#instead of having him come in mid fight to stop her from delivering a killing blow on guila in a fight that mirrors jericho and his father

[ramjam]

i didn't ever write an analysis on their 4kota intro because of the L i took immediately afterwards but i have so much to say and point out it kind of drives me crazy... why on earth were they introduced together, with the prison fight calling back to jericho's first meeting with ban in her debut...

[thefanficmonster]

Few Too Many

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing, In-game violence and death, Suggestive comments

Genre: Protective fluff, Humor, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Jealousy is a dangerous thing, especially when the jealous person is armed with a gun....in a game of Counter Strike. At least Y/N’s friend will now know not to mess around and flirt with her, especially not with Corpse around.

Requested by 🐐 Anon. Hi dear! Thank you so much for your request! Sorry it’s taken me so long to complete and post your request but here it finally is! I didn’t want to make it IRL violence to avoid triggering anyone while I also felt it’d be very ooc for Corpse to beat someone up but I still hope you enjoy the fic if you come across it and read it! Love, Vy ❤

“Hey everyone!“ Y/N greets her squad as they all customize their characters while I sit there, observing and unknowing of what I’m supposed to do. “I invited Corpse to play with us today, hope y’all don’t mind.”

“Of course not! Nice to finally meet you, Corpse. We’ve heard a ton about you from Y/N, thanks for making our girl the happiest she’s ever been.“ One of her friends says, the tone of his voice suggesting he’s only half-joking with the dad like comment he made.

“Nice to meet you too, man. Glad I’m the one she gave the chance of making her happy. That’s all I ever wanna do.“ Though it may sound cheesy, as guys, her friends can probably read into how genuinely I mean what I’ve said.

Dating a girl with only guy friends has it’s pros and cons. Which outweigh which is still up for debate since I’m still researching, but so far so good in my opinion. This is the first time I’m interacting with them directly so I’ve still got a long way to go in terms of getting to know them and the details of their relationship with Y/N better. Regardless, I at least know they can easily understand me and put themselves in my shoes if I ever ‘mess things up’ with Y/N and she goes to complain to them - something that will most likely never happen. I’d never dare make this girl upset. Chances are, if I do, her friends won’t get to me on time - I would deliver my own punishment just the way I think I deserve it. However, there’s also the chance of them getting super protective of her and ganging up on me over something as small as a fight. By the many things and stories Y/N’s shared with me about them, I believe they wouldn’t think twice about kicking someone’s ass for her. They’re not massive dudes - I’ve seen pictures of them - but I for one don’t ever wanna see em angry.

“Ay bro, what’d you do to score our best girl? You must know what she likes. If so please, by all means, do tell.“ One of them, not the one who was previously talking, speaks up, his words making me furrow my brows in both confusion and irritation.

I open my mouth to complain as I slowly start cracking my knuckles when Y/N and her friends beat me to it. Thing is, Y/N’s friend group consists of three guys and her and yet four voices scolded the guy that made that suggestive comment. That being said, this guy probably isn’t considered to be one of her friends, at least not one that’s a permanent part of her friend group.

“Seth, cut it out!“ The guy I was previously speaking to says sharply before softening his tone to refer to me, “Sorry about my brother, excuse his lack of brain cells, please.“

Just then, I also receive a message from someone. Checking my phone, turns out it’s Y/N who by the way is currently in the living room while I’m in the recording room. Her text reads:

Y/N ~ Ignore Seth. I told Leo to not invite him but he’s still here somehow

I send her back a quick reassuring text before answering the guy I now know is named Leo, “No worries, it’s fine.”

“See? The guy can take a joke, you’re all just freaking out over nothing!“ Seth laughs, reminding me and the others of how loud he is compared to us.

Despite acting like it’s no big deal, I can’t help but admit to myself that this behavior of Seth’s has awoken a deeply buried suspicion of mine that’s not only mine but also arises in every guy whose girlfriend hangs out with a lot of guys. It’s not that I don’t trust Y/N - she could literally blindfold me and tell me to walk through a pool of lava, promising it wouldn’t hurt and I’d do it - but we all know about that saying that every guy in a group with one girl has liked said girl at least once.

Disturbing to think these four, including Seth five, dudes could’ve possibly been my competition at some point. It’s nice that they’re all super chill about it, mostly cause some of them have girlfriends as I was told.

Nevertheless, we get over that hiccup and carry on with the small talk and preparations for the game. Since it’s my first time playing CSGO, Y/N, Leo and her other friend Clancy explain the mechanics to me in detail to avoid me getting confused mid-game and getting myself killed. When they finish, we start the round and wait for the game’s algorithm to separate us into two teams which Y/N jokingly refers to as cops and robbers. Unfortunately, the end result of that separation ends up being me getting put in the terrorists’ force with Leo and Clancy while Y/N’s with the FBI, partnered with Seth and her other friend Evan.

“Alright, team, we shall now disperse. Corpse, remember, if you see more than one of them, radio in and lay low, we’ll be with you as soon as possible.“ Leo informs me as he runs off in one direction, Clancy going in the opposite. I confirm I understand and go along my way too, heading for this ancient looking structure that looks like it could belong in an old-timey movie. 

Walking in, I realize the place is way bigger than it appeared on the outside. A quick look up confirms that there are three fucking floors above, not to mention that the ground floor is huge. Luckily, there are many crates and barrels to hide behind if I come across an FBI agent. I sure as hell hope it’s Y/N, I could maybe even try talking her into giving me a second chance at life and pretend she never saw me. Come to think of it though, I’d probably prefer getting killed by her rather than her friends - especially Seth.

Given that we’re in a Discord call, I can hear all the conversation going on. They are all quiet though, I can just periodically hear the mumbles of someone muttering to themselves as they navigate the map cautiously out of fear of running into their opponent unprepared. The silence is put to an end though when Seth speaks up, addressing Y/N.

“Yo, your boyfriend’s with the terrorists, ain’t he? That’s like the universe giving you a sign that y’all shouldn’t be together.“ The fucker laughs at his own joke while I can literally hear Y/N rolling her eyes.

“Have you heard of Romeo and Juliet, Seth?“ She asks sarcastically, almost getting a chuckle out of me but I suppress it to avoid getting caught listening in.

“Yeah, they both die at the end. Fucking boooriiinngg.“ Just then, I spot two silhouettes entering the building. Aiming my gun at them reveals their names - just the people I’m currently involuntarily eavesdropping on. Seth and Y/N don’t notice me though so I quickly duck behind a crate and prepare to radio in when Seth continues verbally torturing Y/N and dancing on my last nerves, “I personally think the friends-to-lovers trope is far more interesting...“

Did this guy just- no, he’s gotta be fucking kidding me

I’m left with my jaw hanging in disbelief at this guy’s audacity. I have no doubt Y/N’s about to put him in his place herself but I just gotta have my own chat with this guy. And by ‘chat’ I mean I mindlessly rush out from behind the crate towards where I saw him and Y/N and open fire on him.  I hear his startled and upset screams with Y/N’s laughter in the background. She doesn’t try to stop me as a teammate of his should and would, instead she just observes the scene unfold, laughing her ass off.

“Yo man what the fuck was that for?!“ I hear Seth’s yell but only faintly since the sound of gunshots is still echoing through my headphones. Yeah, I’m not done shooting this fucker.

“Corpse...Corpse, buddy...“ Y/N manages through fits of laughter she cannot tame, “That’s a few too many bullets, he’s already dead.”

“And that was a few too many comments for him to be let off the hook.” I answer as sharply as I can with the new-formed smile on my face. What can I say, her happiness is contagious.

“Well, you got your first kill in CSGO. Good job, babe! I’m super proud of you!” She cheers for me, clapping her hands excitedly. 

“Nah that was my first overkill.“ I quickly add, with a more threatening tone: “And it won’t be my last.”

“Let’s just hope there aren’t few too many of these overkills either.“ She snickers.

“That doesn’t depend on me, babe.“ I say smugly, suggestively enough for Seth to pick up the dropped hint. Mother fucker’s officially been put in his place and I couldn’t possibly be happier - with the added bonus of getting a ton of laughter out of Y/N who also decides to walk away, leaving me unharmed but promising to shoot to kill next time she sees me.

I’m ok with that. She could kill me anyday.

@maat-the-prescriptive  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @itsminniekat  @hacker-ghost  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams @solowheein  @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01  @buddyemily   @the-albino-lioness  @stardream14  @gdhdkfnn  @nomadicgypsyy  @preciousskye  @fluffysuicideunicornsworld  @o-kaelin  @manacharlotte  @awkward-youtube-trash  @lolalee24  @bonky-beerns  @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian  @strawbrinkofdeath  @teenloves  @tams0527  @browneyespinkhair  @starstruckllamapuppy  @daisychains012  @y0ulooked  @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life  @jula-pauline  @melodykitty  @just-that-bi-girl  @crazybutconfidentaf  @lowellshade @alphakees  @bellero  @weallneednamjesus  @starryhanji  @boiled-onionrings  @husherstan  @fockingwhore  @melaningoddessthings  @prettypastelpetals  @haleypearce  @godwhyamiawkward  @y-napotat  @daisychainyoonmin  @little-miss-rebel3  @free-wheelin-bi-sexual  @redmoon261 @darkacademic2  @wiseflamingoqueen  @into-the-end  @namikhai-i  @nastiablr  @thelittleplantlover  @mirktuan  @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny  @vintagegothlover  @easygoingtheatre  @itsrandombooklover  @miiaivi  @emmybaybee  @befourgolden  @jjk-is-my-shit  @eternalteaaars  @spacebadgerx  @princesslunalight  @acequinn14  @samm48  @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa  @fo-love  @marishimomura-blog  @therealglenncoco  @cinnamonbun332  @killtherandomness  @sanshinexxxsan  @fee-btheweeb  @press-lay  @cathleenpotgieter16  @jazzydoesstuff  @moonlxghtbay  @forestrain2000  @hyunjinhugs  @blood-of-fandoms  @lovellylies  @ukiyolixx  @simpforhpcharacters  @chrisdylan17  @parkerjisung  @pedernille  @theodonyous  @wineandionysus  @malfoystilinskii05  @morbid-x  @coryisagee  @jessewa26  @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365  @raeanneinwonderland  @indecisive-empanada  @gluttonypalace  @loriane2503  @btsiguess-kpop  @khaoticbunny  @lucidlycactus  @smiithys  @rottenroyalebooks  @kpopgirlbtssvt  @fangirl-tc27  @fr0z3n-1  @notmesimpingfortechno  @shotarosleftpinky  @kunoi-chan  @idk-whats-wrong-with-me  @yikeroonie  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @poetry-and-tea  @ama-do-writing-stuff  @wishbonewolf  @emeraldxhope  @t0xick1tty  @kusuinko  @speakyourselfloveyourself  @sophia902103  @lo-manburg  @classsykittykat  @dmgama  @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee  @btsiguess-kpop  @akaashi-baby  @gun-jong-simp  @geschichtenfee  @yerapotato-wp  @browneyedgirl365  @thysagclub  @sparklycloudnight  @helloatomicshadow  @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal  @lucy-bunny17  @aaliyahh0  @katluckybear  @boyleanti  @straybids  @franchesca-791  @cosmicstorm19  @averyisbackinthetrashcan  @aomi-nabi  @xlanawriter  @allensimpsforcorpse

[that-one-weeb-but-starwars]

Must be this tall to Hunt| Boba Fett (tcw age so like 13/14)

Couldnt find a good teen boba gif, so heres bosk instead

Warnings: fake blame,

Reader: female

"You are expelled from the order-"

"What!?" Y/n shouted looking up at the council, "I did nothing! Master Plo! Reason with them!"

"I am sorry little one, I-"

Y/n was heart broken, looking up at the surrounding Jedi, this couldn't be true.

"Master Obi-Wan!" Y/n pleaded.

"Your attachments grow," Windu spoke, "and with them your anger."

"My anger?! My anger?!" Y/n shouted at him.

"Little one please." Plo pleaded, "I have brought a witness."

"You!?" Y/n argued, "Master I demand an answer! Why! Why would you- You out of all People!-"

She watched Anakin walk in guilt ridden on his face, "You!? Anakin! You!?"

He kept quiet as Fives walked in, her world stopping.

"Y-Your lieing!" She shouted, "Fives?! Not you! I trust you and you do this!?"

"Arc Trooper Fives." Windu spoke, " what have you seen Padawan Y/n do?"

Fives looked at her, "I. Saw Genral Y/n with a clone trooper,"

"Im with troopers everyday!" Y/n defended.

"What was Padawan Y/n doing with this clone trooper."

"...intercourse sir." Fives responded.

"Thats Obsurded Fives! And you know it!" Y/n argued, "You're my brothers- Why in gods name would I fuck any of you!"

"Y/n! That is enough!" Plo argued.

"You believe this crap!? You're suppose to have MY back!" Y/n demanded, "I'd have your back no matter what! And you turn on me!"

"Are there any other witnesses?" Fisto spoke.

"Yes." Windu spoke, "bring them in."

Y/n watched, her brothers, the wolf pack, Commandos and even some from the Corosaunt Gaurd walk in, and they strung there string of lies and they strung them high and low, entagled the lies beyond untanglement.

"Padawan L/n is to be expelled from the Order and that is our final verdict."

The platform she was on went downward, the clone troopers who had made there testimonies were gathered at the bottom, a path for her to go through.

"Y/n-" Wolfee spoke reaching out a hand.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She shouted in anger pushing past the clones.

"It had to be done." Commander Thron spoke quietly.

The others nodded.

"Damn it!" Fives shouted running out the room and rushing down the halls, after the light echoing of Y/n's angered footsteps.

She pushed the doors open and just walking out them she stopped, hearing Five's steps behind her.

"General. It had to be done-"

"What!? The lies! The string of lies you built! Why!? Why would you do this to me?!" Y/n argued looking back at the clone.

"We wanted to protect you-"

"Bullshit Fives! Bullshit! I love all of you! All of you!" Y/n shouted, screaming so loud it was sure to be heard all the way down to the lower level.

"Y/n listen!-' he grabbed her shoulders trying to plead with her but she pushed him away ingiting one side of her double sided saber as Fives quickly backed up.

"Touch me again and I'll kill you." She spoke.

"I don't even deserve death. I know- I-" Fives tried to explained, "We wanted to protect you-"

"Then you should of had my back!"

The bright blade turned off and she turned around leaving without a second thought.

"Hey! Wake up!" Boba argued.

Y/n turned her self around as she opened her eyes, "what do you want Fett."

"Rations idiot." He spoke as Y/n sat up, the girl only a year older than Bobba.

She was thrown a rations bar by the boy as they were in a hotel room, she had been sleeping on the couch.

"How much longer we waitin?" She asked taking a crunch out of the bar.

"An hour, I told you that the how much longer last time you woke up." He argued looking through the window.

Y/n kept quiet as she ate her food, it bland and bleak in both tast and color.

Bobba took an arm chair by the window as he ate his own rations. It was silent for a long mintue.

"Did. You have that nightmare again?" He asked.

Y/n looked over at him, "when do I not?"

Boba ate a peice of his own ration bar, he never knew what the nightmare was about, but knew it was the same one, on repeat.

He had the same.

"You, uh. Wanna talk about it?"

She looked his way, then looked away quickly, only able to see the faces of her brothers.

"No." She replied coldy tossing the barely eaten ration bar on the table, her appetite gone, "I'm gonna go scope the roof, don't wait up for me."

She walked towards the door, grabbing the sniper on the way out.

"I'll come with you. Incase someone tries to get you from behind."

"I don't need someone to have my back." Y/n argued.

"Well then Im coming because I want to!"

He pushed past Y/n as she scoffed, following him close behind as they walked towards the steps, somewhere along the way Y/n hacked into a vending Machine, Boba going up the stairs himself, stealing whatever she pleased putting it in her sling bag, enough for her only.

"Sharing is what?" Y/n questioned Woflee

"An opportunity for someoen to get there arm chopped off, it's my food." Wolfee told her.

Y/n sighed, how she hated her own little life lessons to her brothers, and stole more food, enough for both Boba and her, and a little extra.

Walking up the rest of the steps she made it to the door she kicked open with the bottom of her foot.

"Could you try and be quiet?" He seethed.

"I mean. I could. But no." Y/n responded walking towards the edge where Boba sat on a near by utiliy unit.

She sat down setting her back infront of her as she laid herself on her side her back to Boba the lights of the bright city below barely reaching the top of the tall hotel they sat on.

"You want one?"

Boba looked over seeing Y/n holding up a soda.

"Where did you get that?"

"Stole it."

Rolling his eyes he walked over to her snatching the bottle and sitting himself by her head.

"Hey hey. Fives calm your tits." Y/n laughed.

Boba stayed silent as he looked at her, she too busy looking out and onward, but feeling the stare she looked besides her.

"Oh." Y/n realized, "My bad Fett."

Boba stayed silent, as Y/n took a drink of her own soda, he had realized she had become more sympathetic with her apology.

"You wanna talk about it now?" Boba questioned.

Y/n sighed, answering in silence for a mintue, "My only family betrayed me. Strung a String of lies to supposedly keep me safe. I think about it all the time. We use to find these abaonded places and sit up on the roofs like this, we'd sing, start a bonfire, get drunk."

"Your as old as me." Fett argued.

Y/n shrugged, "war does that, you only live once Fett."

"Then why are you still worrying about it?" Boba defended.

"Why do you still worry about the things you worry about?" Y/n questioned, "but I was kicked out of my group, my name stripped of me, and instead of having my back, they had me cast out. Happy Now?"

It was silent again, the hearing of honking and swearving down below could be heard.

"I lost my dad to the Jedi."

Y/n stopped mid way lifting her drink to her lips but then contuined to drink then pull away.

"They tend to do that..." Y/n responded, "they expect you to follow every rule every word, there no better than the sith."

"You know alot of jedi and sith."

Y/n looked at him once, "It was when you father died did I stop really believing in the Jedi-"

"You knew my father?! You're a jedi-"

"Shut your trap and listen before you get rowdy you damn idiot!' Y/n argued Boba gritting his teeth, "I met Jango Fett when I went on a small assignment, my first one, with Master Shakk Ti- it was basically playing paper boy. I remember delivering work to your father...alot of people were mean to me, he. He never was, always said thank you, always asked me if I had eaten. He even watched me leave on the ship back to Master Plo Koon. So when I went througy reports and found him dead I was in shock, later to find out a Jedi did it. I started to loose faith. Why kill a man lookin out for him and his child, sure capture him- but taking family...I know how that feels and no one should go through it."

Y/n took a drink finishing her bottle and tossing it over edge, "so. I fought. And I fought and I fought. If i couldnt save Jango, I'd save what was left of him- the clones- my brothers. They share the same face but are diffrent than any could imagine. I spoke, I wrote, I pleaded, I trainned. It never was enough, and it was my 'emotion' that got the better of me. Pssh. Yeah right the Jedi can piss off because if they want to see emotion? I'll give it to them."

Boba listened, he had nevee seen Y/n before hand, maybe he had and just didnt remember, he never knew someone could share his pain. Neverless with the same person.

"Windu will pay." Boba seethed, "and your a jedi! You can help me."

"I will go head to head to him, I don't plant bombs." Y/n defended.

"We can take him! Two on one!" Boba tried to persuade, "you know his fighting style! I know guns! You know sabers! We take his head and anyone else that stands in our way!"

Y/n looked at him dully.

"Come on! How many bounty hunters have you single handedly taken on! And killed! How many sith have you injured! Jedi that chase after us! Without your laser swords! We can kill him! Together!" Boba explained standing up, Y/n move to sit up, "We're the left behind! We are the strongest! Because we were left behind! We round up a few others! Bane! Sing! Bosk! And there's always someone paying for a Jedi's head!"

Y/n stood up grabbing hee sniper rifle as she did and looked at her watch.

"It can be a sniper shot! A saber battle! Whatever you want! As long as he die and Im involed I don't care how!" Bobba argued.

Y/n looked down below aiming her sniper adjusting the scope.

"My father would do the same for you-"

He was cut off by a bullet shot and soon the sounds of crying folks who see a man just drop dead on the street, the target they had been waiting for dead. She pulled away from her weapon slowly, turning her head towards him.

"I'll do it.-" Y/n agreed

"No." Boba spoke, "We'll do it. Together. For everything the jedi took from us!"

Y/n looked at the outreached hand as she took it.

"Together."

"As One Unit."

"As One Unit." Y/n responded, "well one and a half"

"Im not that short." Boba argued.

"Shorter than me." Y/n chuckled.

[spidernerdsblog]

Match made in Hell : Chapter Three

A/N : Chapter three is here. Survival of the fittest this is how life evolved on earth. And to survive you have to learn to adapt even if you have to make truce with people you hate. Hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you think.

A Happy New year to all of you lovely peeps! 💖��

Pairing : Mob! Tom Holland x Reader

Summary : you always wanted a simple life but to be born as the daughter of a dangerous mobster turned out to be a curse for you. Everything changes when your father gets your lover killed and forcefully marries you off to another mobster as a part of a deal. You hate your father and your husband the only thing you seek is now revenge. Will you ever be able to fall in love again or this burning hatred inside you will consume you?

Warnings : 18+,mature content, a little PMS drama, language, flashbacks in italics, slight nudity, suggestive themes.

Mini Playlist : Bad Things by Meiko

SERIES MASTERLIST

Complying to the note you take a quick scan of the room ensuring that you’re not being followed by anyone before making your way to the restrooms but instead of going inside you sidetracked to your left and stride your way to the staff exit door across the hall and sneaked outside continuing to walk down the dark alley. You stop when you see a large figure standing in the dark a few feet away from you.

"Y/N" the man speaks with a deep voice.

"Who are you?" You demand. The man walks out of the shadow and your face lit up as you saw his face illuminated by the street light. 

"William? Oh my god!" You rush to embrace him. William Marshal, your father's most trusted wing man and your mentor. All the knowledge you have raptured be it hand to hand to combat or gun fight he taught you all. 

"How are you my little tigress?" 

"Surviving" You say with a small smile. "But what are you doing here?" You were so surprised as well as happy to see him.

"Your father sent me here."

Your brows draw into a frown ''Daddy sent you?...But why?"

"You are alone and boss thinks it's a little dangerous to leave you in the enemy territory on your own" 

You scoff. "Huh, since when did he start worrying about my safety?" 

"He wants me to help you with your task, so how much progress have you made?" He asks.

"Actually William there has been some changes in the plan” You say. “I’m no more playing daddy’s little killing puppet" 

William gives you shocked look. "What, are you planning to backstab your father?" 

''Not literally stab him though I wish I could heh. But I'm gonna make him pay for his crimes by turning him in and then let the law decide his punishment."

"You want to go on a legal battle with the king of illegal trades?” He chuckles lightly at your childish idea. “You're bluffing right?"

"I'm not bluffing Will. I just want to deliver justice to all the people who have suffered for him without anymore bloodshed. And I’m not ruthless like him and at the end of the day he's still my daddy so even if I want I will never be able to kill him" You sigh with remorse. 

"It's a suicide mission Y/N, you can't win against him, not alone"

"Well Rome wasn't built in one day, Will. Plus I have you."

His face went stoic. "I can't betray your father Y/N." 

"Will, how could you forget that this man killed your whole family? He didn't even spare your five year old daughter. Don't you want revenge?" You tried your best to persuade him. 

"That man died when he accepted his allegiance."

"Then here's your another chance to avenge your family. Are you going to help me or not?" You ask him firmly.

"You know I have always seen you no less than my daughter" He reaches out a hand cupping the side of your face "so what does my daughter want me to do?" 

The corner of lips turn up into a smile. "Nothing much for now I just want you to pose as a double agent, provide me all the information and report back to daddy whatever I exactly say to you" You explained. 

William nods in agreement to your plan. "So have the Holland's agreed to this?"

"Holland's?" You frown. "Why on earth would I involve them? They are no less evil."

"You are plotting against your dad the mafia kingpin and you need allies Y/N."

"I don't need any allies…" You pause mid sentence as it finally hits you what Will was actually trying to imply. You narrowed your eyes with a sly smirk "Unless I rat them out against each other and they end up destroying each other in the process without anyone suspecting it was me behind all this. Like this I can hit two birds with one stone"

"Well now you're getting it." William says proudly. 

"By the way boss told me to give you this." He holds out a revolver, you stiffen at it’s sight.

"That's my gun" You swallow hard.

"Yes indeed it is." 

"I can't take it Will and you know why" You say anxiously.

"I know that the past haunts you Y/N but that phase is over. You have to let go" He takes your hand and places the gun. "Keep it, you'll need it" Your palms were sweaty as you gripped on to the gun and looked at it intently. 

"I think you should go back now before your husband gets suspicious and remember.." 

You cut him off before he could finish. 

"To be nice and call in a truce. Trust me I got this." You winked with a sly grin and rushed back to the hall through the backdoor but you are met with an obstacle. Tom was standing right in front of the restrooms, you quickly retreated behind the wall.

"Shit! Why are men so clingy?!" You groan with slight irritation when your phone lights up

T : Hey you okay? You're in for too long. 

T : Y/N???!! 

You roll your eyes as you text him back. 

Y : No I'm not okay!!! 

Concern clouded his features whilst he texted you back.

T : Hey what's wrong? 

T : Darling, you alright? 

You couldn't think of any valid reason to get past him so you had to swallow your pride and texted back with the most safest and believable excuse for a woman. 

Y : I'm PMSing!!!  T : ….OK. 

You peered to see his reaction and you swear you would have burst out laughing if you weren’t in such a sophisticated place, the look on his face clearly showed how weirded out he was. 

Tom on the other hand was clueless about what to reply next, since a young age he has been dealing with the most dangerous people from the underworld but never in his life he had to deal with someone pmsing specifically he never had to deal with you. Though he had a little knowledge about these things thanks to sex ed at high school. You saw him take a deep breath before typing. 

T: You need something? 

Y: Yeah, will a tampon be too much to ask? 

Y: It's kind of urgent. 

T: Right on it. Just stay there. It will be fine, love. 

T: Do you need a change of dress? 

To be honest you were quite taken aback seeing this concerned and understanding side of his. 

Y: No, I'm fine. And please don't come barging in the ladies room. 

T: Yeah I know that. 

As soon as Tom moves away you quickly slip inside the restroom and heaved a sigh of relief. After a few minutes a middle aged woman walks in the restroom.

"You must be Y/N?" She asks with a smile.

"Yeah." You nod.

"Here you go, love." She hands you a tampon. You take it and go inside a stall. You wait for a few minutes before throwing the tampon in the dustbin and emerging out of the stall with a smile.

