, at the angles of his face, the soft smile that always seems to grace his lips, his eyes so full of life, his tall stature... I remember him as though I'll never see him again.

"I've missed you," he tells me.

Don't tell me you've missed me if you don't want me again, I want to scream at him. You don't know how much I feel I love you too. But he won't feel the same, not anymore, so I keep my mouth shut, and nod faintly.

With tears in my eyes, I walk out of here tonight, try and go on with my life—the one that'll never be the same without him in it.

"Y/N," he calls after me, and the next moment, I can feel his calloused fingertips working their way into my clenched fist. "We're still friends, right?"

I nod mutely, not trusting my own voice with my throat in turmoil, because I won't want to pretend. We can never be friends.

"I know you," he implores before I can turn away, "tell me what's wrong, please."

Before I can help myself or bite my tongue, I'm blurting the words out and setting the tears free, alleviating the ache in my heart with eight simple words. I swore I wouldn't do this.

"I love you, still. So why don't you?"

[all-about-seggs]

┗ Love- Lies- Bleeding

Pairing - Geto Suguru x Virgin!reader

Word count- 4.8 K

Warnings - Gaslighting, Corruption kink, snuff (not graphically depicted) and then reincarnation, cunnilingus, fingering, unprotected vaginal sex, adding blasphemy kink just to be safe.

A/n- Geto isn't a yandere here but it's Villan! Geto we're talking about so I think his actions are pretty in line with his current canon! Personality. Though a bit delusional. This is by FAR the longest thing I've ever written.

The gray cobblestones stretching across the shrine clicked against your thick wodden sandles, the quaintness of the place only making it seem unnaturally loud. It's was a regular autumn morning, which soon turned into noon as you felt the bright sun shining right on top of your head.

Having finished your morning tasks you were returning to the main shrine where the senior priestess would give you further things to do. Just the thought of more work non stop made you sigh at your monotonous shrine maiden lifestyle but as you lamented you heard footsteps behind you, the sound of which same as that of your own.

"Hey!.....", You turned around to see your little sister huffing as she catches up to you,

" y/n! He's here again!," The implications of her words made your face heat up, sure you were still a bit green and naive, but you made sure to discreet when it came to 'looking' at that one particular man that always seem to stand out among the hoards of faceless people you saw visiting the shrine everyday.

"How many times have I told you not to phrase it like that! You'll get me in trouble with the priestess!", Scrambling to get yourself together you retort sharply.

"Oh come on! Youre the one who used to stare at him from a distance like a lovesick teenager! Atleast now you're talking to him like a normal person", In terms of liveliness the sound of your back and forth was the only thing the place had.

"Watch it! If someone hears you we'll both get scolded", gently warning her again you find yourself turning back to where she came from. The other part of the premises where the peculiar man would be standing, as usual, in all his serene beauty, on the brigde overlooking the small lake.

A man in traditional Japanese cloths that you rarely see anyone wearing these days came to your shrine everyday, without fail for the past month. Everything from his attire to his elegant long hair left you in a trance and your eyes would naturally follow him.

Something about the fact how he'd always come here but never to pray or wish striked you as odd so at first you just observed and even before completely wrapping the situation around your head you two started sharing numerous conversations of the huge world that was right outside but so far away from your reach, his words fuelled the budding curiosity in your heart, the vastness of which made your trips to the lake, the most refreshing part of your otherwise monotonous daily routine.

Even if all you did was talk, a 'supposidly' demure maiden working in a shrine, skipping on her duties and rushing to the other side of the ginormous area to see a man felt almost elicit, scary even when you consider the consequences that would come if you were to get found out. The charisma his every action held was beyond resistance and you soon found yourself enraptured by the male despite everything.

"This is so pointless" you huffed, smiling out of self pity to hide the more frustrating emotions twirling within you.

"Yet you do it everyday", with a small nudge from her elbow you made your way straight to the lake, forgetting about your obligations as a shrine maiden, the responsibilities, the restrictions and all inhibitions put upon you in the name of god.

With quick steps you soon found yourself at the base of the curved brigde,

"Good afternoon Mr. Geto", your greeting came out in a rush, trying to ignore the warmth of your face, but your attempts at hiding your flustered state didn't go unnoticed by the man in front of you.

" Seems like you've been having quite a hectic day", smiling in his usual serene way Geto gracefully turns his head in your direction.

" Not any more than usual", calming your erratic heartbeat you slowly close the distance between the two of you and stand beside him on the arch of the bridge.

" It's really nice here", He remarked, his eyes sweeping across the tiny fishes swimming near the surface of the lake. You stared at him for a little while before finally asking the one thing that drew you to him the most.

" I always wondered, why do you come here everyday if you don't even want to go to the main shrine to pray?. Surely it's not just for this scenery."

" Hmmm? Pray for what?", Not particularly moved by your question he quizzically tilt his head.

"Well.....you know, the usual, success in job, finding a significant other or maybe even something materialistic? Although I doubt you're interested in the last one", you laugh a little to take the edge off your slightly personal question.

"Dreams come true through steadily applied efforts not praying", with his sage like appearance, his words didn't came off as a shock.

"Not the best thing to say to a shrine maiden but I guess it's somewhat true", Quipping back you just looked at him with a smile, silently revelling on your familiarity with each other.

"What about you? You never look like you're having fun while working here.... As if you're the one who's not satisfied with you're job" His voice took a more serious note and asked the question you always tried to push away but for the first time, you felt safe. Safe in talking about things what most people around you would call blasphemy.

"Yeah well, I wouldn't say it's my life's calling. It's basically following the ideals that has been written by others and just blindly following them day in and day out", just as you finished your sentence you realised how shallow and sad you just sounded but the slightly widened eyes of Geto was what made you mentally kick yourself before you hastily try to smooth things over.

" But! It's not that bad! Once you get used to-", after a few lighthearted words to clear the heavy atmosphere that was building up you were cut off with one long finger hovering just above your lips.

" It's okay, you don't have to worry about being judged with me", not touching your lips he quickly retreats his hand back,

"It's only natural to question your ideals and beliefs when you actually start thinking about them, it's a proof of growing up. I can say it was the same for me as well, I had thought I'd spend my whole life sequestered in 'that' place but...." His gaze takes on a far off quality as his words fade.

"What changed then?", Without even knowing why, you urged him to continue.

"Well, I grew up and realised mine were just idealistic views, far from practical."

"Wait! How old are you now?!", Unable to ignore your budding curiosity you went on,

With a soft flick to your cheek he snorted in amusement, his low baritone made you recognise your own rudeness as you rub the non existent pain off of your face.

"It's not polite to ask strangers their age, regardless of their gender, young lady".

"I'm sorry! It's just, your answer...... Was kinda vague so...." Trailing off, the fact that he didn't owed you any explanations dawned on you making you stop. But the sudden halt in your unabashed questioning didn't go unnoticed by the long haired man so he continued, as if reading your thoughts.

"Everyone's entitled to act idiotically every once in a while but you sure are abusing your privilege", he went on, after a few words of sass.

" It took a while but, I soon discovered my true feelings about the world I lived in and how I wanted to change it", The unshakeable conviction of his voice reverberated through your ears and there seemd to be more to the hint of darkness in his downcast eyes, but further questions left your brain as you felt genuine resolve through his words.

Before you could process what's happening, Geto pulled you in close, resting his hands on either side of the brigde railings, caging you inbetween the low wall and his body.

"How about we run away to a better world together?", not waiting for you to protest he spoke. The words falling from his lips were casual enough to make you overlook the outrageousness of their meaning and your oddly intimate position did nothing to stop your brain from short circuiting.

"The decision is yours y/n but I'll be waiting anyway," his voice seems to trail a little before he bends down, his thin lips ghosting over your right ear, " you see, I hate it when even the good gets destroyed along with the bad", with that he quickly pulles his body back, letting you have your personal space again.

"I'll come back here at 8 'o' clock tonight",

After announcing that smoothly, he turns his back away and walks off to the exit, leaving you gob smacked at his confusing words.You watch him saunter off, still to awestruck to move when you finally take a note of your own unsteady breaths and face that radiated heat rivaling the sun atop.

" Who would- even go along with that crazy idea", your meek words get lost in the now empty place but the longing in your eyes to see what lied beyond your conservative lifestyle was as clear as the autumn sky hanging above.

You turn your back on the place and jog off in an effort to escape your own complicated feelings on the matter. His casually spoken words clawed at your heart, an entire different life was just one step away and it was shocking to even you how much trust you were subconsciously putting in every single word he says.

The conflicting thoughts in your head kept you busy the entire walk from the bridge to at the door of the only home you had known for so many years and never once your feet held such hesitation as you entered the building to continue the tasks you had left behind for the momentary change you craved so much.

The evening passed by in a flash, the thumping of your heart only getting louder with each passing hour. You just got out of your bath and were getting ready to help with dinner when you heard two voices coming form one of the senior priestess's room

"I saw her talking to a man, he didn't looked like a -", their words weren't clear but one thing was. Their topic of discussion was you.

"No he was wearing a hakama", it was getting harder and harder to breath with every second. If they were to tell that to your other supervisors then it would become very difficult for you to live here.

"So he could be from a neighbouring temple, maybe just asking about something general?"

"But weren't they standing too close?"

Listening in from behind the door all you could make out was that they clearly saw you and Geto, but one thing was certain. You were about to be very strictly reprimanded for just having curiosity.

Before you could even think up of some excuses to get yourself out of this mess the previous offer of his night time rendezvous flashed in your mind. It got you thinking, if you were going to be made to stay under supervision for a while anyway then the least you could do was to meet Geto one more time so as to let him know that his idea was indeed crazy and that life wasn't that easy for you to give up on everything you've done until now just on a whim.

You couldn't exactly get to a proper conclusion, sure leaving seemed like the better option but the fact that you'll be heavily dependent on Geto for everything didn't sit will with you either. It's not like you had any other skills or connections and even if he said he'd take you with him, you weren't fully ready to trust him on that. Why would you? It's not like you two were connected or related in any way.

The meeting time was approaching fast and since it's dinner time soon most of the girls would be around the dining area to help. It was the perfect opportunity to slip out unnoticed and come back after explaining things to the kind person who brought a few extra colors in your dull life.

Shakily you made you way to the back door, knowing full well you're about to commit another offense.

In a few minutes you reached the bridge, it was empty right now, indicated that your are ether early or that maybe Geto was actually just messing with you and oddly enough you felt your stomach drop at the thought of the second option.

But before you could overthink out the negative options you sense eyes on your back and whirl around to see a happy looking Geto strutting towards you.

" I take it you have decided to entrust yourself to me?", Greeting you with his self assured words he smiles amicably at you.

" Actually- I've decided to not leave", you say, with both sadness and regret in your voice.

