#it's a never ending list of similar questions

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

nothing interesting here it's the exact same scene i just like seeing it

[devildomwriter]

They Find Your Oddly Specific Erotic Manga | Others X Reader

GN! Reader x Solomon, Simeon, Raphael, Mephistopheles, Barbatos, Diavolo | Warnings: Suggestive

Solomon

You groaned as Solomon set a heavy pile of books on the table in front of you.

“How many of those do you need me to read?”

“As many as possible.” He chuckled at your gloomy expression. “What, don’t you want to become more powerful?”

You nodded but sighed as you closed the book that actually entertained you, and placed it back on its shelf.

Solomon followed you with his eyes and noticed you’d rearranged your shelf from the last time he saw it.

“Oh, you organized it!” He exclaimed and grinned proudly. “Excellent. Now we can find space to put your new books.”

You blushed and shook your head, you didn’t need this man to find the books you strategically placed out of sight. If he read the title alone he’d never let you live it down.

“Ah, please don’t mess with those,” you pleaded but when he saw your shy expression he couldn’t help himself.

“Oh? What could my sweet apprentice be hiding from me?” He teased. “Don’t you know you should share everything with your master?”

He began looking over the books and even behind them.

You stood up quickly and outstretched your hand, reciting a spell you’d recently learned. “I call upon the earth itself to shackle the one who stands before me. Leave them bound and helpless. I am the sorcerer ___, obey me!”

Solomon looked shocked when shackles appeared from your bedroom floor and wrapped around him.

“Incredible! Job well done, ___.” He smiled but with a snap of his fingers, they dissipated. “Unfortunately I’ve long since mastered that spell, sorry. And now I’m more curious than ever what you could be hiding.”

You groaned and gave up, accepting your fate. You heard his chuckle and assumed he must’ve found the books you’d hidden. His laugh became louder and he wiped tears from his eyes.

“It’s no wonder you hid these!” He exclaimed, “These are oddly specific too, aren’t they?” He noted as you continued to hide your face.

“Virgin Witch,” he listed, “Master Sorcerer Is Obsessed With His Angelic Apprentice! That one’s relatable,” he admitted, making you blush further. “Oh I like the Looks of this one; Fighting Demons With My Handsome Master: I’ll Follow Him to the End of the World and into Bed! Oh, I wonder if you find that one relatable?” He prodded as he looked at your steaming face.

“You’re a jerk…” you mumbled and he laughed, unbothered.

“Ah, maybe I am? But I was going to find out eventually, right?” He shrugged and you finally looked up, brows furrowed angrily.

He shook his head, “Now what’s with that look? You’re the one reading these books.”

“Reading isn’t a crime.”

“Exactly! And that’s what I did just now, no?”

You sighed. There was no use arguing with someone given the title “Witty” by the master of time, Barbatos himself.

“Now that that’s in the open. How relatable do you find these to be?” He unbuttoned the top of his uniform and approached you with a wanton gaze, “…I’m dying to know. You’ll show me…won’t you?”

Simeon

Simeon sat on your bed, reading with you. You tried to meet up and have a relaxing day as often as you could. Given all the chaotic people in your life, it was nice to have company who didn’t need to talk to have fun with you. Simeon was content just being by your side.

He closed his book and sat up, petting your head before he got to his feet to shelve the book he’d just finished.

“Where did this one go again?”

“They’re categorized by genre,” you said, not looking away from your book.

He nodded and scanned the many shelves of books when his eyes crossed a peculiar title and he got a mischievous look in his eyes.

“____,” he questioned with an innocent smile, “what’s this?” He held up what was clearly an angel-based erotic manga.

You sat straight up, “oh shoot!” You exclaimed and he laughed and flipped through it.

“Can Angels Do This?” He read and noticed there were similar titles next to it.

You immediately regretted shelving the books by genre as he listed the other titles with amusement.

“Hell x Heaven…Heavenly Body…Angelic Whispers Bring Demons to Their Knees…Over-Cumming Writers Block…The Fallen Angel is Falling For Me!” He smirked, “that last one looks rather interesting…” he said with a curious gleam in his eyes.

You turned red and looked away, no longer focused on your book.

He walked over to you, book in hand. “I think I’ll read this one next,” he declared and you gave him a baffled look.

“W-What? Right next to me, too?” You stammered.

“Oh, are you embarrassed? Why would you be?” He grinned, knowing full well what he was doing.

He sat next to you on the bed again, closer than before, and began reading the erotica.

You couldn’t focus on your book and kept glancing to see what page he was on. He chuckled, stole your book, and set it aside.

“Wh— hey?” You complained but he laughed and scooted even closer to you.

“Hm? I’m sorry, I assumed you wanted to read this with me…that’s certainly what it looked like.”

You blushed and he continued to tease you, “Or were you staring at me for another reason?”

“No I-uh…um…” You hid your face in your hands and he frowned.

“I’m sorry did I go too far?” He asked with his hand behind his neck and head tilted slightly to appear more innocent.

“Well, it’s hard not to stare at you, to begin with…” you mumbled and it was his turn to blush. “But now you’re reading…that.”

“Well, you read it too didn’t you?”

“Y-yes but that’s different.”

“How is it different? Were you ashamed? Could that be because you bought this oddly specific manga with someone in mind?”

He knew he nailed it when you turned deep red and he pushed the hair out of your overheated face.

“Oh…so that is it, isn’t it?” He mused and when you met his eyes he couldn’t help but ask, “Wouldn’t you prefer a real one to your books?”

Raphael

Raphael was an observant man. Almost too observant because he hadn’t been in your room for long when he noticed part of your bookshelf was hidden by framed pictures of you and your Devildom friends.

He couldn’t focus on the puzzle you’d invited him over for, and kept glancing at the shelf until you noticed his foot was quickly tapping on the floor, giving away his curiosity.

“Raphael? Is everything okay?” You asked, hoping he wouldn’t pry any further about the bookshelf.

“The bookshelf.” He stated, and you sighed. He titled his head curiously.

“Oh…those are just books an angel shouldn’t be looking at…” you admitted, hoping that would be the end of it, or he’d stop at a light scolding.

He gave you a look that made it clear he wasn’t just disappointed in your taste in books, but more so that you tried hiding it from him.

“I’m aware humans like that kind of thing. Why did you feel you needed to hide it from me?” He asked with a frown.

“Because I knew you’d give me your disappointed look.”

“Am I that predictable?” He asked and you nodded.

He appeared to be thinking it over and then abruptly stood up to investigate the shelf further. He understood you must mean books with inappropriate material but he wanted to be certain you didn’t mean demon-worshipping books as that was also something angels shouldn’t be reading.

You put your face in your hands and groaned. Nothing would stop Raphael and you weren’t looking forward to the scolding.

As expected there was a stunned silence from him for a minute before he turned to you, brows furrowed and placing a stack of books in front of you.

He sat back down facing you as if he were about to begin an interrogation.

“Cotton Candy My Angel…” he began listing. “Beastly Angel… The Words of an Angel Who Came From Heaven… I Want the Angel to Use His Spear on Me!” He looked puzzled by the last one and mumbled, “That’s oddly specific…”

You blushed and nodded. “Okay…you found the secret stash…let’s continue the puzzle.”

He didn’t drop it, as expected. “You understand angels can’t do this sort of thing with humans?” He questioned and you nodded but then shrugged.

“Well…I’m not technically human, am I?”

A nearly unnoticeable blush crossed his face and he remained silent, deciding how to respond to that. “Angels…don’t really do that with each other either…”

“As far as you know.”

“What?” His confused face made you chuckle. It was almost too cute for words.

“I said what I said.”

“What are you implying? What sort of things are you imagining?” He prodded.

You shrugged again, “I don’t know…what do you think I’m implying, Seraphim Raphael…”

His blush was now very noticeable as he stood up and put the books back on the shelf. He sat back in front of you and quickly began messing with the puzzle pieces.

Every so often you tapped his foot with yours and his blush would increase. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to ignore it for much longer.

Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles looked around your room curiously. You’d invited him over to talk with you as he’d long been interested in interviewing the exchange student who’d made such a big splash in the Devildom and was particularly close to his idol, Lord Diavolo.

He looked at the tree and the lights you’d hung around it. He looked at the coffin-shaped bookshelf and the books on it when he noticed some were hidden behind the rest.

He glanced at the door to make sure you weren’t about to walk in and quickly walked to the bookshelf.

The books in front were normal, or at least normal for someone who’s just had the existence of demons confirmed to them.

Books like Paradise Lost, The Book of Enough, and the Screwtape Letters made him roll his eyes. He also observed the collection of magic books.

“They’ve gotten pretty far in their studies already…” he mumbled when you walked into the room with the tray of tea, iced water, and a giant pot of sugar for Mephistopheles to sweeten his tea as much as he liked.

He grinned and straightened up.

“Oh! Looking at my books?” You beamed and walked over to show him in more detail.

He nodded, glancing at the ones in the back. As you bent over to show him some on the bottom shelf he noticed the first part of a title and immediately took interest, pulling it out.

“Hm?” He hummed before turning red and trying to hide the book quickly before you noticed but instead, he knocked most of the books over.

He quickly used his body to shield you as the top shelf came out of place and fell.

“Ack!” You gasped in surprise, pinned beneath Mephistopheles who was bright red.

“Thank you!” You said, scooting away from him. “Why are you so red?” You questioned when you noticed your secret book stash all around you.

“I-uh-um—“ Mephistopheles stuttered looking around at the titles.

You blushed but decided to tease him. “What? Like you don’t have anything similar?”

He straightened his collar and began reading the titles since it appeared to him you didn’t mind.

“Reincarnated as the Villain: An Archdemon Fell in Love With Me…The Wealthiest Demon in the Land Bought Me!… The Lustful Whims of the Rich Demon Noble…” he eyed you, both of your faces red. “These are rather specific…though I suppose it means you aren’t afraid of us, which is…” he lost his train of thought, unable to focus as he rightfully assumed you had a thing for rich demons and had invited him to your room.

“Er-um…” he stuttered looking at you.

“Wh-Why don’t we proceed to the interview…the tea is getting cold too…” you suggested, desperate to fill the silence.

He nodded and looked away nervously, “Did you really invite me here…for an interview?” He questioned and you turned an even deeper shade of red.

“If so…then yes, let us proceed. If not…then what exactly did you have in mind? I suppose I could indulge you…as long as it remains a secret.”

Barbatos

“Oh my,” you hear Barbato’s chuckle as he helps tidy your room.

You were bent over a stack of old notebooks you found when you turned around and your eyes widened in horror.

He was looking at your forbidden bookshelf! You forgot he mentioned he was going to dust every surface in the room. Of course, that also meant the books you hid behind the more innocent ones.

Barbatos gave you an amused look and showed you the manga in his hand as you tried to stutter an excuse.

“My, my ___. Is this the sort of thing you like?”

“I-uh—“ Before you could answer him he began to pull each book out and setting them in a small pile on your desk.

“The Sadistic Butler…I Want to Train You and Break You: Black Butler’s Sadistic Service…” You turned redder as he read every title. Barbatos was the last person you needed to see these.

He continued, the amusement in his voice more evident with each title he read, “Lady and the Butler, Would You Care for a Butler?, The Sinful Evening Affair With a Butler…” he smiled at you, chuckling to himself. When he saw how flushed you were he bowed his head apologetically.

“My apologies, ___. I didn’t mean to be invasive,” he paused and tilted his head. “I do wonder though…did you start reading things like this before or after meeting me…?”

You blushed but gave him an honest answer. “uh…I’ve kinda always had a thing for butlers…and demons…”

His smile widened, “Oh?”

“B-But I didn’t start collecting until more recently…I guess?” You couldn’t meet his eyes. You were shocked with yourself you were admitting this and anxious about his reaction.

Barbatos instead finished dusting the shelf and your heart sank. No reaction was worse than anything at all.

“Um…” you said fidgeting, unable to get back to cleaning up.

He glanced your way as he shelved your books again. This team he quickly glimpsed through one and his face turned a dark pink.

“Oh my…no wonder you turned so red?” He surmised and you hid your face.

He put the book back in its place, set down his duster, and approached you as you sat at the end of your bed.

You looked up as he placed his hands on your shoulders. The look in his eyes was unfamiliar to you, a rare look across the demon’s face. His horns grew from his head and his tail from his spine, flicking back and forth.

“I think we’ve cleaned enough for now…how about I reward your hard work? I can take a guess as to what you’d most enjoy.” He said in a low voice, his hot breath against your ear.

You gave a small nod, and with your confirmation, he pushed you back into the bed.

Diavolo

It was bound to come out eventually, you just hadn’t expected it to be so soon. Unfortunately for you, Diavolo was a very observant man so the moment he came into your room his eyes were scanning the premises.

“Make yourself at home,” you grinned and he nodded and thanked you.

You went to the kitchen quickly to grab some tea. Barbatos had taught you how to prepare it best for him.

When you recentered your room with tea you saw Diavolo stifling an amused laugh with a book in his hand.

You quickly set the tray of tea down and caught his attention.

“Oh, hehe, thank you,” he chuckled and instead of grabbing his tea, he went back to observing the books on your shelf.

That’s when you realize you made the grave mistake of not hiding the manga you most enjoyed.

“W-What’s so funny?” You asked nervously, knowing full well why he was so entertained.

“Oh, I’m just looking through to see what sort of manga you enjoy…I have to say it’s rather interesting…” he gave you a sly look and went back to laughing to himself.

He shelved the last book and skimmed over the rest.

“These always have such long titles…I honestly thought Levi was just describing the manga for the longest time, but it seems it’s like this in the human world too,” he noted.

He grinned, coming across another interesting title, “Ooh, what’s this one.”

You quickly darted to his side hoping he wouldn’t open up any of them. After all, they’d been wrapped when you bought them for a very good reason.

“Hey, uh-“ you quickly tried grabbing the manga but he held it over his head and laughed as you jumped to try and reach it, just to fall into his large chest.

Diavolo normally didn’t tease you to this degree so you knew he was very invested in this as he began reading aloud some of the titles on the shelf.

“Let’s see…oh here’s another good one! Reincarnated Into A Game World Where The Demon King Who Kidnapped Me Wants To Do Me All Night Long… oh look, this seems interesting too— The Reincarnated Saint Falls for the Demon Lord? When I Reincarnated I Was Doted on by the Demon King… oh look this one is even more to the point! Entwined at Twilight with a Demon: Again… And Again… He Can’t Be Stopped! AHAHAHAHA!” Diavolo’s laughter filled your room as you turned redder than his hair.

“___, I’m curious…you seem to have such a deep fascination with the ones involving Demon Kings in particular…” he grinned mischievously, “is there perhaps a reason for that?”

You blushed but wanted to fill the silence and blurted out what you were thinking before you fully realized what you were asked, “And if there was?”

He looks surprised for a moment but his eyes quickly glazed over with longing. “Then…maybe I’d have to do something about it, wouldn’t I?”

Your heart beat wildly as he set the book down and approached you with heavy steps.

“So, ___? Let’s say we bring one of your fascinating books to life?”

[always-just-red]

hihihi! sylus girlie here. as a college student i often never take breaks whenever im working and often stay up late finishing up assignments. then i stress out but never tell anyone and suffer in silence:’) i was wondering if you could do something similar with sylus x mc where mc often forgets to take breaks at the hunters association and is always the first the volunteer for missions so she could improve.

but then it’s starting to take a toll on her and is so so stressed, but feels bad about venting to someone or saying no to new missions.

maybe one day she’s doing a simple task like cooking herself dinner (or something) but accidentally burns herself and she just ends up breaking down and decides to call sylus and he immediately goes to her. :’)

feel free to decline or change anything! i just like the thought of someone comforting u when ur overworked and stressed bc i wish someone would do that to me lol.

Fast-tracked this one for you, anon! I'm really sorry you're having a tough time right now, and I hope this brings you a bit of comfort- remember, Sylus would want you to take care of yourself! Good luck with all your studies, and feel free to send in another request if ever you need it! 🥰

Technical Difficulties

Sylus x Reader 🩸

Summary: You're not very good at asking for help when you're struggling. Thankfully? You don't always need to.

Genre: fluff + comfort ft. a very domestic Sylus!

Warnings/Additional tags: stressed reader (has a lil bit of a breakdown!), some swearing, uses of 'kitten' and 'sweetie', Sylus is so soft here he should come with a health warning tbh

| Word count: 2.4k | Masterlist | Opt-in to my taglist here!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

In the event of a wanderer incursion where evacuation of citizens is obstructed or otherwise not viable, association protocol 32.3-A dictates that you should first… That you should first… What?

Your pen is poised above the blank space where your answer should be. 32.3-A is a general procedure: something to do moving people to the nearest shelter. Or, wait— are you supposed to try to contact support, first?

You drop your pen with a huff and flop face-down onto the mock exam. It’s too much. Too much information, too much responsibility. Open textbooks are spread over your desk and around your head like an unholy halo— stacks of them, filled with codes and procedures. They’re supposed to be helpful, but they’re not; they’re drowning you.

Your phone pings and you glance up. Text from Tara:

Hi! Hate to be a bother, but did you finish glancing over that practice question for me? xx

Shit. You’d completely forgotten. You straighten, reaching for your laptop so you can load up your latest emails. You’ve got time to look over it; the exam isn’t for another two days. Breathe, ok? You have time.

Seven unread emails. What? You scan over them frantically. Two from the Captain: accepting additional mission requests you’d applied for. Were those both this week? One from Nero: you hadn’t sent in that finished report. Three from your colleagues, all scrambling for help with the exam. One from Tara:

Thanks for saying you’d look over this for me! You’re the best at this stuff!

Ok, so: Tara’s practice question. Nero’s report. Your own practice questions. Then… dinner? Maybe that should come first. You’d skipped lunch— had one slice of toast for breakfast. But you don’t wanna cook; cooking takes time, and you’ve got none. None.

Your phone is ringing, snapping you back to reality, and you peek over at it. Sylus?

“Hi,” you greet as you put him on speaker. On your laptop, you’re opening up Tara’s attachment.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

Always straight to the point. “Uh… yeah?” you frown as you read through your friend’s work. “Why? What d’you need?”

Sylus sighs through the phone. “That was a test, sweetie. You failed.”

“Yeah, well…” you murmur, highlighting a sentence with your cursor. “Add it to the list.”

The man doesn’t find that funny. The phone is quiet— too quiet. “Are you alright?” he asks, just as your gaze wanders to check if the call has disconnected.

“Mmhmm.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Sylus.”

You stare down at your phone. He’s waiting for more, but you won’t give it to him. You’re one word away from slipping, and you can’t let the dam crumble, especially in front of him. He’s smiling from the phone call background: a photo he insisted would ‘ruin’ his image when you took it last week.  

“I need to go, ok?” Your eyes are shining.

“Ok,” he says softly.

There’s a bleep as the call cuts out, and the photo is gone. Waiting beneath it is another text from Tara, and one from Xavier: Nero told me to txt U bout a report??

You swallow the ache in your throat and slump down on your desk again.

…

You wake up with a start, your head ringing. The tangerine sky outside your window’s turned dark— your laptop, too— and light spills from your desk lamp, yellow on white pages. There’s more, and you turn, tracing it back to where it leaks through the crack of your almost closed bedroom door.

You hadn’t left any lights on in your flat. You hadn’t switched on your lamp, either.

Tiredness is dulling your thoughts and your senses, but you know you feel uneasy. There’s something in the air: smoky, but not unpleasant. You can hear something as well. No— two things. A faint, almost imperceptible hiss, and a more obvious humming.

Hunter instincts kick in. You roll open a drawer of your desk, snatching up one of your standard-issue pistols and removing its safety with a click. You stalk up to the door, your trained footsteps near silent. You take a deep breath, clearing your head. One. Two.

Three! You shoulder the door open, leaping through with your gun trained forwards.

At the other end of your sights, Sylus turns, an eyebrow raised. Your kitchen stove seethes behind him, and he gives you a once over as he sluggishly raises both hands. “You flatter me, kitten,” he smirks in surrender, looking between your weapon and his: a spatula.

You lower your gun, your heart still racing. “I could have killed you, Sylus!”

“That’s the spirit.” His hands drop, too.

“How did you even get in here?”

He’s turned back to the stove, and he’s using the spatula to push something around a frying pan. “Hmm…” he muses, then blink— he’s gone. He’s at your fridge a second later, materialising from thin air. “I wonder,” he finishes as he reaches around for something.

Show off. “You know how I feel about you telepor…” No. “Phas…” No. “Magic…king…?” By now he’s watching you over his shoulder. “You know— that thing you do.” You’re twinkling your fingers. “What do you even call that?”

“Magicking, yeah.”

You huff in response and he laughs, walking back over to where he’s cooking two steaks and preparing a salad. You’re still coming to terms with the fact he’s even here, looking... quite frankly ridiculous, because he’s wearing your apron. It’s too small for him. Baby pink. Frilly, too.

“You know how I feel about you magicking into my home,” you mutter distractedly, because actually? He’s kinda pulling it off. His sleeves are rolled up past his elbows, tight on his arms. “Use the door like a regular person, you psychopath.”  

“Where’s the fun in that?” He sounds smug. Ugh, he must feel your eyes on him; he must know. You think he’s toying with the idea of calling you out, but he doesn’t, and when he does speak, the smugness is gone. “Mephisto saw you were sleeping. I didn’t wish to disturb you. You sounded… tired. On the phone.”

Guilt twinges in your chest as you draw up beside him. “Is that why you’re here? Playing housewife?” You pick at a frill on the apron.

“Poke fun all you want,” he sneers. “This shirt costs more than your entire wardrobe.”

“Snob.”

“Ha.” You have to retract your hand as he threatens it with the spatula. “Watch yourself, sweetie. I’ll remember that the next time you ask to ‘borrow’ my card.”

You laugh gently. Now that’s a threat. You’re about to tell him so when you hear a ping from the other room, and your heart sinks. Just a single sound, and you’re back to where you were an hour ago, at your desk with the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Sylus hums in acknowledgment as you excuse yourself and hurry back to your workspace, snatching up your phone. You missed three calls while you sleeping: all from Xavier. He’s been texting you, too.

