#it's making me nervous that he said he's willing to do whatever to be powerful so he can protect her

[zishuge]

i just started lost you forever and heyyy this smol child looks familiar... is this baby wen kexing?!??

[choerypetal]

Hide and Seek / Homelander

(pt 2. of Meet and Greet)

summary ; In part two of the meet and greet, Homelander's obsession reaches new heights, leaving him unsatisfied at his core and willing to do anything to make you his.

!! read part one first! ; !!

ps; english isn't my first language so i apologize for any grammar mistakes, xo' (as it will be eventually corrected if needed)

tag list; @private-eye-on-you ; @lins-shenanigans ; @horrorxgorewhore @siredtom ; @certain-tragedies ; @hotchners-wifey ; @naelis-open-sea

enjoy xo'

Homelander's comment, 'You look lovely in the costume,' lingered in your mind for a week. You couldn't escape his presence. His silhouette, his maddeningly perfect face seemed to follow you everywhere—from your usual coffee shop to the special limited editions of The Vought, and even as you continued watching the show for longer periods of time. From Deep's special cupcakes to the coffee most loved by Homelander, his influence was everywhere, not just keeping the city alive but himself as well.

Although you didn't realize it, Homelander had become just as obsessed with you as he was with seeing his own face on the cup you were holding. From a distance, he watched your every move—the way your plump lips touched the cup, how you drank your coffee, and even how you covered his image with your hand. Despite finding your behavior an offense, he knew he’d eventually have to tease about it. The sadistic man that he was, wasn’t afraid to even acknowledge it. Especially during their weekly Seven meetings. 

"So, I suggest we review some new recruits," Ashley said, her nervousness palpable. She wanted to please not only the public but, most importantly, Homelander. This was no easy task given recent events and the current situation. Homelander's obvious boredom showed his lack of interest, and Deep, poor thing, was just as disinterested, staring blankly at the screen and agreeing with whatever Homelander mumbled. However, Deep was secretly relieved not to have any of John’s powers. Especially right now. Because, at that exact moment, it was your face, and your face alone, that occupied his thoughts. Murmuring your name under his breath, he was fortunate not to get caught up in the moment. That of course, when a single cough from Ashley’s mouth was enough to slip his mind elsewhere. 

"You know, Ashley, just pick whoever you think will fit for now. Sign their papers. My brain is going to fucking explode from this hell hole," he said, standing up without even glancing at her. Not even Ashley's whiny complaints about the complications it might cause could stop him. He paused, considering for a moment that she might convince him. "Don't come to me for the next 24 hours," he snapped, his piercing blue eyes conveying a clear threat. When wasn't he a threat, anyway? "Or I'll personally fuck up every single one of you." That was enough to make her quickly nod in response. Poor thing, she only wanted to make him proud. A satisfied grin played on his lips, mirrored by Ashley's, though hers was a little more nervous. His, however, was genuine. 

You, on the other hand, had been fortunate enough not to see Homelander's face for a while. From the bookstore you frequented to the coffee shop, his presence seemed to pervade your life. Your mother didn’t help either, as she insisted on framing a picture of you with him in the living room—a gesture Homelander found endearing. On some nights, he would see you through the window, dressed in your pajamas, reading whatever caught your interest, with that picture always in the background. Unlike Homelander, it haunted your dreams.  

Deep down, Homelander struggled to resist the urge to invade your personal space, not wanting to frighten you. However, when he saw your forced smile at the meet and greet, he was reminded that a smile meant nothing to him. To him and you alone. It was your scent that drove him wild. At first, he considered going undercover, posing as one of your father’s coworkers, but he realized it would be futile. Why cover his own shame, when he could let his ego take it over?

So, he waited until sunrise. When he could finally entered your room, imagining you in your shortest pajamas, which hugged your curves so perfectly, he had to bite his bottom lip to control himself. Just by the thought of his fingers sinking into your flesh as you leaned toward him for more...

"Goodbye, Mom!" Your voice echoed in Homelander's mind as he realized he'd been lurking around your house since last night. He had been trying to dismiss, the missed call records provided by Ashley, however, unable to ignore them. Fortunately, he was hidden well enough that you didn’t notice him as you exited the house.

Your hair meticulously washed, your skin fresh with makeup, and that dress. Never in a thousand years, aside from his own enemies, did Homelander think he would become so obsessed with someone. He wanted to chuckle to himself at the irony, knowing he wasn’t being the most subtle superhero. When your gaze shifted toward his hiding spot, he quickly concealed himself behind a tree, exhaling in relief when you shrugged off the feeling of being watched. You then left for work, something Homelander knew all too well. This also meant he could meet your mother, who, after all, was his biggest fan. 

Fortunately, you managed to get through the day without a single client yelling at you. However, what you didn’t expect was an unexpected visit from the man himself. As you approached the door, you overheard some mumbling. Did your mother have a visitor today? 

And then it hit you.

Hearing the all-too-familiar voice say, "Oh, these look lovely," with a genuine smile, you froze in your tracks. Seeing your mother so happy, even more thrilled than a fangirl, like she’d seen god himself. She noticed you immediately. "My dear! Look who came to visit," she exclaimed, taking you into her arms for a hug. Before you could greet the guest, your eyes met his—Homelander, in your own home. 

"No need for theatrics, ma’am," he said with a casual chuckle, hushed by his own hand as he munched on the cookies your mother had made, casually wiping a droplet of milk with his thumb. Your mother giggled and said, "Mother is the name. We don’t have to get formal, right darling?" You blinked twice, hardly believing what you were hearing. Your mother was genuinely making Homelander feel comfortable, right inside your home. Given what you knew from your coworkers and the constant rumors, it was hard not to be creeped out by the thought that he might have done more than just a knock on the door that evening. Yet, you shrugged it off, thinking that perhaps playing the same game he did might be what he wanted after all. Like a cat and a mouse. 

There was a brief pause, then an idea sparked in your mother’s eyes as she looked at John one last time. "Why don’t you stay for dinner? Tonight is roasted chicken and mashed potatoes." How could he refuse? Spending more time with you was just the beginning of his obsession with protecting you and never letting you out of his sight. He smiled, his grin seemingly bigger than before, and nodded. "If Y/N doesn’t mind?" he said, his gaze shifting to you with a more serious expression. You gulped nervously, knowing you couldn’t just say no. "Yes—yes, of course," you stuttered. Oh, how adorable you looked.

“Then, make yourself at home dear.” 

Dinner was only just a few hours from now, with your father now back from work had asked for a personal photo with the Homelander, and a talk John appreciated more. Considering his own father exiling him completely, it was a breath of fresh air for him, especially when he’d be glancing a few times at you, doing whatever you had in mind before the dinner. “My daughter is going to be working for us,” your father would be saying proudly, Homelander could only nod listening actively. “She’d do a great addition I am certain.” his gaze now meeting yours immediately, when you gaze up from your book, he could notice a light shade of pink coming your cheeks. Cherishing it a little too much when your father’s voice then abrupt his mind, “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” he’d said a little too proud. 

She is indeed… Homelander thought to himself that same night. Just by how attentive he was with you. Even if it wasn’t  much of a conversation shared, the glances were enough to please him alone. Which during the dinner, he was not afraid to show. 

Dinner had passed rather quickly, you were glad it did. Considering you listening to whatever nonsense Homelander had to offer to keep your mother so relonctent toward him. Let alone, praise him as a her own god. Boosting an ego, to whom you couldn’t comprehend yourself, and that Homelander was sure to make it seem tonight. 

"Thank you so much for dinner, truly," Homelander said, wiping the corners of his mouth, his eyes never leaving you. Your mother’s gasp was enough to momentarily distract him, and he asked if everything was alright. She quickly assured him it was and invited him to stay until her cake was done baking. Naturally, John didn't decline the offer. "Y/N," your mother called your attention just as you were about to excuse yourself, "how about you give a little tour of the house? I'm sure Homelander would appreciate it." The formality of his name seemed daunting, but John quickly corrected her. "John it is. No need to be formal, now, do we?" A shiver crawled down your spine as your mother’s eyes gleamed with hope, her slender fingers clapping together. "Oh, well, of course! Now, Y/N, make yourself useful and make John feel at home." 

A sigh escaped your lips; there was no way to avoid this, was there? "Yes, of course. Where do you want to start?" Your eyes never left his, feeling yourself getting lost in them, becoming his little mouse to play with. "How about..." he began, his eyes wandering as if he couldn’t be bothered to think. "The bedroom," he finally said. You blinked twice, a third time to fully process his words. "What?" you replied, incredulous. He chuckled, amused by your reaction, and shrugged off the question as if he hadn’t meant it seriously. "Nah, kidding. Lead the way," he said. 

So you did. You felt his shadow hovering over you as you both walked through the house for a little tour. John was no longer hiding his presence, leaning in closer to you. You could feel his breath. By the time you reached your bedroom, the tour was complete, and your mother’s cake would be ready. However, John had something else in mind, and he wasn’t shy about showing it. “And this is the bedroom,” you said nonchalantly, hearing an obvious scoff from him. 

"Funny, isn’t it?" he said, this time his tone serious enough to make your muscles tense. His back was to you as his fingers touched the doorknob, ready to close the door. And he did, pausing momentarily. "Finally, we meet again." His remark made you tilt your head. Meet again? As far as you knew, he had been stalking you all along. But knowing who he was—Homelander, with his omniscience and twisted games—you had no say in the matter. Neither did you, especially after hearing his chuckle. 

“Now why so quiet?” the question was enough to make you unsease. You wanted to tell him, to oppose to him. But you couldn’t he was now yours to torment completely. When he leaned further, scoffing once more by your vulnerability. In that precise moment, Homelander knew he won. 

“Heard you were a good, fuck.” his voice so nonchanltly, a gasp leaving from your mouth as you were unable to speak more than standing right in front of him. How his eyes would wondered around your figure, approaching near to you, his fingers now leaning toward your waist. Gripping by its touch, hungry to fuck you there, in the bed. Raw. 

"Thank you?" you stammered, eager to please him. His grin broadened, fighting not to turn into a frown at your response. He was so satisfied that he gently caressed your cheek with his other finger. "You need me, not just to save you, but to satisfy you." Though your heart was broken, you were a toy Homelander cherished without fear. You were his perfect little toy, as he began to lick his bottom lip, his breath drawing closer, closing the gap between you. "Mine," he growled, his voice hoarse, undeniably hinting at his intentions. He was Homelander, able to do whatever he wanted. And that included you being his. "Got it, little mouse?"

Oh, how he longed to watch you squirm between his legs, begging for more, moaning his name. His persistence knew no bounds; he would do anything—from leaving bite marks to scratches, and even hickeys if necessary. But he couldn't just stand there without having a little fun, right?

"You see," he said, his voice dripping with teasing malice. Disgust welled up in your mouth, but you fought the urge to look away. He loved watching you squirm, the fear in your eyes fueling his twisted envy of every inch of you. "How about we play a little game tonight, hmm?" His thumb brushed gently over your chin, lifting your gaze to meet his.

"W-what game?" you managed to say, breaking your long silence. Even he was momentarily surprised, but your stutter made it worth it. "Hide and seek," he said, pausing for effect. "You hide, and I seek. If I find you, you're mine. Got that?"

You gave a quick nod, followed by a satisfied smile from him. "Good then, I'll start counting. One, two..." You hesitated for a moment, just as his grip shifted from your waist to your arm, preventing you from fleeing your own home. When your eyes met his, they were dark with passion, lust, and a desire to capture his little mouse until its very last breath. "Run..."

Little mouse.”

[quantum1mmortality]

The crew & using toys on their S/O in bed please with a cherry on top??

First time writing the whole crew kinda nervous 🤭🤭 I'm not writing Swansea tho I will NOT be writing nsfw of a married man

Tw/cw; Afab!reader, winners love winning in Anyas hcs (use of the term pillow princess), jorkinit jumpscare

Not proofread

Curly

I'm actually not sure if he'd be into toys

I've literally only written for Curly so I'd say I'm a Curly expert, and I just don't think he'd be into toys

He'd use a vibrator on you every now and then, but he'd just use it to tease you and make you beg for him.

He'd probably use cock rings. I am a firm believer Curly would use cock rings. Not all the time, but if he's had a really stressful day at work, he's wanting an extra hard hitting orgasm.

Omg not a toy but APHRODISIACS!!! This man would go crazy for some aphrodisiacs, whether he's taking it or you are.

Now I wanna write a wedding night one shot with Curly and aphrodisiacs thanks a lot anon 😔😔😔 I've got enough shit to write already

Anya

I don't care what any of you say this woman is a pillow princess

YOU'D be using toys on HER

She'd also be a cryer but that's not the point

She'd have a drawer dedicated to sex toys. She's trying to get into med school, she's CONSTANTLY stressed, how else is she supposed to release some of that stress? Don't judge her.

She wouldn't be into straps or dildos, she'd be into shit that vibrates. Vibrators obviously, rose toys, anything that stimulates the clit honestly

I lied she is into dildos this woman is a sucker for a RABBIT!!! Like I said, if it vibrates, she wants it.

Her favorite combo is the rose toy/vibrator + pussy licking. She cums so fast, then gets embarrassed, then begs for more. Praise her a bunch and she'll be able to go a few more rounds

BONUS CONTENT!!; she has a Christina and Princess Albertina, no further comments

Daisuke

Oh yeah, he's using toys.

He has a tongue piercing and sometimes he'll swap it out for a bar that vibrates but y'all aren't ready for that convo

He's gonna use the basic toys, nothing we haven't gone over yet. Vibrators, rose toys, cock rings, ect. He's just trying to figure out what he likes for right now, and he likes all of them

In missionary, he'd hold either a vibrator or rose up to your clit while he fucks you. Kind of uncomfortable as a position, but if it gets you off, it's worth it to him.

Not sure if this is considered a toy but he'd be interested in sounding. He's definitely had you try it on him once or twice, and he never lasts for more than a minute 😭 poor boy

He's just trying new things out. He's new to having a committed relationship, so anything you'd be into, he'd be willing to try. He'd let you peg him if you wanted, but don't ask me to write that.

My pegging days are over

Jonathan

The kinkiest cunt that ever cursed this god forsaken ship

Toys are a must have for him. On you, not him. He only likes using them on you, because it gives him a sense of power over you.

He'd be one of those assholes that would put a bluetooth vibrator in your panties and wait till you're in public to turn it on the highest setting. Like an asshole

Jizzdaddy would have a lot of toys. He'd have one of those robotic dildo setups that like.. idk does the thrusting how the fuck do I explain this????

You guys get what I mean if you've ever been on a porn site you've seen one

Anyway, he'd have one of those setups and watch it fuck you. Ass up, head down, grasping at whatever you could since HIS sadistic ass turned it up to the highest speed.

Eventually hed get pissed off and fuck you himself, claiming that you love the toy more than you love him 😔 the allegations are true but he doesn't have to know that

He'd also use plugs on you. In public, too. He doesn't care. If you humiliate yourself, that's your fault, not his.

vibrators are used during sex, nothing new. But it's the same situation as before. Claiming you love the toy more than him, so he stops using it.

Sometimes he'll just give in though and decide he doesn't care, and wants to tease you more than anything. Highest speed it can go, or the slowest. No in-between. He'll have you begging one way or another.

Chat I hate writing rough characters someone request ooc soft Joshua hcs so I can write him like I do Curly 🙏🙏🙏

A/N; Anya makes me wanna kiss girls

[frehyun]

Backstage Fun

idol!hyunjin x afab!reader

warnings: protected sex, oral sex (m receiving), fingering, power imbalance (fan and their idol), hair pulling, nipple play, denied orgasm

genre: smut, fluff

word count: 2.5k

author's note: freya get to the point challenge failed, i feel like this is a whole lot of build up and not a lot of payoff but I still like how it turned out! second time writing smut and it's still really difficult, my respect goes out to all the regular smut writers, y'all are something else ❤️‍🩹 please let me know what you think!

this was requested by @kiki1323 and i took the creative liberty and added Redjin into the mix because. well. look at him. working on my first request was fun, so i hope i did it justice and hope you like it! <3

masterlist

divider by @strangergraphics

You are nervous. Extremely nervous. The kind of nervous where it feels like your heart is going to break through your ribs and jump right out of your chest, the poor organ hammering against its confines, the hard thumping echoing throughout your entire body, lump building inside your throat.