"Thank you so much." You say smoothening the slight creases on your dress.

"Oh don't be but I must say your husband really loves you. You should have looked at his face how freaked out he was."

"I really doubt the love part.'' You snicker, turning on the faucet in the basin to wash your hands.

"Well darling, here’s an advice from a lady to a lady keep your man happy and satisfied and then not only will he be showering you with all his love as well as—"  She coils her thick glimmering diamond necklace around her slim finger "might get these too."

"Well thank you for your advice but not a fan of leashes you see." You quip drying your hands with the paper towels.

"Trust me sweetie one day you will just want to wear these leashes only for your man." She steps closer putting a hand on your shoulder.

"Will see." You give a tight lipped smile.

After sometime you step out and find Tom patiently waiting for you.

"All good?" He asks, you nod in affirmation.

"It was lovely talking to you sweetheart. See you again." The woman chirps, you smiled waving at her.

Bad Things starts playing……. I know what I want And I'll get what I need I'll come over and I'll show you how Don't you wish that you can have me now?

"Shall we have this dance?" Tom held out his hand. You take it with a smile as he leads you to the center of the room. Your hands go to his shoulders while his hands rest on your hips. You slowly begin to sway your bodies to the music going back and forth, your eyes looking around to the other couples dancing. 

You say that you want all of my love But let's be honest we don't need all that I like it better with no strings attached

"You're welcome." Tom says, drawing your attention back to him.

"Uhh..." You look at him in confusion.

"I guess the words that you are looking for are thank you."

"To be fair it was kind of your duty to help your wife from an embarrassing situation." You quip.

"Oh now I'm your husband, huh?" He raises his eyebrows amused.

Good girls do bad things sometimes But we get by with it Good girls do bad things sometimes But we get by with it

"Well you have been rubbing the fact on my face since day one so—" You half shrug. 

"So what was Mrs. Sinclaire saying?" He asks looking around the room.

"Nothing of my interest just how I should get one of those shining collars around my neck." You roll your eyes dramatically.

"Those are gifts from their husbands who love them dearly, love" He corrects you, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

How much more can you take if I give you a taste I've been waiting for you all night long I come around and then I'm gone

"But for me those are glittering leashes" You retort.

"Darling, how much ever you pretend but under this tough shell you're just a hopeless romantic, you crave love and I can give you all of it only if you allow me." Tom laces his hand with yours another hand stays at the small of your back, waltzing to the music. 

You'll get yours, I'll get mine Then we run out of time You're the only one that I desire 'Cause I love to play with fire

"Maybe I'm that's why I still dream of a beautiful life away from all this from you" you say looking deep into his brown orbs.

He leans down to your ear and whispers. "I can assure you one thing princess the farther you want to go away from me the more I will pull you back towards me"

A shiver runs down your spine as his smile turns into a wide grin.

Good girls do bad things sometimes But we get by with it Good girls do bad things sometimes But we get by with it

His hand moved from your back to your lower waist and he dipped you low, taking you by surprise. You bent on your back as he pulled you back up with a force, throwing you against his body sending your body right into his broad frame.

Ooh (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh) Ooh (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh) When I'm down I let you know (ooh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh) When I'm down I let you go (ooh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

You stayed like that for a while, inhaling deeply but the only thing you could smell was him, his expensive cologne intoxicating your senses and then he pushed you back again, spinning you around twice and settling back for the previous slow pace. 

Good girls do bad things sometimes But we get by with it Good girls do bad things sometimes But we get by with it (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

The night ends and you are now back at home sitting on your bed busy with your night routine rubbing on some body lotion on your hands as Tom walks in.

"What are you doing in my room?" You frown.

"Technically this is my room" He reminds you rummaging through his closet.

"Not anymore." You state haughtily. He plainly ignores you and goes inside the bathroom. 

After a while he comes out with a towel wrapped lowly around his waist, his wet curls sticking to his forehead. You couldn’t help but admire his chiseled upper body, muscles rippling and glistening in the soft golden light of the room.

"You’re staring" He sing-songs, smirking cockily.

"No-no, I'm not'' You fumble. 

"It's ok, darling I'm all yours to look at" You roll your eyes meanwhile he takes off his towel and throws it in the hamper before getting on the empty side of the bed just in his black calvin klein boxers.

"Whoa, you are gonna just wear that?" You ask in surprise. 

"Why you gotta problem?" He smirks while getting inside the covers. 

"No seriously, you’re either fully covered or almost naked. Nothing in between." You remark giving him an annoyed look.

"Why does it turn you on babygirl?" He says with a sultry voice. 

"Shut up and stop with these weirdass names, will ya" You grimace as he chuckles.

"And what about you? You are going to sleep in that?" He points out looking at your sleep shorts and a loose shirt. 

"Well you may think of yourself as a calvin klein's model but I ain't a Victoria’s secret angel. So yes I’m gonna sleep in these" 

"But your Instagram says something else" He quips, making you smile mischievously.

"Aww did someone get all riled up at work?” You click your tongue pouting “so sad." 

Tom all of a sudden grabs your arm pulling you down to him as you jolt down surprised.

"And for that you deserve a nice spanking" His voice low, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

"If you touch me I'll chop off your hands." You threaten with a cold stare and pull out your arm from his grip. You lay down turning to your side and snatched away the covers from him.

"Oi! blanket hogger!" He protests, pulling the blanket back.

"Get out of here!" You kicked his leg playfully snatching the cover again.

"Y/N I swear to God I’ll push you off the bed!" He says laughing.

"Shut up you whiny baby." You retort laughing as well.

He moves closer to you bringing his hands to tickle you on the side of your hips. You squealed trying to push him away but he tightened his hold around you both laughing like kids when suddenly you realized how close you were the heat from his bare body felt like burning against your skin. 

What are you doing? You hate this guy, he is the reason Ethan is dead. You remind yourself gaining back your composure and stopped laughing. You went silent closing your eyes as Tom got the hint and backed off.

You soon fell asleep breathing softly but Tom was still awake staring at the ceiling thinking about all the meetings and deals he has to make tomorrow when you shifted on the bed and turned to Tom’s side in your sleep. You subconsciously hiked a leg above his placing your hand over his chest snuggling close to him. 

Tom found it really amusing chuckling softly as he took his time to admire how beautiful and innocent you looked. He went to wrap his arm around you just then he heard you mumbling in your sleep. 

"I'm sorry - I'm so sorry Ethan." His expression goes hard. He retracts his hand away placing it under his head and lets out an exasperated sigh before closing his eyes to sleep.

Next morning you squint your eyes open to find yourself practically laying over Tom's chest, you sit up hastily waking him up in the process. 

"Good morning, princess." He says with a groggy voice. You look at him timidly. 

"By the drool I’m assuming you slept well." You frown rubbing the corner of your mouth with the back of your hand. 

"So much for chopping my hands eh?" He snickers. "But what about you taking advantage of me while sleeping." you felt your face heat up in embarrassment.

"Sorry I used to have a side pillow when I slept."

"Oh it's ok, love. I'm honored to be your human side pillow.'' he says cockily before getting off the bed to get ready for the day. 

"Dickhead" You mutter under your breath.

****

 You went to punch his chest, but William blocked it

"As a devout feminist, I refuse to say that you hit like a girl." William quipped letting go of you, and you spin around in frustration

"Let's try this again, shall we?" 

"Tell me again why I have to learn self defense this early in the morning." 

William began to roll up his sleeves to better move around "You are my  responsibility." 

You smiled "...says the feminist." William chuckled. 

"Fighting is rhythm. There is a music, there is a meter, there is a pattern. Let that rhythm beat within you." He stood defensively and nods at you. 

"Again." you put up your fists and start to fight him, but he easily blocks your blows. You two spin and continued practicing. You struck him again but he blocks it. 

"Legato" You strike again with increased force,

"Ostinato" You strike back with all your force. 

"Crescendo" You managed to hit him, but he blocked the majority of it and held you by your neck. 

"And then, once you've established your cadence--" You spun out of his grip, kicking him, and pressed him against the wall while he's distracted. 

" --You change the key." you said smiling proudly. 

 "Very nice." He said a little out of breath. "But none of this matters if you cannot make the kill." 

"But I don't want to kill anyone." 

"You will. To survive" He said.

You stepped back to catch your breath from the intense workout.

"Now c’mon we will learn something new today." He brought two wooden staff and throws one at you out of the blue which you barely catch.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" You protested. 

"First lesson-- always be on your guard." He instructed. You took note of the weight of the staff in your hands for a moment.

"It's heavy." 

"I was half your age the first time my father gave me the staff. I would have torn every muscle rather than let him see me strain. And, had I--" He attacked you, you barely blocked his blow "-- he would have corrected me." 

"No offense, but your dad sounds like a jerkwad" You panted. 

"Mothers love their children. Fathers make them strong" He attacked you again, and though you struggle to keep up, you manage to continue blocking him.

"Well in my case my daddy doesn't care 'cause he already kind of bidded me off in a stupid deal--" You started to fight back  "-- and my mother is quite ardent to make me strong enough to face anything what is to come my way" You grunt while attacking but William easily dodges your strikes.

"You're anticipating. Do not let me see your move before you make it." He strikes at your staff, knocking you off-balance and causing you to twist your ankle as you fall and whimper in pain

"Get up." He commanded.

"I can't, my ankle hurts." You groaned.

"The ability to end your pain is a warrior's true weapon. Master that, and nothing holds power over you." You glared at him. 

"Now, on your feet." You winced. 

"I said, On. Your. Feet." He barked.

You continued to glare at him, but do grab your staff to use it to help you to pull yourself up on your feet. You leaned against the staff for support. William looked mildly impressed.

"Good. Perhaps you've actually learned something today." 

It’s been almost two weeks since the gala night William has been in contact with you providing you with valuable information. You were lost in your thoughts when your phone buzzed and you were broken out of your daze. It was William, you received the call. 

"Hey Will!" 

"Got some news." 

"Seems like Victor has grabbed quite a hold in the European drug cartel. He has been making quite some big deals." 

"Daddy is making deals with the European drug mafias?" You were surprised at this news. "But how is that possible? As much I know he planned to oust the Hollands off their turf first before taking over their business." 

"Working with your dad I have learnt one thing about him, ‘compartmentalization’ nobody gets to know about his real plans. And that is the reason behind his success." 

"I think I know someone who might give me more info on that. But the most important question is who is doing all the dirty work for him while he is sitting in NY." 

"A new gang has emerged in the city ‘the vipers’ but I’m surprised that the Holland’s didn’t happen to come across them yet." He says before ending the call.

Meanwhile Tom was at the docks of the London port accompanied by his brother Harry for a meeting with an old time ally.

"Gomez, after a long time mate." 

"Yeah Holland business has been a little rough these days"

"So my brother tells me that you wanted some negotiations to be done with the current revenue arrangement of the port area"

"Yes Holland about that you see you're charging an outrageously high protection money and for that I am having very little profit from my drug trafficking business" 

"Well mate protecting you from the cops and allowing you to smuggle through my port comes with a high price I told you at the beginning only." Tom says.

"Then I might have to rethink our alliance, Holland."

"You mean you want to call off the deal?" Tom raises his eyebrows.

"Yes you guessed it right" 

"That's really brave of you given that the narcotics are already suspicious about your activities" Tom mocks with a sinister look in his eyes.

"I'll take my chances and there's this new gang who are ready to provide protection at a much cheaper rate plus they are going to help me expand my trade to the States. And profit has always been my first priority mate." Gomez states.

"Well whatever suits you mate but the port is still under my control if I may remind you so perhaps you should start watching your back" Tom advises, malice in his voice and then he storms out of the place.

****

You have finally decided to have a night out and blow off some steam. You dressed up in a slip dress and put on your matching stilettos. Booking yourself an uber you were just about to go down the stairs when you heard some heated argument coming from the office though it was mostly Tom’s voice you heard and by the tone you deduced he was very angry. 

You slowly made your way towards the room to see Tom standing in the middle of the room with Harrison and Harry beside him, his men surrounding him as he yells at them. They were so engrossed into the meeting that nobody bothered to notice you standing so you quietly lean against the doorframe and listened to their conversation.

"I'm paying a bunch of assholes for nothing!" Tom barks. 

"Tom, calm down." Harry goes to tone down his brother.

"How can I calm down?! Some bloody newbie gang has been operating right under my nose! on my turf! and I have no news about that." He snaps.

You couldn’t help but the whole conversation made you chuckle a little too loudly drawing everyone’s attention present in the room. Tom was already seeing red with his business going into jeopardy and seeing you laugh like that he went ballistic. 

"Does something here appear funny to you?" He glares at you.

"Well funny things do." You retort.

"And may I have the pleasure of knowing what you found so funny?"

"Well seeing you guys all worked up about this whole new emerging gang snatching away your territory. I really feel pity for you."

"Thank you for your pity now you may leave, anyways women are not allowed here. I should not see you snooping around in the future near this room." He orders.

"Your loss I might know something that could have helped you in solving your little problem." You shrug and turn to leave. 

"Wait! What do you mean?" 

"Well I guess women don’t do business here so I better keep my mouth shut." You taunt agitating him even more.

"Stop fucking with me Y/N! If you know something then tell me." You pucker your face pretending to think. 

"Please" he adds softening down a bit, you sigh audibly.

"Ok then let me give you a heads up. The viper gang which is hampering your business deals is owned by none other than Victor Martinez aka my daddy dearest." Tom's eyes went wide as well as Harrison's and Harry's. 

"What! You’re kidding right?" You scrunch your nose shaking your head sideways dismissively.

"But-but we had a deal!" He was still in disbelief.

"Honey you made a deal with the devil. What did you expect?" Tom crosses the room in three strides and grabs hold your arm with a death grip anger raging in his eyes.

"Leave my hand, Tom! You’re hurting me!" You struggle twisting your arm. He slightly loosens his grip but still holds on to you. 

"What more do you know? What have you father-daughter planned behind this whole wedding facade?!" He spat gritting through his teeth.

"Hey don't go all out on me! I myself didn't know about this until today. He never told me about this secret gang." 

He scoffs, raising his eyebrows. "And you want me to believe that?" 

"It’s up to you if you want to believe or not but if I would be plotting against you why would I even care to tell you all this?" You pull your hand away "--and this growing hatred inside you I have thousands of times more of that hatred inside me for him" you seethe.

"Then what was the meaning of the whole deal?" 

"Well he wanted me to lure you and trick you into writing everything you own including your business to my name and then kill you." Tom is left speechless with your revelation.

"What? Feel the bitter taste of betrayal?" You smirk. "Now you’ll understand what I felt." 

"Okay then you guys have fun working out your plan on going against your new enemy while I enjoy my night with some music and drinks." You chirp enthusiastically.

"Now where are you going so late?" Tom sounded tired.

"None of your business" 

"Anthony, Michael go with her" He orders two of his men.

"No need, my uber is already waiting outside" saying so you left.

Reaching the club you order some drinks for yourself. You sit on the seat near the counter enjoying the ambience as the bartender hands you a martini. Though it wasn’t like the rave parties you had in NY but you really felt relaxed finally out by yourself after being trapped in that house for two weeks after your wedding which felt like ages. 

"You're Y/N right?" You look up to your side to find the red head girl from yesterday.

"And you're the hooker" You quip and she chuckles.

"Yeah I am, it's Sandy by the way." She takes seat beside you. "So where’s your husband?" 

"Probably still shouting at his men." You shrug, taking a sip of your drink.

"Not to be prying but what's the deal between you two? It looks like you hate each other's guts"

"Don’t know about him but I definitely do, perhaps after tonight he might start hating me too." 

"Then why the hell did you get married?" 

"Well honey things don't work like that in the mob. A wedding is just a strategic alliance between two families for their own mutual benefits. We just serve as scapegoats, our fates were sealed together the day we were born" You explain. 

"Well that’s some really messed up shit" She sympathizes. 

"I know." 

"But you can still work it out. You know he isn’t that bad, at least not in bed" She grins cheekily. 

"Okay I didn’t need to know that" You chuckle sarcastically. 

"You’re really missing a good dick girl, that you can have any time you want and all your life." 

"Do I look like a nymphomaniac?’’ You laugh ‘‘-and no doubt he is a dick. He is the reason my innocent boyfriend is dead, I’m stuck here in this stupid marriage and instead of apologizing what does he do? He brings in girls, acting like a slut" You rant.

"You're bothered aren't you?" 

"No, why would I be bothered with whom he sleeps?" You stand up from your seat stumbling a little already feeling tipsy.

"-- you know what I'm gonna enjoy today, get drunk and dance my sorrows away." "Everyone in the house tonight’s drinks are on me! Enjoy the free booze!" You screamed. The whole crowd whooped and whistled.

"To my fucked up life!" You shouted, downing a shot. 

You made your way to the center of the dance floor and started dancing without any worry about tomorrow. Within seconds you felt two hands around your hips, you turn your head to find a cute boy probably of your age as you continued to dance and grind against him. After a couple of songs you went back to the counter and had some more drinks. You were totally wasted as your vision went blurry and pretty soon everything blacked out.

It feels like a struggle for you to open your eyes as you stir inside the covers. Huh? You squint your eyes open and realize you were actually lying in a bed. You slowly sat up, your head was pounding with last night’s hangover as you groaned holding your head. Your eyes slowly adjusts to your surroundings and you realize that you were indeed back home and in your bedroom. You look down at your body and were shocked to find yourself in just your black strapless bra and underwear.

"You’re up at last." You hurriedly pull the covers up to your chest hearing Tom’s voice. 

He walks in a pair of grey sweatpants and a tightly fitted black t-shirt, his biceps bulging out of it. It was really odd to see him in such an informal attire but he looks good, you slapped yourself internally for the last thought.

"What happened last night? How did I get here? And where are my clothes?!" You badgered him with questions.

"Woah slow down, that's a lot of questions at one go and you should be the first one explaining about your reckless behavior last night."

"Why, what did I do?" You frown.

"Oh you really went wild last night. For starters you danced with random blokes and then you drank more and got wasted. And then you took off your dress whilst those drunk bastards did body shots." Your mouth falls agape in shock.

"Wait what? I took off my dress in public?!" You were still in disbelief.

"Yeah and that’s not all” He says with a scoff “You let those twats lick salt and lemon off your body while they did shots. Thanks to Sandy who informed me on time." You rolled your eyes looking away. 

"After seeing you being used for body shots things got a little nasty out there and they had to close early."

"What did you do?" You ask anxiously. 

"That any man would do seeing his wife being touched by other men." He growls the last bit.

"What do you mean?" 

"I made sure they will be in the hospital for a good couple of months." He states rather proudly. 

You slap your forehead shaking your head in annoyance. You didn't realize that you had let go off the sheets covering your body giving Tom quite a view which he had missed the other day. 

He slowly leans forward, eyeing you up and down lustfully prompting you to back off until your back touched the head board. He crawls towards you further hovering over you reaching his hand out to cup your face.

"You really upset me yesterday Y/N." His voice low as his hand brushes your hair from your shoulder and travels downs to your chest fingertips gently brushing over your rib cage down to the valley of your breasts slightly tugging to the soft material of your bra. You caught hold of his hand to stop him from going down further, he smirks. 

"Funny how you allow strangers to touch you, but not me, your husband who has the only right to do it." You kicked his crotch but not too hard. 

"Bloody hell!!" He groaned as you tackled him down bringing yourself on top straddling him. You were far gone from feeling self conscious, sitting on top of him in just your undergarments. 

"Well the thing is I don't take you as my husband." You sneer narrowing your eyes. "And the last time I checked, you don't trust me." 

"Well I never trusted you on the first place and you proved it last night quite nicely for the reason why” He says. “but honey I'm not letting you go so easily."

"After a lot of thought I actually think you could be a perfect leverage for me" He then goes to press his hand to your lower stomach "Moreover if you were with my child I guess grandpa Victor will certainly agree to some negotiations" He ticked his jaw with a devilish grin. You flare your nostrils fuming at his audacity. 

"I would rather be barren than let you father my child and give him/her this cursed life." You seeth. Tom seemed a little hurt by your words of how you think he's going to be a terrible father but he masked it with his usual cocky self. 

"Truth be told princess I love to be on top and in control but for a change you really look so pretty on top, can't imagine how beautiful you'll look while you ride my dick" He says tracing your jawline with his fingers. You swat his hand away. 

"You're such a piece of shit!" You snap getting off him. He gets up chuckling and leaves the room as you quickly get off the bed and run to the bathroom. 

Undressing yourself from the leftover clothes you ran a warm shower, the warm water quickly relaxing your muscles. You smelt of sweat, alcohol and cigarettes which made you feel dirty. You squirted some body wash and lathered your body with it before washing it off. Then you washed your hair with shampoo. 

You take your time before drying yourself off and walk out of the bathroom busy fixing your towel and bumped into Tom. His large hands held your arms steadying you meanwhile your towel loosens and falls off your body. You both looked at each other in shock. 

Tom stands there like a statue gaping at you, eyes lingering from top to bottom of your exposed body; ‘man you have a goddess like body’ he thought as beads of water trickled down your wet hair. You finally come back to your senses then it suddenly hit you that you were standing completely naked. 

"What the fuck!! Tom close your eyes!!!" You shriek out quickly bending down to grab the towel and cover yourself. Hearing you scream Harrison came barging in your room. 

"What happened mate?" Out of instinct Tom lunges forward and embraces you tightly blocking you from anyone's view.

"Harrison! Get the fuck out of here!" 

"Oh I'm sorry bruh. Didn't know you were busy." He cackles turning around. Some of his other men also came rushing in thinking something happened, leading to a total chaotic situation in the room. 

"Yes, who else is left to join the party you are cordially invited!" You yell frustrated. 

Tom is still guarding you as he yells sharply. "Get out of here you bloody morons!" 

When everyone is finally out of the room Tom steps back as you stand at your place clutching on to your towel, both of you looking away from each other. After a few awkward moments of silence Tom finally speaks up. 

"That was quite a spectacular view, you have kept things quite perked up I see." He says playfully. And that was enough to get on your nerves. 

"You!!!" You glower taking the vase you found near you in your hand to hurl it at him. He steps back a little, raising his hands defensively. 

"Careful love! That cost me thousands of dollars, though I don't have any shortage of money but still don't want a lovely art to go to waste just to appease your anger on your piece of shit husband" He snickers breaking into a laugh and runs out of the room leaving you fuming. 

"Son of a bitch! Uggh!!" You stomp your feet keeping back the vase at its place. Your phone dinged and you went to check, it was a message from William. 

W : Good news

..................................................................

Taglist in bio or send an ask/dm I’ll add you

[demonslayedher]

An Attempted Timeline: Kibutsuji, Tsugikuni, Ubuyashiki

Compiled as much as possible in chronological order from canon, Taisho Secrets, and fanbooks, which a few general facts thrown in for additional interpretation. Also, a little comparison of the amounts of humans consumed by different demons. Please feel free to let me know if I’m missing anything or made any mistakes. 

We begin with Muzan’s birth in the Heian Period...

It’s the Heian Period (794-1185), and since Muzan is side to be over a thousand years old, I’m placing him born around the year 900-ish.

Muzan is born into what would be the future Ubuyashiki Clan, likely in the Heian capital (modern day Kyoto). Assumed stillborn, he is barely rescued from cremation (a sign of being born very high class nobility).

Muzan grows up sickly and has never had much regard for other people, seeing them akin to bugs, and from around the time he was human to shortly after turning into a demon, five of his wives committed suicide due to his harsh tongue.

A doctor who lived around Mt. Kumotori in the Kanto region (modern day Tokyo area) uses the blue spider lilies that grow there to try to create a medicine to treat Muzan.

Muzan, thinking the medicine isn't working, kills the doctor partway through treatment. It works, but he is no longer able to go in the sun. No qualms about satisfying his cravings for blood, but he is really ticked out about the possibility of the sun killing him.

The Ubuyashiki clan's children keep getting ill. They are told their family carries a curse for Muzan having come from their bloodline, they swear to eliminate Muzan.

No one is safe when born into the Ubuyashiki name (which may have been chosen with origins in ancient Shinto mythology, perhaps with reference to no matter how many of them you kill, they will stubbornly keep birthing more). Girls must marry out and change their surname by age 13, or no matter how careful they are, they will die young by illness or accident. There is only ever one surviving boy per generation, the others all die. 

Heian period ends, the Genpei War (1180-1185) sweeps Kyoto and many other parts of Japan into violence, over the centuries thereafter the seat of power switches from Kyoto to Kanto (it’ll switch back later for a while). At some point Muzan has moved to Kanto (likely in search of the blue spider lilies, but possibly because Muzan likes being among those in power too). Swordsman in the Corp do not yet use Breaths and fight in whatever method they can, at some point they began using Nichirin blades because the ore soaks the sunlight. While their sword forms are already in reference to the basic Breath forms we’d know later, they are not yet using Breath techniques. The Pillar system is already in place.

(Rengoku family already practices Kankagari, hence the hair color.)

We get a little fuzzy here. Generally then Tanjiro and company make reference to Yoriichi’s era, they say “over 300 years ago” but according to Kokushibo’s recollection, he last met Yoriichi 400 years ago. That makes us a little too early for the Warring States/Sengoku period, defined as 1467~1615. It’s also possible Kokushibo was rough in his estimation, so I’m splitting the difference and putting them at early Sengoku, giving Kokushibo 370 years since last meeting Yoriichi.

The Onin War occurs 1467-1477, plunging Japan into the Warring States period as it is more technically defined, so we can assume a lot of the important events in the twins’ early life take place in this period of chaos. I’m assuming based on the demon attacks at Mt. Kumotori that they, Muzan, and the Ubuyashiki clan are already based in the Kanto (future Tokyo) region, but a lot of the early, heavy violence of this war took place in Kyoto.

Around the early 1460s, twins are born to the Tsugikuni Clan. Their father, worried about succession disputes, wants to have the second-born twin with a flame birthmark killed (in order to avoid some tragedy that may strike their clan before they are the age of 2), but their normally very quiet mother Akeno puts a stop to that. She names that baby Yoriichi so that he may value relationships, their father names the older one Michikatsu to value victory.

The boys are raised in separate conditions, the illness on Akeno's left side slowly progresses. Michikatsu feels bad for Yoriichi and brings him presents, including a handmade flute that doesn't work well. For years Yoriichi is quiet so as not to trouble his father, so he is assumed deaf. Akeno gives him the earrings when he is seven and prays to a sun god to open his ears, at which point he says his first words, informing her that he can hear. Michikatsu is beat by his father for going to play with Yoriichi, which Michikatsu insists he doesn’t mind, but this leads to severe arguments between their parents.

