#its always felt like a guilty pleasure hobby that takes up all of my time

[eyeless-smiles]

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[my-child-is]

My Child is Neurotypical

So I made a few...dozen...posts on twitter about my experiences being neurodivergent. They’re a roughly 60/40 split between being autistic and having adhd with heavy overlap. They take the form of a parent in denial saying “My child is neurotypical” and the response of “Your child is X” where X is a common neurodivergent experience phrased as if coming from a teacher.

(I’ll be updating these as I make more)

Classroom

Your child was a pleasure to have in class

Your child can’t focus unless they’re playing with something

Your child has awful handwriting

Your child is tapping their foot through class

Your child just needs to apply themselves. They can clearly do the work but keep making silly mistakes

Your child had a breakdown over not getting all their homework done

Your child is quiet and struggling to stay on task

Your child thinks school was indistinguishable from torture but struggles without the structure

Your child needs outside structure or they can’t figure out what to do first

Sensory - Sound

Your child hears the CRT TV noise (double this if they hate it)

Your child needs to cover their ears any time you use a blender

Your child wants to know where that buzzing is coming from

Your child can tell if the fridge has been opened recently from the other room

Sensory - Touch

Your child can’t wear rough or slippery fabrics

Your child hates any texture beyond flannel (any other distinctive texture works too)

Your child hates tags on clothing

Your child overheats in thick socks

Your child wears sportswear but hates sports (@checkerfired1 on twitter)

Your child thinks water has a strange texture

Your child finds showering exhausting but also doesn’t want to get out at the end

Your child can’t stand the feeling of oil on their skin

Sensory - Light

Your child sat in the dark from noon til sunset before starting their day

Your child thinks sunlight is ‘too much’

Memory

Your child forgot they were hungry halfway through making dinner

Your child has had midnight new years pass by because they forgot to wait for it

Your child can’t keep a grasp on time

Your child is confused about how it’s already evening

Your child has over 50 tabs open in chrome

Your child can only ‘wing it’ because they always forget what they planned to say

Your child made a list of what they needed to do and forgot to check it

Your child came up with a ‘my child is neurotypical’ post but forgot

Stimulation

Your child can’t focus without background music

Your child thinks everybody is exhausted after conversations

Your child drinking caffeine is like a roulette wheel in its effects

Your child struggles thinking while seated

Your child likes to constantly be chewing on something

Your child finds crowds overwhelming

Your child finds existing at night less exhausting

Sleep

Your child is reading this in the middle of the night

All of your child’s friends live on the opposite side of the world because they can’t maintain a traditional sleep schedule

Your child had midnight new years pass by because they’re normally awake well past then even as an adult

Your child has trouble quieting their brain to sleep

Dyspraxia

Your child is extremely klutzy

Your child’s phone typing is riddled with typos

Empathy

Your child felt guilty for bumping into the table

Your child is painfully uncomfortable watching shows with awkward situations

Your child cries even thinking about somebody being in pain

Your child is extremely trusting with new people they just met

Emotions

Your child has lots of mood swings

Your child hates compliments because they’re sure they’ll disappoint and alienate anyone who thinks anything good about them (from @MaebyIsSweet on twitter)

Sharing

Your child shares extremely personal experiences with people they just met

Your child can talk for hours about the same subject without getting tired

Communication

Your child learned nonverbal communication from the family dog/cat

Your child gets frustrated because people can’t understand them

Your child has been discussing the same topic for 30 minutes without taking a break to breath

Your child tends to speak repetitively - they may feel somewhat scripted

Your child feels like an alien sent to observe humans

Your child cries when instructions aren’t clear enough

Your child communes with animals because they make more sense than people

Your child doesn’t see the point of small talk

Your child finds comfort in the scriptedness of small talk

Your child is anxious about misreading people’s intentions

Your child is anxious about contacting somebody because they think it’s too last second

Your child gets frustrated when instruction manuals skip steps

Your child is constantly anxious about misunderstanding

Your child needs subtitles to hear anything

Your child has times they struggle to make words

Consistency (Anxiety)

Your child asks for the same meal every time they come home

Your child watched a single movie more than 3 times in one day

Your child feels anxious watching new movies or tv shows

Your child nearly has a stress breakdown if plans change last second

Your child’s anxiety spikes every time you ask them a question

Your child has a favourite song they’ve listened to for a week straight

Your child finds split second decision making stressful

Your child gets anxious if they don’t exactly follow their daily routine

Masking

Your child can pick up accents easily

Your child grew up wishing they could just go live in the forest away from people

Your child gets anxious when you ask aabout their day

Your child emotionally relates to fictional characters more than real people

Your child has said ‘I just don’t have the energy to act human right now’

Your child has described people as ‘just too much’

Your child was so ashamed of being different they tried to reshape their personality so people would like them

Misc ones I haven’t really sorted yet

Your child is protective and doesn’t like anybody new coming into their room

Your child wishes it was easier to get up and do what they need to

Your child is confused by how other people relate to their gender

Your child thinks their functioning is an inconvenience to people

Your child is either ‘on’ or ‘off’ and there is no in between

Your child gets stuck in excitement feedback loops with their friends

Your child is convinced they just aren’t working hard enough

Your child is on their third hobby this week

Your child spaces out randomly during the day

Your child considers every step of getting dressed an individual task they have to do (from @sisi7304 on twitter)

Your child differentiates between food they like and food they think is good (@sweetmoonpigeon on twitter)

Your child has severe imposter syndrome about whether they’re neurodivergent ‘enough’

Your child isn’t sure what they’re supposed to do to be a man or a woman

Your child’s fingers and toes change colour in the cold

[danghyuk]

BTS having a tall but timid boyfriend

A/N: Request by: @awkfanboy, this is really long (like 2,6k words oof) and I’m sorry it took ages to finish. ​​

Namjoon:

Namjoon is the tallest member in BTS, and though he’s not used to be the smaller person for once, it’s not a bad thing at all. It’s not before one of his fellow members points it out, that Namjoon starts to notice the slight difference in your heights.

With the slight teasing about how Namjoon isn’t the tallest anymore, especially from the youngest, the older members like Seokjin also starts to hint about and assume your bedroom situation. 

Though Namjoon never comments on it. He’s mature about the teasing and he knows to keep your private matters to himself. In fact, he often refrains himself from smiling due to the rest of the members being so clueless and assuming that your height defines who’s the more dominant. The two of you are not your average heteronormative couple, starting with the both of you not being straight, so why do the same social expectations apply to you in every aspect?

They just continue with the teasing, taking it for granted since Namjoon never says or does anything against their claims. He wants the members to see for themselves rather than correcting them for judging a book by its cover. Because he also assumed that you would take the lead when it came to sex, and Namjoon doesn’t want to appear as a hypocrite. 

So, when he finally introduces you to his fellow band members, he refrains himself from laughing as their expressions one by one changes into pure surprise. None of them can tear their eyes away from the two of you, and being shy, you naturally hide your face into Namjoon’s neck, to which he just smiles and pulls you closer. There’s not really a distinct height difference between the two of you, but it’s still surprising to see your taller and longer frame sitting on Namjoon’s lap. 

Seokjin:

No one, not even Namjoon believes that you – Seokjin’s tall and intimidating boyfriend, are as shy and cute as he describes you as. “What do I have to do, huh? Drag my small baby to meet all of you hyper kids at the same time?” “Hyung, I’m sure [Name] is a lot of things, but small is not one of them…”

It takes a lot, and I mean a lot, of persuasion (and diversity of bribery) from Jin’s side to make you finally accept the fact that you were going to meet them all at once. A pep talk, murmurs of sweet nothings and loving kisses is a big part of it (and it never fails to make you blush, which Seokjin takes great pleasure in – that sadistic bastard).

Seokjin reassures the rest of his bandmates that he under no circumstances was trying to hide you, but then again no one believes that you’re as shy as he makes you out to be. On the other hand, he resonates with you that he wants the most important people in his life to meet. 

On the big day, neither of you can tell who’s the most nervous judging by both of your clammy hands (Seokjin simply refuses to let go of your hand). He steers you right away towards the couch when you’re done taking off your outerwear because he knows for a fact that you’re not going to be left alone for the entire evening. The couch is therefor the perfect limbo, he can press himself into your taller and warmer frame at the same time as the members can join you.

 Meeting them isn’t as chaotic as you thought it would be, and the members (especially the younger ones) are perplexed, which quickly turns to giddiness. They do not pry much (thanks to Jin’s warning looks and Yoongi’s sharp elbow into Jeongguk’s stomach), but their curious eyes bulge every time your cheeks flush due to Seokjin’s flirty antics, and whenever your hand unconsciously searches for Seokjin’s calming touch. By the end of the day, your boyfriend is wearing a permanent smirk and your ears have never felt warmer due to Seokjin ‘accidentally showing off the long scratch marks on his back. 

Yoongi: 

Yoongi can be blunt when he wants to, not to mention honest, but there are some aspects of his private life he values too much. One of those being you, of course. The other members know he has a boyfriend of some sort; however, they are rather bad at getting any type of information out of him. Jimin and Seokjin are the nosiest, being two different menaces – one nagging and one too curious for his own good.

From what they have gathered, they know that you are younger than Yoongi and that’s about it. Despite Yoongi rarely opening up when it comes to the boyfriend topic, he does sometimes slip up. Like that one time you changed his lock screen to the two of you and he forgot to change it back.

Despite his fellow band members constantly begging him to introduce you to them, Yoongi declines every time with no room for any argument. What his members don’t know is his reasons for not wanting to introduce you to them just yet. Even after being together for almost four months, you’re still extremely shy and nervous around large groups of people, especially nosy ones. BTS is exactly that and because they’re considered as his second family, he just knows you will be way more nervous meeting them and to give them a good impression of yourself. 

When they do meet you, it is just by accident and poor miscalculations. Yoongi had texted you earlier to come over and with a clear signal that the dorm was empty except him. However, it is not your boyfriend who opens the door for you when you arrive. Jimin, who wasn’t expecting anyone, mirrors your shocked expression as you both stare at each other for a while. He figures out who you are immediately seeing as Yoongi was everything but subtle when he pulled you after him in a hurried manner towards his room, and he doesn’t waste a single second to text everyone about his discovery. 

When the rest of the members arrive back home, they are met with a pretty funny and slightly pathetic sight. You, a 190cm tall male, trying your best to hide behind your much smaller boyfriend. Your much taller form next to the smallest idols in BTS is a sight to take in. Just like Jimin, all of them are shocked by your height, but also how you behave around Yoongi. With looks as sharp as knives from Yoongi, no one dares to look at the two of you too long nor ask the question at the tip of everyone’s tongue. This lasts until Yoongi, by accident again, manages to tug your sweater down and expose your hickey covered throat. 

Hoseok:

When Hoseok starts to date you, everybody knows it. Before they have even met you, BTS knows what your favourite colour is, how you look when you sleep and how many plants you have. He can’t particularly help it since you’re his favourite topic and honestly, everyone is rather amazed at him not having exposed your relationship. The weird thing, which Yoongi pinpoints every time you are brought up in a conversation, is that they have yet to meet you.

Being constantly reminded by the other’s and not having a good answer as to why they haven’t met you, makes them slightly annoyed. You are already a huge part of Hoseok’s life and it’s not hard to see how much you affect him in every aspect. A single text from you can make his entire day and he wears the same dreamy smile whenever he returns from a date with you. 

There’s nothing else Hoseok wants to do other than introduce you to them, but he respects your comfort zone and takes your feelings into consideration. If you don’t feel ready meeting them, then he’ll wait for you 100%. You’re his adorable boyfriend after all, even with your taller and bigger build, he adores how easy he can make you flush and writhe underneath him.

“Yah! When are you going to introduce your boyfriend to us?” “Soon, I hope. He’s just… really shy.” Whenever Hoseok uses that specific word to describe you, the others have a hard time believing him due to his other stories about you. Luckily, they do not have to wait long before you agree to meet them all.

The first introduction goes like dream, except for the many times you hit your head in the door frames. They are all in awe of your height, whether they voice it out loud or not (like Taehyung asking you if he could get a piggyback ride). Some of them feel slightly guilty for not believing the rapper earlier, though those feelings are quickly brushed away by their curiosity. How come someone so tall has a personality resembling that of a fragile flower? Another thing they learn, to their surprise, is Hoseok’s new favourite hobby – teasing you until you’re hiding in his embrace.

Jimin: 

The first thing Jimin had noticed when he saw you was your undeniable height, but it wasn’t what drew him towards you. He can’t deny that you look absolutely stunning, with your long legs wrapped in skinny jeans or slacks that make your figure seem as if you’re sculpted by the gods, but he simply can’t enough of your flushed cheeks and you averting your eyes whenever the two of you lock eyes for more than five seconds.

He simply thrives on how completely different you are compared to your looks. Even though he is the smallest in BTS and is relentlessly teased for it, he has absolutely no problem standing at the tip of his toes just to whisper something dirty in your ear, kiss your nape or just tug you down by your collar to meet your lips in a deep kiss. 

Because of Jimin’s never-ending PDA, you’ve gotten quite used to being showered in affection and more used to ignore prying looks, though you can’t stop yourself from blushing whenever he decides he wants to kiss you. And you just know he does it on purpose, that’s a no-brainer because your boyfriend will always, without a doubt, burst out in a cute high-pitched giggle every single time he manages to make you hide behind your own hands. 

Jimin is pretty quick to introduce you to his friends and the first thing they immediately point out are your ridiculous differences in height as if you weren’t aware of it yourselves. Your boyfriend is used to comments like that, but you aren’t and causes you to step behind Jimin- using him as a shield. You’re practically digging your own grave by trying to hide behind your boyfriend, BTS are ruthless and they tease you even more after laughing at your attempt at hiding. 

BTS thinks it’s cute how the two of you compliment yet contrast each other in your relationship. With your tall build and shy nature, it’s easy to imagine your personality as cold and stoic, so, until now you’ve done nothing but turning the other member’s expectations upside down. They still can’t phantom the image of you turning towards Jimin for permission someone asks you to do something or join them. 

Taehyung:

Like Namjoon, he isn’t really aware of height until he has a hard time kissing you, messing with your hair or jumping at your back for you to carry him. He also tends to forget how tall you actually are because he is a rather spontaneous and impulsive person. It doesn’t bother him even if he has to ask you to bend down time after time, Taehyung just huffs in fake annoyance and simply tugs your head downwards.

Due to your own awkward and timid personality, you feel bad whenever he has to ask you to bend down. Taehyung thinks you’re being ridiculous when you tell him and shows you just how hot he thinks your taller frame really is. That certain event made Taehyung realise in which direction your relationship was establishing and unfolding, and he realised how little he cared whether you took control or not.

The discovery makes him more aware of your sheepish habits and your reserved way of accepting his affections. From how your neck would turn darker whenever he does something you really like or display your relationship – to how you would try to make yourself smaller next to him in the public (he always scolds you for doing so because he’s worried about your posture). 

The two of you have spun your own net of habits around you and your relationship, which you often are unaware of, but when you meet his bandmates, they’re a little thrown off at how you and Taehyung’s dynamics work. You are completely used to your boyfriend making the decisions and don’t think much of it until the rest of BTS, especially Jimin and Hoseok, catch on to who’s really in charge. 

Suddenly you find yourself in the middle of a sexual innuendos and joke battle, and your face feeling as if it’s on fire does anything but defuse the situation. Even after getting Taehyung to save you and sitting in his lap, it’s Seokjin and Jeongguk’s turn to laugh seeing as you’re trapping your smaller boyfriend between you and the couch. Having the build like an intimidating basketball player doesn’t help your case when a little kiss makes into a stuttering and flustered mess. 

Jeongguk:

Your height is something Jeongguk was jealous of originally before you got together and before he knew that your ‘tall, mysterious and handsome’ appearance is you being too reserved for socialising in large groups of people. Now he just relishes and finds pride in being able to push you down on your couch, bed, floor, whatever to start a heavy makeout session, knowing you love it as much as he does.