Nero’s yelling at me

Wants to talk to U

Can U pick up? Pls?

It’s one report, for gods’ sake. You feel your chest tightening again. You just needed to proofread it, but it’s probably fine, right? You wake your laptop out of standby; you’ll just send it as it is. “I’ll just be a minute, Sy,” you call out. “Need to finish one thing.”

He mumbles something in response, and you imagine it’s for the best you can’t hear it. Your keyboard clacks as you tap out a quick email to Nero, then you surf your files for the report he so desperately wanted. It should be… here. You attach it. Hit send.

Nothing happens.

Huh. You hit send again. Then again— still nothing. You groan, trying to back out of the email. None of your keys are working. Your cursor is stuck. “Oh, come on,” you release on an impatient breath. Switch it off, switch it on again? You hit the off button. The screen goes black.

With a sigh of relief, you wait a moment before switching it on again. The screen stays black.

“No, no, no, no,” you plead quietly, but it doesn’t cooperate. Your phone rings and you snap, hitting more buttons: Answer. Speaker. “What?” you hiss.

“Whoa. Hi…?” Xavier’s voice is cautious. “I don’t know if you saw my texts, but Nero—”

“The report, Xavier! I know! I know!” You try holding down your laptop’s power button. “I’m trying to send it, but my shitty computer won’t—”

“No way!” Tara’s voice comes in on the other line; did they both get the night shift? “Hey you! Did you get a chance to—”

“No, ok?!” you practically cry out. “No! Can you two just back off? Please!”

“Oh, sorry, I…” Tara sounds upset, then distracted. “Wait, Xavier wants to speak to you.”

“Are you ok?” he asks after a second.

Ok? You just want everything to stop. “I’m fine. Shit, tell Tara I’m sorry. I am sorry, Xavier, I just… I just need my laptop to…”

Work. Work! Nothing’s working. Half of your files are on there. How much of it is backed-up? Panic is setting in, gripping your body like ice. Your throat hurts and your mouth is dry, the dam is breaking and you can’t stop it. Tears prick at your eyes as you blink at the blank, hopeless screen. Your reflection stares back at you.

You let out a sob, expelling days of frustration and exhaustion. Everywhere you look there’s something you need to do, something you need to learn, something you need to finish. You can’t. You clasp a hand over your mouth, muffling your own cries.

Xavier is speaking— saying something over the phone— but you can’t hear him.

The light changes, and there’s a figure above you, lifting the phone from the desk. “They’ll call you back,” the shadow says. Sylus.

“Wait, who is this?” Xavier.

“That’s Skye!” Tara.

Your friends’ distant voices cut out as Sylus ends the call. He sets the phone down again, nudging your laptop out of view, then lowers himself until all you can see is him: his red eyes, softer than you’ve ever seen them. “Come on, sweetie,” he coaxes, guiding your hands over his shoulders.

You understand what he’s asking of you. His arms wrap around you and you hold him tighter, letting him lift you out of your chair. He feels warm, his skin ever so slightly flushed from where he’s been standing over the stove, and he pulls your legs around his waist, letting him carry you with ease.

With your face buried in his shoulder, you can’t tell where he’s taking you, and you don’t care. His shirt is going damp against your cheeks. You want to stop crying, but you can’t with the taste of your tears on your lips. You feel weak. You feel pathetic.

Something solid is behind you, and Sylus is setting you slowly down on the kitchen counter. He’s away from you for a moment— moving the frying pan off of the heat and turning a dial on the stove— but then he’s back, standing between your legs, standing close. You’re looking down until his hand is under your chin, lifting it with the delicate touch one employs when inspecting a flower that might break.

He shushes you without a hint of impatience. “Look at me,” he directs quietly, and when you do, he unrolls his shirtsleeves— drawing the cuffs over his hands so he can use them to wipe your eyes. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

You do— you tell him everything. The hunter’s exam. The textbooks. The extra patrols you’ve been signing up for. The work you’ve been doing for your friends. The stupid report. The even more stupid computer.

Sylus listens collectedly, nodding his head and issuing the odd hum of understanding. He listens to all of it, and when you’re done, he pushes your hair back from your face with a sympathetic sigh. “Oh, sweetie.” A tendril is tucked behind your ear. “You should have said something.”

“I know.” Your gaze is still shy of his. “But how can I? I need to do this— be this— for everyone.”

His hands are on your cheeks again, drawing back your focus. “You’re just one person,” he says. “You— just you— and that’s all you need to be. You’re stubborn, and strong, but you’re not invincible. Even Linkon’s shiniest hunter is allowed to have limits. Everyone does.”

“Even you?” you snivel, setting him up for a quip.  

Nothing. He smiles. Shrugs. “Even me.”

It’s hard to believe when he’s staring back at you, oh so solid, oh so perfect. Always a picture of strength: of fiery determination or calculated coolness. Everything in extremes; nothing by halves. Except… his hair is slightly dishevelled from where he’s been working away in the heat. There’s a damp patch on his shirt. He’s wearing your pink apron, and there’s mascara on his sleeves.

Then there’s the way he’s looking at you.

It shifts when you finally look back. He drops his hands from your face and pulls back a little. “You do a lot for your friends,” he continues with confidence, but he’s rubbing his neck, “and they care about you. You should afford them the chance to return the favour. It’s only fair.”

“You’re right.”

“…Good.”

Perhaps it’s the fact you’ve vaguely composed yourself— or the way you’re watching him like you’re seeing something new— but he straightens self-consciously, rolling his shirtsleeves back up as his eyes go sharp: assuming their usual severity.

“You’re too soft, kitten,” he scolds, reaching out to tousle your hair until you’re glaring daggers from behind a curtain of it. “How many times do I have to tell you? You put yourself first. Always. No-one else matters.”

There’s quiet for all of a second. He can’t help correcting: “Well, except me, of course.” The apron’s crooked, and he flattens it with a brush of his hands. “Any time spent with me qualifies as self-care. You really should know that by now, sweetie.”

Your mouth curls, but you haven’t quite got it in you to laugh— not yet. Stretching his neck with two sideways tips of his head, Sylus returns to his post at the oven, where the meal he’s cooking has almost certainly gone cold. You watch as the stove flickers back to life. The man is humming again, and though the food might yet be salvaged, whatever melody he’s attempting is long-past recognition, let alone saving.

You chuckle to yourself.

And you can’t see it, but Sylus is smiling, too.

[ahmedsal-1qa]

⛔ please help my family don't skip 🛑

Hello, My name is Ahmad Mohammed Hassan Salah, a 33-year-old man from Gaza, Palestine. Under the sky of Gaza, amidst the war and shelling, begins my story. I lived my life in the northern part of Gaza with my wife and three children, dreaming of a secure future for my small family. Nada, my seven-year-old eldest daughter, loves to draw, though her colors have disappeared amid the rubble 🎨💔. Mohamed, my five-year-old son, still dreams of playing in a garden untouched by bombs 🛝💔. As for Huda, my two-year-old, she has started uttering her first words amid the sounds of explosions 🍼💔.

The tragedy began one night of the war when I was forced to leave my home under continuous bombardment 💣😔. I carried my children and my anxious wife, running through the debris and darkness in search of a safe haven 🌪️. Our journey was fraught with dangers, as we left everything behind: our home, memories, and even our money and food 🏚️💔. After a long journey, we found ourselves in southern Gaza, where we set up a small tent as a temporary refuge ⛺😞.

The tent, small as it was, became our new world. Without mattresses to shield us from the cold nights or blankets to protect us from the rain 🌧️❄️, life was harsh. The children slept on the ground, and I struggled to provide any food to feed my family 🍞💔. But the war showed us no mercy. After only three months, we were forced to move once again, this time to central Gaza. The Israeli army described it as a "safe zone," but the shelling followed us like an unrelenting shadow 💔💣.

More than a year has passed, and my family and I continue to live under bombardment and destruction 🌋💔. Each day brings with it a new story of suffering. Food is scarce 🍽️, water is contaminated 🚱, and fear never leaves my children's hearts 😔💔. Nada has started asking, "When will this war end?" 😢. Mohamed tries to comfort his mother, who weeps in silence 😭💔. As for Huda, she knows no world other than one filled with terrifying sounds 🥺.

I also suffer from a chronic illness, and I have a medical report confirming my condition 🏥💔. However, the pain of my illness is less than the anguish I see in my children's eyes 💔😔. I try to be strong, but I sometimes break down when I cannot provide food for them 🥺. My wife stands by me, trying to bring hope, but even hope has become a rare commodity 💔.

Amidst the devastation, I want to send a message to the world: "We are human. Our children deserve a better life. We just want safety. All I want is to sleep one night without fearing that my children will wake up to the sound of explosions." 🙏💔

Due to this ongoing suffering, I appeal to the world through Tumblr to raise donations for my family and for other families experiencing similar circumstances 🌍💔. If you are able to provide any assistance, no matter how small, it would mean so much to us 🙏🫂. You can help by donating food, clothing, or even essential medications that we desperately need 💊🛒. I kindly ask you to share our story on Tumblr, because spreading it may reach kind hearts all over the world—hearts that can offer help and save the lives of my children and the children of Gaza from this hell ❤️🕊️.

My story is not just an individual one; it represents thousands of families in Gaza living in conditions that are unimaginable 💔. The question remains: How long will this suffering continue? And will the day come when Nada can draw a sun without it being covered by the smoke of war? 🌞✏️💔

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #280 )✅️

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters

[zablife]

Being Benny's Girl Would Include

Benny Cross Masterlist

A/N: After creating a similar list for Johnny, I now have one for Benny. Ty to a lovely anon for requesting it!

Warnings: slightly nsfw, drinking, mention of injury, mention of a weapon

♡ There are many sleepless nights, worrying about him out on the open road. And you have good cause bc he's constantly returning to you bruised and bloodied.

♡ You learn how to dress wounds, even sew a few stitches, bc he's too stubborn to go to a hospital, preferring your gentle touch instead. "You're better than any damn doctor, sweetheart."

♡ If you pout when he returns, he'll try to make you forget how upset you've been with a bit of teasing that cleverly puts something else in the forefront of your mind. "Did you pray for me every night like a good girl? On your hands and knees? Let me see."

♡ When you're feeling clingy, he'll take you down to the bar with him, not giving a shit what the guys think when you leave lipstick on him or pluck the cigarette from his lips for a drag instead of lighting your own. In fact, he encourages your behavior, flipping his chair around in hopes your small hand will nestle into the back pocket of his Levi's.

♡ Benny's not much of a talker, but he opens up to you bc you're the first person who's ever really cared enough to ask the right questions. That makes him want to tell you things he's never said out loud. He confides the ring on his pinkie came from his granddaddy, the only real father figure he ever knew.

♡ He gifts the important possession to you as a sign of his devotion and his heart skips a beat when he thinks about how you wear it on a chain bc it would slip off your delicate finger too easily otherwise.

♡ You're his sweet girl, an angel so precious he has restless nights worrying about you amongst all the burly men in the rough bars and pool halls he frequents. His concerns over keeping you safe giving him full blown insomnia after Kathy is attacked at a house party.

♡ You'll prob find yourself in an empty field the next morning, caged in by Benny's muscular arms, holding his .38 in your trembling hands. Nodding toward the line of beer bottles in the distance as he softly instructs, "squeeze the trigger real slow as you exhale. You can do it, darlin'."

♡ You didn't see the need considering the protective way he drapes his arm over you, eyes cautiously scanning the room with a feral look in his eye. Everyone knows what it means. Touch her and you're a dead man.

♡ He's been known to take things too far, esp when he's drinking. Once a guy collided with you at the bar, spilling beer down your white dress and turning it sheer. The unlucky son of a bitch found himself on the street seconds later facing the broken end of the bottle inches from his throat.

♡ The novelty of having your honor defended loses its appeal with every trip to county. Benny senses it in your anguished sigh and furrowed brow when you come to bail him out, hanging his head shamefully the moment he catches sight of you.

♡ Since there's nothing he hates more than disappointing you, he tries to keep his impulses in check and focus on your needs. "You know I'd do anything for you, angel."

♡ Nothing made your heart race with excitement quite like the day he stole you away for a winding ride that ended under a magnificent orange sunset. When he removed his shirt to make love to you in the tall grass, you glimpsed your name freshly inked over his heart.

[luveline]

hiii jade! can you write something for spencer x badass!reader who despite being sick af, still shows up to work? ur writing always makes my day!! :)

hi, tysm for requesting my love ♡ fem

"What's up with you?" Morgan asks. 

You don't have the energy to tell him to mind his business. "Nothing, I'm fine. What's up with you?" 

"Sorry, are you asking me how I am?" 

Morgan seems to think that you don't like him. It makes sense, in a way, because you've never been outwardly affectionate to him or even friendly, and he's constantly teasing you. But the reason you didn't like him or anyone on the team when you first joined beyond civil professionalism was because of how they treated Spencer. 

You're older now, you've learned that they love him. But they don't appreciate him as much as they should, and so you resolve to appreciate them at a similar level. Spencer gets every ounce of love you have to give, and Morgan gets a smidge when he deserves it. 

"Earth to Y/N. You sick?" Morgan asks. 

You rub the space between your brows. "Sick of stupid questions, sure." 

"Feisty. Where's Reid? Need me to give him a talk about being a better boyfriend?" 

"He's not my boyfriend." 

"He's your something." Morgan's grin softens into a more serious expression, and for a few seconds, he takes you in. You hate being looked at with concern, standing as he asks, "Seriously, are you okay?" 

"I'm okay, Morgan, thank you." 

You speed walk away from the desk to the kitchenette on unsteady footing, where Spencer stands like the light at the end of a dark tunnel making a cup of tea. He bobs the tea bag up and down slowly, his eyebrows pinched together, as though this cup of tea is the most important thing in the world to get right. Your chest aches as you move, your breath noticeably shallow. Spencer must hear you, lifting his arm to gesture for you to come closer. 

"Hey," he says. He usually speaks to you softly but this is a new level of gentleness. It goes without saying that if he were anybody else, his tone would drive you up the wall with annoyance, but he's Spencer. It must be the sugary brown of his eyes and the puppy dog essence to his smile, eager to please, that makes his concern a welcome one. "You okay? Come here." 

You stand obediently at his side. 

"You okay?" he asks again. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why does everybody keep asking me that?" you mumble, eyeing his cup of tea longingly. Your throat is sandpaper. 

Spencer slides it toward you without comment. "Because you look sick. Not that you look bad, you don't, you always look nice, but your eyes are glassy, and you look a little clammy." He turns sideways. "You want your tea?" 

"It's for me?" 

"Yeah, it's for you. I put honey in it. I don't know if you like honey…" 

You take the mug and drink it. Honey or not, you're gonna drink every sip, and not just because your throat is deteriorating rapidly. Spencer could make you a cup of hot dish water and you'd pinch your nose to knock it back. 

"Thank you," you say in relief. 

"Sure. Wanna go sit down?" 

"I don't need to sit down." 

"I'm not saying you do. I just," —Spencer laughs, his hand on your shoulder— "I need you to peer assess my last witness account file. You do it quicker than Morgan does." 

"Oh, okay. Yeah, let's go do it." 

Spencer shepherds you to his desk. Morgan peers not so subtly over the partition as you sit in Spencer's chair and roll into the front of his desk, reaching for a pen from his pen pot. You drink blind sips of tea between lines, reading over his file slowly. Your eyes grow heavier as the tea warms your chest, and Spencer's hand falls to your shoulder again. 

"You should go home," he says quietly. He tricked you into sitting down, that's obvious now. 

"I'm okay." 

"You need to rest when you're sick or you'll only get worse," he says, his breath fanning against the short hairs by your ear. 

You close your eyes at the sensation. "I can't go home."

"Why not?" 

"Because I…" You list off. You're sure there was something to say, something important, but Spencer's presence stands behind you and your body must realise that if you want safety to pass out, this will be the place. 

"Y/N," he says sympathetically. 

"Can't drive," you mumble. 

"I'll get you home, don't worry. You just sit here for a second while I sort it out, okay? Don't get up." He rubs down your arm roughly. For once, you get a sense of total confidence from him. You trust that he's gonna get you home in one piece. "Morgan, can you watch her?" 

"'M not a kid," you say. 

"Course not. I'm still gonna look after you, though," Spencer says. 

He takes you home in a borrowed work SUV. You're not sick enough to need carrying, but the moment he sits you down on the couch you fall into a deep, sweaty sleep. When you wake a little later, it's to three extremely important things; the first, a bowl of chicken soup with fresh made croutons; the second, Spencer, his top button undone and smiling as he squeezes your lax hand; and third, your saviour, a jumbo box of Tylenol, sleep aid and decongestants included. You remind yourself to kiss Spencer's cheek when you aren't totally dying. 

[amethystwrytes]

Safe.

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin X Fem. Reader X Lee Minho

Summary: A broke ER Nurse offers up her services to a large crime organization in exchange for much higher pay and benefits that are unconventional, but lucrative. The life proves to be questionable at best, and downright isolating at worst which leaves her feeling unsure, unstable and dangerous. 

Warnings: Explicit language. Explicit depictions of sex (some chapters will be more explicit than others sexually). Violence. Blood. Trauma injuries. (Organized) Crime. Emotional manipulation. Me not knowing a single thing about medicine and relying on Google to give me accurate-ish information and the hope that I'm kind of explaining it correctly but knowing I'm probably not, so apologies to any reader who may work in medicine and is rolling their eyes at me lol. 18+ Only.

Chapter WC: 6k

AN: I have never ever in my life written a mafia fic, at least nothing I’ve ever posted or kept so…good luck. Additionally, this fic was originally all one doc which ended up being too much to handle, like Tumblr would not even try to meet me halfway. So I decided to break her up into chapters which I will post routinely until she's over. No idea how many chapters bc I’m still deciding on how to separate some of the later parts of the story…so hang tight with me. 

-PART ONE-

It’s the blare of a phone ringing that wakes you in the middle of the night. You pull yourself to the edge of the bed and look at the two phones that lay on your bedside table. One is personal, in a shiny black case that in truth, hardly ever rings or blips anymore. The other is a silver phone, caseless, a little worse for the wear and the screen is illuminated with an unsaved telephone number. This particular detail doesn’t really matter, there’s only a few people who would be calling it, and they cycle through burner phones so often there’s no point in saving anything. 

“Hello?” your voice is scratchy from sleep. 

“We’re ten minutes out,” Changbin says urgently, skipping greetings entirely. You sit up and throw your feet over the edge of the bed. 

“Who is it and how bad?” you ask, flitting around your bedroom switching lights on and grabbing a hair tie. 

“It’s Hyunjin, and I don’t think he’s going to die but I can’t stop the bleeding,” Changbin grunts. 

“Gun shot?” you assume, already downstairs and clearing the dining table, wondering what kind of trauma you need to prepare for. 

“Stabbed.” 

“Fuck,” you stop. Possibilities like artery and organ punctures start spinning around your head. You pray it’s not abdominal, but you know these men too well so you don’t ask, because you’re sure you already know the answer. 

“We can’t take him to an ER, ___, his face is on every list in the city. You know they always keep informants in the emergency departments, we can’t take him there,” Changbin urges and it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than anyone else. 

He’s correct. When Lee Minho, crime lord and your current employer first found you, you were working the night shift at the emergency department. You knew that because of the high crime rate in the city, many of the staff who sat at the check in and triage stations were also paid police informants, ready to dial up the officers to run any names or faces that looked sketchy, had a shady story, or came in with GSWs, or similar combative injuries. 

“Okay. Okay, keep direct pressure on the wound and I mean a lot of pressure Changbin, it’s going to feel like you’re hurting him but trust me, lots of pressure. I’ll prep the dining room,” you tell him. 

You take a deep breath and think. You start a pot of boiling water and lay out some clean towels on the counter. Then fly around the room opening drawers: Gloves, scissors, gauze, bandages, wound packing strips, disinfectant, antibiotics, stitch kit, and the silent prayer that no arteries, or internal organs have been compromised because you are not a surgeon and you will have to send them out to a hospital, which is more time wasted and gives Hyunjin a significantly lower survival chance. 

You weigh a clean sheet down over the table just as you hear tires squeal into the driveway outside. You run to the door and unlock it, propping it open so they can carry him in. 

“It’s bad ___, he’s out cold,” Felix grunts breathlessly as he and Changbin carry an unconscious Hyunjin into the room. All three are covered in blood and you don’t bother asking if it’s Hyunjins, theirs, or someone else's. The two of them are walking, conscious and breathing, so it doesn’t matter at the moment. 

“Okay, it’ll be okay,” you blather in a much higher tone than you mean to. 

You don the gloves and grab the scissors, cutting up the seams of Hyunjins black satin shirt, soaked with blood. Changbin keeps his hand pressed to Hyunjins left side, a balled up tee shirt gripped in his shaking fist. 

“Bin,” you say softly, “I need to cut the shirt away, okay? When I say three I want you to pull your hand off,” you explain and he nods, “Felix, I need you to bring the pot of water and those clean towels from the kitchen in here for me,” you instruct. 

You look at Hyunjins sweet face, ghastly pale, and lips several shades lighter than what they ought to be. He’s clearly lost a lot of blood and you briefly think of a transfusion, but have no way of performing one - most of these men have no idea what blood type they are anyway but even if they did you don’t have the means to do it. 

“Okay,” you breathe deeply once the shirt is mostly gone, the scent of iron and copper floods your nose, “One…two…three.” 

Changbin pulls the balled up, blood soaked cloth from the wound and you watch as the thick, red substance trickles out while you finish off the shirt. You hear Changbin gasp and curse under his breath. 

“It’s okay,” you say, “That’s a fairly good sign, see how it’s a slow trickle and not a burst or spurt? That’s a good sign,” you repeat for him, grabbing a handful of gauze to press into the wound.

Changbin nods and backs away. 

“No, no,” you stop him, “Go wash your hands, put some gloves on and come back here, Felix, you do the same. Quickly.” 