Still the age of 7, Yoriichi has been watching Michikatsu's sword lessons and is allowed a shot at one of their father's retainers, whom Yoriichi very swiftly defeats. Yoriichi has little interest in swordsmanship but because Michikatsu asked, he explains how he sees the see-through world. Michikatsu's jealously begins.

Because the retainer was so impressed, Yoriichi and Michikatsu's roles change completely, Michikatsu is then the one fated to be sent to a temple at the age of 10 to follow a monk's path. When they are 8 (1470, give or take), Akeno dies at the age of 24, Yoriichi says farewell to Michikatsu, and says he's going to the temple.

Their father loved Akeno very much and he becomes distraught, for he never knew of her illness. As it was her wish to have the boys raised as equals, he tries to amend his ways and goes to the temple to try to bring Yoriichi back, but Yoriichi is not there. (To Michikatsu, this looks like their father is desperate to bring back the more powerful heir.)

Instead of entering the temple, Yoriichi runs a very far distance and encounters an orphan named Uta. They soon become traveling companions, and it's thanks to Uta that Yoriichi learns his ability to see the see-through world is not normal.

10 years later, (roughly 1480, Yoriichi is age 18), Yoriichi and Uta wed and settle on Mt. Kumotori.

By or around this time, Michikatsu is also wed. Their father dies shortly afterward at age 35. Michikatsu goes on to have 2 children.

When Uta is soon to give birth, she is killed by a demon and when Yoriichi finds her, he stays by her corpse for about 10 days. He is found by a Rengoku ancestor, who invite him to join the Demon Slayer Corp. (By the Taisho period, blue spider lilies grow at the spot where Uta was buried. He never falls in love again.)

Yoriichi begins teaching Breath techniques to other Corp members, their demon fighting abilities rapidly get stronger. He gets along very well with the Pillars, who improve their swordsmanship rapidly. They cannot quite manage Sun Breathing, but make the five basic off-shoots: Rock, Water, Wind, Thunder, and Flame. Rengoku keeps many records of this time which are handed down throughout his family.

Yoriichi rescues Michikatsu from a demon. Michikatsu is so taken by Yoriichi's Sun Breathing that he abandons his family to enter the Corp and dedicate himself to learning that technique. He does not pick it up, but develops Moon Breathing. He attains a mark like Yoriichi's, and many other slayers have attained marks as well. Michikatsu is concerned about being the best and passing on his legacy, Yoriichi still doesn't care about these things.

It's very likely that Tamayo is a demon by this time.

Muzan lays low a while, but Michikatsu brings him the head of Oyakata-sama (it is unclear from Gotouge’s notes whether this was immediately upon his becoming a demon, or if it was a few years later and this is the head of the child who oversaw Yoriichi being exiled). The Corp henceforth enacts much stricter secrecy, and this is also around the time Kakushi are organized. 

The young Kamado newlyweds, Sumiyoshi and Suyako, come across Yoriichi's empty former home on Mt. Kumotori (early 1480′s-ish now). It’s a little run down, but they tend to rescue a lot of people who try to pay them back later. As they refuse the money, the people insist on fixing up the house for them. (More specifically, they rescued a Daimyo’s wife and her son who went into hiding in the mountains when they were under attack in a succession dispute.)

The young Kamado couple (including a very pregnant Suyako) is attacked by a demon, but Yoriichi, who happened to be passing through and wanting to stop by the place he lived with Uta, rescues them. Yoriichi is also the one who fetches a midwife (extremely quickly) for Suyako to give birth to Sumire. Shortly after Sumire is born the following day (in early spring), Sumiyoshi already insists that he’ll tell future generations about Yoriichi, but Yoriichi sternly tells Sumiyoshi that he hasn’t been able to save anyone, and not to see him as any kind of special person, and disappears. ***THIS MAY TAKE PLACE LATER.***

Those with marks begin to die off by the age of 25 (according to ancient practices for counting age, this may have put them around age 23 or 24 as we think of it today. This would also have made Yoriichi around age 6 when he beat the retainer and left home). Michikatsu is distraught, and Muzan approaches him, declaring that he is curious about what will happen if he makes a demon out of a Breath user, and giving him the choice to live on forever or die early because of his mark. Michikatsu choses to become a demon, and he maintains a loyal and open relationship under Muzan ever since. This is likely still around mid-1480s, or roughly two years after Yoriichi saves the Kamado family (if this indeed happened in advance).

Shortly after that, Yoriichi encounters Muzan, Muzan declares he no longer has any interest in Breath users (after all, he didn’t master the sun, dang it). Yoriichi feels he was born to defeat this man, delivers a stunning display of Sun Breathing, but the little pieces of Muzan that get away altogether form roughly the size of a head. Tamayo is freed from Muzan's curse and tells Yoriichi as much as she can about Muzan, including that he probably won’t appear again in Yoriichi’s life. Yoriichi lets her go.

Yoriichi is then informed by Corp members (including Rengoku) that Michikatsu has become a demon.

This, in addition to Yoriichi failing to kill Muzan (give him a break, guys) and letting Tamayo go, makes some Corp members demand Yoriichi's suicide to atone, but the 6-year-old Oyakata-sama (whose father is still alive, but likely incapacitated) puts a stop to this. Yoriichi is exiled from the Corp and told to kill his brother. Some members of the Corp (in particular, Rengoku) stay in touch with Yoriichi with Oyakata-sama's tacit permission.

After being kicked out of the Corp, Yoriichi visits Sumiyoshi one fall, wanting to tell someone about his life. After sharing his story, he receives flowers from Sumire, and at Suyako's request, he performs Sun Breathing. Sumiyoshi memorizes it by watching, and promises to pass it down. Yoriichi leaves him with the earrings his mother Akeno gave him, and keeps the toy flute from Michikatsu and a scrap of Uta's kimono.

***It’s also possible Yoriichi’s first visit back to Mt. Kumotori was after explusion from the Corp, and it was after two years of being out on his own that he sought out Sumiyoshi again.***

In 1545-ish, Yoriichi is over 80 years old and finally finds Michikatsu/Kokushibo. Yoriichi barely fails to kill him and Breaths his last. Kokushibo cut the flute in half when cutting Yoriichi's standing corpse, but keeps the pieces with him.

After Yoriichi’s death, Muzan goes on the offense again, eliminating anyone with knowledge of Yoriichi’s Sun Breathing techniques. The Corp is essentially erased for a time, and thereafter, they no longer find themselves as strong as they were in Yoriichi’s time. According the Rengoku records, this is because there was never any teacher as good as Yoriichi after that.

Over two hundred years pass of Muzan trying to find the blue spider lilies or create a demon that can master the sun, and swordsman polishing their Breathing techniques as they slay demons. By this time we can assume most of Muzan's activity is based around the Kanto area in the bustling Edo period. (Fun aside, lots of popular kabuki plays would be developed with themes of demon slayers.  Also, based on his tastes and fashion choices, Muzan likes to be among the affluent and influential people of society.)

Around the later decades of the Edo period, Muzan gets the idea to make the Twelve Moon Demons with a large amount of his blood. Hantengu might had been one of these first experiments, and Akaza, meh, I'm putting his formation any time between 1785 and 1800, put that’s really loose.

Douma's formation was after this (and he probably got busy eating lots and lots and lots of nutritious humans right away) and Gyutaro's still later. All of the Upper Moons were in place by no later than 1802, as they have not been called to the Infinity Fortress all together in 113 years. 

My assumption is that once Muzan got the idea, he went around and made the Upper Moons in a very short period of time, and Kokushibo likely already had a lot of Muzan's blood in his "Maybe a Breath user will master the sun" experiment. There isn’t much indication if the Lower Moons were also formed around this time, or if they came later on a second whim.

The following hundred years is full of a cycle of Pillars and the Twelve Moons pit against each other while the common riffraff fight the common riffraff. While the Pillars kill Lower Moons as a rite of passage and they are constantly changed out as openings occur, the unchanged Upper Moons routinely kill and eat Pillars. Even at the bottom rung, Daki has eaten 7 and Gyutaro has eaten 15. For each of those Pillars, at least one Lower Moon or fifty demons has died. 

As a point of comparison, the Hand Demon has been a demon for roughly the same amount of time, or a few years longer (he was locked away on Mt. Fujikasane around 1868). Although not granted any special amount of Muzan’s blood like the Lower Moons, it’s nursed a grudge and eaten 50 children (13 of which were Urokodaki’s), surviving and growing much, much powerful than most of the demons on the mountain who had only eaten 2 or 3 humans. On that note, former Lower Moon Kyogai seemed to find it difficult to consume any more humans, and wanted to consume Marechi (rare blood) to achieve the equivalent of eating 50 humans. While Akaza is allowed to be picky and focus on training, I have to wonder if it is generally a difficult part of many demons’ existence to have to consume human flesh. 

But I digress.

You know who doesn’t care about that? Muzan. 

If we take 1915 as the year Tanjiro’s Final Selection takes place and assumed modern age counting methods as opposed to the standard used until Meiji (which was still often used in Taisho), then Ubuyashiki Kagaya was born around 1892-ish. His father couldn’t take the sorrow of being in that position, so when he committed suicide at the age of 19, Kagaya assumed the role of the 97th generation Oyakata-sama at age 4 (his other siblings, all brothers, had died). He very soon married Himorogi Amane when he was age 13 and she was age 17. While this was her own volition, the Ubuyashiki family has long since married daughters of family closely associated with shrines as any means of trying to use this spiritual influence to lengthen the lives of their offspring. (We may assume Amane served the role of a miko, and she continues to perform daily spiritual ablution to pray for her family’s safety). Of the current Pillars, Kagaya first met Himejima in 1906 at the age of 14. The quintuplets, including Kagaya’s heir Kiriya, would had been born around 1907. 

It’s when he’s settled into a husband and (probably step-)father role that he is discovered by a member of the Demon Slayer Corp in 1915, possibly for the first time in roughly four centuries. He makes a clean getaway, but not without those hanafuda earrings freaking him out first. 

Muzan is busy being a Tokyo business man (among other things) with interests in foreign language and new contraptions. He is still motivated to discovered all he can about the blue spider lily, which is why he focuses his demons around the Tokyo area. In 1913 he takes a stroll to Mt. Kumotori and snacks on a family out there, tries making one of them into a demon for the heck of it (maybe or maybe not knowing anything about the Kamado lineage), assumes it didn’t work and she died so he forgets about her (giving Nezuko an opportunity to break free of his curse). He finds no blue spider lilies and goes back to Tokyo. 

Wanting to get close to business partners, he identifies a high society woman named Rei, kills her husband, and swoops in to be her new lover. At other times, he takes the form of some other power person when it’s convenient, or when he’s juggling multiple identities, like an adopted boy with access to medicinal research or a performer with who can boss humans around to search out the flowers in daytime, he may sometimes leave a piece of his flesh behind to assume his form when he’s busy elsewhere.

And the rest is basically as we see in canon. 

Of the Lower Moons, the former Lower Moon 2, Hairou, was a Shinsengumi member, and therefore became a demon sometime between 1863 and 1869. Than means he had been a demon roughly fifty years or less before Rengoku Kyojuro defeated him and became a Pillar. 

[softinkshadows]

Hot spring tales (Hisoka x female reader)

A Hisoka x female reader one-shot, with a sprinkle of Chrollo.

Situated in the HxH universe with canon timeline.

Disclaimer: nsfw, contains smut and explicit sex (but we know you're here for that)

Word count: 5000++ (wow did i just write 5000 words of smutty smut)

----

Pale, slender fingers tap against the phone screen. He finds the contact he is looking for and dials the number, raising the phone to his ear. Around him, dusk settles over the ragged terrain of the Gordeau desert. The wind gains in strength, almost pushing his combed black hair free.  The phone rings for a few seconds before the person on the other end picks up.

“Did you figure it out already?”

“Probably,” he says, his grey eyes catching the last wisps of fading light to the west. “The nen exorcist may very well be on Greed Island, which is East of York New. It seems you will need to enter the game as well.”

“Shall I procure one of Battera’s? He did buy all of the ones auctioned this time round.”

“No, that risks complicating things. What we need is a game privately owned by someone who is easily contactable, allows us to stay untraceable, preferably one who we wouldn’t have to kill and is reasonable towards helping…” he trails off, realizing that there is indeed someone who matches the conditions, someone who he would very much like to avoid for the time being… The irony of fate, he thinks, grimacing in irritation.

“It seems we will need to pay a visit to her.”

“Her?”

“I will send the address over to you. It’ll take me at least a day to get there, so you should start moving first. It would be better if you were the one handling negotiations this time round. And avoid mentioning my name, or the troupe’s.”

“Oh?” the voice on the other end piques with curiosity.

“We have… history. I’ll trust that you can strike a deal by the time I’m there?”

“Of course. After all, the chance to fight you is on the line.” He can almost hear the other man smirking gleefully through the phone.

“It’ll be dangerous, so try your best to be good, or our deal is off. Consider this a warning, Hisoka.”

----

You find yourself back at your quarters after dinner, alone in the large dressing room. Looking in the mirror, you arrange your hair neatly around your bun, making sure to tidy it for the next wave of customers tonight.

The underground auction has recently ended, and more people are flocking to your establishment. Kurohasu Onsen (Black Lotus Onsen) is renowned as the gathering-place for anybody who is somebody: a bathhouse that functions as neutral ground for politicians, powerful members of the mafia and hunters who have ties to the underworld to carry out business negotiations. A safe haven for murderers and thieves. All are welcome, although at a hefty price. The exorbitant entry fee is itself a gatekeeper of accessibility, and many have brought treasures and precious artefacts in the hope of gaining your favour. As weapons are allowed for protection, fights inevitably break out, but rarely do they erupt into something serious. All staff at the onsen are strong nen-users who pay close watch to customer behaviour. They have nen-restrainers on hand to subdue feisty ability users, and if not, there’s you, whose mysterious yet formidable presence is enough to elicit compliance. It is not uncommon to see off customers with missing limbs and near-fatal injuries, a warning punishment for breaking the establishment’s regulations. Furthermore, it is the iron-clad rule that the onsen is the one place where truce is enforced, upheld, respected. And you, the infamous proprietor, the black lotus of Kurohasu Onsen, are not someone to be crossed. Your customers are well aware of this.

You get up, ready to leave, when you turn to look at the mirror again. Your black onyx hairpin fits in and across your bun, easily reachable within seconds. Your eyes travel down to look at the black shimmering contours of your silk robe with its ornate floral embroidery, opening at two slits that end above the knee, the garment tied fittingly at the waist with a scarlet obi sash. Presentable, you hum in approval, before walking out the door.

Your secretary Esa is already waiting. “Give me updates,” You demand.

She follows you briskly down the corridor as you make your rounds to greet notable clients. Esa does this every three hours, reciting the list of new guests checked in since the last report, the rooms they booked, the meetings they have arrived for, and the fees paid. You remember everything, noting the ones who offer presents not entirely up to standard, or troublesome ones with a sketchy behavioural record.

“A while ago, a Hisoka Morow checked into the deluxe room. 50,000 Jenny a night for 2 nights, with a possible extension.”

The name catches you slightly off guard. You have never met the man, but from your intel he’s one of the most sought-after fighters at Heaven’s Arena. And a dangerous murderer too. But as far as you know, the man works alone and doesn’t get involved with politics. Why would someone like him be here?

“He has a meeting?” you turn to Esa.

“If he had, he did not say. Most likely for leisure, though. The onsen is famous for its baths too,” replied your attendant matter-of-factly.

You pause for a while to think, before calling over a male security staff with a wave of a finger. “Keep tabs on Hisoka. Let me know if he’s up to anything.” The staff bows and immediately embarks on fulfilling your order. You return to your duties for now, but the seed of suspicion and uneasiness does not go away.

---

“Ahh… now this is not bad,” Hisoka smiles to himself as he climbs into the water. He rests his head against the smooth stone edge of the outdoor bath, watching the steam lift gently from the softly rippling surface. When Chrollo told him about this place, he expected it to be dim and grimy, trawling with underworld scum. Instead, what greeted him was the pure luxury of mineral-rich baths, large clean rooms and 1000 thread-count sheets. He could get used to this. Not to mention…

His eyes wander over the bath, taking stock of the situation. Being quite late at night, most guests have retired to respective meeting rooms for drinks and negotiations, with only a smattering of visitors, mostly individuals or pairs, left lounging in the outdoor section. The only other people are the ever-present security staff, including one particularly persistent male staff standing at the private viewing balcony above. At least the nen users here are stronger than usual. A slight tremor of pleasure runs through his body, and he runs his fingers through his wet hair to shake the feeling before it builds into bloodlust. It’s been a while since he killed. He is still riled up from two days ago, thanks to the blond runt. And Chrollo, that damn bastard.

He observes the nen-users with half-closed eyes. 75… 80… 85… He evaluates. Not too shabby. Then he senses it. 97!! He feels the sudden presence, an impeccable zetsu with a tinge of icy smoothness and fiery calm toiling beneath its surface. It is enough for him to widen his eyes and sit up straight, a hot tingling sensation travelling down his spine, pleasure surging into his body for a split second, almost goading him into a fight right there and then. Well, what do we have here? He looks to the source of this pressure, golden eyes flashing and meeting yours, as you look down at him from the balcony above.

One look and you know he clearly lives up to his reputation. He is suppressing his power by default, but his presence leaves a slight prickling static in the air which only stronger nen users can detect. He also seems to have noticed you, judging by the slight shift his posture, the electrifying gaze beneath his damp red hair and the sudden tension in the air with his nen flaring, almost breaking its zetsu. Despite the distance, both of you lock eyes for a moment, each one feeling out the other, gauging abilities, locating motives. What the hell is his aim? You face the sheer intensity of his gaze with your own cold, calculating glare, both of you guarding your intentions yet attempting to penetrate through the other’s guise, staring each other down as if in a challenge. No one relents. But you can’t help but feel a rising irritation, that the man sitting naked in the outdoor bath three floors beneath you is getting under your skin, and a distracting kind of warmth creeps in... You look away. You nod to the staff to continue strict monitoring and return to your room.

Hisoka watches you leave, and instinctively his fingers run through his hair again, this time harder than the last. Oh, Chrollo… Don’t tell me that’s her? A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. Oh, you were right. This is going to be dangerous.

---

You don’t hear any more concerning updates on Hisoka until later the next day. Besides using the baths for extended periods of time, and mild complaints from other guests of his lengthy and uncomfortable stares, he hasn’t caused any trouble. He hasn’t physically contacted anyone either.

“Come again?” you stop abruptly, mid-way through scanning the paper records of this month’s taxes and bills, glancing up at your secretary.

Esa clears her throat and speaks again. “Madam, Hisoka Morow has requested for a meeting with you today.”

Hmph. You scoff a little, your eyes narrowing to ponder the next course of action. You had expected something like this. There is no way someone like him would travel all the way here just to use the baths, let alone without engaging anyone. If his aim is to negotiate matters with you, it must be something quite serious, given that neither of you have gone out of your way to meet with each other previously.

“Shall I cancel?” Esa asks, ready to deliver the order and reject the fool that had the nerve to request a meeting with you on such short notice.

“No. Make it tonight at eleven, after I complete my usual rounds.”

“Understood.”

---

It is night, and the onsen quietens for the day. Only the soft rushes of spring water from the outdoor baths and the muffled sounds of late-night negotiations drift by. You find yourself finally seated across from him in one of your private meeting rooms, both of you silent but never once taking your eyes off each other, quietly assessing one another.

Now up close and clothed in a blue yukata, accentuating the red hair that falls close to his shoulders, you can’t help but find him just a little more attractive than you imagined. His golden eyes are calm, steady, even confident, a rarity for anyone for finds them in a room alone with you. Most people would have bowed their head in submission long ago. You keep your own icy composure. But the force of his nen suppressed under zetsu, his incredibly toned body beneath his yukata and that arrogant way he looks at you make your body feel warmer than usual.

When he sees you for the first time that night, seated on the far end of the room, he feels it again. That powerful presence that keeps goading him, that sends electrifying jolts through his body. You’re seated comfortably on the floor, almost reclining, yet the hard, murderous edge of your gaze shows you are constantly on guard. Simply exquisite. He almost licks his lips but controls himself. A fine opponent… to kill? No, no, much too soon… that would be a waste. Chrollo comes first.

The meeting hall is much too large for two people, spanning over 24 tatami in size. On both sides, paper screen doors open out into an elegant view of the autumn trees in the estate, shedding its red delicately in the wind. A long, low black lacquer table in the center of the room separates you and him, each of you seated on either end. Silence continues to hang in the air. A staff gracefully pours a luxurious blend of sencha into the cups, before she places the tea pot and tray on the floor, bows, and takes her leave quickly. You notice Esa hovering by the doorway to the room.

“Esa, you may go.”

“But Madam-” your secretary protests but stops as you give her a glare. She of all people would understand you’re probably the last person in the establishment who needs any form of protection. As her footsteps recede down the hallway outside, you turn back to the man in front of you.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you today?”

“It has come to my knowledge,” Hisoka finally speaks, and the slow, sly curl of his tone lights another fire in you, “that you are in possession of one of the most sought-after items in the world of late. I have a pressing need for it and would like to negotiate a deal.”

“I’m a collector of the rarest treasures, so you’re going to have to be more specific,” you scoff, taking a sip of your tea.

“I’m talking about a certain game.”

“Ah, Greed Island,” you retort indifferently, although inwardly puzzled. Why would he go to such lengths just for a game? Didn’t seem like the type. “What makes you think I’ll agree to your request? What is in it for me?”

Hisoka pauses, contemplating something before pushing onwards with a slight smirk. “I’m not sure if you know of a certain man by the name of… Chrollo Lucilfer?”

He waits for the intended effect and sure enough, you react. Immediately, at the mention of the name you’re hit with an unpleasant sensation that makes you grit your teeth, and your eyes blaze with a hint of fury. Without realizing, a cracking sound fills the room as the cast iron tea pot on the floor dents with the force of your nen.

Hisoka looks at the pot quietly before he smiles, lifting the tea cup to his lips, his eyes only growing darker as he trains his gaze on you. Interesting. “May I know, if it’s not too much to ask, the reason for your disdain of the man?”

“I’ve known him for a long time. He tried to kill me twice, once on purpose and the second time by accident. Clearly, he did not succeed,” you say, finishing your tea.

Beautifully exquisite. Another thrill runs through his spine, almost making him tremble with excitement. Perhaps it would be safe to suggest…

“I’m looking for Chrollo. He’s been running from me for a while now, and last I heard he has been spotted hiding out in the game. I would very much like to settle our score soon. Of course, perhaps to your advantage I fully intend on killing him, with pleasure,” Hisoka continues, waving his hand in the air with dismissive complacency.

“If only it were so simple,” you retort, knowing the full potential of Chrollo’s abilities. “And how can I take you for your word?”

“You can’t.”

You look up in mild distaste at Hisoka. What a bastard. You could slit his throat right now, with that cocky expression of his. And yet, your body feels a little hot when he’s looking at you, his gaze ruthlessly penetrating and his nen just on the edge of flaring.

“Name your offer, Hisoka.” You say his name for the first time, aware of how his gaze hardens when you do so, and your body burns with a strange desire which you suppress under the guise of irritation.

“I’m not offering.”

“What?”

“Allow me to use the game, or I will go on to kill everyone in this establishment, including your precious secretary and all your guests. It’s been a while since I had fun and I won’t stop when I do.”

The audacity. You slam your cup on the table and glare at him, your nen bristling beneath the surface. It was a mistake to let him into the bathhouse. And the worst part is that he is right. He could take out everyone except you here with ease, and you’d lose your manpower, your reputation, your business. Everything you worked hard for since leaving meteor city years ago. Perhaps it’ll be wise to dispose of him right here, right now.

In a split second, you draw the long onyx pin from your hair, leaping across the length of the table with such grace and speed that the tea in Hisoka’s cup barely ripples, as you aim for this throat, slicing the air in front of you. He dodges at the last moment, his eyes wild with a feral look as you nick of a few strands of his hair and the sharp edge of your hairpin draws a faint red line along his throat. He grins. He’s clearly enjoying this. He moves to land a counter-attack but you jump away. You’ve put distance between the two of you again; you grip your hair pin, calm and poised for another strike, while he similarly crouches, one hand reaching to stroke the mark you made on his throat.

“Now you’re just getting me excited,” his voice drops to a low purr.

Here you are, seconds after nearly killing him, and you feel your body reacting to his voice and his unapologetic desire. You know you have the power to end him, yet a tingling sensation creeps over the lower half of your body. You can feel sweat starting to gather around your stomach, while another warm wetness pools further below, between your legs. It’s been so long since anyone made you feel this way. Not since… Your thoughts are interrupted as he appears behind you, aiming for your head.

“Pay attention, darling.”

There’s barely any sound in the meeting room as you and Hisoka continue to spar in near complete zetsu, restraining nen to avoid alerting the attention of other guests and the security staff. His eyes gleam more with your every strike, his moves maintain its strength but do not get more forceful, and neither do yours. You feel the exhilaration of the near-misses, of your bodies brushing against one another before pulling away, the light friction of fabric against fabric, as if locked in a graceful dance that neither of you want to end. Moonlight cascades through the open balcony, and there’s a glint in Hisoka’s eyes.

“Let’s stop pretending we’re serious about killing each other, shall we?” he quips with a smirk.

His words register, and you halt. You weren’t noticing it before, but he is right. You weren't trying. You falter for a moment too long. Then he rushes you, pinning your body down onto the floor with his own weight, brute force mixed with excitement to the point that his nails dig into the straw of the tatami below, ripping it slightly. He raises a hand, about to spill your blood, when your control slips. Before, your brief exchanges saw your body feeling hotter, winding tighter as it did more cautious. But now, with him pressing down onto you from above, not pulling away, gripping with a strength that few possess and with a wicked look in his eyes, you can’t keep it down anymore. You let out a throaty moan as his holds you hard, feeling your underwear getting more soaked with every passing second. His eyes widen in surprise, and he pauses. You and him remain quiet like this for a while, the wind from outside gently caressing both your bodies, teasing out an answer.

Then, as if on instinct, both your mouths crash together. Neither of you are ashamed at the pure lust that erupts between the two of you, bloodlust still not completely abating which spurs you and him on even more. His tongue slips into you mouth, determined on stealing your breath, your hand clasped around your hair pin still trapped within his, his ferocious strength barely just surpassing your own as you do not back down, struggling against the restraint. It is still a fight, after all. Yet his other free hand trails down your silk robe, slithering between the open slits to your thighs before raising one of your legs to wrap around his torso. You moan into his kiss and move against his clothed body, desperate for friction.