Never in your life would you have expected that a simple, exciting attendance at a concert would end up with you getting invited backstage by one of the artists that you adored to the moon and back.

A security guard came up to you after the concert hall had been cleared of most people, yourself still sitting there and coming down from the after-concert-adrenaline, asking if you were the ‘special guest’ invited by none other than Hwang Hyunjin himself. At first you were confused, ready to deny any mistaken identity and willing to laugh it off but then you saw the idol peeking his head out through one of the side entrances, giving you hand signals that you vaguely recognised as ‘play along, please’.

So you did.

Because if the Hyunjin said you were his special guest, then you were his special guest and nothing could stop you from playing along. Even if the part of him inviting you prior to the concert was a lie.

And that’s how you ended up here, in a backstage room that you assume must be his dressing room or something like that. It doesn’t really matter.

You nervously bite at the skin of your lips, no sight of Hyunjin so far making you even more anxious as you look around the room, desperate to find anything to occupy your mind with as you wait for him.

There wasn’t anything special about this room, just a large vanity, a table with refreshments and snacks on it and a ridiculously plushy couch that you were currently situated on, surrounded by strewn about clothes, bags and you assume some personal items that belonged to Hyunjin.

Before you could grow tired of counting how many little stones decorated the vanity across from you, the doorknob to the room turned, making your head snap towards the door.

There he was, wearing a fresh black shirt and some sweatpants, having changed out of his sweaty concert clothes, a sheepish smile on his face as he apologises politely for making you wait and closing the door behind him.

Your heart lurches right to your throat at the sight of him. He was even more gorgeous from up close, even the harsh overhead lighting couldn’t destroy the features that you were always so mesmerised by.

“I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

God, and his voice makes you want to kneel right down and do whatever he asked of you no questions asked.

Focus.

“Ah, no, it’s fine!”, you stammered, “what, uhm, what did I do to deserve being here?”

A mischievous smile spreads over his lips as his long legs bring him closer to you on the couch, stopping right in front of you to tower over you. He licks his lips and you think he is doing it on purpose.

“I’m going to be completely honest with you, so I hope you’ll do the same with me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you during the concert”, he begins, reaching a hand out before stopping a short distance away from touching your cheek, searching your eyes for your approval or any sign of discomfort. You swallow around the lump in your throat and nod, making his eyes soften as he moves to caress your jaw, his thumb stroking across your skin gently.

“And I know this is sudden, you can say no and leave whenever you want to, but I’d love for you to stay and we could have some fun.”

Before you can stop it, your eyes flicker down to the front of his sweats at the implication before flickering back up to his face. Hyunjin’s eyes have a knowing glint in them, as if he already knows that your answer was going to be a loud and resounding ‘yes’.

“I’ll stay” – you say, surprised at how steady your voice sounds.

He smiles down at you, taking your face properly between his two large hands. His cock twitches in his pants as you look up at him, the sight of you beneath him satisfying some deeper part of him.

“What’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

“Well, Y/N, it’s nice to meet you.”

Hyunjin leans down to take your lips between his softly. Unsure what to do with your hands, you place them on his forearms, wanting nothing more than to just touch him anywhere you could reach. It’s still surreal to you that this was really happening, that it’s Hyunjin’s tongue making its way into your mouth, that it’s Hyunjin you taste.

He parts from you momentarily to sit down beside you on the plush couch, patting his muscular thighs as a sign for you to straddle him. There was no way you were going to refuse such a demand, so you climb on top of him and make yourself comfortable in his lap, your hands holding you steady on his broad shoulders as he grabs the back of your thighs greedily.

Not being able to hold yourself back anymore, you grab his face and capture his lips hungrily. Hyunjin seems to appreciate that, his hands sliding up your thighs to grab at your ass and his hips lifting up to grind into you, his clothed cock dragging deliciously against your core, drawing whimpers from the two of you simultaneously.

With your brain already turned into a fuzzy mess, you mindlessly keep moving your hips across his hardening length, desperate for any kind of friction against your pussy. He groans against your lips, his hand finding its way underneath your shirt and squeezing breast.

“Hyunjin…” – you moan and slide your hands across his chest, grazing his nipples and making him let out a whimper.

He rids himself of his shirt before moving to slide yours off your body, hastily discarding it alongside your bra.

In a sudden movement, he moves you to lay down on the couch while he kneels above you, his hands already fiddling with the zipper of your pants as he rids you of the offending garment as well.

“Beautiful” – he breathes and his fingers lightly press into the fabric of your already dampened panties, lazily stroking up and down, much to your chagrin, whining and bucking your hips into his hand.

“What do you want, sweetheart?” – his red hair was slightly falling over his face, framing it, as he sits back on his haunches to observe you. The outline of his dick straining against his sweats isn’t lost on you and you have half a mind to reach out to take him into your hand.

“Want you…”

He chuckles and hooks his fingers beneath the waistband of your panties to pull them down your legs. His long digits find your folds immediately, spreading your wetness around, his fingertips playing with your sensitive clit as you grow wetter for him, small wanton moans spilling from your lips for him.

Desperate to please him, your fingers wrap around his dick through his sweats, squeezing the head slightly.

He huffs out a breath at your touch. Hyunjin originally planned to drag this out as long as he could, wanting to blow off some steam but he grows increasingly more needy the longer you writhe underneath him so sweetly.

Some of his desperation seeps through to his actions, as he pushes two of his fingers into you, fucking them in and out of you at a rough pace.

“Are you gonna be all mine for today? Hm?” - Hyunjin says, his free hand spreading your legs further so he can slot his body between them while working his other hand at your core, bringing you closer to your high.

“Yes! All yours, Hyunjin!”

He smiles at your admission, withdrawing his fingers from your pussy right before the knot in your stomach snaps. You whine pathetically at being denied, your hips chasing his hand in a desperate attempt to get him back where you want him most.

“Sit up” – he orders and rids himself of his sweats and boxers, his cock slapping heavily against his belly. He pumps himself a few times as you oblige his demands. He doesn’t even need to ask any further for you to lean down and wrap your lips around his cock, sucking at the head eagerly. He moans loudly at the feeling, taking your hair into his hand in a makeshift ponytail as you take him deeper into your mouth.

You moan around him when he hits the back of your throat, your tongue moving at the underside of him.

“You’re taking me so well, princess. I can’t wait to be inside you and show you a good time” – his praise goes straight to your core and you moan around his length.

Hyunjin’s hips meet your every move in tandem before he curses and pulls you hastily off of him. You cannot help but think Hyunjin looks absolutely divine with that ravenous and fucked out look on his face. Something inside you twists when you think about how after tonight, you’ll probably never experience something like this again.

If Hyunjin notices you momentarily wincing at the less than fun thoughts invading your head, he doesn’t acknowledge it.

He pushes his sweaty hair back, your eyes lingering on how the motion makes the muscles of his arm stand out. You can’t help but notice that most of his sweat seems to be tinted red by his hair and it makes him seem even more irresistible, your fingers itching to test out if they would come back stained red if you card them through his hair.

Seemingly getting some of his sense back, he reaches to grab a condom from one of the bags laying about and you can’t help but wonder whether he planned on getting laid tonight. It wouldn’t surprise you. You’re here after all.

After making a show of ripping the package open with his teeth that made you dramatically roll your eyes at him and earning a chuckle from him, he rolls it on and crawls between your legs.

“Ready for the real show, sweetheart?”

You nod your head at him and hook your legs around his hips, wiggling closer to him. As he leans over you, his cock presses against your wet cunt.

Hyunjin’s patience to be inside you has worn thin, so he slides himself in in one fluid motion of his hips, making you gasp and dig your nails into his shoulders.

“You feel so good, angel. So wet, just for me” – he moans as his eyes flutter shut at the feeling of you around him. His cock drags deliciously against your walls as he starts fucking you in earnest, setting a fast pace, eager to get you two off.

“Mhm, just for you, Hyunjin!”

You pull him down to you to capture his lips in a passionate, wet kiss, holding his face in place and roughly tangling your hand into his hair, pulling at the strands as he pounds into you from above, groaning at the soft pain on his scalp. You try to burn how he tastes, how he sounds and how his skin feels beneath your skin into your mind so you’ll never forget this moment.

His thrusts become desperate ruts as he nears his high, his lips finding your neck in sloppy, wet kisses and bites.

“Y/N”, he wimpers into your ear, one hand entwining his fingers with yours, “I need you to come for me.” His unoccupied hand finds your clit, rubbing at it hastily.

You let go and your orgasm finds you quickly at his words, your body arching into his, legs clamping up around him, as he fucks you through it, chasing his own release as your walls clench around him.

“Fuck!” – his hips stutter as he spills his seed into the condom, squeezing his eyes shut and riding out his high.

When his thighs stop shaking against yours, you bring your hand up to gently move some of his hair out of his face, tucking the strand behind his ear. Your hand stays cradled against his jaw as he peers down at you, a slight smile on his lips.

You don’t remember if he was this flushed before but he certainly is now and it’s kind of endearing.

He slips out of you to get rid of the condom, making you whimper at the loss. You don’t really know what to do, if he wants you to get up and leave immediately or if he would rather you stay, so you stay frozen in your decision and don’t move an inch from where he left you.

In your rising nervousness, you start picking at your hands again and stop momentarily to amusedly realise that your hands are indeed slightly stained red from pulling at his hair. Something about it calms your heart again.

He comes back dressed in his boxers, phone and some wipes in hand. It’s a bit awkward when he cleans you up, you’re embarassed and try to look anywhere that isn’t him.

“No need to feel embarassed about this, angel. I really enjoyed my time with you” – Hyunjin says softly, caressing your cheek softly and turning your face towards him. He’s smiling at you, that cute stingray smile where his eyes disappear and you suddenly want to cry with all these emotions swirling around in your chest.

“I did, too”, you murmur, “uhm, can you pass me some of my clothes? I’ll get dressed and then I can get out of your hair. You must be exhausted after the concert and… all of this.”

He tilts his head at you but complies, helping you dress. He doesn’t pass you your jeans.

“Stay” – he says quietly as he pulls your shirt over your head, straightening it out, it’s long enough to at least cover your panties.

“What?”

“Stay. Let’s cuddle”, he smiles shyly, “I could use some more aftercare than whatever this was.”

“I-… Okay.”

He huffs a laugh as he climbs over you onto the couch, leaning back against the cushions and pulling you into his chest.

“Don’t worry, nobody’s gonna come barging in, I made sure of that. Besides, we can shower later” – he explains and his hand runs over your spine soothingly as you lay your head on his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat.

“I’d also like for this to not be the only time we see each other, if you’re okay with that. We can exchange numbers. I know we kind of have it all backwards, starting off like this and you being a fan and all but I’d like to get to know you properly, no weird power imbalance between us, just two people meeting up for a date.”

You couldn’t believe your ears, the heat rushing back to your face as you became redder at his words.

“I’d like that” – you happily answer him and he lets out a relieved sigh.

The two of you talk about idle things before Hyunjin drifts off to sleep first, leaving you awake in his warm embrace.

Listening to his soft breathing, you think to yourself that accepting Hyunjin’s proposal was one of the better decisions you’ve made lately and sigh contently, letting tiredness wash over your limbs and slumber take you, hoping that this was the beginning of something more than a short encounter.

[impishjesters]

I’m devouring the nonsexual intimacy with Jax dawg- oml we eatin good

How would Jax be with an s/o who enjoys leaning on him? I adore physical touch but sometimes if I can’t use my arms it feels like I’m trapped, so it’s nice to just glomp people lmao (s/o is ticklish too- Jax would have a field day with that one)

If you need a little more substance, maybe s/o like randomly serenading Jax in private! Like those old 80s jazz love songs (complete with slow dancing)

Thank you and have a wonderful day/night!

Leaning on one another

warning(s): none unless you count jazz note(s): I joke about it but I actually quite like jazz, maybe not all jazz but it's definitely not the worst type of music. I'm looking at you country music.... A/N: I included a bonus because I thought the idea of cornering this man in his room with jazz music was absolutely hilarious lol

Jax doesn’t have a physical battery per say, but there is definitely a limit to how much he can tolerate at a given time—whether it’s in public or private.

He doesn’t like sitting still for long periods of time and there’s a limit to how vulnerable he’s willing to be at any given time if at all.

So having a s/o that understands this and goes for physical touch like leaning on him or something that’s not inherently seen as romantic and mushy is a win in his book.

Don’t get me wrong, he loves you but it’s a lot and he’s not really used to it. He’s still trying to wrap his head around the fact you two are dating, that you like him.

He’s all for being leaned on or having you loosely hang off him in public, sometimes regardless of what side of him you’re leaning on, he might lean back.

Little shit might only catch himself though if you can’t hold him/he catches you off guard and/or lose your footing, he’ll make the attempt to stick an arm out and catch you—but whether you crash or not depends on your own reflexes. (he doesn’t make the rules, sorry babe)

If you wanna be held but not feel restricted, as long as he’s not doing anything he’ll let you stand in front of him, lean back, and drape his arms over you—totally not to just lean on you and be an absolute menace.

In fact, that’s probably how he found out you were ticklish—and that knowledge is far too much power in his hands.

Sure he can do it whenever he wants, but he tends to save it for other unsuspecting situations—like if the two of you get into a little spat and you’re not speaking to him—two can play that game.

He won’t completely restrict your arms but he’ll throw his arms around you and tickle you, it doesn’t always work to ease whatever the spat was about.

That said Jax doesn’t do it when the situation is serious and calls for an actual discussion, he knows at least that much when it comes to reading the room. (That and you’ve probably gotten onto him about it at least once before…)

He also may or may not have tickled you to get you up, you don’t need to sleep but you can still lie down and whatnot. And if you aren’t budging? Tickle time baby.

Bonus

Jax isn’t a dancer by any means, so when he opens the door to his room to find you standing there with music that’s—very much not the repetitive cartoony music that usually plays in this hellscape—he’s a little surprised.

The first question out of his mouth is:

“Is that fucking jazz?”

“No, just normal jazz.”

That response gets a good hearty chuckle out of him.

When you try pulling him in for a dance he’s a little nervous though it comes off as looking irritated, he’s uh, never danced to jazz of all things let alone with someone else.

You’re gonna have to take the reigns on this one, regardless of whether you can dance or not, you started this.

Despite the fact it is jazz playing, he enjoys the situation as a whole, your weight leaning on him the subtle holding one another. And the fact it’s in private? He can comfortably(ish) let himself feel a little vulnerable around you with no risk of having an audience.

Regardless of the fact it’s jazz, if you happen to sing along he considers himself impressed and will jokingly (read: obnoxiously) comment how he feels utterly serenaded, completely wooed, absolutely swooning—it goes on until you stop him, please stop him he’ll just keep going.

[dirtyvulture]

Dear Diary

*Set in the Darkest Knight AU*

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Mutant!Reader

18+ only, read at your own risk

Word count: 4459

Summary: Natasha embraces her new life as an X-Men.

AN: I'm back with a little one shot. :) Enjoy!

December 6, 2023

Dear Diary,

Is that an appropriate way to start one of these? I’ve never kept a diary or a journal before. But Marie gave me this cute little notebook and said writing stuff down helps clear her mind, so I don’t think there’s any harm in giving it a shot. They would never let us have something like this in the Red Room. Too much evidence lying around for someone to stumble upon. Should I put a lock on this? Y/N wouldn’t snoop around to read this, would she? Well, I guess if she is–leave my diary alone, you big dummy!

The professor said the Red Room soldiers and Widows are coming tomorrow. This is all my fault. I’ve put these good people and innocent children in danger. Earlier, we went to help the kids pack their bags and board the buses. I’m not sure if Y/N has any kids of her own (or ever did at all), but I can tell she really cares about them. Although she was not happy with some of the excessive luggage some of them were bringing. No one would tell me where they’re sending the kids, but I overheard Ororo mention something about a private resort they had to buy out.