He loves to show you off to everyone, everywhere. “Look at my boyfriend, isn’t he gorgeous?” “He’s legit a tree, Jeongguk, but sure.” Having him constantly spewing out compliments and bragging left and right, doesn’t help your shy persona at all and makes you pull out of social interactions more often than not.

Thus, portraying yourself as unapproachable and standoffish to others. BTS has a hard time warming up to you since the first few introductions were brief and pretty awkward for both parts. Even though they’re all impressed by your height, it just adds to your ‘tough guy’ image. Jeongguk doesn’t give up however and tries harder to include you in the group activities. 

Whenever you try to excuse yourself or go somewhere quieter, your boyfriend hurries to pull you back in even if he has to haul your tall ass over his shoulder. It’s quite the sight to see the youngest member dragging his way taller boyfriend after him as if he has no worries. Your flushed expression makes them ponder a bit before they all realise the same. Seokjin even apologies for not being the most welcoming, they just found you slightly intimidating, and of course, that makes you even more flustered as you accept their apology. 

After the big revelation, Jeongguk’s friends watch your interactions with your boyfriend wide-eyed, disappointed in themselves for not having noticed your constant flustered expressions, how you seem to lean on Jeongguk and the fact that it’s the youngest BTS member who initiates all physical contact like kissing you and placing his hands on your thighs. The two of you fit together like a puzzle even if some stereotypical roles are reversed. 

[bitchiha]

I love your worksss 🥺💕💕 so I’m new in the tobirama club so can i request sfw and nsfw headcanons of him?? 🥰✌🏻

General Sfw and Nsfw Tobirama

A/N: It always scares me to right for Tobirama even tho he’s literally hot as fuck, but I feel like I won’t do his character justice. N e ways I hope I did! Love you and thanks for this request!!

Sfw

Okay so Tobirama can kind of be mean and sometimes it doesn’t look like he’s even sorry about it. But when he hurts his s/o just know he’s gonna feel guilty as fuck... Truth is, he’s not gonna tell you he’s sorry though. He’s a stubborn fuck like that. BUT, if he made you cry he will probably apologize. Aside from that he’ll just be trying to put himself back in your good books. Like by buying you gifts, being more affectionate, initiating more conversations (because lord knows you carry this fucking relationship), etc.

Hates hates hates hates hates!! If he spots an Uchiha in your general vicinity. And oh my shawty, if he sees you speaking to one? Don’t talk to him. Like fuck you, you literally just stabbed him in the back, did you know that? Did you know the pain he felt? Well looks like he’s not gonna tell you about it because he is going to pretend you don’t exist for a good week.

You’re the optimistic and idealistic one in the relationship which creates good balance, but also sucks because he’s such a downer sometimes. Like okay, one of your houseplants was half dead and you thought you had revived it, or at least began to, but when you asked Tobirama if he thought the plants health was getting better he laughed. Not even a joking laugh. It was a “stop lying to yourself” laugh. And you had to stand there like, “I- that’s so mean” while he walked away.

There’s one thing makes him 100% softer and that he absolutely loves!! and that is: if you wanna go to his office at around lunchtime and drop him off a little homemade bento. He will be crying from happiness internally. Of course he doesn’t show it, but this display of appropriate and beneficial affection makes him so proud. Loves to flex it on Hashirama, he constantly brags about you to him and the poor guy is so fed up lol. Will not hesitate to tell you if you overcooked the meat though.

He needs to be the big spoon when you cuddle. And that’s if you cuddle. Sometimes this fucker is way too conservative, like Tobirama... y’all are fucking married. You can put your arm around them. It’s not a crime. Is less reluctant to cuddling you if you read to him though. He won’t ask of course. You’ll have to ask him once you pick up on the impression that he wants you to. He likes to give you hints, like he just stares at the bookshelf longingly or he’ll start talking about how he really enjoyed the book you had read him last time. Eventually you just have to give in and pretend to be all like: WOW! this idea totally just popped into my head and I’d love it if you’d agree to it, Tobirama! Would you mind if I read to you? 

He’s kinda like an excited bratty child and he will pretend to consider your offer before saying yes. The “yes” is a little rushed though and it reaffirms his true feelings. Then he gets comfortable in bed and listens to your voice as you read off the pages. After the first few paragraphs his hand will snake onto your waist and nonchalantly pull you closer. Don’t look at him when he does though because he will jut his chin away defiantly. If he had a particularly tiring day he will pass out after the first or second chapter, but the little shit will wake up if you stop reading right after he falls asleep. So you have to read a chapter more to make sure he’s fully out. It’s actually really cute because he’s usually never this intimate and his head is on your chest as he begins to snore quietly.

Okay also Tobirama is lowkey a sugar daddy. Hear me out. Like he’s not always the best with affectionate words, but he likes to give you things to make up for it. Knows your hobbies and will gift you the most top quality things for it. If you like reading? Just know he’s gonna have rows and rows of books for you. If you like painting he will make sure you have paintings from the most famous artists and top supplies.

He is also super protective of you. Like will straight up end someone’s political career if he hears one remotely questionable thing in the same sentence as your name. Like lol bye don’t talk about his significant other.  Nobodies talking shit his significant other or is going to try and defile their name. Its gotten to the point where people are extra cautious so as to not say your name within a one mile radius of Tobirama.

Thoroughly enjoys showing you his new inventions. Like he will come home surprisingly more talkative then usual and he’ll finally burst and say, “Y/n, I want to show you something.” (A little too eagerly) And you’ll kind of be scared because like he’s acting kinda sus and then next thing you know he’s like “shadow clone jutsu!” And there’s two of your Tobiramas. Absolutely loves that surprised and impressed look on your face. Prepare yourself for a very long and albeit boring in-depth explanation of how he created it. Make sure you listen or else he will huff and puff. Lowkey quizzes you afterwards just to make sure you were listening.

Nsfw

Okay so I see tobirama as being traditional with sex for the most part, but he has his moments. Like if he gets worked up enough and he needs to let off some steam then he will be way more intense.

He is also fairly quiet during sex. The only times you can actually make him noisy is when he’s tired and doesn’t bother to hide his pleasure. Is not the biggest fan of dirty talk either, but if he gets jealous or you make him angry he will be calling you a needy slut or an Uchiha slut. Other than that, he will occasionally mutter praise, but pretends like he didn’t say it.

I feel like he would also get a little blushy if you’re loud for him. But just generally has a blushy face when having sex. Not cause he’s embarrassed, but it just kinda happens. Your moans gives him a major ego boost, though. But as long as it’s in the confinement’s of your home because I don’t see Tobirama ever having public sex, but if it ever happened and you started moaning he would literally throw you off him. Like he does NOT wanna get caught. Hello? He as a reputation to maintain! But as long as you’re at home and you’re begging for more with your hands in his hair he will be more than pleased.

He needs to be in charge. If you put up a fight to be the dom then he’ll get really mad and childish and he’ll make you say that he’s in charge (once he’s manhandled you underneath him.) “Say it, y/n.” And if you want to be a brat about it he’s just gonna be rougher tbh, which is why you usually piss him off lol. Like he’s literally so fucking stubborn that he won’t stop until you say it. You’ll be sore after, but you love toying with him too much to stop.

The best angry / frustrated sex is after Hashirama does something fucking stupid. Like he doesn’t listen to Tobiramas warnings about the Uchihas and does something in attempt to be buddy buddy with them. And you can tell when he’s gonna get rough because he’ll barge into the house after work grumbling and groaning. You’ll have to pop your head out from around the corner and be like, “Tobirama! How was your day?” for precaution just to make sure he is not gonna blow up. And he’s just gonna look at you and grunt out a “come here.” And next thing you know you’re getting fucked against the door to your house.

Also like lazy sex is kinda bomb as fuck with him. Like he’s had a rough day at work and you go to run him a bath and he follows you. Literally just starts undressing as he follows you to the washroom and then he starts undressing you too. Helps you into the tub first and then clambers in after you. 

It starts pretty innocent. You reach forward to massage his shoulders and he leans back with his eyes shut, letting out all the pent up sighs he had been holding in from the day. Then after a while he wants more, so he’ll pull you ontop of him and you can feel his hard cock and you know what he wants. It’s these very rare times that he lets you take control. He’ll help line you up with his dick before letting you basically just ride him.

The waters hot and warm and it just feels so nice. He won’t even try and hold back his noises. His mouth lets out soft grunts and groans and even some encouragement. Just like imagine his hair wet and dampened as his head leans against the edge of the bath tub. Like his eyes alternating from squeezing shut from the pleasure to looking at you through his half lidded eyes. His hands gently help lift you up and down if needed and as you both get closer to your climaxes. You two could care a less about the water sloshing over the edge of the tub. It’s hot. Literally chefs kiss bye.

Shittiest at aftercare though. It’s just not something that he’s good at. He will run a bath for you or go to the kitchen and get you both some water, but that’s only if he feels like it.

[drakewalkerfantasy]

Making it right (Blaine x Denise)

Summary: The day when he takes her for a surprise is the day, when she finally realises that it’s more and it always will be more for both of them. The day when she finally starts to believe that the fairy tales can be real at least with this man.

Words: 3202

Rating: PG

Warning: fluff/could be some words or innuendoes, but nothing too specific

A/N: I hope you will love it. I’m not sure if I like it myself... it seems too rushed and I don’t even know if in character. But here it is. Sorry for any mistakes, I tried proofread as much as possible.

“Where are we going,” laughed Denise, trying to match Blaine’s large strides and quick pace. His hand holding hers almost dragging her after him, in only him known direction, making her walk faster.

“What in the concept of surprise missed it’s meaning?” chuckled Blaine, sounding amused by her impatient. But that was one of the reasons why he fell for her... one of the reasons why he was still falling for her even stronger. “But I can promise you will love it,” Blaine said, finally stopping, turning to face Denise and taking both her hands in his. “Now can I blindfold you please?”

“Ummmm, Mister Kinky...,” murmured Denise, stepping closer to him and trying to kiss.

“Someone needs to get her mind out of the gutter or mine will also go there and we will never get anywhere,” laughed Blaine, pulling her closer before placing his hands on her shoulders and pressing his forehead to hers. “So now be a good girl and turn around,” he said.

“Will you punish me if I disobey?" she murmured the question. Her lips ghosting against his, while she spoke.

“Denise...,” growled Blaine with an edge of the warning in his voice before finally turning her around and tying the red blindfold, that was matching Denise’s dress. Placing the soft kiss to her shoulder, that instantly sent a pleasurable sensation down her spine.

“You are no fun,” she pouted with the most adorable pout on her lips.

“I promise you will not regret it. Now give me your hand,” said Blaine, taking her hand in his and leading her down the steep path. His hand placed protectively on the small of her back, while another held hers, carefully helping her down until they finally came to the halt.

Still holding her hand he walked her forward until she heard neighs and clutters of hooves nearby, feeling how her heart fluttered in excitement. A moment later the lace slipping from her eyes, revealing to her two beautiful mighty horses held for them.

“How do you knew?” Asked Denise, coming forward and placing her hand on a chestnut horse's snout, patting the animal with affection.

She had been around horses since the very early age. She learned how to ride her first horse... pony, when she was about 2, excelled at this only a year later. And since then she just got better and better at that.

From early childhood horses were the only way for her to find peace. The only way to the happiness she always craved. And the only way for her when she felt trapped to feel free.

Even one moment near to the horse made her calmer. The single short horseback ride made her grounded. And when she sent her horse into the gallop she felt stronger, more powerful, happier. And she was good with them.

She could feel how her mind raced with the million questions. How did he know? Who told him about her hobby... passion... getaway... Did he speak with her parents? Nadia? Damien? Tatum...

“Tatum,” explained Blaine as if he could hear her mind, patting his own black horse before stepping back to Denise. “Need help here,” he asked, watching how she easily saddled the horse, making him look at her in awe.

“I’m good here,” she replied, feeling how the thrill rushed through her, waiting for Blaine to saddle his black stallion before they started to move forward side by side. Letting their horses lead the way, walking over the narrow path until the sound of waves started to reach them, revealing in the moment a beautiful narrow beach in front of them.

“Was it your surprise?” after a moment asked Denise, watching at the water. Inhaling the salty smell of the sea, letting the wind mess up her hair and flutter her red dress.

“Thought you would miss it... I mean all of it... your horse... the ocean... freedom, but it’s only part of what I have planned for today. So, race me to the end of the beach?” suddenly said Blaine with the grin, nodding into the distance, where the beach was ending with the cliff digging into the sea.

“You are on, Hayes. You will be eating my dust before you know it,” laughed Denise before sending her chestnut beauty into a gallop without a single warning. Making Blaine’s eyes follow her for a moment longer, admiring the way her body moved. Watching how easily she settled in a perfect galloping position, whispering something into the Chestnut’s ear. Her body’s weight pushed down on to the stirrup, her lower leg kept at the girth and her knees and ankles held springiness, to absorb the galloping movement. Her red dress fluttered on the wind when the Chestnut moved and her melodic laugh rang through the wind, while the water splashed around them.

It took him only a moment or two to admire the view in front of him before he shook himself from the reverie and finally sent his own horse into the gallop easily catching up with Denise, watching how her eyes widened in surprise. Now, moving neck to neck with all might until finally stopping at the end of the beach under the overhanging rock.

“You couldn’t help yourself but have to win,” she pouted getting off Chestnut but not faster than Blaine, feeling his hands around her waist and his hot breath in her ear, while she slid down to the sand.

“Not a chance, querida,” murmured he with a light kiss to her cheek, feeling her back pressing to his chest and her ass brushing along his crotch making him hiss.

“Someone either liked a horse ride a little bit too much or is happy to see me,” she purred, turning to Blaine, making him hiss even more.

“You know, I'm always happy to see you... but it’s not the point and I’m kind of trying to be a gentleman here... so, can you please stop grinding against my hard-on?” groaned Blaine, squeezing her hips in a warning because she brushed her butt against him in a sensual motion once again. Making him finally turn her to face him. “Now... please, stop making him too happy to see you and let’s get moving.”

“Where?”

“It’s not far, just a dozen meters from here behind the cliff,” replied Blaine, nodding to the cliff that was digging into the water, making it look like a ship making its way into the sea. “Don’t worry it isn’t deep,” explained he, noticing how she looked at the water’s edge.

“And what about them?” asked Denise patting the horse she was riding just a moment ago.

“They’ll be fine. They were both raised here. Know these trails even better than I do and they know their way back,” said Blaine giving both horses a sugar cube before gently patting them on their crops, watching how they started to strode in the direction they just got from. Finally extending his hand to Denise, Blaine waited for her to accept it. “Are you ready?” he asked in this smooth velvety tone.

The damn tone that sent the thrill down her spine every time. And the one that made her throat go dry too suddenly, making her feel shy under his intense gaze, and making her ready for impulsive decisions.

Gently Blaine tugged her hand, tearing her gaze from the two powerful animals trotting away from them. Leading her to the waters, stopping just a little bit shy of the waves licking the shore. His firm muscular body crouching in front of her taking off her sandals and then his shoes. The sandals dangling now from her fingers, while he held his shoes, rolling his dark blue jeans to his knees before making the first step into the sea that was still freezing cold at the end of May.

The edge of the cliff that dug into the water cutting the shore in half wasn’t too wide so before Denise could complain about the chilling temperatures or the hem of her dress getting wet they were already on another side and drying. Her fingers curled into the sand and she looked around them, taking in the view. Feeling how Blaine stepped behind her, his hands wrapping around her waist letting her lean into him for a moment before turning her to face him.

“Let’s go,” he whispered in a smoky whisper with his eyes fixed on hers.

“Where now?”

“Just over there,” he nodded to the left and only now when her eyes followed the direction he pointed she noticed a white blanket spread in a distance with a picnic basket on it. And something else... flowers... or more precise baskets of flowers. And she felt how her heart missed a beat... and then another one. Until started to beat in a full force from how romantic whatever Blaine planned looked like.