"Patience, my dear." He pauses, giving you a sadistic grin.

You’re not going to let him keep staying in control. In a surge of strength you topple and roll over him in a flash, slamming him to the floor and stabbing the pin right into the tatami next to his head, at which Hisoka lets out a loud groan. You press and rub yourself against him, leaving small bites along his neck, your hair starting to come loose and fall to the side of your face from the exertion. The warmth between your legs grows, and it’s not just you. Hisoka is only wearing underwear beneath the yukata, and you feel his erection, hot and hard beneath your rolling hips. You feel your own slick starting to run down your inner thigh, and you ache to be filled.

You pull away and gaze down at Hisoka, who’s just starting to get a little breathless with desire, his eyes clouded with lust. You pull the hairpin from the floor and aim it at his throat. You command, your voice cold and edged with arrogance.

“Stop wasting my time and just fuck me already.”

At this, Hisoka lets out a low growl, flipping you on your back, almost tearing the obi around your waist to shreds with his hands. His mouth latches onto your neck and you cry out, as his hands reach under your bra to free your breasts, rolling your nipples between his fingers, alternating between gentle strokes and forceful pinches. Your body shakes with pleasure and you grind against him, your hands fumbling to move his yukata out of the way. You cover your palm over his bulge, which is already straining hard against his underwear. He bites a little harder on your skin as you do, goading you on. You reach beneath the fabric, stroking his most sensitive spot, and you feel him shudder against you. Oh, to have such a powerful man like him at your mercy.

Before you have time to think, your pleasure increases ten-fold, white-hot and surging through your body as his fingers find their way to your slit, obscenely slick with your honey.

“Oh? This wet for me already?” he murmurs into your ear, sending shivers down your arms and making you moan.

He sits back a little, his piercing gaze boring into you as he lifts his fingers to his lips, licking it clean. “So sweet,” he whispers, his eyes never leaving you, almost taunting your state of helplessness before him, and you twitch with pleasure.

“Shut u-” you demand, stopping short with a intake of breath as his tongue circles your nipple and he thrusts two fingers into your aching slit, expertly thrusting, stroking, caressing, hitting all the right spots as you can’t help but moan and fist his soft, red locks. His thumb finds your bud and rubs, with increasing pressure, matching the circling motions of his tongue. Hisoka pulls away and looks down at you, panting and wriggling beneath his touch, your words incoherent but eyes still fierce with power and control, and he finds himself growing harder, unbearably hungry. You feel his desire through his nen, bristling with lust, fingers coaxing you to bliss and eyes ravishing you unabashedly for everything you are and you feel yourself pushed nearer to the edge.

“I’m close,” you gasp, and you see Hisoka smirk dangerously as he pulls his fingers out of you. The pleasure that builds now cuts short, tapering off.

“Kisama,” you mutter in annoyance as you ram his body against the side of the lacquer dining table, pushing him into an upright, sitting position. He chuckles at your urgency and vexation yet remains turned on as you clutch your hairpin over his throat as a warning. His golden eyes are glazed over and quivering, a sign he is properly riled up, his hair now a mess, and his breathing is slightly heavier than before. You pull his large erection free from his underwear.

“You bastard. I’m not going to give you any time.” You growl, and his eyes grow more piercing.

You lower your soaking, aching pussy onto him. The stretch makes both of you groan in unison, and you almost come immediately from his entrance. He is huge in both girth and length, and it takes a while before you’re accustomed to his size. It was so long since you had proper sex with anyone. After he is buried in you to the hilt, you pause, glaring at him with a look aggressive with lust and a need for control. He moans in pleasure and you feel his grip on you tighten considerably. Then you move, slowly first, then quickening your pace, rolling and rubbing against him so his cock enters you at the best angles. His hands reach up to grab your hips, steadying you while he snaps up into you, pounding with such speed it makes your mind go blank with pleasure.

“Ahh-h—h!” you moan, louder this time, shaking with the mounting pleasure as he enters you fast, viciously, more than you can keep up with. You get wetter with each of his thrusts, squelching and slapping sounds filling empty room as he pulls out and fills you completely again with each punishing stroke. You feel yourself nearing your climax, your body swaying and jiggling with the rhythm as your bounce on Hisoka's cock, pressing your fingers harder around his body.

He senses it too, and growls, refusing to take his eyes from yours. You feel his nails rake your hips, grabbing your ass, pain and pleasure intermingling as your near your end. Waves of white-hot pleasure wash over you as you moan into your orgasm, your eyes closed in bliss as you tremble violently, clenching tightly around Hisoka, muttering curses as you come completely undone.

Before you have time to come down from your high, Hisoka pulls out, his rock-hard cock dripping with your honey, before grabbing you and laying you down on the table, towering over you once more. Then he fully sheaths himself inside you in one go, making you cry out at the jolt of oversensitivity as he pushes towards his own end. Using the slick from your orgasm, he goes even faster now, relentless, his hands holding your legs wide apart so he can have unfettered access to you while he slams into you without restraint.

"You like this, don't you? You like being punished like this?" He purrs with forcefulness, a sign he is close, lustful gaze boring into yours while he pummels into you.

You can't help but shudder at his words, but you spit out through gritted teeth. "Don't get cocky. And don't you dare finish inside, or I'll kill you before you are even done."

His control snaps. You feel his cock twitch inside of you. Then he pulls out and comes, moaning with deep satisfaction in your ear, his warm load spilling onto your stomach. After he finishes, you both gaze as each other for a while, barely out of breath, sweat glistening against skin. Your clothes are both in a mess and disarray, his hands are still spreading you wide and bare torso pressed against you as you both bask in the afterglow, sharing a moment to take in the surreal pleasure of what was an extremely unplanned but steaming hot round of sex.

"So with this, do we have a deal?" He breaks the silence with a devious smile.

"I'm not that cheap if you think once is enough." You retort as you clean up, pulling your clothes back on. "At least three more times, with an additional fee of 300,000 Jenny."

"Aren't you a greedy one," Hisoka smirks, tying his yukata back in place. "Alright. It's a deal, not like I'm complaining. I might deliver more than you ask for." His golden eyes travel across your body once more before meeting yours, and you can still see a faint glimmer of lust, ready to be reignited.

"Enjoying yourself?" An icy voice comes from the darkened doorway.

You don't even need to look to know who it is, recognizing the voice immediately. Cold grey eyes gaze at you from a figure leaning against the entryway.

"Chrollo," you almost spit out.

"Ah," says Hisoka naturally, "you're finally here."

You turn to scowl at Hisoka, realizing his blatant lie from earlier. You wonder for a moment how Chrollo even got in to the onsen without your notice, given that him and the troupe remain high up on your guest blacklist. Then you sense his nen, or rather his lack of it, a blur void except for the vague tinge of someone else’s foreign nen around his chest. A contract, then. He's harmless now.

Chrollo steps into the room, dressed elegantly in a black yukata, his hair let down comfortably. "Seems like you taste in men hasn't changed. I took a gamble on that." His steely grey gaze, piercing, calculating and formidable in confidence, still make you tremble a little, despite knowing him for years.

You take a while to understand and chuckle, looking from Chrollo to Hisoka. "Seems like we both got played."

The latter narrows his eyes at Chrollo before running his hand through his hair, sighing. "Well, as expected of him. Again, not like I'm complaining."

"Hisoka, leave us for a moment," you order.

"As you wish." You feel him step out but loiter along the corridor, waiting to pick up on the following conversation. Now it's just you and Chrollo left in the room. He doesn't move closer to you.

"It's been long. Too... long." Chrollo speaks, his voice calm but you detect a tinge of nostalgia, affection, regret and caution all entangled in one.

You know what he means. You can even see it now, the times he drove you wild, nearly killing you with nen. You can see all the times his lips met yours, growing a steady fire with a kiss, his fingers grazing your skin and making you moan and whimper while you grasp his hair tight in your hands, your mind blanking and feeling the universe come apart and stitch right back together...

"You won't be able to handle me now, in your current state. I would break you. It wont be pleasurable for any of us," you reply coolly. You catch the sound of a stifled laugh from the hallway outside. "Once you get your nen back, I just might reconsider."

You stand up, letting your silk robes fall gracefully past your knees once more. You arrange your bun and slip the onyx pin back into your hair.

"You can use the game tomorrow. I'll have it prepared. Tonight, I'll be busy receiving my payment. In full." You pause a little next to him, giving him one last, long look, before walking out the room and towards your quarters, Hisoka trailing behind.

Alone, Chrollo's eyes are deep and unreadable. Unconsciously, his hands are balled into tight fists by his sides. Then he breathes deeply, chuckling to himself.

What a woman. "Hisoka, you'd better get the job done. Fast."

---

Notes: omg this took way longer than i expected to!!! I’m quite proud of this one ;) I got inspired by a mobage card of hisoka, chrollo and the phantom troupe at an onsen and decided to do this imagine piece! Hope you enjoyed my fellow hisoka simps, it was so fun to write ;)

[thebestpersonherelovesbucky]

Falcon and the Winter Soldier Ep. 6 Takeaway

First let me say that I really truly enjoyed this show. I was so nervous at the beginning and I was so nervous for the end, and though there are things that I didn’t like (as to be expected with pretty much any media) my overall excitement was rewarded. I definitely give the show an A and can only hope that we keep getting things like this and WandaVision with their next shows.

Anyway.

Sam and Bucky (and Sharon) coordinating from their different spots. I always like seeing the tactical side of working together in addition to the badass fighting together stuff. 

The officer not questioning Bucky’s presence and calling him Sargent Barnes made me SO happy.

The facial mask thing-y that Natasha had in Cap 2 making a reappearance. Idk why I like that but it’s nice to know that these things are still being utilized.

CAPTAIN AMERICA’S FIRST ENTRANCE!!!! my GOD did Sam ROCK that!!! Fucking AH-MAY-ZING. 

Sam’s new costume is perfect like the comics!! It’s so often changed that it’s so great to see it on screen! 

“I’m sorry, wait. Who are you?” “I’m Captain America.” The parallel between this is Steve’s “Um...Captain America.” in the First Avenger. 

The subtitles saying “Captain America” now whenever Sam in uniform talks.

Bucky trying to talk Karli down, approaching from a different angle than Sam because it’s what he knows and honestly does want to stop her without it coming to a fight. Especially when he realizes it’s a trap and is all “oh fuck me” and needs to haul ass lol. That is Bucky Barnes to a T. 

“Seriously, Bucky, you had one job.” Omg, Sharon. lmao

Sam’s fight with Batroc was so cool. No serum. Just straight up ass kicking plus the au revoir at the end. Yes please and thank you.

Redwing!!!! Yaaaay!!!! (”a little birdie told me” lmao, Sam.)

Seeing the Vibranium wings in ACTION. Bouncing a freaking helicopter off them! FUCK!!!!! SO COOL!!!

I can watch Bucky Barnes throwing himself off a motorcycle all day long. 

Bucky stopping his fight to save everyone.

John Walker and his stupid Walmart Shield arriving just in time to add fire to fire. Thanks, bro. 

Bucky specifically being thanked for rescuing them. He’s spent so much time with so much guilt that having just one person say “thank you for rescuing us” actually made him pause. He’s spent so much time as the “villain” that he’s forgotten he can be the hero and it’s so good to see that finally hit him. 

The metal arm scraping across the ground. Good god. 

Sam popping out of the water and “Boy, you earned this ass whooping!”

That helicopter scene holy SHIT is Sam amazing. 

And some applause for Ayla, too!!!! 

John Walker ultimately choosing to save people instead of going on with his vendetta. Very comic book in character. 

Bucky watching in horror as the van is slowly going over the edge and then smiling in wonder and awe as Captain America saves them all. 

“That’s the Black Falcon there! I tell you!” “Nah. That’s Captain America!” Tears. Actual tears. SO MANY TEARS. Sam Wilson IS CAPTAIN AMERICA, baby!!!

Uh, yeah, so Bucky stopping weapons mid-air is one of my favorite things ever.

Okay, Batroc, go the fuck away now, we’re done with you. 

I do like that when push comes to shove, the mission outweighed their personal grudges and Sam and Bucky “teamed up” with Walker. Not that it was 100% trust on their side. I think Bucky followed Walker bc “eeeeh....can we really trust him?” and since he has no doubt Sam can handle himself, but also, we’re fighting the same thing right as of this moment so lets just keep our heads and do it. 

I am absolutely not thrilled with the direction they took Sharon. Like. Not at all. I’m...reserving full judgement for what I’m assuming will come in the future but like. No. Nuh-ah. Not happy with it.

Sam trying so hard to help Karli. The fact that he legit refused to fight her and she tried so hard to get him to fight back and he just wouldn’t. So beautiful and poignant. Sam’s fighting style. Sam perseverance. Just. Everything about that.

As good as the scene was (and I think it was great. The set up. How it all went down. The raw emotion) I’m kinda bummed they killed Karli. I was hoping Sam could at least talk her down first. However, the emotion and symbolism of her dying in his arms, and whispering “i’m sorry” was so heartbreaking. 

The way Bucky and Walker got the rest of the Flag Smashers was hilarious.

Sam carrying Karli’s body cradled in his arms and flying down with her like a literal angel? I mean. Just rip my heart out. 

“You have to stop calling them terrorists.” and “Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons are forcing millions of people into settlements around the world, right? What do you think those people call you.” These first few lines of Sam’s speech. God, thank you.

Sam’s Captain America Speech. No fuck’s given. I’m so glad they didn’t hold back and just let him really give that powerful speech. Unabashedly saying “I’m a Black man carrying the stars and stripes. What don’t I get?”. Admitting the weight that comes with it and the judgement he feels. Not backing down. Telling the world he is Captain America “no super serum, no blond hair or blue eyes”. Defending Karli and trying to get them to understand what she was trying to do and why she was trying to do it. Sam was 100% born to be Captain America. 

Everyone watching Captain America’s speech. Bucky. Walker. Isaiah and Eli. Joaquin. Sarah. The world. Beautiful watching Captain America deliver his first speech. 

“Sorry I was texting so all I heard was Black guy in stars and stripes...nice job, Cap.” That back clap Bucky gives Sam there? ((#boyfriends))

“Can you help?” “Always.” 

Very happy that Zemo had another villain move up his sleeve. Didn’t really dig the whole “i’m so graceful feel sorry for me” thing. 

John Walker becoming US Agent.  

Oh and, excuse me while I geek out over Valentina, Walker, Zemo...@marvel, I see where this might be headed. Please don’t let me down!

Bucky making his amends with Nakajima. The overwhelming emotions. The fear of admitting it. I kinda wish we saw a little more but I’m also okay with the ambiguity of it and knowing that Bucky knows that he at least gave him closure and is coming to accept that his role as the winter soldier was not his fault. 

Also liked Bucky giving the book to his therapist. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I take no issues with her and I do think that Bucky felt she helped him.

Eli Bradley is fucking adorable. 

Sam’s conversation with Isaiah. All that hope he represents while not erasing the pain that Isiah and generations before them suffered. Still wanting to fight for what’s right just because it’s the right thing to do. Isaiah not condemning Sam’s choice. Beautiful and poignant. 

Um. The museum scene? Yeah, I had to pause for a good ten minutes before I could actually continue with the show. Isaiah Bradley and all his men deserved that ((and so much more)) for so long. The catharsis so visible when Isaiah hugs Sam so tight. The zoom in on the statue. Okay, I’m crying again. 

Yeah, so when Bucky’s boyfriend has a BBQ he shows up like dancing like a dork with a cake and plays with all the kids.

Honestly, happiness looks so good on him. It’s so nice to see that again. 

They really ended it with Sam and Bucky embracing and walking off together in the sunset. 

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

Again, still not thrilled with what’s going on with Sharon but clearly they’re setting up for something so...I’m putting a bookmark in to hold my judgement. 

Bc honestly, my biggest focus is:

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

Seriously though, overall, I think this was one of the best things Marvel has put out there in a while and I know I’ll come back to it again and again. Here’s hoping to more Cap to come!!!! 

[idabbleincrazy]

ooooo headcanons. So i have a ofc who is the sister of angel and it got me to thinking. How would Spike react to reader being in love with him (her being angel's sister)

Ok, so this totally would depend on when Reader fell in love with him...

During The Whirlwind years:

He would let you down gently, his dead heart still being fiercely loyal to Dru. 

That’s not to say he would take sex off the table (hello, vampire). 

He would also probably ask you to keep your feelings hidden from both Angelus and Dru, not wanting them to get upset or jealous...Angelus is your Sire after all (yes, this is weird, even to them, but Darla wouldn’t do it, and Angelus simply refused to leave you behind) and sister or not, he sees you as his, more so even than he sees Drusilla as his. 

Spike knows it wouldn’t end well for either of you if your Sires questioned where your love lies. 

After The Curse: 

Spike warms up to you slowly. 

He’s all about family, and he’s just lost one member, so he takes upon himself to protect the rest of you the best he can. Granted, Dru needs a bit more help than either you or Darla, what with her fits and daydreaming. 

You help him when you can, bringing back an extra child or two to keep Dru fed if she’s not up to hunting on her own. 

Spike notices your kindness, and begins spending more time with you on hunts, the two of you sometimes turning it into a friendly competition of who can get the best kill. 

He might lash out every now and then as he becomes torn for his blooming feelings for you and his loyalty to Dru, but if he’s been too harsh, you can always expect an extravagant present the next night when he returns home from feeding. 

Even after a mild tiff, you’ll receive a pretty bouquet of flowers or a small package of your favorite human food. 

He’s very pleased (and simultaneously conflicted) when you decide to stay with him and Dru even after Darla goes back to the Master.

During the Sunnydale years:

This would be the most advantageous time for you to fall in love with him. 

You’ve always been a close friend and confidant, so when he and Dru start having relationship problems, he comes to you for comfort. 

Usually when he’s deep in his cups and waxing poetic. 

But the comfort isn’t one-sided. 

When you try to reach out to Angel (he’s still your brother, and your Sire, soul or no soul, dammit), and are spurned for your efforts, Spike is there to dry away your tears and distract you with a hunt.  

The further he and Dru drift apart, the closer the two of you become, soon, he starts seeking out your company more than hers. 

After a particularly brutal argument between them, the two of you go off on a hunt and during the frenzied bloodlust, a heated kiss is shared before he comes to his senses. 

He apologizes profusely and runs off to Dru.

When Angel loses his soul, the two of you grow closer than ever.

Still spurned by your brother, this time for Dru and his grand plan, Spike confides in you of his ability to walk and you join in on his plot to stop Angel from raising Acathla.

His feelings for you grow stronger, his loyalty to Dru lessening every day. He’s still torn, but more out of duty than actual love this time.

When Dru leaves him in Brazil, he has his epiphany while talking with Angel and his Slayer. 

He realizes why Drusilla was always yammering on about him betraying her, about her no longer owning his heart. It was about you, all along.

He returns to you, begging you to forgive him.

It takes some time, but when you finally give him a chance, he goes the full nine, even pays Willy to set up the bar all romantic and pretty, with candlelight and fancy tablecloths, just to give you some semblance of a real date. 

After the date, and a fresh kill or two, those Victorian ways of his come back out. He walks you to the door of your crypt, raises your hand to his lips for a chaste kiss and bids you goodnight.

When you tug him inside with you, he actually asks if you’re sure. He had naturally assumed you would need more time, had fully planned on taking it slow.

By the time the sun rises, he laughs at himself for waiting so long to open his eyes to what his heart had been trying to tell him.

The Wolfram & Hart era:

Once he learns from Angel how strongly you reacted to the news of his death and why, Spike seeks you out whenever he’s not breathing down Fred’s neck about making him corporeal again.

He does his best to make you smile, taunting Angel all the more when you’re around. 

After the Pavayne Incident, you’re the only one who can bring him out of his funk, your presence soothing away the remaining fear of Hell. 

Once he learns to focus, the first thing he touches is your cheek, his thumb brushing away the stray tear that clings to your eyelashes.

When he’s finally solid again, he wastes no time in wrapping you in his embrace, his forehead pressing to yours as he breathes you in. 

He drags you away from the law firm as soon as the sun sets, in the Viper of course, and the two of you enjoy all that the city has to offer, soul-permitting, that is. 

He promises to help you continue to be a better vampire, knowing how hard it can be to be good without a soul. His faith in you brings a smile to your face and strengthens your resolve.

With you at his side, he no longer works as a viable pawn for Lindsay’s plot, so instead of ending up with his own apartment, he takes up residence at W&H, his mid-level suite just one door down the hall from yours.

He needles Angel to no end about the two of you, so much so that you have to rein him in nearly once a week before he gets himself dusted.

He holds you close and lets you cry the whole night through after the loss of Fred, stroking your hair and whispering gentle words of comfort till you fall asleep. 

When it comes time to go after the Senior Partners, he reluctantly accepts you being involved in the fight.

Rest assured though, once the Battle for L.A. begins in the alley, he barely lets you out of his sight, throwing himself in front of you whenever more than two or three demons are ganging up on you.

He even works with you seamlessly to take down a troll, tossing you up into the air to deliver the death blow.

Fred, Gunn, and Wesley may be gone, but at least he still has you. Even if Angel comes as part of the package. 

It takes a little wheedling, but you manage to convince him to let Illyria tag along with your little family as you go about keeping up the good fight.

Thanks for this, and I hope you like it. It really gave me a lot to think about. 

[bucky-mothereffing-barnes]

Hate Me, Love Me

Woah, another one? The next day too! Let’s gooooo! I’m happy to present a new fanfic to you guys. I’m glad you enjoyed my last one too! It means so much to me to get responses from you guys. Let’s get on to the smut.

WC: 2.7k

Warnings: Sex, lots of it. Rough sex. Swearing. Severely NSFW. 18+ only please. Unprotected sex. Wrap it before you tap it.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

“It’s your fucking fault!” Bucky screamed at you.

“How is it my fault? Had you paid any attention to our actual mission instead of eyefucking the blonde across the goddamn room, we wouldn’t have lost our target!” You pushed his chest even though you knew it would barely move him.

All the mission was supposed to be is follow your proposed target that Fury gave you and see what room he was staying in. You and Bucky were supposed to be a couple. At first, he was completely attentive to you. He always had his arm around your waist, holding onto you, albeit a bit tighter than any normal boyfriend would. But, you weren’t together. Not even close.

“What, are you fucking jealous? There’s nothing between us but sex! Even then, I don’t know if I want that anymore.” With a roll of his eyes, he sat down in the chair against the wall in your hotel room.

“Why the hell would I be jealous? I was focused on the mission given to us. I didn’t want to get my ass beat by Fury but because you can’t keep your dick in your pants, we’re both going to get some sort of punishment. You’re not even that good of a fuck!” 

Bucky’s eyes began scanning the room for your target but before he could continue, his eyes landed on a tall blonde with long curls flowing down her shoulders. The diamond earrings she was wearing sparkled in the bright lights in the room. Her red dress showed off her body perfectly, making you feel insecure as you saw the way Bucky looked at her. His eyes were completely glued to her and you could feel his hand loosen on your waist.

“James, what are you doing?” You whispered to him but he wouldn’t stay put.

He strode across the room, approaching the woman with a smile. He was supposed to be with you, what the fuck was he doing?

“Not that good, huh? Then why am I the only one you sleep with? You could probably bang any other guy on this team but you picked me. I’m obviously able to please you.”

“Oh, fuck off, Bucky. Your ego is bigger than your cock. But, that’s not saying a lot.” 

Before you could even sit down on the bed, Bucky had caged you against the wall, his eyes boring deep into yours.

“Wanna say that again?”

“You’re. Not. Fuckable.” You snapped at him, pushing his buttons.

“Don’t fucking test me, you know better.”

“Or what, James?”

You were about to move from your position in the room until you saw your target walking swiftly, his phone to his ear. You needed the intel but Bucky wouldn’t even pay attention to you. He was completely focused on the random blonde bitch who took up space by the bar. You couldn’t just stand there and let your target get away. 

“Bucky, I saw him. We need to move.” You got no response through your comm. Looking over, you saw that he had taken his out. You were going to fucking kill him after this.

Grabbing your clutch and slipping the wristband of it around your hand, you slowly made your way through the crowd, nonchalantly following your target. Lifting your maroon dress slightly, you walked up the stairs with your head down. A women’s bathroom was right in front of you and your target was off to the side, still talking on the phone. But, it was in Romanian. You didn’t understand a lick of Romanian. Bucky did. What the fuck would you do now? 

You could see the man’s security guard out of your eye as you sped to the bathroom. Hopefully, they would just think you needed to pee. Did they? No. Even before you made it to the door, the target’s guard stood in front of the door, his eyes darting down then back up to yours. Following his gaze, you could see a pistol held in his tanned hand. He could easily choke you if you tried anything.

“If you try anything, you’re dead.”

All you could do was turn around and find Bucky, and pulling him out of the gala.

“What happened?” 

“You screwed it.” You mumbled.

Bucky picked you up by your ass, dropping you onto the shitty motel bed, covering your body with his. He crashed his chapped lips to yours, the kiss being all tongue and teeth. It would be like every other time you had fucked him. No emotion. Just pure anger. 

“Get this fucking dress off.” He growled at you.

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?” His eyebrows raised warningly. 

“I said, no.”

Soon enough, your dress was off but only because he had ripped it in half.

“Natasha bought me that!” You yelled at him.

“Shut up.” 

You huffed but refused to submit to him. You loved riling him up. It made all of this so much sweeter even though it would only be temporary.

“Fuck off, Barnes.”

His eyes narrowed at you, pupils enlarged to the point that his normally ocean coloured eyes that they’re completely black now. Your body was dragged to the edge of the bed by Bucky’s strong hands, only for you to be placed in his lap, with your back to his chest.

“You think this is funny?” His breath was hot as it fanned over your neck.

“It’s hilarious.”

He hooked his feet around your ankles, forcing your legs apart and locking them in place. Your body almost completely stiffened at Bucky’s actions as you felt his metal hand travel down your torso and stop above your most sensitive area.

“If I’m not a good fuck, why are you so wet right now?”

You had no answer for him. The only thing you knew would come out of your mouth would be the word “please”. But, you weren’t gonna give into him so easily. So, you kept your mouth shut.

“Nothing? At all?”

Suddenly, you felt two fingers plunged into your pussy. The familiar feeling of metal made you moan loudly, back arching.

“That’s what I thought.” You could feel his smirk on your neck, which made you angry. He was winning right now but you couldn’t let him do that.

In between bated breaths, you spat at him.