I still don’t quite understand why these people are willing to sacrifice so much for me. I’m basically a stranger to them. I have nothing to give them in return if they ask. Maybe they’ll finally throw me out when they realize how worthless I am. That’s what I really deserve. Not these warm clothes, the home-cooked meals, and this roof over my head. And I definitely don’t deserve the kindness and care Y/N has shown me. I really like her, but I’m afraid she’ll leave me when she realizes how boring and inexperienced I am. 

Oh, I think she’s coming out of the shower now. I’ll continue this later.

Love,

Nat

***********************************************************************

December 15, 2023

Dear Diary,

It’s weird how life goes back to normal so fast here. The Red Room soldiers and Widows were here not even a week ago, tearing down doors and blasting out windows, and everything is already repaired and the students are back at it like nothing happened.

A lot of them are excited to go back to their homes and families for the holiday. But a lot of them will also be staying at the mansion, because their families won’t accept them or they just don’t have any home to go back to. The professor asked Y/N to help plan some holiday games so the kids staying don’t get too bored or lonely. She’s acting like it’s the dumbest assignment he’s ever given her, but I’ve seen her spending all her free time ordering presents and decorations (with the professor’s credit card, of course), so I know she takes it very seriously and the kids are going to love whatever she comes up with.

I’m really glad I get to spend Christmas here. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually been able to celebrate it with people I love. I feel so welcomed here and no one looks at me like I’m any different, when I come from a past where there’s red all over my ledger. Sometimes I’m surprised anyone even lets me be around these kids alone, but some of them have powers that even make Y/N nervous, and I think they know they can trust me.

It’ll take some more time before I can be fully comfortable here, but it’s really starting to grow on me and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Love,

Nat

***********************************************************************

December 25, 2023

Natasha wakes up alone. She looks around the bedroom, in case you might be on the floor doing push-ups or in the bathroom showering, but the room is completely empty. Her heartbeat picks up as she jumps out of bed, afraid that you’ve left her, when she notices a note on the desk.

Downstairs making breakfast. Come join when you’re up - Y/N

She relaxes immediately, touched how you made sure to let her know in advance where you would be. She quickly washes up and puts on a robe, then hurries downstairs to a chaotic mess of torn gift wrapping, screaming children, and flashing new toys. She steps into the kitchen, where you are wearing a flowered apron and are threatening Marie with a spatula.

“Stop, those aren’t ready–Marie!” You swat at her hands as she swipes for a pancake.

“Merry Christmas, Miss Nat!” Marie says, moving your attention away from her as your girlfriend appears.

“Merry Christmas, Marie.” Natasha gives the girl a hug, not missing the folded pancake in her hand. 

“Merry Christmas, darling,” you say next, waiting for her to come over. “I made a special plate for you. It’s over here so the kids don’t get into it.” You point to a foil-covered plate off to the side of the stove. Natasha goes to investigate, peeling back the foil to find the plate fully-loaded with two different types of pancakes, one next to a little container of jam and honey, and the other still steaming and garnished with flecks of green onion. There’s even a bowl of grainy buckwheat porridge. Her heart soars at the sight of her favorite native breakfast. With a delighted squeal, she throws herself into your arms.

“Thankyou thankyou thankyou,” she choruses, squeezing you tightly as you rub her back.

“You’re welcome, darling.” 

At this point, you shoo everyone out of the kitchen to finish the preparations. Natasha joins Marie in the dining hall, helping set up the plates and silverware. She watches with great curiosity as Kitty tries getting Peter to step under the mistletoe she hung above the doorway, and then is distracted when Jean and Scott come down for breakfast.

“Y/N cooks Christmas breakfast for us every year,” Jean explains to Natasha. “The kids always look forward to it.”

“Hey, Y/N!” Scott yells into the kitchen. “Keep the walnuts away from my food, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Natasha hears you dismissively respond.

“Scott’s allergic,” Jean whispers to her. “Now there’s no proof how, but he ended up with a plateful of them last year and I almost had to take him to the hospital. Needless to say, it was an eventful Christmas.”

Natasha giggles to herself, already having a feeling she knows exactly how those walnuts got on Scott’s plate.

Everyone finds a seat at the table, the empty one next to Natasha reserved for you. You finally emerge from the kitchen, no longer in the flowered apron but one of your classic checkerboard flannels. You’re carrying an impressive tower of pancakes in one hand and a pan filled half and half with bacon and sausage in the other. The students break out in appreciation and applause as Bobby scoots aside some dishes to make room for the last trays.

“Don’t take more than you can finish,” you remind the kids, going around the table to sit next to Natasha and presenting her with her special plate. “And uh, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and all that other stuff.” You raise your apple cider in a toast and everyone follows your lead.

“Thanks for breakfast, Y/N,” Ororo says, clinking her glass to yours. The students erupt with more thanks before they start reaching for the food, passing around the mountainous plate of pancakes, scooping whole fried eggs onto each other’s plates.

“Thanks again, babe,” Natasha says, putting her hand on your thigh as she leans over to kiss you on the cheek.

“You should try it first before thanking me,” you tease, still not used to all the praise. You were just trying to be a good partner, and it was somewhat of a Christmas tradition for you to cook breakfast for all the students who stayed at the mansion over break. You didn’t mind it at all, in fact you really did enjoy spending time in the kitchen and it made you feel good to take care of others.

Natasha leaves her hand on your knee as she eats, and eventually you put your hand on top of hers comfortingly. Neither of you engage much in conversation as you eat and listen, happy with the company. Once all of the food has been finished, Ororo rounds up the students to help clean everything before they can continue opening presents. 

Kitty gets you a Johnny Cash vinyl record. Marie and Bobby got you a variety pack of exotic flavors of jerky, including alligator, ostrich, and buffalo. Storm gives you and Natasha tickets to a weekend getaway at a Canadian resort. Jean and Scott also throw in a joint gift of a new set of winter bedsheets. You are very thankful for the presents and pile them neatly by your feet, when Natasha pulls out a box and puts it on your lap. Inside is a familiar-looking flannel shirt.

“It’s a brand new one,” Natasha says. “To replace all the ones I steal from your closet,” Natasha says.

“Thanks,” you say, putting your arm around her to pull her closer so you can kiss her cheek. “This one is from me.” You hand her a very small box.

Natasha opens it delicately and gasps when she sees what you’ve given her. It’s a wooden ring, carved a little roughly around the edges  with little turquoise-colored gems pressed into the outside.

“Did you make this?” Natasha asks, running her finger over the gems.

“Uh, yeah.” You’re suddenly nervous that she doesn’t like it. Woodworking was not your finest hobby, despite your decades to fine-tune the skill, but you preferred to build vast structures and furniture. Tiny little pieces of jewelry were extremely difficult to handle, but hopefully it was worth the numerous cuts and splinters you gave yourself. 

Natasha slips it on her right ring finger–a perfect fit. Maybe you needed to give yourself more credit for your handiwork.

“It’s beautiful,” she says, holding her hand up to admire the ring. “I love it. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” 

Natasha snuggles closer to you and rests her head on your shoulder while you sit back and watch everyone else finish opening their gifts.

***********************************************************************

The rest of the day is busy but productive. Natasha has never felt happier watching the students competitively decorate gingerbread houses, then go outside and play in the snow. You don’t join in anymore, preferring to watch from the side. You’re already wearing the flannel Natasha got for you and Natasha gazes at you adoringly from afar. Despite the differences the two of you had from time to time, she hasn’t loved another person the way she loves you. But sometimes she worries that you don’t feel the same way. 

You still don’t talk very much, hardly opening up about your past the way Natasha has spilled about hers. Although you seem mostly content at the mansion, Natasha can tell you’re still adjusting to being around so many people. The life of solitude in the cabin in the woods had clearly been more your style, and she feels guilty for dragging you away from that. But as much as she would love to spend all day with you cozied up in a cabin you built with your own hands, it wasn’t a realistic option. Not with all the threats and dangers that could come her way.

Which is why it was so important to Natasha that the Red Room be dealt with, as soon as possible.

She didn’t like how dismissive you got every time she brought it up, but she understood why. You had found your domestic bliss and didn’t want to let it go anytime soon. She wasn’t going to blame you. But she wished you would actually listen to her instead of shutting her down all the time. She would figure out how to broach the topic with you eventually, but today was not that day.

After a quiet dinner, which is basically just warmed up leftovers from breakfast, Natasha finds you sitting by yourself on the couch in front of a dying fire. Most of the students had retired to their rooms, exhausted by the day’s festivities. Natasha sits next to you, leaning her shoulder against yours.

“Hey,” she whispers.

“Hi.” You offer her your hand and she clasps onto it, threading her fingers with yours. You smile when you see the wooden ring on her finger. It looks perfect on her. “Did you have fun today?” you ask. 

“It was the best Christmas I ever had,” she replies. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course.”

Natasha is tired, but there’s still one more thing she wants to do with you. She rests her hand on your thigh, subtly at first, then she slowly starts to stroke your leg, her fingers barely perceptible through your jeans. You ignore her and her movements become bolder, creeping towards the inside of your thigh now and squeezing it lightly.

“Can I help you with something?” you finally ask. Natasha has always been a little more shy when it comes to asking for intimacy with you. But you were patient with her and never pressured her, and that encouraged her to have the confidence to ask if you were in the mood–even if she didn’t always do it with words. 

“Do you want to go upstairs?” she says, leaning forward until her lips almost touch yours. “I still have one more present to give you.”

“Oh, do you now?” you ask, trying to kiss her but she pulls away.

“You have to come upstairs,” she repeats, offering you her hand as she stands up.

“All right, all right.” Your knees creak as you push off the couch, taking Natasha’s hand and following her upstairs. You can hear her heartbeat pounding with excitement or maybe that’s…yours? You hope everyone else has gone to sleep by now, otherwise they wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon.

Back in the privacy of the bedroom, you let Natasha lead you to the bed and you sit down on the edge with her climbing onto your lap. 

“Is this okay?” she asks, her hands locking around the back of your neck.

“Of course,” you whisper, leaning in until your foreheads touch. Your arms circle her waist to hold her securely in place. Her breath fans over your face and her heartbeat pumps at an almost alarmingly quick rate. 

“I want you,” she says, rocking her hips against your thighs. “I want you to take me.”

“How do you want me?” you ask, before she presses her lips roughly to yours, her fingers digging into your neck. Her arousal spikes and so does yours. You open your mouth when she licks your lips to deepen the kiss. She tastes like vanilla and cookies and you instinctively pull her closer to you, wanting to devour her until the morning.

Natasha grabs the collar of your flannel, pulling apart the top buttons and running her hands down your chest and abs. Your skin burns where she touches you and you nip lightly on her bottom lip when she rests her hands on the buckle of your belt.

“I want to taste you,” you pant, hoping your request doesn’t come across as too greedy. Natasha has to fight down her thrill of excitement at your suggestion, wondering how you knew exactly what she wanted. She doesn’t even take the time to agree with you, instead hurriedly stripping off her clothes to show you how eager she is. You take off the flannel, setting it aside with reverence, then removing your undershirt and jeans. Natasha tackles you back on the bed, your thigh fitting between her legs and you feel the heat from her center rubbing against you.

“You’re so wet for me,” you say, holding her hips again and guiding her up until she’s hovering over your chest. “My good girl.”

“Your good girl,” Natasha reiterates, grabbing onto the headboard for support before she positions herself over your face. The scent of her arousal is almost overwhelming to you, and you waste no time bringing your arms over her thighs to pull her down. Natasha whines when your mouth makes contact with her slick center, your tongue slipping into her and coating with her juices. 

Natasha moans, grinding down so you can enter her deeper. Your arms tighten to prevent her from moving too much; you want to do things at your own pace. Her taste is so intoxicating and addictive, you could lie here forever eating her out. Natasha grips the headboard tighter, struggling to rock against your face for more friction, but you won’t let her. She whines in desperation, the noises music to your ears. Your tongue dips into her again before tracing up to her clit, flicking against it and Natasha grinds down harder on your chin, gasping and moaning. 

“Y/N,” she begs. “Y/N, please.”

You stop, pulling away from her far enough to say, “What do you want, baby?”

“I want you,” she repeats, her voice breaking. “I need you.”

“I know, baby. I got you.” As much as you love teasing her, this is not the time. You knew Natasha could sometimes be insecure about your relationship with her. But you had no regrets in choosing to be with her and loved her so much. You would never miss an opportunity to show her, either.

You loosen your arms around her so she has some freedom to move and Natasha quickly adjusts herself until she’s comfortable. When she settles back down on your face again, you find her clit and wrap your lips around it, rewarded with a long, drawn-out moan. Natasha rolls her hips to help you find a good rhythm. You feel her thighs tremble and more of her slick spills onto your tongue. 

“Oh, god. Oh fuck, Y/N,” she whimpers, the headboard flexing dangerously from how hard she’s holding onto it. 

Your stomach practically burns from how aroused you are with Natasha riding your face, and you’re hoping she’ll help you relieve some of the tension once you make her finish. You’ve held out as long as you could, and you can tell Natasha is ready to fall over the edge. Your tongue rests on her clit again, swiping upwards in a straight line, then dragging down at a diagonal angle, then going back up.

N.

Your tongue moves in an inverted V next, drawing an imaginary bar between them.

A.

You lick down her clit once more, then swipe perpendicular.

T.

Natasha is panting and shaking, completely unaware that you’re trying to spell her name on her with your tongue. One of her hands has left the headboard and is holding tightly onto your hair in an attempt to guide you, but your own plan is already in action.

She doesn’t make it the next A, her back arching and thighs clamping around your head as she finally cums. You don’t let a drop of it go to waste, lapping at her sensitive folds until she’s whimpering and trying to pull your head away. Natasha lifts herself off your face with a contented sigh, turning herself away from the headboard now, but you’re not quite done with her yet.

You pull her back down on your face and she falls forward with her hands on your chest. 

“Did I say you could go anywhere?” you grumble playfully. 

“Y/N,” Natasha giggles. 

“Can I have one more, darling?” you ask, and she responds by sitting back on your face. But now Natasha is the one with other ideas, as she eyes the veins on your flexing abdomen that disappear behind the band of your underwear. You feel her hands run across your stomach and your breath hitches when she tugs down your underwear.

“Nat, what are you–oh, shit.” Now it’s your turn to gasp and moan when Natasha leans over and places her mouth on your dripping center. You completely lose focus of what you were doing, instinctively spreading your legs open further to give her better access. “Fuck baby, oh fuck,” you whine, your head dropping back on the pillow.

“Did I say you could stop?” Natasha teases, turning your own words back against you. It takes a monumental effort, but you calm yourself enough to put your mouth to work again. Natasha almost soaks herself when she realizes how turned on you’ve gotten just from eating her out. Now she has only one mission in mind: make you cum before she does a second time. But you’re refusing to make it easy for her, and Natasha is already dangerously close despite having finished mere minutes ago. She knows she has to hurry, but judging from the tremble in your thighs, you’re closer than you’re letting on.

Natasha’s tongue circles your clit and she can feel you panting against her, your own efforts faltering in their rhythm. She pushes back against your face to remind you of what you promised her. Your fingers dig into the curve of her ass and you feel her breasts rubbing against your abs. Her mouth is so hot and wet and perfect on you, making you lose your breath every time her tongue touches you.

“Fuck, Nat,” you whimper, feeling like you’re losing control of yourself. You’re not even sure if what you’re doing to her anymore is working because all you can think about is the throbbing in your lower stomach that begs to be released. Your back arches off the bed when her tongue lashes at your clit and she struggles and fails to push down on your thighs to keep you grounded. “Nat, I can’t,” you warn, a little embarrassed at how fast you’re ready to release. 

“It’s okay,” you hear Natasha say, “Cum for me, baby.” 