Slowly he walked her toward the blanket, helping her seat before opening the basket and starting to set a food in front of them, making her mouth instantly to water. She bit her lip watching how he had set a board with different cheeses on it in front of her, before taking a box of nicely cut strawberries and grapes. Everything that she loved. All what he took out was her favourite and her heart beat faster from how thoughtful he was. That he even bothered to take her on a date even though she was his already, despite the fact that he didn’t get her a ring.

“How do you...,” she gasped. Know, sounding more like a whisper and her pulse picking up the speed when he took out the box of the heart shaped french macarons and placed it in the middle. He hated them with the ferocity she didn’t even know was in him, this why she never said that she loved them... never opened her guilty pleasure to him. And still... here he was, placing her most favourite, custom made, most delicious macarons in the world, most hated delicacy by him before gingerly taking the last item from the box. Her favourite flower, making her heart jump and her eyes widen as no one... never done anything like that for her, and she felt the treacherous lump forming in her throat, stubbornly pushing it back and blinking her tears not letting them to fall.

“Someone wants to get laid today or to get blowed,” she murmured jokingly. The laugh ripped out of her throat before she could stop it like a self-defence mechanism that kicked in automatically to protect her from disappointment later. Her hand placed on his thighs and her lips meeting his. But before she could deepen the kiss he stopped it, kissing her softly before moving away.

“I always want to get laid, but today... more than anything I want to take care of you... make sure that you know that I’m here for a long haul,” said Blaine caressing Denise’s cheek with his thumb.

“I already know this. Your rushed after me all the way to the airport to stop me from boarding the plane and your speech kind of made a point. Don’t you think? Plus you hate macarons with the passion, but still, here we are...,” said Denise, nodding toward the box.

“I know, I did, but you better open the box,” suggested Blaine nudging a pink box of macarons toward Denise, feeling how his heart skipped a beat under her scrutinising gaze.

After a minute, that was the most torturous minute in Blaine’s life, consisting of never ending continuous seconds Denise finally reached the box. Her long delicate fingers undone the lace ribbon, and her mouth waters from the single thought of enjoying the treat she missed the most here. Carefully she opened the box and froze... her eyes widened even more, and her heart started to beat a staccato of sounds that was unknown to her.

Never ever did her heart beat like that, while her eyes flew over the macarons in the box. Full box of custom made, heart shaped macarons with different messages and all for her. The proclamation of love in different languages and among them the message on the perfectly rounded five macarons. Will you marry me? The message, that her eyes skipped over and over again, feeling how her heart beat faster every time when her eyes stopped on the beautiful diamond ring sitting on top of the heart shaped lilac macaron with the word Yes! still unable to believe that this is happening. And even more, that he even could have considered that her reply could be anything but Yes, when her eyes stopped on another silver macaron with the reply No! Thinking of how perfect he is, that even though this reply would break his heart he still requested it to be created with an unique taste.

“But you...,” croaked Denise, feeling how the lump inside her throat grew bigger, wondering how long it will take for it to block her airways. Feeling suffocating and trapped, until she felt his comforting touch on her hand. Calming... grounding. Making the lump ease and the raspy voice to leave her throat. “But you... you already proposed. In an airport. When I... when I was leaving...”

“Yes, I did... but I didn’t have a ring then, and I want to make it right.... is this okay with you?” asked Blaine, holding her hands. His thumbs run soothingly over her knuckles. Taking the edge off her, while she slowly nodded and he released a breath of relief he even didn’t realise he was holding. “Good...,” breathed Blaine, kneeling next to Denise, facing her with both of her hands in his. “Denise Alexandra Park... I know that our story didn’t start like every other fairy tales' story. Met a girl, wooed a girl and then swoon her. We met... we had some fun and then we parted. And the only thing I knew about you was the name Alex... and the name of your friend Tatum... it was complicated and then, when I met you again you were engaged to get married in a couple of weeks. And this was the only time left that we were supposed to have. The time that I thought will be enough to get you... that out of my system, but it wasn’t. I couldn’t forget you then and I definitely couldn’t forget you now after waking up near to you for two best weeks of my life. You know I never believed in fairy tales or happy endings, and I know you didn’t either... not after dickheads you were dating,” he chuckled, making her blush and her lips spread into a smile. “But with you... God... with you I know that it is possible. I know you are terrified... but I promise if you will tell me yes...”

“I already...,” tried to interrupt Denise, only for his lips to capture hers to silence.

“As I said, if your reply will be yes, our marriage will never be the golden cage for you, neither will it be to trap you. And I promise to give you all the freedom you need... and all the space you may want... just tell me will you marry me?” 

And she knew that this was her way out, that Blaine not only wanted to make it right but if she wanted to take her Yes... the one she gave him only a couple of weeks ago she could and no matter how much it would break his heart he was ready to risk it... but even to her utter surprise she didn't want it... not now... not ever... not with him. With him she wanted all in, not out.

Denise looked at Blaine with the bated breath, when realisation started to hit her one after another. The thoughts whirled in her mind, while she tried to grub at everything that had happened so quickly and process it, feeling how her pulse started to race with the neckbreaking speed.

Only a few weeks ago she was engaged... doomed to get married to the guy who she didn’t love and who didn’t love her back. And what was supposed to be only a whirlwind romance before her “big day” in a month somehow she ended up with another proposal, this time from the guy she somehow within two week... or was it from the first sight? The thought is so silly that she almost laughed at it. Silly... you don’t believe in love from the first sight... you don’t believe in love at all... not since... Her eyes widened... Shit... she gasped, the kaleidoscope of events was spinning in her brains quicker and quicker...

Their first meeting... their dance... their kiss... threesome... her eyes locked on his through the mirror... his pulsing length in her... sleeping together... then the letter... the tears... the fight with her parents... loveless engagement... the Summit... the sex... the last two weeks filled with sex and passion... then more sex... their fight... him not wanting to let her go... proposal... her muttered Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!!... more tears... another two or three weeks of sex and passion... his parents cutting him off... her parents cutting her off... and now another proposal with RING, and two choices she needed to choose from… when in reality here was the only choice she wanted to make.

The panic rising in her and the lump started to build in her throat again until she felt the gentlest squeeze of his hands and she suddenly felt calmer, not suffocating from pressure, more free then she ever felt. Her eyes moving between two choices... one of which she will make in a moment... the one that will change her life forever.

Her hand reached to the one and he closed his eyes to steady his breathing. And if he thought that previous wait for her to open the box was torturous now the single moment felt excruciatingly long, but he still waited patiently not rushing her until he felt something against his lips and he twisted his nose before taking a bite, feeling how his heartbeats slowed… then stopped... then stopped again... before starting to beat anew... reborn, when the lavender lemon taste with a hint of honey exploded on his taste buds, nauseatingly sweet, but SO sweet... the taste of Yes!!!

His eyes flew open meeting hers, smiling... before his lips met hers urgently... passionately. The way it was from the first moments they met. The fire igniting inside them... burning them before Blaine broke the kiss, both panting heavily. His hands reaching to hers taking the heart shaped macaron out of her hands.

“You minx,” he whispered against her lips, smiling, before taking the ring from the macaron and sliding it onto her finger before kissing her again… before loving her… before devouring every single inch of her body with his. Every movement and kiss was a promise… the promise of freedom and the promise of love she was seeking for.

And after the hours they lay together on the white blanket, spent and happy. The food was everything that Denise loved, and Blaine was everything she could ever wish for.

Tagging:

@choices-bound​​​​​ @jamespotterthefirst​​​​​ @mercury84choices​​​​​ @k2624​​​​​ @kowshikha @sophxwithers​ @itsjustwinter @ramseysrookiex​

[carewyncromwell]

*sings* Cinderella...you’re as lovely as your name, Cinderella~...

Okay, some quick notes before we start. Despite the beauty of their work, painters’ palettes were actually rather limited on pigments during the Renaissance, only having three pigments more than artists did during the Middle Ages. The Moly is a magical plant that appears in Homer’s The Odyssey. Hermes gives it to Odysseus as a charm to protect him from Circe’s spells. It’s been most commonly compared to the snowdrop flower by scholars. It also is referenced in the canon Potterverse as a powerful herb that can counter enchantments.

The Willow Song appears as a motif at the end of William Shakespeare’s Othello, though it was written at least thirty years earlier. In Othello, Desdemona sings a few stanzas of it in response to her husband’s growing distance and madness -- to the audience watching the play in Shakespeare’s day, which would already know the song, its inclusion foreshadows Othello and Desdemona’s tragic ending. “No One is Alone” is from Stephen Sondheim’s well-regarded musical Into the Woods, which features Cinderella as a semi-major character -- the song is actually even partially sung by Cinderella in the show!

I edited the art for this section, as you can tell. Badeea’s painting is a modified photograph of the Chateau de Chambord in France, overlaid on top of my own drawing. (Thanks, Lunapic!) This is also my very first time drawing Badeea!! GOD, is she pretty!! I think her eyes are my favorite of all the HPHM cast.

Previous part is here -- whole tag is here -- Katriona “KC” Cassiopeia belongs to @kc-needs-coffee -- and I hope you enjoy!

x~x~x~x

When Carewyn followed up with Andre the next morning, he was quite disappointed when he saw Carewyn wasn’t wearing the new shoes he’d made for her with her uniform. He honestly hadn’t even considered that they wouldn’t be comfortable for walking in -- and honestly, Carewyn could sort of understand why. Andre had never been able to leave the palace grounds, so there no doubt were a lot of practical things he’d just never considered...such as how very flashy royal fashion was, compared to that of the common man. He was pleased with the feedback Carewyn “passed along from her cousins” for him, though -- completely unaware of the fact that all three comments were really opinions that Carewyn herself had had about the dress.

“Hmm...that is a good point,” said Andre, his hand resting on his chin. “Red is a beautiful color...but a deep blue would not only bring out your eyes, but it would also perfectly contrast your ginger hair, since blue and orange are on opposite sides of the color wheel...”

His face burst into a bright white smile. “Your cousin Iris really has an eye for colors.”

Carewyn successfully fought back a groan, even as her eyes drifted up off toward the top corner of the room.

“...Well, she has taken up embroidery as a hobby. I suppose when one spends a lot of time doing samplers, one could develop an eye for colors.”

And also create a lot of initialed handkerchiefs to conveniently drop in front of noblemen so they pick it up and return it to you.

Andre, however, reacted with some interest. “Is that so? Hmm...well, maybe when I’m working on your new pair of shoes, I could invite her over for tea so she can give me her second opinion before I give them to you.”

Carewyn had never disliked a thought more in her life that Iris having a say in what she wore -- but knowing that she shouldn’t be the one to sabotage Iris, especially when her cousin would no doubt be able to do it well enough on her own, she put on her best smile.

“...I’m sure Iris would enjoy that very much.”

Sure enough, within a week, Iris had been invited to the palace for tea with the Prince. Carewyn could only imagine how thrilled Iris, her aunt Claire, and Charles were. As for Carewyn herself, she knew it was now time to do as Charles said and stay out of Iris’s way...and so when Iris arrived, she made sure to clean the rooms in her wing of the palace in a different order and not sing so that Andre wouldn’t be able to “check in” on her with Iris in tow. She didn’t think she could stand it if Iris got to look down at her polishing the palace floors.

Her lack of singing, however, did catch Badeea’s attention. When Carewyn collided with the court painter in the hallway, she expressed some concern.

“I missed your accompaniment, while I was painting,” she said. “Is everything all right?”

Carewyn felt guilty as she leaned her broom against the wall for a moment. “Oh...yes, Badeea, I’m fine. I merely...well, my cousin Iris is spending time with the Prince today, so I thought to...well, not draw focus.”

Badeea nodded in understanding. “Mm, yes...some things are meant to be background details, while others are meant to catch the eye straight away.”

Carewyn and Badeea caught the sound of Iris’s twittering, bird-like laughter echoing down the hall toward them. Not wanting to be seen when or if Iris and Andre came out into the hall themselves, Carewyn quickly picked up her broom and went around the corner -- Badeea adjusted her easel under her arm and followed.

“Say, Carewyn,” said the court painter thoughtfully, “why don’t you dress up in that nice yellow and green dress you have and come to the market with me?”

Carewyn blinked.

“I need to pick up some more carbon black and indigo for this painting I’m working on for Andre, but the man who sells those paints loves to price gauge. If you were dressed up all fancy and you slid in a reference to your family, though, he might be less likely to try to rip you off,” Badeea added with a tiny, coy smile.

Carewyn frowned, feeling a bit unsure. “I don’t know, Badeea -- I still have a lot of work to do...”

“You have the whole rest of the day to finish,” Badeea reminded her. “It would only take maybe an hour or two. And it would get you out of the palace while your cousin’s here.”

Carewyn considered the matter. Truthfully she’d been hoping to finish her work quickly so she could stow away back to the library and scan more troop deployment records...but she really did hate the thought of bumping into Andre and Iris, not just because of how much Iris would hate Carewyn getting any attention and therefore delight in tormenting her in front of the Prince in order to puff herself up, but because she didn’t want to provoke Charles’s ire unnecessarily.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll go change.”

Not long later, Carewyn had put on her mother’s old dress, pinned her hair up, and joined Badeea by the front gates, and the two headed into town on foot. The sky was still rather gray -- it had been raining and thundering for the last couple of days, and there was still a lot of mud in places. Carewyn was glad she was wearing her worn brown shoes under her gown rather than the pretty heels Andre had made for her -- particularly since nobody would likely be looking at her feet.

The shopkeeper in question was indeed a bit intimidated when Carewyn offhandedly referred to “her grandfather, Charles Cromwell” -- and soon enough, Badeea had been able to skip most of the haggling she would’ve normally had to make just to get her paints at a decent price. They left the shopkeeper’s stall, several jars of paint in hand.

As fate would have it, as they walked at the market, someone else was also shopping, and at the sight of the familiar dress and mane of ginger hair, he ran up to meet them.

“Carewyn!”

Carewyn and Badeea both looked up, to see Orion striding up to them. He once again wore his slightly-too-clean, but modest white shirt, olive breeches, and boots, and he was carried a basket full of henbane.

Carewyn’s red lips spread into a smile. “Orion...hello.”

Orion brought a hand up to his chest and offered her a short bow.

“It seems the stars favor us after all, my lady,” he said, the corners of his own lips kissed with traces of a wry smile.

Carewyn shot a quick glance at his basket and quirked an eyebrow.

“Purchasing some more incense?” she asked pointedly.

Orion’s black eyes sparkled. “I’m afraid we’ve already used up what I bought previously. Fortunately the gentleman from last time remembered my face and didn’t give me too much grief.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Carewyn glanced at Badeea to Orion and back.

“Orion, this is Badeea Ali -- she’s the Crown’s court painter. Badeea...this is Orion Freeman. He helped me retrieve my horse the other day.”

Badeea’s dark brown eyes were very bright. “Ah, yes -- KC had said that you were thrown off your horse. Thank you for helping Carewyn, sir,” she added to Orion.

“It was my pleasure,” said Orion. “What’s the subject of your next piece, if I may ask?”

“A foreboding sky and a distorted reflection,” Badeea replied.

Orion looked intrigued. “That would explain such dark shades. Who commissioned the piece?”

“The Prince,” said Badeea. “But his request was just of a view of the entire palace, from a distance -- I was simply inspired by the rainstorm that passed through a few days ago, and how the turrets of the palace looked reflected in the castle moat.” 

“I wonder how the castle of Royaume would see itself, if it had eyes,” said Orion levelly. “Would it see its beauty, or would it be the type to be critical of its flaws?”

“Hm...or would it see the beauty of its flaws?” asked Badeea.

“True,” granted Orion. “Flaws make us more human -- would that make something more beautiful, by serving as contrast to our strengths?”