He listenes to you in silence, his face doesn't look convinced no matter how much you explain but he never interrupts you until you're finished.

" So, Is that what you really want? To rot in a place which binds you to unnecessary obligations?", He blankly says, after you're done.

"It's only natural to lose something in order to attain greater things y/n", steping in your personal space again he peers at you face, his eyes were slited enough to hide their true intentions yet leaving just enough space for the moonlight to give them an otherworldly glow.

His beautiful face just centimetres away from yours and before you can finish he grabs you by the chin and delivers a mind blowing kiss.

This wasn't good for your heart. Your previous resolve was melting, just like the rest of you. Geto quickly slipped his hot tongue inside your mouth, exploring every nook and cranny of it.

"Why are you going so far?", You ask, still not entirely convinced.

" Because we are the same, that's why I know what you want and I can give that to you. So trust me okay?", A few seconds pass as you both stare into each other, when you finally heave a sigh of defeat.

" I do want more than just a life of modesty,", having changed you decision yet again you look up at the man in a renewed resolve.

"That's my girl!", Almost excitedly he envelopes you in a warm hug,

"Well y/n? How exactly do you want to celebrate your new found freedom? ", giving his words a suggestive tone he leaned forward to press his lips against your ear, placing light kisses up and down its lobe.

A surge of heat runs through your confounded heart, voice raspy as you reply " Ofcourse I want to do it with you", the snickering above you made you realise the innuendo your words held,

" I meant the celebration! It as in the CELEBRATION OKAY?!", Frantically, you push against his chest to break your embrace, trying to explain the simple meaning behind your previous words but even so, you'd be lying to yourself if you said that the thought of sleeping with him never crossed your mind.

The unmarried virgin criteria you had to fulfill in order to be a shrine maiden was in the past now. So you couldn't find any reason to hold back now.

" I'd be an honor," Geto's melodious voice reverberated through the entire room and you whip your head upwards to look for the confirmation you needed.

With minimal amount of words Geto took you to a near by cottage, saying he atleast wanted your first time to be in a proper place. You thought he was staying at just a room in that cottage but it turned out he had rented the entire place.

For you, it was quite a luxurious thing, while it was something you'd love to revel in, you had other, more important matters to give your attention too.

With a soft click, Geto opens the bedroom door and ushers you in, you breathing coming out irregular, and you were almost shaking in both excitement and nervousness.

What if he doesn't like how I look like naked? Would he like it better if I had shaved? Wait- I hope I'm not wearing my ugly panties today!. While you were freting the small details, the long haired man quietly made his way towards the bed, where you sat, buring his face at the crook of your neck as his arms wrap themselves around you.

"White suites you",His voice rumbled in your ears, his tone as smooth and sweet as honey when he slipped his hand inside the collar of your top, parting the neatly tucked fabric until your chest was exposed. The sudden contact with the air and his hands made your nipples perk up. He fondles them a little while kissing up your neck and shoulders.

Slowly he undos the cloth belts that tied your red hakama to place and eventually you feel them loosen up and then down to the ground, leaving you in just your open white kosode.

Being so exposed in front of a man and that too for the first time made you instinctively cover your chest and crotch, but it was pointless really, because even your hands couldn't hide the dampness of your panties from the sharp eyes that seems to look straight through your meek attempt at modesty.

"Come on, show me everything", his eyes met yours, all attention on you and it was almost disconcerting how vulnerable his eyes made you feel.

Felling a warm rush of blood to your face, you slowly loosen the grip of your hands around your body, letting Suguru pry them off until they rested limply on your sides. Slowly you lie down flat on your back, shyly looking away.

"Getting embarrassed is fine, but there's no need to hid yourself, It's only natural to want to look at your lover's body",He says it with such low, sweet, seduction that your toes curl in response, the word 'lover' ringing in your ears sent your heart in a frenzy.

Slipping the rest of your garments off of your shoulders he gently kisses your ear, licking the contours of your jaw and all the way to the hollow of your throat. His mouth nibbed at the skin beneath as his smooth tongue caressed the marks it left behind.

Soon he latched his lips onto on of your nipples, his teeth grazing the hardened tips pulled a few moans out of you, his long hair tickled your skin wherever they fell and it took everything in you to stop yourself from grabbing onto them.

Moving lower, he soon reached your pussy, already dripping with arousal. You felt his breath on your folds as spreaded them with one of his hand and gave the smooth space inbetween a long lick.

Sucking on your clit with fervor, his arms around your hips traced it's dips and curves as he delves deeper into your moistened sex. Your moans were inevitable at this point, the feeling his mouth in the most intimate part of your body was making you shiver in ecstasy but as soon as he brought his hand near your hole you felt your thighs clench.

"Don't worry I'll only use one finger at a time to get you all nice and ready for later" Gentle reassurances flowed naturally out of his mouth as he covers his fingers in your slick before spreading your pussy more.

His digits push past your folds and buries themselves deep into your throbbing pussy, the sensation of being penetrated both new and arousing. Geto slowing moves his finger in and out as his tongue latches on to your clit again.

The sensations of being licked and fingered together intermingled in your body, bringing you closer to your release in no time. Although it was a good thing you didn't wanted to end it so quickly. He was undeniably good with his hands, knowing when exactly to add another finger or when to curl or rub them inside.

Maybe it's because it was your first time but the onslaught of your orgasm leaves you shaking and moaning wildly in the most unladylike ways you have ever acted. It was embarrassing how much you ended up enjoying while Geto did all the work.

Though he pushes you to your limit you can't help but want to watch his every movement, anticipation building inside you when he raises his head and props himself on his knees to get a better look at your blissed out face. You let out a sigh of longing as he bought his glistening digits to near your face as a proof of you how good he made you feel.

" I'm glad you like it honey", his voice dangerously seductive, he licks his fingers just as erotically, making you embarrassed.

" Let's move onto the part where you cum on my cock now shall we?", His crudeness may have been shocking but right now all you cared about was the cumming part so you let him manhandle your throbbing form until he properly lines himself up against your hole.

Suguru didn't removed his cloths fully, just loosened his hakama just enough to whip his member out.

" Deep breaths now y/n", his gentle guiding eased your mind, and so you relax your body to take him in because even if it's your first time, you were pretty sure he was big enough to make anyone ache.

A warm tingling pain tears through your core which soon mealted into something more euphoric, unbearably good even, making you cry out in ecstasy. He filled you up to the brim and you wondered how bad it will ache tomorrow. As soon as he bottomed out in you, the entire aura of the person about you changed and the room felt like it dropped a few degrees in temperature.

It was not what you'd expected as your first time. Not the painfully rough speed he started with. Not the large hand around your neck that threatened to cut off your air supply. And certainly not the cold, detached look in his face.

Even when your breathing was getting shallower by the second you still writhed in pleasure. It was alarming as to how much you were willing to entrust your entire self to Suguru who was nothing if not composed, keeping his hand firmly around your neck while thrusting his member in and out of your pussy, fucking you like some sort of rag doll.

Long gone was the mild mannered person you looked up at with heart eyes, maybe he was just different in bed, that's what you wanted to tell yourself but the lack of consent and the level of his roughness kept you from doing so.

He eventually let go of your neck, only to flip you on your stomach and shoved his cock inside from an even deeper angle. He didn't let you tap out until you came twice, with your third orgasm approaching just as fast.

The sumptuous heat from his body lingers on yours for sometime even after he pulls himself out

And you felt that the longer you stayed in his embrace, the more darkness seeped into you which would surely make you go numb eventually

You wanted to ask Geto what was happening but a few broken screams were the only thing you could make out, everything was sudden, how the pain made your vision go white to then pitch black and as your consciousness left your body all you could hear was Geto's calm voice.

" Next time you wake up, well be in a better world"

The few rustling sounds of fabric brought you back to the waking world, the dark blue skies outside with flashes of gold inbetween told you it was just the crack of dawn.

You slowly prop yourself up in a sitting position to look around the unfamiliar room.

You catch your reflection in the nearby window next to your bed, you looked the same save for the few indecipherable marks here and there.

" Good morning y/n", Quickly looking at your right, you see Geto just walking out of the bath, his mascular form only covered by a thin cottan kimono.

He was behaving normally, as if the events of last night didn't happen. So normally that you were starting to think you may have hallucinated the whole thing.

Walking towards your sitting form, Geto bends down to cup your jaw and layers his mouth on yours, the scent of his shampoo tingling your senses almost made you forget about everything else.

He breaks the kiss, gazing at your downcasted eyes, the heat from your face made him chuckle.

"Quite an innocent reaction considering all the things we've done", he smirks triumphantly at you, his eyes a mix of dark but intense passion. All the things huh. You thought. Your mind was still in a haze and it was talking longer to process your words and thoughts.

"What happened last night?, I can't remember everything properly", you were expecting straight answers, that how did you passed out or where you exactly were right now but Geto seemed to go off on his own tangent.

You were just like my past self,", were, he said. As if you're something else now. The man in front of you was changing his colors faster than you could comprehend his words and it was terrifying you.

"That's why it's my duty to show you everything that life has to offer, the entire extent of it. As long as you stay by my side.", Not paying an ounce of attention to your shocked state he want on,

" The people you were staying with before were only going to confuse you further, that's why I had to take you away".

"You are the most free and safest at my side, darling. But if you still want your preistess life back then, I'll be your god and you can spend the rest of your life worshipping me instead"

Of course, he didn't saw you as an equal who could stand beside him, you weren't even his lover, just someone below him who he needed to worship the ground he walked upon in. But even so, the fear you experienced just a few minutes ago dissipated, bringing back the curiosity that was at its height whenever he was around.

"Were you lonely?",Geto's eyes trailed up and down your face which halted in their track after hearing your words which oddly resembled pity.

" What-", the previously composed and slitted eyes expanded a little before his expression abruptly shifts, turning serious, making you flinch under its sharp gaze, the animosity that surrounded him contrasted with the previous tender kisses and touch.

With his one large hand he grabbed your face from the base of your jaw, painfully lifting it up until your entire body was a few centimetres above the surface of the bed.

" Listen up y/n, I didn't brought you here to dote on you and the only reason I wiped out your silly little shrine because I can't stand hypocrites who spread false teachings written by equally hypocritical people. It was your job to worship things you couldn't see before and now you have to do the same job for someone you can see. That's. All."

"Ofcourse, leaving isn't an option.I've turned your body into a reincarnated curse. If any of the Jujutsu tech people caught you roaming around, it'll be instant exorcism for you." He lets go of your face and sits next to your form, Geto was quite for a while, giving you time to sort out your own feelings on the matter.

You knew what was happening now. Inbetween those conceited words flashes of the warm blooded man behind the god slipped out and you had to resist the overwhelming urge to comfort the person who just confessed to have burnt down the shire you were living in just until a few days ago. Maybe your thought process was altered just like the rest of you body, or maybe you were always this crazy too.