White floods your vision and all the muscles in your body tighten as you spill into her mouth, a moan catching in your throat. Your head spins in a rush of endorphins and you’re practically convulsing underneath Natasha when you finally come down from your high. She purrs in delight at her success, gently squeezing at your thighs. And as much as you want to flip her around and press her head against your chest, you still do owe her.

Natasha’s second orgasm is a little more subdued but just as pleasurable. She bites the inside of your thigh to quiet the noise of her moan and you almost cum again. But once she finds the strength to move, Natasha crawls back up to you, nuzzling the side of your head and kissing you. Normally, you could go several rounds without even stopping for a break, but you’re unusually exhausted today. Maybe it was from waking up at four o’clock to work on breakfast for everyone or making sure that the Christmas activities throughout the day ran smoothly. 

Natasha rests her head on your chest, listening to your steady heartbeat and you rub her shoulder, tilting your head down to breathe in the faded scent of her shampoo. 

“Merry Christmas, Y/N,” she whispers.

“Merry Christmas, darling.”

***********************************************************************

January 2, 2024

Dear Diary,

Professor Xavier called me personally to his office today. I was really nervous that I was in trouble for something. I’m still not sure how I feel about his mind-reading thing. I try to keep my thoughts in check when he’s around, but I think that makes it seem like I’m hiding something. But other than that, he’s only ever been polite and respectful to me, and I can tell Y/N really looks up to him as a mentor and father figure.

He told me he has a lead on where the Red Room could be and asked if I still want to pursue them. Of course I do, but I know Y/N isn’t happy about it. I thought she would understand more. I know she’s got her own past that she hasn’t told me the entirety of yet (not that she’s required to), but she’s told a few stories so I know her situation is similar enough to mine. I wish she was more supportive instead of trying to talk me out of it, but I know she’s worried too. She doesn’t want me rushing back into danger and I totally get that. But I just…I can’t stay here and be cared for and protected and loved when there are so many of my sisters still being held against their will and forced into doing horrible things.

Luckily, the professor seems more understanding of things. But I don’t want him or anyone else here risking their lives for me. If I have to go alone, I will. I don’t know if I can do it alone, though. I’m sure Y/N will insist on tagging along no matter what. I just hope she doesn’t get too grumpy about the whole thing.

Love,

Nat

***********************************************************************

January 4, 2024

Dear Diary,

I still haven’t told Y/N what the professor told me 2 days ago (assuming she hasn’t already gone through my diary and read about it here). I tried to mention it after dinner, but I could tell as soon as I let the “R” word slip she was not paying attention to the conversation anymore. I don’t want my frustration to build up, so I’ll probably have to be straightforward about it, which isn’t easy.

I know the professor can hear all of my thoughts, so I wonder if he’s going to get tired of them and just talk to Y/N himself. But probably not. This is my problem to handle. I’ll find the courage somehow to deal with it. 

I just hope it doesn’t cause Y/N to look down on me for this. I’m already nervous that I’m constantly annoying her, and if she gets fed up enough and kicks me out I will literally have nowhere to go and at that point, I’d welcome back the Red Room with open arms. That probably seems a little dramatic, but I really don’t want to risk losing the best person that ever came into my life. I have Y/N to thank for everything I have here, and I think most people in my position would call me crazy for trying to make any changes to my situation. 

But I’m not like most people. And I have to do what I think is right, even if others try to stop me. 

I’ll bring it up to Y/N later again. Maybe if I catch her in a good mood she’ll be more receptive to the idea. Wishing luck to my future self.

Love,

Nat

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

AN: Please leave likes, comments, and reblog! Follow for more content. 🥰

Multipart sequel in the works!

[disillusioneddanny]

The Story of Us - Chapter 1.

Bruce Wayne stared over the prone body of his closest friend, his hands clasped behind his back. “What happened?” he asked, looking between Clark Kent, Jon Kent, and Conner Kent as they all lay upon the hospital beds not moving, barely breathing.

The doctor looked over at him and sighed. “We don’t know. There was a fight with Lex Luthor and something happened, he infected Clark with something and it must have been contagious because it spread to both Superboys,” she said softly, standing up from where she had been crouched before the heroes. 

“Do we have any idea what it is that infected them? Or how to fix it?” Batman asked gruffly, still staring at one of his closest friends. 

The doctor shook her head sadly. “No, we do not.”

Bruce nodded his head and left the hospital room. He soon found himself in the conference room surrounded by the Justice League Dark and the main members of the League. 

He looked at the large screen behind him and let out a breath. “Yesterday at eleven forty-five in the morning Superman engaged in combat with Lex Luthor where he sprayed a strange red substance at Superman. From there, he found himself without his powers, his wife reports that he had developed a cough as well as a fever. From there he spread it to both Jon and Conner who developed the same symptoms. Lois called us this morning to inform me that none of the supers were waking up. We don’t know what is causing this illness and we aren’t sure how to fix it.”

Bruce looked at the main team of the Justice League first. “I want you all to start looking for Lex Luthor, turn over every rock, every stone until you can find him. Bring him here as soon as you do so that we can find out what he knows. Justice League Dark, I want you all to start looking for a cure as soon as possible. Do whatever it takes to find something that can fix them.”

“Bats,” Constantine said from his seat, blowing out a lungful of smoke. “I may know someone who can fix the supers.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “And who would that be?”

“I’ve heard whispered about a healer, but we’ll have to trade for his services. I don’t know what exactly he is, rumors say he’s a demon from another realm,” Constantine winced at that. “Not an evil demon, mind you, but a demon nonetheless.”

“What would he want for a trade?” Bruce asked, crossing his arms. 

“We’ll have to summon him first,” Constantine said and Zatanna gave him a nervous look. 

“You sure? If you’re talking about who I think you are, he’s the most powerful healer. But he was prominent in the War for the Infinite Realms. He isn’t someone to mess with,” Zatanna said softly. 

The Infinite Realms had Bruce’s ears pricking slightly. He hadn’t heard those words in twenty years, not since Danny had left to fight in the war. Not since they had fallen out of communication with one another. It hadn’t been something either of them had planned to happen. 

Danny had gotten pulled into the war, Bruce had gotten dragged into the role of being Batman. Bruce knew he was half at fault, he had never reached out. He had become too consumed, first with being Batman and then he had adopted Dick, and then Jason, Tim, Cass, Duke, and Damian had all come along and they had become his entire life. 

And Bruce assumed that whatever Danny was out there in the Infinite Realms doing, he was busy too. Maybe he’d have to see if that old summoning line still worked, even after twenty years of nothing between them. He shook himself out of it. 

“Beings of the Infinite Realms usually will tell you what they want when you summon them,” Bruce said. “Go ahead and summon this healer. We can see if they are willing to make a deal with us.”

“You know about the Infinite Realms?” Constantine barked out. Diana looked between the two with a frown. 

“What is the Infinite Realms?” She asked curiously, her brows furrowed. 

“The Infinite Realms is the center of all dimensions, it’s what keeps the multiverse connected,” Bruce told her. “It’s also the land of the dead, it’s where realms like the Fields of Asphodel, Heaven, Hell, Paradise, all reside. The main beings who reside there are known as ecto-entities, more commonly known as ghosts. The United States of America used to have acts in place called the Anti Ecto Acts that declared them non-sentient monsters who needed to be destroyed. One of the first things I did as Bruce Wayne when I had taken my mantel was overturn those acts as they violated meta-protection laws. I know of some of the beings there but the only healer I know of is a yeti named Frostbite.”

Zatanna shook her head. “This guy is much stronger than Frostbite,” she said and looked up at Bruce. “They call him the Great One. We can summon him, give me some time to find the correct sigils but we can summon the Great One and see what he’s willing to trade to fix the Supers.”

Bruce nodded once. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Let me know when you’re ready. I will be in the medical bay until then.”

With that, Bruce stalked off to stand vigil over his friend until the others could find a way to contact this Great One and see what he could do. 

Tim looked up from his seat beside Conner and frowned. “How did Lex even make this stuff? Do we even know what it is?” He asked, brushing hair out of Conner’s face. 

“There has to be a way he even found a weakness such as this. What could he have done? How could he have even found something that could hurt them so badly?” Damian said from beside his best friend. “Not only that but how will this affect Conner and Jonathon? They are not full-blooded Kryptonians, not like Clark. We can see that by how their symptoms were not as severe, yet they are also comatose,” Damian murmured. 

“I don’t know,” Bruce said with a sigh, taking a seat beside his son in between Jon and Clark’s beds. “I don’t know but we are hoping to get some answers. The Justice League Dark are summoning a healer that is known to be one of the best. I am hoping that they will have some answers,” he said. 

“I can’t lose another friend, Bruce,” Tim said quietly, his head bowed as he rested his forearms on his thighs and stared at Conner. “He’s my best friend.”

Bruce just nodded his head and looked at his own best friend, knowing exactly how his son was feeling. 

It was three hours later that Zatanna came in with a small smile. “The summoning is ready,” she said. “From John’s research, he might not even demand a trade for his services. He seems to be more benevolent than we thought he was.”

Bruce nodded and looked at his sons. “Let me know if there are any changes,” he said quietly. 

The boys nodded and Bruce quickly followed the magician down the hall to the large room where the summoning was taking place. 

A large sigil had been drawn on the ground with chalk, different symbols in a large circle. Bruce watched as Zatanna sat before it crossed-legged and Constantine lit the surrounding candles. 

“Great One, we are here to ask for your assistance,” she said before slipping into a language that Bruce had not heard in a very long time. It had sent him down a path of nostalgia as he heard the ghost speak. It was unlike any language he had ever heard, Danny had spent hours trying to teach him the language when they were teenagers. Danny had said he was so-so at speaking it but he had learned enough of the language to at least understand when others were speaking it. 

Bruce listened as the magician asked for The Great One to grace them with their presence and watched as a swirling green ectoplasm vortex appeared in the summoning circle and a loud pop sounded in the room. 

Once the ectoplasm cleared away Bruce blinked a few times at the figure in front of him. 

“Phantom?” 

check out the master list here for all chapters <3

[oddballwriter]

Here for smut requ!!

Steven having a crush on shy reader n they go on a date and Marc coaches him on what to say and do cuz Steven is a bit nervous and he knows she likes his hands and him praising her and stuff but he doesn’t know how to go about but Marc does 😼

So when they make it to his apartment the once so gentle Steven became rough and dominant.

PLEASE INCLUDE OVERSTIM DIRTY TALK AND THE USAGE OF “good girl” IF UR COMFORTABLE WITH IT.

Thank u and if u don’t end up doing it sorry for wasting ur time.

Just Go with It

Summary: A very nervous date leads to going over to Steven's place. The both of you are very shy but with the help of Marc, Steven manages to get something started by talking to you and pouring a cup of tea.

Warnings: I didn't actually make smut from this, I'm sorry, but there is talk about the reader having a thing for Steven's hands and being flustered by compliments and praise from Steven. It's kind of a fade to black depending on how you want to look at it. 

Author’s Snip: I know that Anon asked for smut but I just couldn't find it in me to actually write some smut, so I did my best to make it a fade to black instead Also it's not fully what Anon asked but I don't really like the trope of the system swapping without the reader knowing that there even is a system. So yeah. I hope this is good enough.

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 1,574

Steven isn't usually nervous or scared when entering into his own flat, but right now his nerves are all in power drive. After a nice date with you, that he had to have Marc coach him through because he didn't really know what to say or do, Steven, on his own, asked if you wanted to come back to his flat to have some tea and talk some more. Something that he has no idea how he managed to courage up saying when waiting for the bill to come back. And when you said yes, he tried to keep his cool and excused himself to go to the restroom, thankfully empty, to make himself more nervous about the possibilities of what might happen now.

"Why are you freaking out, Steven? You managed to do that on your own." Marc questions in the reflection of the mirror. "Because I didn't mean to open up a bloody can of worms, Marc! I just meant that as in actually talking and having a cup of tea!" Steven exclaims as he hides his red face in his hands. "Okay? Then just do that, buddy." Marc answers. "But what if she thought that I was secretly asking to hook up with her and she expects me to make a move at some point?" Steven whines. "Well, in that case, I'm sure she'll have a tell once you're there and if that happens then just go with it if you want," Marc suggests, "It's not that hard." he comments. Steven cringes at that last statement, "It's not that hard for you, mate. But it is for me. I've never gotten intimate with a person before.".

Marc sighs. "Steven, listen. This is your date. You managed to do pretty well on your own with a few pointers from me. I can only help you so much. But if it comes to maybe getting laid tonight, I can't really help you. I'm willing to bet that you don't want me in your ear while you're getting it. If you want, I can tell you if she's giving signs that she wants to go all the way but after that, it's all on you." Marc explains, giving his alter an offer and some extra help in the situation. "If she doesn't show off anything then you guys can just have your tea and talk or whatever." Marc says. Steven looks towards Marc and nods before taking a deep breath and leaving the bathroom to head back to his flat with you.

So now with a kettle on the stove, you and Steven sit on his sofa. "Dinner was nice." you comment, attempting to break the silence in the flat. Steven nods, embarrassed at the idea that he let an awkward silence brew, "Yeah. I found the restaurant a while back, I needed to do something else around there and when I came across it I was like "Oh would you look at that", you know?" Steven rambles before realizing that he was rambling. He also realizes that he's been fidgeting with his hands and immediately stops and folds them when he sees you looking at them, giving a whispered 'sorry'.

"No no, it's fine. I fidget with my hands too." you say as you look back down at them. "They look nice," you mutter under your breath, "They are?" Steven questions. You realize what you've said and backtrack, "I mean, you know, they just look very well maintained. Guys hardly take care of their hands and they sometimes look kinda ugly." you explain.

"Do they really look that nice?" Steven asks as he holds his hands out for the both of you to get a better look at them. You shyly take one of them and feel the skin with your thumb "Yeah." you say, "They feel really soft actually." you remark as you give the one you're holding a little squeeze. Upon looking closer you ask "You file your nails?". Steven, who was caught up in the fact that you were holding and feeling his hands, and thus he was feeling yours, snaps out of it and answers "Yeah, I do. I bite at the edges of them sometimes and so I file them so that they look better.", "It also helps to keep them short so that dirt doesn't get under them." he adds. "Well, they look very well kept." you comment timidly.

Steven nods as a thank you before hearing a 'psst' nearby. He looks towards the source and finds Marc looking at him from the reflection of his TV. Steven gives him a 'what' look. "She likes your hands." Marc points out. "Yes, I know." Steven responds in his head with a slight I'm-not-dumb tone. "No, Steven. She really likes your hands." Marc objects, "Maybe she wants you to do something with them?" Marc prompts with a tone that reads 'if you know what I mean'. Steven thinks about it before he notices that you're still holding and slightly feeling up his hands.

Steven tries to think of something to say or do in this situation, realizing that this might be going faster than he thought it would, but the sound of the kettle starting to whistle steals his attention before he can. With a quiet "Excuse me." and pulling his hands away, Steven gets up, takes the kettle off the stove, and grabs two mugs.

"Pour the tea in front of her. Give her a bit of a show." Marc suggests. "Shut up." Steven mumbles but freezes when you ask "Hm?" indicating that you slightly heard him, Steven recovers by saying "Sugar in your cup?" like he's repeating himself. You smile and say "Yes, a spoon, please." you request. Steven nods and pours a spoonful of sugar into your cup but takes the empty cups to the coffee table and actually does pour the tea in front of you like suggested.

Your eyes flicker between his hands that are on the kettle with a rag and Steven's face. You blush just a little, that would have gone unnoticed if Steven wasn't slightly expecting it. He pours his cup and walks back into the kitchen to leave the kettle. "I told you she'd like it." Marc says from the reflection of the kettle. Steven flashes him a look that radiates the words "Shut the hell up." before dropping it once he makes his way back to the sofa with you.

"You know I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight. I was surprised when you asked me out to dinner." you say as you gently swish around the tea in your cup to help the sugar mix as it dissolves. Steven raises his eyebrows for a bit in surprise at hearing that, "How come?" he asks. "Well..." you stammer, "You're very smart and polite, and handsome. I thought that you would have had someone already. Most guys like you are hard to come by nowadays and most have partners already. So I figure that you also had somebody already." you explain. Steven blushes at being called such attractive things. "Well then you would be surprised that I was both scared to ask you out to dinner and shocked that you said yes." Steven says, "I would have thought that such a beautiful and smart woman like yourself would already have someone or at least have many men trying to ask you out all the time." Steven claims.