The two men disperse to do as they’re told and you hold the gauze in place with one hand, wetting a towel to clean off the area with the other so you can see what you’re working on better. It’s on his left side, above his hip in the small of his waist. That significantly decreases the number of organs possibly punctured. Left kidney, lung, and/or possible intestinal damage - none of which are good news, but that will make it easier to look for tell tale signs, which as of right now you don’t see. 

Changbin and Felix return, gloved up and ready to assist as you work diligently to stop the bleeding by packing the wound. 

“How long was the blade?” you ask as you work. You stick your fingertip into the open flesh to feel it out. This seems to perk your patient up, Hyunjin jerks up on the table, screaming in agony and cursing the room. The good news is the wound isn’t as deep as you feared.

“Hold him down!” you yell and both men scramble to steady him. “Changbin? The knife?”

“Um,” Changbin shakes his head, “Small, smooth, no more than ten centimeters I’d say.” 

Hyunjin gasps and goes eerily still on the table. 

“___?” Felix cries, you can hear the fear in his voice. 

“It’s okay, he’s responding to pain and that’s good, but he’s going to slip in and out of consciousness because of the blood loss,” you explain but you still see the fear on Felixes face, “Why don’t you tell me what happened Felix?” 

He looks at you, eyes wide with fear and you give him a shaky but reassuring smile and a nod of encouragement, “We were ambushed. It was just supposed to be a collection run, so only the three of us went. As soon as we walked into their storehouse bullets were flying. Hyunjin knocked the gun out of the guys hand and he pulled a blade out of his boot as a backup,” Felix adds, “He stabbed Hyunjin but he got in one last punch that knocked the bastard out cold,” he smiles proudly. 

“Was Hyunjin significantly taller than the man?” you wonder. 

“Definitely,” Changbin nods, “Why does it matter?” 

“Because it appears that the man stabbed into his side at a difficult upward angle, which prevented it from going in deep. That’s good, because that means it probably bypassed any of his organs. Felix, bring my stethoscope and the blood pressure cuff please, over on the end table.” 

Felix runs over and you cautiously release the gauze. To your relief the bleeding seems to have at least slowed to a manageable rate. 

You stuff the stethoscope in your ears and try to ascertain some vitals now that he seems stable(ish). His heart rate is lower than normal, but his lungs sound clear. Pupils are responding to light slowly but normally, and his blood pressure is low but stable. You grab his hand and press on his fingernails, O2 seems fine. 

“What now?” Felix asks. 

“I’ll need you two to lift him up a bit, I’ve got the wound packed but I’ll need to wrap a bandage around his torso to keep the packing in place, then, in an hour or so, if we’re lucky the bleeding will have stopped completely and I can clean him up and stitch it,” you say shakily. 

The boys do as they’re told and you carefully wrap the bandage around him, making sure the wound is secured. 

A knock pounds at the door as you lay him back down on the table, the three of you exchange glances and Changbin pulls the 9mm from his strap and makes his way toward the door with Felix tiptoeing behind as backup. 

“It’s me,” a voice hollers from the other side and your little trio breathes a sigh of relief. It’s Lee Minho, obviously coming to check on one of his best. 

Changbin opens the door and sweeps the front yard with his eyes for good measure before closing up again. 

“How is he?” Minho stands over Hyunjins still body as you discard your gloves in a nearby bin. 

“He’s lost quite a lot of blood, if we were at the hospital I’d imagine they’d call for a transfusion, which is impossible here - but if I can get him stable, he might pull through the blood loss thing. The wound wasn’t as deep as I thought it would be, but it’s quite a bleeder, so right now my primary focus is to make sure it’s completely stopped before sewing him up,” you explain. 

Minho nods, and you watch as he quietly assesses the situation, considering his next move. You don’t know Hyunjin as well as some of the others. You do know he’s careful, cautious and very good at his job. The fact he was nearly bested this evening has you surprised, so you can only imagine the shock of the man standing in front of you. Minho taps his finger gently against his lips, then drags his hand across his mouth in frustration. 

“I want retaliation for this,” he says quietly, darkly. 

“Absolutely,” Changbin nods, “The motherfucker who did this has numbered days.” 

“Find him,” Minho commands, “Find everyone who was there, I don’t care if you have to go to their homes where their god damned kids sleep, you find them, I want intel on them all, and we’ll go over it together. We’ll figure out who we can use for information, and who we’re going to,” he stops himself then and looks at you gently, “Well, who won’t be of any value to us.” 

You appreciate the attempt at guarded candor, but you already know he means to murder them all. Knowing Minho, and how he probably feels he’s been screwed over tonight, he’s going to kill the valuable ones too - once he knows what he needs to know. 

“I’m going to go wash up,” you say softly, “He should be alright for now. I’ll check him after I’m done. If anything happens just yell.” 

When you’re safely closed off in the bathroom, you take the first calm breath since the phone rang, waking you from a dreamless sleep. You stare at yourself in the mirror and realize in addition to being covered in blood, you also still wear the black silk nightgown you wore to bed. You scoff, looking down at yourself, the lace hem falls across the top of your thighs, sticking to the skin with blood, and one thin strap hangs off your shoulder. You look like a dumpster fire. Your hair is in shambles as well. You start to take it down and decide to toss the nightie in the trash when the door to your bathroom opens. Minho. 

“I sent Felix and Bin off, I need them to cool down a bit, they’re pretty keyed up,” he says, playing with the bottles and boxes on your bathroom vanity. “I’ve sent for Seungmin to stay with you and Hyunjin for a while as protection, I’ll stick around until he arrives of course.” 

You clear your throat, “Thank you.” 

“It’s nothing,” he whispers. He moves to stand behind you and you stare at each other in the reflection of the mirror. He takes two fingers and caresses your arm, hooking the rogue strap of your nightie and pulling it back into place on your shoulder. His other hand roams your figure, over your breast, down your ribs and waist, and stops on your hip as he gives it a gentle squeeze - never once taking his eyes off yours in the mirror. You say nothing, you don’t move. 

“You look like a scared animal,” he chuckles, using his free hand to pull your hair off your neck, exposing it. His lips move in, his breath on the delicate skin, and he looks at your reflection once more, “Hm?” 

You realize he’s asking for permission and you nod. His lips land right under your ear, his fingers spreading across your throat to gently pull you into him. You don’t stop the soft breath that escapes your lips and your hand flies to cover his as he continues to rub and squeeze your hip. 

You’ve almost lost yourself in him, when you open your eyes and realize he’s spreading the blood on your arm around. 

“Wait,” you gasp and jump away. 

“What?” he frowns, and you see the flicker of rejection flash in his dark eyes, but he decides  to suppress any reaction to it.

“You’re getting blood all over you,” you point to his hand, “I really do need to wash up and check on Hyunjin. I’ll need to monitor him constantly tonight to make sure there’s no change,” you say politely. 

“Are you that scared of me, Kitten?” he asks, leaning over your sink to rinse Hyunjins blood away. 

“I’m not scared of you Minho,” you tell him, and it’s mostly true, kind of. “You’ve been in my bed enough times that I think you know I’m not scared of you.” 

“Yet you always send me away after,” he sighs, shaking the excess water from his hands. “It makes me wonder if maybe you only let me into your bed because you think you don’t have a choice, you know, due to our arrangement,” he motions broadly at the room. 

You can easily see how he’d come to that conclusion. When you accepted his offer you went very swiftly from working your ass to the bone, on no sleep, in a shoebox of an apartment, with debt up to your eyeballs straight to having everything paid off, a credit card with essentially no limit, a huge, beautiful house on the edge of the city bought and paid for, and anything your heart desired. All of it was taken care of by him. So, yes, you could see how one might think you allow him to do whatever he wants just to keep things copacetic for him. 

“Do you want honesty?” you ask, reaching into the shower to adjust the water. 

“From my employees? I demand it, yes,” he nods. Well, there it is, you think. He looks at you as an employee, and you also look at him as your employer. The situation is so beyond wildly fucked that you’ve truly got no idea what you’re doing or why. 

“I let you into my bed because I’m lonely, and you make me feel…not alone,” you tell him. “It has nothing to do with our arrangement. If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t.” 

“Good,” he nods, “but why are you lonely? You’re not my prisoner, you are free to come and go as you please, with the caveat of you being available when I need you, and for you to keep what you know and have seen to yourself.” 

“I know that,” you allow your nightgown to fall to the floor, “What I don’t know yet is how to compartmentalize my normal life with this life, how to live them separately. How to be normal out there, and business here. So until I do, well, you don’t seem to mind my using you for human connection.” 

“That’s understandable and I don’t mind at all,” he licks his lips as you slide your panties down and off your legs, “I know this was a big change for you, and I understand that what I ask of you is taxing, that what you see and hear is sometimes unfathomable.” 

You cross over to him, naked, skin streaked with another persons blood, “Thank you for understanding,” you say, and kiss him, pulling him into you by his collar. His fingers slide down your stomach and slide between your slick. You whimper into his mouth as he pulls away.

 He brings his fingers to his mouth, sucking them with a grin, “Wash up Kitten, but next time you don’t have one of my men bleeding on your dining room table, you’re mine.” 

You wait for him to close the door before you step into the water. You watch the white floor of the shower turn into red swirls being pulled down the drain. You scrub and scrub your skin until it feels raw, wash your hair in case any blood made its way up there to dry out in the strands. You dry off, moisturize and put on comfortable clothes - a pair of old scrub pants and a tee shirt you don’t care about. You pull your wet hair tight out of your face and then pick up your ruined night dress, tossing it into the bathroom trash on your way out the door. 

When you return downstairs you see Seungmin sitting in a recliner in the living room, scrolling his phone. Hyunjin continues to lay still on the dining table, and you walk over to check his vitals again, catching Seungmins attention. 

“Good evening,” he nods stiffly and you give him a wry smile. 

“Where did Min- Where did Mr. Lee go?” you ask him as you wrap the BP cuff around Hyunjins arm. 

“He left. You don’t need to know where,” he answers you with an uninterested cadence, not looking up from his phone. 

“Right,” you fight the urge to roll your eyes, “Of course.” 

Hyunjins blood pressure is back to normal, albeit a tad low, but well in the realm of being acceptable. Resting heart rate has returned to the low 70’s, which is also a good sign. You finger the bandage at his side and it’s a relief to find that so far, no blood has seeped through the packing. That is indeed very good progress. 

As you fix his bandage back a hand flies up, landing over yours and you jump, looking up just in time to see his eyes flutter open. 

“Hey there,” you say softly, “How do you feel?” 

“Like I got stabbed in a back alley,” he chuckles and lifts his head but immediately winces at the pain and collapses back onto the table with a painful sounding thud. 

“Be very still,” you place your palm against his stomach softly. “You did get stabbed in a back alley and you’re far from ready to move around.” 

“Changbin and Felix?” he rasps. 

“They’re fine,” you answer, “They brought you here but Mr. Lee sent them home for the night, they were both very worried about you.” 

“But they’re fine?” he looks at you seriously and you nod. 

“Totally fine Hyunjin.” 

He shakes his head, “Those motherfuckers have to be the dumbest in the entire country. We weren’t even there for any rifts, we just needed to collect the monthly gun sales. I knew when we walked in something was off, everyone felt so nervous, I should’ve turned tail and gotten Bin and Felix out as soon as I felt it.” 

“She doesn’t need to know any of this, you ought to keep your mouth shut,” Seungmin calls from the living room. 

Hyunjin smirks, “Why’d they send the mean, strict grandpa? I almost died, I at least deserve Jeongin or Jisung.” 

You say nothing, but suppress a laugh and shrug your shoulders. 

Hyunjin wiggles around feeling his pants pockets and produces a square brass cigarette case. 

“Got a light Doll?” he places one between his lips and you walk to the kitchen for a lighter. 

“As your primary care professional, I don’t really recommend this right now,” you say dryly, but light it for him and allow it. 

“I’ve been a good patient though,” he sticks out his lower lip and you roll your eyes. 

“I suppose,” you say. 

“So when can I get out of here?” he asks between puffs. 

You scoff, “Well. If we were in a hospital and I could send you for bloodwork and images and definitively rule out any organ damage, I could send you home a lot sooner. As it is,” you think for a moment, trying to be both medically practical but also realistic to what Minho will expect. “As it is, I need to watch you for at least three days. I’ll need to monitor your wound, obviously, but also any sign of infection like swelling or fever. If that happens it could be because the blade nicked something it shouldn’t have, like your intestines for example, or that the wound itself is trying to go septic.” 

“Ew,” he grimaces.

“Exactly.” 

“And will I have to bunk on this very nice, but extremely uncomfortable table during that time? Not gonna lie Doll, I’m getting pretty stiff, and not in the fun way,” he jokes. 

“No,” you laugh, “Seungmin and I will help you to the guest room in a bit. First I’d like to unpack your wound, make sure the major bleeding stopped, and stitch you. Then I’ll clean you up and put a new bandage on, after that you can go to a real bed.” 

“Stitches huh?” he blows out a big puff of smoke. “Is that, uh…you know, going to hurt?” 

You grin, “Well, it won’t feel amazing, but it probably doesn’t hurt any worse than getting stabbed, and now we know you can handle that.” 

“Right,” he chuckles. 

“I’ll try and see if I have any more topical anesthetic in my supplies,” you pat his leg sympathetically. 

🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️

“Fuck! It hurts…” Hyunjin grumbles, you pause your needle as he flinches and bites down hard on his bottom lip. 

“I’m sorry, I’m almost done,” you tell him, going back to it, “aside from me sewing you up, how do you feel?” 

“I’m fine,” he says shakily, you can see the sheen of sweat on his upper lip and forehead, see his fingers shaking between weak grips on the edge of the table. 

“Cute, acting tough like that,” you click your teeth, “Now, how about you tell me the truth? I can’t treat you properly if you’re not honest about your symptoms.” 

He looks down at you, despite his current state, the corners of his lips twitch into a smile. 

“I feel like shit, there, you happy now?” he pouts. 

From the corner of the room Seungmin sighs, “She needs you to be specific, idiot.” 

“Why are you speaking?” Hyunjin snaps at him and you see Seungmin stiffen, face defiant, but you notice he sinks lower into the recliner and goes back to his phone. 

“He’s right,” you say quietly, finishing up the stitches, “I need to know if anything’s hurting, burning or itching from head to toe,” you stand up and help him lie back down on the table, carefully holding his head in your hands. This brings your faces closer together, closer than you’d ever been to Hyunjin, and you can’t help but notice the sweetness of his face, the wild innocence of his dark eyes. He meets your gaze with the same intensity and you have to look away. 

“So how about it?” you clear your throat, “How are you really feeling?” 

“My head is pounding, I feel like I could drink ten gallons of water, my side is burning where you just sewed my guts back in, and I feel like I couldn’t lift a feather without passing out. That good enough for you sweetheart?” he half laughs, then winces. 

“Yes, actually,” you quip, “The headache and weakness are both from the blood loss, I’ll get you some pain meds, and you can slowly start to drink some ice water for the dry mouth, I also want you on antibiotics, and Seungmin can help me get you to bed so you can rest.” 

You gesture to Seungmin, “I went ahead and pulled the covers down, I just need you to help me get him on the bed,” you instruct. 

Seungmin saunters over and Hyunjin reluctantly puts his arm around Seungmins neck, “Ouch! Fuck!” he cries and you look up from where you’re putting his feet on the floor. 

“Maybe support the side he doesn’t have a stab wound on boys?” you point to Hyunjins right side. 

“Right,” Seungmin grumbles.  

Getting Hyunjin from the dining room just down the hall to the bedroom proves to be quite difficult, despite the trip only being maybe twenty, twenty-five steps. The journey takes every bit of his energy and when he hits the mattress with a painful sounding thud he’s out again. 

“Is he going to make it?” Seungmin stands back and somehow looks both concerned and unbothered by Hyunjins pitiful state. 

“Yes,” you nod, “He needs to rehydrate, and rest. When he wakes up I’ll get him some pain medication, start some antibiotics, and get some fluids in him. Will you run down to the store and get a case of some kind of sports drink? He’ll need the sodium.” 

“No.” 

“Pardon?” you turn to Seungmin. 

“My orders aren’t to do your shopping, my orders are to stay here and protect the safe house,” he answers seriously. 

“For fucks sake Seungmin,” you sigh, “loosen up. I’ll grab my keys and be right back,” you tell him, “but if he wakes up and needs something urgent you’re on your own and whatever happens will be on you.” 

“Then I’ll deal with it. Just because you fuck the boss doesn’t make you the matriarch of the organization,” he says flatly. 

You freeze, your mouth setting into a tight, defensive line. You fight the urge to slap him, you know that he’ll hit you back and his fist most definitely packs a bigger punch. 

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Hyunjin says weakly from the bed, Seungmin nearly jumps out of his skin. 

“It’s the truth,” Seungmin challenges softly. 

“That’s not how you talk to someone who does so much for us, and besides I’d hate for that nasty remark to get back to Minho, you won’t be doing protection details for a while, I guarantee you that,” Hyunjin threatens. 

Seungmin huffs and starts to stalk out of the room. 

“You’re forgetting something,” Hyunjin says, weakly lifting a finger and pointing at you. “Apologize.”

Seungmins eyes narrow with rage, “I apologize,” he says through gritted teeth. 

“It’s fine,” you sigh, knowing he doesn’t really mean it and also knowing that you don’t really give a shit if he does or not. “I’m going to get some things for Hyunjin, you boys play nice.” 

You don’t give either of them the opportunity to respond, you just head for the door. You wait until you’re in the privacy of your own car, well, Minho’s car, before you cry. 

Seungmins words cut deep, both embarrassing and insulting. You hadn’t really thought about anyone noticing that sometimes Minho slips away upstairs to your bedroom and because of that oversight you’d never really thought about how it would feel for others to know, and to comment on it. It feels lousy, turns out. It makes you feel cheap, and it makes you feel wrong. 

🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️

It’s almost daylight before Hyunjin wakes again. He slept through almost every vital check, and at the most would only stir in his sleep when you put the cuff around his arm or the cold stethoscope against his chest. 

“What are you reading?” his voice pulls your attention from the page and you wiggle around in your seat, joints and muscles stiff from hours of sitting. 

“It’s just a silly romance novel, nothing life changing,” you tell him, setting the book down. “Here, you need to drink,” you hand him a cup of blue Gatorade, a bit watery from the melted ice. 

Hyunjin attempts to sit up but winces, “Never really thought about how much I use these muscles,” his smile is twisted with pain, but you’re impressed with his positivity. 

“Here,” you stand up and reach around to fluff his pillows up so he’s propped. “How does that feel?” 

“God you smell good,” he says softly, his nose centimeters away from your sternum, right between your breasts. 

“Thanks,” you sit back down quickly. 

Hyunjin watches silently, sipping the blue beverage as you make a ruckus on the side table shaking pills out of bottles. 

“What’s all that?” he asks. 

“Your meds, since you’re up and lucid I want you to go ahead and take some,” you tell him, handing him two pills to take. 

“Can I at least know what I’m taking?” he chuckles, rolling them around his palm. 

“The smaller white one is an Oxycodone, for the pain, and the big one is Cephalexin, an antibiotic just in case,” you explain. 

He tosses the Oxy back onto the table and pops the antibiotic into his mouth. Off of your stare he shrugs, “I don’t take pain killers, used to have a bad problem with pills.” 

“Oh, well, it’s mainly just Acetaminophen, I think this one is 800mg and only 200mg of oxy. I think wherever your boss gets my drugs - they keep the hard stuff. I’d like you to take something, for your head and for the wound, but if you don’t want to I can’t make you obviously,” you say, standing up. 

“I’m fine sweetheart,” he lays his head back down on the pillows, and puts the empty cup on the table. “I like a little pain,” he winks. 

“Suit yourself,” you grab your book and start out of the room. 

“Hey, where are you going?” he calls. 

“Just giving you some privacy to rest,” you shrug. 

“Read to me,” he gestures towards your chair. 

“You’re kidding?” you snort. 

“I’ve slept all night, and I’m bored,” he pouts, “Please?” 

You huff and plant your ass back into the chair, deciding not to point out that he may have slept all night but you haven’t. 

“You really want to sit here and listen to my silly romance?” 

“Absolutely.” 

You sigh and open your book to the page you dogeared a few moments ago. To be frank you can’t remember what was happening, you’d zoned out and the words weren’t exactly sticking. You scan the page to find anything familiar. 

You freeze. Oh good Lord. 

“Why are you blushing?” he laughs. 

“I just…it’s…it’s sort of at a spicy part,” you squirm. 

“Nice, lay it on me,” he grins. 

“Jesus…” you shake your head and clear your throat. 

“...Scooping her into my arms, I lavish kisses on her mouth and neck. We strip each other bare, our love making frenzied. I make sure she orgasms before me, holding back until her body achieves its release. Right before I come I whisper “I love you” between each breath before my mind goes blank with pleasure. As we lie across my-,” 

“That’s it??” Hyunjin scoffs. 

“What’s it?” you look up at him. 

“That’s supposed to be spicy? That’s barely salted!” he chuckles. 

“Well, I suppose it’s meant to not be super detailed, leave a bit to the imagination,” you answer. 

“That’s lazy,” he shakes his head. 

“Well what would you have written then?” you challenge, closing the book and crossing your legs. 

“I don’t know, I’m no writer,” he falters, “but I would’ve written something about how she feels, how it feels to push into her - tight and wet and warm. What she tastes like - from her lipstick, to her skin, to her cunt.” 

You shift in your seat, squeezing your thighs together. 

“They could’ve at least described her noises, how playing with her in different ways makes her sound different, what her tits look like when I’m fucking her, bouncing fast or slow. I don’t know, something with a little actual spice,” he shrugs. 

“Well write a book then,” you say before he can go into any more detail. 

“I’m just saying, they could’ve painted a better picture, fucking is supposed to be fun, that sounded boring as hell,” he scoffs, “Who ever actually whispers “I love you” when they’re fucking?” 

“I don’t know, I guess people who love each other,” you grumble. 