The source of your sympathy was unknown but the twisted obsession of his was provided you with more solid answers.

Your meeting, the conversations, how you eloped together. All of it made sense now. He wanted to save you from the oppressive state of the place you had spend most of your life in, ofcourse he would. He was thinking of you in ways no one ever had. He loved you in ways no one ever will, or could for that matter.

And you,

You loved him too. You had to.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

submission by @cj-productions

Hi! It's the video diary anon, I'm not sure if sending an Ao3 link would work so I'm submitting the fic along with the link-

In the past ten hours, Danny could confidently say that his life had gone to shit.

To think it was all because he was stupid enough to trust his parents not to look through his stuff.

 Danny had been having a pretty okay day, all things considered. Him, Sam, Tuck, Jazz, Elle and Val had all gone out for the day to take his mind off it being his second death day. 

The constant company since after breakfast had been a little exhausting, but appreciated since it kept his mind off things. Now that he was on his own at the moment (Jazz had to get back to campus, his parents didn't know about Elle so she was staying with Val, who was still getting used to finding out about,Tucker had a family reunion tomorrow afternoon and Sam was technically grounded.) (her Grandma could only cover for so long.)

His thoughts were getting darker,  like they had his first death day. He should probably make a video diary about it, it was a little late so his mom and dad should be in the lab by now. That gave him pretty much free reign to say what he wanted, just had to be a little quieter than usual since their newest project involved less hunting and more actual scientific studies.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he walked up the steps to his front door and opened it.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" He called out, just in case they hadn't gotten to work yet.

He paused at the sight of the lab door wide open. His parents may not be the best at lab safety, but they had always had the common sense to shut the door when working on projects. 

Now that he was thinking about it, it was unusually silent. 

"Mom! Dad? Where are you?" he dashed into the house, instantly worried that something had happened.

"Mo-" Danny's heart stopped as he rounded the corner into the living room, "shit."

They had found them, his video diaries from the last two years all in a folder he had made were open on his laptop. The newest one from last week looking like it had just been watched.

"Shit."

"Spook! Get out of my boy!" 

Oh Shit.

Danny whipped around to see the barrel of the bazooka pointed right at him and his Dad behind it. His Mom holding the weapon they had built last week in her hand beside Dad.

"Danny sweetie! It's going to be alright,  your just being overshadowed," Mom said in the voice she used when she would tell him in Jazz that ghost were things and not people. That the dead felt no pain. 

"What? No! Mom, Dad please let me explain"- He backed up a little to not look them both in the eyes, only to be met with goggles -" I am Phantom, I'm a halfa like my video diaries said!"

"Oh hun, that's not true, Phantom was just trying to get you on it's side so it could get more control over you." She sounded like she was talking to a fucking five year old.

"Yeah, no," Danny said, regretting coming home the more his parents spoke, "I am Phantom, so please stop calling me an it. You know I hate that." 

"Danny boy, just stay still and we'll blast that dastardly Spook out you in no time! Then you'll see what's actually happening." His dad chimed in, acting like he wasn't pointing a weapon at him.

"No! Didn't you two watch all the videos? Which, now that I'm thinking about it, why did you do that? You promised you wouldn't go through my stuff," Danny questioned, desperately hoping they would say no, that they had only watched a few and it was a misunderstanding.

"We did, it's honestly terrifying how much Phantom influenced has had on you," his mom said, "we're so sorry we didn't notice sooner, but we're not sorry about the looking through them. You've been being manipulated!"

"So, you watch all of them and you still think I'm getting overshadowed?!" Danny yelled, "Are you kidding me? I may not remember everything I've said but I sure as hell know it's proof that I'm not getting overshadow-"

He got cut off by the feeling of the bazooka's ecto blast hitting him square in the chest. 

He stumbled back, hitting the wall as he looked up at his parents, only to be meet with smiles. 

"Sorry Danno, your eyes started glowing green! We had to get rid of the spook as soon as possible," Jack said. Like he hadn't just shot him, like he hadn't betrayed what little trust he had left for his parents and then fucking shot him. On purpose. 

"Why don't we take you down to the lab and give you a little check up, okay?" Maddie said with that fucking tone, again, as she went to grab his arm.

Yeah, fuck no. 

Danny grabbed his laptop, went intangible and shot up the stairs to his room. He got his emergency bag from in the floor boards and his overnight bag from his closet. He zipped open the overnight one and stuffed it with all of his things that he could, adrenaline keeping him from shutting down.

He hesitated when he was done, deciding whether or not he should go to the hideout him, Sam and Tuck had claimed for themselves or if he should go to the Zone. 

"YOU DAMN SPOOK! GET BACK HERE AND GIVE US BACK OUR SON" was shouted, followed by the sound of the bazooka powering back up.

Zone it is then, he wasn't risking the hideout getting found.

Shifting into his ghost form, he grabbed his bags, took one last look at his now barren room and flew straight down to the basement, ignoring the sounds of his door bursting open behind him.

-----------------------------------------------------

Danny had been flying for what felt like hours before he got  to the Far Frozen. He had considered going to Clockwork but had decided against it cause of his undoubtedly horrible ecto burn on his chest. Clockwork's lair was further and it had probably needed treatment desperately an hour ago. 

Now he was sitting in the village medical center numb, most likely disassociating, while Clockwork and Frostbite talk about what they're going to do about Jack and Maddie over in the next room.

It was only then it really hit him, that they had heard him poor his heart out, seen him break down and cry, learned about almost all of the shit he's been through, and still decided to shoot him. 

It felt like his core was screaming in pain as he curled up and cried from the betrayal he felt. Something he had bracing himself for back when had come out to them four years ago. Something he had been promised they would never do. 

Then again, he always kind of knew this reveal wouldn't end well. He just had hoped they wouldn't shot.

He guess he should have hoped it wouldn't be one of the larger weapons instead. 

--------------------

bruh 😭

thank you for sharing ❤️

[vogueinnie]

The Favor

       ━ WARNINGS ;  changbin x fem reader, dom!changbin, college party, smut, a looooot of teasing, mention of alcohol and drugs, finger sucking, fingering (f. receiving), voyeurism, degradation, dry humping, light choking      ━ WORD COUNT ; 1.8k      ━ NOTE ; note : here is my first “real” work, please be kind !! this is so cliché lmao, but who doesn’t like cliché? keep in mind that english isn’t my first language soooo there will surely be some mistakes. if so, tell me !!

Every minds present were dizzy, just like the smoky room they were in. The grey smoke was like a cloud above everyone. We couldn't see anything except the dancing bodies that were stuck together to the defeaning music who had taken possession of the place. Even the most shy and discreet ones were totally unrecognizable. It was unbearable for anyone who wasn't in the delirious atmosphere of this friday night.

Whoever once thought that youth was decadent had been right, and they were the proof of it. No more exams, no more stress, no more angry teachers, no more homeworks. This night, they all needed to act like the young adults they were ; partying like there is no tomorrow.

Everything was made for everyone to be at ease. Indeed, Christopher Bang, the night's host, was well known for his crazy parties. His student apartment had soon turned into a nightclub, hopefully his neighbors were the same age and they probably were here, enjoying this moment. Even the open windows weren't enough to let out the smoke of all the illicit substances. Everyone was in their own world, laughing, smiling, screaming, jumping with a glass in hand, and it would be bold to assume it was water. They were free minded, for one night at least.

You were in the middle of all these excited people, in the same state, mocking the ridiculous dances moves of your bestfriend, Jihyo. She had one goal and it was to seduce the " beautiful dark haired boy over there, oh my god he's so freaking hot ! " also named as Seungmin. Jihyo burst out of laugh and without knowing why you just did the same, way to tipsy to understand whatever she was saying. You were both looking stupid but who did really care, after all ? You were here to have fun.

The mood changed drastically as the electronic bass music changed in seconds to something much smoother, much slower, much more sensual. The couples present were not shy to stick body-to-body, swaying their hips without shame.

" Wait for me I'm going to see the man of my dream ! I'll be back soon ! Well I hope no, but... Yeah... I mean... You understand what I mean ! " Jihyo said.

You didn't fully understand what she said so you laugh, nodding your head. Without controlling your body, your hips starts to move to the sound that were playing. Your movements were slow, almost erotic as you roll your head back, exposing your neck to everyone that was looking at you. Your free hand were in your hair and you unconsciously bit your lip with a little smile when you start to feel all the curious eyes on you. Thanks to the alcohol you've drinked, you didn't feel ridiculous dancing alone.

The special attention that the predators around you, men and women, were giving you, only increase the urge to reveal more obscenity.

Apparently Jihyo seized the opportunity to talk with Seungmin and you couldn't stop smiling at the view. Finally, she was not letting her shyness took the lead. But your smile fades away the second your eyes meets two dark orbs.

Seo Changbin.

You didn't know why but you both never get along together. You didn't know each other, but you weren't compatible. Everyone knew that. Changbin was naturally sarcastic, raw and must of the time he speaks without thinking twice. And you were the exact opposite ; sweet, easy going and always ready to meet new people. The funniest part between the two of you were probably the fact that you were always craving for each others attention, a little nothing could make you argue, sometimes rudely, sometimes more in a teasing way. You were stuck in a cat-dog relationship, and anyone around you could sense the tension from Changbin and you.

The black haired boy was sitting on the sofa, right in the living room’s center. And he wasn’t alone, a girl was sitting on his thighs. Even if you couldn’t see her face you could already tell that she was pretty and totally his style, long light pink hair and a body to die for. But even the goddess on him couldn't make him take his eyes off you. And there we go for a battle of gaze.

« Dude I’m so high…» Felix next to him giggled, whispering these few words in a completely derailed deep voice.

Changbin took the drug stick his bestfriend gave him and he lets the substance slide down his throat in a relaxing way. His originally brown pupils were dilated in a deep black tone, and without taking his eyes off you he spats out the smoke with controlled slowness, gripping the female’s ass on him. But he gradually lost interest in her, thanks to the show he had in front of him.

You now understand why all the girls were head over heels for him. He was hot, indeed.

You felt your heart race so fast, the adrenaline running in your blood, thanks to the alcohol you’ve drinked. Why were you hanging like that in his eyes while moving your body, giving him a hot show of your own despair ? His attention was all you ever wanted right now. Boldly you slowly put your hand around your throat, almost wishing it was Changbin’s fingers wrapped around you, you give no pressure but you can see his thigh twich at the view.

The music changed again to go back to something more happy, and the bodies around you start to jump again. But you were standing here, like an idiot almost choking yourself just for your not-so-ennemy pleasure. The man in front of you seemed to be in the same state as you, glued to your eyes without even giving the pretty girl on him some attention.