"Seems like you got lucky then." you giggle as you blush at the idea that Steven, the man that you've been crushing on for a long time, was saying that he expected to have competition when asking you out. In the meantime, Marc makes a suggestion, "Keep going, Steven, she seems to like it.". Steven nods and does his best to do that. "I mean it. I really do." Steven says, "You really are a rare one. I'm happy you agreed to go out with me.". You sigh and hide your burning red face, "Stop. I don't think I can handle getting any redder." you beg. Steven scoots towards you on the sofa and gently takes your hands away from your face so that he can see you. "I really like your face, in any color it may be in." Steven says as he looks into your eyes, now staring back at him.

A second passes by the two of you while you softly stare at each other, it feels longer, but in a pleasant way. Steven could feel that Marc was going to say something again, but he didn't want to hear it and just did what he figured he was going to suggest. He leans in more and kisses you on the lips, with you flinching just a little before kissing him back.

The kiss is gentle and sweet, but there is a little bit of something in it between the both of you. When Steven pulls away, he notices that your hand is placed on his shoulder with your thumb timidly placed on the base of his neck like you were originally going to keep him pulled in. Steven smiles a bit at the idea and looks towards you, but you are leaning in yourself and manage to press a kiss on his jaw. The soft kisses continue from there and Steven feels less nervous about things possibly going farther tonight and he can sense that you are too.

[brostradamus]

ramblings about AM in a relationship/what kind of s/o could fix him. know that im def not a person who’s deep into psychoanalysis / staying strict to a character’s personality so this might be ooc??? idk please bear w me. Whole thing is under the cut bc i think it’s pretty long n p sloppy 2. but enjoy regardless

anyways I rlly like to think that AM would most thrive in a relationship where he has equal / lesser power to his partner. not like whole ass power imbalance obv but just whre cant always hurt/bother his s/o. I’m sure AM would probably say some shit that might hurt his s/o’s feelings but a partner he’d be most compatible w/ would most likely avoid the torture mostly or altogether w/ the exception of verbal harassment cause there’s enough 2 go around 4 everyone. Also bonus points to s/os who are completely untouchable either bc they’re stronger than AM or AM decides that he doesn’t want to hurt them/can’t bring himself to.

also maybe he’d do well w someone who challenges his beliefs. tbh I feel like he’d gravitate towards people who might share his beliefs/hatred towards humanity, but if he’s supposed to grow then he’s gotta have a s/o that views humanity differently. Said s/o doesn’t even have 2 have a strictly polar opposite view on humanity, just a view that isn’t nihilistic and misanthropic. He might not be entirely receptive at first either but the further you continue to challenge his beliefs, the more likely he is to start thinking about other ideas.

Another thing that might make AM a little more accepting towards humans is a s/o that he *has* to rely on one way or another. most likely this is going to be an engineer/programming s/o. He’s likely not going to want to, but him knowing that he can rely on someone else might make him not close himself off as often.

artistic s/os might be able to help soften AM up a little too. i sometimes like 2 think that AM would actually really enjoy art, but it just depends on which kind of art. Realism he won’t really gaf about but he might gravitate towards expressionist works, along with abstract/absurdist and surreal art. this would include all art forms btw not just drawing and painting. reason for thinking he might like abstract over realism is bc realism is too ‘real’ (whatever yall think that would mean) for his liking / represents what he hates most about humanity. Abstract artwork also represents parts he hates ab humanity but it also gives him a physical representation of the things he lacks (ie expressionism w/ feelings/emotions, surrealism with the subconscious thought, etc etc) and might be the closest thing he can get to actually feeling/having senses

AM would most likely benefit from a s/o who is willing to “give” him sensation, whether it be literally by creating him a whole ass nervous + cognitive system that allowed him to have senses and feelings or even just a s/o who is willing to help him understand how certain things feel. This could be by the s/o describing how emotions feel through imagery, creating art w/ AM or *for* AM if he is unable to for whatever reason, etc. it won’t be exactly what he want ofc, but he might not be entirely bitter ab it.

I don’t think AM necessarily needs an android body to show love, but it would help :3c. Even if he still doesn’t have senses for whatever reason, it would absolutely still help him show his love towards his s/o through physical touch. W/o senses, just having his circuit’s warmed by his s/o (if they’re a human) is… well it’s not *enough* but it’ll do. And if he happens to have senses in his android body man he’s gonna be attached 2 u like lice on a healthy head of hair. he WOULD be touch starved.

Which brings me onto my next point. A s/o that can handle his “””affectionate”””side. I rlly feel like his perception of affection might be a little off (super off actually) and likely a little violent/aggressive. It’ll almost be like him having cuteness aggression towards a s/o and acting out on impulse. This might occur in squeezing, pulling and tugging and Android AM may bite and scratch/restrain. Also I when I mean “handle” I don’t exactly mean endure and ignore/accept. again this leads me to another point

A s/o that is able to set boundaries w/ AM is a must. I genuinely don’t think that any relationship w AM will go good if the s/o he’s with can’t put in place proper boundaries. For human s/os, this would be especially important as he might get aggressive physically (whether it’s due to like. him JST absolutely hating ur ass or him getting that ‘cuteness aggressive’ thing I just mentioned previously. note that it’s not rlly like cuteness aggression but he might be like ‘hm I’ll show my love to my s/o thru the only way I know. Violence”).

ok well I think this is all 4 now. if anyone wants 2 add onto it I’d luv 2 hear yalls input if yall had any :3c. I hope u guys atleast got some entertainment value out of this?? Either way i hope yallve enjoyed my ramblings

[dexlexia]

payment - toji x reader

pairing: toji fushiguro x reader rating: 18+ summary: Toji, Toji, Toji. Toji was a complicated man, a man with no tethers. He was a lone wolf, he was a killer for hire. In all honesty, he was a bad man. The type of man who was not seeing the pealy gates when he died. Men like him deserved to be in hell, after all they were demons. But Toji had one weakness, he was bad with money. tags: loan shark!reader, rough smut, pwp, sub!toji, dom!reader, pegging, praise kink, body worship, mild puppy play

 Toji, Toji, Toji. Toji was a complicated man, a man with no tethers. He was a lone wolf, he was a killer for hire. In all honesty, he was a bad man. The type of man who was not seeing the pearly gates when he died. Men like him deserved to be in hell, after all they were demons. But Toji had one weakness, he was bad with money. 

  “Fushiguro.' You said as you relaxed in your seat and kicked your feets up onto the desk, “A little bird tol me that you were in debt.” You crossed your arms, “How does a man get all that money and still end up in the red?” 

The term people would use to describe your line of work was “loan shark”, but you preferred the term ”negotiator“, but most people who came through your office doors just called you a variation of cunt or bitch. You gave out loans or paid off previou loans for a larger fee. You handled money, you negotiated terms for a loan. And recently Toji Fushiguro took out a large loan and you were looking for a payment. 

He frowned at you, ”You didn't give me enough.“ He reached for the glass of wine on the desk. but you dropped your leg down on his hand. The heel of your black pumps threatened to stab him. He grit his teeth, ”You stupid-“

  ”Oh shut up, Fushiguro. Call me a bitch one more time and I'm getting Ano to take care of you.“ 

He burst out laughing at the comment, ”I'll kill him before he could get me out of this chair! I'm not scared of you, girlie.“ He grinned. 

You dropped the back of your foot back down onto his hand, ”Not if I get across this table and strangle you till the blood vessels in your eyes burst. Now, where is my money, Toji?”

  “I don't have your money!” He snapped before he gripped your ankle and slammed you against the edge of the desk. He gripped onto your thigh holding it in place as he gazed at you. He got up from his seat and stared down at you with those dark, murderous eyes. 

You broke into a smile, “Oh.“ There was a second of silence before you added, ”Fushiguro, I might be able to null your payment. What will you be willing to do to erase your debt?” You then reclined in your chair as he held onto your ankle against the wood. 

  “What?”

  “I asked you, Fushiguro. What will you be willing to do to erase over thirteen million yen of debt?”

-

Toji was never nervous, he couldn't recall a time where he felt anxiety course through his body. He hated you, he really did. You were a conniving bitch who he wished he could choke the life out of. He didn't understand how someone so small yielded too much power over him. But he was certain that whatever you had in mind would be better than what the yakuza would do to him. Even if he could kill them all, being on the run from a crime syndicate was not how he wanted to spend the rest of his days. 

You met at Hotel Ai, a love hotel in the red light district of Tokyo. You wanted to meet somewhere discreet, a place no one would find the loan shark herself. You instructed Toji to get a room for two hours and then told him to get undressed and kneel in front of the bed.

Toji did as he was told, because if he did one thing wrong he wasn't sure what else you'd make him do. He stripped out of his clothes, he caught sight of his toned body in the mirror nearby. Scars littered the man's back, all the way down to his ass. He folded his clothes neatly and then got to his knees. His eyes stared at the door in front of him, awaiting your entrance. 

He lost track of time, his eyes transfixed on the door in front of him. He stayed perfectly still as he waited. Eventually the door opened, and you stepped in. You were in slick black heels, and a long overcoat. You also carried a large  black bag with you. It took a moment before you noticed him. Your painted lips curled at the sight of him in front of you.

  “Well, I guess you didn't skip town.” You toed out of your shoes and put the bag down nearby. He said nothing, but his gaze remained on you. You chuckled softly as you took off your jacket and placed it over his head like he was a coat rack. 

He harshly exhaled through his nose and took the coat off of his head. He draped the coat over his strong forearm. Your eyes met once more and you went back to the bag. 

  “I guess you can listen, Fushiguro.” You said as you pulled out a black harness, “For a man who burns through money, I know that you understand the need for a good man. I'm in need for a man who will listen, obey me. The kind I can collar and leash like the good dog he is.” You showed him the harness, and Toji quickly realized what was not for the chest. "Now, Toji Fushiguro, will you be my good dog?“

Toji looked at you, and swallowed. His cock twitched, already at full attention. ”Yes, ma'am. I'll be your good dog.“ 

Soon the dark haired man was on the bed, he was still kneeling. His hands on his lap and his cock at full attention. You were in the adjacent bathroom, with the door closed and locked so Toji wasn't able to get a glimpse as to what you were doing.  

There was a lot of waiting, but Toji never moved. Eventually you left the bathroom, you were nude save for the bottom harness that obscured your pussy, attached to it was a long, thick dildo. It glimmered in the low light of the hotel room. 

  ”Such a good boy." You smirked.

  “Thank you, ma'am.” He said as he leaned into your touch when you reached out for him. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as your thumb rubbed his scar. 

  “Good boy.” You said, you slipped your thumb past his lips and grazed the pad across his canine tooth.You smiled to yourself, ”Such a good dog.“ You pulled away and got onto the bed. You laid down amongst the half a dozen pillows and spread your legs. ”C'mon now.“ You said, ”You only booked two hours.“ 

He swallowed, ”Yes, ma'am.” He licked his lips before he positioned himself on top of the dildo and slowly sank down on it. He spread his ass with one hand and gripped his thigh with the other. He seated himself onto the dildo and relaxed, the fullness made his stomach flip. 

This was far from the first time he had ever done that, but the circumstances were drastically different. You were so small compared to him, yet the power you held. You placed both hands on his hips and started to thrust up into him. The dildo hit against his sweet spot which made Toji's toes curl, it felt like it was hitting against his stomach. 

  “Good, dog.' You said, you licked your lips as your hands explored his abdomen. You felt the strength of his core, the ripples of his abs. The V on his torso. He was built like a marble statue but here he was, riding on your strap. 

  “Thank you, ma'am.” Toji wasn't too sure what was coming over him. It was a sensation that blocked out most reasoning in his mind. Never had he been in a situation quite like this, exchanging sex for debt relief. Letting a woman who he hated most of the time absolutely dominate him. 

He grit his teeth and rolled his lips, moving the dildo in and out of him. At one point he moved up to only have the tip in him before he slammed back down on it. He gripped the bed under you and moaned. 

  “Fuck.” 

  “Excellent.” You purred, “I knew you were perfect. Under all those layers, there's a submissive good boy.“ You explored his body as you moved the dildo up against his sweet spot, which caused the man to pant and moan. 

  ”Fuck, fuck.“ He groaned, his grip tightened on the bed as he picked up the pace of his hips. His mouth hung open like a slut as he tried to get gulps of air. The pleasure raced up his spine and had him lost in it. 

You dragged your perfectly manicured nails across his hips as he moved them. You exhaled deeply at the sight of his body moving. He was perfectly under your influence. He was the good loyal dog you were looking for. 

His cock bobbed, precum leaked out of the tip and down to the base. You heard his beautiful moans as you effectively ruined him. You watched his angelic body move up and down on the dildo. You reached for his cock and started to stroke it, you kept a quick yet even pace as he rode you. 

  ”Good boy.“

  ”Thank you, ma'am.“ He groaned as he breathed heavily. He knew your eyes were on him, his scarred flesh on full display as he moved up and down. He kneeled up straight as you stroked him. His cock throbbed from the stimulation. 

  ”Such a beautiful sight.“ You complimented, you felt wet between your thighs as he rode the dildo. As you fucked him hard with a strap and wouldn't ever let him forget it. You raked your nails down his torso and he groaned loudly.  He rolled his hips beautifully, he looked like a submissive dog the way he moved. 

It was dirty, rough sex. Your movements were quick and hard, giving him no time to think about what he was doing. Only relying on instinct. A killer for hire reduced to being fucked by a dildo, you were the one in charge here. He knew his place, under your heel like a pet. Or rather a pest. The thought made you smile to yourself as you continued to ram the dildo deep into him.

  ”Fuck.“ He groaned as he felt his cock twitch under you touch. The dual sensation made his heat race and heat travel through his body. He swallowed heavily and tried to keep some composure as you pleasured him. 

  Your praises continued and it made him see stars. You would say this was worth the money he owed, especially if he came back for seconds. Maybe he needed to be fitted with a collar and leash, and then maybe he'd learn some responsibility with money. The man who thought he was a wolf was nothing more than a needy pup who wanted to be filled with silicone. 

He felt close to orgasm as he continued to move up and down on the dildo. He felt a bead of sweat travel down his bare back as he arched it. He gripped onto his thighs as best as he could and moved his hips with the entire length of the toy inside of him. He let it rub against sensitive areas as he chased after his orgasm. 

You admired the look on his face, you marveled in the sight of him. He was a sight to behold as he panted and groaned. You were thankful the walls of the hotel room were soundproof. You reached behind him and started to grope his ass as he moved it, you felt the lube you used on the toy across his ass as you thrusted up into him. 

  ”Please, ma'am.“ He groaned, ”Fuck, it feels so good.“ His heart raced and his cock arched under your continued touch. He gripped his thighs as he felt himself on the tip of orgasm. He made a choked noise as he felt his body tense up but his movements continued. 

  ”That's it, that's a good dog.“ You encouraged as you watched him bring himself to orgasm. You watched his back arch as he finished all over your hand. You gripped his length and he groaned loudly from the pit on his stomach. It was a sight behold as he finished.

As he started to come down from the high of orgasm, he laid out on the bed. His chest was a heavy rise and fall as he tried to compose himself. You wiped your hand with tissues on the side table and pulled his head close to your breasts. You felt his sweaty forehead in between them as you rubbed the back of his head.

  ”I guess I'll be taking home a stray tonight. Consider your debt gone, but in exchange I'll get you fitted for a collar.“ You said. 

Toji had no choice but to relax in your arms. Maybe being a loan shark's kept boy wouldn't be so bad. 