“Fuck you.”

Bucky slapped the inside of your thigh harshly, biting your neck.

“Either say my name or shut the fuck up. One or the other.”

His metal hand moved to rubbing your clit at a nearly inhuman rate, his flesh hand coming up to your chest to pinch your nipples. 

“James!” You screamed, trying to close your legs at the overstimulation, but he had hooked you in place.

Your ass bucked into his bulge, making him groan in your ear. The warmth in your stomach began to build up as he pushed his fingers back inside you but he did it painfully slowly this time. Your orgasm faded away quickly, pissing you off.

“No, no!” 

“Too bad.” He flipped you over, beginning to attack your body with his lips and teeth.

“Why are you still dressed?”

Bucky pulled back to look you in the eyes, his lips quirking up into a smirk. He wasn’t done with you at all so he was going to indulge you just this once. Slowly stripping down in front of you, his thick cock bounced after he removed his pants and boxers. So much for his ego being bigger than his cock.

“Do I even have to tell you what to do?”

You very nearly caved and just got on your knees for him but you weren’t going down without more of a fight.

“I don’t know. Can you use your words or are you incapable of using actual intelligence to do something?”

If his eyes could get any darker, they did. He grabbed you by your arm, putting you on the floor and having you kneel before him.

“You’re gonna put those pretty little lips around my cock and let me fuck your mouth. You got it, babe?” 

He knew exactly how to play with you; using pet names even though you knew he didn’t mean them. You lowered your mouth onto his cock, your eyes meeting his as you looked up at him. His hands went directly to your hair, pulling on it. A moan slipped out of you, making Bucky grin and tug harder. He pushed your head further down onto his shaft, nearly hitting the back of your throat. 

“That’s right, baby girl. Hold still for me, yeah?”

You gave him a little nod as he started thrusting his hips up into your face, his cock going deeper into your mouth each time. Sliding your hands up his thighs, you began softly squeezing his balls, causing him to jump and hit the back of your throat. You’ve had this experience with Bucky so many times that you no longer have a gag reflex and you’re willing to take him as deep as you can. Twirling your tongue around his shaft, you tightened your lips around him, pulling a loud moan from him and an especially harsh tug on your hair. 

Before he could cum in your mouth, he pulled you back from his cock and up to him, giving you a bruising kiss. Grabbing your hips, he tossed you onto the bed and kept you on your stomach. At this point, you had already submitted to what he wanted but that doesn’t mean you weren’t still gonna be a bitch to him during this. You always were.

“All fours or you get nothing.”

“You’d be lucky to get anything tonight, James. You don’t eve-.”

You stopped mid sentence as Bucky delivered a hard smack to your ass. 

“Shut it.”

A whine was about to escape your mouth but you knew if you didn’t comply, you would get nothing from him. You probably couldn’t take being left here with no release. Slowly rising off of your stomach, you planted your hands and feet onto the bed with your ass on display.

“Good girl.” He had whispered, running his metal hand over your sensitive pussy and up your back.

“Tell me what you want.” Bucky demanded, keeping an eye on your pussy, which is clenching around nothing.

“I want you to fuck me so hard, I can’t even think. I want to feel your cock in me until I can’t take it.” You looked back at him, with raised eyebrows.

“Think you can do that, Barnes?”

With one swift movement, he entered you, making you cry out in pleasure. He knew that no matter how many times you two would fuck, you would still need a little time to get used to him. And he obliged. 

“Move, Barnes.”

One of his hands settled on your hip and the other was fisted into your hair, pulling you back onto his cock harshly. As much as you wanted to hate him, he gave you so much pleasure. It was the only good thing to come out of this. 

“Fuck, baby. You’re so tight around me. Feels so fucking good.” He praised you, jerking you up from your hands and pressing you against him.

“James, harder! Harder, baby.” 

He wrapped his metal hand around your throat, squeezing lightly as he rammed up into you, searching for what you desperately needed from him. You needed release and you needed it from him. Taking his hand that was holding your hip, he snuck it down your stomach, and began to tease your pussy.

“P-Please, James. Your cock feels so-.” You could barely finish a sentence, as his fingers ran over your sensitive clit.

Forming cohesive thoughts was impossible at this point as he spread your legs with his knee, thrusting into your pussy deeper, the tip of his cock finally hitting your g-spot. Your thighs began to wobble as the heat in your stomach radiated through your entire body. Bucky’s cock pulsed inside you as your pussy squeezed around him. His head dropped onto your shoulders, your name falling from his lips. That never happens. It sent a shiver down your spine.

His metal hand clamped down on your neck slightly tighter, which was what made you turn into jelly. You pushed back onto him, screaming his name as you came around him.

“Fuck, James!”

“I’m right there, sugar.” 

With a loud moan from his chest, you felt hot spurts of his cum shoot into your wet, hot cunt. Your knees gave out on you as he released inside you. Instead of falling on your stomach, Bucky caught you and laid you down lightly. He rolled down beside you, breathing heavily. All he could do was watch you turn over and close your eyes, trying to calm down. He chewed at his lip before getting up from the bed and grabbing a bottle of water for you.

“Here.” Bucky held out the bottle to you, shaking it a bit to make you take it.

“Thank you, Bucky.” 

It came out as a whisper, your voice trying to take a rest. You took turns between drinking from the bottle, eventually going to get a washcloth and clean yourself up. Looking through your backpack after you finished, you couldn’t find a pajama shirt. Even though you and Bucky just fucked, it’d be too intimate to stay naked. Too vulnerable.

“Why do we do this?” Bucky murmured, refusing to look at you.

“Do what?”

“Just...fuck. That’s all we do. Nothing else.”

“That’s just what we do, Buck. You know that. You can’t do much else when I have you hating me.” You chuckled to yourself, but it had a lot of hurt behind it.

“I don’t...I don’t hate you, okay? I thought it was the other way around.”

Your heart started to break when you saw his eyes water. You never thought to ask him what he felt. You just assumed he hated you for no reason. 

“Me too.” Sitting down beside him on the bed, you began fiddling with your fingers. 

“How do you feel about having sex instead? With actual emotions. None of this, I hate you but love you shit? Please?” Bucky’s voice wavered, pleading.

A small smile spread across your face, while your heart lightened.

“Yeah, yeah. I’d love that.”

[carewyncromwell]

At last, my friends, we’ve come to the end! This is the final part of my POTC AU. *cue the confetti and noisemakers*

I’ll be creating a masterpost for this AU in the next few days, so that it’s easier to start at the beginning, but before we jump right in, I want to thank those people who contributed to the POTC AU during its development by creating content for their own characters -- @hphm-brooke, @danceworshipper, @rosievixen, @smarti-at-smogwarts, @theguythatdraws, @dat-silvers-girl, @that-ravenpuff-witch, @hogwarts9, @drinkyoursoupbitch and @samshogwarts -- as well as my dear friend @cursebreakerfarrier, whose character Jules I roped into this thing at the very start before having any concept of how big this thing could get and I feel so blessed to have been able to write for. I also just want to thank you all for the overwhelming flood of support you guys have sent my way for this project -- I truly have loved every minute of it, and I hope to finish some of my other unfinished projects as well as create other fresh new material for you guys in the near future! I love you all! xoxo

One last time -- previous part is here, and full tag is here!

x~x~x~x

Even with McNully’s brilliant ploy giving her an extra smattering of glory to cement her position, Carewyn had still initially feared the crew who had been on the HMS Lion would take her to task for her insubordination of Cutler Beckett. It turned out she really needn’t have worried.

“Lord Beckett may have been chosen by the King to take charge of the Empire’s anti-piracy campaign,” said Carewyn’s old lieutenant when she questioned him about it, “but he selected you as the Admiral of the fleet. Therefore it’s only right that we, as your subordinates, follow your orders -- whether they contradict Lord Beckett’s or not.”

“Even though I’m the sort of person to threaten the King’s chosen representative with my pistol?” asked Carewyn, her eyebrows raised.

“Even if you did far worse than that,” said the lieutenant, his eyes blazing with resolve. “Your orders saved a lot of our men’s lives out there, when Beckett’s no doubt would’ve led to their deaths. It’s only right that we protect you -- that the Navy protects you -- just like you protected us.”

His boyish face broke out into a broad smile. “We won’t betray you, Admiral. None of us will.”

With the Navy’s defeat at the hands of the Pirate Lords, Carewyn charted a course straight for London. The fleet had just started the month-long journey when about three days in, the Flying Dutchman emerged out of a gigantic wave and pulled up right alongside the HMS Royal. The Navy’s sailors immediately prepared for a fight, as they knew that the Dutchman was no longer under their control, but Carewyn held the order to attack, instead allowing the ship to approach.

The sailors on board the Dutchman were unrecognizable to Carewyn’s eyes -- gone were the barnacle-encrusted, shark-or-fish-headed crew members she’d seen before: all she saw were a band of very human, though admittedly very dirty and ragged-looking pirates. Sticking out amongst them was a handsome, clean-shaved man with a stylishly-embroidered coat, a brown ponytail, and discerning brown eyes, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a shorter, stockier man with very long curly dark hair tied back in a ponytail that swished around behind him like an oddly sentient tail. It was these two men that came aboard, when Carewyn invoked the right to parley with the Dutchman’s Captain in her office.

Percy shut the door to Carewyn’s cabin’s door behind the two men, taking off his tricorn hat just as the pirates, Ben, and Carewyn already had now that he was indoors. It was only once Carewyn, Percy, Ben, Jacob, and Ashe were alone that the two Navy officers and ex-Navy veteran dropped their professional masks and the two pirates dropped their intimidating glares, and Jacob and Carewyn ran forward, throwing their arms around each other and squeezing tight.

“Jacob!” Carewyn breathed against his shoulder as she clung to her brother.

Jacob cradled his younger sister close, absently trailing his hand through her hair in repetitive strokes. “Oh Wyn -- my brave Wyn...”

Carewyn pulled away just enough to look at Jacob. Her eyes trailed over his face, down to the long scar on his chest exposed by his slightly open shirt, and over his curly ponytail, which was currently squiggling like a ribbon in mid-air behind him.

Jacob smiled a bit sheepishly.

“Seems all sailors on the Flying Dutchman become a bit more ‘sea-like’ upon tying themselves to the ship. Rakepick’s hair kind of went all ‘jellyfish’ when she was captain -- probably because of her talent for shocking betrayals,” he added with a rather nasty smile. “Ashe thinks that my hair’s been evoking an eel. Fortunately I reckon I won’t start sprouting gills or turning green unless I actively shed my humanity and ignore my role as ferryman like Jones did...”

The severe look on Carewyn’s face made the smile slowly slide off of Jacob’s face.

“Jacob...when Jones was captain of the Dutchman, he wasn’t allowed to visit dry land but once every ten years,” said Carewyn, her voice betraying the anxiety she felt despite her best effort.

Jacob’s eyes grew a little more solemn. “...I know.”

Seeing the pain in his sister’s eyes, he immediately swooped in and trailed a hand through the hair near the front of her face.

“Wyn, I already planned for this. The whole reason I left you on Isle de Muerta is that I wanted to get Jones’s heart and force him, any way I had to, to release you from the contract.” He swallowed. “...I knew I’d have to be prepared to follow through, if I was going to threaten Jones’s life -- that I’d have to be prepared to become captain of the Dutchman myself, if it came to it.”

Carewyn looked if possible even more upset. “...You mean you planned this? You were really going to kill Jones, to stop him from impressing me into service?”

“I was not going to condemn you, Wyn,” Jacob said in a very forceful, pained voice. “I couldn’t let you suffer because of my mistake -- ”

“Two wrongs do not make a right, Jacob,” Carewyn shot back very harshly. “Jones may have been heartless, but he was still a person!”

“If you disregard the tentacles and claw, anyway,” Ashe said rather coolly. When Carewyn whirled on him with a very reproachful look, he spoke again before she did, “Carewyn, your brother had his fair share of conflict about the whole thing. He hated the thought of killing Jones and joining the crew of the Dutchman. He hated the thought of not being free to go where he wanted, to lose so much time with you...with me.”

Ashe’s eyes were very stony, but they still flickered over to Jacob, narrowing slightly with something oddly resigned. Carewyn’s gaze softened significantly.

“...I hated it for him too,” the merman said lowly. “I still do. But I hate the thought of Jack having died there on that deck more. I hate the thought that Rakepick would’ve actually managed to kill him this time, and there would’ve been nothing I could’ve done to stop it. Your friend the Pirate King couldn’t save your brother’s life, but she did prevent him from dying...all because she, like me, couldn’t bear the thought of you two never seeing each other again.”

His lips actually turned up in something of a weak, wry smile upon Carewyn.

“I understand your frustration -- your brother can be amazingly thick -- ”

“Oi!” said Jacob, a bit offended, but Ashe ignored him.

“ -- but I’ve been very fortunate to know the same intense, selfless love from Jack that he feels for you. I’m not going to act like it’ll be easy -- I mean, even if I’d be able to stay on-board on the Dutchman with Jack while he’s here in the land of the living...whenever he goes to the next world as ferryman, I won’t be able to follow. But I can always meet up with him at sea, in my regular form -- I can always catch up, given the proper time...just like I did while Jack was serving under Howell Davis. Until then, I’ll just find someplace to wait.”

Carewyn considered Ashe for a long moment, her blue eyes rippling with a rather indiscernible expression. Then, looking a bit more determined, she strode right up to Ashe and took hold of his shoulders.

“You won’t have to find a place,” she said. “You’ll have one with me.”

Both Jacob and Ashe looked taken aback.

“You’re family, Duncan,” said Carewyn with a smile. “And everything I’ve ever done -- everything I’m doing now -- is for my family...my blood one and my found one.”

She glanced at Percy, who beamed, before turning her gaze back to Ashe.

“You’ll always have a home with me, when you don’t have one with my brother,” she said very firmly. “Always.”

Ashe looked faintly stunned. His eyes trailed over Carewyn’s face, analyzing every inch as if he’d never seen anyone quite like her. His gaze flitted back over to Jacob, whose face had broken into a very warm, tear-choked smile.

Seeing the intense emotion in his partner’s face, Ashe couldn’t help but bow his head and clear his throat as he struggled to keep his composure.

“Ahem...well...that’s...nice.”

He glanced at Carewyn out the side of his eye almost hesitantly. The Admiral’s smile softened that bit more, becoming more sympathetic, and finally Ashe’s face slowly broke out into a very small, soft smile too. He brought up a hand and rested it on the crown of her head, lightly messing up her bangs.

“Guess I’ll just stick with you in the interim, then,” he said airily, “considering the Brethren Court’s instructions.”

Percy blinked in surprise. “The Brethren Court?”

Jacob nodded. “We took a vote and our Pirate King decided that a ‘representative’ should deliver the Court’s demands to the Admiral and the British Crown. Originally the plan was to have Ashe and me rendez-vous with you, and for Ashe to stay with you until ‘the terms were met.’”

“Jack would’ve done it himself if he could, but of course, he sort of needs to stick to the sea, unless he wants to waste his ‘one day every ten years,’” added Ashe.

“What terms did the Court decide on?” asked Ben, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. “I assume they want pardons for themselves and their crews...but just pardoning a mob of pirates isn’t going to fix things on its own.”

Jacob nodded. “Aye. The Court requested a ‘path toward reintegration’ -- one that includes pardons, as well as a job that suits our sailing and, er... ‘financially-inclined’ talents and can be used to build a future for ourselves and any families we may want to support. Amari’s First Mate said there would only be a 58% chance that the King would accept those terms, but he hoped that you ‘being put under duress’ by a pirate while submitting those terms in writing might improve the odds slightly -- ”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” said Carewyn very primly.

This startled both Jacob and Ashe. Carewyn exchanged a wry smile with Ben.

“We’re already heading to London right now,” said Ben, his smirk noticeably broader than Carewyn’s. “The Admiral plans on requesting an audience with the King himself.”

“With Beckett gone, I’m in the best position I’ll ever be in, to make my move,” Carewyn said, her blue eyes flashing with determined fire. “I’m done with staying silent -- I intend to convince the King to give every pirate the chance to start their lives over.”

And so Carewyn sailed for London with Ashe, Ben, and Percy as her entourage. Meeting King George I would be a formidable proposition for anyone, but Carewyn fortunately was able to prepare a little ahead of time. The Weasley family had grown up near London, so Percy was able to give Carewyn some advice of how to approach the King --

“His Majesty was born and raised in the Holy Roman Empire, so English is not his first language. There are some rumors that he really doesn’t even speak English at all, but I think that’s highly exaggerated -- anti-German sentiment more than anything, you know. One thing that’s for sure, though, is that what he says goes. He’s even ostracized his own son and heir, so I’ve heard, since he was more popular with the British people. But he also can’t stand the Tories -- they never quite accepted his claim to the throne, over the Stuarts...honestly, there are a lot of people who’ve never really warmed up to the man...”

“And financially?” asked Carewyn.

Percy considered this. “...Well, the King’s very wealthy, certainly -- everyone knows that. But I suppose profit would always be advantageous, for the sake of the Empire...”

Carewyn smiled wryly and shook her head. “The Navy has been commanded by the East India Trading Company more than the King himself, as of late. Beckett once equated money with power, and I think there was a reason. If the King’s been leaning so heavily on the Company, that tells me that it had financial resources the Crown is in desperate need of, so the Crown’s own coffers currently depend on the Company’s success.”

Ben got an delighted, devious glint in his eye.

“Bet he’ll be absolutely thrilled to hear what happened to his fleet, then,” he said sarcastically.

Ashe and Carewyn exchanged a smirk too.

“I reckon you could play to that desperation,” said Ashe dryly. “A lack of or loss of wealth is a very common fear among men, I’ve found.”

Carewyn nodded in agreement. 

Within twenty days, the HMS Royal docked in London, a few days ahead of schedule thanks to the almost miraculously clear weather and friendly winds. Carewyn then traveled with Percy, Ashe, and Ben to Kensington Palace. It was only one of many castles owned by the King, but according to Percy, it was the one King George I had renovated the most, so Carewyn sussed out that it was likely his favorite of his residences and so, in her opinion, the best place to seek him out first. Her intuition turned out to be spot-on -- as it turned out, both King George I and his son the Prince were there, and although the King was occupied with his Ministers and couldn’t meet with them until that evening, Prince George Augustus was eager to meet the famous Admiral Weasley and requested an audience in one of the royal drawing rooms.

The Crown Prince of England was an amiable and warm, but not a very clever or intellectual man of about forty years. He expressed a lot of interest in Carewyn’s experience as a Navy hero, sounding rather like a child as he questioned her about facing off against the likes of Orion Amari and the crew of the dreaded ship Revenge. Carewyn did have to tailor her stories somewhat, but after a while, she was able to get Prince George comfortable enough that they ended up talking casually over a game of Cribbage, where Carewyn gleaned a few other helpful insights. For one, Carewyn learned that both the King and Prince knew several languages, the first being French, which was the preferred language at court as well as among royals abroad. She also found out that the royal family had never visited the colonies themselves, and that King George I’s leading advisor on matters of business -- the First Lord of the Treasury, Sir Robert Walpole -- had been personally putting more stock in the East India Trading Company than on investing any additional money into the colonies. From the sound of things, he believed as Cutler Beckett did in the power of money over noble ancestry, and yet the Prince conceded that his wife and father both thought well of him and that he was relatively amiable.

When Carewyn finally got her audience with King George I, she sure enough encountered Sir Robert Walpole. He was a broad middle-aged man with a powdered white wig curled into ringlets who stood beside the gray-wigged, tiny-eyed elderly King -- and the news of Cutler Beckett’s fate and the outcome of the confrontation at Shipwreck Cove visibly troubled him. As Carewyn had thought, the Crown had been counting on the East India Trading Company’s profits to flow back toward England to offset the national debt brought on by the War of Spanish Succession and Britain’s other conflicts...and so, when she made her proposal to the King, she felt rather confident.

“Votre Majesté...the scourge of piracy is indeed a threat, not just to the lives of our citizens, but to the Empire’s prosperity. But the East India Trading Company is a business -- they’re not trained in military matters, nor do they know how best to use the resources of the British Crown to combat this problem. They’re not equipped to deal with sensitive matters of state, which truthfully, I believe this to be. We don’t need to get England tied up in another military conflict...particularly when there’s a much more cost-effective alternative.”

King George I raised his graying eyebrows with some interest, but did not speak.

“And what alternative would you suggest, Admiral?” asked Walpole, looking rather curious himself.

“Investing in the colonies,” said Carewyn very firmly. “There’s still a lot of undeveloped land out there -- a lot of trading potential in beaver skins, lumber, and tobacco -- the possibility of wealth that’s been left untapped by the East India Trading Company, with their intense focus on Asia. These men who have become pirates, many of them, were privateers under us during our War against the Spanish. They know shipping and are in need of honest work. They’ve asked for it explicitly. I say that we offer pardons to those pirates who would be willing to work for a new trading company in New England -- one that can be for the colonies what the Company in India already is.”

Walpole frowned deeply in thought, considering the proposal. King George straightened up slightly in his throne so he could peer down at Carewyn with a beady eye.

“You believe, truly, that these criminals would want honest employment?” the old man asked.

His voice was very quiet and laced with a husky German accent. Apparently Percy was right to think the rumors that he couldn’t speak English weren’t true, but he seemed a bit uncomfortable with the language, all the same.

Carewyn smiled at the King. “Oui, mon roi. Beasts can survive on human flesh alone, but humans need a home and money in order to live well. Et les pirates...pardon, I hope that word is correct...sont juste les humains.”

King George’s tiny eyes softened noticeably.

“Your French is very poor, Admiral,” he said in rather smug amusement, “but your word choice is correct.”

He looked at Walpole. “What say you, Earl?”

Walpole considered his answer. “...It could be an interesting proposition -- were we able to locate someone who’d be willing to put his name, reputation, and estate on the line, to fund such a company...”

“I volunteer.”

Ben took a step forward and gave a low, but clipped bow to the King.

“Lord Earl, Your Majesty, this is Captain Gordon Cooper, of the HMS Royal,” Carewyn introduced him. “He was instrumental in helping me lead our men during the battle at Shipwreck Cove.”

“I already have a small sum of money saved up, your Majesty -- enough to purchase one or two ships of my own, to start with,” said Ben. “I truly believe that the profits I could make with those two ships just from offering safe passage to the colonies would be enough to fund the purchase of another. All I’d need would be some collateral to pay a crew for each ship in advance.”

"A standard ship would only need about ten well-bodied men to sail it and transport its cargo efficiently,” Carewyn said quickly, seeing the slight hesitation in the King’s expression. "I’m no expert in finance -- ” she inclined her head respectfully in Walpole’s direction, “ -- but in order to settle more land in the colonies, trees would have to be cut down...which means more lumber to transport back to England. If the people Captain Cooper’s ships are transporting are settlers who are incentivized to build homes there -- possibly with the promise of land ownership -- then their arrival alone would spark a boom of lumber sales. That could then pay back the investment several times over.”

Walpole’s lips spread into a smile, one wryer than the King’s. He was clearly a much more discerning man than either of the two Georges, but he seemed pleased by the proposition, nonetheless.

“...Indeed it could,” he granted. He glanced at the King. “I daresay old Townsend would be pleased to have some financial leverage for his talks with the Spanish and French...”

“Mm...”

King George I gave a short, pompous nod before turning back to face Carewyn and the others.

“Very well. I grant my favor.”

Walpole inclined his head to Ben. “Captain Cooper, the Crown grants you and your Company permission to sail. We shall provide you a loan of 10,000 pounds sterling for your first twenty sailors and any necessary ship repairs, to be paid back with interest within a year. If your sailors complete a successful -- namely, profitable -- round-trip expedition to London on board those ships, then they will receive a full pardon from the British Crown for their past crimes and be permitted to continue working as part of your Company.”

Carewyn’s companions’ eyes all lit up.

“Understood,” said Ben, his face consumed by a huge grin.

“Admiral Weasley will deliver the terms to the pirates -- quietly,” said the King with a stern eye. “I expect written reports and good results.”

Carewyn’s face burst into a brilliant smile too, which she tried to obscure when she brought an arm up to her chest and gave a low bow.

“Mais oui. Merci, votre Grace -- we’ll work hard pour England, et pour vous aussi.”

The King’s eyes sparkled with the trace of a wry smile. “Vous etes un garçon très divertissant, Amiral. J'espère que votre français se sera amélioré lors de notre prochaine rencontre.”

With the King’s blessing, Ben purchased the ships needed in London and, with Percy’s help, prepared them for their first expedition. Carewyn returned to the HMS Lion with Ashe, taking it out to sea just far enough that the Flying Dutchman could emerge from the water and pull up alongside the Navy ship. Carewyn relayed King George I’s decision to Jacob in her cabin, and the Captain of the Flying Dutchman was so overwhelmed with pride that he threw his arms around his little sister and squeezed her with all of his strength. Carewyn, however, found herself unable to celebrate.

“What’s wrong, Wyn?” said Jacob. He tilted his head to look at her, his eel-like ponytail twitching almost curiously behind him. “You did it -- you convinced the King. The Lords at Shipwreck Cove, all the people who live there, will be able to live normal lives again, and it’s all thanks to you.”

“I know,” said Carewyn lowly.

Despite herself, she just couldn’t meet her brother’s gaze. Her eyes lingered on his shoulder.

“...I just wish I could’ve given you that kind of normal life too,” she admitted.

Jacob’s blue eyes darkened. Bringing up both of his arms, he encircled Carewyn and held her tightly against his chest as he rested his head on top of hers. Carewyn bit her lip, trying to hold in her emotions as best she could.

“I wanted to bring you home,” she murmured. “The whole reason I wanted to fight for a world where pirates could be forgiven was because I wanted you to be able to come home...you and Bill and Charlie and Jules and Orion...”

Jacob squeezed Carewyn that bit tighter. Both Cromwells were crying now, even though they both stubbornly fought to keep themselves from breaking down into full sobs.

Ashe shared a grim look  with Jacob over Carewyn’s head. Then he came up beside both of them, resting a hand on the crown of Carewyn’s head and leaning his forehead against his lover’s, and hummed something low under his breath. The resonant bass tone seemed to slowly calm Carewyn’s heart and breathing and help the tears ebb.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and looked up at Ashe with muted gratitude, before she turned back to her brother.

“...Now that I’ve done my duty and made sure the Crown’s terms were delivered, I intend to send in my resignation to the Navy. I can’t support Ben’s new Company while I’m still Admiral without worrying about a conflict of interest, after all.”

She offered a weak wry smile, which then slowly morphed into a much more gentle one.