“Flaws aren’t something you should simply have to accept,” said Carewyn demurely, her arms crossed. “One should strive to be better than one already is. Even if one is only human, that doesn’t mean they can’t work to be something better.”

Orion turned to her, interested. “And what would be better than being oneself, my lady?”

“Being a better version of oneself, of course,” Carewyn said, sounding matter-of-fact. “One can always be kinder, braver, stronger...more cunning, more passionate. One can always learn more, and do more, and be more.”

“Yes...but it seems like those could be crippling expectations to hold over yourself, to never be enough,” said Orion, and although his expression was very inscrutable, his lips twitched with something of a frown.

“Perfectionism is a disease that affects every artist sooner or later,” said Badeea sympathetically.

Her dark eyes flitted from Orion to Carewyn thoughtfully.

“I must be getting back to work on my painting...would you like to join us at the opposite bank, Mr. Freeman? I would be happy for some feedback on my work, before I present it to his Highness.”

Orion glanced at Carewyn for her approval -- she offered a small smile, and his lips turned up in a full smile of his own.

“I would be honored.”

So the three set about finding a less muddy spot by the castle moat, across from the palace. They found one right by a beautiful willow tree, where Carewyn very carefully lowered herself onto the grass. Badeea fetched her easel and chair, setting it up so that she had a good view of the castle. Orion looked over her incomplete work appreciatively.

“It looks like it could breathe, were it a living thing.”

“Thank you,” said Badeea. “Now then, I’ll need to concentrate while mapping out the sky, so no initiating conversation, please. These paints stay on fabric just as well as my canvas, so they won’t easily wash out. I would appreciate some accompaniment, though, Carewyn.”

Orion glanced at Carewyn curiously. Carewyn avoided his eye.

“Badeea, I don’t think -- ”

“Ah, ah,” said Badeea, holding up a gloved finger quickly, “no conversation. Accompaniment or nothing, please.”

She then set about mixing certain shades and color spotting sections of canvas.

Carewyn frowned. It was one thing to be singing while she was working herself, to pass the time, but Orion’s focus was still largely on her, and it felt weird. Still, she thought to herself, it wasn’t like she was bashful about singing in front of others, exactly -- she knew her voice was more than serviceable. There was really no harm in it. So, glancing up at the willow tree above her head, Carewyn rested her hands in the grass, leaned back, and sang.

“The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree --

Sing willow, willow, willow...willow...

Her hand in her bosom, her head on her knee --

Oh willow, willow, willow...willow...

She sighed in her singing and made a great moan --

Sing willow, willow, willow...willow...

‘I’m dead to all pleasure -- my true love is gone --

Oh willow, willow, willow...shall be my garland...’”

Carewyn felt Orion’s dark eyes on her at the start. Before long, though, his eyes had fluttered closed, and he sat in perfect silence. As he listened, his shoulders loosened and his expression seemed to clear of all tension or pretense, like a child peacefully falling off to sleep. Badeea painted and shaded to the sound of Carewyn’s low, melancholy singing, adding white highlights to the dark gray and black shadows to create a cloudy sky with sunlight poking through.

When Carewyn was finished with the song, Orion slowly opened his eyes, meeting her gaze again at last. His eyes were oddly hesitant, almost shy.

“Y -- ”

He hesitated. Then, his black eyes softening handsomely, he closed his mouth, and it slowly spread into a smile gentler and warmer than Carewyn had ever seen before. He clearly approved.

Carewyn smiled in return and inclined her head in a silent “thank you.”

Carewyn sang some more songs until Badeea had finally finished and Orion and the two women had to part ways so that Badeea and Carewyn could pack up the easel and finished painting and bring them inside.

The following morning, Carewyn was surprised by KC pulling her aside to hand her a packet of what looked like handwritten sheet music.

“Your friend Orion stopped by a little while ago to give this to you,” she explained.

Carewyn was taken aback.

“I reckon he must’ve hopped over the wall,” said KC, unable to fight back a laugh. “I caught him strolling through the southwest gardens. I told him I’d bring it up to you, so that he wouldn’t get himself in trouble.”

Stunned, Carewyn looked down at the sheet music, shifting the pages so she could scan each line. Her blue eyes softened, growing deeper and darker with emotion, as she read the words and notes.

“...This...this is beautiful,” she whispered. She looked up at KC, unable to fully keep the awe from her face. “...You don’t think he wrote this?”

KC shook her head. “No, he said it was a song he learned when he was young, and that he tracked down the sheet music for you since he didn’t think he’d be able to properly sing it for you. I’ve never heard it either, though.”

Carewyn spent her meal times and about an hour before bed that night perusing the sheet music so she could learn the song. The following day, she felt confident enough to sing some of it while she started about cleaning the Queen’s Chambers.

“Mother isn’t here now...who knows what she’d say?

Nothing’s quite so clear now...feel you’ve lost your way?

You decide alone...but no one is alone.

You move just a finger, say the slightest word --

Something’s bound to linger...be heard...

No one acts alone...careful -- no one is alone...

People make mistakes -- fathers, mothers --

People make mistakes,

Holding to their own...thinking they’re alone...

Honor the mistakes everybody makes, one another’s terrible mistakes...

They could still be right -- they could still be good.

You decide what’s right -- you decide what’s good.

Just remember...”

“Carewyn!”

Carewyn stopped sweeping and looked up, to see Andre striding through the opened door of the Queen’s Chambers toward her.

“An -- your Highness,” Carewyn corrected herself very quickly, after noting who’d accompanied Andre.

Just behind him in the door frame was her dark-haired cousin Iris, dressed in her best rose velvet and her own almond-shaped blue eyes narrowed with loathing at Carewyn over Andre’s shoulder.

Andre, perfectly oblivious to the silent tension between the two cousins, gave a laugh.

“Oh, Carewyn, we’re not back to that again, are we? It’s ‘Andre,’ ” he said with an indulgent smile. “I haven’t heard that song before -- did you learn it recently?”

“Ah...yes,” said Carewyn. She could feel Iris’s fierce glare burning a hole in her face over Andre’s shoulder even without looking at either of them.

“It’s really quite lovely,” said Andre. “Please, do sing the rest of it when you’re able.”

“Of course, Prince Henri.”

Carewyn was absolutely not going to call Andre by his nickname in front of Iris -- she knew how Iris would shriek her head off about it to Charles.

Andre sighed and shook his head in something like tired amusement.

“I was hoping we’d catch you on your rounds,” he said conversationally. “I’m just about finished with your new shoes! Iris said your favorite color was ash gray -- I’ve never really worked with that color before, so it’ll be a bit of a challenge -- but I’m sure I’ll find a shade that might suit you...”

Ash gray? Running with the ‘Cinderwyn’ nickname, then, are we, Iris?

Carewyn forced a smile. “...Thank you. That’s...very kind.”

Feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, she quickly rushed over to pick up her full dust pan with her other hand.

“Forgive me, I really should go and empty this -- ”

At that exact moment, Iris had strode forward, bumping Carewyn’s shoulder in just such a way that the pan was knocked backward onto Carewyn, covering her, her orange and tan dress, and the floor with all of the dust, dirt, and grime she’d swept up over the last hour.

“Oh!” said Iris in feigned surprise. “I’m so sorry.”

Her gaze, however, was just as hard and unapologetic as it had been when she’d ripped the sleeve off Carewyn’s dress at home.

“Carewyn!” said Andre, concerned. “Are you all right?”

Carewyn coughed.

“...Yes, of course,” she said, her voice very hard and stoic in the back of her throat. “It was merely an accident.”

She shot Iris a cold look as she looked over her now thoroughly ruined uniform and the dust and dirt all around her feet.

“Please, go on ahead with Iris, your Highness. I’ll clean up this mess.”

Once Iris had successfully steered the reluctant-looking Andre out of the room, Carewyn closed the door, took off her dress, and finished cleaning the room in her undergarments, so as not to spread the dust and ash around any further. Then, very carefully, she darted across the hall from the Queen’s Chambers to Andre’s, so that she could fetch the high-necked, gold-embroidered dress made out of white linen and light blue velvet he’d recently finished for her from his walk-in closet. After all, she told herself, she needed something to wear while she was getting her uniform cleaned -- and well, at least Iris would be less likely to ruin this dress, since Andre had stitched it himself.

Holding her dusty, ashen dress in a folded pile against her chest, Carewyn headed downstairs toward the laundry. On her way through the entrance hall, though, KC -- who’d just come out of the library -- ran up to walk alongside her down the hall.

“Seems your friend is back.”

Carewyn’s messy ponytail flapped over her shoulder when she looked at her in surprise. “Orion?”

KC nodded, her lips curled up in a wry smile. “I thought I saw someone hopping over the wall through the library window, just now. Shall we go investigate?”

Carewyn bit her lip, looking down at the ruined uniform in her arms.

“Let me drop this off at the laundry first,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

Carewyn ran down the stairs and threw her uniform into one of the tubs to soak, before quickly doing her hair up in a simple, but slightly more presentable braided bun and hurrying back up to join KC. The two women then headed out to the gardens, only to hear something of a scuffle.

“A man with innocent intentions does not hop over castle walls,” said Bill’s voice, though it sounded much lower and harder than Carewyn was used to hearing.

“In this case, sir, I assure you, I do.”

“You will declare your true name and business at once, sir, or I shall see to it that you’re locked in irons and hauled before the King himself -- ”

“Bill!” cried Carewyn.

Bill looked up, startled. The ginger-haired castle guard had slammed Orion back-first against a tree, holding him up off the ground by his collar with one hand, but at the sight of Carewyn and KC running forward, the suspicion and righteous anger in his face dissipated instantly.

“It’s all right, Bill,” Carewyn reassured him. “He’s a friend.”

“Put him down,” said KC.

Bill looked from KC to Carewyn in confusion, before glancing at Orion warily, but he nonetheless did as they said. Once he’d lowered Orion to the ground and let go of his shirt, the dark-haired man calmly adjusted his collar and picked up a satchel that must’ve come off in the struggle off the ground.

“Thank you, Carewyn...Lady Katriona,” he said pleasantly, as if he had not just been in a loose choke hold.

KC grimaced. “Orion, I’ve saved your butt twice now -- we’ve more than gotten to the point of you calling me KC.”

Orion smiled wryly. “I’m glad of it.”

Carewyn, however, still looked a bit harried. “Orion, what were you thinking? Hopping the wall...it’s no wonder Bill thought you were up to no good!”

“Well, the gate was locked, and no one was there to greet me,” said Orion airily.

“Well, of course the palace of Royaume has very strong security,” Carewyn said exasperatedly, “the royal family lives here.”

“I must wonder how the royal family ever receives visitors, then.”

“They don’t,” said Bill rather coolly. “They invite them, and very rarely, at that. And they clearly didn’t invite you to trespass on the grounds.”

Orion was unfazed. “Well, fortunately, I wasn’t looking for such an invitation, to begin with. I merely wanted to give this to Carewyn, as a gift for Madam Ali.”

He reached into his satchel and pulled out a jar of unusually shiny silvery-white paint. Bill, KC and Carewyn’s eyes all were very wide as Orion handed the jar to Carewyn.

“I asked a few people where best to locate materials for paints,” he explained. “One man pointed me to a flower that grows at the border called the Moly. He made this paint himself. I don’t think any colors  like this are made and sold at the market, so I thought I would bring along one of his jars for Madam Ali, so she might use it for her next project.”

Carewyn’s light blue eyes were very bright and touched as she looked up at Orion.

“Orion...it’s wonderful,” she said, her soft voice incredibly warm. “Badeea will love it.”

“You said he used the Moly?” asked KC, as she took the jar from Carewyn and looked at it. “Maybe Badeea could mix up some more paint of her own, then.”

Bill glanced at Orion with a raised eyebrow. “Or the Crown could simply buy it from the vendor who sold you that paint.”

Carewyn noticed a strange, almost skittish glint flicker through Orion’s eye.

“...I’m afraid that jar was a favor, not a purchase,” he said softly.

“I think Badeea would be fine with making her own, Bill,” Carewyn said firmly. “The Crown wouldn’t want to set aside extra money for materials anyway. It’d be a lot cheaper to make a paint like that in house than to buy it from someone else.”

Despite his frown, Bill nonetheless sighed and nodded. “...True. Charlie’s needed a new set of scratch awls for ages.”

Orion looked pleased. “I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

“Perhaps the next time you want to see Carewyn, you might figure out a way to do it that doesn’t require you scaling walls like a prowler,” said KC amusedly.

Carewyn shot KC a slightly reproachful look. Orion’s muted smile rather resembled that of a satisfied house cat.

“I’d be happy to arrange more regular meetings outside the palace, if Lady Cromwell would be open to it,” he said, his black eyes sparkling as he glanced at Carewyn.

Carewyn raised her eyebrows coolly at him. “Once again, Mr. Freeman, you seem to have an unusual amount of freedom, if you’re able to consider allocating time just to meet me.”

Her lips then spread in a wry smile.

“Still...I can hardly sit by and let you get arrested for trespassing on my account. I have some time available late tomorrow morning, before noon. I could meet you by the gate then.”

Orion grinned. “I’ll look forward to it, my lady.”

[trashcankitty12]

Bloom Headcanons:

Everyone, meet Bloom Peters (or, if you prefer, Princess Bloom Hannes of Domino). 

She gets a bad rap(or is it rep?) for being the center of attention so often and for having her character written poorly. It happens.

So please, take this time to re-learn Bloom and who she really is.

(As stated before these headcanons may work for other verses and stuff, but they’re mostly for my main verse “Balance/New Company of Light” and “Left”.)

-Bloom sort of has two birthdays… When she was found by Vanessa and Mike, the doctor they took her to gave his best estimate of December 10th. However when she revived Domino and Marion and Oritel told her about her birthday, it turned out that her birthday is actually a few days later. (Give or take with the Magical Dimension calendars… Their months and days are just a tad different than ours.)

-Vanessa and Mike sort of knew that Bloom was special. Not just because of how she was found, but because of her actions as a child. (Like she was never sick. Not really. And she always seemed to be hotter than her classmates were temperature wise. And if she was hurt, she always healed really quickly.)

-Bloom had never really thought much of her birth parents until she discovered her magic (and Stella) and the rest of the Magical Dimension. Granted, she had her thoughts about them and had questions she wanted to know the answers too, but she had never planned on hunting them. (At least, not until she was over 18… She didn’t want to hurt Mike and Vanessa’s feelings or make them feel that they weren’t enough for her.)

-Bloom is the third best driver out of the Winx group. Tecna and Layla being the most careful/best. (Though Layla could be considered more of a stunt driver…)

-She had never really ridden horses much before meeting Stella. In fact, she can recall maybe one time riding a pony at a birthday party for one of her classmates. Stella, being the horse girl that she is, found that unacceptable and had arrangements made so that for a week during their summer vacation, all of the Winx girls could come to Solaria and hang out at her uncle’s ranch. (Bloom ended up being surprisingly decent at riding… But Flora and Layla were much better.)

-Bloom’s not that short, in fact she always thought she was average height when she was on Earth. (5’4”) However, upon meeting other Dominians, it became clear to her that she was a little on the small side. (Oritel says she takes after his own mother, Rest Her Soul.)

-The summer after reviving Domino, Bloom stayed and basically got a crash course on her planet’s history and on princess etiquette. (Yes the maids annoyed the fuck out of her, and learning how to walk in royal gowns and robes was difficult, and WHY ARE THE MAIN COLORS OF DOMINO SUCH A GOLD COLOR?!)

-Daphne helped make the transition easier, considering she had been able to watch Bloom’s growth on Earth and at Alfea and knew how to make it make sense for her sweet niece. (When she’s not busy being the Nymph…)

-Bloom was just grateful that Stella and Layla had been given her courses on princess stuff ever since she and Sky got their shit together. It made everything so much smoother.

-On the flipside, Bloom helped her parents and the Councils of Domino integrate into modern society and learn more about the changes in the world. (And what she didn’t know, she knew who to point them to… Which was mostly Stella’s parents and the Parliament of Zenith.)