With a courage you didn’t not know you have, you walked with an almost feline step to the sofa. What would have taken a few seconds if you were sober turned out to be more difficult with alcohol in your veins. 

However, you finally stand behind the one who you recognized to be Sana. She was, indeed, one of the most beautiful girls, but it wasn't her who caught his eyes. It was you. Sana probably felt that Changbin wasn’t responding to her neck kisses, so she sits up slightly to face a surprising sight. You, staring down at your new prey. 

The boy raised his eyebrows with a certain provocation in his eyes, silently asking you by this gesture what do you wanted. But you didn’t blink a moment, and the young woman felt too much in this intense exchange.

« You could have tell that you didn’t want me, for real. » She mumbles, standing up.

«  Me ! I want you Sana, c’mooooon ! »

«  Felix… she sighs, you’re not even straight. »

« Ah, yeah… I’ve almost forgot that detail… » He shrugs his shoulders, not bothered at all, and he tooks a sip of his drink while standing up too to follow Sana.

Even Sana and Felix couldn’t distract you.

You were too far away to correctly think, your brain were so fuzzy and you didn’t even understand why you get on your knees in front of him, but youd did. With a cocky smile, he spreads his legs apart, you were offering him such a delightful view. One of  his hands reached your face to slowly brush your cheek, almost lovingly. His index gives your naturally swollen lips some caresses and you immediately took it in your mouth, gripping on his wrist like your life depends on it.

He couldn’t help but broke the contact between your eyes to fix it on your lips sucking on his index, adding his major within. You rub your thighs together, and the thought that anyone could see you in this position, in front of Changbin, makes you unbelievably excited. But people were too busy having fun to care about you. His free hand goes around your neck, like youd did few minutes ago, and you let out a little gasp, keeping his two fingers deep down your throat.

« I’ve always known that you were so desperate. But that desperate… » He tooks his wet fingers back, wiping them on your cheek.

It was almost humiliating and you gulps silently when you felt your dripping core under your dress, your wetness stucking unpleasantly on your pantie. What was wrong with you, really ? You see in his eyes that he wanted to play. So you’re gonna give him something to play with. Your body moved closer to one of his legs, still on your knees, rubbing against it almost like a puppy waiting for some much-deserved reward.

« You want everyone to see how much of a whore you are, hm ? He pats his thigh with a mocking grin, come here. »

Without any hesitation, you straddle one of his thigh with your legs and he catches your waist between his two hands so he can trapped you against his body. His fucking hot body. Thanks to his black shirt you have a perfect view on his arms, and you can feel yourself wetter if that’s possible.

Slowly you started to move against him, you wanted to feel some friction, just a little something, the bare minimum. One of his hand slowly slide under your dress and he pushes your lace underwear aside to fully have acces to your heatness.

« So pitiful. Who would want to touch you ? You still move against him, letting his fingers slip between your wet and hot folds. Right in front of anyone, they’re all looking at you. You’re burning inside even though you know people are having fun. They see how much of a slut you are just for my fingers. »

« S-shut up… You whines, your head burried in the crock of his neck. More, I want more… »

« Can’t you be fucking polite for once, uh ? Or you can’t properly talk ? »

Changbin didn’t wait for your answer and you can feel two fingers deep inside you. You were so wet that it wasn’t unpleasant at all. Hell no, it was a relief. As if his digits were made for you, not too long, a little chubby, just the ideal length to meet your most sensitive spot. He starts kissing your jaw, his thumb were added to give your red bud some rubs. You were a mess in his arms, practically crying cause you were overhelmed by your pleasure and after a few pump inside you, you were cumming hard on his fingers, gripping his shoulder to keep your mind on earth.

« You owe me a favor now, looser. »

You now understand why you didn’t like him.

[julyarchives]

Don’t You Hear Me Howling? || (M) || 05

Finding out you are a female Alpha sparkled some rivalry inside your pack, and resulted in you losing your best friend and your life turning upsidedown, so leaving for college was the fresh start you needed. Years later, you are about to finish your degree and suddenly this past comes back to mess with your head.

→ Pairing: Yeo One x Female Reader | Kino x Female Reader

→ Genre: Smut; A/B/O AU; Omegaverse; College AU.

→ Words:  2.5K

→ Contains: power dynamics; blowjob; handjob; some light voyeurism; masturbation; sexting; semi-public shenanigans; seriously, this chapter is almost a pwp heheh

→ A/n: Apparently we got carried away with the smut, but we just couldn't help it 👀👀 we swear there is a plot to this story lmao. Anyways, we hope you guys like it :)

→ Index: 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07 • 08

After a tiring day, all you wanted was a shower and to throw yourself in your bed. You've been texting Kino all week, and you two end up agreeing to go to a party together on the weekend, to blow off some steam.

The last thing you were expecting was a text from an unknown number with a picture attached.

"I believe you forgot something" it said

the picture showing your panties hanging from the fingertips of a very strong masculine hand.

You bit your lip, allowing yourself to admit that you find that quite hot, but rolled your eyes when you remembered that the text could only be from someone.

" Where did you get my number from, Changgu?" You replied

" Wooseok. " He simply answered, paired with a shrug emoji.

" Great. Now lose it. "

" So you want me to keep the souvenir? "

" Do you want me to go pick it up? You can't stay away from me, can you? "

You chuckled after sending the last text, shaking your head in disbelief of him. His audacity always pushing you to the edge.

" You're the one offering tho. Who can't keep away?"

"I'm not the one sending pictures of underwear." You double texted, deciding that two could play his game "and I think these are proof enough that you are the one with attachment issues."

Along with the last message you sent a picture of your neck and cleavage, covered in purple spots from the times you've been with him, still visible though already fading.

" What about these? " He replied with a picture of him in front of the mirror, grey sweatpants hanging low from his hips, showing off the bruises you left on his naked torso.

You couldn't lie, you took pride in those.

" Alpha business " you punctuated ironically with the same shrug emoji he used before. " And you just want an excuse to show your body, that fuckboy act won't work on me. Good try, tho "

" You didn't seem to have a problem with that last time. "

Your only reply was only an eye-roll emoji

" As if you didn't like this "

The picture he sent this time was from his waist down, the outline of his semi-hard very noticeable through his pants, his hand wrapped around it with your panties intertwined in his finger.

You hated to admit that your whole body felt electrified with that image.

" Be careful with that, it's a matching set. " You tugged the collar of your shirt down, exposing the bra with the same lacy fabric as the panties, and snapped a picture to send.

" I think that would be a better view under me "

" Like you will ever get me under you again. "

Your free hand started unconsciously exploring your body, the light touch causing goosebumps to rise on your skin.

And audio popped up on the conversation, and you took a deep breath before playing it

"I think that would be easier to get than you would like to admit" Changgu's deep voice echoed through the speakers, a little breathier than usual, and the wet sounds in the background explaining why.

" Do your worst, Wolfie. " You sent an audio back, dragging the words sensually.

You couldn't help yourself anymore, caving in to your instincts and allowing yourself to slide your hand under your panties, surprised to find out how wet you were.

" I bet you would give up that stupid alpha pride real quick once I got my hands on you "

You scoffed upon hearing his words.

" If I remember correctly you had no problem in putting your own pride aside and beg me to let you fuck me. " Your voice was shaky, a gasp escaping as you touched a particular spot " isn't that what you're doing again, Changgu? Just begging me to make you cum in your pants like a teenage boy. "

" And you left your underwear behind because you want to see me again, don't you? I'm just giving you what you want, y/n"

A moan roll out of your lips as you heard him saying your name, voice raspy, he clearly close to coming undone

" Not really. I was just in a rush after you ate me out desperately. But maybe you're the one that wants that to happen again. "

Your fingers circled your clit fast, getting you close to your own high, and you couldn't help but remember Changgu's when he's close as well, his firm touch on you always so certain and on the perfect spot, and your moans were coming out louder.

But you weren't going to let him get the upper hand on you. You opened your camera and filmed half of your face and down as you took a fingered coated in your juices and popped it into your mouth, tasting yourself and humming in satisfaction.

" You miss that? ' You said before stopping the recording, quickly sending it to him before he got the chance to reply to you.

You put your phone aside, focusing back on touching your now swollen bud, the pleasure building up more and more while the other hand squeezed your breast.

When your phone buzzed you saw that Changgu sent a video back.

The view was now his hand wrapped around his cock, sliding up and down with your underwear in between, his groans loud and constant, the camera carelessly shaking.

" Next time I'll have those pretty lips around my cock. Then we'll see how that smart mouth goes. Bet you'll have no words after I'm done with you."

The video continued as he pumped himself faster, groans getting more desperate, and finally he released himself, seed spilling all over his hand and your panties with gasps to top it off, making your core throb in pleasure. Before ending you could hear a flirty chuckle.

You watched the video again, this time chasing your own orgasm. You couldn't avoid moaning together, imagining what would be like to be there, actually having him following through with his words. You came undone intensity, burying your head in your pillow to muffle the screams you couldn't contain.

You finished yourself off and just stayed there for a second, laying down trying to calm your breath and processing everything that just happened, trying to figure out how the hell does he get under your skin so easily. So you finally sent him your last text.

" What makes you so sure that there will be a next time? "

Your text stayed unanswered, but you didn't give it much thought as your workload only increased by the end of the weekend. Finally, it was Saturday and you were about to meet Kino in this club he mentioned to you before.

"Hey, gorgeous" he approached you from behind, holding your waist and talking sultrily, close to your ear so it could be heard over the old music, making you shiver.

"Hey there," you turned around and kissed his cheek. "I got us drinks"

"You're an angel." he smiled.

He was dressed up in a button-up shirt with skinny jeans, looking absolutely stunning. Catching up with him was easy-going and fun, any tiredness and frustration were easily left behind.

"So, why are we sitting down and not dancing?" He finally asked.

"Lead the way" you conceded.

He grabbed your hand and guided you two confidently to the dance floor. When in place, he held your waist and you allowed him to guide your hips to move in sync with his as he watched you through hooded eyes.  It was a nice bubble to be there with him, flirty smiles shot back and forth. After a few songs and a couple of drinks you felt bold and pulled him closer, your lips grazing his, but not kissing just yet. He laughed softly, amused with you.

The playful mood took over you, and you teased him again with a kiss, but just about before it happened you turned around, focusing instead on grinding against him. He still kept the grip on you, only grabbing you harder and holding you closer.

"You're killing me" He whispered against your ear, his hot breath tickling your cheeks.

"I'm just having fun" you turned your face to talk to him, and he buried his head on your neck, planting a couple of kisses.

"I can think of something more fun than this." He nibbled your earlobe.

A mischievous grin grew on your lips. You held his hand and pulled him to a darker corner of the club, resting your back against the wall and finally pulling him closer to a much-anticipated kiss.