“Besides...I think I’m ready to finally stop fighting.”

Jacob’s teary eyes softened fondly. “Then live, my sweet Wyn. Live in peace and happiness...”

With a heavy breath, he picked up the Dead Man’s Chest he’d brought with him back off Carewyn’s desk and faced Ashe.

“I’ll need to head to the next world soon,” said Jacob. “Would you...?”

Ashe inclined his head in a solemn nod. “Give it to me, Jack.”

Very carefully, Jacob placed the Chest into Ashe’s open hands, trailing his own much dirtier, faintly trembling hands over his lover’s once he’d taken it. His eyes darted from Ashe to Carewyn, looking heartbroken and almost starved -- like he longed so much to never look away from them again.

“Be safe,” Jacob mumbled, “and...please, keep a weather eye on the horizon for me?”

“How dare you ask me that.”

Ashe trailed his lips along the side of Jacob’s face in lingering, messy kisses, only pausing briefly to look him in the eye, blazing brown on blue.

“I will always wait, Jack. I will always find you again.”

Carewyn’s eyes were just as soft as she reached up into the inside pocket of her jacket and slowly withdrew a familiar star-like, sapphire-and-diamond pendant for Jacob to see.

It was the one he himself had given her on Isle de Muerta.

Jacob’s eyes flooded with more tears as Carewyn wrapped both of her arms around her brother’s neck, hugging him tightly just as she had then.

“We’ll be there, Jacob,” she murmured. Two streaks of tears slid from her closed eyes. “I promise.”

Jacob delivered the British Crown’s terms to the Brethren Court at Shipwreck Cove within two days, after he’d returned from ferrying the proper souls to the next life. Within a month, a ship full of twenty sailors had arrived in London, ready to man the red-and-blue-painted ships Ben Copper had purchased. The two ships set sail for the colonies, the first up to New England and the second down to the Caribbean, which allowed Percy to return home to Port Royal and go about his duties as Commodore and Ben to finally be reunited with his love Wendy Gordon and propose marriage as a free and prosperous man.

Once the two ships returned to London another month later, the first wave of pardons was signed. From there, Ben’s enterprise -- the Gordon-Cooper Trading Company -- grew, taking on more ships that then proceeded to employ the once-most-wanted criminals in the world and give them a chance at a new life. And Carewyn -- retiring with full honors from the Navy and settling in New York City with Ashe under her real name for the first time since she was a child -- visited the dock every morning to see every ship that came in.

The first ship to New York brought Ellie Hopper. The once-Pirate Lord of the Mediterranean Sea ended up colliding with the soft-spoken third son of the well-respected horse breeder Johan Schaefer in upstate New York, and the two were married within a few years.

The second ship brought Merula Snyde and the stylish Frenchman Andre Egwu. The captain of the so-called “most powerful ship on the seven seas” continued as a merchant, breaking off from the Gordon-Cooper Trading Company to buy her own ship and engage in the tobacco and sugar trade between New England and the southern colonies. Andre opened up his own clothing shop in Philadelphia and soon became one of the most sought-after tailors in Pennsylvania.

The third ship brought Bill and Jules.

When Bill caught sight of Carewyn at the dock, he practically barreled his way down the ship’s gangplank and shoved a good ten people aside to reach his best friend. The two gingers and Jules then clung to each other for what felt like hours, tears of joy streaming down their faces as Bill trailed a hand through Carewyn’s now-loose-flowing hair and Jules fawned over Carewyn’s pretty new dress.

Bill and Jules also brought a letter from Charlie with them --

My twin, Carey,

I’m sorry I won’t be able to give you this news in person -- but I won’t be accepting my pardon for a while yet.

At Shipwreck Cove, I met a woman named Sarahi (I don’t believe you know her, but she knows you, and Orion spoke very well of her), who grew up in the area of the Pacific Ocean. According to what she’s said, it’s been left largely in chaos since the death of Bartholomew Sharp -- sea serpents, carnivorous sirens, giant squids, the whole lot...and as Pirate Lord of the Pacific, it’s my responsibility to manage things there. But hey, you know I’ve never been afraid of a little adventure! Particularly when I’ve got a good crew on my side. My First Mate Barnaby’s injuries have completely healed, so we, Sarahi, and Samantha O’Connell will be heading out within the next three days on the new and improved Revolution. Sam and Sarahi helped me paint some red dragon wings on the sides, just as a flourish!

I miss you so much, and I miss Bill already, just writing this -- but I know that we won’t ever be truly apart, even when I can only see you in my mind’s eye. I know you’ll probably be worried about me, Carey, but please don’t be. I’d trust my crew with my life -- I already have, honestly, and they sure haven’t let me down yet! I can’t wait for you to meet them. I reckon you’d probably “mother” the hell out of Barnaby, and Sarahi was really happy when I told her how good of a singer you are, so she’s very excited about the prospect of singing with you. And Sam...I reckon you and she will get on famously.

Remember, Carey...we’re family, now and forever! You’ll be in my mind and heart always, until I sail up into New York Harbor and see you again! If Bill hasn’t given you the biggest hug ever for my sake, then give him a good kick to the shin and remind him. Take good care of him, Jules, and Percy for me. Love you so much.

Your brother,

Charlie

Bill and Jules Weasley ended up settling down and starting a family of their own in New York City, just twelve blocks away from where Carewyn and Ashe lived. It was not uncommon over the years for both Carewyn and Ashe to pick up babysitting duties, though Ashe most frequently would just use his particular talent for singing to put any fussy children right to sleep and then drop them off in either Carewyn’s or Jules’s lap.

Over the next six months, more and more red-and-blue ships passed through New York Harbor, dropping off more pardoned ex-pirates so they could start new lives in the colonies. Then one day, toward the end of spring, Carewyn left the brick house she shared with Ashe as if to head for the dock as usual, only to stop mid-step at the sound of someone shouting her name.

“Carewyn!”

She turned around, her ginger hair flourishing behind her as if in slow motion.

A man had just leapt off the back of a carriage he’d been hanging off of without the driver’s knowledge and was now running toward her. Carewyn squinted, taking in his unfamiliar dark ponytail and sailor’s clothes -- then, within seconds, she recognized the handsomely smiling, bearded face and his shining, galaxy-like eyes.

“Orion?” she breathed.

Her heart seemed to seize up, as if it were being squeezed in someone’s hand and yet being given wings at the exact same time. Then she threw herself into a run, and it slammed against her rib cage, as she ran to him, flat-out ignoring how her knees kept getting caught in her hoops and her heeled shoes pinched her feet.

“Orion -- ORION!”

She just about tripped into his arms. Orion caught her and swooped down on her, burying his face in her hair.

“Carewyn...” he murmured against her neck.

“Orion,” said Carewyn.

Her voice was strained with the effort of trying to contain her joy. It felt like she was being stretched at the seams and probably could’ve exploded from all the intense emotions beating at the edges of her heart. She secured her arms around his neck and clung to him -- she brought her lips up to the side of his temple and kissed it, resting her forehead against his briefly before finally pulling away enough to look him in the face.

Orion was beaming from ear to ear as he brought up a hand to trail his thumb gently along her cheek.

“...Carewyn Cromwell...I don’t think you’ve ever looked more fair.”

Carewyn smiled. “Does that mean you like my new look?”

“Yes,” said Orion, his eyes grazing her black-and-white-striped dress and the diamond-and-sapphire pendant tied with a black ribbon around her neck briefly, “but that’s not why you look so fair. You’ve been my moon goddess, previously...but now you are Libertas, personified.”

Carewyn laughed, her face contorted with confusion. “What?”

“Libertas, Carewyn,” repeated Orion, his huge smile never faltering. “The goddess of freedom! Freedom is the most beautiful thing, Carewyn. I’ve longed for it all my life, but never could truly have it, whether because I lacked the means of survival or because I was a pirate who could only live on the run. And when we first met again, on the Artemis...the thing that hurt me the most, seeing you again...was knowing that you were trapped by your position -- enslaved to the duty that made you hide who you were and march lock-step with the likes of Cutler Beckett. But now you...in this moment, here...you are free. It shines in your eyes, on your face -- it radiates off of you like a star, Carewyn. Better still -- because of you, I am free. For the first time in my life...I’m completely free to chase my heart’s desire...”

Orion’s smile seemed to shrink slightly, not out of lack of happiness but out of something almost like nerves, as he reached into his lone remaining belt and slipped out a familiar black-lidded compass.

"McNully, Skye and I have been offered salaried positions with the Gordon-Cooper Trading Company,” he said a bit more seriously, “so I may have to return to sea in the future, but...”

When he opened the compass, its scarlet arrow was pointed right at Carewyn.

“...My heart’s desire has not changed. I would always return, if you...”

He trailed off, his tone oddly shy for how calm his face appeared. The once-Admiral’s red-painted lips spread into a bigger, fuller smile too as she rested her hands on top of his.

“I wouldn’t have married you in the middle of a storm if I didn’t want to build a life with you, Orion Amari,” she said gently. “Or is it Cromwell now? We may want to make a decision about that...”

She smoothed some dark hair out of his eyes.

“I already told you that I want you to have a home. If you need to fly like a bird...then I’ll be your nest.”

Carewyn placed a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. His black eyes softening, Orion brought up a hand to hold the back of her head, holding it in place. He kissed her chastely in return once, twice, and then deepened the kiss on the third go. After he released her, he lingered, his lips brushing up against hers as he smiled down at her.

“...My dear Bedlam maid...I will always follow your song home.”

Carewyn’s blue eyes sparkled affectionately. “Then I’ll never stop singing.”

“See that you don’t,” said Orion, his black eyes glittering with some wry amusement. “I do believe I said I’d envisioned a life for you where you married a man that you could sing for.”

Carewyn laughed quietly, but after a moment, she brought her forehead beside her husband’s, her arms secure around his neck as she held him close and sang for him.

“So now these two are married, and happy may they be, Like turtle doves together, in love and unity.

All pretty maids, with patience wait, that have got loves at sea – I love my love because I know...my love…loves…me.”

[asans]

A Welcome from Sumeru

This is how I want my OC to meet the traveler.

:)

“Paimon is starting to feel very… slime.”

“Slime?” You ask.

“Yeah! Like… jelly.”

The traveler only nods, having noticed their companion talk less since entering the deserted land to reach Sumeru.

“Argh! We just left Inazuma where everyone looked strange at us to walk around for hours without seeing anyone! Paimon is even starting to worry if we are heading in the right direction.”

Hearing that, you decide to check your map again. Lisa had helped a lot when giving it to you, marking where she remembered to have identification spots to make the travel easier to reach the Oasis city.

And it does seem like you have lost your way at some point.

Looking around, there doesn't seem to be any landmark to explain where exactly you are. If you two are lost, then it would be better to wait for the stars to come out at night and find more precise directions again.

“Paimon is getting hungry. Do we still have any leftover from that Sweet Madame?”

She hovered closer, eyes sparkling at the thought of food. You ponder between giving it to her or not. In the end, seeing as no one knows how long it will take to reach the city, you tell her to eat later.

“But Paimon is really hungry! And Paimon knows you are too! So stop being a worry-head and let me eat something!”

Letting out a sigh, the traveler took out some food and both sat down to eat. It doesn't take long for something to happen.

“It’s another vishap again! Are these lizards following us?!”

While Paimon screams, you take out your blade to prepare for battle. Since entering this deserted land, geovishaps have been attacking you more intensely than ever. Perhaps it's your tiredness, but they feel stronger when compared to the ones in Liyue.

“Ah!”

Being whacked back, your body hurts from the impact and your hand lets go of your sword mid-flight. With adrenaline pumping inside your veins, you prepare to deliver a geo attack even down.

But upon looking up quickly, you get to see the moment two arrows strike the enemy in the eyes from behind you. It makes the monster tumble to the side before falling dead.

Turning your head, a tanned stranger with a bow seems to silently observe you.

“Are you ok? Did you break something?” Paimon flies over from where she had hidden. Tiny hands patting your body to make sure of your wellbeing.

The stranger squint their eyes behind rose-tinted glasses. With long steps they reach for your travel bag and food that have been forgotten to the side.

In swift movements, your bag of mora is in the stranger's hand.

“Hey! Those are ours, you thief!”

The tall woman scoffed at Paimon.

“Thief? I am no thief. Would I have helped if I was only after your money?” Reaching inside the bag, she takes five large coins before throwing the bag to you.

“Well, maybe not…? Still! It's not right to pick things from others like that! Right?” Paimon finishes looking at you for support.

You stand up, backing up your friend's opinion about the newly met stranger and her actions.

“Geez. You two are asking to be killed.”

Your blood runs cold from that. Even Paimon hides behind you when sharp pink eyes glance at you. Reading yourself to another fight, you get caught out of guard when the woman kneels and starts burying all the food you had left.

“Nooo! Paimon didn't even finish that!”

“Traveling with this type of ration. No wonder geovishaps keep ganging up on you.”

Some realization downs on the travelers head. You know how some life forms have a better sense of smell. So carrying something with such an appetizing smell, it was bound that monsters and animals would attack for it.

“Wait a second. How did you know this wasn't the first attack we suffered? Were you following us?!”

Instead of answering Paimon, the stranger stares at you for some time. You decided that there will be no better time for introductions than now. So that’s what you do.

“Sana from Sumeru.” It's her response, “Do you want me to escort you to the city? Travelers like you have less chance of arriving there in one piece without a local.”

Well, it would certainly help. You look at Paimon who is glaring at Sana.

“Or you could continue this wrong way and end up dying of thirst and hunger. It's not much of a problem for me anyway.”

You aren’t sure if Sana was joking.

“Ugh. Paimon doesn't like this, but we should follow her to Sumeru. When we arrive we will part ways right away! Delicious chicken wasted like that, so heartless…”

“Stop crying over food. Or do you want me to bury you instead?”

You intervene, saying that Paimon is emergency food now that there was no more Sweet Madame so there is no necessity to bury her.

“Stop saying that! It only makes Paimon angry now. It's not funny anymore!”

Ignoring the two of you, Sana starts to walk away. Quickly grabbing your stuff you run to stay close to her.

While following her, you ask about the five mora coins she grabbed earlier.

“What? It’s the payment for my escort. And from saving your butt back there. I don’t do things for free, sorry.”

She didn't sound apologetic at all. It has been some time since you met such a sardonic person. Even so, Sana doesn't appear to be a bad. To help someone in peril, there is no doubt the woman has some morals. Even if she's a bit rude about it.

“Since you are our guide now, can you tell us how to get to Sumeru? Or how the city is like?”

“I don't do small talk. And I'm not a travel guide. When escorting someone or a caravan, it's courteous on my part to keep my mouth shut. Paimon, right? Please try to understand my side.”

That made Paimon pout and get near you. In just one interaction Sana got to make your flying companion silent in their own volition. If that was not an achievement, it was impressive all the same. Most of the time Paimon speaks in your stead in dialogues.

So the trip goes like this:

Paimon talks and complains about Sana to you while the escort ignores and keeps her attention on the environment.

“Quiet, someone is here.” Is the order out of nowhere from Sana. It makes your friend shut up and glance around wary.

Using your elemental vision it is easier to see a thin trail left behind by something. For you it could be a rock slime or a lizard, but Sana’s head keeps turning. Almost like she is trying to hear something.

“Found you.” Is the warning, before the archer uses her elemental ability. Yellow vines surge from underground, pulling a man immobilized from it. Thorns make him grunt in pain as they dig his dark skin. A faint green glow on his clothes suggests him to be another dendro user.

“Wow, Deron! It’s been so long since we last saw each other.” Sana smirk and approached this Deron man. A cold breeze makes your hair stand on its end.

“Sana. You bitch!”

“Hahaha! Always the gentleman.” Her green ponytail danced with her outburst of laughter. “Say, are you here only to greet me?”

Deron doesn’t answer. His death glare to Sana didn't flinch.

“Deron, you empty headed child. Not answering is a type of answer. Who sent you?” She put a hand inside his tunic while asking, some blood getting on her tanned skin. A small bag of mora is the only sound breaking the silence.

After looking inside it, Sana gives it to you. Seeing how the men didn't speak, your escort sigh. She also takes his dendro vision, putting it in a hidden pocket on her trousers.

“You were always a pain for me. Why would it be different now? Well, it was nice seeing you again Deron.”

Taking his knife, Sana cut deep in his throat faster than anyone could blink. The sound Deron makes before dying is chilling to the bone.

When she turns to you again, Paimon hides behind you shaking in fear. You want to ask so many things, but nothing comes out when opening your mouth. She notices it nonetheless.

“Ah, him? Was an old friend from my last workplace. Wow, how time flies.” Her thumb point back to the body. The little splashes of blood on her face making her intimidating to look at.

After cleaning her hands, Sana grabs Deron’s purse from you again. A smile appearing on her serious expression.

“Heavy. I’d say… someone with power is after you already. What a great Welcome from Sumeru.”

[minmotl]

Chapter 53: Sui Zhou Saves A Kidnapped Tang Fan; Tang Fan Drools on Sui Zhou’s Back

Context: Wang Zhi enlists Ah Dong to help him out on the missing children’s case, but gets kidnapped. Tang Fan is kidnapped too when he goes to find Ah Dong, and while he is being held captive, the two leaders of the Nan Cheng Bang (Southern City Gang) who kidnapped him are fighting over whether to leave him to be used or just kill him. In the ensuing power struggle between these two leaders, Tang Fan tries to escape with nothing but the skin on his back and rescue the missing children as well. 

Just as he’s about to be caught and killed, the cavalry finally arrives.

Introduction Post | Masterpost

—

Highlights under the cut

Tang Fan has been doing his best to waste time, but Sui Zhou and the rest of them fail to show themselves time after time, so even if he has a hundred tricks under his sleeves, they are futile against someone with real skills.

Feeling entirely helpless, Tang Fan knows that he cannot outrun his opponent. Resigning himself to his fatal fate, he ends up closing his eyes and waits for death without struggle.

After a few breaths however, when the steel sword that is supposed to deliver the final blow to his head fails to land and the expected pain does not come, in its place the sound of weapons clashing echo in his ears. He cannot help but open his eyes again, only to find that the situation before him has already changed completely!

The two buff men who were about to slash him to death collapse; one of them has a xiu chun blade stuck in his back, while the other one has an arrow embedded into his head. Other arrows fly towards the horses and land on other bodies. The herd of horses, frightened and hurt, throw their riders onto the ground.

Deng Xiu Cai is both furious and stunned, immediately shouting to his men, “Hurry and run!”

However, it’s obvious that he is already half a step too late, and from the forests in front of them, four figures descend and rush towards Deng Xiu Cai and his men. A closer look shows that it is indeed Sui Zhou and the others!

Sui Zhou’s hands are empty, and it is not difficult to see that it was he who threw out his xiu chun blade, ending the life of one of the men who was about to kill him.

Tang Fan hollers, “Your blade is here!”

He pulls the xiu chun blade out from the dead man’s back and uncaring of the  blood splattering on his body, he flings the blade towards Sui Zhou. Sui Zhou leaps up beautifully and catches the blade in mid-air steadily, and with a backhand, he injures another bandit.

Deng Xiu Cai’s henchmen are not weak either, and especially that handful of his most trusted men, their skills are spoken for. Even at their best, with only Sui Zhou and his men’s return, they manage to get rid of several of Deng Xiu Cai’s men, but this is not enough to send them into panic.

The real factor that has turned the situation around is the cavalry that Wang Zhi has brought with him!

The arrows from before were all shot from the hands of Western Depot’s men.

As Wang Zhi approached from the distance with his army of men earlier, he first shot a first wave of arrows to assert his dominance in the fight, and then entering the battle after, this made it seem as if Sui Zhou had divine support. And it is this that has put pressure on Deng Xiu Cai and the rest.

Both sides fall into battle and it is only a matter of time before the winner and loser emerge.

However, Tang Fan is filled with trepidation - taking advantage of Deng Xiu Cai’s inattention, he runs towards the horse carriage that is filled with the children, because if he’s one step late, these children may be used by the panicking Nan Cheng Bang members as hostages.

The partition to the carriage is lifted at a corner and he sees that Ah Dong, who was supposed to be restrained and tied up, is crouched there looking outside. She is also hiding a few heads behind her as the children clutch at the corners of her clothes tightly, their expressions filled with fear. The only reason why they can move freely now is precisely because the broken ceramic piece that Tang Fan left Ah Dong has been useful. Ah Dong freed herself in the chaos, and then helped her little companions to get loose too.

This has definitely saved him some time and Tang Fan, delighted, runs over to the side of the carriage, taking Ah Dong and the other children one by one and putting them down on the ground. Then, he gets Ah Dong to bring the children to the huge rock on the side and hide behind, telling them that unless all the evil men are dead, they should not come out.

It is as he’s sombrely relaying his instructions when Sui Zhou yells, “Run Qing, move aside!”

Tang Fan’s head snaps around hard, and that is when he sees Deng Xiu Cai rushing towards him with a steel blade dripping in blood in hand. His face is twisted from insanity, his murderous intent plain to see. He is obviously reluctant to just give up despite the battle’s sudden turn of events which have led to his defeat, and intends to grab some of these children as hostages.

Although it was only but a slight moment when things changed, Deng Xiu Cai’s mind is extremely lucid, even though he looks as if he’s descended into insanity. He knows that catching Tang Fan as a hostage is useless as the man is only a minor official, and thus his efforts would be futile. Since Tang Fan is useless and can be given up on at any time, if Deng Xiu Cai is to find a hostage, his best bet would be to grab the two children of those two major officials. The two children are the real targets and the reason why the courts have chased the gang relentlessly. Deng Xiu Cai will truly be safe only if he catches both of them.

How would Tang Fan not know what he is thinking - Once Zhu Yong’s daughter lands into Deng Xiu Cai’s hands, no one will be able to stop him then, so without thinking about it, he does not hide to the side, but instead rushes at Deng Xiu Cai!

This action may seem foolish to bystanders who are not involved in the matter, because Tang Fan himself does not know the slightest bit of martial arts and is a normal person from head to toe. Moreover, he neither has any weapons in hand nor the ability to confront Deng Xiu Cai. This move of his is futile.

And yet, Tang Fan rushed at Deng Xiu Cai anyway. In that fraction of a moment, he does not move without reason, nor does he pretend - all he does is act out of unconscious instinct. In Tang Fan’s eyes, he does not think that he is of higher rank than the children just because he is an official, but it is precisely because he is an official, that all the more he should step up and protect the common people.

Fool!

Big fool!

A huge, huge fool!

Wang Zhi naturally sees this moment. He is a distance away and so is entirely unable to stop Deng Xiu Cai’s knife from approaching Tang Fan, and so he can only watch, while scolding Tang Fan loudly.

Sui Zhou is closer and originally, he would not have been able to make it, but he still intends to try with all his might, so he does not start yelling like Wang-gonggong and instead quickens his pace. Swift as lightning, as if he was just a black shadow, Sui Zhou lunges towards Deng Xiu Cai with his xiu chun blade in hand.

Unexpectedly, however, just as Deng Xiu Cai is about to strike at Tang Fan, Tang Fan suddenly grabs at something in his hold, and aggressively attacks Deng Xiu Cai with it. The object is black and there seems to be a few pieces of it. It resembles a concealed weapon, is very sharp and there seems to be some substance coated over it.

… could it be a concealed poisonous weapon?

Deng Xiu Cai’s face loses all its colour and the blade in his hands dances as he moves to protect his own body fully, only to hear the crisp sounds of that object being struck away, part of it shattering into pieces and dropping onto the ground. Deng Xiu Cai takes a look, and that anger he feels then!

What concealed weapon, it is clearly just a few broken pieces of a porcelain bowl! And the areas that looked like they were covered in poison, are simply the bowl’s blue patterns on its exterior! 

At that moment, Deng Xiu Cai wants to cut Tang Fan up into pieces. However, a moment can change everything on the battlefield, and the few short seconds that Tang Fan earned with throwing out the bowl pieces is sufficient for Sui Zhou to arrive!

With immeasurable force, the xiu chun blade is driven towards Deng Xiu Cai with killing intent. The man has no choice but to turn away and deal with Sui Zhou with gritted teeth. His opportunity has vanished in a flash - with Tang Fan’s interference, Deng Xiu Cai has lost the best chance he had to take the children as hostage.

Shortly after, the Embroidered Uniform Guards follow, and so do the men from the Western Depot. Everyone knows that Deng Xiu Cai is the mastermind behind today’s events, so if they catch him, it would be a huge accomplishment.

The other culprits are caught and restrained one after the other, and this frees up some of the guards and Western Depot’s men who were dealing with them. They rush like a swarm of bees and have Deng Xiu Cai surrounded. Deng Xiu Cai’s defeat is set in stone - it is only a matter of time.

Tang Fan, who has managed to escape from the threat of a blade and survived, finally heaves a sigh of relief. After the fear of that moment, his body goes soft entirely and he simply sits on the ground.

“Da-ge, are you okay?” Ah Dong runs over to help him up.

“I’m fine,” he says wearily.

“Da-ge, you’re bleeding!” Ah Dong points at his neck.

Tang Fan touches at his neck and indeed there is a fine, thin trail of blood. He was probably in the line of fire when Deng Xiu Cai parried against the flying porcelain pieces and sent them flying again.

Ah Dong retrieves a handkerchief and gives it to him. This is the prize that Tang Fan won earlier at a game of riddles from the mid-autumn festival celebrations. At that time, Ah Dong had a pile of items in hand and just handkerchiefs alone she had three pieces. When would she use them, if not now?

Tang Fan casually presses the handkerchief over his neck, and caressing at her head, he says, “Go take care of those little brothers and sisters, don’t let them run around.”

Ah Dong agrees, and turns around to leave.

Then, from behind Tang Fan, a snort is heard, “How pathetic!”

He doesn’t even have to turn around to know who it is.

“Why did Wang-gonggong not head over to help, and is relaxing here instead?”

Wang Zhi replies, “The result of this battle has been set. As long as the case is solved, the credit comes to me, so why should I personally involve myself?”

Tang Fan says, “Didn’t you go in the direction of that state route, how did you get here so quickly?”

“That time, after you went into the small roads, I turned back to the official’s post and found some horses, then sent out two batches of men and got them to go around both state routes to give chase, and then came over here to find you. The journey in between, going and returning, and then having to find horses, this wasted quite a bit of time, otherwise I wouldn’t have only turned up now. Those Embroidered Uniform Guards are truly useless. If it was the Western Depot going this route, we would have defeated this bunch of clowns much earlier, not to mention preventing you from landing in the hands of these bandits!”