-Bloom and Mitzi used to be friends. It was way back in elementary school and they were close. Things changed when Mitzi started spending more time with her stepmother and developed her ‘I’m better than you because I’m rich’ attitude. (It was why Mitzi could hurt her so bad, she was one of the few who knew enough about Bloom to hurt her. Especially when it came to her being adopted.)

-Vanessa and Mike told Bloom about her adoption early on, making sure she knew how much they loved her. (Even if they didn’t tell the whole story…) Bloom always felt loved and was thrilled to be their child, but there was always that part of her that wondered why her birth parents didn’t keep her. (And if there was something wrong with her…)

-After Domino’s revival, Bloom made sure that Mike and Vanessa and Oritel and Marion got to know one another. It was important to her that both sets of parents got along. (And they do, quite well… Most of the time… Oritel and Mike may have differing parental views.)

-Bloom’s earth family isn’t that large. Just a few aunts and uncles and cousins. Mostly from her mother’s side. (Mike was an only child.) And because they were all pretty spread out, they only really got together during the holidays.

-During the winter break of her freshman year, Bloom decided to immediately come out as a fairy to the rest of her earth family. She didn’t want secrets and she had Mike and Vanessa help her break it to them. They were all surprised, and kind of worried when she first showed them her wings… But they were all proud that she was finding out who she was, even if they didn’t understand how magic could be a real thing.

-As for her biological family… It’s really just Marion, Oritel, and Daphne. Oritel and Daphne’s father had been a knight for the Dominian Royal Family, their mother having died giving birth to Daphne. Their father ended up passing away after a fight with a banshee took his life force. And Marion’s parents… They were some of the first casualties of the Great War. (Which brings on mixed feelings in Marion… She loved her parents and hated for them to meet such an end, but at the same time… They weren’t exactly ‘parents’ to her, so much as they were simply her predecessors.)

-Growing up, Bloom was obsessed with fantasy lands and fairy tales. Fairies were amazing to her and the concept of magic just made her feel something so joyful. She read every fairy tale book she could get her hands on, read every graphic novel, watched all the movies and tv shows. (And may have gotten a little into Harry Potter and those Disney Fairy things before the Tinkerbell movies came out.)

-She even has an appreciation for Vampire Diaries. (Yes, she knows the tv show is bad, but it’s her guilty pleasure dammit. And it’s also one of Stella’s and Musa’s now.)

-Bloom also has a guilty pleasure in watching reality shows… Specifically the Bachelorette/Bachelor series. She knows they’re trainwrecks of shows, but she just can’t turn away. (And yes, Stella has gotten into the shows too. And surprisingly, so has Tecna.)

-Bloom’s main hobby growing up was drawing. She loved doodling and trying to create her own fairytale characters and their flowing dresses and elaborate wings. But after meeting Helia and seeing his drawings, she admittedly felt insecure in her own works… (But that quickly changed after getting to know Helia and becoming friends. They tend to go to the local art classes at the Magix Library now.)

-She also enjoys biking, which translated well into levibiking. (Especially after Sky taught her how to drive it. She absolutely loves how fast it can go.)

-And like a true Cali-girl, Bloom loves the beach and enjoys going surfing from time to time. (She’s not that good at it, but she finds it life-affirming.)

-On the flipside, Bloom is good at gardening and tending to flowers, but its not something she enjoys doing. Yes, she enjoys spending time with her mom and everything, but the flowers just don’t… Speak to her.

-She’s never been one for fashion and tended to dress more for comfort… But upon meeting Stella… That changed pretty quickly. (Now she dresses for both comfort and style. The best of both worlds.)

-Bloom was a decent student at Alfea, mostly a B’s students with a few A’s. (Her favorite class was learning defensive spells actually… And her least favorites had to do with the Magical Reality Chamber. Mostly after things had happened with the Trix.)

-Speaking of the Trix, Bloom will admit… She had had hope for them to turn their lives around after freshmen year. She’d sincerely hoped that they’d become better people at Light Rock, that maybe they’d see the error of their ways.

-She didn’t lose hope for them either, until they’d nearly killed her and her friends to get Cloud Tower’s piece of the Codex. (And even then, a small part of her hopes on.)

-Bloom’s connection to her Dragon side has gotten stronger and stronger each day since her magic “woke up”. At first the Dragon could only speak to her in her dreams, but now she can hear its thoughts and even catch glimpses of its memories from its past hosts. (Or should Bloom consider it a ‘she’ even though it’s a spirit? The Dragon’s voice is feminine…)

-Bloom’s still hoping to gain Erendor and Samara’s respect/acceptance. She knows they’re not perfect people, but they’re Sky’s parents and she wants to get along with them. Which is one reason it’s so good she got Domino back in action, having her father talk to his might smooth over any remaining hostilities. (Especially from where Diaspro was concerned.)

-Speaking of Diaspro, she was willing to try and make amends with the other fairy after the events of freshmen year. Being in that grueling battle against the Army of Darkness had her realizing that life’s too short to hate people, especially people who had been put in just as bad a place as she was. But that was short-lived after seeing the paparazzi pics from Stella of Sky and Diaspro hanging out.

-(Yes, Bloom and Sky had a shit-ton of issues to work out. The two had a very long and awkward and emotional talk after Valtor’s defeat, wanting to finally clear things up between them once and for all. Now they’re stronger than ever.)

-Bloom was relieved to head back to earth for a mission after finding out about a fairy and a witch having their powers wake up. It gave her an excuse to put a pause on her princess training. (She knows it’s important, but it’s so much information to take in at once…)

-She’s not sure if it’s just her or not, but Bloom loves the feeling of transforming into her fairy forms. She can literally feel her magic come to the surface of her skin and create these clothes and unfurl her wings and just… She feels so alive.

-Out of all the realms she’s visited, Bloom thinks Linphea and Melody are the prettiest. They’re so picturesque and everything about them is just alive and light and she feels so amazing being there. (She’s still not sure how she feels about realms like the Ice Kingdom… There’s so much underneath their surfaces that she just… Can’t place.)

-There have been times when Bloom has actually wanted to hurt people. To obliterate them. (When the Trix nearly killed Kiko, when she was sure they stole the Dragon Fire, when she thought they got Tecna killed because of the Omega Portal, and when Ogron came after Roxy.)

-In the future, Bloom hopes she’ll become a great and worthy queen. That everything she and her friends went through, that everything her family did, wouldn’t be in vain. And she sincerely hopes that Sky will be there at her side. (Though she’s not sure how attempting to combine Eraklyon and Domino would go over, or if it could be done.)

-Seriously though, she hopes to be a great Dominian Queen one day. And that she’ll be able to trust her Dragon’s guidance to do what’s necessary.

[vs-redemption]

for the character ask game: Luck, Magna, Finral, Gauche and Vanessa

From Cindy: Hey anon! I’m sorry this took so long to post! I just had to really think about some of these! It was super fun to write though, so thank you so much!

*Sorry this is so long!*

Luck Voltia

First impression

I had a tough time getting over the fact that his English VA was the same as Midoriya from BNHA at first, but thankfully that went away pretty fast. I pretty much loved Luck immediately though. I heard him trying to fight people with that crazy look on his face and was sold. I also lost my mind a bit when they started calling him the “cheery berserker.” Like, please give me a nickname like this please.

Impression now

I still love Luck a lot! My initial reasoning still stands, but I’ve also enjoyed that we’ve had a few peeks into his past and inner workings of his mind to understand not only WHY he acts the way he does but also gain an understanding that he has complex emotions and isn’t just a crazy fighting machine.

Favorite moment

All Luck moments are great, but I always laugh when I think about the time Mereoleona blasted into the Black Bulls hideout to kidnap people for training. Everyone else looked horrified to be dragged away by her fire claw arms, but Luck just has this super happy excited look on his face! He’s so cute.

Idea for a story

What about Luck discovering he loves a hobby other than fighting? Like singing or drawing? Or an AU where he’s in a boy band or something ahaha

Unpopular opinion

I do love his friendship with Magna, but I do feel like it’s a bit unbalanced at times and maybe toxic for Magna. I’ve said this before, but Magna is pretty sensitive and seems to get genuinely upset when Luck manages to outperform him, especially when Luck managed to get into the magic knights and he didn’t. Luck is also kinda blunt about things sometimes, and even if he doesn’t really mean any harm by it, it makes me feel bad for Magna.

Favorite relationship

Despite what I just said, of course I enjoy Luck and Magna’s relationship. Luck inspires Magna to get stronger, and Magna is patient enough to endure Luck’s antics while also serving as an example of what human relationships should look like since poor Luck has such a weird, unhealthy relationship/attachment to his mom.

Favorite headcanon

It’s hard to imagine Luck in a romantic relationship since he’s just a small ball of crazy energy, but I’d like to think he’d be super warm and cuddly with someone he loves.

Magna Swing

First impression

I had a hard time knowing how I felt about Magna at first. I never disliked him but I went back and forth about him a lot and I’m not sure why. I’m naturally drawn to characters associated with fire, so I liked his magic right away. I suppose it took me a while to get used to his personality though. I think his appearance threw me off a bit too.

Impression now

I’m cool with Magna! He acts loud and tough all the time, but inside he’s actually really sweet. He’s a hard worker, which I respect, and he deeply cares about his friends and teammates in the black bulls.

Favorite moment

I like when he introduced that new vanishing fireball attack (I think against Asta in the royal knight exam). That was so cool that he adapted his power and learned from the mistakes from previous fights. I also just love any time he freaks out and starts batting fireballs at Luck. It’s funny. Or any time he screams about his crazy cyclone.

Idea for a story

What if someone wrote a fic where Magna joins the Crimson Lions instead of the Black Bulls? He could train his fire magic with the Vermillion family. That might be neat.

Unpopular opinion

Magna isn’t really my type, looks wise, but I definitely did a double take during the elf fights when his sunglasses were off and his hair was all disheveled.

Favorite relationship

I really like Magna’s relationship with Yami. Magna really respects the captain, and it’s nice to see them go out and do their gambling together even though it usually ends up with them returning empty handed and naked. haha

Favorite headcanon

Magna seems pretty shy about relationship stuff. He looks and acts like a punk, but I bet he’d be a perfect gentleman to his significant other. I can imagine him defending their honor or just taking care of any assholes who try to bully them.

Finral Roulacase

First impression

Oh Finral! It’s hard to remember clearly, but I think I felt disappointed with him at first. He was just kind of this guy that was obsessed with getting a date and used by Yami for making portals. I didn’t like how lazy and unmotivated he seemed.

Impression now

I am a firm believer that Finral is a precious bean and I love him so much! Now that I know where his insecurities come from, I can understand and sympathize with his nervousness and low self-confidence. I absolutely love how he’s been working harder and learning to use his magic in more useful ways to become a more valuable member of the team though. He’s starting to stand up for himself and become not only a better magic knight, but a better person in general too. (Although his flirting never bugged me that much)

Favorite moment

I don’t like that Finral got hurt so badly, but the moment where Langris was attacking him and every member of the black bulls rushed to stop him was really powerful. It showed that he was a loved member of the squad, plus the whole fact that he was finally making a stand against his brother was a big deal for him.

Idea for a story

I’d like to read anything about Finral with someone, either a friend or partner, who gives him lots of affection and verbal praise so the poor guy can build up his confidence a little. He deserves that. Smother him with love and affection! Do it!

Unpopular opinion

I don’t really care for the whole “competing to marry Lady Finesse” thing. I want Finral to find happiness and be able to have a comfortable and respected role within his family, but I’m not too concerned about if he ends up with her.

Favorite relationship

I’ve been thinking about this for a few minutes and I honestly can’t come up with one, which is sad. Maybe I’m forgetting someone but it doesn’t seem like Finral has any close relationships/friendships. I know he’s friends with everyone in the Black Bulls but nobody stands out as being especially close to him.

Favorite headcanon

Finral probably has a lot of guilty pleasure hobbies that help him manage his anxiety. For example baking, knitting, reading romance novels, or listening to cheesy love songs.

 Vanessa Enoteca

First impression

I feel like I was just curious and confused about most of the Black Bulls when they were first introduced because they all seemed like… lazy or unmotivated, so I didn’t understand why they were even in the magic knights or how they passed the exam. Turns out Yami just hands out Black Bull robes like Halloween candy. lolol

Impression now

I like the growth her character has gone through during the series. She seemed like a lazy drunk at first, but when she is motivated she is REALLY motivated. Her loyalty to the Black Bulls is so absolute that it seems like she’d sacrifice ANYTHING or pay any price for her friends.

Favorite moment

When she goes back to the witch queen and offers to give up her freedom to try and save Asta’s arms. It is such a selfless thing to do and it just shows how much Vanessa loves her teammates.

Idea for a story

Uh… a soulmate AU that involves her red thread magic?

Unpopular opinion

I thought it was kind of random that she apparently has a crush on Yami. Like, its fine… I also have a crush on Yami, but I didn’t think it was necessary. Her admiration for him could just be platonic and that would be just as meaningful.

Favorite relationship

Either her relationship with Finral or her relationship with Yami probably. Even though I’m not a huge fan of the green in Finral’s hair, I think it’s cute that he came to Vanessa for advice and that she wants to help him reinvent himself.

Favorite headcanon

Why did I just think of Vanessa and Gordon running an apothecary together? They can just brew potions and poisons together and it would be great. I don’t know.

Gauche Adlai

First impression

Was I supposed to have any other impression than that he was a super creepy sister lover? haha

Impression now

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over the sister thing. That actually upsets me because everything else about Gauche is so cool to me. His magic is really awesome, and I love how unique and creative it is. And honestly, I don’t even care that he’s obsessed with his sister. I get that she’s the only family he really had and that he’s protective, but it doesn’t have to be that weird. It really doesn’t.

Favorite moment

I really liked when he used his magic to make a bunch of doubles of Asta, and every other time he caved and actually worked together with other members of the Black bulls. I also like whenever he blasts Asta with a mirror out of nowhere because Marie said something about liking him. Poor Asta has no idea why he’s getting attacked.

Idea for a story

Oh! How about Gauche taking over the church where his sister lives and becoming the protector of all the children? Or he could run a “scared straight” program where he intimidates delinquents into becoming better citizens.

Unpopular opinion

I’m not sure but I think most of his lines about Marie are actually hilarious. Like when he wouldn’t attack Sally’s monster thing because it looked like Marie. That was amusing. It’s just that when his nose starts bleeding and stuff, that makes it go from funny to awkward and creepy.

Favorite relationship

I’ll go with his relationship with the nun. He is such an asshole to her, but she throws it back without hesitation.

Favorite headcanon

I have no idea, but can we start shipping him with that scales dude (Damnatio Kira). I just thought of that and it’s making me happy to imagine it.

[writingtoforgetreality]

I just want us to be safe – Chapter 3 (Andy Barber x Daughter!Reader)

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter / I Just want us to be safe-Masterlist

Summary: After seeing the tribute post from Jacob, you were shocked to read the comments. Apparently, your little brother had been bullied by a lot of people. Their words were cruel. Why had he never told any of you? Was he hiding something? He was…

Words: 2,815

Warnings: language (duh), bullying, doubting, social media, Andy being one tired ass man (give him a hug already)

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

Arriving back home, all you wanted to do was go to your room & take a nap. Today had been exhausting. Dad & you had stopped by McDonalds, your guilty pleasure, but after this stressful day, you two needed some fast food. Laurie was already awaiting you. You greeted her & she asked if there was anything new. You had to disappoint her but assured her you would keep on working on it. Laurie told you to stop helping your dad with this case. She knew you loved this job but this case hit too close to home & she said it was not the best idea. Being the stubborn human being that you were, you simply said that you were doing just fine. That was partly true. Nothing would change your mind, you had to get this done, wanted to get this done.