He kissed you hungrily, hums sending vibrations against your lips when you tugged his hair lightly. The trail of kisses he traced down your neck felt amazing and you started to think that, although going out was a good idea, you would rather be somewhere alone with him.

And then you shivered. A shiver that sent all your instincts on alert. You didn't have to open your eyes to know what that was about, the scent flooding your nostrils spoke for itself. Yet, you looked in the exact direction.

Changgu was there staring at you curiously, even though a girl was clearly throwing herself at him. When he saw that you noticed him, he smirked and pulled the girl into a kiss.

"What's wrong?" Kino asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Nothing, baby, don't worry" you redirect your focus to him, cupping his jaw and kissing him again, more dominantly this time.

You were positive about not letting Changgu ruin your night, he was already taking too much of your time and you didn’t want to waste more energy on him. And Kino was a great helper.  He started to press his whole body against yours, his hold on you good and strong, and he picked up on your newfound enthusiasm quickly, grinding on you unconsciously to the beat of the song.

He took you by surprise when he snaked his arms around your waist and made you switch positions.

“I know what you’re trying to do,”  he said, you two were so close together that you couldn’t look at him. Your whole body tensing, thinking that he would be mad for your schemes, but what he said next really caught you off guard “let’s do this, he deserves it”

He loosened his grip a little, enough for you to see the naughty smile he was shooting in Changgu’s direction before he kissed you with such intensity that got you yelping a little, his thigh now rubbing in between your legs when he used both hands to grab your ass.

That electrifying feeling ran through your body again, fully aware of every touch and sensation, and probably the alpha-beta connection along with the borderline voyeurism having something to do with that as well. You two started moving in sync, the way he stimulated you causing moans to escape through the kiss, and you tugged on his hair again, messing it up a little.

You let yourself be guided by him, enjoying the way he grabbed all over you like your bodies could be even closer than they already are, and suddenly everything was too hot to handle. You reached your hand in between you two and grabbed the bulge on his pants, getting a moan out of him.

“Fuck, princess, that’s so good” he said in between kisses, then pulled your hair to expose your neck for him “you’re putting such a great show.”

He attacked your neck, wet kisses sending pleasure shivers down your spine.

“Kino” you called.

“Hm?” he hummed, not stopping his action.

You pressed your hand harder, a hiss escaping his lips.

“I think I need more,” you said and he stopped to look at you. You approached to whisper “And I think you deserve a reward for being so good to me”

You held his wrist, gently motioning for him to let go of you. You looked at him, biting your lip, and grabbed his shirt to pull him along with you.

Strutting your way through the crowded place, you stole a glance of Changgu, who couldn’t take his eyes off of you since you first spotted him, and it was your turn to smirk at him before entering the men’s restroom and locking the door.

You backed Kino against the door and he compliantly followed your silent instructions. You kissed him, even hungrier this time, the room smelling like lust and pheromones driving you insane, your heat now screaming to get satisfied. Not breaking contact, you undid his belt and palmed Kino’s hard member. When he stopped to catch his breath you nibbled on his bottom lip, and his moan sent jolts of pleasure down to your core.

“I just love all your noises, you have no idea” you confessed.

You dropped to your knees and pulled his pants and underwear along the way. You jerked his dick and watched him throw his head in pleasure, moaning freely with every move of yours. You were now salivating and couldn’t wait anymore, and decisively liking along a prominent vein on his throbbing member, his noises getting louder at the same time. Then you took the tip in your mouth, sucking gently and swirling your tongue around it while still jerking him off.

He grabbed your hair, silently asking you to take more of him, and you were all about pleasuring him now. You put more in your mouth, letting it hit the back of your throat, and you felt Kino shaking under your touch.

“I’m not gonna last long, you do it so well.” he managed to say in between gasps.

You hummed in response and sped up your movements, but a loud bang on the door startled you both.

“You gotta finish fast, baby boy” you giggled and returned your focus on making him feel good.

You began to hum in pleasure, sending vibrations against his member and sucking it faster and deeper, digging your nails on his thigh with the hand that wasn’t jerking him.

“I’m gonna cum” he barely warned before he came into your mouth, and you had no problem swallowing it.

You barely had time to put yourselves back together, the banging on the door kept going insistently. When you went to unlock the door open, he grabbed your arm and pulled you into a kiss, tasting himself on you.

He stepped back and didn’t stray his eyes from you while licking his lips, only then letting go of you.

You were not surprised when you found Changgu on the other side of the door, the scoff immediately coming out of you when he shamelessly eyed you up and down.

“I’m sorry, we were quite occupied” you said nonchalantly, smiling confidently at him.

“Oh don’t worry.” he stepped closer to say something just for you to hear “I’m sure it was hard for you to keep yourself together when you saw me after our little chat.”

You had no time to answer as he just walked past you. You rolled your eyes and followed your way out of the restroom.

“Can we finish this somewhere else?” Kino hugged you from behind and planted another open-mouth kiss on your neck.

“My house” you grinned.

[tyunniverse]

FRIENDS FOR A DAY (2)

pair: yeonjun x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 2654

parts: 1 | 2

· · ───────────── ·.☆.· ───────────── · ·

It had been a long time since Yeonjun felt like this. Sometimes life in general had become too much to bear and the things that used to make him happy weren't working for him anymore. Times spent alone slowly became more frequent for him than times he'd spent with his friends.

He'd skipped the first day, not wanting to go back to that routine life just yet. And towards the start of the day, he would never have imagined meeting you and getting to spend the day doing things that strayed far from any of the schedules he'd previously planned. A breath of fresh air was what he liked to call it, and he had you to thank for that.

Unlike him, everything was new to you; a new city, a new school, new people, and a whole new life ahead. Yeonjun felt a little envious after realizing it when you'd talked more about yourselves during lunch, but after seeing how you seemed to enjoy every single second of your little sight seeing endeavor, he thought that maybe he could also be a part of something new in your life.

Best friends.

You had agreed to be his best friend from today onwards; the pendant around your neck serving as proof. Yeonjun finds his hand wandering over to his pocket, holding on to his old necklace.

Half of a star. He'd bought it a few years back. The necklace had a similar purpose with the one he was wearing now— meant to be worn separately by two different people. In his case, he had bought it as a whole and had decided to keep one half of it still in its case, stashed inside his closet. His reasons for purchasing it never really felt clear even to him but he also wouldn't call it an impulsive decision. Yeonjun liked to think that he'd be able to find a use for it in the future.

"Yeonjun." You call for his attention, pointing at the posters plastered on a random shop's wall. "It says that the annual carnival will be opening tonight. Wanna go?"

Yeonjun grins. Opportunities somehow kept showing up right in front of his doorstep. "Yeah, only if you want to though. Afterall, I'm only the tour guide for today."

"Shut up." You hold back a smile. "Have you been there before?"

Yeonjun repeats the question in his mind. As someone one would consider pretty popular, you'd expect him to be no stranger in hanging out at fun places like an annual carnival, but that's just it. Yeonjun had never visited that Carnival once ever since it opened. His friends had asked him to tag along but something about it just never seemed to make him want to.

"No." Yeonjun answers, scratching the back of his head. "If we end up going then this would be my first time too." The first time he'd actually wanted to go.

"I guess we're going then." You grin and Yeonjun finds himself smiling back. "It says here that the Carnival's just around the corner so it'd probably be okay if we just walked there."

"Yeah."

The two of you make your way to the Carnival. You still had a good amount of time left before it opened so a few quick stops at some stalls along the way didn't do any harm.

· · ───────────── ·.☆.· ───────────── · ·

In all honesty, Yeonjun didn't even know when and how he'd ended up holding your hand, laughing his heart off by the time you arrived at the entrance but it all just happened somehow. Was it the when your ice cream cone almost landed straight on his shoe earlier? Or when his hand nearly hit you square in the face when he noticed a bug flying towards you? It could've even been when a group of old ladies started hitting on him at the handbag boutique and all you did was stand there shaking, wanting to laugh your ass off.

No matter what the reason was, he liked this. Somehow, it just felt right.

The two of you pay for the tickets before heading inside. The place was larger than any of you had ever expected, cleaner too. People of all ages were enjoying their carnival experience to the fullest. Children were running around with their guardians following closely behind, couples and groups of friends chatting along and taking pictures— Yeonjun could swear he saw two old men arguing over who gets to take a picture with the mascot first.

"So, which ride do you wanna go on first?" You ask, turning to him.

"Well, how about that one." Yeonjun points at the viking and you feel yourself getting more and more excited.

"NICE—" Before Yeonjun knew it, you were dragging him around to every single ride at the carnival.

You liked to keep count of everytime Yeonjun freaked out while you went on the rides, and Yeonjun liked to do the same. Despite the thrill of being at a carnival keeping you hyped up, there were a few times when you had overestimated your tolerance with being thrown around. Yeonjun nearly puked twice: once at the twister, and a second time on the rollercoaster. Even you were almost a victim by the rollercoaster's loops.

Yeonjun had claimed he was an expert at navigating haunted house attractions, stating, "I've been watching horror movies all my life. Nothing scares me at this point, tbh." True enough, nothing scared Yeonjun except every single ominous decoration and jump scares the haunted house threw at him. You weren't too fond of horror yourself, but you ended up trying to be the brave one after Yeonjun basically clung to you half of the time. It didn't help whenever you freaked out since you ended up losing Yeonjun after he not so subtly abandons you at the slightest suspicious sound. It was a miracle you made it out in one piece.

"Yeah, so, uh, sorry about that." Yeonjun laughs it off the moment you two got out.

"Sure but you should know that I'm never gonna let you live it down." You tell him, smiling widely as you hold up the photos you received from one of the staff. "I got evidence."

Yeonjun snatches the photos from your hands. "Bold of you to assume these'll affect me— oh." It definitely did.

You watch as he slips the photos inside his jacket as if it wasn't obvious enough that he was trying to hide it from you. "Nice try but," You take out another batch of photos and wave it around. "Boom. Two copies."

"Wow, okay."

The two of you ended up laughing at each other before you suggest in trying out the stalls. They say time flies by fast when you're having fun and they couldn't be more right. There had been an unspoken competition between you and Yeonjun of who can win the most prizes and let's just say you weren't about to let yourself lose. By the time you got tired, you had a total of three plushies and a bunch of candy bars stuffed in your pockets and well, Yeonjun had the exact amount of prizes you had.

"Fine. It's a draw for now but only because I'm tired." Yeonjun holds the plushies tighter. "We should really get a bag for this. I wonder if we can get a huge plastic bag somewhere."

"Nah, we can just put em in here." You take off your back pack, opening it wide. "I'm sure it can fit all six of them. They're small enough." You were lucky that they did, finally leaving your hands free.