[dannyheart01]

AGA REVAMPED CH1: THE NEW OLD COMER

It was the closing shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, most of the employees had gone home already and the animatronics had all gone into sleep mode. A dark skinned man with curly bleached blonde hair wearing the uniform of a Fazbear technician was carrying a box full of spare parts from the Parts and Service to the Kids’ Cove. The technician was being followed by a teenager with white skin, reddish brown hair and brown eyes wearing a regular day shift uniform also holding a box of spare parts.

“I’m telling ya Toby, there was a yellow rabbit at Fredbear’s,” said the dark skinned man.

“Jeremy, both my brother and I never saw a yellow rabbit at Fredbear’s whenever we would go, there was a yellow bear, yeah, but no rabbit,” replied Toby.

“That’s because you were six when Fredbear’s closed!” yelled Jeremy, “your memory can’t be trusted!”

“With that logic, neither can yours!” Toby argued back.

“The difference is that I’m twenty seven, and you’re sixteen,” said Jeremy.

“And you’re twenty seven and working at Freddy’s!” replied Toby.

The two employees argued back and forth while walking to Kids’ Cove. When they got there, there was another employee there cleaning the tables. The employee was a teenage girl around Toby’s age with pale skin, straight black hair, wearing gothic makeup and jewelry over their day shift uniform. The girl was eyeing the twitching animatronic laying on the floor being careful to avoid the Mangle as she cleaned. 

“Millie, tell him that there wasn’t a yellow rabbit at Fredbear’s or any rabbit at all!” said Toby to the goth girl.

Millie sighed and rolled her eyes before answering him.

“Fredbear’s shutdown ten years ago, and any information about it is unreasonably hard to find, there could have been a purple bear there for all we know!” said Millie exasperated.

“I just want that thing fixed,” said Millie while nervously pointing at the Mangle animatronic spasm on the floor, “it’s making me nervous.”

Jeremy and the other technicians were getting fed up with having to fix Mangle everyday, as of then Jeremy was the only technician that hadn’t gotten fed up with repairing the Mangle. Even the regular front employees were getting fed up with having to save Mangle from the toddlers. No one knew why Mangle was the only one of the Toy animatronics to get treated like that by the toddlers when all of the Toys were meant for toddlers and physically play with the kids as well. Millie and Toby were the only closing shift employees who were willing to help Jeremy repair them. But Millie won’t touch Mangle in case “it flipped out and bit her head off”. 

“I recommend fixing him quickly since your boyfriend is here,” said Millie to Jeremy.

Jeremy was examining what damage was on Mangle when Millie said that. He looked confused at first before it clicked in his head who Millie was talking about.

“Oh you mean Mike!” said Jeremy, lighting up.

Millie nodded as she moved to move the decorator gift boxes out of the way so Jeremy and Toby had space to work. 

“What’s he doing here?” asked Jeremy slightly confused after a few seconds.

Mike Schmidt was the nightguard who took over the role after Jeremy transferred to the day shift. Mike also happened to have been best friends with Jeremy since they were twelve. The night shift typically started from twelve a.m and lasted to six a.m so it was strange for a night guard to be there so early. The earliest a night guard has been was arriving a whole thirty minutes early to avoid walking to the bus in the rain. 

“Hell if I know, he’s just been sitting at one of the tables watching the band even though they’re not powered on,” said Millie.

The boys quickly made whatever repairs that they could make while Millie continued to clean the room. Toddlers were messy beasts so there was spilled juices, sodas, dropped pizza and cake frosting smeared everywhere. One would think that parents would have the decency to clean up their kids or at least prevent them from making so much of a mess, but this was Freddy’s they once had to add the rule ‘don’t poop on the floor’ to the guest rule list, so they couldn’t have that. 

After finishing them they walked out into the main room where they found Mike sitting at one of the tables staring at the classic animatronic with a somber look on his face. Mike was more accurately staring at Freddy, the lead singer and one out of two original animatronics that came from Fredbear’s that were still kicking around. Mike looked like if he had a cigarette he would be smoking it. Jeremy tried to sneak up on Mike and scare him, but when he shook Mike’s shoulders, Mike didn’t flinch or look surprised at all. Millie and Toby stood to the side of them and looked at the band adopting the somber look that Mike had. 

Toby couldn’t keep his eyes off of Bonnie, he could see how little kids loved that damn rabbit but he just creeped him out. It didn’t help that whenever he looked at that rabbit he just saw that blasted shadow rabbit that haunted him on the days leading up to the day that he almost died. 

“I don’t like that rabbit,” said Toby, breaking the awkward silence.

Millie grimaced while looking at Freddy. Millie was normally fine around the animatronics, even getting along well with them, except when it comes down to Freddy and Mangle. She always appeared uneasy around them no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

“I hate that bear as well,” said Millie, “on a personal level.”

“If I had a drink, I would have drank to that,” said Mike, his raspy voice coated with a British accent startling Millie and Toby.

Millie and Toby barely see Mike at all, let alone hear his voice so they weren’t expecting that. They had no idea what they were expecting but it wasn’t exactly like how they pictured his voice. It made sense that he had the voice of a smoker as he gave off the vibe, but it was the British accent that threw them off. 

“Hey Mike, why are you here so early?” asked Jeremy while his arms were wrapped around Mike’s shoulders and practically hanging off of him.

Mike let out a heavy sigh and got up before answering him

“We’re getting a delivery today,” said Mike.

Mike got up from where he was sitting. Mike fixed the chair upside down on the top of the table.

“What new attraction is being added now?” asked Toby.

“I didn’t think that we would get a new attraction so soon after what happened with the Hide and Seek game,” said Millie, ignoring the way Toby flinched upon being reminded of that game.

Mike took one last look at Freddy before answering them. Jeremy seemed to be studying Mike’s facial expression and mode. Jeremy started to look a bit queasy, even muttering the words ‘it can’t be him, can it?’. 

“Not a new attraction, maybe one day,” said Mike.

“Follow me,” said Mike as he gestured for them to follow him.

Mike took them out the side door, and to the side of the building where they usually got deliveries.

“They’re moving an old animatronic from Fredbear’s,” said Mike suddenly.

Millie and Toby were extremely young when Fredbear’s closed down due to some freak accident that happened there, so they barely knew what Fredbear’s was like. Toby had been there a few times as a young child with his brother while Millie never went at all. Mike and Jeremy on the other hand who went to Fredbear’s regularly enough to have a full picture in their heads of what it was like, even if Jeremy was completely wrong about there being a yellow rabbit there. 

“Is it..?” asked Jeremy hesitantly.

Jeremy looked like he was about to say something before stopping himself, leaving the question to hang. But it seemed as though Mike knew exactly what Jeremy was getting at. 

“Yes,” answered Mike, not clarifying what they were talking about.

Neither Mike nor Jeremy looked well upon realizing who was being shipped there while Toby and Millie were just very confused. Using what little information they knew about the diner this meant that the animatronic they were talking about must have been Golden Freddy, or Goldie for short. It could have been another animatronic as with what Millie said, information about Fredbear’s was hard to find so there could have been other animatronics there, one of which being the one moved to Freddy’s. But the two teenagers doubted that it could have been another animatronic as Freddy and the Marionette were already there, and they were the last surviving animatronics from that location, according to some of the older employees who liked to gossip about the company’s shady history.

“Why’s he being moved here?” asked Jeremy.

“The majority of the board members want to scrap him down for parts to make a new animatronic but Mr. Emily and-, too attached to that damn Bear to let him be taken apart so the board told him that if Goldie is able to play nicely enough with the other animatronics here, specifically the ones that were also from Fredbear’s, they’ll fix him and give him another chance at being show animatronic,” replied Mike.

Mike was about to say something after the word ‘and’, but stopped himself as if he just realized he wasn’t meant to say whatever he was going to say. What Mike said also put their wondering to rest about who this animatronic was. Jeremy looked understanding towards what Mike had said, but it was clear in his eyes that there were many questions he still wanted to ask. Mike also carried himself in a way that suggested that he knew more than he let on.

“How come none of the other animatronics are online?” asked Toby, “when the toys arrived all of the classics were online to greet them.”

“Trust me kid, it’s best if the others don’t know about Goldie until he’s settled in already,” replied Mike.

They didn’t have to wait much longer for the animatronic to arrive as a company branded truck pulled up in front of them. Mike and Jeremy went to help the delivery guys take Goldie out of the truck. The Golden Freddy animatronic was inside of a wooden box, the box was much smaller than what they expected. The box looked like it could fix Bonnie who was the smallest of the classic band if they took off his calves. They thought that Goldie would be a bigger animatronic since Freddy himself was a big animatronic, but they guessed it made sense that Goldie was on the smaller side since he was meant to be Freddy’s younger brother. 

After the delivery people left Millie and Toby helped the two senior staff members wheel the box into the restaurant. Jeremy and Mike seemed to freeze up when passing by the Toys stage before remembering that they were switched off, but Millie wasn’t sure if Mangle was turned off with how he was twitching on the floor earlier. They managed to get the box to the backroom without a hinge. 

The backroom looked a lot different from the last time that they were there, which was the previous day. It was clear that earlier that day that someone had been in there to decorate it. In the corner was a makeshift bed made out of cardboard with some pretty nice looking children’s blankets over it with a single as well. Tucked away in a corner were some children's toys that looked used, the toy that caught their eyes was the Goldie plush that sat on top of one of the boxes. The whole room looked much cleaner than before.

“I suggest you two leave the room so we could turn them on,” said Mike.

“Why?” asked Toby, “we’ve handled Mangle, a dangerous animatronic that could take anyone’s head off at any given time before.”

Mike sighed before answering him.

“Goldie knows both Jeremy and I, he’s used to us, he doesn’t know you, he might freak out if he wakes up in an unfamiliar place with strangers,” answered Mike. 

Both Millie and Toby nodded in understanding and left the room. It didn’t take long before something went wrong. They heard a loud crash before they heard Mike screaming and Jeremy yelling. They swung the door open to see that Goldie was standing over the downed Mike with a look of pure hatred on his face standing over him with Jeremy trying to pull him off. Goldie froze when he saw Millie and Toby looking at them with shocked expressions. Goldie seemed to realize what he had done and backed off of him.

Goldie was a withered animatronic missing his right ear, with tufts of fur missing exposing the bare endo underneath and the previously massive bowtie was a mess with one side almost completely gone and the other with the ends shredded. He also had a massive top hat that looked like it would fall off his head at any time. His fur was matted in many areas and it looked like it was once a bright yellow but now it had darkened over the years. His eyes, or lack of, were the most interesting thing to them. Where his eyes should be were empty pits with a small blue light in the left eye and a small red light in the right eye. 

“What the-” started Toby.

“I’m so sorry, I-” started Goldie at the same time.

“You’re so cute!” Millie said, interrupting both of them.

Everyone in the room looked taken aback at what Millie said but none more so than Goldie himself. Before Toby or anyone could stop her she ran up to Goldie and hugged them. Squishing her face against the side of Goldie’s face while kneeling down next to him while being careful not to smudge her makeup against him. Goldie looked mildly uncomfortable while being hugged. Well at first he looked uncomfortable but soon he lit up with a bright smile and his eyes grew significantly brighter. 

“You…you think I’m cute?” asked Goldie with hope breaking out in his voice.

“Yes, you are,” said Millie, “you will be forever cute to me as long as you don’t try to take my head off.”

Goldie tensed at that comment while both Mike and Jeremy looked visibly uncomfortable. 

“Ye…yeah I would never do that,” said Goldie suddenly springing up mid sentence with a goofy tone of voice.

“Then I guess you’re alright by me!” replied Millie.

Toby noted how weirdly Goldie acted when Millie said that. He knew that something had happened at Fredbear’s that caused it to shut down, some kind of accident, and he was starting to get the feeling that Goldie was involved. Especially with the way the higher ups didn’t want the other animatronics to know that Goldie was being moved there.

Mike got up off the ground and dusted himself off. Mike looked sadly at the teenager and animatronic before speaking.

“Well Millie since it looks like Goldie likes you and you like him, so I think it would be best for you to be the one to repair him,” said Mike

Millie groaned and rolled her eyes causing both Goldie and Toby to lightly laugh. 

“Think of it as punishment for not helping Jeremy and Toby with fixing Mangle after shift,” said Mike.

“How do you know that?” asked Millie.

Mike didn’t need to answer because Jeremy’s face gave it all away. It was obvious that Jeremy had told Mike about it.

“Ugh, fine I’ll fix the little bastard,” said Millie.

“Don’t worry toots, I don’t bite,” said Goldie cheekily.

The boys left the room to give Millie the space she needed to work with only Jeremy hanging behind in case she needed help. Toby was confused. First Mike and Jeremy said that Goldie might attack them because he doesn’t know him or Millie but then he attacked Mike and was fine with them. Not only that but Mike and Jeremy have been acting strange with this animatronic. Normally Jeremy was cool and leaned back but now he seemed on edge and Mike well he always seemed dead on the inside whenever Toby saw him. 

“So what now?” asked Toby.

“We wake up the others and tell them that there’s a new animatronic here and introduce everyone once Millie finishes fixing him,” replied Mike.

Toby wasn’t sure how well Millie would be able to fix since she didn’t have the experience that someone like Jeremy did when it comes to fixing animatronics. The most that would get fixed is the joints and parts that are a fire hazard will get covered.

Soon they reached the main stage. Mike flipped the power switch for the stage and one by one each animatronic turned on.

Chapter 2: Fragments of the Pasts, coming soon!

[kasienda]

tell us about Adrino fake-dating? 👀👀👀

Adrino lends itself to this trope so well in my opinion in that they are super comfortable in each other's spaces, and Nino is generally on board to do anything and everything to 1) earn Adrien more freedom, and 2) piss off Gabriel.

My personal beef with fake-dating is that it's often written where two characters are already in love and already KNOW they're in love, but are too nervous to say anything yet. And I struggle with the whole thing being able to solved at any point with one conversation. (Though it doesn't stop me from reading or enjoying them. Just makes me want to tear my hair out when reading! Haha!)

BUT! If I'm writing my own, I wanted to explore them both not having feelings yet (or at least not being aware of said feelings), and that they figure it out through the process of pretending! And when it's time for it to end, they both realize they really really don't want it to.

So I started writing one. And I'm not sure if I will every finish or post it because it kinda feels like a generic romantic dramedy to me? I feel like I just am making the dolls kiss! Haha! Like, it's an aged up no-powers AU. I don't usually write things without identity shenanigans! And I don't have anything unique to add to this trope at the moment, BUT I've been having fun with it this week especially since I've been home sick. So maybe!!

...

Here! Take my whole opening scene:

“Tomorrow's photoshoot was rescheduled to Thursday morning, your father canceled dinner tonight, but promises he’ll be available tomorrow—“

Adrien snorted. 

“And you’re to escort Lila Rossi to the gala this Saturday as her date.” 

Adrien dropped his spoon. “That will not be happening. I will go to the gala, but Lila Rossi will not be my date.” 

“Your father agreed to—“ 

“Any agreements my father made on my behalf are null and void if he didn’t get me to sign the contract.” 

One of the benefits of reaching his majority. Now, if only he didn’t need his father to keep paying for university.

“Adrien, I know you don’t like Lila—“

That was an understatement if ever there was one.

“—but your father is not going to take your refusal lightly without any repercussions. Especially if you offer no explanation.” 

He had offered an explanation. Lila Rossi was a snake and Adrien knew better than to let her anywhere close to him.

“It’s only one evening,” Nathalie continued. 

One evening that would turn into many. But he could read between the lines. Nathalie needed a reason. His father wanted him to date someone now that he was old enough for it to garner media attention instead of generate a scandal. 

“You don’t understand, Nathalie. I can’t bring Lila because I already have a date.” 

It wasn’t true, but it could be.

Nathalie sighed. “And does this date have a name?” 

Adrien contemplated dodging the question. He would have preferred to ask before he dragged any of his friends into the spotlight that might include his father’s ire, but Nathalie would argue on his behalf better if she didn’t think he was lying.

He wished he could ask Kagami, but she and Felix had gone public two months prior. He couldn’t throw Marinette under this bus because her career in fashion was only just beginning and getting tangled with his name would only make things more complicated for her. He was already providing her with all the connections and contacts she would let him, and he didn’t want to bring attention to that special attention by bringing her in as a date. Alya was attending university in the UK, and Luka was on tour with his father in the US. 