“Yeah? Is that what Boss man says to you?” he teases. It’s not the same menacing tone that Seungmin had taken with you concerning Minho, and you can tell by the lightness of Hyunjins eyes he doesn’t mean anything by it, but God, these men. They all need to be lined up and slapped across the face. You’re sick of it. Sick of the power struggle. In every situation, in every conversation they have to feel like they’re holding the power. You let Seungmins comments roll off your back and ignored them like a coward earlier, but Hyunjin will likely be here a few days and you need to establish that you won’t back down again, you can fight fire with fire. 

So you straighten up and look him dead in the eyes, “No. When Minho fucks me he pulls my hair and slaps my ass and calls me his gorgeous little slut while his cum drips out of my mouth.” 

Hyunjins mouth turns into the biggest grin you’ve ever seen and his eyes go wide as he points to you, “Now that is a goddamn page turner.” 

You can’t help the laugh that escapes as you stand up and straighten yourself out, “Okay, storytime is over, I’m going to get a little sleep. Try to rest. I’ll make you some breakfast in a bit.” 

“Okay,” he nods and settles back into the mattress, as you go to switch the lights he looks at you, his head cocking to the side a bit, “Do you like that though? The rough and ragged and dirty stuff?” 

You shrug, “Sometimes, I guess. Sometimes though…I don’t know… I think I’d like someone to whisper how much they love me, it sounds nice.”

He nods, then looks back up at you, “I’m sorry, I won’t comment on you and Lee anymore.”

“See you later Hyunjin.”

Too tired to even attempt walking up the stairs you drag yourself over to the sofa and collapse.

Seungmin sits in his recliner nearby and blinks at you.

You point to the blanket folded over the back of his chair, “Will you hand-,”

He balls up the blanket and throws it, pegging your face with a smirk. You shoot him a death glare before covering yourself up and sinking into the cushions. You try not to think about his earlier comments regarding Minho. You try not to think about Minho. You especially try not to think about dirty talk with Hyunjin, or how it stirred something within you that you absolutely must not allow to grow.

Endnotes:

1. Tentatively tagging my Minho lovers - @katieraven @linocz @screamobubbles @simpforleeknaur @moni-logues - because Minho will be centric to the story. However, if you do not want to be tagged for any reason just DM me and I’ll remove you, no worries at all 💙🥰 Alternatively, if you’re seeing this and want to be added to the tag list just let me know somehow!

2. As usual, here’s your virtual smooch for making it this far. Mafia is soooo far out of my wheelhouse and honestly even though this chapter is super unbeta’d - I may have future chapters looked at bc I’m not really sure I’m hitting the mark. Any feedback on it would be swell, just be gentle with me 😂👍

[radio-fmm]

You must live

What if Luffy and reader got out of Marineford with Ace?

Ace x reader

2.1k words, gn reader, SFW fluffy at the end

Depictions of war and injuries, happy ending!!! Idc idc, the most plot accurate thing I’ve ever written I guess if you haven’t catched up to marineford then don’t read, or do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I ain’t the boss of ya’

War

It had creeped up on you like a nightmare from which you cannot wake up, your heart thrumming in your chest as you repeat to yourself that nothing’s real, that it’ll past— But it doesn’t

You still remember how you got here, the fear after seeing Ace stomping out the deck just about to jump to his striker as he argued with your dad because you knew there was not stopping him, yet you plead

“Don’t do it” now you stood between his sizzling anger and the edge of the ship, arms immediately grabbing his as a cry for help

“I have to do this, you know I do… I can’t let that bastard step on my dad’s name” as you looked right into his gaze you could just feel there was something else, something he was trying to prove not to your dad, not to the crew or you but to himself— Like he had to be of use to deserve his place

“Then I’m going with you” never in your life you had spoken with such conviction; you run to the side of the deck to gather a backpack and quickly tossing some food that was left laying around before everyone had stopped to convince your stubborn lover and failed miserably

“NO!” in all your time with Ace you had never heard him raise his voice at you, but you gave it no mind, quickly scrabbling anything useful for the journey at your arms reach

“Yes” everyone stood frozen knowing better than to speak up, you and Ace were so painfully similar, stubbornness one of the qualities on that list

“I have to do this myself, I want you here where you’re safe” he tried to quickly reach for the backpack now all full and packed but to not avail since you were quicker to toss it on your shoulders and walked straight to his striker

“I can handle myself just fine. I am going because I want to, I am making that decision,”- the silence that followed your statement was seasoned with desperation from the man that was onto your toes -“If you think I’m letting you go by yourself you’re out of your mind Portgas”

His last name leaving your lips had him groaning, a warning to not question you since you had in fact already made your mind and there was not changing it— so stubborn

So you followed him, through the hot desserts of Alabasta, dangerous Marine base’s and infested seas; you would’ve followed him to the end of the world

Maybe that’s were you find yourself now— the love of your life chained about to be executed like his death had something to proof; his blood not one he choose but now being punished for it, the world had failed him even before he was born and it pains you that you didn’t know, that he didn’t tell you about all the self doubt, insecurities and regrets that blinded him, a lot of things now making sense as you recall some of his behavior even before you began to build your relationship— his search for a life worth living that now you and him wonder if he’ll ever get to taste. But you don’t hold it against him, how could you?

By your side stands his brother, a pirate you had met in your lovers journey that had doomed yourselves, a bright and brave pirate that now gives his life away for his big brother, even if there’s no more he can give he does. And you? The pain that aches your heart also aches your bones, one more hit and you’ll probably be gone but you don’t care, as Ace’s voice rattles trough the dead and screams of pain it gives you all the energy and all the will to continue

“Why is it now that my brother, my dad, the love of my life and my crew fight for me, is that I find myself wanting to live?”

His words are drowned by his tears and your own but you feel them to the core, clenching your fists as you make your way through the war unfolding. Marines, pirates and family all fight for the future, you? You just want Ace to live, then you’ll give yourself the luxury of thinking about the future— A future where he is in

You scream his name at the top of your lungs making his head jolt up looking for you from high above, even though a battle cry, your voice soothes him but it also terrifies him. He fears for your life, and if you may want to keep him in it now that you know his biggest secret— what do you think of him now?

His fears quickly fade as you scream once more

“YOU HAVE TO LIVE ACE”

He doesn’t deserve you- he thinks. You had stood by him through thick and thin. even now you could turn away from this war and start anew, yet you fight for him, body scarred, bullets and punches flying above your head but your eyes look for his, your voice chooses to call for his name and reassure him even amongst the chaos— He feels your love as it expands through his tired form, combusting

“I LOVE YOU ACE, WE ALL DO, THAT’S WHY YOU HAVE TO LIVE BECAUSE YOURE WORTH IT”

Luffy glances back at you, the widest smile you’ve ever seen painted on his features, he calls your name while one of his hands holds your shoulder in a tight grip as if trying to keep you on the here and now “We are getting Ace out of here I promise”

That is the last thing you hear before everything becomes a blur, but you hold the promise close because you know it was made with a honest and pure heart. The Marines desperate to win the war and execute your lover pounce over you like a wild animal thirsty for what they call justice, but this is just a masacre. You hold onto the idea that this may pass too, like everything does

Somehow you pull trough, how? You still can’t comprehend, probably out of your resilience alone. Helping Luffy up to uncuff Ace’s restraints knowing he’s the only one capable enough to set him free, and he lives up to his name shocking everyone as both brothers decent making the war hold its breath.

That’s when Ace finally can really see you, your face clear and your presence heavy in his heart— it’s like the first time he ever saw you, love is the only thing stirring around his stomach even in the middle of his own demise as you stand in front of him, there’s nothing more he wants than to kiss you senseless right now, cry as you hold him tight grateful you’re here

But this is not over

It might never be

Your feet move at the speed of light, Ace’s hand wrapped around yours in the tightest grip as if grounding him, while also keeping you safe and sound. You must’ve been thrilled, the love of your life free and by your side now, yet, this cruel world seemed to just hate him- forever cursed by the blood running through his veins

It dawns on you very quickly how getting out of this hell wouldn’t be easy, that you will have to leave people behind just to be free, and it pains you both to have to turn your backs on your captain, your dad. You see the distress trough Ace’s face as he escapes, his heart thrumming louder and louder but apparently not loud enough as he catches the voice of Akainu- one of the Marines admiral’s calling his dad weak, even as he dies for you all

He stops, so do you and as you turn to look for his gaze you catch that same glint that was the reason of this nightmare. Ace was angry, it bubbles on his being like it has done so many times before and you know there’s not changing the course of this— you feel hopeless

You stand terrified in the presence of the admiral, a ruthless man that kills in the name of justice but he’s no different to even the most evil criminals he has wiped from the seas. You are not a believer in any means, but you find yourself prying to anyone above that you’re not next on his list

Ace bites back, Akainu lures him as he continues to spit venom on the ones he loves, the symbol tattooed on Ace’s back nothing but reminding you of how far he can go- and he will now

Because he would never turn his back on the people he loves

It all happened so fast yet so slow; your lover hits the ground, red crimson puddle staining the hard floor as you panic. You turn to all directions as if looking for an answer, a miracle that would get you out of here alive

Then you see it, bright and burning at the heat of the sun— Akainu’s punch flies as it tries to burn Luffy like icarus.

The rubber boy that had flew too close to the sun trying to protect the person he loves most

And of course Ace is rushing to protect him

It’s selfish really, the way you’re only thinking about how to get yourself out of this. You want to run away from the war harmless, untouched; alongside the ones you love standing by your side with a future to think about the next morning. It fuels you; all the grief, pain and anger rises and you don’t know how or why— maybe it was the entity up above that heard your desperate pleas and pulled on the strings of destiny

But… You punch Ace

You punch him harder than you have ever punched before, launching both of your hurt bodies to the other side of the battlefield. Akainu’s fist wavers, enough to miss his actual target, his little brother who holds Ace’s life between his fingertips while it sets alight once again

Everything stills, even as you hit the floor hard, you must’ve passed out after all this torturous time fighting, but you hold onto the little sanity and energy you can

Ace is looking at you incredulous— a million emotions tug at him as he looks back between you and his brother. Is he relieved? Angry? Scared?. For a moment his strong morals crumble as his gaze meets yours; you’re tired, so so tired yet hopeful as you plead for him to change his ways eve if it is for just this once, because you’re a selfish bastard

You can’t really make up what he’s saying to you now, you don’t really care as you use all in you to muster

“You must live Ace”

Your body shuts down, limp crashing on Ace’s naked top half as he holds you desperately, both of you may still lay on the battlefield but you feel safe because you know he’ll listen to you— you know he’ll live

And he would never let you down

It’s cold, you can make out a continuous beep that follows the rhythm of your slow heartbeat. You try to adjust the uncomfortable position in which you lay on your back, but your body doesn’t respond not even your eyelids as you beg them to show you where you are— Were you dead? Safe? At the bottom of the sea?

Air slowly enters your lungs, allowing your tired body to settle, you open your eyes a little hesitant now, a gray metal ceiling greets you

Another breath gives you the courage to move, you don’t recognize any of the coroners that your eyes land on, the bed creeks making the cowboy hat by your bed that was still in the corner of your eye jolt up

There they were, those eyes you adored more than anything… and that you thought you’ll never see again. They are different now, puddled with grief yet softer

It was reliving how after your ears had ringed for so long, to listen to your name spoken so softly, so lovingly

“You’re here” Ace can’t even bring himself to touch you, afraid you may shatter and there was just so much he wanted to say, to do, yet he only thanks you

He sobs now, allowing his walls to fall right at your feet because who else could’ve done it if not you

Your scarred hands cup his freckled face tenderly “Ace… you lived”

What a silly thing to say, of course he lived

Why wouldn’t he live?

Masterlist

I just finished Marineford and omg I just had this looping in my mind, Ace is my favorite character I see a lot of myself in him. This was written in 3 sittings so I may consider writing a corrected/longer version of it if people are interested because I am a huge nerd and love writing takes on arcs and stuff. Anyway Portgas D Ace you would always be famous

[honeybunhottie]

How do you think it would go if Josh was with Chris’s younger sister

How it would be if Josh was dating Chris’s younger sister

Oh my gosh, I love this request! I actually had some friends in this situation last year, so it’s kind of funny to be writing about it now. Also, this will be before Josh’s sisters go missing, or an AU where they never do. We need everyone to be silly and happy here

Chris’s side of things

Josh and Chris are best buds, they have been since the 3rd grade

They’ve been with each other through thick and thin, they share everything with each other!

Jokes, clothes, food, the list goes on

One thing that was never on the table, though, was their younger siblings.

Chris was fine in that aspect. He’d never felt anything romantic towards Beth and Hannah, as sweet as they were. He’d had his eye on Ashley for a while.

But when Josh starts leaving lingering gazes toward his baby sister, he subconsciously begins feeling a little protective.

(she’s only a year younger, but it pisses her off when he calls her that so he continues to do so)

There wasn’t concrete evidence yet that Josh liked her, but Chris's suspicion grew when he started inviting her to join their group hangouts.

and when he saw Josh taking his spot next to her at the movies, whispering into her ear instead of cracking jokes with him

and when he always seemed to be searching the crowd for her at parties

and when he kept not so subtly asking Chris questions about what she was into, if she was single, etc

(His hackles were raised with that one, but Josh rushed to say he was joking) he wasn’t

But… Josh couldn’t like HIS little sister, right?

Josh was his best bro, but… c’mon! He’s kind of a perv. And he had a few…issues. Definitely NOT the type to bring home to her high-strung mother.

But that didn't matter, because Josh definitely doesn’t like his baby sis

At least that's what Chris chooses to believe

Ignorance is bliss, as they say

Until he is forced to acknowledge it when he’s heading to the bathroom at a party and sees you and Josh making out in the hallway

All previous bladder needs are out the window as he freaks out at both of you

Eventually, he gets over it, he knows Josh well enough to know he won’t hurt you intentionally. And if he does, he’s sure Hannah and Beth will join him in kicking Josh’s ass <3

Josh’s side of things

Josh has known Chris since he was like 9, and they’ve been locked in ever since

He knew Chris had a little sister, but they’d never spoken more than 8 words to each other in one sitting

Except for the one time he stayed at Chris’s house and she “beat” him at Mario Kart

IT WAS TOTALLY HIS WIN UNTIL SHE BLUE-SHELLED HIM

needless to say, he still held a slight grudge

It didn’t help that they didn’t go to the same school as them, staying with her mother during the week and Chris’s family on the weekends

The messy dynamic was lost on Josh, but it worked for them

It wasn’t until the summer of junior year that he met her again.

There was a party, there was banter and there was dancing, and there was this beautiful girl who he might’ve been a little in love with

and also he may have been a little drunk

So imagine his shock when his best bud comes around and reintroduces the pair

Josh fought very hard to control his facial expression from contorting into shock

He bit his tongue and forced a grin with only one thought on his mind as he looked between the pair, noticing a few similar facial features

‘Oh shit’

Of course, Josh isn’t a quitter

So when he woke up in the morning with a text from her, thanking him for the dance and for the invite to hang out with everyone next week, he cursed his drunk perseverance

It would be the smart thing to leave his best friend's sister alone

It never ends well in all of the movies he watches

Betrayal, fistfights, arguments, the whole shebang he would gladly like to avoid with Chris

He resolves to see her at the hangout, have a good time, then never talk to her again

except that doesn’t happen

Somehow she charms another invite out of him, and another, and another

And before he knows it, Josh is in deep

He tries to be subtle about it, inviting her to group outings, asking Chris questions about his sister, real lowkey stuff

When he casually asks her on a date, with just the two of them, they mutually agree it’s best if they keep it quiet for now

And when they officially start going out, they try even harder to hide their relationship until the time is right for Chris to find out

“the right time” ended up being at Holly Becker’s 4th of July party as they made out in the mostly empty hallway

Never in his life had Josh been so freaked out

thankfully, Chris seemed to take it well

It feels like a weight is off his chest now that he can be honest with him again

Plus, now he can go back to making horny jokes without feeling weird about it

(he is dodging Chris’s punches each time he opens his mouth)

Your side of things

You’d always thought Chris’s best friend was kind of cute

Of course, as all childhood crushes go, the best way to show it was in competitiveness and aggression

You absolutely demolished that poor kid in Mario Kart, many times in fact

But when things between your parents got more tense, you stopped being able to hang out as much

It was weird at first, but soon with your new school your mind was filled with other things and you nearly forgot all about that Josh guy your brother always hung out with

Aside from a few photos he posted on his socials or the rare glimpse of them on the weekends, you hardly even saw him

So when the summer of Sophmore year comes up and Chris invites you to go to one of his friend’s infamous parties, the guy is the last person on your mind

You’re in your hottest outfit, your hair and makeup immaculate, your glasses traded for contacts, and ready to let loose

And let loose you do! Before you know it there’s this funny guy who’s kind of cute dancing with you the entire night

and when Chris comes trotting over introducing the guy as his best bud, you giggle a little inside

You’re about to be the main character of one of those brother’s best friend stories, and you can’t wait!

I feel like there's way less risk for you in this, because 1. Chris can’t stay mad at you, and 2. You’re kind of your own person at this point, free to date who you want to

So you gladly accept all of the charming Josh’s invitations to parties and hangouts

and you lean into him when he throws his arm over you at the movies, and laugh as he whispers jokes into your ear

and laugh it off when Chris finds you both in the hallway at Holly Becker’s party, because you know that he won’t stay mad at Josh forever

Lil fun things

You and Josh fight who can have him as your best man/man of honor

(Josh wins and counts that as revenge against the Blue Shell incident of 2006)

Holidays are the best with the two families combined

When you guys announce that you’re pregnant, Chris is ecstatic before being immensely grossed out

He enjoys being the best uncle ever though

I loved writing this! Hope you enjoyed too! Please send more requests!!

[indierpgnewsletter]

Playing Rabbits in an RPG from 1976

(This continues our 2024 series, 10 Games From The First 10 Years. First published in the Indie RPG Newsletter)

It is genuinely surprising to me that in 1976, within two years of D&D coming out, someone published a game about being rabbits. It makes a little more sense when you realize that it was inspired by Watership Down and the designers were, I believe, zoologists or something similar. But having read it, the premise is the least interesting part of this game. It has so many fascinating little ideas.

Bunnies & Burrows is a game about rabbits … but these aren’t just rabbits, they fight, explore, gamble, study herbs, see the future, parley with beetles, find love, have children – and the list goes on. The end result are characters that ironically feel more human than you’d imagine.

As I play more games, I learn about games, sure, but I’m also learning a lot about myself. And a rule of thumb has slowly emerged: I want to play games that lead to interesting, surprising, unique things being said by the players. I’ve sometimes phrased it as “people want to say cool shit at the table”. I’m people.

Bunnies & Burrows starts with D&D as a jumping off point – there’s that old, familiar rolling 3d6 down the line to get your stats. But that’s more or less where the similarities end. You have rules for fighting but it’s not D&D combat – this game is often described as having “the first martial arts system” but what this means is that fighting is mostly weapon-less and involves declaring actions that flow into each other as patterns or c-c-combos. Basically, some actions set up other actions – you can’t Rip into another rabbit unless you already pulled off a Bite & Hold in the last turn. Some actions like Run aren’t possible if you’ve just done a Pin or a Rip in the previous turn and so on. I didn’t actually get to play out a fight but these rules got me grinning.

And the whole thing is like that. The study and application of herbs is meant to be a little puzzle where through trial-and-error and dice rolls, you slowly figure out what’s good for you and what isn’t. The languages and persuasion rules mean that certain characters can become envoys to other species. Because a language can mean the difference between things turning violent and a peaceful negotiation between rabbits and a mother scorpion that has accidentally wandered into their warren.

Don’t get me wrong. Most of these little pieces are eccentric and inelegant – always more convoluted than you’d like but still a major leap forward in playability because in the end, it’s a d100 roll under a target number. All the fiddliness – and there’s a lot of it – lies in the absolutely esoteric ways this game invents for calculating that target number. But I find it easy to forgive this in an old game, especially when the most interesting part of the game doesn’t lie in the mechanics but the negative space the rules seem to create.

The donut hole in the centre of this game – fruitful void? uncrowded centre? – is the question: What is rabbit society like? This is a setting question – or rather, a system of relation question – that is never asked but it must be answered. The mechanics have some opinions. For example, every player picks a profession when they make a character – Empath, Seer, Storyteller, Scout, and so on. Some of this comes from Watership Down, which can, of course, be your ready-made answer – it’s the unstated but obvious setting sourcebook for this game. But if you don’t go down that route, you’ve got a juicy problem: What do we value? What do we despise?

[dreamauri]

♪ — 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞 - part eight max verstappen x fem! driver! reader ( fluff ) series summary . . . when the lives of an f1 and wec prodigies collide, they find out they find out that they’re not that different and carve out a place for their selves in each others hearts. the commentators from sky sports call this puppy love

( fic master list | general master list ) ( tag list ) ( previous | next )

Max was sitting cross-legged at the end of you’s bed, tugging on one end of a rope while Marshmallow, you spotted Dalmatian, gave it all he had on the other. Marshmallow growled playfully, his teeth gripping the rope as he crouched low, eyes shining with determination. Max was grinning, leaning back slightly to tease the dog by letting the rope slacken, only to give it another quick tug just as Marshmallow tried to make his move.

The game paused when you reappeared from the room service table, balancing two plates. She handed one over to Max, who glanced down to find a plate of kebabs, still steaming and smelling like a mouthwatering mix of spices. He blinked, caught off guard. He’d mentioned in a TikTok interview once that he loved kebabs, but he couldn’t remember telling you about it. She couldn’t have known . . . right?

You sat on the bed beside him, nibbling on your own food and looking entirely unbothered by the thought that you might’ve just exposed yourself. Marshmallow, on the other hand, was absolutely determined to ruin the peace, inching up next to you and giving you the most heart-melting stare as he eyed your kebab. She chuckled, shooing him off with your fork. “You already ate, mister.”

Meanwhile, Max was twirling his fork, glancing between the plate and you, and mustering up the courage to ask something that had been weighing on him. Finally, he spoke, his voice softer than usual. “So . . . what’s your mom like?”