"Wait." Yeonjun pauses after putting the last of his plushies inside. "How can I be sure you won't just take my plushies for yourself after we leave? I'm pretty easy to distract so—"

"If you forget to get them back then I'll just hand them to you tomorrow at school. You go to HSU too, right?" You tell him.

"Yeah, but how will you contact me?"

"Obviously, we exchange numbers."

Yeonjun blinks. Of course that'd be the simplest solution but still. He'd been talking about staying as friends even after all this but the thought of exchanging numbers hadn't really crossed his mind. He takes out his phone and the two of you quickly added each other as contacts, somehow feeling a bit closer after the exchange.

"While we're at it—" Yeonjun pulls you in closer as he bends down. Only now that you've felt Yeonjun's warmth close to you have you noticed how cold it actually was outside . It takes you a few seconds to register that he wants to take a few selfies.

You bust out a smile and tried to go along with whatever weird faces and poses he did. "Send them to me later." You say after examining the photos. There's one where Yeonjun mimicked a kissing motion near your cheek, making you smile. Who would've expected you two were total strangers up until a few hours ago.

"Got room for one last ride?" Yeonjun asks as you return his phone.

"Yeah, sure. Which one?"

"Don't ask as if you don't know. I'm pretty sure you left this one out on purpose."

Perhaps unconsciously, you did. In every single movie that involved the two characters going to a carnival, for some reason, they always left the Ferris Wheel for last. It's not like you wanted something grand to happen when you ride it, but more like you just wanted to get a good view of the entire carnival before leaving. It seemed like the perfect final attraction.

Yeonjun notices how you've gone quiet and decided to hold your hand, pulling you along. "Let's go before the place closes."

"Okay." You look up at him, nodding.

· · ───────────── ·.☆.· ───────────── · ·

The Ferris Wheel ride wasn't all you had expected it to be. It looked pretty slow in the movies but right now? You were about to puke.

"Yeonjun, wait." You hold on to Yeonjun who was sitting opposite to you.

The Ferris Wheel was going too fast to your liking and you started feeling dizzy. Getting a good view of the carnival seemed impossible at this point and looking at your partner made you even more miserable.

Yeonjun was having the time of his life. He loved the feeling in his stomach whenever the ride went down, and the fact that you were lowkey suffering right in front of him made him laugh even harder.

The speed went on for a few more rounds until it finally slows down. Your heart and probably everything else stilled once the ride came to a complete stop just as your car reached the top. "Thank God. I felt like I was going to die."

"Well, you're safe for now." Yeonjun grins, leaning back in his heat. "You wanted to enjoy the view, right? We'll be stuck here for probably about a minute or two so enjoy it while it lasts."

"Yeah." You smile back, looking outside the window.

The winds were colder up there, reminding you of how warm it felt when you stood close to Yeonjun earlier. Yeonjun catches you warming yourself up with your hands and chuckles. He takes off his jacket and hands it over to you. "Here, put this on."

"Thanks." You quickly put his jacket on. Usually you'd go for the polite route and turn him down but if you were going to continue this friendship business then you weren't about to suffer in the cold when the dude's practically handing you a solution.

Yeonjun gives you a little smile before you continue to admire the view. Down there, the lights almost looked like a sea of stars. The music around the place didn't really help set the mood but somehow, the mixture of it along with the laughter and delightful screams of the other visitors made it feel right. After everything that happened today, you felt like it was the right decision to end the day with this breathtaking sight.

And Yeonjun couldn't agree more. The lights below reflected in your eyes in a way that made the atmosphere lighter. He could tell you were happy and right now, that seemed to be enough for him.

The Ferris Wheel began moving. Yeonjun snickers as he felt you grab for his hand, worried that the ride might throw you off once more, but it didn't. The way down was slow, allowing you to enjoy the ride in peace. Your pendant started to shine, reflecting the lights. It reminded him of everything that happened, from the moment you two met and agreed on a friendship that would last for only a day, up until now where he held your hand on the Ferris Wheel after deciding to be friends for real this time. The pendant became the sole proof of that friendship and Yeonjun couldn't help but wonder if the ones he bought a few years back would truly be of any use in the future. But what would it symbolize for? Who knows, he might just give you the other half.

Your car comes to a stop and the doors open. The realization that the day has officially come to an end left you feeling disappointed. Yeonjun squeezes your hand, bringing your attention to him. He gestures for the two of you to get up and you do, finally stepping back on the ground.

Both you and Yeonjun felt that the way back to the entrance was too fast. It really did seem like the two of you wouldn't see each other again despite the fact you went to the same university. The thought felt silly but that's just how the carnival experience gets to you.

"I guess this is it." Yeonjun speaks up first. "You live pretty far from here, right? I can take you home if you want."

"It's okay. My cousin lives nearby and I texted her earlier that I'd be staying over." You tell him, not wanting him to worry. "How about you? Will you be alright on your own?"

"Yeah, definitely." Yeonjun reassures, holding up his hands. "Oh, and by the way. Is it okay if I leave the plushies on your bag for now? I can't exactly carry them on the way back. If it's ok with you."

"Don't worry. You can just take them back tomorrow." You grin and Yeonjun smiles back. "Also, I'm keeping your jacket for now. I'll return it after I clean it up."

"I can work with that." He shouldn't feel this happy but he did. In a way, he was able to find an excuse to meet up with you tomorrow without things getting awkward. Maybe this friendship could work out afterall.

"Thanks for today. Honestly, this was the most fun I've had ever since I got here." You say, taking one last look at him.

I should be the one to thank you. "You know, I have a lot of things I wanna say to you right now but I think I'm gonna wait until I feel like it."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I'll text you later." Yeonjun gives you a quick pat on the shoulder before running off to the opposite direction. "See you at school! And don't forget to bring the kids!"

You raise a brow. Did he just refer to the plushies as his kids?

He felt dumb, running away from you. The longer he stayed, the more he had trouble leaving, which was new for him. It's been a while since he actually found someone he'd like to hang out with and he was having trouble controlling his excitement. Soon, you'd be able to visit each other's houses, hang out more freely, talk about your days as if it were nothing, and get to know each other more. Honestly speaking, Yeonjun couldn't wait for that day to come but I guess he'll just have to start with tomorrow.

[lady-of-disdain]

If you're so bothered by a cartoon ship (which... no words) still don't understand why you take it out on shippers, not like you could do much about the studio anyway, they don't care, as they should, but then being on our ass is entirely pointless... maybe that's the problem at the same time, maybe to some extent you do realise no one cares so you've decided persecuting a bunch of fan creators and consumers would be the next best thing. That said I feel it's imperative to point out, we're not Sunrise, we're not the ones with the power to shape this story, so you bullying us is frankly just devoid of any meaning other than raw intent for violence. At the very least admit that and drop the pretences, it's the only thing you've done after all, one would have to be blind not to see it.

If you're afraid a puny ship might be canon, and whatever you've twisted it to mean for you, take it up with the studio, alternatively with god since you're so into fictive characters over real life. Come to think of it didn't you guys have a friend that has a friend working at the studio? How come you're still so insecure? Why don't you tell the friend of the friend to influence the plot? Why hasn't this friend of a friend provided any other inside scoops to make themselves credible? Questions, questions.

Either way, hurting shippers will achieve nothing, we were gonna ship no matter the canon status of the ship, and I pity you people who think that shipping something has to be done because you want something canon, as opposed to just... for fun... but maybe that comes naturally with being pathetic, anyway, the possibility of it becoming canon now has nothing to do with us. Even less so as Westerners, if audience even has any sort of influence in all this, it would be the Japanese one way before it would be any Western one. Appreciate you giving us so much importance, but we don't need it, and we're just not really as important as you attribute, we'd just love it if you stopped hurting people over cartoons. You made something gruesome out of a fairy tale, that's on you, that's your problem, and we'd all be better off if you found a way to deal with that didn't rely on abusing others.

Honey, are you lost? I think there was maybe a different blog this rant was supposed to be sent to but I got it by mistake. Because I have no worldly idea what you are talking about in about half of this ask.

The first thing that confuses me: that I’m apparently “taking it out on shippers”, “ persecuting”, and “bullying” them? Please show me your receipts. I’ve literally never directly initiated contact with a sessrin blog. Hell, the one time I considered answering a post made by a pro blog, it was going to be in direct response to a question they posed in the anti tag, directed towards antis, and it turns out I couldn’t even answer the post because the user had most of the anti community blocked. (Silly, I know, but this is what we’ve been dealing with so what can I say.) Any time I want to respond to a sessrin argument that wasn’t directed to me anyways, I would usually screenshot it and blackout the names.

I can count on one hand the times I’ve even posted in the same thread as pro sessrin blogs, and in those cases, I either A) didn’t directly call out the other blog/blogs that were posting in the same thread as me, or @ them, or B) was only even interacting in said post because pro shippers were piling on and harassing people in the thread, and I was simply pointing out that there were shippers in said thread acting fools. The only time I ever even pointed out a particular blog I did it via screenshot and did it to keep a record of a blog that was admitting to flagging our posts as spam. 

If you would like to see proof of my interactions, all you have to do is check the #receipts tags on my blog, you’ll find all of my interactions conveniently tagged. (Oh and don’t worry, I’ll get back to that receipts tag shorty.)

The second thing you said that confuses me, that I have a “friend that has a friend working at the studio”? What (and I can’t stress this enough) the FUCK, are you talking about? 

I.....have never made this claim? Where have I ever said this, where have I ever reblogged this? I’ve never even read this? I need some clarification here, because either you are from an alternate timeline where I’m living a much cooler life, or like I said, you have the wrong blog.

~

Anyways, regardless of the fact that I’m pretty sure you sent this to the wrong person, I guess I can render a response to the base question you seem to be asking here: Why argue with shippers?

Really, at the end of the day, I’m not arguing with your average shipper. Hell, there are a few blogs I even follow and interact with that have said they like sessrin content, but they understand this is not an appropriate thing for a kid's show. And I can respect that because I’ve been in the problematic ship boat in other fandoms. (Here’s a hint, in one of the fandoms that I followed content for a problematic ship in, a content creator was given cookies with sewing needles baked into them, yikes right?!)

The main message of mine and many other blogs I follow is that this ship isn’t appropriate for children’s media, and what happens is a lot of salty people come out of the woodwork who feel the need to argue and say there is nothing wrong with it, which causes us to have to list the reasons why there is indeed something wrong with it (thus why it shouldn't be in said children’s media), then what happens is people like you come at us and act like all we’ve been doing is bullying shippers, and “why don’t you just let us ship in peace!?!?!?!!!??”

In fact, I shouldn’t even be surprised that I got this ask eventually, because as I’ve pointed out in the past, the shipper argument seems to be a cyclical one.

A blogger will make a statement something along the lines that they really don’t care if people ship sessrin, but the shippers really shouldn’t be making a lot of noise to the studio that they want to see this ship in the show because kids watch it, and it’s not a great message to send to kids.