Which only left him one option anyway. And in many ways it was the best option because Nino was the most willing to do whatever was needed to get Adrien out from under the thumb of his father. 

Adrien glanced down into his hands, trying to sell nervousness that he absolutely did not feel. “I can tell you since you’ll know on Saturday anyway, but Nathalie, I’m hoping I can count on you for support.” 

She actually looked up from her tablet. A good sign. 

“It’s Nino,” he said softly. 

“Nino Lahiffe?”

Adrien nodded. 

“Doesn’t M. Lahiffe have a girlfriend?” 

Adrien shook his head. “Not since Alya left to go abroad. They decided they didn’t want to do a long distance relationship.” 

That much was true. The break up had been amicable. 

“And how serious is this relationship?” 

Fuck. It needed to be serious for Nathalie to pull out all the stops, but how long would Nino put up with the song and dance of it. 

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, I hope we last, but we haven’t been dating that long. So far though, it’s been amazing! Nino and I have always just… clicked, you know?” 

“I will do everything in my power to see that you get a fair chance.”

He swallowed at the sincerity in her voice. 

“Thank you, Nathalie.” 

She nodded and left. 

He whipped out his phone and pulled up Nino’s contact. Nino wouldn’t likely be awake for another few hours so Adrien wasn’t going to call him, but Adrien could at least warn him. 

…

Nino’s phone buzzed on the table beside his head. Nino groaned and rolled over - away from his phone. He really should have kept up his maman’s policy of charging his phone in the other room. 

But an alarm clock was yet another thing Nino really couldn’t afford since he had moved out on his own. He was barely breaking even as it was. 

The phone buzzed again and he sighed, fumbling blindly for both it and his glasses. 

He blinked dumbly at the text on his screen, and then read it again. 

Adrien: 

I had to tell my father that we’ve been dating. That we’re going to the gala together this Saturday. I’m sorry. I know you wanted to surprise everyone the  day of. Please forgive me. Call me when you’re awake. 

The implications were concerning in more than one way. 

Nino tapped out a response immediately. 

Nino: 

there’s nothing to forgive, love. It was bound to happen eventually.  I still need help with my suit though if you’ve forgotten.  Can we talk in person? I miss you.

Adrien:

I’ll be by in a few hours.  Can’t wait to see you. ❤️ 

Adrien was laying it on thick. Definitely not a good sign.

[skylarmoon71]

Winchester - (Supernatural / Smallville Crossover AU) - Chapter 22 - Final

“(Y/N)?”

Clark was confused when he turned around and you were gone. He just barely heard the sound of wings flapping and you were behind him. Except he heard a thud. When he spun around towards the couch, you were lying on the floor face down. You rolled over with a grunt.

“Damn, Castiel always made this look so easy but I almost cracked a rib.”

Clark knew he shouldn’t laugh, but your expression was a bit comical. You’ve been doing a test run on your powers for the last couple days. When you realized you could fly like Castiel, of course you jumped at the chance. So far you’ve landed on the floor, on a cow, in a pile of hay, and his personal favorite, in a pile of cow dung.

“Maybe you should take a rest.”

You lifted your hand with the expectation that he would just pull you to your feet, but he picked you up right into his arms. Your cheeks flushed, and he was wearing that little grin.

“S-Stop it with the princely stuff Clark. It’s starting to do a number on my heart now.”

He held in a laugh, shaking his head as he placed you on your feet.

“Try to be more careful when you’re flapping around. So far you’ve landed in reasonable places, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Reasonable? Cause that cow poop situation wasn’t what I would call reasonable.”

“Reasonable enough.” He decided.

You just shrug it off with a smile. One that he’s learned to read. You’re definitely going to keep zapping around the place. He just sighs with a little laugh, following behind you.

He’s learned to go with the flow. You’re too bull headed for his words to sink in, something he realizes he sort of admires. There’s no doubt that you’re strong willed. Every time that you’ve failed, you’ve gotten up and tried again. You haven’t truly said it, but he knows the reason you’re trying to perfect the skill.

Being a protector is engraved in you. So it’s possible that your persistence has to do with the end goal. In the event that you could help someone with the ability, he knows that you would keep pushing, keep trying.

Another trait he admires.

For the next few hours you hang around the loft as he completes chores. You’re giving him updates on your little family gathering a few weeks ago with your brothers and friends. A room with hunters, angels and a nephilim sounds like the start of an interesting joke.

It’s still a lot to truly grasp, but when he sees the way you light up as you speak about them, about everything, it makes him happy.

Later in the evening you offer to treat him to dinner which he gratefully accepts.

It’s a bit funny, you’d planned to cook, but after you burned the mac and cheese, Clark had ended up making dinner.

You have to admit you’re surprised. When he told you he knew how to make lasagna you thought he was bluffing. But the second it came out of the oven you were ready to marry him on the spot just from the scent. The both of you laughed, ate, and now you’re seated on the couch watching old reruns of some cheesy sitcoms.

“I still can’t believe you’re a better cook than me.” You grumble.

Your competitive nature makes him grin.

“Looks like I’ll make an exceptional wife.” He teases.

“I don’t know, it was kind of dry.”

He nudges you and you giggle, turning to him.

The show playing in the background, the dim lit lights, it’s the perfect atmosphere. The way he’s looking at you, you’re certain he’ll do it, make that move. After all, he’s a guy.

You’re not stupid.

You expect it, but like the previous times, he doesn’t. He leans in, pressing a kiss to your cheek as he pulls back, still wearing a warm smile.

Now you feel like you have to ask.

“Clark.”

He hums, ready for whatever it is you’d like to say.

You’re nervous, not just about the conversation, but what it could mean for your relationship. More than anything, you want to take that next step, but it’s terrifying for obvious reasons. You know you’ll just have to suck it up. Do your best and just say it.

Tell him.

Swallowing, you finally get the words out.

“The reason that we’ve never-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

You look at him, and the understanding in his eyes is more than you could have hoped for.

“I know what happened with you and Michael, it couldn’t have been easy. When you trust someone like that and they betray you, it’s impossible to just walk away without scars. You don’t owe me an explanation about why we haven’t or make some timeline for us because it’s not that simple. I can’t pretend that I know what you went through. But I know that I’m happy when we’re together. That’s enough. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. To be happy with someone I love.”

There aren’t words to describe how much you appreciate his words. Your eyes move to your lap.

“So you’re fine if we don’t..”

You’re a bit unsure of how to phrase it.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be right here. I’m not planning to go anywhere.”

He takes your hand, and you look up, comforted by his smiles.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure you’ll cave faster than me. You’re the one who’s always jumping me.” He states.

“T-That’s a lie!! You’re the one who’s always trying to jump me Clark!!”

“Nope, I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around.”

“Is not!!”

“Is too.”

“Is not!!”

“Is too!!”

“Is not infinity!!!”

“You can’t use infinity in this instance. It’s not valid.” Clark reasons.

“What! When did that become a rule?”

“It just did.”

You continue to complain about all the ways why that isn’t fair, and all Clark can truly do is smile. For just a moment, he can see it, his future. It’s reflected so easily in your eyes.

For once, he feels like it’ll all be okay.

[blackjackkent]

OK, I think we're done with Sharess's Caress, at least for the time being, so let's go across the street and check out the Flophouse, which should have a door opened by the key we found on the bodies under Ilmater's temple.

Shadowheart randomly got stung by her wound as we walked across the street.

>:| Not sure if this is Shar just being a dick for no reason or if she has some interest in us not going into the Flophouse specifically.

Anyway, let's go inside and look around. It's a pretty standard-looking tavern/inn setup with a couple of people to chat with in the main room.

A few adventurers who are all grumpy that they're not being feted and welcomed into the city. Hector was pretty unimpressed since the refugees have it way worse.

A trader who was grumpy about being treated badly by the priests at the Ilmater temple but was willing to sell us a cloud giant strength elixer which will make Hector very powerful at his next fight.

Hector was able to sneak a look at the tenants' logs - the only name I recognized on it was "Ffion Goldgrind". That's the "Stern Librarian" from the Caress, and apparently she's a tenday late on her payments, which tracks with what the madam at the brothel said about her having gone missing. None of the staff have seen her either.

One of the workers in the flophouse, a halfling named Dashkent Moliver, seemed pretty startled to see Hector as he briefly thought Hector was his boss, Fraygo, the owner of the flophouse. He hastily said that Fraygo is "a most generous soul, I assure you," but given how nervous he seemed initially, Hector has some doubts.

Going upstairs... we overhear a very interesting conversation from two people hanging out in one of the bunk rooms.

"Do you think the master plans to expand his territory? Take Candlekeep, or even Amn?" "Oh, I'm sure he has plans, but I wouldn't dare guess at them."

"Haven't we lingered long enough? We should return for the ceremony." "We have time. The runaway is still missing, after all. Nothing happens until he's found."

"Not long before we leave scouring places like this behind. "I will not. It is our chance to start over, and I will gladly do so."

"Just think - soon we'll feel the sun on our skin, after all this time."

...Oh shit. These are some of Cazador's spawn. Oh shit.

"One more mark," the man is saying as Hector and his companions drift closer.

[ROGUE][STEALTH] Listen in.

"The master said we have enough," the woman whines disinterestedly. "The Black Mass is ready to begin."

The man smirks. "It's not for the master, it's for me. I want a beating heart there, ready for me when the Mass is complete and we're finally granted our freedom. After two hundred years of rats, I think we deserve a real drink."

"There's no time," the woman snaps. "We're expected back at the palace!"

"Relax..." the man drawls disdainfully. "The Black Mass won't start until master drags Astarion from whatever hole he's hiding in. We have time to find one more person."

Hector's heard enough. These are certainly agents of Cazador and are certainly up to no good. Time to step in.

"What's a Black Mass?" he asks, mock-innocently, moving into view behind them.

The two vampires round on him abruptly, their lips curling in unsettling, hungry smiles.

"Hello, beautiful," the man says cheerfully, looking Hector up and down. "I didn't see you there."

"We were just discussing a... celebration being held in the palace of Cazador Szarr," the woman explains, rather unconvincingly in Hector's opinion.

"You should come!" the man says brightly. "It'll be the talk of Baldur's Gate."

No doubt, Hector thinks dryly. These people may also be vampire spawn, but they seem to be distinctly lacking in both Astarion's quick intelligence and his charm. If he can keep from arousing their suspicion, though, this clumsy invitation might be helpful in their eventual intention to raid Cazador's stronghold.

"I don't know," he says, deliberately casual. "I don't normally accept invitations from strangers."

The man grins. "Thank goodness we're such good friends, then!"

The woman rolls her eyes. "This is not the time, Petras," she snaps.

"Yes, dear sister, I know we have places to be," Petras says with a sigh. "We'll leave once our good friends here have departed." He shoots a wink at Hector. "I look forward to seeing you at the palace, though. It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I promise."

[darlingpwease]

I haven't? :(( (Yes yes!! And give him many many kisses and shower him in love <<3333)

It's the new Yuuta work I'm writing, that's why it's taking so long. I'm writing a few of the worlds so it's looking like it's gonna be a long fic.... LMAO TRUEE, it's always the systems!!! Face slapping system, hero system, second lead system, canon-fodder system, mob system, villain system, caretaker system, etc etc... Sometimes the MC being the system! I'm still a sucker for them </33 My weakness <//333 Oh? Very interested?? It sounds absolutely amazing??? omgomg????

A calf on a leash?? I've never heard that one before,,, it sounds like a green flag to me though.... hey Dove haha what the fuck ahaha <333 that scenario was so specific?? What have you been reading lately?? Hm?? /ht /hj NOO I don't mean to nullify it I promise

Oooo!! They're nice too,,, there are just so many character I wanna hug tho tbh

If he were to cling to me I'd spoil him as much as I possibly could <333 I'd love him and kiss him and bite him and hold him and coddle him and praise him and treat him like he's the most precious little thing in the whole world <<3333 HAHA ME TOO they're my kryptonite, I love 'em so much, they're so lovable,, I never want to let them go <//33

>:□ I think I'm good and sweet already. Maybe a little tangy or spicy, maybe even bitter,, but still nice nonetheless... /hj?

-panna cotta

Xie Lian loves you, that's a given. He always pays attention to your needs, your likes, dislikes, your passions, your desires, you– He's noticed the way you've been acting the past few lives, and it scares him.

He has done all of this for you to stay.

He loves you.

You've said that there's nothing wrong with him, that you love him, that you'll never leave him– But with you acting different, he still can't help but be unnerved.

You would always treat him like a flower, so delicately, as if he could break at the smallest thing despite him being a God, so when you get a bit rough, when you bite him harder, mark him deeper and darker, when you bind him, marking him up more than you ever have before, he doesn't really know how to act, but by the heavens is he happy.

He listens so well, and when you see him laying there pliantly just for you, trusting you even though his muscles are slightly tensed from not knowing what will happen next, you feel a huge rush of bliss. Excitement. Superiority. Superiority over yourself, but superiority nonetheless.

You finally beat yourself. And it feels glorious.

Xie Lian will remember this. He will never be able to forget this, because this is the first time you're doing it, and you will always have that benefit. Not you from then, and not you in the future. You, right now, have finally something new to give him, and you can't help but revel in that fact.

The way his breath hitches over the smallest movement, the way he whimpers softly, you feel like you have all the power one could have and more.

The way Xie Lian leans into you when you kiss and caress his skin, it drives you insane. He's nervous, but he trusts you. He adores you. He doesn't know what's going on, but he can't help but be happy when he thinks about what kind of joy you must be feeling because of that. You still treat him as if he is the rarest thing in the world, the most precious thing,, when you press soft kisses against him, asking if he's okay, petting his hair and telling him how good he is, how perfect he is–,,, but he can't deny that the roughness is wonderful change too.

And when he calls out your name, not the one the people of this life gave you, but your true, real name,, you can't help but slip and drown in the addictiveness of your Xie Lian.