Tang Fan sighs, but it looks as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, “Who is to blame? I told you earlier that we should take this route, but you refused to believe me and wasted so much time! We already caught a Nan Cheng Bang member earlier, but who knew he still had a knife on him and severed two fingers, then deceived us. Sui Zhou and the rest, there were only four of them, and fearing that they would not have enough men, all they could do was focus on chasing their way up the mountains. Your arrival was timely and these bandits are on the brink of death, otherwise I figure I would have to die here as well!”

He continues, “The reason why Deng Xiu Cai and the rest of them came out of the cellar in the ground is because Nan Cheng Bang has a stockaded village up ahead on the mountains and they can head towards there to temporarily wait for danger to pass. When you take them back later, remember to ask for the exact location. It will be best to eliminate the village entirely as well. Also, Deng Xiu Cai’s small number of men does not fully make up Nan Cheng Bang’s full extent of power. There must be some other connections in various points of the city. I would like to request that Wang-gonggong roots our all sources of evil and eliminate their operations entirely.”

Wang Zhi’s brows furrow and it is obvious that he is unwilling to go the extra mile, because in his eyes, his mission is complete now that they have successfully found the children.

Tang Fan happens to turn his head at the same time and seeing Wang Zhi’s expression, he too knows what the man is thinking of, and says, “Nan Cheng Bang has connections to the White Lotus Sect.”

Wang Zhi freezes, “Is that for real?”

Tang Fan nods, “That’s what I heard for myself in the basement. The Nan Cheng Bang is only a faction under the White Lotus Sect, and is also one of the sect’s sources of funds, but because Deng Xiu Cai was reluctant to take orders from others, there was an internal disagreement between him and the sect’s head ambassador and this led to her death. After you catch Deng Xiu Cai, you can try searching him, there should be a White Lotus Sect token on him.”

Li Zilong’s demonic ways once made members of the palace fearful, and after investigations proved that he is connected to the White Lotus Sect, whenever these three words are officially placed in front of others, people have no choice but to take it seriously.

It is a pity that in these two years, even with the Embroidered Uniform Guards, Eastern and Western Depots investigating secretly, not much progress has been had. This organization is hidden too deep, so much so that even Wang Zhi and his men are unable to see anything amiss and can only catch some small fry to deal with this.

Now that the link between the Nan Cheng Bang and the White Lotus Sect has surfaced, Tang Fan does not need to say more; even the Jing city’s underworld leaders such as Boss Lai and Six Fingers Li, Wang Zhi and his men will naturally investigate them as well.

In the span of their conversation, despite Deng Xiu Cai’s extraordinary martial arts skills, he is still unable to overcome his opponent’s advantage in numbers, and is finally caught.

Not counting those who were shot dead from indiscriminately flying arrows and those who were killed in the battle, there are seven people alive, including Nan Cheng Bang’s second and third in-charge. More importantly, Zhu Yong’s young daughter, Official Geng’s grandson and the other children are unhurt, only shocked.

After powering through the night, even though their meritorious contribution lies before their eyes, no one has the energy to celebrate with everyone’s deep exhaustion showing on their faces. If this is the case for those who are trained in martial arts, then for a normal person like Tang Fan, his various experiences of near-death is truly way above his pay grade.

The horse carriage that Deng Xiu Cai and his men prepared to transport the children with is still being used for the same purpose, the only difference being the destination and direction.

Tang-daren, immensely exhausted and sporting injuries from head to toe, also cannot be bothered to ride on a horse alone. Afraid of dozing off halfway and falling off, Tang Fan shares a ride with Sui Zhou directly.

Everyone is tired and the horses’ pace is not quick either, and coupled with the uneven roads, Tang Fan who is sitting behind Sui Zhou, dozes off under this rhythm and his drool even drenches Sui Zhou’s back.

Sui-qianhu looks towards the sky, speechless.

===

Notes:

*绣春刀 xiu chun dao

A special blade that only Embroidered Uniform Guards are given.

*风紧扯呼 feng jin chi hu

This is described as 黑话 (hei hua), and literally translated means black/dark words. These are code words frequently used between thieves and bandits, and means to hurry and run/escape.

*南城帮 nan cheng bang

Literally translated it means Southern City Gang, but I left it as Nan Cheng Bang because it sounds better XD Although ‘bang’… I’m not sure if that sounds better.

*以卵击石 yi luan ji shi

Metaphoric idiom, literally meaning to strike at a rock with eggs. This is used to describe taking on an opponent or challenge with useless weapons/attacks.

*官道 guan dao

I don’t have a much better translation for this except for state roads, or literally translated, this would mean a channel (route) used by officials. A search translated this as ‘state highway’, but I left it as state route instead.

*拿着卖白菜的钱，干着卖小命的活 na zhe mai bai cai de qian, gan zhe mai xiao ming the huo

Literally means to be paid very little (the amount you would pay to buy some cabbage) to do work that will lead to your death. In Tang Fan’s case, it means that he’s being paid peanuts (if at all) to put his life on the line for the case.

*千户 qian hu

There are four ranks within the Embroidered Uniform Guards - 千户 (qian hu)、百户 (bai hu)、总旗 (zong qi)、小旗 (xiao qi) arranged highest to smallest rank, aside from the Commander 统领官 (zong ling guan).

[cakers-2000]

~Little Nuisance~ (Akutagawa X Fem!Reader)

I’ll hopefully have Dazai finished tomorrow, for now have some of the salty bean Akutagawa!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And who are you?"

You smiled nervously at the man who towered above you. His face was cold and devoid of any emotion but pure anger. What was his problem?

"Uh, I'm (Y/N). I'm supposed to meet Mori in his office... Do you know where he's located?"

"Mori?" His face contorted in displeasure and before you could even process it a black shadow like figure surrounded by red shot out towards you, the end sharpened and aimed directly at your throat. "What's your business with the boss?"

"I-I-"

"Akutagawa you bastard!"

There was a loud crunching sound and a chair flew straight towards the man you now knew as Akutagawa's face. The black shadow shot upwards and tore the chair to pieces, effectively protecting him from any harm. He turned around, seeming to recognize the voice as you knew it as well.

Chuuya was charging forward, eyes blazing with anger aimed directly towards the other man. You knew how Chuuya could be sometimes so out of fear, without really thinking you jumped in front of Akutagawa, protecting him from the shorter boys wrath. Akutagawa was surprised at your actions, but hid it well.

It took all of Chuuyas strength to plant his feet on the ground and stop himself from charging headfirst into you. He stopped just inches away from you and Akutagawa, the angry look still in his eyes.

"What the hell do you think you were doing bastard!? You could've killed her!"

"I'm sorry, do you two know each other? I don't have the time for your trivial shenanigans at the moment Chuuya."

"Huh!? Why you-" You gave Chuuya a warning glance and he let out a long, shaky breath as he tried to contain his rage.

"Akutagawa, she's my... sister."

"Sister..." He didn't seem to truly believe the other boys words but didn't argue against it, continuing instead to annoy him. "I thought I recognized that awful attitude." He locked eyes with your own and scoffed. "Why is she here? You know the boss's rules."

"She's a new recruit." Chuuya spoke through gritted teeth and you let out a small, practically inaudible sigh. Why did he have to make such a big fuss about everything?

You listened to the two boys fight for a little while before your eyes fell to the clock hanging above the doorway behind Chuuya.

"Huh? You bastard I'm half the man he-"

He stopped mid sentence as he felt your hand gently grab onto his coat and pull to grab his attention. He turned slightly to face you and you pointed up at the clock. "We're late."

"Shit you're right."

His shoulders drooped, not looking forward to the task at hand. "Alright let's go."

He turned away from the other man who stiffened slightly but still held his cool composure.

"It was nice meeting you, uh..."

You stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds before he broke it with a sigh and averted his eyes from your gaze. "Akutagawa."

"(Y/N) let's go."

Chuuyas voice was harsh and you laughed nervously as you scrambled after him. "Coming!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So I see you've already met each other. How wonderful."

You glanced beside you, unable to take your eyes off of the familiar black and white haired man. He was standing at attention, his eyes glued to Mori who sat at his regular spot behind his desk. Chuuya on the other hand was standing directly next to him, his arms crossed over his chest as he gave the two of you a disapproving look. You were nervous. You hadn't even been in the Port Mafia a month, were you already in trouble?

"Um, Mori-Uh no, boss, sorry," You rubbed the back of your neck shyly and Mori slightly laughed but gestured for you to continue. "Boss, why are we here?"

"Ah, you're just like Chuuya here aren't you? You won't even humor me for a few minutes..." He held a pout on his lips and you watched Chuuya roll his eyes. "I've brought you here because we're making a slight adjustment to your... schedule."

You narrowed your eyes at him, unsure of his plans. "What do you mean by that?"

"Chuuya here has quite a lot on his plate as of late so we've come to the decision that you will no longer be placed under his supervision."

"So then what now?"

Mori leaned back in his chair, resting his leg on his knee and clasped his hands together. "While it did take some convincing Chuuya and I have decided it would be best if you were transferred under Akutagawa's supervision." (One quick look at Chuuyas face told you that he was, in fact, not convinced in the slightest).

"What!?"

Both you and Akutagawa shouted out in disbelief at the same time, which only made Mori laugh once again.

"Calm down now you two. Akutagawa all you have to do is show her the ropes. Whenever you leave this building I want her with you."

Akutagawa let out a 'tsk' but didn't argue against him. "Yes sir."

Mori fixed his gaze on you and you tried your hardest to stand at attention (though truth be told you were extremely bummed out). "And (Y/N), all you have to do is listen. You'll be learning the same things you learned with Chuuya, all I ask is you show Akutagawa the same respect."

"Of course boss..."

"Great! I'm glad we all see eye to eye." He held his hand out towards Chuuya and the smaller boy reached into his pants pockets and dragged out a folded piece of paper. "Akutagawa." He stepped closer to Mori who handed him the paper before shooing him with his hand. "Get going now."

With nothing left to say Akutagawa turned on his heels and stalked out of the room. You shared a glance with Chuuya before rushing after the boy who hadn't even bothered to wait for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sooooo where are we going?"

Akutagawa coughed into his hand and said nothing. You were currently walking down a narrow alleyway and he had said nothing to you since you first left Mori's office nearly two hours ago.

"Akutagawa-"

The boy quickly came to a halt and you had to grind your feet in the ground to stop yourself from colliding into him.

"Aku-"

"Be quiet."

"Excuse me!? I-"

You were abruptly interrupted by a loud banging sound behind you. You turned to face the noise but were met face to face with a man charging straight towards you with a metal rod held above his head. You didn't have the time to move out of the way and so you fruitlessly covered your head with your hands and waited for the impact.

Instead there was a loud shout behind you.

"Rashomon."

And the black shadow figure that he had used against you the day you met shot out from his side, slicing through the man with ease. You stared in complete and utter shock. This was what Chuuya meant when he said he could've killed you. This man really could if he wanted too. He let out a small sigh and turned away from you, continuing on down the alleyway.

"We're almost there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Intruders! Barricade the entrance! Don't let him in!"

The men had just managed to barricade the door closed and lock it tightly when a black figure punctured a hole through the steel and Akutagawa stepped through, his gaze fixated on the man standing on the railing above the rest.

"Wh-Who are you!? How did you break our door down!?"

"Are you Roxas?"

The man let out a 'tsk' noise and slowly backed further from the boy. "What's it to you?"

Rashomon shot out towards the man, the jaws of the creature grabbed hold of the man's lavish coat and dragged him down to your level before slamming him into the wall. It held him in place while Akutagawa slowly moved forward and you followed after.

His men stood in an uncomfortable silence, none willing to challenge the man that had their boss cornered. All except for one. He had quietly dragged a knife out of his coat pocket and was charging straight towards Akutagawa who had at this point made his way over to the man and was holding him to the wall by his shirt collar.

"Akutagawa look out!"

You grabbed the gun from your side which had been given to you by Mori and pulled the trigger, slightly flinching backwards as the loud bang reverberated throughout the warehouse building you were trapped in.

Akutagawa had turned to face you, confusion evident on his features though it turned to one of slight amusement once he saw the man writhing in pain on the ground, a bullet in his shoulder and your shocked facial expressions. He dropped the man to the ground, watching as he curled into a cowardly ball and strutted back towards you.

"So you do have some fight in you."

"I-I didn't know what else to do..."

He let out a humm noise and turned his head away from you, though you swore you could see the small trace of a smile. "I have to admit, I didn't think you had it in you."

He had no idea what he was smiling about. Or why he had even approached you to begin with. He couldn't even explain his own feelings. He glanced in your direction, a smile on your face as you were nearly jumping in your spot with pride. He felt a momentary surge of emotion welling up inside of him, but it turned to dread the second he heard the sound of a gun being cocked right behind his head.

"You're Akutagawa huh? The Port Mafias dog?" The man let out a cocky laugh and smirked. "I should've figured they'd send you." He pressed the cool metal right onto his head and Akutagawa's scowl only worsened. "I'm gonna finish you off right here and now." His eyes fell to your form, the look of pride no longer there and your gun dropped to the ground in fear, in fear that this man would hurt him. "I'll leave your girlfriend here alive to deliver a little message. It would be wise for the Port Mafia to leave me and my men alone."

His finger slowly pressed on the trigger but before he could fully press onto it Rashomon shot outwards and sliced straight through the man's body. He turned back to face the mangled corpse of the man, a scowl on his features.

"And Mori had said to bring him back alive..." He let out a long sigh and shook his head before turning back to face you. "We'll just have to tell him there was a change of plans."

He walked past you but you stood still, staring at him in awe. How could he be so calm?

He turned back to face you, eyebrow raised as you continued to do nothing but stare. His words snapped you out of your trance.

"Let's get going."

You nodded and rushed over, walking side by side out the door.

The last thing you heard was the loud screaming of the men behind you as Akutagawa's Rashomon tore them to bits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Akutagawa that was so cool!"

Your eyes were lit up in pure amazement as you walked next to the boy back towards the Port Mafia base. He stared over at you in disbelief though a small smile forming on his lips thanks to your words of praise.

"Was it?"

"Well yeah! You destroyed those guys! All it took was one hit from your demon thing and they were down and out!"

He laughed slightly at your enthusiasm though he tried to cover it and play it off like a cough. "It's called Rashomon."

"Well whatever you call it, I thought it was awesome."

You smiled brightly up at him and he tried to cover his face with his hand as he continued to cough though it was futile as you could still see the small hint of red on his cheeks.

Akutagawa... blushing? Was that even possible?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Akutagawa! Welcome back!"

He smiled as he heard your shout from his living room. He shook his head slowly as he closed the front door behind him. This was nothing new. You always showed up at his place, no matter what time of day. He turned around and spotted you walking towards him, arms outstretched and ready to hug him. He rolled his eyes but hugged you back, enjoying the warmth of your embrace.

"I missed you."

He had been gone for longer than usual this time and he had to admit, he felt the same, though he would never admit that. "You're so needy."

You stayed in peaceful silence for a while, knowing that he was only teasing.

That is until he sighed and gently pushed you away from him. "(Y/N), I have to ask you something."

You looked up at him, head slightly tilted in confusion and he smiled warmly at you, a very rare occurrence. "I want you to date me."

You laughed at his poor choice in wording and shook your head. "Are you asking me, or demanding I be your girlfriend?"

He laughed as well and placed his face in front of yours, so close your noses were touching and you thought your heart was going to leap right out of your chest. "I won't take no as an answer."

"You know Chuuya won't be very happy."

"I don't care."

You laughed even more at him and nuzzled his nose with your own. "If you say so... We'll give it a try."

With one quick motion, out of pure joy, he placed a sweet kiss on your lips. His kiss was rather rough, as if he truly was inexperienced but you didn't mind. When he finally let you pull away from him, out of breath but smiling brightly you couldn't help but giggle.

"Geesh Akutagawa, give me some breathing room."

"Sorry..." You could spot the blush creeping onto his cheeks and you reached up to pinch him.

"You're so cuuuute."

He frowned, the color only worsening. "I am not."

"Are too."

And thus began your roller coaster of a relationship. You had to admit, Akutagawa could be a handful, but you loved him all the same and you would put in the time and effort to show him the beauty of what life and love had to offer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@redflannel​

[elliethesuperfruitlover]

Sensual Soliloquies

A/N: This is the first time in a couple years that I’ve attempted writing any type of fanfiction, let alone smut. This is going to be extremely detailed as well, so try not to cream yourselves too early. I give the credit for the Klaus traveling in time shit to @badsext because of her Klaus x Nathan fic. Go read it, it’s quite lovely.

Warnings: smoking, detailed sexual actions, probably some cussing here or there, unprotected sex (wrap it up before you back it up), and threesome I guess if that counts

 “Klaus, where the fuck are we?” you ask him, confused to no end.

“Um, Berlin, Germany. Some time in the far future, and the apocalypse of 2019 either happened and didn’t fuck anything up, or just didn’t happen.”

  Klaus touched another fucking suitcase (he told you about the previous time, and the previous heartbreak) and somehow ended up transporting the both of you to Berlin. Everything around you is very neon, and drone-like machines fly by, carrying what seem to be food boxes. You two landed in an alleyway of what seemed to be a bigger building. There was an old fashioned looking car, and a concrete overhang type place. The “Only Employee” door gave off the vibe that you weren’t supposed to be there. Well, to be frank, you weren’t even supposed to be in that year.

“This place might be a strip club or a hooker joint.” Klaus points out, closing his eyes, deeply sighing.

“What makes you think that?” you ask, curious as to where he got that outlandish idea from. (Honestly it’s not the most outward idea he’s come up with since you’d met him.)

  He points to the window, where there seemed to be a naked robot with exaggerated female features dancing on a pole. Through the window, there’s also people, presumably strippers, dancing on tables, shaking ass, getting handed money. It turns you on just a bit, because something about cellulite being pushed against tight clothing got you going. That thought process, however, got pushed aside when a person walked through the employee door, outside. They were alone. The person looked somewhat like Klaus for some odd reason, mostly in the face region. Blonde hair swooped into a low-grade emo fringe, what looked like plastic covered their forehead, a kimono with tassels, and a deconstructed suit vest with tight pants.

“Oh fuck, hide.” Klaus whispered as quiet as possible, prompting the both of you to dive behind the old car.

“The suitcase!” you thought, about to reach out to get it, but the person was already swaying their way towards you two. They, however, didn’t seem to notice you two, as they lit what looked to be a cigarette, and took a deep inhale.

  The position that you find yourselves in proves to be quite compromising. Literally and figuratively. You were pushed up against Klaus’ groin area, as you couldn’t be choosers when about to be possible prosecuted. He groans lightly, trying to adjust you off of him, but that proves to be quite stupid as the person stops mid drag and calls out.

“Who’s there?” You have half of a mind to answer, but Klaus was just a tad drunk so he squeaked lightly.

“What the fuck?” they yell, looking to the source of the sound, only to find you and Klaus huddled together behind the car. The person seemed to have a slight accent, German, you suspect, and a higher pitch to their voice. Although that might be due to the fact that they were scared out of their fucking mind to find two people, one who looked like them behind a goddamn car.

  The two of you come out from behind the car, like two children caught trying to steal candy. Klaus tries to put his hands in front of his crotch, as his bulge hadn’t faded yet. You were already willing to formulate the truth instead of a lie, it was Germany for fucks sake, and you didn’t know if they went back to the old ways.

“Please explain to me who the fuck you two are, why the fuck you’re hiding behind a car that isn’t yours, and why you have your hands in front of your pants, hon?” he says, nodding his cigarette over to Klaus, who blushes at those words.

“We-” Klaus starts, but he was drunk, and you didn’t want to cause any confusion.

“We come from the past, and the suitcase you saw on the ground is how we got here. It allows you to go to a specific place and time, typically to kill another person. Klaus, here, um, grabbed one in his stupor and here we are, in front of you. Might I ask, what year is it?” you said in one breath, about to be prepared to start running if this person had a hidden glock.

“It’s 2037 love. For starters, my name is Luba, I work at this strip joint here and as an escort, uh. Sorry, I’m just a little baffled, understandably. You know what, my shift ends in like 5 minutes, and my boss won’t mind if I leave early. How about I order some food for all of us because I can’t cook for shit, and we’ll talk over at my place. It doesn’t seem like you two planned anything ,so I’ll care for you two ‘til then.” he offers, looking at us with curiosity.

“That sounds good, but before that, could I please get a drag of that, might as well cross-fade in fucking Berlin. Maybe we’ll get Amsterdam next time.” Klaus asks, looking for approval.

  Luba obliges, and the two of them make shared eye contact, and hand contact, which ends up being lingering. Oh, the thoughts running through your head at that moment in time. Naughty, very naughty indeed. You just meet Luba though, and he might not even be into chicks. He goes back inside, and tells the two of you to meet him up front, and you travel there, and he shows up exactly when the two of you were about to dip out.

“Come on, my place is just a walk from here, it shouldn’t tire the two of you out too much.” he says, starting to walk in a direction. You two follow him, hungry, cold, and of course horny. 

  The moment you two arrive at Luba’s apartment, the feeling of hippy isn’t uncommon. There were tapestries on the walls, and potted plants decorated the shelves. There was even an old fashioned bong sitting on the table, and it looked clean for the most part. It seemed like a very cozy place, and the serenity was only bound to end. The two of you lurked around very lightly, taking in the fact that the Nazis didn’t find you. Luba presumably went to his room to set his kimono and keys down, then he came in, only to find you and Klaus wandering around his living room, trying to figure out the vintage things from the modern ones.

“Hey, um, what do you too want for dinner? We can talk over it, and it doesn't take too long to order since everything is air-delivered,” he said, in which Klaus mumbled whatever’s fine, and you nodded along. “Chinese it is,”Luba says, typing into a little machine, and opening his living room window for the bot to come through.

    The food couldn’t come soon enough because Klaus started to sweat and get the shakes, a clear symptom of his withdrawals. They’d been getting a little better, but ever since the cult fucked him over, he’d been drinking again. Plus, the 60’s were like the haven for every drug in existence. Klaus wanted to make sure he got the freshest Mary Jane whenever possible. You, on the other hand, tended to stay away from drugs, only drinking every now and then, and smoking weed only when you felt like it. It wasn’t a constant feeling, but sometimes it was stronger than others. All three of you made your ways to the kitchen, and looked out of the window until the bot announced itself, and dropped the food off on the coffee table with the bong on it.

“Thank god! Food’s here. Limes and cherries from cocktails only go so far y’know. And those peanuts, ugh, they’re stale and taste like sweat.” Luba says, ripping the box open on the kitchen island. The box contained what looked like non-cardboard containers filled with soup dumplings, lo mein noodles, a very small order of broccoli, crab rangoon, and a fuck garlic chicken. Luba pulled out a bottle of wine and some water in glasses.

  The lot of you dug in quickly, as you and Klaus hadn’t eaten in a good 8 hours, and Luba had only eaten a small breakfast that morning. Between bites, you and Klaus explained how you two got in Germany, and your lives before that. He mentioned the Umbrella Academy and his siblings, even mentioning their powers. He was truly comfortable around Luba, he didn’t even mention his siblings when he first met you. They both even mentioned the fact that they look very similar, even though they’re years apart. The meal was stretching to a close, but Luba asked a very compromising question.

“What about the two of you, huh? I’ve been trying to figure out, with the small amount of time that I’ve known you two. Are you two friends or fuck buddies, hmm?” he asks, a sly smirk on his face as he sultrily wipes his mouth, and sets his napkin on his plate, steepling his hands under his chin. These words caused a blush to dust across the both of your cheeks, and out of the corner of your eye, you see Klaus adjusting his bulge as well as he could.

“We’re lovers, but started off as friends.” you answered, leaning forward, letting your cleavage become slightly visible. Sticking your ass out just enough to get Klaus riled up from beside you.

  Luba nods in acknowledgement, then also adjusts himself from what you can see. You all put your plates away, making quick work of rinsing them, then placing them in the deep sink. Luba moves to the living room, sitting on his couch and spreading his legs just enough to make his bulge visible in those oh-so tight pants. You both sit on the side of him, trying to edge those naughty thoughts from your heads.

“So, are we gonna fuck or what?” Luba asks casually, looking between the two of you, glancing at your lips and Klaus’ little problem.

“Yeah, why not. When in Berlin, I guess.” you say, leaning across to catch Luba’s lips with your own, catching his braided hair with your hand. His lips are surprisingly soft, and his tongue fights for dominance with your own, slowly becoming more of a stalemate, settling for pleasure.

   You move into Luba’s lap, softly grinding against him to take the edge off of the simmering pleasure in your lower abdomen. Klaus turns the two of you lightly, only so he could catch Luba’s neck, gently kissing and nibbling it, leaving red marks in his wake. He licks the prominent carotid vein in his neck, biting it to draw a high moan out of Luba, causing him to draw away from the kiss to dust your neck with kisses, stopping at your collarbone to bite there, and to continue to grind against you, and Klaus pushes up against the blonde haired individual, trying to rub his dick slowly against the rough material of Luba’s vest.

“We should move somewhere more….accomodating for three people, some would say.” Klaus says, breathing lightly on Luba’s neck, licking along the length of his earlobe. You shudder at the ending of your session, but oblige, knowing that Klaus could get a little squirmy when he was being pleasured substantially.

  The bedroom is somewhat different from the couch..or should I say love seat. You sit on the bed making out with Luba, but Klaus is sitting on the edge of the bed, sneaking a hand behind his navy blue bell bottoms, and slowly rubbing himself to get that constant source of endorphins moving. You moan lightly at the sensation of Luba rubbing himself against you, giving you just the lightest of clitoral stimulation. Wet smacks fill the air as you move down Luba’s form, biting at his smooth chest, and he moans beautifully next to your ear, giving it a nice bite to punctuate his gyrations against your pelvis. He pulls away from you just long enough to catch Klaus about to cum, only to stop him in his tracks.

“Don’t you fucking dare, I haven’t even sucked you off yet.” Luba says, making his way over to him.

  Klaus sheepishly stands up with his prominent boner not being even close to hidden in those pants of his. You take your pants off on the bed, along with your shirt, and slip a hand into your panties, getting ready to enjoy what was about to be placed in front of you. Luba lands a kiss on Klaus’ lips, gropes his ass once, then kisses the loathed bulge put before him. He pulls Klaus' pants down, just so he can see his project, then gets to work. Luba takes Klaus’ cock entirely, balls in all and moans around the length, Klaus replying in earnest. He pops off of Klaus’ balls, focusing on the head of his dick. He gives little kitten licks to the tip, making prolonged eye contact with Klaus. He takes him inch by inch, savoring every little bit of his dick that he could get his plump lips on. You also saw Luba’s tongue making work of the vein showing on the underside of Klaus’ dick.