Jacob was back in his room again. Dad, Laurie & you decided to knock on his door, wanting to talk to him. Not because of your assumptions but because you all wanted to be there for him. When he called you inside, he was a bit surprised that there were all three of you seated on his bed. Dad began with telling him that every single one of you was there for him & if he needed something, he should start opening up to you guys. Jacob nodded, not saying too much. Dad & Laurie left his room first. You wanted to make sure to talk to him alone, too.

“You know, Jay…If there’s anything, & I mean literally anything, you can come to me, yeah? I don’t know, maybe you’re not too comfortable to talk with them but I’m your sis. I care for you, do you hear me?” you were not this serious often but you needed him to understand that he had your full support. In that moment, you had forgotten about your previous train of thought.

“I know. Thank you, (Y/N).” he smiled at you. Not a full smile but you were getting there.

“Anytime.” & after that, you exited his room, closed his door & stood there for a second. Right now, it felt crazy to you that you genuinely thought Jacob was hiding something. Your mind was a bit out of place before but you could see clear again. You loved your little brother. He did not deserve to go through this.

Being back in the kitchen, dad continued working on the case. He repeated the talks he had had with the teenagers earlier that day. Nothing made sense.

“Still working on it, huh?” you smirked, trying to lighten the mood. Laurie was watching television, not really paying attention to what was on though.

“It’s just…it doesn’t make sense. Ben was liked by a lot of kids. He never had troubles in school, so why?” your dad was getting frustrated. Usually he knew solving a case could take way longer but the fact that it had happened in your hometown made everything worse. He wanted to find & arrest this piece of shit.

“Maybe we should sleep a night over it. Let’s try again tomorrow, with clear heads.” you reasoned.

“Just a few more minutes, then I’m heading to bed.” He said to which you went over to him & hugged him from behind. He gave you a kiss on the cheek & wished you a good night.

“Laurie? You coming?” you directed this question at her. She had already been looking at you since she had been listening to the conversation you had held with your dad. Something about calling her Laurie felt off. Did you want to say “mom”? That was weird. You had never had the desire to do so but it seemed like the last days had changed you quite a bit. Anyway, Laurie nodded at you, said good night to Andy & went with you upstairs. In the hallway you hugged her & told her to sleep well, her doing the same. After that, both of you went separate ways to your rooms.

Ridding yourself of your clothes, taking off your makeup, you decided to take a hot shower. Thus helping you with your thought process. You needed to get this off your mind, for the sake of your sleep. You stepped out of the shower, took a towel & wrapped it around your body. You took an oversized shirt, one of your dad’s you had stolen from him a while ago, & pulled it over. You usually slept in a shirt only, it was more comfortable that way. Not wanting to blow dry your hair, you just let it be as it was. You had bigger problems than blow drying your hair, for god’s sake. Deciding you still were not tired enough, you laid on top of your bed, taking your phone & started scrolling through your social media accounts. You were not active on any app at all, just checking in from time to time. Snapchat was first. Did anyone use this nowadays? All you did on that app was watching your friends’ stories. It was not like anyone sent you a private snap or something. After being done with that, you went over to Twitter. You mostly used this app to see your classmates posting shit they definitely would regret in the future. It was funny, really. Entertainment at its finest. You were glad that you were a “silent watcher”. That way nobody knew too much about you & you wanted to keep it like that. Last but not least: Instagram. That was your favorite app. You had a private account, of course, only letting people you knew in real life follow you. Your brother was the exact opposite. He had a public account, shared a lot about him, his hobbies, about his life in general. Not even once did you judge him for it. It was his life, he was allowed to share what he wanted to. Speaking of your brother’s account, you saw that he had posted a tribute to Ben a couple hours ago. Immediately, you liked it, thinking how cute it was of him to remember him that way. Honestly, you never checked Instagram comments. Most of the time they were filled with bullshit but this post was dedicated to a now dead classmate. Opening the comment section, you were shocked by the responses.

“We all know you did it. We know you own a knife.”

“Embarrassing…Acting like you were best friends smh.”

“Kill yourself, murderer.”

Tears started forming in your eyes. These comments scared you. Your brother had a knife? His classmates accused him of stabbing another 14-year-old? Not wanting to believe a single word, you checked out Jacob’s other posts, the comments to be exact. Your brother had been bullied for such a long time. How the hell did neither of you notice? Why had he never said anything? You were always so open in your family. Dad & Laurie always said that you could come to them if something was bothering you. While you were someone who expressed her feelings, Jacob used to keep to himself. You did think, though, that he would say something about such a topic. Kids were cruel, especially at that age. You had to confront him. Right now.

11:43 pm, fuck. Jacob was most likely asleep by now. See, that was why you hated social media. It was a distraction & suddenly you spent hours scrolling through your phone, pitying & judging people’s lives. Or you started growing jealous. Whatever, it was not a safe place. Back to the topic: Jacob was asleep, so was Laurie. Dad? He said he would go to bed hours ago. You knew him better, of course. Not wanting to wake anyone up, you silently opened your door, made sure your light was switched off & tiptoed downstairs. Thank god you did not have old stairs that creaked. From the steps, you could already see a small light from the living room area. So he was working still. Your dad, everyone, dedication at its finest.

“So you did lie about going to sleep.” you whispered & yet your dad jumped slightly, not expecting anyone in the room with him. When he looked over at you, he saw your arms crossed, a smile playing at the corners of your mouth. He then noticed your shirt, well, technically his shirt.

“Is that my shirt?” damn was he tired. He looked like he definitely needed some rest. Last night was short & he needed sleep to function the next day.

“It WAS your shirt. Borrowed it a while ago.” with borrowing you meant that you had no intention on returning it. You could not help it, your dad’s clothes were simply more comfortable & that were facts.

“Borrowed, sure…Anyway, what’s up, angel? Shouldn’t you be asleep by now?” he wiped his hands over his face, trying to get rid of the tiredness he felt.

“Y’know, I could ask you the same question BUT I’m not going to, you’re welcome.” you saw your dad rolling his eyes at you. Suddenly, you were being more serious. You did not walk downstairs for no reason.

“I was on Instagram & then I saw that & I just…take a look yourself.” you handed him your phone, the comment section of Jacob’s post open. All you did was looking at his face, waiting for his reaction. His expression changed. You could see the fear in his eyes.

“These were publicly posted, yeah?” to which you only nodded. “This one’s from Derek. I thought they were friends?” your eyes grew wider at his statement.

“Wait, wait, wait…THE Derek who was over a few days ago? You’re kidding, right?” you looked at your screen again, seeing that, indeed, it was Derek. What the fuck? What friend would write something like that under a post?

“What knife?” your dad asked into the room that had grown painfully silent. By now, you took a seat beside him, not feeling well enough to stand anymore.

“This has gotta be a joke. Why would Jay have a knife? And why would he take it with him?” actually, you wanted to put your earlier worries into words but could not find the right way to do so. You were not accusing your little brother of murder, nope. But given the circumstances…If one person stated shit like that, okay, brush it off, but his comment section was filled with people telling him they knew what he did. There was no way that he had not seen his comments yet. Even a blind man could see that something was wrong. That was cyber bullying & it was illegal. You just hoped he did not have a problem in school. Hating online is bad enough, having to deal with this in real life is even worse.

“I guess that means you were right?” your dad took a look at you, you being surprised. Right with what? You had not told him that you doubted Jacob or did you? No, you were certain.

“With talking to Jake again, I mean.” you let out a breath you did not know you were holding. Of course, the whole “Let’s talk to him” thing.

“Tomorrow morning? I mean…it’s not like I’ll be able to sleep.” you tried to keep your funny attitude but after hearing this…You were not in the mood for trying to fake something.

“At least try, okay?” your dad begged you, letting his face fall into his hands. He was scared, obviously, his son was being accused of a murder. Every parent would react the same way.

“You too, yeah? You need sleep, dad, I’m not joking.”

“Will do, angel. Thanks for showing me immediately.” He got up, gave your hair a light kiss & walked over to the stairs. Then he looked back at you, waiting for you to follow him which you did. He came with you to your room & watched you getting into bed. He sent you a tired smile before he slowly closed your door. Great, another sleepless night. College would be hell on earth tomorrow.

What you did not know was that your dad did not go to his & Laurie’s bedroom right away. He wanted to prove Jacob’s Instagram comments wrong. He wanted to look for a possible knife & since Jacob always slept like a rock, it was easy for him to search through his room. He started at his closet, went over to his writing desk, happy that he did not find a knife at all. His last idea was Jacob’s nightstand. There, he had to be even more silent, the possibility of waking him growing bigger & bigger. Andy was good at being silent though. He opened the drawer, surprised to find a white fabric in there. It looked like something was wrapped inside. No, this could not be. His biggest fear just became true. His son had a knife, not a normal kitchen knife, a KNIFE in his bedside table. The comments were true. At that point Andy knew he would not get any sleep tonight so he did not even try. He simply went back to work, not really paying attention. His thoughts were consumed by his son & his hidden knife.

The next morning approached & this time, your alarm did not wake you. You hade been wide awake for some time now. You got ready & went downstairs, not expecting anyone to be up this early. What surprised you was that not only your dad, also Laurie were already at the kitchen counter. Their heads snapped up as soon as they heard footsteps. When they saw it was just you, their faces softened a bit.

“Good morning?” it was more of a question, really. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“I found this in Jake’s room.” he pointed towards the counter. On top of it was a knife. The realization hit & your eyes shifted between them & back to the knife.

“No…This doesn’t mean anything, right?” of course it meant something & you were smart enough to figure this out too. Never, not even once in your life, did you want to be as wrong as right now. Before anyone could speak up again, Jacob stood a few feet away from us, looking at us with a puzzled look.

“Um, what is this?” Jacob slightly chuckled, not yet knowing what was about to happen.

“Why do you have a knife in your room? And why do your classmates know about this?” usually, your dad never yelled but today was not usual. Laurie sent a look towards Andy, telling him not to scream.

“I- I can explain, I swear.” he stuttered. Was this a hint? Was he planning a lie?

“Well, good luck with that.” you said emotionlessly. Everyone turned around to look at you. You were not someone who liked fighting or provocatively talking to someone but you where not in your right state of mind either.

“I- I bought it a while ago & wanted to show it to a few of my friends. It’s nothing, really, just cool.” he explained. So that was how teenagers defined ”cool”. Interesting.

“And the comments? I mean who even writes stuff like that?” your dad was growing frustrated.

“They’re kids, they don’t mean what they say.” & with that you shot him a glare, knowing damn well that kids do mean that.

“Uh-huh.” was all your dad managed to say. Jacob went over to the counter, ready to grab his knife again.

“What do you think you’re doing?” did he really think dad would let him have this knife again? He should know better than this.

“Taking my knife back?” oh man, he really pushed this.

“No! You’re not getting that back, forget it!” dad’s voice grew louder to which Jacob said he had to go to school. Laurie went over to him, hugged him & told him she loved him. Without saying anything, Jacob ran out of the door, visibly pissed.

“You shouldn’t have yelled.” Laurie told dad & he knew she was right. There was just so much that was going on in his head. The more time went by, the scarier this case got. Every person would see the clues. He was a suspect & you all knew that. What the hell were you supposed to do? You were a family, of course you would not accuse him. Your thoughts were running wild. It felt like you did not know your brother at all. Was he really able to kill someone? Out of anger, maybe? Anger because they had been bullying him? You were not sure anymore. You wanted this to be a dream, a nightmare, but you could not wake up. Little did you know that this was only the beginning of something way bigger…

~to be continued~

Published (08/05/2020) by Cathy

[hs-devote]

17. W H O ?

Moodboard // Content // Masterlist

Disclaimer:

All characters and situation in this story are fictitious. Resemblance to any person living or dead is only God knows.

Previous chapter;

Her gasping voice managed him even more brutal, his dick now was hard and fast. Fucking her like there’s no tomorrow. Her next sentence caught him off guard, making him smirk in soaring ego even more.

“Marcel..”

17. WHO?

The sun was shining brightly. Birds chirping and water stream made the atmosphere calmer. The silence of the morning felt different.

Harry was wide awake since thirty minutes ago. His bright green eyes now staring deadly at the sleeping woman facing him. Her eyes shut closed, breath steady and lips slightly parted. He didn't know when he came back. When he opened his eyes, Y/N was the first thing his eyes saw. His hand lifted slowly, shoving away her baby hair stuck in her forehead. His eyes were sad, looking at every inch of his girlfriend's face. His mind flashed back to last night's memory. He didn't know why he could let Marcel take his place, and pretended to be him in front of his darling. Seeing the innocence of Y/N who thought he was him, talked like himself, and was nice to her.

That wasn’t the first time or twice that Marcel had pretended, and it had Harry worried.

And the most heartbreaking was, Marcel took advantage of the situation. Of her.

Who could bear to see someone pretended to be him and let his Y/N believe it? It was disgusting, irritating.

How the fuck Marcel fuck his girlfriend?

How could he allow that?

And sweet, sweet Y/N. The darling girlfriend, the love of his life. She was too pure to him.

His heart broke to see the two of them having sex. The most terrible of all, Y/N thought she was giving up all of her for her boyfriend, like usual.

If she only knew…

He couldn't stop Marcel, he couldn't go back to his place and saw it all. He was confused and upset. How could he not to be strong enough to fight Marcel?

Harry grimaced when he was some bruises forming on her body. She was fragile and Marcel was rough to her. He left the ugliest marks on her, disgusting bruises that made him remember he let Marcel fuck his girlfriend. He felt guilty about her, and he was sorry.

“I love you, darling. And I’m sorry.” His faint whisper sounded sad. His fingertips touching her flush cheek before landed a kiss on her gaping lips.

God, he felt like he was about to cry.

Carefully, he lifted the comforter wrapped over them and set his feet on the cold wooden floor, rushing to the bathroom after taking a glance on his lover.

The morning was too cold for his liking despite the warm sunshine through their villa. He didn't know why, but the cold felt different. His shaky steps led him to the shower, feeling the water flowing his body and shed all the restlessness that was blocking his heart. Usually, lingering under the water was one of his hobbies. But, not for now.

He quickly stepped out of the cubicle and wrapped the towel around his waist, turned to the mirror and looked at his own reflection. He was silent for quite a time since he was waiting for Marcel. Every drop of water ran down his skin, he counted.

How long it took for Marcel to appear in front of him?

“What do you mean?”

Silent.

“I know you're there.”

Silent.

“Fucking show yourself!”

No. Harry never asked Marcel to show up. This was the first time he asked him, forced him. He didn't like it. He didn't even more like what Marcel was taking advantage of him.

“Well, well. Look who's begging, now?” he smirked, “Hello to you, Harry.”

Harry gritted his teeth, his fist clenching on the counter. “What the fuck was that?”

Marcel sighed, shaking his head. “I didn't do anything. I even behaved nicely all this time."

“The feeling was immaculate. Loved by people.” He hummed, “I'm jealous of you.”

“I've tried, Marcel. I've tried to not annoy you, but, look what you did? I've always been good to you.” Harry grunted, “You're taking what's not your rights! Do you not realise you also have no right over me?”

"I let you did anything. But, when it comes to my girlfriend, I can't just sit down and let anything happen."

"The thing, Harry.. both of us sharing the same body. You are me, and I am you. We're one. Like it or not, we both are one same creature." said Marcel, his eyes were dark as a night storm yet somehow, there was a warmth like a moonlight.

“We share everything. Including her.”

“Don't you dare put her into this. I–”

"Now, I know why you like her so much, or I'll say.. love her so much." He sighed, "She was that devil in between the sheets. Sex with her was  a heaven."

Marcel kept babbling and babbling, while Harry's fists were so tight against his sides. His teeth gnashed in anger, face was hard as stone. He wanted to hit Marcel, so bad. Yet, he couldn't.

How came he hit the shadow?

“And the most pleasurable thing is, she moaned my name, Marcel, not you.”