You paused mid-bite, looking at him with a mix of surprise and confusion. She’d never really been asked that before. It was then, as you were processing the question, that Marshmallow seized his chance. With a swift, triumphant chomp, he snagged a piece of kebab off your fork and trotted proudly over to Max’s side, plopping down as if Max had been his partner in crime.

You huffed, laughing softly as you watched your dog munch away before turning your gaze back to Max. “Well . . . I wouldn’t really know,” you started, your voice carrying an edge of practised nonchalance. “My mom was young, barely eighteen when I was born. I guess you just weren’t ready to handle it, so . . . you didn’t.” you tried to brush it off with a shrug, focusing on the flickering TV screen instead. “It didn’t really matter, though. My dad was always there, and I had Fernando, Carlos, Jenson . . . I grew up surrounded by people who cared. I was happy.”

A comfortable silence settled between them, each taking bites from their plates, and for once, Marshmallow seemed satisfied as he sat curled up by Max’s feet, licking his chops. you glanced back at Max, curiosity pricking at her. “Why’d you ask?”

Max hesitated. He didn’t want to admit he’d overheard Carlos mention it to Lando; he didn’t want to make you feel awkward. So he simply shrugged, offering you a gentle smile. “I know your dad pretty well, but your mom? Not so much. I get it, though,” he added softly, his gaze dropping to his plate. “In a way . . . I think we’re kind of similar. We both had parents who—weren’t really there in the way we needed.”

His words hung in the air for a moment, and you felt a surprising warmth bloom in your chest. She gave him a small, appreciative smile, inching a little closer until you could lean your head against his shoulder. You watched TV in silence, the show barely registering as you both sat in a quiet, shared understanding.

You ate in easy companionship until you suddenly remembered your conversation with Lando from earlier. You sat up, your eyes bright, catching Max mid-bite.

Max blinked, pausing as he chewed, his fork halfway to his mouth. “What’s up?”

She bit your lip, and without thinking twice, you asked, “Can I kiss you again?”

Max nearly choked on his kebab, swallowing quickly. “Uh, my mouth’s full of kebab, but . . .” He grinned, wiping his mouth on his wrist. “Sure. Please.”

He leaned in, giving you a quick, playful peck as you giggled, and for the first time, Max felt like he could happily sit here, lost in your laughter, for as long as you’d let him.

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Is that guy serious?” you groaned, easing off the throttle as the black Alpine in front of you sluggishly took the corner, red lights flashing, his car creeping around the track like it had all the time in the world. You abandoned your fast lap, grip tightening around the wheel as frustration boiled over. “Is he fucking—who is it? Who’s number 31?”

“That was Ocon—”

“Ocon?” you cut off your engineer, voice sharp and incredulous. “Really? Is he serious with me right now? Again?” You sped past the Alpine, flipping the driver off as you zoomed down the straight, jaw clenched so hard you swore you could feel it in your temples.

Your radio crackled back. “That’s P15 for tomorrow, Yn. P15.”

“Great,” you shouted, sarcasm seething through your voice as you pushed the car into the pits. Every turn, every acceleration suddenly felt meaningless. You were stuck now. “That’s it? I’m done?”

“Yes, confirm. That is P16 for tomorrow.”

“Fucking hell.” The words hissed out before you could stop them, anger rushing like adrenaline in your veins. The second you pulled into the pits, you pulled your helmet off, ripping it free of the wires, and hopped out. As you strode over to your team, you could feel the weight of that disappointment pressing down, hard and relentless. Ocon’s little maneuver had cost you everything you’d worked for in qualifying, and now you were looking at a dismal starting position because he decided to mess around.

As you hit the weigh station, getting through the post-session formalities, you felt the simmering anger twist into something even sharper. And what made it worse was everyone around you treating you like a ticking time bomb that they needed to defuse. “Just calm down, Yn, it’s all right,” someone coaxed, a hand patting your shoulder gently. “Deep breath, all right?”

It took every ounce of self-control not to scream. You didn’t need their calm words, didn’t need to be handled like you were on the verge of a meltdown. They didn’t seem to understand that it wasn’t okay, that losing your lap to an unnecessary block wasn’t something you could just brush off.

In the end, Ocon had done exactly what he wanted, securing his teammate’s spot in Q3 while shoving you down the grid. You could feel your fists clenching, the need to release all this pent-up frustration itching under your skin. Your PC stayed glued to your side as you made your way toward the briefing room, but your mind was still racing, stuck on that Alpine. If you saw Esteban after the debrief, he’d better have his helmet on—because right now, every thought you had involved giving him a piece of your mind and then some.

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

direct messenges: Max + YN

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

‘Finally’, Charles thought as he leaned his folded arms on the back of your sim chair, watching you do a few laps on the circuit. You smiled a little when he unconsciously commented on what you should do differently, glancing up at him. “I think I know what I’m doing, Leclerc.” You joke, turning off the sim and scribbling your quiet time somewhere.

“But this is the first time you’ve driven here since 2017.” He reminds you, smiling down at you as you stand up. “I’ve also won here a few years ago.” If it was up to Charles, he’d let himself get lost in your eyes and melt at the sound of your sarcastic laugh, or the way you patted his chest before walking out. His eyes followed you as you regrouped with Carlos’ PR to prepare for the media pen, overhearing how your goal for tomorrow would be gaining points for the team, the same words you’ve said last weekend.

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The start of the race had been a chaotic mess, with red flags and yellow flags throwing half the field off their game. But for you? It was a godsend. Each restart and caution felt like another opening, and you seized every one with a focus sharper than any you’d felt in weeks. Bit by bit, you clawed your way through the pack, pushing the limits of your car, finding every possible inch of track space until you found yourself in P2, just one position away from Max. And from there, the real chase began.

For the next grueling stretch, you stayed glued to his tail, pushing him to his absolute limit. You could almost imagine him there, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed, knowing that one slight slip would cost him the lead. You were pushing him so hard, it felt like a game of chess at breakneck speeds—one where every maneuver, every millisecond counted.

Your engineer buzzed into your ear. “You’re gaining, Yn. Keep the pressure.”

“Copy,” you muttered, eyes locked on Max’s car just meters ahead. He was fast, but you had DRS in your back pocket, an advantage you let linger, savoring the chase. You didn’t need to pass him yet; you just needed to keep him pushing harder, faster, to build that gap. And it was working. The two of you were so far ahead of the rest of the field now that it felt like your own private battle.

Each time the DRS opened, you felt the adrenaline kick harder. You could pass him whenever you wanted, but where was the fun in that? You’d wait until the moment was perfect. Finally, with Logan Sargeant’s car ahead, you knew it was time. You opened DRS, overtaking Max with precision, your car slicing past his like it was second nature. Your heart surged as you glanced at him in the mirror, the split-second look of determination in his eyes making you grin.

Now in the lead, you latched onto Logan, using his DRS to bolt ahead and create an impossible distance for Max to overcome. Each corner, each stretch, you could feel the power surging through you, knowing you’d not only taken the lead but had crafted a strategy that made it near impossible for him to catch you. Logan played his part well, too; after you overtook him, he got DRS off you, towing along behind you as you both surged forward. Watching Logan gain positions behind you almost felt like poetic justice.

It wasn’t until you reached the back markers that you glanced in your rearview mirror, expecting Max’s car to be right there, as relentless as he always was. But he wasn’t there.

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The crowd was roaring, a deafening symphony of cheers and applause, but you were hardly aware of anything except the pounding of your own heart. You stood on top of your car in Parc Fermé, fists raised to the sky, just like your dad used to after each of his wins. The moment felt surreal, as if it wasn’t just yours but his too, echoing through time. Closing your eyes, you could almost hear his voice, proud and booming, “You did it, kiddo.”

When you finally hopped down, the first person you spotted was Fernando. Without thinking, you sprinted toward him, leaping into his arms, your heart bursting with the joy of the moment. His hands pressed into your back, holding you close as his voice broke, thick with emotion. “I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!” The warmth of his embrace wrapped around you like a protective shield.

Pulling back, you caught the glisten of unshed tears in his eyes. His expression said everything his words couldn’t—this victory was more than a trophy; it was a piece of the past you’d resurrected. You couldn’t help but smile, a mix of joy and bittersweet nostalgia bubbling up inside you. “I felt him with me out there, you know?” you confessed, your voice soft.

As you reveled in the moment, somewhere in the crowd, Max was trying to make his way to you. His eyes darted through the throng, heart racing at the thought of celebrating your win together. He clutched a hair tie in his hand, a little memento from last night—a way to keep your hair back amid the whirlwind of the podium. But before he could reach you, a firm grip yanked him back by his shirt. Carlos stood there, his expression a silent warning that conveyed, Not now. Max froze, understanding the message, but the urge to congratulate you burned stronger than ever.

You were blissfully unaware of the tension, moving on to greet Susie Wolff, who pulled you in for a warm embrace. “Thank you, Yn,” she whispered, her voice filled with sincerity. “You’ve shown that it’s possible. We always knew it was, but now everyone else knows it too.” Her words settled deep within you, pride blooming like a flower in spring, the weight of her admiration lifting your spirits even higher.

Next came the Sainzes—Carlos Sr. wrapped you in a bear hug, his smile radiant, soon joined by Carlos Jr. and Fernando, pulling you into a warm, all-Spaniard embrace. Their laughter mingled with your own, a shared joy that felt like family. “You’re a legend now, Yn!” Carlos Jr. declared, beaming. “Next, we’ll need to build a statue!”

When it was time for your post-race interview, you spotted Jenson waiting with a grin, microphone in hand. But before he could say a word, you charged forward and threw your arms around him. He laughed in surprise, the warmth of your embrace catching him off guard. “Didn’t… didn’t expect that!” he exclaimed, patting your back awkwardly. Pulling back, you could see the amusement dancing in his eyes, and for a moment, the nerves and adrenaline of the race melted into pure joy. “You really stole the show today, didn’t you?”

Finally, you climbed onto the podium, greeted by the deafening cheers of the crowd below. Mark Webber handed you the trophy, his eyes twinkling with pride. You hugged him tightly in thanks, feeling the warmth of his support. Taking a deep breath, you held the trophy close, leaning in to spit on it before kissing it, a ritual honoring your dad. As you lifted it high, tears pricked your eyes, the weight of the moment crashing down on you. This victory was yours, but it was his too, and you wished he were here to see it.

Before you could gather your thoughts, a jet of icy champagne hit your shoulder, and you yelped, spinning around to see Lando grinning mischievously, the bottle in hand. Laughter bubbled out of you as you grabbed a nearby bottle, spraying him back with equal enthusiasm. “You’re going to pay for that!” you shouted, both of you drenched in the celebratory chaos.

Once the festivities quieted, you sat down on the edge of the podium, the trophy still cradled in your arms, letting the crowd’s cheers fade to a distant hum. The reality of it all was slowly settling in, the magnitude of what you’d achieved filling every corner of your mind like a warm glow.

Then you felt a presence beside you. Charles plopped down on one side, ruffling your hair with a proud grin. “Look at you, superstar,” he said, unable to hide his admiration. On your other side, Lando joined you, patting your back. “I knew you could do it! The legend of Yn Ln begins now!” The three of you sat there in comfortable silence, gazing out at the sea of fans, feeling the victory settle into your bones, the warmth of friendship and accomplishment wrapping around you like a cozy blanket.

“Have you guys heard from Max?”

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the superyacht as the drivers celebrated the Australian Grand Prix victory. Laughter and music floated across the water, mingling with the soft sounds of waves lapping against the hull. You arrived fashionably late, the buzz of excitement already palpable in the air. As you stepped aboard, the chatter momentarily faded, and all eyes turned to you.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your Australian GP winner!” Lando’s voice rang out, booming over the crowd like a proud announcement. Cheers erupted, a chorus of claps and whoops filling the air, and you couldn’t help but laugh as you raised your trophy high above your head, the gleam of victory shining in your eyes.

“Thank you, thank you!” you called out playfully, the thrill of the moment making your heart race. The warmth of the celebration enveloped you, and as you mingled with your friends, you noticed Lando leaning against the railing, a playful scowl on his face. He shot you a stink eye, as if to say How dare you win before me?

With a grin, you sauntered over, wrapping your arms around him. “What’s wrong, Lando? Jealous?” you teased, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, your lips brushing against his skin. He feigned annoyance, but you could see the corners of his mouth twitching upward despite himself.

“Just surprised you didn’t trip over your own trophy on the way here,” he shot back, but the light in his eyes betrayed him. You giggled and hugged him tighter, savouring the moment before excusing yourself. “I need to find Max,” you said, waving as you slipped away from the group.

Navigating through the crowd, you spotted Max in a quiet corner, leaning against the wall with that familiar, soft smile. As you approached, his eyes lit up, warmth radiating from him like a cozy fire. Without hesitation, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“Hey, you,” you greeted, your voice a whisper amidst the sounds of the party.

“Hey yourself,” he replied, his eyes glinting with admiration. He reached up, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “You were amazing out there today.”

“Congratulations, Yn,” he murmured, his voice low and full of admiration. His honey-brown eyes softened as he looked at you, and you felt a flutter in your chest at the intensity of his gaze. It was as if the world around you faded, leaving just the two of you in your own little bubble.

“Thanks, Max,” you replied, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. “It means a lot coming from you.” You could see the pride written all over his face, and it filled you with a sense of warmth.

He reached up, his fingers gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and your breath caught for a moment. “You look amazing up there. Like a true champion,” he said softly. Then, with a playful glint in his eyes, he added, “Not that I’m surprised or anything.”

“Did you have fun out there?” he asked after a moment, his voice low and soft, filled with genuine interest. You could feel his warmth radiating through you, those honey feeling blue eyes melting any lingering stress.

“More than I ever expected,” you replied, pulling back slightly to meet his gaze. You couldn’t help but admire how the moonlight caught his features, making his smile even more captivating.

In a moment of tenderness, he gently lifted a stray lock of hair from your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb. Then, with the hair tie he had saved from earlier—more like stole from your room from when you two had dinner together—he deftly gathered your hair into a loose ponytail. “There,” he said, satisfaction evident in his tone. “Now you’re ready to celebrate.”

You chuckled, warmth flooding your cheeks. “You’re the best, Max.” Your eyes locked, and for a heartbeat, the world around you faded, leaving just the two of you in your own little universe. The noise of the party felt like a distant echo, the laughter and music muted by the magic of the moment.

“You know where the Red Bull fridge is?” You ask, taking his hand and pulling him to the rest of the party.

“You are an addict.” Max laughed as he followed along.

As the celebration continued, the music pulsed in the background, but you found a cozy corner on the yacht, curling up on a plush couch with your trophy nestled against your chest. You were half-awake, a blissful haze of exhilaration and a few too many drinks swirling in your mind. The trophy felt heavy yet comforting, a tangible reminder of your victory and the legacy behind it.

Max wandered through the yacht, searching for you among the revelers. Spotting your familiar figure sprawled out on the couch, a gentle smile spread across his face. He quietly made his way over, sitting beside you, careful not to disturb your peaceful slumber. His fingers instinctively reached out, brushing through your hair with a tender, soothing motion.

You stirred slightly at his touch, eyes fluttering open to find him gazing down at you with a soft, affectionate expression. “Hey,” he said quietly, as if afraid to break the tranquility of the moment. “What are you doing down here all alone?”

“Mmm . . . just reminiscing,” you mumbled, your voice thick with sleepiness. “It’s just . . everything feels so unreal.” You shifted slightly, hugging the trophy tighter as a sleepy smile spread across your face. “I was thinking about my dad.”

Max’s heart softened at the mention of your father. “What about him?”

You took a deep breath, the memories flooding back, sparkling with nostalgia. “You know how the Australian GP was always our favorite? We used to come here every year.” A giggle escaped your lips, your mind drifting back to sun-soaked days. “He would always say, ‘This is where legends are made, Yn!’ and I would dream about being on that podium one day.”

Max listened intently, his fingers still weaving through your hair, his gaze locked onto your face as you spoke. “We’d spend the whole week surfing, chasing the waves. He’d push me to go bigger, to not be afraid. I can still hear him cheering for me, ‘Go on, my little champion!’” Your eyes sparkled with fondness, but there was a hint of sadness that Max caught.

“Did you surf today?” he asked gently, wanting to keep the conversation flowing, to draw you deeper into those cherished memories.

You shook your head slowly. “Nah, I didn’t. Too busy racing, I guess.” A small laugh escaped you. “But it doesn’t matter. I feel like I brought a piece of him with me today. Winning here... it’s like I finally made it happen. I know he’s proud.”

Max’s heart swelled as he absorbed your words. “He is, Yn. You did something incredible today. I could see it in your eyes out there.” He brushed a thumb against your cheek, his gaze unwavering. “You’ve honored his legacy.”

You leaned into his touch, the warmth of his hand grounding you. “Thanks, Max. I really needed this. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

In that quiet moment, as you shared your memories, a profound connection blossomed between you two, weaving your past into the present. Max leaned a little closer, whispering softly, “I’ll always be here to remind you of how amazing you are. You’re more than just a champion—you’re a force.”

With a sleepy smile, you closed your eyes again, allowing yourself to drift off once more, comforted by his presence. The gentle rhythm of his fingers in your hair lulled you into a peaceful state, the chaos of the party fading into the background as you felt safe, cherished, and deeply understood.

[mymoodwriting]

10.1k, yandere, hybrid au, hybrid cafe, social awkwardness, biting, clawing, abuse, physical abuse, smut, non-con, dub-con, oral sex, penetration, overstimulation, groping, tit-play, minor somnophilia, after care, minor stockholm syndrome, manipulation, possessiveness (@starillusion13)

“Have you ever been to a hybrid cafe?”

“A what now?”

“You know, like a cat cafe, where you can enjoy some drinks and snacks and play with cats, but instead of cats, they have hybrids!”

“I… no I’ve never heard of one…”

“We should go, I bet you’d love it.”

“Sure.”

You weren’t much of a social person, but the friends you kept close always made you sure you felt included. This outing to a hybrid cafe was the recent adventure you had been invited to join in. It sounded interesting, so you agreed. You went into the city, meeting up at the cafe. Your friends greeted you warmly, glad you found your way without getting lost. You had never been to this area before, so it was a reasonable concern. The place was decorated in such a manner you felt like you were in a bakery.

The hostess asked how many people were in your party, four, and brought you over to a table to seat double. Your friends explained to you how everything would work. You could each request the company of one hybrid, and it would be for one hour at a time. You were given a table and told there were two menus, one for the guests and the other for the hybrids. You could order anything you liked, and could get them something too. As for the hybrids themselves, you were shown the tab where all the hybrids were listed. The list went by ranking, as you were encouraged to rate the hybrids after your time together.

There was a picture, followed by their name and type. You could click on the picture to get more information about the hybrid, as well as more images of them, and you could read some previous reviews. Those that were grayed out were already with someone, but you could still look at their profile if you wanted to. This place had a variety of hybrids and they all seemed very cute and friendly. You kept scrolling down the list until you came to the end. No one had really caught your eye, and then you noticed the hybrid at the bottom of the list. The rating wasn’t low, two out of five stars, and you curiously clicked on their profile.

Seonghwa, a pink haired cat hybrid. You had to admit they were very cute, and you wondered why they didn’t have a higher ranking. As you looked at the reviews you could see why. They were very quiet and didn’t really engage with others. It sounded very similar to you, and so you picked Seonghwa. Most people probably didn’t even see him as he was at the bottom of the list. Once you picked a hybrid you got yourself a little cake and drink, catching up with your friends while you waited. After a moment four hybrids came over. Your friends immediately welcomed them, but you noticed Seonghwa hanging back, a little awkward.

“Over here.” You smiled, pulling out a chair. “It’s nice to meet you, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa gave you a nervous smile and then sat down next to you. He whispered a small hello to you as well. Since he seemed uneasy you didn’t push him to talk. Instead you slid over the hybrid menu and told him he could get whatever he wanted. After a moment you felt a slight tug on your shirt, looking over to see Seonghwa pointing at something on the hybrid menu. You smiled and nodded, letting him place his order. The other hybrids at the table were very chatty, talking about what they could do, and your friends were eagerly asking questions and petting their heads. You just silently listened and watched, just happy to be included.

After a while you looked over at Seonghwa, seeing him enjoy his little cake. You found him very cute, and then noticed he had some cream on his face. You grabbed a napkin and tapped his shoulder. He turned to you shyly and you offered him a smile, reaching over to clean his face. He stared at you with wide eyes, a little smile creeping on his face. When he finished his treat you told him he could order another one if he wanted. While browsing the menu the waitress for the table came by to inform you the hour was up. You and your friends would be staying for another while so you could switch out the hybrids.

You noticed Seonghwa slowly putting down the tablet and intending to get up but you grabbed his arm and asked the waitress if it was possible for Seonghwa to stay with you for another hour. She said it wouldn’t be an issue as long as no one else had requested him. Thankfully that was the case and you had Seonghwa sit back down, handing him back the tablet. The rest of your friends picked out some other hybrids, and while waiting they tried to talk with Seonghwa but he was very shy, only answering with a few words. Once the other hybrids came to the table he was left alone and you continued with your evening. 

At the end of the hour you guys were heading out, and you thanked Seonghwa for his company. He gave you a genuine bright smile and waved goodbye. You and your friends split the bill and also made your ratings. You quite enjoyed having Seonghwa around and gave him five stars, although that didn’t do much for his overall rating. Still, you hoped he had a good time and enjoyed himself, even if only for a little bit. You were glad you had come along with your friends, and they talked about coming again some time in the future. You liked the idea, although you were thinking that maybe you’d return on your own someday too.

🖤

You mainly preferred to stay home, especially since you worked there, but on some occasions you’d go out with friends. It was very rare for you to go anywhere by yourself, so it was a surprise to you too that you were making the trip. Still, you wanted to give this a shot. You returned to the hybrid cafe from before, grateful the hostess didn’t recognize you or comment on you being by yourself.  The hostess placed you at a booth and once you were seated you looked at the hybrid menu, scrolling down to find Seonghwa and glad to see he was available. You made your choice and ordered some treats for both of you, getting out your things while you waited. A moment later someone was scooching in next to you.