A shipper will then message the blog (usually anonymously if possible) something along the lines of you’re wrong about the ship sending a bad message to kids because of xyz, or it’s a totally normal and healthy relationship, and you’re wrong, or Yashahime isn’t for kids, etc.

The Blogger will then respond with actual evidence, a well-worded response, or even just fucking common sense (like come on, some of the mental gymnastics I’ve seen people employ to try to validate this fucking ship to us is hilarious).

The blogger will then get another message something along the lines of  “why don’t you just let us ship in peace!?!?!?!!!??”

The blogger responds with JESUS CHRIST I SAID FROM THE VERY START THAT I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SHIP I JUST DON’T WANT TO SEE IT IN A GODDAMN KIDS CARTOON”

At which point the whole process is rinsed and repeated. Congratulations you’ve just witnessed a new grey hair grow out of my fucking scalp.

However, there is a new facet to this shit gem that I’ve noticed during this whole annoying cycle, and that is the fact that a lot of pro shippers are making claims that they are being harassed by anti blogs, but I’m not seeing a lot of proof of this. And make no mistake, if I see an established anti blog being terrible, or making a false claim, I have no problem calling them out, or correcting false information. Please, feel free to screenshot proof and post it in the anti tag, and see how many other blogs won't put up with this either.

And to be clear, I don’t really count anonymous asks as harassment, because people can be sending that shit to themselves. Just like I don’t mind asks I get like this one because I naively respond to them in the hopes that maybe someone will actually understand what the argument has been about this whole time. And if I didn’t like it, turning off anon magically gets rid of it, so *shrug*.

No, I’m talking about actual, out in the open harassment, or shitty behavior. 

Like oh say, Patreon art being reposted in a discord server, then when a good samaritan reports the art theft they are harassed by their fellow discord members. 

Or maybe the ongoing flagging and harassment campaigns that are going on over almost all online social media platforms. 

Or how about the time some people tried to start a Twitter smear campaign against a voice actor who has some opinions about their ship they don’t like.

Yeah, remember how I said I’ve got a receipts tag. I see ya’ll.

[shadystranger]

Bernardo character analysis cuz yes

The major hindrance of Bernardo's life was actually himself all along.

Bernardo is a smart guy and as much as he holds expectations he's never satisfied, worse he is the first to feel the most disappointed with himself (ex: him emphasizing on how pathetic and loser he actually is) Bernardo used to see himself as an incompetent third rate book-smart, even after he became the second highest ranked member in the organization he still thought of himself as a loser.

Bernardo's negative view of himself probably stemmed from only one thing and that's that he was too demanding of himself. Bernardo always pursues the finest of things be it liquor, cigarettes, etc he doesn't settle just for any quality, the reason he does such a thing may be because he knows enough just how inferior they would be. You only know something is good when you have experienced what is inferior. Bernardo fancies the finest of things because he's too familiar with the worstes of them Bernardo used to be quite poor not to a great extent at all but his modest family situation posed to him more hurdles in life than it did him good.

Near the end of Bernardo's route after Gian finds Bernardo under the rain, he shares his beer with him Bernardo first got disgusted by how awful it tasted compared to the wines of highest quality he's used to but finds himself later content with it. Bernardo's attitude with the finest of things x otherwise could be also said for Bernardo's aspired self in his mind and what he's in reality. I like to think that moment is more of a metaphor that even his self who does wrong-doings, cries in the rain and is miserable at times is fine on its own without being prefectured and Gian loves Bernardo for who he is anyway.

Bernardo's life used to be quite a series of pure downs and no ups. He emphasized how awful his time in the army had been (which he had to serve in to be able to get into university), no sooner he's imprisoned and is targeted too much for his own good, worse he ends up in the Mafia (the least place he likely wanted to be associated with) and finds himself with no choice but to miraculously work his way in the stocks in a dying stock market or else his life ends. The only time life works Bernardo's way is when Gian helps him and quite literally saves his life, this is probably the beginning of Bernardo's fixation with Gian.

Bernardo is not perfect, he proved to have self-doubt and self-aversion issues at some points but he is not the type who sees less worth in himself and such.

A good chug of Bernardo's mindset is the incarnation of reason. He does not carry out decisions unless he has re-thought them thoroughly and his actions are bound to be from the utmost consideration of the organization than anything, he for the most part knows how to base his actions on his logical side rather than his emotional side and the benefits it has on the organization.

However both the army and family proved to be discard-able means, Bernardo's history in army is kinda vague though it was clear he hated every bit of it and his plans of a family was destroyed because the one he truly fell in love with was a man (and with Bernardo's attitude It probably was never that any women was fine as long as she gives him a child, it was never that any woman would "work" rather it had to be the "specific person he genuinely fell for" unfortunately for him Gian was a man, so that led to smartass plan B of them using any women to hitch two of their kids which is a dick plan overall because it shows that as long as it means he'll reach his goal Bernardo'd not mind using anyone even if he won't go out of his way to, needlessly. Basically Bernardo is an extreme the end justifies the means kind of person) back to the point Bernardo for a long while didn't know how exactly he should spend his life, to Bernardo life is a mere means, probably an empty stage where you've to fulfill your duties and that's it.

In the grand scheme of things, Bernardo has three main factors to how his mindset works: number one is his strong sense of responsibility and reason, number two is his indecisiveness, oftentimes due pessimistic approach and number three is contradiction (which is usually because of Gian).

Bernardo originally strongly believes that he and the organization are in a kind of dutiful relationship. He must be logical, wise, steadfast and completely discarding his own real emotions. Bernardo adopts more of an old and robotic approach to life he is aware he was born for a reason and that's to put his all into being useful, have a family and die. but all of these are mere means for him to fulfill that desire in him to leave a proof of him existing. When you serve your country (ie army, later → the organization) when you get married (ie → a child) both are what you'd most likely think of when you want to bury yourself down into even one person's memory after you die. I don't know if his fixation with the thought is out of self-doubt or low self-worth but one thing for sure It's the only way of life he adopted.

Kind of nearly everything Bernardo searched for (be it, purpose, investment, money, and companions) was given to him by the organization. Maybe it's because of that that he holds the organization this highly in his list of priorities.

CR:5 was in a way the light that guided him through the tunnel. It's no exaggeration to say it played a big part in him continuing to live because he's now actually tied up with an "existence".

The organization keeps on giving than anything and Bernardo'd never really have any reason to betray it you'd think but then you see him turn around and help Gian ditching CR:5 if he wanted to or giving Gian the money he got rather than maybe investing it in the family's ledger especially when CR:5 wasn't in its best shape then.

I'm pretty sure aside from Gian followed by the capos no one matters much to Bernardo. (I included the capos too because Bernardo does admit to Ivan that he's a dick but he would never does harm to someone close to Ivan even when it was convenient for him to)

Bernardo literally has no reason to betray the family, but because he considers keeping Gian safe of greater priority he decides to, this doesn't lessen his loyalty per se but just shows how he sets his decisions based on his own list of priorities, Bernardo would be the biggest asshole if it means he gets the end he desires and Natasha's case was no different as the organization. Bernardo loved Nastasha, he had no reason to ill-treat her but because he knew only through her he could set up Dave, which getting rid of him was beneficial to the family and probably work as a self-satisfaction to Bernardo, he used her. It's not that Nastasha never mattered to him but rather that the organization and maybe his desire to settle scores with Dave had the upper level in his priorities than her.

Another thing to put into consideration Is that in Ivan's route Bernardo did say that he had a "naive image" of the family. He joined expecting better but the reality was disappointing. Bernardo does have his iffies about the ordeal of things but he'd usually just stay still in the sidelines, he doesn't take a step more than his line of sight allows he's cowardly in a sense.

I believe Bernardo's indecisiveness and hesitation lies in the fact he's the type of person who considers the negative what-ifs of any situation most and bases his train of thought on the worst outcome and even when he does not, his fear of the numerous dead-ends and no guarantee 100% that "that thought" would work is due that. In essence he limits his own self through his cautiousness and pessimism.

He's the one who chains and limits himself this much. That's why I think the scene on the bridge at the end of the route symbolizes him managing to rid himself of his constant indecisiveness and cowardice.

Bernardo knew Gian approximately around the time he was with Nastasha. But the difference is that Bernardo truly loved Gian whereas he didn't have as strong feelings towards Nastasha.

Since day one Bernardo had always kept making sure his love for Gian stays hidden if Gian does not notice he will not tell him, the thought was not even considered to him because he was cautious more than anything to protect his relationship with Gian the risk of it changing by Gian becoming aware of those feelings he held for him was too high and not worth it, Bernardo would have never taken the intuitive unless he *knew* the chances were in his favor and he wouldn't lose their current relationship.

In the general pessimistic predictions Bernardo had, Gian and him had no future. Despite adopting the mindset of expecting the consequences of every step he took, that rational valve of Bernardo gets inherently broken when it comes to Gian sometimes. The moment Bernardo decided to make his feelings for Gian blatant he did not regret it. Even if it meant he was fucking up their relationship, he didn't regret it (Though it could also be because Gian makes Bernardo lose all his original sense of reason, since Gian is the cause of Bernardo's "contradiction" or who knows?)

As I already said, Bernardo doesn't get to act based on his emotions due his position in the family. Acting sensibly is commonplace and default for him. Bernardo is not a man who can be tied up by bonds: to him partners can be used, promises can be broken, companions can be betrayed, Bernardo is much more unsympathetic than he lets on (with expectations to that maxim).

When it comes to Nastasha though I don't think It's that he's a mere dick to her because Bernardo is actually not (even if overall he is)

Let's put some things straight Bernardo originally gave her a better life and was the one who gave Nastasha her only source of income (her shop). And it was heavily implied that Nastasha did think if Bernardo abandoned her, she'd have nowhere to go. Bernardo himself is not heartless. So he probably for that reason didn't want to end their relationship of nearly 9 years. It's not that he had much romantic feelings for her (even if he did love her at some point) and was switching between her and Gian because he can't decide and making Gian a side-track in progress. It was more like he was being considerate of her whereas Gian was the one who mattered to Bernardo the most and whom he has the strongest feelings for (not just romantically).

So even If he wasn't interested, Bernardo would still speak sweet nothings over the phone to Nastasha, still give her flowers, and such. He was maintaining their relationship, but he did not intend to give her a future with him. (Is he shitty for acting and leading her on? absolutely. Was it not with good intentions here and there? to be fair, No)

Despite the fact Bernardo took the bystander stance on Nastasha and let her be r worded by Dave, fully aware of the consequences he still regretted his actions and cried under the rain which would seem quite hypocritical of him.