Harry did remember it faintly. How her sweet lips moaned Marcel's name. Not him. Did she know it was him? If she did, why she didn't refuse him to fuck her?

If she didn't know, why she was moaning Marcel name instead of him?

No, he couldn't let Marcel control himself. Or, it would make Marcel feel winning. Even if he wanted to explode, he had to suppress and stop it eventually. Without saying anything, Harry inhaled harshly and left the bathroom at once.

There, he was Y/N had awakened, sat with her bare back facing him. Her unruly hair was tied highly with head tilted up, it looked like she was looking at the mangroves over there. Very slowly, Harry crawled across the bed, smiling faintly before peppering wet kisses on her bare skin and wrapping his hand around her stomach.

“Good morning, baby.”

“Good morning, H.” She tilted her neck, smiling softly at him before kissing his jaw, “Sleep well? You were wasted last night.”

"Mhmm, I'm a little tired, still." He mumbled, his ring-clean fingers stroking her chin before pulling her lips towards him. He felt a little disappointed when she refused. Yet, the feeling disappeared when he found out the reason.

"Morning breath, H. Although I'm not sure my breath smells, I just woke up and you've brushed your teeth." She whined, "Let me take shower first."

Slouched his shoulders, Harry nodded frantically, “Fine then. We still have plenty of time before going home tomorrow.”

“We haven't had time to walk along the shoreline in the dusk,” she pouted, “I haven't even had time to wear my bikini here!”

He cackled while stroking her knuckles, his eyes looked at every bluish mark in her body, reminded him of Marcel's roughness last night to her. Every time they had sex, Harry never left the slightest bruise in her delicate body. And this was the first moment he was his darling's beautiful body scarred by his own shadow.

Remembering that his Y/N had sex with Marcel made him sick, angry, and upset. He was fed up enough with all of Marcel's tricks, angry with himself, and upset that Y/N was being fooled like this. But above all, he was angry with himself for not being able to protect her.

“I was too rough last night. You have some bruises,” he muttered, more likely to himself, “Does it hurt? I'm sorry, darling. I got too carried away.”

“They're my first sex injuries, to be honest.” She giggled, “I'm quite sore. And it does hurt a bit if you press them. But, it's okay, H.”

“It's not, baby...” shaking his head, he slowly raised he hand, finding bruises on her triceps and wrists, “Look at them..” then, he pointed at some in her ankles, thigh, and even hips, “That's.. horrible.”

“Baby..” Y/N sighed, grabbing Harry's hand and squeezed them, “It's okay. It's not weird for someone to get hurt during sex. Things like that happen. It will heal by itself.”

He frowned, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Maybe we can find something to help it heal faster.” He muttered.

She shrugged, “Maybe. But, I want to take a shower first.”

“Don't take too long, we still have breakfast.”

Y/N nodded happily before leaning over to kiss his cheek; one of her habit in the morning before taking shower. Harry grinned, playfully slapping her bum before she could disappear behind the door.

“Do that again or we'll leave the jacuzzi unmarked!”

With that, Harry laughed loudly. . . . .

There was nothing more beautiful than the dusk with calm waves sweeping the coast. The birds flying split the sky with their formidable wings just seen as the silhouettes, the beauty of the afternoon sun was immediately drowned by the moon.

Wearing one piece bikini, the backless and deep V cut upfront just after her belly button, making anyone who saw it would stop instantly to admire her beauty. Yet, the flowy skirt made a goddess impression, the wind-catching curtain strips design really did her a favour when the wind hit hard. The bikini was pretty, and she felt as sexy as hell.

This one might not as expensive or popular as those Victoria's Secret that Harry brought for her, but enough to made him couldn't keep his hands off her. He always, always had them at her waist or slipping underneath the fabric, resting seductively on her thigh.

“I don't think I want to go home,” Y/N whispered, “Feels like paradise.”

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Baby. But, London is waiting." Harry nudged her shoulder, "But, I promise we'll come back again or go to a more heavenly place."

The wind was getting stronger, making her hair and skirt flow. Without her noticing, Harry secretly adored this God's creation before him. How her mesmerising eyes always had captured him, the cute nose button, the way her cheeks blushed every time he complimented her, the softest lips she had. Her face structure was even more solid than his personality. She was soft, yet solid on its way.

“You're so gorgeous,” he smiled while tucking her strands behind her ear, “Beautiful baby.”

“Thank you, H.” She blushed, “You're beautiful too.”

He laughed, “Beautiful? How come?”

“Beautiful is describing something, someone looks good and shine inside and outside. And handsome, for me, only for something looks good outside. Which is not you.” She bit her lip, teasingly stroke her fingertip down his clothed chest.

She didn't understand why her boyfriend wearing a T-Shirt instead of topless. He had a really nice body, undoubtedly strong physique meanwhile he went all shy with white linen and beach shorts. While his toned chest tight against his thin fabric, his short hanging loosely up to his knees. His little si and no tattoos made the appearance every time his shorts were pulled up.

"I'm a bit sad since we'll back to the complicated life tomorrow," Y/N sighed, "It's nice to have a little time to get back with nature."

Harry nodded, "Good thing neither of us having a bad hangover, or at all. We would spend time just doing nothing in the room and not coming down here. Yet, I didn't really remember what happened last night.”

“You were wasted, H. We ditched the party and you dragged me to the bar, enjoying some nice Tequila.” she frowned, “It was the first time I saw you drink so much.”

“Really? The last thing I remember is you were leaving me to get a drink. Feels like it erased a little of my memory.”

Honestly, Harry didn't forget what happened last night one bit. He saw them in his shadow, could do nothing and be forced to see everything with his own eyes. He just tried to test her, would she tell him back, or no?

“Something came up and it ended with me getting drunk.” he flicked his eyes to her, looking at Y/N who was having her gaze to where the sun would set. The tide wasn't that big yet the winds started blowing hard towards the open sea.

"Mhm, you got annoyed when.." she stopped in mid-sentence, "Well. I've found out that my ex-boyfriend was also the wedding's guests. He came up to me out of nowhere while I was drinking and forced me to come with him. You came on time and got mad when he made me uncomfortable and started talking bullshit."

"Ah, I remember. He said some nasty things and I.. threatened him?" he murmured, was more talking to himself, "The rest is still blurred for me."

“Both of you almost got into the fight if I didn't drag you away. We returned to the table afterwards and shortly left after Kelly and David announced their exit.”

“We got some drink later on and ended up with, obviously, sex?”

“Clearly.”

“Must be wasted enough to had rough sex.”

"Harry..." she rolled her eyes before shaking her head, "I don't even think it was rough."

He shook his head, “Yes it was since you have some bruises left on you, darling. Seemed like I was furious with him and took it all on you.”

Y/N bit her lip before shrugging, stepped a little more until the water soaked up to her knees, her eyes were still staring the sun as if it was being swallowed up by the ocean.

“So, what about him? You never talked about him much and he made you uncomfortable.” he asked gently, “It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. He didn't.. hurt you in any sort of way, did he?”

"Of course no, H. We broke up just because he was bored of me and dated the new girl just a few days after that, it was annoyed me." she shrugged, "Last night was the first time I met him since then and the broke up just made the situation awkward."

“And he verbally assaulted you, which is I can't take that.” he collected his memory.

"I know he was a jerk, but I didn't expect him to be like that. I felt fooled for a year dating him." she scoffed, "And he was also assaulting you, H. That's not okay."

"Fine then. Now I know he's an asshole and he can't be allowed near you. Who knows what he will do next time?"

“Precisely.”

“Now, we'd better do something more fun since we'll back in town tomorrow. Make it some enticing for the last.” Harry wiggled his eyebrow, stepping farther for only joining his girlfriend. His hands now wandering her exposed skin.

“And, what's that?”

“Strip down for me.”

“What?”

“You heard me, baby.”

She nervously laughed, then her voice stern with confusion. “I'm not getting naked here.”

Without saying a word, Harry had his fingers untied her skirt's tie and let the fabric down loose to the water. He hurriedly picked it up before Y/N scolded him and threw it into the sand not too far away.

“It's an open beach and we won't do the thing running on your head now, H.” she cried out when her boyfriend began to remove his shirt, letting the fabric joining her pooled skirt over there.

“We're not doing the skinny dip. I don't want to anyone to have their eyes on your exposed body either, darling.” he grinned, “This one only belongs to Harry Styles,” then making a circular motion around her body.

Now, Harry only had his shorts on while Y/N wrapped in her one-piece bikini, her smooth thighs no longer hindered by the skirts. The tension became thicker after he pulled her closer to his body, wrapping his arm on her waist as the other resting on her back.

"This pretty bikini is useless if we don't use it properly." he whispered, rubbing her bareback and forth. Before she knew it, he quickly lifted her and brought her to water, crashing down their bodies into the calm tide. She let out a piercing screech when the water swallowed down their body together. Instinctively swaddled her legs around his waist and gripping tightly.

They loved to swim, of course. But, when it came from the sea or ocean, Y/N didn't know how powerful they were to against. She never had the brave to swim in the open wide space, like this. So, she entrusted her boyfriend with her life since the sea, or ocean, kept many mysterious secrets. She loved the beach, but the ocean would always terrify her. She inhaled sharply after they made it to the surface, her now face red facing Harry who was holding back his laughter.

"Why you always do that?!" she swatted his shoulder, "Let me take a breath first."

“I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry,” he laughed, kissing her now salty cheek, “That was fun.”

“Not for me. Don't ever mess with the ocean, H.”

“The water bearer inside you is feeling disappointed now. Water is our element, darling.” snickered him, “If we ever die on here, who knows we're going to be reincarnated as a merman or mermaid.”

“Harry!”

Harry just shook his head, knowing his girlfriend didn't like the idea of both of them die in the ocean. He didn't like either, but messing around with her was something fun to see. He knew she was annoyed,  the way her lips pout told him all, so he would try to cheer her mood up.

"I'm sorry, darling. I really am. How about a nice and safe swim before we get back, yeah? Promise not messing around like that again?"

Y/N adorably nodded, resting her head against his neck while her eyes staring away from the illuminating orange sky. Her lips broke a smile when Harry put his chin on top her head and rubbing her sides. She felt the warm salty water drowned half her body, while her upper was warm because of his body heat.

The serene, peaceful moment was something she never dreamt before. The tranquil waves, his warm body, were her own paradise in the middle of life madness. She giggled a little when Harry kissed her wet hair, whined softly when his nose nudging her cheek.

As the sun setting down, both of them lifted their head. Bringing their lips moulded together like they knew what each other was thinking. Harry sighed happily whilst his girlfriend opened her mouth, letting his tongue devoured her.

Y/N didn't know how but her adrenaline increasing of the way Harry was trying to take off her bikini. She wanted to protest, really, but she was too aroused. Her mind was torn apart between the fear of being caught by people or let her body surrender to him.

Yet, the first option quickly slipped down from her mind while his skillfully fingers pushing into her nerve. Her moan made Harry drew a smirk, before sliding out his two fingers and thrusting in again in flash.

"Harry, Harry... Oh!"

Looked like they would tick the beach sex on their bucket list. . . . .

The short escape to Mexico was a paradise. For sure.

The work boredom had hit again once after they got back to London. Loads of paperwork and new tasks screaming loudly once the couple back to the office. And of course Harry would back at it again.

There was some good news, the lawyers succeeded to get in touch with Elle Powell, and Harry immediately planned a meeting. He had to sort this out quickly if he didn't want Erskine to collapse. He was even more got a headache when he saw the percentage of client losses compared to last year. And that wasn't healthy.

Of course they wouldn't meet alone, it would only make the gossip bigger. He would be accompanied by Allen and Y/N, while Elle would come with her manager. Both parties agreed to keep their meetings secret and chose Allen's office as the place.

“Elle Powell and her manager are here, Mr Davys.”

“Send them in, thank you.”

"What do you think now, H?" Y/N mumbled after Allen's assistant announcing their guests' arrival. Her curious eyes watched the way Harry shifted in his seat, fingers fumbling together.

“I just want this to be over, darling.” he exhaled, “I just want the truth. Everything drains my energy.”

“Harry,” she murmured, scooting closer to him, “I may not know how you feel right now but one thing you have to remember, everything will be fine and done. I'm sorry I couldn't help much but I'll always be your side.”

“No matter what.” she added.

“It's more than enough and I thank you for everything you've done.” he smiled softly, “So, thank you, baby.”

The door opened right after Harry landed a soft kiss on his girlfriend's cheek. Their attention was diverted to a familiar face yet kind off blur in Harry's memory, next to her stood someone they assumed to be her manager when he immediately shook Allen's hand.

“Harry.”

“Elle.”

Both of them awkwardly shook each other hands before taking their seat. While Harry could only smile awkwardly, Y/N's face looked sour as Elle ignored her. She began to feel disinterested and prayed that this would over quickly. Harry could feel his lover's displeasure instantly from the way she shifted agitatedly. Conveniently, he rubbed her shoulder and smiled faintly.

“Okay, let's strike to the point. We all are sure Ms Powell busy with her schedule and so is Harry.” Allen spoke, “Did you have the record firstly, Ms Powell?”

Elle straightened her body up, “I did have it in my old personal phone which I have never used again. One day when I wanted to throw the phone, I had to delete all the files there. So, when I checked the gallery, the video was gone. I thought I deleted it. Yet, suddenly the tape was already widespread.”

“When did it happen?”

"I think it was for about a month? Between the gone of video and.. you know, the media started to publish it.”

“And now you don't have the video anymore? Or the copy?”

“Absolutely not. You can check my phone or anything related.”

“What about him?” Elle's manager, Sebastian, averted his gaze to Harry, “Does he have it?”

“No, he doesn't. If he does, why would he ruin his own career or Ms Powell’s.” Allen made a point, “After all, Mr Styles and Ms Powell don't have any bad blood to each other.”

"I think we can make a statement letter for both of them. If one day someone is caught lying, it will strengthen their position." Y/N suggested, exchanging glances at everyone in the room. But, when her eyes fell to Elle, she could guess that the woman was doubting her.

Sebastian nodded, “Sounds good, actually.”

The rest of the meeting went well. Elle and her manager very cooperative and open about this scandal, it wasn't too difficult to get information from them. All they understood so far, wasn't Elle who widespread the video. She was also the victim of this scandal. The video suddenly disappeared from her old mobile phone one night and she didn't know what would happen next. She was kind enough to lend the evidence to Allen since he would take that to the cyber team. Elle also told them she had guests a few nights before the video was lost. But no one could dare to use her personal phone, let alone the old one.

Y/N was a little relieved when Elle didn't make a move of trying to flirt with her boyfriend considering how pretty and popular she was. She felt insecure when she saw her in person, and thinking of how her Harry had been in a relationship with the star.

It didn't take a long time for Allen to report the first update to Harry, which was a nice thing.

"The video was sent to an unknown number via iMessage on the February 15th night time. The video and iMessage were deleted after the video was received successfully. The cyber team tracked down the number's last activity was on February 20 and its last location was in Romford. I'll send someone to trace that location.”

“Do you think we can ask Elle's house footage? I mean, we can find out who came to her house that night.” Harry asked his lawyer instantly. The two of them now were in his office, talking about the possibility.

“I'll ask Sebastian if Elle's willing. I also had some insiders in some online media to find out who sold them the video. We have to move fast and multitask every single thing now, Harry.”

“Yeah, yeah. You're right.” he muttered, “And about Dale. Any update regarding the unknown messages?”

"As you might expect, he paid the fine and made a statement letter."

“That prick,” he scowled lowly, “I'm quite surprised he hasn't sent that kind of message anymore. He couldn't just give up, right? There must be something he is up to.”

“How's the company, Harry? Any good news?”

Harry chuckled before shaking his head, his fingers playing with his signature pen, "What's the good of losing so many clients, Allen? I'm starting to worry about the company's financial and the future of Erskine. Even though I know my people are working hard as we talk right now." he continued, "Sometimes I think, the company's leader image is that important more than the performance and credibility. And that's.. unbelievable.”