“Hello again…”

“Hi, Seonghwa. It’s nice to see you.”

“Where are your friends?”

“It’s just me today. Is that okay?” Seonghwa nodded. “Good. I ordered you a little cake, but if you want something else feel free to get it.”

“Thank you.”

Even if it was just the two of you it was clear Seonghwa wasn’t much of a talker in general. You wanted his company above all, so you didn’t mind. You focused on your work, typing away on your laptop. It was kind of nice to be working outside of the house, getting some fresh air and enjoying something tasty. Seonghwa didn’t try to make conversation but he was slowly moving closer to you, wanting to peek at your screen. He thought he was being sly, but you were well aware of his gaze. An author could always tell when someone was peeking at their work. You didn’t mind though, seeing that he was quite engaged. Although you were curious.

“Do you like it?”

“Hm?”

“The story.”

“I… I’ve never read anything like it before.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Yeah, I don’t get to read much…”

“You don’t? What do you do when you’re not out here?”

“Uh… there’s not much to do in the back. Well, if you’re not busy that is. Usually the others get cleaned up in between guests and change clothes too. They talk about the people they entertain and stuff.”

“What about you?”

“I’m… I’m usually in my room sleeping. I don’t do much around here.”

“Oh, I must have interrupted your sleep, sorry about that.”

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s nice to be out here. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing really. So then, you don’t like this much, do you?”

“It’s that obvious, huh?”

“All the other hybrids seem social, but you’re very quiet. Which I don’t mind at all by the way.”

“Is that why you picked me? Cause I’m quiet?”

“No… it’s just… I’m not very… social myself… I don’t really go out alone, but I also don’t like… being alone… you’re good company… your presence alone is comfortable for me. I hope that’s okay…”

“Yeah, you’re good company too… it’s a nice change…”

“Can I ask… how come you’re here?”

“Well… the owners of the cafe adopted me… they liked my pink hair… and said I was pretty… I did try to be… better… but other people get so loud and touchy… this really isn’t my type of thing…”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not so bad anymore. I don’t get picked as much.”

“Well you’re lovely to me.”

“Thank you.”

Seonghwa made some light conversation with you, asking about your story. He was very curious but didn’t pry too much. You didn’t want to spoil it all for him. You stuck around for a few hours, keeping Seonghwa with you. After all those treats he was quiet sleepy, leaning against your shoulder and closing his eyes. He asked you to read to him for a bit, saying he wouldn’t fall asleep. Eventually he did, and you let him rest for a bit. You couldn’t stay all day, so eventually you had to say goodbye. You promised Seonghwa you’d come by again, and you both looked forward to that.

🖤

You couldn’t come everyday as you had meetings and deadlines, and as much as you loved having Seonghwa with you, he’d most likely wind up being a distraction for you every now and then. Still, you were both very happy when you did see each other. Seonghwa got to try every item on the menu, discovering what was his favorite, and stealing a few bites and sips of your things too even though you told him not to. You grew close, and because of that you were both more comfortable opening up. There wasn’t much silence between you anymore. Although the fact you met at a cafe and pretty much paid to see him would cause some issues every now and then.

On one occasion you had come in to discover Seonghwa had actually been taken. You didn’t notice he had been at another table since he usually wasn’t. You asked the waitress how long until he would be available, and fortunately she told you he’d be free in a few minutes. You didn’t mind waiting for him. So you focused on your work until you felt someone sliding into the booth with you and getting close. Seonghwa rested his head on your shoulder, whining and nuzzling into the crook of your neck. It tickled and you playfully told him to stop. He did after a moment, moving a bit so he could wrap his arms around you, sighing happily.

“You good?”

“I’m so happy you’re here.”

“What, you didn’t have fun at your other table?”

“Not at all.” Seonghwa pouted. “They were so loud, and one girl kept touching my ears. Stupid pink ears.”

“They’re cute.”

“But I don’t like people touching them, only you can.”

“Ah, well I am honored.”

“Can you pet me? I wanna get the feeling of those rough hands off me.”

“Alright, alright.”

You pet Seonghwa softly, getting some purrs out of him. You noticed something moving under his shirt, for the first time realizing Seonghwa had a tail.

“Seonghwa.”

“Hm…”

“I didn’t know you had a tail.”

“Oh… that… I hide it to avoid people touching it.”

“Clever.”

“Do you want to touch my tail?”

“It’s okay. Even on normal cats that’s not exactly a place they like to be touched. Maybe one day you can show me, but it doesn’t have to be today.”

“Alright, thanks. Now where’s my cake?”

“On the way, be patient.”

Seonghwa was very happy you had come to save him that day, needing you to make everything better. There were a few times you had to wait for him, which you never minded, and the staff also let you hang out for a bit without a hybrid. By now they knew you were a regular and would spend a lot of time, and money, with Seonghwa. You always looked forward to his company and could wait for him, but there would come a time where that wasn’t an option. You came to the cafe and got your table, browsing the menu when Seonghwa suddenly sat down.

“Oh, hi, Seonghwa. You beat me to it today, I haven’t even picked you yet.”

“Wait, you haven’t?”

“No, I was just-”

“Excuse me, I’m sorry.” The waitress came over. “This isn’t your table, Seonghwa. You’ve been requested elsewhere.”

“What? But-”

The waitress grabbed Seonghwa’s arm, pulling him up and apologizing to you. Seonghwa gave you a sad look, but there wasn’t really much you could do. A moment later the waitress returned, apologizing once again.

“It’s alright. I can wait.”

“The thing is… Seonghwa was picked by a party, so they will be keeping him until they leave.”

“Oh… I see… I didn’t know that was a thing… so you don’t know when he’d be available.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t. It could be two hours or more.”

“Alright, I guess I’ll have to come some other time.”

“We’re really sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault. Thank you.”

You grabbed your things and got up, making your way out. Seonghwa had not been happy to be taken away from you. His rating hadn’t gotten higher as he asked you not to raise it, but that still wouldn’t stop others from picking him. He asked the waitress what was going on when he was taken to a much bigger table. To his surprise he was told he had been picked for a party, but he also knew what that meant. He was stuck here until the party was over. By now you had probably been told this as well, and he looked over at the table you had been, not seeing you there. He immediately got up, searching for you.

“Where are you going kitty?” A girl grabbed his arm. “You have to say hi to the birthday girl.”

Seonghwa didn’t want you to go, and he tried to free himself from the girl but she wouldn’t let go. Without thinking he bit the girl’s hand and ran after you, catching up to you before you left.

“Y/n, are you leaving?”

“Seonghwa… you’re gonna be busy for who knows how long. I’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”

“No, I don’t want you to go.”

“That’s not how-”

“Ya! Get over here you bastard!”

Another girl suddenly stormed over and you immediately pulled Seonghwa behind you. Now there were all eyes on you, and some of the staff came over to deescalate the situation.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Your hybrid bit me!” The girl yelled.

You immediately looked back at Seonghwa, giving him a questioning look. He merely avoided your gaze and lowered his head. His grip on your arm got tighter.

“What? Seonghwa.” The staff asked. “Is that true?”

“Look! His bite mark is on my hand.”

“Seonghwa! Miss, we are so sorry, our hybrids are usually so well behaved, we don’t know why-”

“What are you going to do about this? I’ve heard great things about this place but clearly you don’t train your hybrids well. He wasn’t even paying attention to the party.”

“We’re very sorry about this. We can provide-”

“What about the hybrid?”

“He’ll be removed from the party and you can-”

“What else? You shouldn’t have such an animal at your establishment.”

You couldn’t help but worry about Seonghwa. His actions weren’t appropriate, but the consequences he might face could be very harsh. Without much thinking yourself, you spoke.

“I’ll adopt him.”

“What?”

“I’ll adopt Seonghwa.” You looked back at him. “Is… is that okay? I didn’t ask-”

“Yes. Please take me with you.”

“Okay.” You looked back at the staff. “I’ll take Seonghwa off your hands and adopt him. I’ll pay however much you got him for plus fifty percent. Is that good enough?”

“Uh… we can discuss this in private.”

“That’s fine.”

Seonghwa kept a hold of you as you followed a staff member to a back office, speaking to the owner and working out the payment and paperwork. He kept quiet throughout the whole thing, not wanting to mess anything up. Once everything was done he was allowed to go back and get his belongings, but there wasn’t really anything that was his so he opted to just leave with you. It was strange to step out of the cafe, but it felt right since he wasn’t alone.

“Sorry…”

“For what?”

“Causing trouble…”

“You shouldn’t pull a stunt like that, you could have gotten seriously hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you’re a good hybrid, don’t do things to make people think otherwise.”

“I won’t do it again.”

“Alright, well, since you don’t have much I guess the first thing we should do is get you some clothes.”

“You’re gonna take me shopping?”

“Of course. Come on.”

You took Seonghwa’s hand and your adventure began. You rarely went out to shop for yourself, so you really had no idea where to go for Soenghwa. You did a bit of online research and found some places to go. At first Seonghwa was quite shy, but you encouraged him to pick out things he wanted. You got him some regular clothes as well as pajamas, getting another few things he seemed to like. Once you were done with the shopping you took Seonghwa back to your place. This time around he was in disbelief, stepping into your house and being told it was his home now too.

You had a decent sized house, two floors with a basement. Seonghwa looked around curiously putting down all the bags he had with him. It was so quiet compared to his previous living arrangement, but it was also way nicer. You watched as he took everything in, glad to see he liked it. Or at least you hoped he did. Before you could say anything your phone rang and you quickly pulled it out to see who was calling you. Of course you had things you needed to do and the sudden adoption sidetracked you.

“It’s my editor. I need to take this. Feel free to look around and make yourself at home, I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” Seonghwa grabbed your arm. “Is this… is this really my home?”

You smiled. “Yes. You live here now with me. I… I hope that’s okay…”

“It’s great.”

“I’m glad to hear. I’ll only be a moment.”

Seonghwa watched you head upstairs, hearing a door close a moment later. Now that it was just him he looked around the place properly. He found the kitchen and dining room, as well as the bathroom and back door. The yard looked quiet lovely, you even had a few flowers growing. There was a closet in the hallway as well, and the next door led to the basement, but he didn’t want to go down there. Eventually he came into the living room, seeing all these pictures of you with friends and family. He grabbed one of the frames you had on the cabinet when he heard you calling for him.

“Seonghwa.”

“I’m right here.” 

You walked down the steps just as Seonghwa was stepping out into the hall, giving you a smile when your eyes met.

“Are you finding everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Seonghwa held out the picture frame. “I want one.”

“Hm?”

You made your way down and grabbed what Seonghwa was holding out to you. It was a picture of you and your friends, although you weren’t quite sure what he meant with this.

“What about the picture frame?”

“I want a picture of us in a frame.”

“Ah, I should have a camera upstairs and a cool printer. Let’s go, oh and let’s bring your things so we can take them up to your room.”

“My room?”

“Yeah.”

“I get my own room?”

“Of course. Come on, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

You grabbed some of the bags and went back up, Seonghwa grabbing the rest and following you. The second floor wasn’t as big as the first, but it was just as nice. You showed him to what used to be your guest room, but now would be his.

“It’s a little plain, so I guess tomorrow we can go shopping for your things.”

“My things?”

“Yeah, so this room can feel more like yours. I probably also need to get other things too. I’ve  never had a hybrid before. I’ll do some research before tomorrow.”

“That’s okay, I’ve never had a home before… so I guess we’ll figure this out together.”

“I like that.” You smiled. “Ah, your picture.”

You brought Seonghwa over to your office, rummaging around your desk for your camera. You were lucky it still had some charge, so you grabbed Seonghwa and found a good spot to take a picture together. You took a couple and picked out the best ones, printing them all out. Seonghwa happily looked over the picture, remembering the last time he took a photo was for his profile at the cafe. He opened up the picture frame he had and put the picture of you and him inside, staring at it for a moment before hugging it to his chest.

“I love it.”

“I’m glad you do. Now let’s get some food, cause I am starving.”

Seonghwa was happy to try new things, and you both ate in the kitchen, talking like old times. You showed him the shower and how it worked. You weren’t surprised when he took a long shower, probably enjoying himself in a way he couldn’t before. You checked in on him afterwards, making sure he had everything and would sleep well. He thanked you again for everything you had done for him, wishing you a good night. It was pretty late so you took a quick shower and got into bed. You moved around as you got comfy, slowly starting to doze off when you felt the bed dip. You peeked an eye open to see Seonghwa.

“Hm… what are you doing?”

“I… I can’t sleep alone…”

“Are you okay?”

“It’s just… I’m used to sleeping with others around… and the silence here… it’s kinda scary… is… is it okay to sleep here with you… I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually…”

“That’s okay… you can stay here.”

You were used to sleeping alone, but there was something about having a warm body next to you. It was new, but eventually you drifted off to sleep. Come morning you realized you slept really well, better than you had before. You found yourself wrapped up in Seonghwa’s arms, finding him very cute while he slept. You didn’t want to wake him, but you had to get up. You reached over to gently pet him, slowly getting him to wake up.

“Hm…”

“Seonghwa, I gotta get up.”

“Five more minutes…”

“You can absolutely stay in bed, but you gotta let me go.”

“No…”

“Seonghwa, please.”

“Hm…”

You giggled and leaned forward to press a kiss to his head, surprising him. His eyes shot open and he looked at you. This was your chance as his grip had loosened, so you smiled and got out of bed. 

“You can stay and sleep some more, I got things to do.”

“Meanie.”

“I’m gonna make breakfast real quick, you want some?”

“Yes, please. I’ll help.”

“Come on then.”

Seonghwa sat up, stretching and then following you out. He freshened up and met you down in the kitchen, coming over to your side.

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, you?”

“It was nice. I usually had my own bed, but sleeping with someone else is very comfy.”

“I agree. I’m not used to sharing a bed with anyone, but I actually slept really well, so thanks for that.”

“I’m available every night.”

“I’m sure you are.”

Even though Seonghwa had his own room, he liked sharing a bed with you. He was never cold, and even while sleeping he knew he wasn’t alone. You liked it as well, feeling a comfort and joy you couldn’t describe by having someone with you at night. It was a welcomed change.

🖤

Seonghwa was very curious about certain parts of the house, like the kitchen. He had never really been in one before, and he certainly wasn’t used to having unrestricted access to food. Back at the cafe he ate designated meals, and whatever treats he could get with guests. You assured him he was free to grab snacks and drinks whenever he wanted. There was so much he had to learn and experience, but he was excited to get to know it all with you.

Things changed around the house, but in a good way. You were used to playing your music as you worked, although it did take a bit of getting used to the noise of someone else. Seonghwa stuck to your side for the first few days, which wasn’t an issue. He was more than happy to take the books off your shelves and read them, getting very immersed. Especially when he found the ones you wrote. He would ask you questions, and you answered what you could without giving him spoilers.

As he got more comfortable in the house he would spend more time in different places, and he also wouldn’t hide his tail. You taught him how to use the TV and anything else he was curious about. The stove was off limits, but you did promise to teach him to cook since he wanted to be able to do things for you. That wasn’t necessary but you appreciated his intentions. He still figured out some things himself, like peeling fruit and bringing you some to your office. Besides going out for the necessities, you both mainly stayed home. Seonghwa didn’t mind it all, having all he could need right here with you.

If he wanted to get some fresh out he could go out into the yard, which he did daily to water the plants and get some sunlight. He found all kinds of cool shows to watch, and looked for cooking videos so he could make you something. You did scold him when he made instant ramen since that involved using the stove, but you had to take it easy as he hadn’t hurt himself or burned anything. The ramen was actually quite good too. Although as much as you both loved to stay home together you still had some reasons to go out.

“Seonghwa.”

“Hm?”

“My friend invited me out to lunch tomorrow. Will you-”

“Can I come?”

“Uh… I don’t know if the place is hybrid friendly.”

“Oh.”

You couldn’t help but feel sad when you saw his ears drop. For the last couple days you two had been inseparable, and this would be the first time you leave him alone in the house. Thinking back on it you didn’t like that idea.

“Hold on, let me check.”

You looked up the place, and unfortunately they didn’t allow hybrids. That wasn’t good, so you figured maybe you could try something. You took Seonghwa’s hand and led him up to your room. You rummaged through your closet and pulled out a cute little beret, placing it on his head, giving him a smile.

“A hat?”

“The beret hides your ears, and you know how to hide your tail. You’d pass for a normal human dressed like this.”

“You mean I get to go with you?”

“I mean, if you want to. I don’t think hiding your identity is all that great-”

“I can do it as long as I get to be with you.”

“Alright, then let’s figure out your look.”

“I want us to match. Like a couples outfit.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

🖤

The next day you and Seonghwa went out together, meeting up with your friends at this brunch spot. They were excited to see you, although the looks on their faces turned to curiosity when they noticed Seonghwa at your side.

“Is that…?” Lyla questioned. “A hybrid? You-”

“Sh!”

“Oh my gosh…” Misu gasped. “It was you!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Come here.”

You sat down with Seonghwa, all the girls now brimming with excitement.

“What is it?”

“So, a friend of mine told me they were at this hybrid cafe.” Misu began. “And while there they said there was this huge commotion about a hybrid attacking a guest, but then this other person opted to adopt them right then and there. The owner agreed and all, but now others have been asking to adopt some of the hybrids there, but that’s not something they do. I was wondering what cafe it was, and it turns out it was the one we went to. I asked what hybrid was adopted, and they said it was this pink cat. So I had to know if it was Seonghwa, so I went the other day and saw he was gone. I was gonna tell you all this but I see he went to a good home.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you adopted a hybrid?” Ava asked. “How long have you had him now.”

“It all kinda happened so fast, and it slipped my mind.”

“Well, now you gotta tell us all the juicy details.”

You ordered, getting Seonghwa something as well and hoping it was safe for him. Once you got your drinks you began to tell your friends about how you got Seonghwa. You didn’t have all the details, but you at least knew how it went down without exaggerating things. It was quite a fun brunch, but Seonghwa remained quiet. He didn’t really know these people, and he just wanted to be with you. This wouldn’t be the last time he went out in disguise with you. It wasn’t really something he minded, but what he didn’t like was that most of the time when you hung out with your friends it was like the cafe all over again. You were just there with them, sitting in silence and occasionally chiming in.

Of course it wasn’t always restaurants. Sometimes it would be shopping, ro some sort of event, but even then things seemed to be the same. You and him were just there, and because Seonghwa was always in disguise it would lead to some awkward moments. Sometimes girls would come up to Seonghwa, flirting with him and asking for his number. He didn’t have a phone, and honestly wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation most times. He’d always move over to you, and that seemed to imply you were his girlfriend and taken, so they’d leave him alone. Although many times that led to others bad mouthing you. That was the only time he really hated having sensitive hearing.

Other times people would already assume you were a couple, and that would lead to both of you trying to explain you were just friends. It really flustered you both, and it made your other friends giggle under their breath as they knew the real situation. He could get past all of that with no problem, but his real issue was how your supposed friends treated you. He understood you had known them for many years, but he wasn’t sure this was the way things were supposed to go. Of course he knew you were a quiet and shy person, but you had opened up with him. Seonghwa knew what you were really like, and that person didn’t seem to exist outside of him. At least it seemed that way. He didn’t like this, and so he took it upon himself to help. Since he always went out with you he’d be the one to ask if it was time to go home. He was a good excuse after all. If you were out too long with him, the risk of being discovered was greater.

“Y/n…” Seonghwa tugged on your shirt. “I wanna go home…”

“Yeah? Alright, we can go.”

You excused yourself from your friends, heading out with Seonghwa. When you made it back home Seonghwa wrapped his arms around you, giving you a hug from behind. He rested his chin on your shoulder for a bit before nuzzling your neck and tickling you.

“Cut it out, Seonghwa.” You laughed.

“But you’re so cute.”

“Ya, I have some work I need to do.”

“What?” Seonghwa whined. “We’ve been out all day. I want to spend time with you.”

“Seonghwa-”

“It’s not fair.” Seonghwa pouted. “It’s my turn to be with you.”

“You’re with me all day.”

“That’s not enough.”

“Alright, alright. How about this, you let me do some work for like an hour, then we’ll order some food and watch a movie. Is that good?”

“Hm… fine.”

“Good. Here.” You handed Seonghwa your phone. “Why don’t you find a place to order from, but remember, I get an hour to do work.”

“I know, I know.”

Seonghwa let you go and took your phone, letting you go off to your office to get some work done. He went over to the living room and plopped down on the couch, looking at the food options. While browsing he noticed you got a message from the group chat. He shouldn’t be nosy but he was curious when he noticed his name in the preview. He really shouldn’t have clicked on it, but he was also glad that he did. When he looked at the message he saw one of your friends commenting that you left too early,and that you shouldn’t bring him along if he was just gonna take you back home.

Seonghwa had so much to say back, but obviously he couldn’t. Instead he deleted the group chat and blocked them all from your contacts. They weren’t even real friends the way he was, so what they said didn’t matter and you shouldn’t spend any time with them. He was still upset but put it out of his head, setting an alarm for an hour and channel surfing once he figured out what he wanted to order. Time flew by pretty fast since before he knew it an hour had passed. He placed the order and then went up to your office to get you.

“Y/n.” He knocked before letting him in. “It’s been an hour.”

“Already, well, time does fly. Did you pick a place?”

“Yeah, and I already placed an order. So, what movie do you want to watch?”

“Hm, is there any type of genre you’re in the mood for?”

“I’m thinking romance.”

“Alright, I can work with that.”

Whenever you watched movies you’d always end up picking, as you knew more about them than him. Of course you still wanted his input and asked what type of movie he wanted to watch. You both always had fun with movie night. When the food arrived you went to get it while Seonghwa grabbed some plates and utensils. As you set things down on the coffee table you realized he had ordered drinks too.

“Seonghwa, did you order soju?”

“Yeah. I always wanted to try some and I figured we could have some tonight. Why? Can I not have some?”

“I… well it doesn’t hurt to try it. I’m just not a drinker.”