   Luba reached his hands around and groped Klaus’ ass, kneading it between his hands, paying special attention to it. All while looking at Klaus with the biggest, brightest doe eyes the world did see. His emerald pierced the identical ones Klaus owned, sending him into a fit of moans and whimpers. He starts bobbing his head around the length, hollowing his cheeks to get that perfect feeling Klaus wanted deeply. He pulled off with a delicious pop , Klaus giving one last perfect moan from his lips. You’d been touching yourself heavily, not yet letting the slick fingers fully penetrate your hole. Just barely getting there. Luba strips himself clean, leaving his dick standing proudly against his flat stomach, small beads of precum falling from the tip, slowly making their way down to the base of his dick. Klaus also strips himself, moving over to where you were sitting on the bed, catching your lips between his own, then making quick work of your bra and panties.

  He catches each nipple between his mouth, suckling lightly on the buds. Luba also joins in on the fun, and starts slowly fingering Klaus’ asshole, drawing a low moan out of his busy lips. Klaus draws himself away from you, just long enough to also draw Luba away, who drags you on top of him. Klaus takes his spot behind you, jacking himself off lightly. You don’t know where this is heading, but it looks like it’s about to be beautifully seductive and erotic. Apparently condoms didn’t exist in the future, but that was the least of your worries. Luba sat patiently, waiting for you to slip onto his cock, hands ready to catch you if you fall.

  You slowly climbed onto Luba’s cock, stretching yourself deliciously, drawing a surprisingly strong moan from yourself. Luba’s dick is just about the same as Klaus’. It’s thicker than it is long, and light stubble covers his pelvic area. It’s not much pain, but lots of pleasure for you. Luba closed his eyes in pleasure, and lets out a loud grunt, putting his hands on your hips, grasping onto you. You slowly start to move on his length, moving up and down very slowly, then very quickly, as you’re used to Klaus being rough with you, and that’s what you took best.

And apparently so does Luba.

   He moans and yells underneath you, moving his hips up to meet yours at every interval you move. Your breasts bounce wonderfully to each movement, and whenever Luba opens his eyes, it’s all he can see. Every now and then, his eyes go to Klaus, who attacks your neck and jerks himself off to your pace with his near lookalike. As well as that, Luba likes to look at where your pussy and his dick meet, being the source of this delicious pleasure. Things start to get a little calm, but Klaus gets a very, very naughty idea. He leans into your ear and fucking dirty talks you while you’re riding Luba into the goddamned sunset.

“Fuck yeah, you like riding that cock huh? Oh, such a dirty fucking girl, getting me all riled up. Yeah, clench that sweet pussy of yours around his fucking cock. Feeling it reach deep into your fucking love tunnel, banging up against your womb. Such a fucking slut. You know you want that cum painting your insides.” he says into your ear, humping a pillow from Luba’s bed. He moans in deep pleasure, grunting and whimpering at the noises you make. Klaus reaches forward to grope your tits, harshly squeezing them so that you can feel each finger rubbing against that skin.

  Luba hears what’s going on, and it only brings him closer to his own orgasm. He moans louder now, confident in his ability to pleasure you. Him speeding up his own thrusts makes you clench your wet pussy around him, squeezing with all the might in your being. Klaus also speeds up his humping, and his words get dirtier and hornier. 

“Yeah, make him cum hard, just like you milk me whenever you can. He’ll be saying your name like a mantra when you’re done with him. Oh, good girl, riding him like a fucking champ. Don;t you feel him getting closer and closer while his dick gets harder, yeah? Want him to pump your fucking womb full of cum, yeah? Make you want more.” he says, reaching his own peak, moaning sensually in your ear as he releases onto his stomach and your back.

That action may have given you the best orgasm in the history of your sex life.

  You moan loudly and clench the hardest you’ve ever done so, sparking you to squirt messily all over Luba’s stomach. He cums after you, pumping you full of his cum. He covered his face when he came, and he moaned into oblivion. The three of you slowly recover from your orgasms, very slowly. Luba went to go fetch a wet washcloth, but not after kissing the both of you on the lips. You recover the slowest, and Klaus rubs your back as the aftershocks start rolling in. Luba cleans you up, and places his pillowcase in the wash. He also changes his sheets, but not after handing you a morning after pill, because in the early conversation over dinner that seemed so far away, you mentioned that you’d wanted kids much later in life.

  You three sleep soundly, cuddled up against each other for warmth. You feel like you’re on Cloud 9 with that day and it’d only go downhill from there.

Masterlist

[flying-nightwing]

Dark Fox (1/7)

Okay so I’m super excited about this one. It was supposed to be a one shot, but my head got carried away with the developpement of the story and I found the potential just too good not to bring further. So this is gonna be a multi parts, no idea how long yet.

This will not be exactly dark/gritty, but it will deal with existential struggle with identity and sense of justice (for reader, and indirectly for Jason as well). It’s my first time tapping into the questioning of the Self in a work of fiction, so I hope you enjoy exploring this topic with me.

Feedback is always appreciated!

Next 

Pairing: Jason Todd x League!reader

Word count: 3352

Warnings: Violence, swearing, death.

Summary: You’re torn in between your heart and your head, who you are and what you aren’t, right or wrong for yourself. The answer is so close you can taste it, but you can’t help but doubt. 

"They don't know what's coming for them"

You waited in the shadows, still and patient, watching the gang of thugs hyping themselves for their takeover. 

"No cops, no swat team, no fucking vigilante will be able to stop us!"

Cheers went around the group, their military grade firearms raised in the air. All the big fists of Kiev's underground criminal network were there, ready to storm the city. It had been a carefully crafted plan that had started with buying the right people, then diverting NATO's shipment to pro-america extremists to feed the anti-russian movement. Tonight was the night the final blow would strike, with a takeover.

"The city is ours, boys!" The leader shouted. "Take what's yours, and kill the rest!"

That was your cue. As they began running out of the warehouse, you dropped from the ceiling to block their path. You were alone, but the surprise made them all halt nonetheless. 

"Who the fuck are you?" 

Your eyes found the leader. "You are operating on a territory that is not yours, Dmitri Liyanov" You spoke through your mask, which was distorting your voice without making it any less clear. "Ra's Al Ghul is not pleased with your defiance"

He narrowed his eyes, then relaxed and laughed. "So he sent his little pet alone to confront me about it?" He mocked condescendingly, and with a hand gesture, all firepower in the room pointed to you. "In case you haven't noticed, you're outgunned"

You didn't move an inch, your eyes only trailed on the goon that had taken a step forward, ready to end you. You weren't worried, especially since you caught the movement of the fifteen other shadows silently dropping from the ceiling, unbeknownst to the forty or something goons all facing you.

"Alright boys, let's end this--"

"Oh, you don't wanna do that" A casual, laughing voice then echoed behind you. Your eyes widened in frustration as you recognized too well the intruder. Fuck. "The second you fire that gun, you have fifteen plus one super ninjas cutting you to pieces"

And with that, all hell broke loose. 

You threw a Shuriken in the thugs' throat and one that sticked into Liyanov's eye, before spinning around and blocking the oncoming dagger over your head with your forearm brace spikes. You paused there for a few seconds, glaring at the red mask looming over you.

Todd.

"Missed me?" The smirk could be heard in his voice. Of course he’s show up now.

You grabbed a blade in your belt and slashed forward, missing him by inches in his quick drawback. You hadn't expected fighting your equal tonight, but the thrill of a fair fight flared in your veins. The exchanges of hits was swift and graceful, like a river running down it's course. You barely grazed each other, as both of your training was sufficient to plan exactly the other's next move. The question was now about who would make the first mistake. 

He backed you up against a wall, you used the crates to propel you up and come down on him. He blocked your motion, you dropped the blade down in your left hand to attack his open side. But before it could reach him, a quick manoeuvre sent you over his shoulder. You recovered the fall with a roll and went at him again, but the movement of Liyanov trying to get up and run caught your eyes. It effectively distracted you, and before you knew it, Jason's foot collided violently with your stomach. 

It sent you flying back and rolling ungracefully on your stomach a few feet away. You heard a laugh as you groaned, slowly pushing yourself off the ground. You had forgotten the sheer power of his muscles when catching you off guard. You raised one knee as you caught your breath, glaring at Jason. There was laughter behind his eyes, but he wasn't the one making the sound. Your eyes slid over to Liyanov, who was watching the show.

"Seems like I have some people protecting my interests"

You raised your arm, fist pointed straight at him and shot a small barbed arrow straight to his hand. His laughter turned into screams of pain, but you tuned him out easily. Who's laughing now?

"I'm not done with you" You rasped at him, then pulled yourself up, feet apart and shoulders straight. You faced Jason, now angry and determined.

"Sweet upgrade" He whistled, nodding at your arm "And for the record, I was here to kill him too, but you're far more entertaining"

You didn't answer just yet, you only pulled your sword slowly out of the sheath on your back. You knew that you'd have to bring out the big guns against him.

"Oh I see" He hummed in amusement. "Drawing the sword, for old times' sake"

In a few seconds the metal of your weapons was clashing. It reminded you of all the sparring you did with him, when Talia sent you to him to train with him under Ra’s radar. It reminded you of the first time you had put Jason on his back when he was fresh out of the pit, and how he never could beat you with a sword. 

You were light on your feet, making sure that his wider range didn't get you into a leg sweep. He was trying to bring the fight to close range--closer than it could be possible with swords--so he would fall into the one type of combat he actually beat you at. But you could see his game and you refused to give in. 

You knew your strengths as well as his and there was no way you'd let the favor switch to him.

So when his long arms sneaked around and got you into a headlock, you threw all fairness out of the window and rose up your left forearm, shooting the same hidden crossbow you had used against Liyanov. Jason jumped back to avoid the arrow piercing through his jaw and was forced to let you go in the process.

"That's cheating" He tsked as you circled each other. You shot three more arrows, which he all dodged and broke mid air. "Really?"

"You're in my way" You only said, suppressing the emotion from your voice. You refused to admit you were holding back, and that you only wasted your small quiver because you knew none of them would hit him. But you still had a job to do, and not even him could stop you.

“Is that a warning?” He snorted. “Because you’ll have to do more than that to convince m- fuck”

You interrupted him with a distraction flash bang and took the moment to attack. He was quick enough to recover on time and block your blade before it slashed his arm, but not enough to have the upper hand in the fight. He was forced into a totally defensive stance as you left him no space to attack. You sped up your hits, so much that his helmet cracked and came flying off. The next moment, your blade swung at his neck--he closed his eyes when he understood your next move-- but came to a dry stop as it touched his skin. 

The world froze. There you both were, breathing heavily in the silence of the warehouse. He opened his eyes, like he knew you wouldn’t do it. Still, there was this glint in his eyes, like he dared you to finish your motion. 

“You could at least look at me directly” He muttered. “Unless you’re too afraid”

Slowly, you pulled off your mask, showing him your full face. It’s not like there was anybody around who didn’t know who you were under the black hood of the league, and for Liyanov, he wouldn’t leave this warehouse alive to tell on you. 

“You’ve changed” He remarked.

“So did you” You replied sternly. But he didn’t, not really. He was still handsome, and a distraction to your work. So you raised your sword, like you would swing down, but instead took his inattention to deliver a round kick at the exact same place he did to you. He flew backwards, and in the middle of his fall, you loaded a sedative dart in your forearm crossbow. You shot him in the neck, and by the time his back hit the ground, he was out. 

You watched him for a few more seconds before you turned away and walked to Liyanov. His left eye was now a red mess, no doubt it would have been lost had you let him live. His hand was still stuck to the wooden crate, and he was muttering incoherent things. Probably overwhelmed by the pain, you thought. He looked at you with his one good eye, silently pleading you to end him.

How easy it was to break a weak man’s spirit.

Without a word, you pressed the tip of your sword to his throat and pushed, then slowly pulled back out. You wiped the metal on the inside of your folded elbow and sheathed it back, watching Liyanov choke on his blood and die not so long after. You lifted your head and turned to your team. 

“Linadhhab” You ordered to your team as you slipped your mask back on, and left the scene.

----

You never talked.

Despite sharing a hut, meals and basically both of your personal space, words were rarely used in between you. He was always brooding, angry and miserable. And you? Well, you didn’t feel the need to speak unless it was to correct his form, or to tell him to do the work all over again. He hated you for that, and you hated that you were there because of him. You would have done anything for Talia, but you felt conflicted about betraying Ra’s. You knew this could happen when you agreed to become her right hand, but you didn’t expect for it to happen because of an unstable, revengeful boy she rescued. 

The rain was pouring nails over the mountain. It was cold and seeping through your clothes, yet still you were outside, circling Jason. There was fury in his eyes, directed at you, at the rain, at the world. Yet, he couldn’t control his swing. You had tried to teach him the art of Katana for days now, but he would always be too rash, to much in a hurry to end things. And the pit clearly didn’t help, giving him muscle strength he had not the discipline to control. 

“Again”

He leaped at you, and despite his enhanced speed, you saw his attack coming from miles away. You swatted him and sent him to a tree trunk, his sword falling out of his hands. He was both panting and shaking from the cold, or anger, or both. He slowly got back got his feet, jaw clenched and knuckles white.

“Again”

“Fuck you!” He exploded, walking toward you angrily. You stood your ground. “What’s the point of this, uh? Make me catch a fucking pneumonia?”

“You need to learn control” You simply said, and that made him even angrier. 

“I don’t need fucking control!” He yelled. “I’m strong enough to break your bones”

“Try”

He didn’t like the challenge, and even less when you side stepped all of his attacks. He was skilled, but he was getting tired and numb in the rain. And his rage made him way too predictable. You only pushed him when he tried to go for your neck, knowing a chokehold from him was the one thing you wouldn’t get out of.

“Fight back god dammit!” 

So you did. A few moves and you had him in checkmate, your blade on his neck. It didn’t stop the fuming in his eyes, nor the venom in his words.

“I know why you’re here” He croaked. “You’re stalling me. Talia is stalling me from getting justice for my death. Because that’s what you do, you hide behind a mask to hide the fact that you’re only glorified hitmen, and that you’re afraid to face your own incapacity to change a goddamn thing in the world”

You waited a second before drawing back your sword, your eyes never leaving his. 

“That’s enough for today”

You watched him retreat in frustration toward the hut up the tree, pondering over his words. It was the first time he had talked that much, and you’d be lying if it didn’t make you reflect on it more than you cared to admit.

-----

You never understood the need for luxury. 

The suite that had been reserved for your fake identity was way too spacious for comfort, and so full of things you didn't need. It only made it harder, more straining on you. Smaller spaces were easier to control and to securise, and you knew what to expect. nothing-- nobody could lurk when you were at sword range of everything. 

But unfortunately, your given identity was most of the time part of the higher class, as money could buy silence better than force. Nobody would dare look for a serial killer in a five star hotel, and if there was suspicions, it would be swept under the rug with any organized crime business the elite conducted. The cover was perfect, but it still made you restless.

As soon as you sneaked back in your room, you went straight to your suitcase and threw it on the bed. With a hiss, you peeled off your mask and league uniform, to reveal a red gash on your arm where Jason’s blade got you. You hadn’t noticed before a few minutes ago, when the adrenaline died down. You sighed and began cleaning it up, then applied a bandage to it. It wasn’t deep enough for it to need stitches, but you would still be careful.

Then, you sewed back up your sleeve. It had had other slashes that you could only see their patchwork from up close, sewn back with a large thread the exact same shade of the black leather. 

Next was your shower, to wash down the sweat and the grime and the dried blood. IT was the first one you had in a week, and your first hair wash in twice as much time. The undoing of your braids hurt, and you couldn’t wait to get under water You liked your showers burning hot, it made you feel alive. You had grown up in the desert, after all, and despite your exposure during your training, you hated the cold. You could barely stand it, as a matter of fact. But you’d never show this to Ra’s, it was a weakness which he would try to repress with more cold. 

The steam following you out of the shower clouded the bathroom. You reached for your night kimono and wrapped it around you, the black satin clinging to the dampness of your skin. You dried your hair with a towel and brushed your teeth before going back to the suite. There you folded your black league suit and carefully arranged your weapon on the table. You were almost done when the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, and a shiver went down your spine.

Half a second later, you felt his presence close behind you. Your head rose up slowly, yet you didn’t make another move. You simply waited as he did, listening to the almost inaudible sound of his breathing. You didn’t know if he had a weapon close by, and your hand was still at reaching distance from yours. And yet, there was no threat lingering in the air. It was almost… Comforting. 

And you wanted it to stop.

“After all this time…” Jason’s voice was a whisper, meant for you and only you. “All I get is an ass kicking and a sedative?”

It wasn’t angry, it wasn’t playful. It sounded disappointed, if anything. You felt a pang in your heart that was there no matter how hard you tried to push it away. You hadn’t seen him in years, and his sheer presence was already messing with your head. Why did he show up again?

“What else was I supposed to give you?” Your voice wasn’t much louder. His smell clouded your senses and you so wanted to give in, but you had to resist your instinct. It would be your downfall again if you did.

“You’re still angry” He stated, his fingers barely grazing the skin of your neck in a ghost of a caress. It gave you goosebumps, so much you had to close your eyes. His touch was always your weakness when it came to him. 

No matter how cold his skin would get.

“You’re the one who left” You turned your head to the side to catch a glimpse of him behind you. Your voice betrayed your own feelings as it hitched at the end. He moved in your field of vision, his hand gently trailing your neck to cup your cheek. You sighed and leaned in, despite your inner protests. 

“I had to go” He repeated the same thing he had told you three years ago. “You could have come with me. You didn’t have to--”

You didn’t have to stay with them, you completed for him in your head. You’ve had this argument already, and you were tired. 

“I did. Ra’s--Talia gave me everything” You replied. “The league is the only way. I must stay loyal”

“No you don’t” His face was closer to you know, so much you felt with breath on your lips. “They won’t help you, you know this inside. Come with me”

He knew your secrets, your goals, your drive; it was impossible to lie to him. You had opened yourself like a book to him, and now he had power over you. Over your feelings and your thoughts, and while your heart wished nothing more than to surrender, your head kept pulling you back. And for a moment, you did. You pressed your lips against his, softly and quietly. It felt just as you remembered. But reality caught up with you again and you pulled away. 

“I’m sorry” You breathed, turning away from him. “I can’t leave. Not when I’m this close”

"Okay" He took a step back, nodding to himself. "If you change your mind, I'll be there"

The next time you turned around, he was gone.

------

Only a few lights were still open in the Gotham division of LexCorp that late at night. The guard on shift didn’t even bother scolding the over zealous technician still inside, as he found it was no use to get him out of there at reasonable hours. He was always working on something, some small, insignificant detail. It always had to be perfect.

“No, why are you always doing this to me” The tech whined out loud, even though there was no other colleague to entertain him. “Please remain calm”

He would always say some weird stuff, but that night he seemed more agitated that usual. The security guard paused, making a face at the crazy tech.

“That’s it that’s it” He nodded to himself. “See? You can do it”

The guard squinted his eyes, before scoffing and walking away. “Fucking weirdo” 

The tech kept working like the guard never passed by. In fact, he hadn’t even noticed when he did. He was close to the solution of his problem, of why the damn machine would not start. Well he knew why it wouldn’t start; a disbalance in the molecular component triggered the fail safe. He just had to find the right element to add without messing up the entire thing…

“Dear Lord” He gasped, looking a his microscope, then at his notes. Then back at his microscope. “I found it. I FOUND IT!”

A few miles away, two people watched the feed of the tech laughing to himself and celebrating. One had a smirk, the other an incredulous expression.

“I’ll be damned” The latest mumbled. “The fool really did it”

“So it seems” The other hummed in agreement. “We can now proceed to the next step”

[yourcutelittlegayfriend]

I saw your message to me and it was a month ago wtf?! sweet baby Jesus I really need to stop being a lazy ass idiot Goddamn it.

but yeah this is a bit tricky like how would reader- like how- why would- HUH?!

but don't worry got ya covered @babystarjellyfish

I'mma mix a little something here.

fuck just kill me.

Pairing:

Sett X (kinda?) Innocent reader

Word count:

1605

×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×

Your POV

struggling against my binds I continued to glare at my captor with hatred in my eyes.

how did I get here well here's a little recap.

I was wondering around the main city here in Ionian looking for trouble (not really) and maybe find some unfortunate soul to steal from, didn't really expect to steal from a high ranking Noxian soldier, like how are the odds that of all the people I could have stolen from you were the lucky one like really?!.

and here I am tied up and being forced to watch on how they were gonna use me for, rolling my eyes I lean on a crate behind me while impatiently tapping my feet on the ground.

"let's put her on the pit fight then, If she lose we can still get some out from that". The one who tied me up said to his friend making him agree and both of them turned towards me.

"looks like it's your lucky day doll! you could have pick someone to steal today and you decided to steal from me, how lucky can you possibly be?". he smirks and crouching down infront of me.

"mstomph wrubhing ift onhm mawhf fwice idwute". I said which translates to 'Stop rubbing it on my face idiot' since I was gagged with a cloth.

"don't worry you won't last long in his pit anyway I'm sure someone against you will pity you and give you a fast and painless death how about that?". He said before pulling me on my feet and drag me out from the dark room.

well jokes on him I lasted longer than I thought since luck was actually on my side!.

I was luck enough that the fight of the day was every fighter against every fighter at the same time and last one standing will win, I took advantage of it and start dodging all of them and make it look like I was fighting them instead.

being a thief has it's perks and I am gifted with fast hands I was on the roll baby!.

that's until he showed up.

Sett's POV

watching the gruesome fight I can't help but notice that one girl fighting in there.

"she's not fighting, is she?". I thought out loud.

"should I take care of it boss?". My handman said ready to unsheate his sword but I stop him.

"no, no it's fine let's just watch first, the damn crowd got a liking for her". I said whilst I continued watching her with amusement in my eyes as she do flips and practically dance on my pit.

not a minute later it was just her and an Ionian man with a good build who were the last one standing.

the man ran first his weapon ready to slice her up to pieces, surprisingly she keep dodging very fast and didn't look like she'll be worn-out for a few hours.

I stand still when he finally grab a hold of her and throw her on the cemented ground of the pit before stomping on her stomach then strandling her with his sharp weapon pointed on her throat.

Your POV

I keep running away from the larger man, my body not even showing any signs of tiredness.

I smile to myself while I keep on taunting him, I saw his weapon trying to stab me, I quickly side-step to dodge it but he grab the opportunity to grab my other side on the arm and throw me down the floor making my head bounce on the hard surface.

Blinking slowly, I try to use my senses but everything was a blur, the screams of the crowd mas muffled, the lights on the roof of the pit was too bright I had to squint my eyes because of it.

I lay on my back with my head throbbing as I groan in discomfort then a large figure stood on top of me and there was a strong blow delivered on my stomach making me scream in agony and pant from the pain.

Then I feel a heavy weight on my mid section and a sharp cold object on my throat, looking up I see the sneering face of the man I was fighting, I look around franticly if they would really let me be killed and my heart drop when people on the crowd just kept on cheering like it's was normal thing for them to see.

I gulp slowly making sure The sharp blade won't cut me anymore than it already is, looking down I see a handle of a dagger that was tied on his pants, I blindly grab it while keeping an eye contact with him making sure I wasn't looking suspicious.

'I won't hurt him, just use it to defend yourself!'. I grit my teeth and feel sweat dripping on the side of my face.

His arms rose up and ready to stab me instead, my eyes widen I panic as my heart beat suddenly stop, I feel the handle of the dagger I quickly grab a hold of it and didn't even hesitate to stab him.

His hole body tense up along with me, I can feel fear crawling in my body as I watch his face pale, he looks down at his stomach while I continued to look at him, the blade he was holding was left discarded on my side when he drop it with a clang.

He slide off me and on the ground, I scrambled up and kneeled beside him my eyes filled with despair and fear as I try stop his bleeding but then my arm was grab by someone and hoist me up and announce me as the winner.

looking around I was panting, feeling so scared for the first time other than fearing the thought of being caught, I felt the first fear of actually taking someone's life.

I pulled my arm away from the woman who scream at the crowd of my Victory and run towards the two large build men who was dragging the weak body of my opponent towards an entrance.

"Wait please!". I tried to call out but they continue to drag him not even bothered by the harsh wheezing of the bleeding man.

"No please! stop! his dying!!". I catch up to them but before I can even grab a hold one of the men, two other show up and tightly grab my arms to prevent me from moving forward.

"Hey! let me go! argh! I said LET ME-!".

"and why would my men do that?". I hear a deep voice say behind me, I turn to look and see a tall man.

the two let go of me but stood behind me just in case I did something, staring at him I studied his appearance, he was very tall with great build of muscle s, he has deep red hair and a pair of gold pierced furry ears sitting on top.

'Vastayan maybe?'.

He wears an open sleeveless shirt design with two gold wolf on it with thick fur sitting on his shoulders with that he wears white pants without even any speck of dust on it.

"I didn't mean to stab him, please let me save him". I pleaded him not even trembling when I feel his glare on me.

"and why is that? ya got the spotlight on ya but ya throw it away to save your opponent?, sounds stupid to me". he look down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't care about winning, I'm not a fighter I'm a thief, I steal things not people's lives, there's a difference". I growl.

"Hah! wow a thief that would come clean! you're somethin' else!, Tell you what, I let him live and I won't tell them that you fake your fight but In exchange you do something for me!". He laughs while smirking.

my eyes widen at that.

'do something? does he want me to steal something for him?'. Gulping I shake my head 'yes' making his smirk wider.

"come along then I need an arm candy and since the people like ya I think you'll do fine". he winks before turning around and motion for me to follow.

looking behind the two I try to see the man I injured but they only growled back at me making me step back and huff before following him.

I see him looking back with that sadistic smile towards me making shivers crawl down my spine, I stood beside him my body still tense.

Sett's POV

looking down at the woman I see her body stiff, rolling my eyes I wrap my left arm around her waist that made her jump and let out a cute little squeak.

"The name's Sett what's yours?". I ask her while leaning down and almost touching my nose with her's.

Her face quickly turned red and she quickly said her name.

"Y/N huh? that's a pretty name". I smirk while I tighten my hold on her moving her so she's chest to chest with me.

"You'll do just fine here". I said while smirking, my eyes glinting as I stare right into her cute wide eyes.

×=×=×=×=×=×=×=×

I made this a bit long just so I can make it up to ya.

is it weird that my music shuffle straight to Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do' while writing this?.

anyway hope ya love this~😊.