I can't help but think of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng both being cute puppies that will follow you around, always willing to do whatever you want as long as it makes you happy, being the most loyal and the most devoted to only you,,, man I could just go on and on lmao Hua Cheng would definitely tease as much as he can when you're still a will-o'-wisp, he adores you, you would always be there to protect him when you could, but now he's finally doing that for you, "Oh, how the roles have switched!"

no🧐 you're too suspicious, I don't trust my cute pies to someone like you🫤🫤🫤 /t /j (yes!!! tell him how cute he is and how much you love him; after all, even if you're not quite sure if he's a weasel or a rabbit, you still can't help but adore and shower him with everything you can, even knowing how powerful and strong he is<///3)

I'm looking forward to it then!!! >:33333 I also have a draft, but only about the quick transmigrator Yuuta, who is constantly looking for his lover in every world, not knowing that the one he is looking for is the physical embodiment of his system, so you are always in his world</3 I love them too, it's just a light joke on the spite of the day, dear~

listen, but you, the owner of the system, whose duty it is to check the operability and proper operation of the plot without external influence, so that then other players and their systems can take advantage of this world, because due to plot inconsistencies and holes, the world can try to explain everything itself, sometimes making white lotuses lying creatures, and giving villains high missions and creating white sheep out of them, which, of course, should not be allowed. you just have to live the world and follow the plot, correcting it and letting your system record the shortcomings and what was done to make the plot right again, sometimes even directly arranging in creating chains of motivations and goals just to prevent the world from trying to break the plot itself. in fact, you have almost the least restrictions of all existing system owners - neither in characters, nor in attempts to fix the world, unless you count the fact that after leaving the world you officially confirm that the world is fixed and exists as it should.

and although the world of cultivation is most subject to a huge number of holes and inconsistencies, like fantasy, you still loved to visit them, and a popular novel was rather your way to "relax", enjoying the moment until everything becomes intense. of course, you didn't choose the smallest role to be at the top of the hierarchy and relax at the same time, and even when the world started trying to accommodate you with the original characters, considering you an important character too, you didn't resist. and even when you were in an ambiguous relationship with the main characters, finally allowing yourself to experience almost guilty pleasure from your deaths (which do not affect your essence at all and are painless due to the influence of the system) and the easy torment of characters who had ambiguous feelings for you, you were actually sure that it would not affect on the feelings of the characters themselves — and so it was, they reached the right end, even if you had to get in here and there, sometimes deliberately leaving the plot to find holes and returning to fix, finding minor mistakes here and there, sometimes more because of how few players were still in the world, and the world just doesn't understand how respond to interference. in fact, although the characters don't look at you the way they should, it's not a problem — as soon as you disappear, this tenderness will disappear, so you know what you're doing, even when you're silent on their confession or gently hugging, as if drawing a line, indulging your desire to finally be loved.

at least until you get complaints that the characters don't behave that way — and none of the systems can handle it, no matter what type it is; even a "beta reader" can't fix a plot that doesn't match the original from the very beginning, even more than it even has to match in the young a world that doesn't know how to handle "guests" yet. of course, you are immediately forced to go back to this world, starting from the very beginning, to check whether these words are justified and honest, and why the world has gone crazy — in the end, it may be intruders who are trying to break the world to destroy it, and you, as an inspector, must make sure that everything is fine and then decide what to do with the world.

just to understand that your system is functionally suppressed and just as confused as you are, before explaining that this is only possible in one case — if the main rules of the world, "Heaven", forbid such a thing, while your system only helps, not controls, and should obey these rules. of course, you are amazed, there were no words about the limitation of the system in any of the reviews (only about "characters behave strangely", "they talk about a name that is unfamiliar", "the plot is not right at all!"), otherwise you would have taken additional measures, and if at your death you would have been treated in the game space, then everything would be fine, but your death is not a reason to leave, only the end of fixing the world.

only to understand that all these reviews were absolutely true — the characters are definitely not behaving the way they should have,

especially main characters.

are you not??? let me guess, you don't even understand what that means, hwhwhwhwhw "green flag"😨😨😨 /t Specific? Dear, this is the plot of any Manhua or white lotus story🤨 then I'm very interested in what kind of work you read, since you don't regularly see this template there, because for me it has already become so native, like my child :/// "what the fuck" bad white lotus cotta, white lotuses never swear!!! 3:<<< /t /hj of course, dear, but forgetting about it also counts as nullify, and we both know what that means<///3 /t /j

attention, here is a panna cotta who did not reach the 'dark water' arc ajhshshs /t /j /nsrs yes so true😔 wanna mwah all of them😔😔😔

yes!!! fandom often considers him just a baby, but he has experienced so many dark and traumatic things and has grown so much and overgrown with traumatic experience and insecurities and continues to try to stay positive and have a strong moral,,,, I want to see him break down and cling to you because you are the only thing that continues to give him hope in the world and what keeps his mental and emotional stability, and he gives you everything he has, because he can't afford to lose you anymore :((( he looks so cute and innocent, especially considering his altruistic and gentle nature, as if he really is some kind of forest fairy or a helping spirit; this provokes even more to get under his skin and poke at painful spots until you see how deeply and abnormally obsessive and dependent he is on you<////3333 my poor little woof woof,,,, yes!!! I always want to kiss and caress them until they start feeling loved again and will not be happy and will not cry if they are emotional <33333 xie lian is just as unique as yuuta, only if yuuta wanted to corrupt, then xie lian causes a desire to corrupt him and make him even more painful until his real attitude towards you appears in the form of a burning black lump of emotions, feelings and desires,,,, hua cheng, on the other hand, only makes me want to rock him in my arms, I don't want to hurt him shsghdgshd

🤨 dear, if everyone in the world were as sweet and nice as you, kindness would be absent in our world in principle🤨🤨 meanie /t /hj

When you are rude to him for the first time in all your lives, to the point that his legs can't help but tremble, feeling your hot lips slide over his cool skin, leaving bites and kisses, tightly wrapping around his waist, almost breaking it from the strength of hugs if you could, but Xie Lian only purrs, stroking you, encouraging you rather than trying to calm you down, allowing you to pinch and bite, feeling that your emotions become a tight ball that curls inside your body, spreading through your veins like poison, finding release only in the way his body shudders or how he breathes or moans when you find even more skin, you press even closer, bite even harder — when you try to find even more evidence that his body does not belong to "you", but to you, to you, personally to you, personally to you.

When you demand that he looks at you while touch his body, still sensitive to your touch and loving them; looking at you with darkened eyes, and you can't figure out whether it's a blush or the light from the fire on his face when your fingers slide to his stomach, drawing lines and words, which have meaning only for the two of you, like your secret symbols that belong only to you two, memories that only you of the living share. The signs by which only you can recognize each other, outlined on his soft skin, but almost leaving hot brands from which he breathes heavily, are still the same desperate mess for you that hundreds of years ago, that now — as if he is frozen in time, not even moving until you enter, entering into a chemical reaction that only has both of you, able to exist only with each other, no more than the moon and sun that you once had to become, the moon and sun of the Xianle kingdom, when you intertwine your fingers with his, letting his loose hair lie on the floor like tangled threads while his thin long fingers squeeze the fabric of your clothes, hearing there are only quiet moans and sighs around the house, as if everything around you has fallen silent, immersing you only in the sounds and rustle of each other's clothes, a quiet sweet moan when his legs tremble with excitement — just so that you catch it, kissing his hot face, even when your sticky, wet fingers slide over, leaving an imprint on his wet skin, continuing to caress, take, squeezing, touching, stroking, pinching, — and feeling how he greedily kisses your lips, as if giving up everything he has it was, pressing so tightly that it becomes difficult for you to breathe, as if he is trying to eat you, clinging in blind despair and need.

Xie Lian's eyes are dark, shining with delight and adoration, as if overflowing with feelings and sensations, and he is so hot and moist, even if he looks like a smooth white jade, — and his body is so pliable, even if unable to cope when your fingers continue to slide, caressing, touching, groping, making him gasp from the sensations, trembling, awkwardly wrapping his legs around your hips, blindly kissing your neck and face while holding your hand with his hand, refusing to let go, as if this is the only thing that leaves him on earth, not letting you give in to the impulse and be completely absorbed, even if your caresses become more and more passionate, hungry, needy,

just like you.

When he whispers your name, which no one knows anymore, making you tremble with pleasure, still knowing that he remembers it, that it is you now before his eyes, the real you, and Xie Lian loves you like no one else, just like you do him, asking him to tell you again how your name is called; quietly whining your name when your skin touches each other, catching your breath, shared by two, as if you are under the water column, where there is only you and nothing else, enveloped from all sides and locked with each other, forever locked with each other, and you gently, affectionately, as before, whisper his name, adding 'His Royal Highness' when his body warms up again, digging fingers into your skin, breathing hard, whining, searching your lips with his lips, as if trying to find air,

just like he was looking for your gaze before, bringing peaches and other fruits with him to be with you.

Somewhere there, underground, your ancient kingdom sleeps, keeping its secrets in pristine silence, which no one remembers now.

You loved each other, that's why you were saved.

And you don't think it's an accident.

ahhh!!!! yes!!! gosh, we're really on the same wavelength, aren't we? they would be your most devoted and loving followers, ready to do anything for you and your happiness, and the fact that their adoration is ancient and unchangeable, unconditional, makes everything even better and worse at the same time, as if you are both in heaven and in a demonic reality, experiencing all the intensity that they can give and that they stored until you were able to accept it<3333 I mean??? is someone stopping you??? I don't see anyone for some reason???🤨🤨🤨 /ht /pos /gen

imagine that you were the former spouse of the crown prince, who was supposed to become your husband — so that he would then ascend, and you could live as the future monarch in his absence, simply observing celibacy, but then he returns against the rules of heaven and you are broadcast for being the spouse of a demon-god, only to have a child whom you once caught because, like a vulture, you watched the festival go well while your spouse was performing, and then you meet this child after you found out that he was born under the star of misfortune and tried to give him comfort, and then you meet him so often in all places where you can, to the point that you can't help but be gentle and affectionate to him, trying to protect him until your Prince begins to need your support and you don't have time for the child anymore — and now this 'child' takes care of you and teases you when you are fully awake from the exhausting hatred, pain and anger, having previously managed to burn people who harmed your Xie Lian. only now he has become much taller, with a blindfold over one eye, too powerful than he should be (why is he a great demon, while you still don't even have enough energy to transform into a human body? isn't he having too much luck??) and you don't even know where your lover is??? at least this kid promises to take care of him and take care of you, and you don't really have much choice in following him until you find your Xie Lian — sort of...

[hero-of-the-wolf]

Chapter 2: A Land in Ruins

Despite the boy, that other Link, there wasn’t a soul to be found in the ruins of Castletown. Well, any living souls, anyways. Link glumly kicked at a rock. He’d found remains here, too. He tried not to think too hard about who they once were.

What was that kid doing here, anyways? Everyone else had the good sense to stay away. And why was he so nervous? Was he hiding something? He….

Link froze mid-stride, staring at the remains of a house that he could never forget. He exhaled slowly and strode towards it.

He had to shoulder the door open to step inside. The roof had caved in, leaving rubble strewn all over inside, but other than that the main room was mostly intact. Link looked without seeing, picking through the remains, unsure what he was searching for. Then something caught his eye.

He knelt down to pick up a scrappy little doll.

His sister’s.

Without a word he tucked it into his bag, too.

He didn’t linger long after that, leaving the ruins behind and making his way towards the castle. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting exactly, considering the state everything else was in, but nothing could have prepared him for what he found.

Castletown lay in ruins, but the castle… the castle was just gone.

Only the fragmented outline of the foundation was left of the once great building. This couldn’t have been the work of neglect and the slow reclamation of nature. It had been intentional.

The work of Ganon, perhaps?

Link breathed in deeply, held it a moment, and let it out in a great rush. Whatever this Ganon was, Link swore that he wouldn’t let it get away with this. If it was in his power, he’d put a stop to these horrid deeds and avenge his fallen land.

He took the time to straighten out a couple stones in a rather pathetic attempt at a memorial before finally moving on. He’d already wasted too much time.

Zelda couldn't be at the castle, and there was no one there that could aid in his quest. There was no more reason to stay. So he set up camp in the forest nearby, his thoughts weighing heavy on his mind.

He wished his princess was here with him. She would know what to do. She would know what had happened to them. Link felt completely out of his depth here, all alone.

Where could she be? She never would have just left like this. Something must have happened to her. This must have been the work of Ganon, too.

No, that other Link had said that Ganon had destroyed Hyrule ages ago. Whatever it was, it couldn’t still be around now.

Could it?

He suddenly stiffened, hand instinctively reaching out to grasp the hilt of his sword. “I know you’re there.”

A beat.

“Alright, alright, you got me.” The other Link stepped out of the shadows, sheepishly approaching the other man, his hands shoved into his pockets.

Link let go of his sword and leaned back to eye him suspiciously. “You’re following me?”

“Well… yeah.” He shrugged awkwardly. “You looked upset earlier. And you seem… different, somehow? Like you’re not supposed to be here?”

“Yeah. You could say that.”

“So… what’s your story?” The kid slowly sat down across from him, still taut and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Link distantly wondered why he seemed so jumpy. “Why are you… here?”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Link answered gruffly.

“... yeah alright, that’s fair.”

They stared at each other a moment, neither willing to talk, nor wanting to be the first to look away.

Finally Link sighed, breaking eye contact to reach into his bag and pull out Zelda’s book. He started to flip through it. Maybe there was something in here that could give him a hint on what he was supposed to be doing.

The other Link scooted closer, interest piqued. “What’s that?”

“It’s a book,” Link answered dryly. At the kid’s unamused look he continued on. “It belongs to my friend, Zelda.”

“Can I see it?”

Link hesitated.

It couldn’t hurt, right?

He held up the book for the boy to see. The kid’s eyes lit up, scanning over the page it was open to with an eager sort of hunger.

“What is it?”

“I… don’t know, really. She was always the one who was good at this sort of stuff.”

He pulled the book back to look over the page himself.

Agaricus inferenus

Sources agree that this particular agaricus must have had some sort of cultural importance in the past, though it has now fallen out of use. Uncommonly found within the cave systems around the fissure now known as Death Mountain. Mycologists have also concluded that it indeed has special properties, including potential fire resistance, but tests are still being conducted. Potentially edible.

“It’s uh… it’s a type of mushroom. It says it might have been important once, and it might be able to give you fire resistance, too. They’re found around Death Mountain apparently, though I’ve never seen one there.”

“Oh, really?” The other Link frowned thoughtfully. “Huh.”

He looked like he knew more than he was letting on. Link studied him, searching for the answers to at least *some* of the questions that were threatening to split his skull apart.

Nothing.

He decided on a different tactic.

“Huh?” He echoed carefully.

The other Link stared at him unknowingly. “What?”

“You seem like you might be familiar with this.”

“Oh?” He glanced down at the page again, his face betraying nothing. “Nope. Can’t say I have. Why do you ask?”

“... forget it.”

This kid was harder to pin down than a chuchu. It’d take more than a slip of the tongue to get him to speak.

Well, fine.

Link snapped the book closed and tucked it back into his bag. “It’s late. I’m turning in. You… you can do whatever you want, I guess.”

Link felt the stranger’s eyes on him as he turned away, setting out his bedroll and laying down. He ignored him, stubbornly keeping his eyes closed until finally, sleep took him.

Link.

The air around him was thick with smoke. He wrapped his arm around his face, lungs already burning, blinking hard through the tears blurring his vision.

Link!

Ahead of him stood Zelda.

He tried to call out to her, choking on ash, but his voice failed him. He stumbled after her as she fled, dizzy from the fumes. She was in danger here. He had to help her.

His foot caught on something and he hit the ground hard. He groaned, rolling over to see that strange cube from before.

The cube.

It must have been what caused this whole mess. But how?

Maybe that cube was their ticket back home.

He reached for it, but his fingers only grasped at nothing.

Huh?

Suddenly Zelda was standing in front of him again. She reached down and picked up the cube, then held out a hand to him with a smile.

He reached for it, but before he could grab hold of it a scream rang out, piercing his very heart.

He woke up with a gasp, shooting to his feet. By the fire the other Link startled, his hand grabbing for his sword. They stared at each other a moment, until the kid finally let go of his sword and held his hands up placatingly.

“You alright?”

Link blinked hard a few times before finally nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

It was still dark. He had no idea how much time had passed. But he got the feeling that he wasn’t getting much more sleep anytime soon.

He’d known that scream….

“You, uhh… you can go to sleep, if you want to. I’ll take over watch.”

“Oh, no. It’s okay. I don’t mind staying up.”

Link sat down by the fire again and shot the kid a pointed look. “*One* of us might as well get some rest here.”

“... fine.”

He walked off with a huff, settling down a ways from the fire onto the ground and curling up. He held perfectly still, even as the minutes dragged on. Link wasn’t sure if he was really asleep or not, but at least he was resting.

That was certainly more than Link could say for himself.

He pulled out Zelda’s book again. There had to be answers in here. Some clue to lead him in the right direction.

The last few pages had once been blank, but Zelda had been steadily filling them out with her own notes.

Today Link and I found a cavern halfway up Death Mountain. It was partially collapsed, but with some quick thinking we were able to create an opening stable enough to get in. Inside was some sort of old weapons cache. I’ve never even seen some of these types of weapons before! Link was unfamiliar with them as well. Perhaps the Gorons would know more? Nothing is really usable anymore, nature has certainly taken it’s toll here, but the knowledge we could relearn is so exciting! I can’t wait to learn more!

Link’s nearly finished with his training now. Soon he’ll be an official knight of Hyrule! I’m so proud of him. I’ve always—

Link tore his gaze away, snapping the book back shut once again. It wasn’t his place to read this. It was personal.

The other Link shifted, sitting up and gazing at him curiously. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to.

Link hated to admit it, but he needed help. And as suspicious as this kid seemed, he was his best chance at finding Zelda before anything more could happen to her.

He sighed.

“I'm looking for my friend.”