“Oh, sorry. I just-”

“It’s okay. A little drink won’t hurt me either.”

You ate and watched the film, letting Seonghwa have his first taste of alcohol. You weren’t surprised when he grimaced from the taste, and you did the same as well. You poured the drinks, but only really let Seonghwa have two, you didn’t want him getting sick after all. Of course since you didn’t drink much, and had most of the bottle, by the end of the night you were a bit drunk, and Seonghwa was tipsy.

“That was a good movie… so cute…”

“Have you ever had a romance like that?” Seonghwa asked.

“Me? No, no, I only write romance, I don’t experience it.”

“Hm? But you’re so pretty.”

“No, you’re the pretty one, everyone wants your number, mister secret hybrid.”

“It’s not a secret, but it makes it easier to go out with you. Besides, I don’t have a phone, even if I did, I wouldn’t be handing out my number.”

“That’s what you say now, but some of those girls were very pretty.”

“Not as pretty as you.”

“I’m pretty?”

“The prettiest.”

“Nah…”

“It’s true. I couldn’t have a prettier owner.”

“Stop, you’re just saying that cause you’re drunk.”

“Never. I’ll say it when I’m sober too.”

“You’ll just forget.”

“I won’t, I swear.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

Neither of you was really in a condition to clean up, so you both decided to head to bed. You got under the blankets and a while later Seonghwa joined you. He snuggled up against you, nuzzling your neck.

“You smell pretty, y/n.”

“Do I…”

“Like a dream, and I never wanna wake up.”

“Hm… that sounds good…”

“Y/n.”

“What…”

“Do you like me?”

“Of course… you’re the best…”

“What else?”

“Everything… everything about you… is great…”

“But you haven’t seen everything.”

“Like what?”

“Me… me showing you…”

“Showing me what…”

“How much I really like you.”

“Hm… I like you too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

“Then… can I…”

Seonghwa gently moved over to get on top of you. Your eyes were half open as you were already drifting off to sleep. He stared at you for a while. This wasn’t the first time he had seen you sleepy, many nights before he’d watch you sleep, finding you so cute, but tonight he wanted something more. He slowly leaned down to press his lips to yours. It was soft and gentle, a hint of alcohol in the mix. It took a moment to realize what was happening, and then your eyes were wide and you placed your hand on Seonghwa’s chest, pushing him back a bit.

“What are you doing…”

“I wanna show you how much I care about you.”

“Seonghwa… this… this isn’t right…”

“Why? I-”

“You’re a hybrid and-”

“That doesn’t matter. Everyone already thinks we’re together, so why can’t I-”

“Seonghwa, this… I…”

“I won’t hurt you.”

Before you could say anything more Seonghwa grabbed your arms and pinned them above your head, kissing you once again. You were still shocked by his actions, but you couldn’t do much to fight back. His grip was strong, and the alcohol in your system was making everything fuzzy for you. The kiss was deep, and good, and without meaning too you started kissing back. When Seonghwa pulled away from your lips he began to press kisses against your neck, breathing in your scent deeply. He kept you pinned, pressing his body against yours. For the first time you began to notice the thing between his legs. 

You both had been sharing a bed for weeks now, but you were never really bothered by his crotch area, that is until today. You could feel it poking at you, starting to see Seonghwa as more than just your hybrid pet. You never imagined something like this would happen. You may have written things alluding to this, but never between two individuals so different. Your heart was racing and you could feel your face burning from the shyness and alcohol. The more you tried to free your arms the stronger Seonghwa held onto you. It was still difficult to think straight but you had to try something.

“Seonghwa… Seonghwa, wait… wait, wait… I’ve never…”

“Me neither.” Seonghwa whispered into your ear. “And I want my first to be you.”

“You’re drunk… we’re both and-”

“I’ve heard that alcohol gives someone courage… and I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time.”

“Seonghwa-”

“Please, just let me take care of you.”

His lips were back on your neck, pressing more kisses and starting to suck on the skin. You were trying not to get lost in the feeling of him. It was difficult, but you began to whimper when you felt pin-pricks on your arm. All you got was a mumbled apology from Seonghwa, realizing his claws were drawn and slightly digging into your skin. That made you go still, starting to remember his other abilities as a hybrid. Just as you were thinking it, you felt it, this sharpest that came with every kiss.

“Seonghwa…”

“I won’t hurt you.”

“You can’t-”

You let out a yelp when you felt a bite on your shoulder, desperately fighting against Seonghwa, but all you heard was a low growl of the word mine. Seonghwa looked over at you, and his eyes told you he was beyond reason. He wanted you so bad, and no one could stop him, not even you. He pulled you into a kiss, using the distraction to release your arms and begin to undress you. He started by pulling down your pants and panties, leaving you exposed. You thought he might pull off your shirt, but instead he placed kisses on your jaw before diving down under the covers. You only had a moment of peace before you felt him bury his face between your legs.

Your hands shot down to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. His hands were at your thighs, kneading the flesh and pulling your legs apart, trying to go in deeper. The cold and wetness of his tongue felt so strange, and yet so nice. You couldn’t help the content moan that escaped your lips. Seonghwa purred when he heard you, the vibrations creating a whole new feeling. At first you had been trying to get him off you, but now your hands were merely petting his head, pulling him closer. He kept licking at your folds, sucking on the little bud down there like it was a lollipop. Your mind was spinning as you forgot how you wound up in this situation.

Seonghwa’s hands eventually trailed up, gropping your breasts and massaging them gently, taking you to a whole other world. You kept squirming from his touch, not knowing if you wanted more or for this to stop. This heat was building inside you, making you excited and fearful of what it meant. Eventually Seonghwa gripped your shirt and ripped it apart, his glistening lips leaving a trail of kiss marks as he made his way up your body. You had no idea when he had undressed, but you felt his naked body against yours, and soon enough you felt his length poking at your entrance. 

The feeling startled you and you closed your legs a bit. Seonghwa chuckled and pressed a kiss to your lips, one of his knees dipping between your legs and pushing them open. You were out of breath from the kiss, Seonghwa as well. He pressed his head against yours, eyes closed. He knew you better than anyone else. You saved him in ways you couldn’t comprehend, and he just wanted to give you everything he was. This was his moment, and he wouldn’t waste it. Seonghwa’s hands trailed down to your hips, pulling you closer to him, pushing himself into you, inch by inch. Your mouth hung open in silent ecstasy as you felt the stretch, consumed by something you couldn’t describe.

“… fuck…”

“Are you okay?”

“… yeah, yeah… just feels… weird…”

“But you’re alright?”

“I… I think so…”

“Good… good… you feel so good…”

“Seonghwa…”

“I’m gonna start moving… that should make it better.”

Seonghwa started off moving slowly, gently pulling out and going back in, going at a steady rhythm. It felt strange, it sounded weird, but the feelings it created were all new. In a way it was also soothing, letting you relax into the sensation and let it consume you. Of course as he kept at it his thrusts became faster and harder, you felt him wanting to go in deeper, but there was only so much of you he could feel. You were begging to lose yourself in him, in this heat that was consuming every bit of you. Wherever his fingers touched it sparked something inside you. It was hard to think of anything besides the pleasure you were feeling.

“Seonghwa… fuck… feels… feels good…”

“I got you.”

“… please… please… I wanna…”

You never imagined your first would be like this, but there was no going back now. As Seonghwa’s thrusts got sloppy he pulled you up into his arms, moving up into you and making you bounce. He leaned down to kiss at your chest, sucking on your nipples. You could feel him pushing you over the edge, and you were desperate to hold on. You wrapped your arms around him, holding him close. One moment you were riding this high and then you exploded with a new wave of pleasure. You were overwhelmed, your whole body shaking in Seonghwa’s embrace, pushing him to climax as well. You felt something warm between your legs, but were more focused on the tiny ripples coursing through you.

Seonghwa laid you back down, his hips twitching and pushing into you, riding out his own high and trying to get this feeling to last as long as possible. His hot breath was against your ear, sending a different type of tingle down your body. He didn’t loosen his hold on you as you both came down from your high, just softly nuzzling your cheek. Your head was still spinning, and you were quite exhausted, but Seonghwa wasn’t done with you. He whispered something in your ear that you couldn’t make out, but next thing you knew he was moving his hips again. You whimpered, your body too exhausted to do anything but take it.

You tried to speak, but you didn’t have the strength to move your lips. Your vision was mostly black as exhaustion was pulling you under, and for a moment you did pass out. When you regained consciousness you felt another wave of pleasure washing over you, whimpering as your body was trembling. Seonghwa was on your neck, sucking on the skin as he kept thrusting into you, taking advantage of your sensitive state. It didn’t seem like he was gonna let up anytime soon, and you could feel minor aches all over your arms and back. Although that wasn’t what your mind was focused on. 

Your mouth was hanging open with a bit of drool spilling out. You felt weightless, like you were floating on a cloud, and you felt so warm and safe in Seonghwa’s embrace. It wasn’t long before you slipped under, into the darkness once more, only to emerge from it when the pleasure hit again. You felt a bit bloated down there, not able to see much besides Seonghwa’s blurry face. Despite wanting to grasp reality you didn’t stay awake for much longer, passing out once again. The next time you regained consciousness there was sunlight peeking in through the blinds, telling you it was morning. Seonghwa was hugging you from behind, and you could feel that his length was still buried inside you. Your slight movements stirred him from his slumber. He nuzzled your neck sleepily.

“Morning…”

“Seonghwa… last night…”

“Was amazing… y/n… you’re the best thing that ever happened to me…”

“Hm…”

“We should probably clean up… we made a mess last night.”

“Right.”

You were still half asleep, but you did want to get up. When you tried though Seonghwa moved as well, making you jump a bit. He chuckled and apologized, moving away from you first. His absence felt kind of strange, given he had been inside you all night. Seonghwa got out of bed and helped you sit up. He seemed to be in a much better condition than you. He helped you to your feet and took you over to the bathroom. It wasn’t until you sat down on the edge of the bathtub that you realized you were completely naked. You covered yourself, which made Seonghwa laugh. He was also naked.

“I’ve seen everything.”

Seonghwa placed a kiss on your cheek and turned on the shower head, waiting for the water to warm up before helping you into the tub. You couldn’t really stand so he had you sit, taking care of washing you up. Once you had been completely soaked he stepped in, getting himself wet before plugging the drain and filling up the tub, he sat behind you, pulling you close. He placed lazy kisses on your cheek, seeing that you were dozing off a bit. He didn’t mind, having no problem washing you up, he was just careful not to get any soap in your eyes. After the bath he helped you get out and dried you off.

He set you down on a chair in your room while he changed the bedsheets. Things had gotten messy last night, but it wasn’t so bad. He put the sheets to wash and grabbed some fresh ones. Once that was done he laid you down to sleep, giving you a soft kiss. He made you breakfast and brought it up for you, making sure you ate a bit before going back to sleep. It wasn’t the same though, to be in bed without him. So when he came over to check in you grabbed his arm and asked him to stay. You didn’t need to tell him twice as he happily got into  bed with you, pulling you into his arms and spooning you.

That day you practically slept it away, needing the time to recover after such a night. It wasn’t until the next morning that you could actually get up. You left Seonghwa in bed, getting up to prepare for the day ahead. As you were washing up you noticed your arms, seeing all the claw marks Seonghwa had left. They didn’t hurt so bad, but they definitely stung. You had those same feelings along your back and managed to check in the mirror, seeing similar claw marks. It really had been a wild night, and that’s not counting the minor bite marks you had along your shoulders and neck. The door suddenly opened and a sleepy Seonghwa came in, wrapping his arms around you.

“Morning…”

“Good morning.”

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, and you?”

“Never better.”

“Seonghwa… about us…”

“Hm? We’re perfect, aren’t we?”

“I… what happened…”

“You liked it, right? I looked up some videos and practiced on myself to make sure I did it right.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle. “You looked up porn? And you practiced on yourself?”

“Yeah, it was very helpful.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“But cute, right?”

You looked at Seonghwa through the mirror, seeing that his eyes were on you. He looked so happy and sweet. As you thought back on that night you could only think about how much he cared for you the last couple of weeks, and recently. There seems to be nothing but good intentions behind his actions, and you couldn’t fault him for that. You smiled and met Seonghwa’s eyes.

“You’re very cute.”

He pressed his lips against yours, letting you finish up before he got ready for the day. He helped you rub some lotion over your wounds, still apologizing for them. You spent the day catching up in your office, getting back to the way things were. At least how they are with Seonghwa now in your life. He’d steal kisses from you whenever he could, doing his best to be a good support for you.

“Seonghwa.”

“Hm?”

“Have you seen my phone? I haven’t been able to find it for-”

“I have it.”

“Huh? Why do you have it?”

“Cause you’re always misplacing it.” Seonghwa pulled out your phone. “And speaking of, your editor is calling.”

“Oh shoot, thanks.”

Seonghwa held out the phone to you which you hurriedly took. You stepped away to take the call, Seonghwa watching you go, happy he could help. You returned after the call wondering what he was working on. While he explained what he was making he snuck your phone away from you and put it in his pocket. You didn’t need to have it on you, and of course he’d hand it to you when it was important. Before he didn’t like being stuck in one place, but he much rather stay home with you all day everyday than go out with other people. You were all he needed.

🖤

“Seonghwa…”

“Hm?”

“The door…”

“They’ll go away.” Seonghwa mumbled. “Just ignore it.”

“Did you order something…”

“No, but I’ll go check.” Seonghwa kissed your cheek. “You stay here.”

“Hm…”

Seonghwa groggily got up, making his way downstairs as the doorbell kept ringing. He opened the door slightly, hissing when he noticed it was one of your friends.

“Oh, hi Seonghwa, how are-”

“What do you want?”

“I’m here to see y/n. I sent a message in the group chat about brunch but she didn’t respond so I thought I’d come to see her.”

“We’re good.”

“Uh… can I at least talk to her.”

“No.”

“Seonghwa, I’m not-”

“Seonghwa.” You yawned. “Who’s at the door?”

Seonghwa tried to shut the door, but your friend pushed her way in. She went over to you, meeting you at the bottom of the stairs and pulling you into a hug. You were still in your pajamas, and it was hard for her not to notice the faded marks on your body.

“Uh… what happened to you?”

“Nothing, what are you doing here so early, Misu?”

“I sent you a message in the group chat. We were gonna meet up for brunch today, but we never heard back.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t really had my phone on me anymore.”

“Really? No wonder you haven’t responded.” Misu commented. “Anyway, I came to get you, so, let’s go.”

“I don’t wanna go out for brunch.” Seonghwa whined. “I wanna go back to bed.”

“Actually, I was hoping today would be like a girls brunch.”

“Y/n.”

Seonghwa pouted and came over to you, taking your hands and turning you away from your friend. He was whining and acting childish.

“You can’t leave me by myself.” Seonghwa cried. “I don’t wanna be alone.”

“Awe… Misu, are you sure he can’t come?”

“Fine. I guess he can.”

“Awesome, we’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“Alright.”

You gave Seonghwa a smile and led him upstairs. He dragged a bit, not wanting to go, but he knew he wasn’t going to let you go alone.

“You know we don’t have to go.” Seonghwa mentioned. “The bed’s still warm.”

“It’s brunch, and I bet the girls picked a nice place.”

“Okay.”

Seonghwa made sure that your outfits were matching, and then you went over to the brunch spot. The other girls were happy to see you and Seonghwa. It had been a while since you last saw each other, so this was a great time to catch up. A while after ordering Seonghwa excused himself to the restroom, leaving you alone with the girls.

“Y/n.”

“Hm?”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I see the marks on you, did Seonghwa do that?”

“What marks!?” Ava questioned. “Let me see!”

“It’s nothing.” You countered. “You know cats have claws and stuff.”

“Yeah, but you have all kinds of marks.” Misu stated. “And don’t think I didn’t notice the bites on your shoulder.”

“I… it’s nothing…”

“Has he been hurting you?”

“What!?”

“I’ve heard stories about hybrids hurting their owners, it’s not crazy.”

“Has that cat been abusing you?” Lyla asked. “I swear it’s always the quiet ones you have to be weary of.”

“No, no, nothing like that. He’s not hurting me or anything.”

“Then how do you explain all the marks? Plus the bites?”

“Wait…” Misu pondered. “Did he… sleep-”

“Misu!”

“Holy shit.” Ava realized. “You fucken slept with-”

“Lower your voice!” You hissed. “We’re in public.”

“I cannot believe you would-”

“Hold on.” Lyla cut in. “Did you agree to it? Cause a hybrid might-”

“Oh my gosh! Y/n, did that hybrid force-”

“No, no, I swear it’s not like that… we just had some drinks and then… one thing led-”

“So you were drunk?”

“Not really…”

“Y/n, did you like, consent to this?”

“I mean… yeah… it was a whole thing and… yeah…”

“I’m not so sure I believe you.”

“He didn’t do anything I didn’t like.”

“Pretty sure that’s not exactly how those things work.”

“I’m fine.”

🖤

When Seonghwa got to the restroom he splashed some water in his face. He wanted to go back home more than anything, and he needed to figure out a good excuse. He felt the water running through his fingers, noticing he could choose the temperature. He changed the water to hot and grabbed a towel to soak in it. He began to dab himself with the towel, starting to feel hot himself. Before stepping out of the bathroom he made sure he was dry, and that his face was burning. His plan was to head straight back for the table, but he was interrupted.

“Do I know you? It’d be hard to forget a face like yours.”

“Get out of my way.”

“You don’t have to be so rude. I’m just saying you-”

“I have a girlfriend.”

Seonghwa shoved the other aside and returned to the table, making sure to change his demeanor. He paid no mind to the look your friends gave him and merely took his seat. He whimpered and leaned against you, acting sick.

“Is everything okay, Seonghwa?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” You reached to touch Seonghwa’s forehead. “Seonghwa, you’re burning up! Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling sick?”

“I’m okay…”

“That’s hardly true.” You got up, pulling Seonghwa to his feet. “I’m sorry girls, rain check on brunch, I need to take him home.”

“But-”

“I’ll make it up to you girls, I promise.”

You made your way out while holding onto Seonghwa, being careful as you got him in the car. He seemed half asleep, and you were mentally cursing yourself out for not noticing sooner. When you got to the house you took him upstairs to the bedroom, laying him down. You started to help him undress, needing to tuck him in and make him some porridge. Next thing you knew Seonghwa yanked you forward and wound up on top of you.

“Seonghwa- I thought you were sick?”

“How else was I gonna convince you to come home.”

“Are you serious? I haven’t seen the girls and-”

“I don’t like them.”

“Who?”

“The girls.”

“Seonghwa, they’re nice and-”

“Not to you.”

“Huh?”

“They invite you out and claim to be your friends, but they don’t really talk to you. It’s the same now as it was then.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Back at the cafe. They brought you along , but you didn’t really talk to them. And every other time you’ve gone out with them, you’re kinda just there.”

“Seonghwa, they know I don’t socialize much and-”

“But you do with me.”

“That’s different.”

“Because I’m a hybrid?”

“No, no, that’s not it. I’m just-”

“You actually like me. You’re comfortable around me, you have been from the very beginning.”

“Seonghwa…”

“No one else knows you like I do. You’re not really you when you’re with anyone else. If those people were really different, if they really cared about you, they’d bring out the best in you, like me.”

“…”

“You don’t need anybody else but me.”

Seonghwa kissed you deeply, pulling you into his arms. He was purring into your ear as he nuzzled your neck.

“Let’s just stay home, just you and me.”

“Seonghwa.”

“I love you, and I don’t want anyone to hurt you. Please, trust me.”

“…” 

Seonghwa’s words rang in your head, and it was hard to deny it. You liked your friends, you had known each other for so long, but many times you felt like you didn’t belong. It was only really when you were with Seonghwa that you felt like your true self. 

“Do you trust me?”

“I do…”

“Do you love me?”

“I do.”

“I do too.” Seonghwa grabbed your chin, kissing you. “We only need each other.”

[rapunzelbro]

A Sacrifice for a friend Angel Dust x Reader 1

Tw/ extreme angst, implied death, sad shit so be warned. This is going to be one of the imagines that ends up being closer to a full blown fanfic

Masterlist Taglist

1 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 5 6 Statement

If Angel Dust was there 5 minutes before, maybe he would’ve been able to change your fate

Maybe if he stopped you from going out that night he could’ve stopped it

He knew you were reckless, he knew how much you cared but why did you do what you did for him of all demons?

Why the FUCK did you do it

You were Angel Dust’s closest friends, you were there from when he first got to the hotel, you two bounced off each others personalities and it made you two of the most annoying people in the Hazbin Hotel but y’all didn’t give a shit

You knew of his deal with Valentino, all the abuse, sex, movies he was forced to do. How he was forced to sign his life away to him. It was fucked.

You were there all the constant nights he came home bloody and bruised to take care of him, comfort him when production got rough, or when he felt at his lowest.

You were far from redemption and you knew that was a given, the only one you cared enough about was Angel Dust and helping his redemption. He was so close but so far

And helping him meant saving him from the hell he was going through. The contact he signed with Valentino which held his redemption back entirely

You were extremely bothered the few weeks leading up to your decision. You were more drunk than usual and avoided questions on why, when they appeared

Husk felt the shift in your mood instantly, and the intentions you had he was unclear of. You usually always had a bright smile and bubbly personality when you were drunk with Angel, but as the weeks passed, he saw the change and that personality slowly went away even if it wasn’t noticeable

He noticed

You started coming back to the hotel later, you always came back bothered and uneasy, you didn’t talk to the others as much it concerned Husk like hell

Everytime he tried to confront you, you were never there or yelled at him.

When it was time for your decision to be made, you had all of your stuff in boxes. Your room has never been so dull until now. Angel helped you decorate with all sort of pink colors and photos of everyone together, but now? it was just lifeless

Everyone was asleep when you walked towards the exit, except for Husk

“Don’t do anything stupid Y/n”

“I can’t guarantee that Husk”

You giving him a smile before you left to do what you had to do whether you were scared shitless or not

Valentino hearing ‘I want to make a deal’ and he is instantly interested

“What will get you to release the contract on Angel Dust”

You’re straight to the point. You already know the answer, which you’ve been preparing for

“He’s my top money maker~ You’d have to give me your soul in exchange for his freedom”

He has his hand out, his signature glasses slightly positioned down to look you in the eyes with a Cheshire Cat like smile

“Do we have a deal?”