Bernardo continued to hold the bouquet of flowers then, not because he was holding on his love for Nastasha and past, It was because the bouquet of flowers resembled his self that acknowledges Its own incompetence, wrong-doings and failure (also the scene where Gian said he should give him those flowers and Bernardo replied he'd buy him another one but Gian insisted on the one he was holding means a lot more when you view the bouquet as Bernardo's unfiltered self).

In the Best Ending when Bernardo shouted his love for Gian in the void, It could be interpreted as a kind of rebirth for him.

I mean Bernardo originally could not face his genuine probably overwhelming love for Gian (now you see his Gian whoring traits all over the place be it in his own route, the other capos' or the neutral one)

Because of numerous reasons, had Bernardo remained the same as his past self he would still have been stuck, unable to get out of the dark dilemma he had gotten himself into. But through Gian he was able to change and overcome his mental fears.

To sum it up, Bernardo lived his life searching for a reason to live and the meaning of life and family. He wanted to prove himself through his constant efforts and "deeds". You'd think overall such a man has no emotions in him and is incapable of loving thanks to his strongly logical mindset. But he loves Gian like the biggest dumbass ever in love and CR:5 as well (saying this cuz Bernardo did say that spending time aimlessly with the five of them is like a dream-like reality).

[carrottuan93]

Haven’t met you yet | Mark

Masterlist (3/4) | part1 - part2 - part4

Starring: MK x You

Tags: Mark Tuan, Fluff, Destiny, Waiting, Christmas, Bookworm, Nerd, Love, Fate

Total WC: 2194

You nearly puked your guts out to the sight of Jackson sticking to Eunhee and hugging her like forever has been robbed from them. You failed to confide to your best friend about what happened to you in the last 24 hours. So as not to spoil their couple time together, you chose to not disturb them and just mingle with all the kids in the sweet treats section. You love kids so much you play Santa and distributed macarons to each one of them. As expected, most of your close friends and guests brought their own boyfriends, if not, their own husbands and it was a nice show to witness, with sarcasm aside. Thanks to Jackson’s little cousins, they keep you entertained with their bubbly personality.

 “One with the kids, sure you’re missing the party in the adult section, no?” The sight of a guy clad in a formal white dress shirt, tucked in a black denim pants partnered with a classic chuck taylor, and a gray winter coat, welcomed your eyes. Guys who dress fashionably is such a head turner for you.

“Actually, they keep me company so I’m having fun to be honest.” You replied, feeling all the weird sensation cascading across your spine. You feel a bit nauseous whenever guys approach you. You don’t know if you even want to be with a guy right now, after your embarrassing experience last night.

 “My cousins here are a bunch of nuisance, you’ll get tired of them soon.” He picked one matcha macaron from the aisle and took a bite of it. You observed his expression. A smile crept up to his face and you caught sight of Eunhee in a distant, gossiping to Jackson that you’re having a moment with his cousin. You certainly know that they’re mentally pairing you up already and you are growing nervous about the plans that they are possibly plotting behind your back.

 “You like it? I bought them all the way from a café near my workplace that sells classic macarons just like the original ones from Paris.” He nodded in approval as you watch him took another piece, this time it’s strawberry. That’s your favorite flavor among the rest and you can really tell that the sweet tooth runs on Jackson’s bloodline by how his cousins, from the little chubby ones and the grown up beside you, munch on your favorite treat.

 “I never really eat macarons, but you introduced me into it. You deserve a recognition, uhm?” He lifted his hand for a handshake. He doesn’t know your name yet so you took his hand and introduced yourself right away.

 “It’s Y/n, Eunhee’s best friend. Thank you for the recognition by the way. Well, you come here with a date?” You’re mentally tiptoeing above the thin ice. It’s better to assume that this cute guy over here is already taken, I mean with his looks, he's totally a charmer, you thought to yourself.

 “I didn’t bring anyone with me, so I assume you also come along on your own, no?” Green light. Okay, you need to calm down. This isn’t like any of your past blind dates but first meetups are usually nerve wracking and scary so you played the innocent heroine that you are and chose to just go with the flow seeing how Eunhee and Jackson are staring at you maliciously from Mark’s back, you know they were able to receive the death notes you are sending them via telepathy.

 “That explains it.” It’s not that you had a thing with cute guys, but maybe you just discovered it right now. You can tell he’s a decent one, a cool and random Asian-American import from the west and maybe if you’re an ice cream, you already turned into liquid by the way he stares at you.

 “I don’t know anything about you yet, but would you trust a complete stranger to celebrate your Christmas eve with? If you’re up for it, we’ll leave this party right away because I can tell that you’re going to get sick from all these couples outnumbering us.” Have you been a good girl this year? You didn’t include this guy on your Christmas list but Santa rewarded you without even asking for it.

 “I’m putting my trust on you knowing that Jackson is a good guy so does his cousin. I'll sue him and he’ll answer for the damages and fines in case you failed to bring me back in good shape.” You both let out a hefty chuckle earning glares from your best friend and her boyfriend. You’ve decided to pursue your spontaneous trip with Mark and the next thing you know you’re already closing the front door upon your exit even before the two of them could react to your great and grand escape.

  ----

  He took you on a ride away from the busy and bustling streets of Seoul. You're thrilled to find out that he actually brought you to Namsan Tower, the highest peak in the city. You're awed expression cannot suffice the picturesque panoramic scenery of Seoul unfolding in front of your very eyes when you entered the observatory on the top most floor. You were unable to talk all of a sudden and your heart is brimming with unexplained strings of emotion as you kept on taking pictures and videos of the breathtaking place that sent your eyes into a food coma.

 "I only went to N tower once, or maybe twice but that was during the day and I have no idea that this is how it looks at night. It's a miss, nobody will be able to witness this scene on a Christmas eve the way we're seeing it right now." You forgot about your shameful episodes of last night's happenings and your worries disappeared in just an instant.

 "I kind of paid for tonight's reservation when I arrived here in Korea a week ago, with the hopes of spending Christmas only to myself. Consider yourself lucky, you've managed to join me on this one-time event. Heck, the price I paid for is totally worth it. Come here and try this." He urged you to look on the telescope, and to your surprise, you're taking in every aspect of the city in a bird's eye perspective. Everything you look at is really stunning. Like you never really imagined that perfection exists for real until tonight and you're experiencing it with a random guy whom you've only met an hour ago. Your eyes met his and you wished you aren't redder than a rotten tomato for looking like a lost deer caught on a headlight.

 "The view here is really pretty.” He gave you a smile, too charming for your own consumption.

“It really is.” He’s even prettier than the view. You can only sense your guy-o-meter raising for Mark. Good lord, is this a sign? Your mind is now ready to tick the ideal guy boxes on your list.

 “We shouldn't keep this New York style pizza from waiting while it is hot.” He chuckled, like the cute kid that he is. There is something with his unique laugh that you really don’t mind hearing at all. Is he older than me? Please, I don’t want to date someone younger than me.

 “Okay, sure kid.” You followed him as he sat on the ground in a dimly lit room radiating a romantic atmosphere under the starry and chilly skies of Seoul. This is not a date, but a friendly escape out of boredom planned by two single hearts on a Christmas eve. As if you’re two partners in crime, sitting on one of the highest skyscrapers in town, while sharing a box of pizza. It’s just that you aren’t Bonnie and neither he is your Clyde but you're loving the idea of him as someone whom you can rely on.

 “I’m older than you, silly.” The sight of a wine bottle behind him caught your attention and wondered where it came from. He noticed you eyeing the prize so he did the honor and poured you a glass of wine while you’re devouring your slice of pizza. You never imagined that eating pizza is too romantic and one for the books.

 “Any proof that you’re actually above 25? Cause you really look young. With that face, you can qualify for a student discount on public transports and still save money for your commute.” You want to make sure that he’s at least 5 years older than you. You prefer dating someone older than you because they always say that a guy's maturity is a year delayed for his age.

 “Trust me, I just know. I’m old enough to buy a house and enter into casinos, I guess.” He gave you a wink and you felt a gush of strong wind blew your senses away. He’s totally a Romeo and you took a swig of wine while observing him secretly.

 “So you’re a gambler? I might have been spending my time with some kind of a mafia leader and still have no clue about it.” He’s laughing at it again. I might have a talent with making cute guys laugh and that’s an asset I only discovered right now.

 “What, no! But my dad is a big spender in casinos. My duty is to look out for him and take him home before he could even bet our fortune with his leisure. I could always hear him say ‘It has gotta be all or nothing’. He’s born for taking risks and maybe I got that gene from him that’s why.” He stretched his legs and sat like he’s on a photoshoot. He’s not a model but he can beat the professional ones even without the need for screening.

 “What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your life so far?” You folded your legs as you watch him wonder with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He poured a glass for himself and you noticed that he used the same glass that you drink on.

 “I believe we’re taking risks everyday in our lives. The only difference is the distance of our leap towards taking or not taking chances at all. Like when you’re playing a game, everything starts with equal opportunities. It’s a race to the witch mountain. The first one to gamble takes it all. You gotta be the predator of every tournament and you gotta be the last one standing in a survival of the fittest. If you’re brave enough to take the earliest start, you can use that advantage to ace your end game. It’s all about timing and investing. Win or lose streak. There is no such thing as a grey area when it comes to taking risks. You don’t get to tie with anybody. Either you’ll win or lose. You just have to trust your instincts and roll your dice like everyday is your last day on earth. If I go for something, I go all in. No half-baked decisions. Because my father taught me that risks equates to rewards and I’m all up for the extremes of both worlds. That’s the one thing I’m best at. I know how to play the game nice and fair because I know how to measure the corners of a square and even the distance around the circle which is not visible to the naked eye. After all, he considers me as his lucky charm. That explains my presence to his endless casino nights. And he hardly ever loses if I’m with him. Sure, Pops are probably waiting for me at our doorstep in LA right now. Too bad, his son is on the other side of the world, taking his own risk of a lifetime.” You left with no words to say. He’s too deep, a food for the soul. Guys like him are the ones that can be displayed in museums. He’s a delicate art and nobody should be allowed to touch him but the curator. And you’d want to take that role.

 “What if you lose? If you go all in and you lose everything all at once? Have you experienced it already?” you asked, admiring the tiny mole sitting under his left eye. You decided to take your second glass of wine.

 “The best thing about losing is that you’ve tried. I don’t take failures as an excuse for not trying again and taking another risk the next day. If I lose, so what? That only means you’re brave because you grow stronger with every fall that you take. Like a bamboo tree, it only bends but it doesn’t break. Life is all about swimming against the current of uncertainties and finding yourself floating on top of your insecurities.” As if he’s summarizing all the lessons in life, you’d always want to go for the front seat. He’s a walking self-help book, and maybe Mark Manson’s book of ‘the subtle art of not giving a fuck’ would have to sit longer in my shelf for the meantime. I got a risk-taker author Mark, right here and I got nothing to worry about.