You staring at his hand before grabbing onto it

“Deal”

The moment you say that your arms and legs are covered in thick pink smoke before you’re pulled under

“Y/N WHAT THE FU”

That was the last thing you heard followed by the sound of chains breaking

you were pulled in an empty room filled with the similar pink fog coming from one of Valentinos crushed cigarettes.

While the poison of the pink fog holds you still with the tangible arms, you accepted it, you didn’t struggle when your body gave up on you

You accepted your fate long ago

Angel Dust tag list: @vendetta-ari @brithedemonspawn @satansmanager @storydays

[fangirl-dot-com]

Is That Subway Surfers? - 1k Special

GUYS WE ARE OVER 1K FOLLOWERS! I NEVER EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN OH MY WORD

It's only been, what, two months since I started "To Do is to Dare"? That's crazy!!

So for celebration, here is a little backstory on how Arthur and Reader met and a little look into her early Dams days with him and Ollie!

TAG LIST IS CLOSED!

Thanks for all the love!!

December 2022

You hung your head as Vito went over the details one more time. 

“Ok, kid. Dams wants to sign you for your last year. And you’ll be partnering with Arthur Leclerc. You know him?” You manager questioned as he held his iPad. 

You only rolled your eyes. “I know of him. Isn’t his brother the Ferrari driver? Uh, Charles?” 

Vito nodded at your limited knowledge. “Bingo. Dams thinks that the two of you have similar driving styles and that he’ll push you to win the championship.” 

You looked down at your iPad that was in your hands. Arthur’s smiley face stared back at you. A list of his credentials were to the left of the picture. You looked back up at your manager. You were thankful for another chance, but you were skeptical. 

“Prema didn’t want to keep me for one more year?” You let out a scoff at the end for a good measure. The team that helped you through Formula 3 and your first two years of Formula 2 suddenly dropped you after a few mistakes: mistakes that honestly shouldn’t have happened. 

Vito’s hand dropped on your shoulder and he crouched down to eyelevel. He gave you a sympathetic smile. He knew you were nervous of the unknown and he wished Lorenzo could have been here for you. But, he was trying his best. 

“Kid.” You locked eyes with him, tears in your lash line. “I know it’s scary, but give the team a chance. This could be it.” 

It meaning your last chance to win the championship and maybe get a foot in the door for a future Formula 1 seat. Your next best bet would be to get a test driver seat for McLaren or even Red Bull. But your chances were slim as most of the top teams already had who they wanted with several year contracts in place. 

You put the iPad down and took multiple breaths. If you were to give the ok, you’d be meeting your future teammate very quickly. 

A trying smile formed on your face. “I think I’ll miss Ollie though. He was a cool kid.”

Vito granted you with another eyeroll. “You speak as if you’re like 5 years older than him.”

Realistically speaking, you were almost two years older than the British driver. But, his “childish” antics made you feel as though you really had to watch out for him. 

Vito continued, “And that kid loves you to death. You just need to get over your thoughts of you being unlovable.” 

Your head swayed back and forth and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s go meet this, uh, French dude?”

“He’s Monégasque.”

You clicked your tongue. “Ah.” 

Vito packed up his bag and the iPads and led you out of your small Nice apartment. The drive to the headquarters wasn’t a long one. You just spent the majority of it watching small raindrops fall down your window, hoping that the smaller one would win the imaginary race that was going on in your head. 

“Kid, we her-…” 

“DANG IT YOU SHOULD HAVE WON!” Your fist hit the door. You suddenly froze and turned to look at Vito, who was already staring at you. The two of you then suddenly burst into laughter. It took you two a while to calm down, but you eventually made your way into the large building. 

The hallways were a bit confusing, but you and Vito finally made it to the conference room. Sadly though, the two of you were the last ones there. A blond boy was sitting in one of the plush chairs, looking intently at his phone. 

You guessed he didn’t hear you come in, as you were able to take a seat right next to him. Your eyes barely glanced over, before you saw him playing your favorite mobile game. 

“Is that Subway Surfers?” you whispered as you watched Vito introduce himself to the other adults in the room. 

Arthur practically jumped out of his chair at the new voice right in his ear. His wide green eyes were met with you, trying not to laugh too hard. 

He stuttered out in broken French, “Je – je suis vraiment desole. Je ne savais pas que tu etais la et j’aurais du faire attention, et oh mon dieu, tu es vraiment jolie et maintenant je divague...” 

(I – I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were there and I should have been paying attention, and oh my gosh you’re really pretty and now I’m rambling…)

You only stared as he was falling over his words. You put a hand on his leg and he shut up quickly. 

“First off, I legit didn’t understand a word you said. And second, whatever it is, it’s fine! I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” You flashed a bright smile at him.

Arthur tried once again, in English with a heavy accent, “I, uh, am sorry. I should have been paying attention. I’m Arthur.” 

He held out his hand for you to take. Your hand grasped his and you shook it. 

“Hi Arthur, I’m Y/n. It’s nice to meet my teammate for this season.” 

He flashed you an even larger smile. In your mind, you thought he was adorable. He let out a small laugh as he turned off his phone. 

“It was Subway Surfers. I love the game.” 

“So do I! It’s so much fun.” 

“Are you two done flirting already or can we begin to talk contracts?” Vito’s voice pulled the two of you from your little bubble. With sheepish smiles from both of you, you turned your attention to the CEO. 

The meeting was a few hours long, and by the end of it, you were starving. As you were leaving, Arthur grasped your hand, which made you stop. Vito just calmly said that he’d be waiting in the car. 

“Yes?” You cocked your head as you looked up at the taller boy. 

He had a shy smile as he looked down at you. “Would you like to join me and my friend for dinner? We’re just going to a local restaurant and it’s not too far.” 

As your brain was trying to come up with an excuse, Vito yelled from where he was standing by the vehicle. “She would love to! Just have her give you her address. Have fun kid!” 

And with that, he got into the car and drove away. All while you were standing next to Arthur with your mouth open. You quickly closed it to not look like a loser. 

“Uh, I guess I’ll come with?” It came out more like a question, but Arthur just went with it. He led you to his car and you were surprised it wasn’t a decked out Ferrari. 

You only smirked. “Not a Ferrari guy?” 

Arthur rolled his eyes as he got in the driver side. “That would unfortunately be my brother. I might be part of the academy, but we don’t get any fancy treatment.”

You snorted at that. “Yeah, I’ve never actually been a test driver for any team. I have my own management and everything.” 

Arthur raised his eyebrows but didn’t ask anything else. 

The ride to the restaurant was fairly quiet and not awkward. Around halfway through, he had finally turned on the radio. 

And although Arthur didn’t drive a fancy car, he was not above valet parking. 

“Hold on,” he told you as he quickly got out and skirted around the front to open your door. You looked up at him with a shy smile. 

“What a gentleman.” He hand firmly but gently grasped yours as he led you through the doorway. 

“My maman would have my head. Ah, there’s my friend.” Arthur pointed to a table near the back. 

But to your surprise, you definitely recognized the brunet that looked bored to death.

“Ollie!” you called out. 

The Brit’s head whipped up at the sound of your voice. A giant smile formed on his face as he stood up. You quickly brought him into a hug. 

“I didn’t know you knew Arthur?” He questioned as the three of you sat down. Arthur called the waiter over so that you could get a drink. 

You looked over at the green-eyed driver. “Hmmm, just met today actually.” 

Arthur sipped his water. “We’re teammates for this year.” 

Ollie looked back and forth, ideas forming in his mind. But, he wouldn’t be telling the ideas to you any time soon. 

“What is that smirk for,” you questioned. 

“You totally scared him when you met him. Didn’t you?” 

“You scared him too?” 

Oh, boy were you screwed for the next years. 

(What you didn’t know was that these boys would become two of you very best friends. And maybe one of them would become something more.)  

y/n.89 has posted

y/n.89 am I interrupting something? tagged: olliebearman and arthur_leclerc

liked by y/n_nation, y/n-fan, y/n_is_on_top, and 10,839 others

olliebearman no comment?

prema_y/n ahaha prema racers back together

y/n_fan well, until prema dropped her... y/nxarthur well, now we get ollie AND arthur content so I'm not complaining

arthur_leclerc btw I wiped it right off

olliebearman YOU TAKE THAT BACK y/n.89 girls, girls, girls, let's not fight

prema_trio your honor, I love them

best_rookie_y/n anyone else here from 2024 and is here to see how little y/n was

olliebearman has posted

olliebearman who's the third-wheel now hmmmm? tagged: y/n.89 and arthur_leclerc

liked by premaracing, olliebear2, y/n_lover29, and 15,983 others

y/n.89 still you?

y/n&friends they are so hot

ollie_is_my_guy I could take them (but not in a fight)

olliebearman he is not THAT funny

arthur_leclerc yes I am y/n.89 ollie is a certified Arthur haterrrrr olliebearman then you'd be a certified Arthur loverrrrrr y/n.89 shut UP

y/n_nation our girl and her boys :D

arthur_leclerc has posted

arthur_leclerc why are we always at restaurants? tagged: y/n.89 and olliebearman

liked by y/n.89, olliebearman, charles_leclerc, and 58,284 others

y/n.89 because we like food (and none of us can actually cook)

charles_leclerc felt arthur_leclerc go away

thur_thur_92 I wonder who won

olliebearman me arthur_leclerc me y/n.89 wrong, it was me

best_trio_2023 they all give chaotic gen z energy and I am here for it!

y/n_loves_ME its the fact that Arthur is technically the oldest cause he's 22 right now while y/n is 19 and Ollie just turned 18

y/n.89 yet he still acts like a child

rb_y/n we need this trio to get back together in 2024 ASAP

y/n.89 has posted

y/n.89 they watch kung-fu panda ONCE tagged: olliebearman and arthur_leclerc

liked by y/n_nation, f2_fanatic, prema_trio22, and 19,274 others

y/n_updates BAHAHAHAHA cause this is so true for everyone

arthur_leclerc I am the Dragon Warrior

olliebearman um, no, you're more of a Master Oogway y/n.89 I am definitely the dragon warrior, ollie you can be the goose y/n's-favorite HELLO?

f2-fanatic I'm going to miss this group in a few months since y/n has to leave after the championship, and I don't know if Arthur is confirmed for next year :(

f2-trio SHHHHHH WE DON'T SPEAK OF THAT

y/n.89 I look amazing for once

y/n_nation ONE MORE RACE AND YOU GET THAT CHAMPIONSHIP GIRL!!

y/n.89 with olliebearman and arthur_leclerc has posted

y/n.89 wherever we go, we'll somehow end up back together

liked by damsracing, fredderikvasti, y/n_nation and 11,783 others

y.n_ON-TOP I'm going to miss this

olliebearman this was actually sweet?

arthur_lecerlc yeah, weird. are you feeling ok? y/n.89 no, this is more like I feel threatened? you both follow me everywhere

rookie_y/n I know she's done in f2, but where will she go after?

y/n'sfavperson as of right now, we don't know. basically all doors for f1 are closed y/n_updates well, she was wanting to possibly be a testing driver for McLaren but rumor has it that they just side Bianca Bustemante

vito_official can't say that I'll 100 percent miss the three of you annoying me all the time, but I will miss the three of you

olliebearman I KNEW YOU LIKED US arthur_leclerc LETS GO vito_official I take it back? y/n.89 no

y/n4f1 we just need a miracle right now - for her to somehow get into f1

f1_news GUYS DID YOU JUST SEE??? CHECO JUST ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT

TAG LIST: @fionaschicken @glitterquadricorn @laura-naruto-fan1998 @treehouse-mouse @sam-is-lost @kagatinkita @fangirl125reader @megatrilss1885 @myxticmoon @angsthology @cmleitora @agent-curt-mega @graciewrote @ashy-kit @slutofmultifandom @aexitizen @sugarvibez @vellicora @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @cashtons-wife @aeh2 @hoetel-manager @xcharlottemikaelsonx @jayda12 @cassie0sstuff @ilove-tswizzle @justme2042 @itsjustkhaos @nikfigueiredo @stopeatread @cha-hot @sadg3 @iloveyou3000morgan @s4turnsl0ver @alessioayla @torchbearerkyle @leptitlu @awekbachira @shreks-sugar-daddy @v1naco @stan-josie @mellowarcadefun @badassturtle13 @beskardroids @callisposts @poppyalice2001 @juniper-july19

[empresskylo]

would you do headcanons if price was readers boyfriend?! 🫶🫶😮‍💨

↳ yuuhhh i gotchuu 🫶

⋆｡°✩ CONTENT WARNINGS | afab!reader, she/her pronouns used, feminine pet names used, smutty content at the end

cod masterlist | main masterlist

♡ such the gentleman. he asked you out on a proper date when he realized you both were feeling something for one another. even tho it’s really hard to do/find the time whilst working, he managed to do something cute for you.

♡ possessiveeeee! even before you were dating, when he knew he liked you, he’d act all possessive over you. all the other men knew to stay away from you or they’d get on price's bad side (they’re so dramatic). so even now, he likes to have his claim over you and makes sure everyone knows you’re his.

♡ that doesn't mean the men didn't tease him a lil bit--and by men, i mean gaz. he would team up with you a lot, or be a lil extra touchy with you in front of price, just to see him get pissed. but price couldn't really do much about it because you two weren't dating and you didn't even know he was into you like that. ♡ gaz looked at you, smirking, and you felt one of your eyebrows raise. he walked closer to you and decided to help you get situated for your upcoming mission. he was giving you a hand in securing your tactical gear, making the process go faster, when price approached. "I think she's got it." gaz looked up at him and gave him a knowing smile. "just trying to speed things up, cap." price's jaw tightened, having no choice but to keep moving unless he wanted to explain just why he was annoyed at gaz doing something so innocent as helping you.

♡ speaking of being possessive, he is also very proud to be with you. he doesn’t find the need to keep your relationship a secret even if he knows people will judge you both for it (you’re so much younger, he’s your superior, etc). he wants everyone to know.

♡ and he’s not afraid of some pda. he’ll give you little kisses randomly that catch you off guard (especially if you’re a soldier under his rank). there have been times when the others teased you about it. obviously, price didn’t care, but you always got flustered. “i’ll be back at the barrics,” price directed to you and soap who both gave him a curt nod. price leaned down towards you and before you could question him, he placed a kiss on your lips. he smirked when he pulled away, your eyes wide, your face warming. price turned to leave and soap burst into a fit of giggles. “ugh, how old are you?” you asked soap irritated, but your cheeks were inflamed and your heart was racing with something similar to embarrassment. ♡ he’s possessive, but not in an over-the-top way. like he’s not gonna freak out if he sees you talking to another guy, or if you’re wearing something skimpy. my guy is secure in himself (maybe even a little too much sometimes) and he knows no one is quite as good as him. he doesn’t worry about you leaving him.

♡ uses all the pet names for you. you were honestly impressed he managed to find so many to call you. love, doll, baby, sweet girl, baby girl, princess, lass, honey, babe, little one, brat, pet, kitten (you may have threw a shoe at him when he called you that), queen, lovely, sweetness, sweetheart, sunshine. the list goes on.

♡ he also began to call you such random shit that makes you laugh. munchkin, cutest lil lady, little foot, shorty, pipsqueak. (basically anything silly that gave off dad energy)

♡ keeps polaroids of you in his wallet <3

♡ had your name engraved in his favorite knife. also has your name engraved on a simple silver bracelet that he always wears.

♡ speaking of jewelry, he got you a locket with a picture of the two of you in it. you gave it to him to wear once when he was gonna be away from you for quite a while. he never took it off.

♡ he likes to get you flowers all the fucking time. roses, peonies, tulips, the whole lot. you’ve run out of places to put them.

♡ has been known to squat when he sees you getting tired and refusing to move until you get on his back so he can carry you.

♡ whenever he wraps his arms around you--usually when he’s spacing out--he pulls you into his chest and rests his chin on your head. his fingers will fiddle with the hem of your shirt and give you goosebumps at the tiny tickles on your skin.

♡ really likes to cuddle. he’s always reaching for you when you sit or lie down together. he wants to pull you into him. he likes to be the big spoon. you always wake up tangled in each others arms.

♡ he always lets you wear his clothes. he actually prefers it when you do. you sleep in his t-shirt. you’ll wear his hoodies. if it’s cold out he’ll take his coat off and wrap you in it. or sometimes he’ll let you wrap your arms around him and then he’ll wrap his coat around the both of you.

♡ he always falls asleep first. he'll have you pulled into his chest as you both watch tv and honestly, like 10 minutes will go by and you'll say something and he wont respond. when you tilt your head up you notice he's already out cold.

♡ and even tho he's asleep, like a superpower he can sense when you move away from him. so if you try to get up, his grip on you tightens and he'll pull you into him, rolling over with you trapped in his arms.

♡ he is always up first too. and he will often times bring you breakfast or coffee in bed. if he has to leave before you, you'll wake to find a hot coffee or tea sitting on your nightstand waiting for you.

♡ he is obsessed with your hair. he's always stroking it, or tucking it behind your ear. he likes to run his fingers through it when you're cuddling or when you're hugging him tightly. he loves when you let him wash it too.

♡ you asked him to brush it for you once while you were getting ready one day and he was just standing there watching you. he did so and was very gentle and took his time. ever since then, he loves when you let him brush your hair. it's such a random but intimate act for him.

NSFW CONTENT BELOW

♡ pleasure dom! he is super dominant in bed but is also really in tune with your body and making sure you're always enjoying yourself. he gets off by getting you off.

♡ he’s really good at making you come. like, you'd think he made it his life's mission to make you feel good. and seeing you in pleasure is what always gets him going. he cant finish unless he watches you finish first.

♡ he’s so good at what he does that he’s been known to get you off over your clothes. it takes him no time at all to make you come if he wants. usually he likes to drag it out tho. and he likes to overstimulate you.

♡ nights will oftentimes consist of you fully naked while he fingers you, having already orgasmed once, and him still fully clothed. something about that power dynamic drives him crazy.

♡ he softly degrades you. “look how fuckin’ desperate you are for me, love” “this what you’ve been thinkin’ bout all day? my fingers thrusting inside you, hm? nothing else going on in that pretty little head of yours.” “oh, com’on princess, you know you have to come at least twice before i’ll give you my cock. so are you gonna be a good girl and come on my tongue one more time? yeah, i know you can handle it.”

♡ likes to hold your hand during sex. he’s eating you out? his hand is laced with one of yours. you’re sucking his dick? he grabs your hand and traces patterns aimlessly, trying not to come too fast. he’s fucking you missionary? either one or both of his hands are locked with yours. he’s fucking you from behind? he’s pulled you up against his chest, covering your hand resting against your stomach with his own.

♡ he likes when you give him blow jobs. and he enjoys praising you during it, watching as you clench your thighs from his panting words.

♡ you’ll have his cock in your mouth and he’s muttering how good you feel. he hunches over, his arms lazily resting over your shoulders, his forehead resting against the top of yours. he’ll groan and grunt, “fuck, baby, that feels so good.” “god, don’t stop, love.” “look what you do to me.” “i’m gonna fuck you so hard after this, baby.”

[demilypyro]

Your streams and posts have inspired me to play through dark souls 3 again! Anyway whats your ranking of all the level up maidens in the souls games. Counting melina too of course

The Unnamed Firekeeper (Dark Souls 3)

Melina (Elden Ring)

The Emerald Herald/Shanalotte (Dark Souls 2)

The Firekeeper/Anastacia of Astora (Dark Souls 1)

Irina of Carim (Dark Souls 3)

The Doll (Bloodborne)

The Maiden in Black (Demon's Souls)

The DS3 Firekeeper wins mostly because she's very charming and she has a small amount of agency in the plot. If you give her the Firekeeper's Eyes from the hidden Untended Graves area, she becomes open to the idea of betraying her religion (epic) and snuffing out the fire entirely, and I'm always down to blaspheme with my wife. Having a firekeeper be materially relevant to one of the endings is a lot of fun, and I'm always happy to go back Firelink and see her again. I love emoting near her.

I quite like Melina. I'm pretty sure she has some of the most dialogue of any level-up girl in the series, and she has some actual agency in the plot. Unfortunately, most of that dialogue is just lore dumping, and you never really get a sense of what her deal is. She's one of few characters in Elden Ring I never fully figured out the lore of? She's Marika's daughter, I think? And she wants to do... stuff? For reasons? And unlike best girl Ranni, she never really has a cute, disarming moment where the mask slips and she's really straight with you. I dunno she's good but she could've been better.

Shanalotte from DS2 is somewhat similar to Melina, in that she has a goal of her own that she manipulates the player into completing. However this twist is pretty out of nowhere and is ultimately pretty inconsequential, because what she wants you to do is... kill bosses? And killing bosses was always the goal anyway so it's not like we weren't gonna do that without her tricking us into it. I dunno, she cute.

Whether the Firekeeper from DS1 even counts for this list is debatable, since you can level up at any bonfire, and there's even multiple firekeepers. But when she dies you can't level up at Firelink Shrine anymore, so I guess that sort of counts? Idk. She's alright. I always let her die but then go kill Lautrec and give her soul back so she can speak. She's very adorable.

Irina really is just here on a technicality. Her ability to level you up is more like an easter egg reward for getting the good ending to her questline. She's mostly just a miracle trainer. I like her though so she goes on the list. It's my house.

The Doll from Bloodborne is decently charming but there's really nothing going on behind the eyes with her. While she questions if her feelings for you are genuine or artificial, nothing ever really comes of this one way or the other, so she falls kind of flat for me. She does win some points for responding to emotes though. Idk Maria better.

Finally you can tell the Maiden in Black is sort of the prototype for all the level-up ladies to follow. A lady, chained to the hub area by duty, who can't see and has bare feet? Miyazaki really showed his whole ass right from the get-go. There's really not that much to her beyond that though. She alright.