“All right then. I wish the best for Erskine's sake, and mostly you. I have to work this case out.”

“Thank you, Allen.”

He huffed right after Allen exited his office. Lifting his head, his eyes now staring at the high ceiling. His fingers pinching his nose bridge then exhaled harshly afterwards. Then, his head snapped when he heard his door suddenly opened. He frowned, Madeleine should have called first to announce his next guest. And it annoyed him.

“What do you want?”

“I'm sorry, Mr Styles. I–”

"Did Madeleine tell you to come to my office?"

“Yes, Mr Styles. Ms Brown announced the cue right after Mr Davis came out.”

“Fucking moron,” he muttered under his breath, “Fine then. Take a seat, please.”

His employees just smiled nervously, taking the vacant chair in front of his boss. Carefully, he put down a thick bundle on Harry’s desk. Before he got the chance to open his mouth, Harry quickly grabbed the report – squinting his eyes.

“That is the Client Monthly Reports, sir.”

“It’s clearly written here.” Harry muttered, arching eyebrow questionably to his employee.

"Right. Apologise, sir." The employee fumbled his fingers, "It's Year to Year client reports. Since Erskine loses some clients, the company's financial state starts to instability. Still on a normal scale but if the condition still continues to go down, we're afraid it will get worse."

“How much is left now?”

“Only fifty left, sir.”

Harry had never snapped his head this fast as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Of the more than a hundred clients they had, only fifty left?

How Erskine would survive with only that number left? He didn't just think of the London head office, many branch offices also depended on them.

“I believe Y/N told me we still have seventy?” he worked his jaw, “She didn’t report my anything.”

“Fifty is the latest update per this week, sir. And I think Ms Y/L/N was overworked and she forgot to tell you. This report was also reviewed by her before I brought it to you.”

He sighed as the soft thud of the reports thrown onto the tabled, his shoulder slumped down. Nodding his head, Harry permitted his employee to leave.

He never thought he would meet the abyss himself this soon. . . . .

If usually he was so excited to work every day, after the scandal blew up, his passion faded away. His footsteps were getting heavier every day, all he just wanted to do was work from home without having to worry about the office. However, still left something might trigger his temper. As recently revealed, an employee tried to embezzle company's money amidst the uncertain financial state since it was also depending on the clients. The man didn't hesitate to fire them and even blacklisted that person from his companies.

It was no surprise that it triggered Marcel to show up. Every day, there must be something that made his blood boil and Marcel would take advantage. He loved it when Harry lost his temper and let him finish the job. No, he didn't finish them violently, just bluffed a bit. Not a drop of blood was done in shed. Besides, he was also keen to be reunited with Y/N. If before he had scowled at her, this time Marcel could put himself to be gentler on their girlfriend.

How did Y/N react?

She definitely didn’t like it when Marcel was around instead of her Harry. Which made her wonder a little, why Marcel was getting nicer to her every day. Of course, it had her feel strange. She didn’t like it also, Marcel took the time to meet her every day albeit she knew Harry almost lost his temper every single day.

Like today, Allen came back to Erskine with Sebastian. Elle couldn’t make it since she was in Brazil for her photoshoot. They brought another evidence to reveal together after Sebastian got Elle’s CCTV footage and Allen with the confidential transcript from his cyber team. Meanwhile, Y/N was a little worried because it wasn’t Harry that they were having now. She had tried to bring her boyfriend back, but she didn’t understand why Marcel was so strong.

“What will we have first?” Harry, or actually Marcel, pulled his chair after Allen, Sebastian, and Y/N had occupied their seats. While Marcel was eyeing both of the men, Y/N thought it was terrible that she might think this man next to her was actually her boyfriend. Marcel was really behaving like Harry for now, or pretending in this case. But to her, their aura was completely different.

"I'll show you the footage from Elle's apartment. We compiled some footage when Elle had guests in her London apartment where she claimed she lost the video at, as she hardly ever invites her friends there. Unless, they're close friends since Elle mostly stays in Los Angeles for her work." Sebastian said while showing the very first of the footage, "It will take some time because we didn't cut the video."

Marcel shrugged, “It’s all right. I don’t have any work right now.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. How could Marcel say that? It was very clear that they still had a pile of work needed to get done today. Yes, she did know this was important but that wasn't the way to answer it. If allowed, she preferred to return to her office and do her work so she could go home on time. She wasn't really needed at this meeting. But, since Harry wasn't there, she had to accompany Marcel to take action if something happened. That was also what Niall suggested when one night she called him and asked for advice for Marcel. From her too, Niall just found out that the frequency of Marcel being in Harry's body was very high.

The first few minutes the footage was played, nothing was out of place. They could see Elle had a few friends around and all of them did nothing suspicious. All of them were girls, no man to be found. Until, a familiar face was seen entering Elle's bedroom – looked like was looking for something. The behaviour got suspicious when they opened one by one of the drawers there.

“Do you know that person, Sebastian?” Allen murmured, “Looks odd.”

Without averted his gaze from the screen, Sebastian answered the question, “Elle’s best friend, but I don’t see her that often since she isn’t a celebrity.”

“She took out a mobile phone!” Y/N whispered as the unknown woman taking out a phone from the drawer, her back was facing everyone so Y/N couldn’t identify her face. Y/N didn’t know what the woman did; just took out the phone and looking for something – she guessed. The woman did it all looking nervous, she often tilted her head to the door as if in case someone walked in. When she was done, she quickly returned the phone in its original place and rushed out of the room. And that moment made Y/N frowned.

“Victoria?”

“You know her? She’s Elle’s friend.” Sebastian asked, “I just know Elle called her by Vic.”

"She works with our client," Y/N nodded, "Her name is Victoria Selley."

“That’s weird. Why was she sneaking around like that? What did she do with that phone?” Marcel shook his head, “Something’s fishy.”

"And now she was pretending as nothing happened.” Allen murmured, his eyes watching the recording showing Victoria was back in the living room, “Do we need to continued this footage?”

“I think it’s enough. What Victoria did is questionable, that doesn’t sit right with me.” Marcel stared everyone deadly, “Can we go next with the messages tracking?”

"Ah, yes. Based on the report I got, Ms Powell still has an active number for her old phone. But, she doesn't use it anymore. She last used the number over a year ago, and back using it again some time ago just for sending a message. The date is exactly the same as the video was being transferred. While Ms Powell old number is still active right now, the recipient's number is no longer active." Allen spoke while handing Marcel a few papers, "Our team tracked down the number, and it belonged to Jaden Peesel. However, he wasn't the one who sold the video to the pers."

“So now, we have two suspects so far. Victoria Selley and Jaden Peesel,” Y/N averted her gaze to the gentlemen around her, “Do you know if Jaden Peesel is someone related to Elle, Sebastian?”

“No, the name sounds foreign.” Sebastian shrugged, “Elle has no enemies or is arguing with anyone. so, if Victoria is involved, this will be confusing. What’s her motive?”

“It’s because Victoria is my ex-girlfriend.” Marcel worked his jaw, “I didn’t even know both of them are friends. And both of them is my ex-girlfriend. What a coincidence?”

“Did you end everything with Victoria on good terms, Harry? I mean, she could just get revenge and find out that her friend was also dating her ex.”

“We were done for good, I think." Harry, or Marcel, scratched his chin, "I mean, we broke up because she's a terrible person."

Even Marcel thought Victoria was awful

“Well, I should warn Elle about Vic, I guess.” Sebastian looked over Allen, “We’ll have to meet again after this with Elle when there’s another progress. But, this is a good development. We thank all of you, we know how many people get hurt by this rubbish gossip.”

"I recommend you to hire a detective, intelligence, or whatever they called, Allen. Because I'm sure this case isn't as easy as we think." Marcel, "The meeting is dismissed if nothing is discussed anymore." . . . .

“How do you think it’s fine?!”

“Fucking moron!”

“I don’t want to see your face again.”

“You won’t be paid if you can’t bring back at least five clients!”

“Your apologies are nothing to me.”

Y/N didn't know how many days it was. Every day, the atmosphere in Erskine becoming more uncomfortable. She couldn't even count how many employees who applied for resignation or were fired by Marcel only. He was getting stronger and barbaric, and Harry was somewhere she didn't know. It made her scared and worried, of course. She didn't want Marcel to become a permanent residence in her darling boyfriend's body. If Marcel had started acting up, Y/N immediately dragged him back into his office and even locked him from the outside so that employees were at least wouldn't intimidated by him. Even Madeleine has given her resignation letter after he scolded badly at her. Y/N took pains to persuade her and managed to get Madeleine to reinvent herself.

Erskine was getting worse every day, and so was Harry. Every time he was there, Y/N would talk and encourage him, even went to his therapy together. Yet, his emotions were too unstable and made it easy for Marcel to come and go. And of course if Marcel was present, he wouldn’t take the medicine, making her have to rack the brain to find the solutions. Some day without him knowing, she mixed the medicine into his food. Was an easy task since Marcel had been able to trust her although not completely.

Today, both of her and Harry would do their weekly work out. Yes, he was Harry since he was more off than usual. It was nice to have him around, but it made her sad that her boyfriend losing his passion. Since last night, even after their intercourse, Harry was more often alone in the living room staring at his laptop screen. Without needing to be told, Y/N knew he was looking at his company reports which were getting down every day. To be honest, she didn't know if Erskine would survive in the future.

Let's pray for the best, darling… - her inner goddess smiled solemnly

At the gym tho, he wasn’t as cheerful as usual and went straightly to the rings – where he would get some good punches. He seemed very expressed to what he felt through his aggressive moves. His stance was confident, his jaw was solid as the rock even Y/N could see that through his helmet. Yet, the woman still saw the vulnerability of his low state. Harry was the rock from the outside, but the inside the rock could be crushed at any time.

Even Ben seemed overwhelmed by the jab given by her boyfriend.

“Easy, Harry!”

It might not a nice thing to interfere with his movement, but she could see no mercy in his eyes. He was still Harry, she was sure, but his aggressiveness could trigger something or someone else.

It was no wonder he had become calmer after hearing his lover.

“What are you doing here?” he asked after removing the helmet and mouth guard, then leaning to the rope, “You’ve done?”

“Yes, I have.” She hummed, “Just easy on Ben, H. He looks overwhelmed and you were hard on him.”

“Ah, it’s okay actually.” Ben laughed, “You can be a boxing athlete if you’re that aggressive and knock out your opponent quickly.”

“I’m good, Ben.” He shrugged, “But, yes I admit I was kinda more aggressive. Sorry, Ben.”

“It’s okay, Harry. No need to apologise.” Ben shook his head, “I think it’s done for today. You really did good job.”

"Okay, thanks, Ben."

His trainer gave him a salute before stepping out of the ring and leaving the couple alone. Harry was still leaning on the rope, his upper body glistened with sweat – chest rose up and down due to the intense move he did, the gloves still wrapped on his fist.

“How does that feel?” she asked, stepping closer to the ring, her head tilted up looking at him.

“What?”

“The box.” Folding her arms, she perched an eyebrow, “You were very expressive earlier. Must be good to get rid that uneasy feeling.”

He cackled, “It’s a little relief I could reduce my emotions. But, I need a punching bag to finish it.”

“Well then, go clean up your body. Then, we have lunch and maybe buy your punching bag.”

"But, first. I wonder a bit about this room earlier." He sighed before pulling his glove off, "I mean, this area is only used by me albeit I don't rent it myself, hardly anyone uses this." Throwing the gloves away, he leaned back to the rope, his hands dangled together, "How is it like to use this ring for another matter purpose?"

She stared at him dumbfounded while he was wiggling eyebrow, “What?”

“What it feels like to have sex in this ring?”

Kinky much... her inner goddess blinked eyes

Y/N felt her jaw dropped the floor, eyes blinked twice to process what he just said earlier. Whilst Harry just gave her a smug look, she shook her head while grabbing her bag.

"Don't start, H." she warned him, "The most I want right now is grab lunch because this girl is starving right now."

He rolled his eyes, "Uh, all right. We need to hurry since we have to feed a blue whale, don't we?"

"Yes, we do but she's the skinniest blue whale we ever saw." She sneered, "Must be fun to wanting to have sex with the blue whale, huh?" . . . .

Y/N herself must admit how hard Allen work. Well, him and his team.

Now, she, Harry, Allen, and two workers from his firm would meet with Sebastian, Elle, and her lawyer upon the progress of this case. What made her feel uneasy, Allen told her first that the news he was going to reveal would make Harry explode. He didn’t explain what in detail, but this likely would make her darling man loses his temper even further.

What in the world could be worse than Victoria who did it all?

"Okay, last time we're suspicious of Victoria Selley as the one who sent the video to someone named Jaden Peesel whose the number is no longer active." Allen spoke while opened his document, "We've sued any media that spread it and got them took down the video. One of our members succeeded to get the info, that someone named Randell was the one who sold it to them for USD 25,000."

“That’s a lot of money,” Elle muttered, “But why my best friend is involved?”

“She was seen in footage taking your old phone in your bedroom.” answered Sebastian.

"And now, Eric and Douglas will explain to you guys what we've got." Allen sighed, "This will be quite complicated at some point."

“We found that the last activity of Jaden Peesel’s number is in Romford. When we tried to trace him, no one named Jaden Peesel lives there and around there. No activities related to Jaden Peesel. We think it’s just a pseudonym. Even no British citizen named as Jaden Peesel.”

Roman, Elle’s lawyer, stared at both Eric and Douglas, “How is it possible a fake name being registered as the number’s owner?”

“The fun part will reveal at the end, Mr Kane.” Eric said, “We move to this Randell guy. And very coincidentally, that name is also an alias. The media never found out his real name, but he called himself Randell.”

“Is this fucking joke? What even a Jaden Peesel and Randell guy?” Harry scoffed.

“Our insider in mobile networks tried to check Victoria Selley’s calls log, messages, and even email. And we have a surprising name for you, Mr Styles.”

“Are you familiar with Dale Jespersen?”

Bingo.

If Elle, Sebastian, and Roman kept their mouth shut and giving everyone a curious look, Harry perched his eyebrows while Y/N gave Eric a questioning look.

“Yes?”

"We found out that Victoria Selley in constant communication with Dale Jespersen. Before the tape came out until now, we believe. Even some of her messages show Dale sending some money to her after the woman 'did him a favour' .”

Silent. Everyone kept their mouth sealed.

It took a few moments for Y/N to connected the dot. One thought came up yet she really didn't like this, “So, you said that Dale Jespersen–”

“Jaden Peesel and Randell are the same person, and he's Dale Jespersen.” . . Please excuse some errors Talk to me :)

[kayincolwyn]

The Light In The Dark (Christmas reflection, 12-25-2020)

I remember in my mid 20s, while I was an active churchgoer, going to late night Christmas Eve services, all of us in the church lighting our candles (with their open-ended plastic cups surrounding the candles to keep the flames at least somewhat contained), one candle lighting another candle, one at a time, gradually lighting up the darkened sanctuary and our faces, while our pastor and our elders would lead us in prayer, and I remember in those moments sometimes feeling something I couldn’t name (even though I thought I could at the time, believing it was ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’, and to the exclusion of all other faiths, even though I still have some appreciation for the faith I have since distanced myself from) something perhaps deeper than the religious beliefs I was intellectually assenting to at that time (because I thought I needed to to fit in), some deeper longing underneath the doctrine and the dogma, an aching for something transcendent or even infinite, something that was both beyond us but also somehow within us, part of us, and we of it, and not just some of us but all of us.

Looking back now I question much of what I was told I should believe back then, having walked away from the evangelical Christian world because I ended up being wounded and disillusioned by it in many ways (though when thinking on what I learned from that experience and where it led me, as difficult as it was mentally and emotionally at times, I don’t believe I would go back and change it if I could, because it’s still an important part of who I am today) and yet that longing and aching remains inside of me still, and I believe it is in many of us if not all of us, and whether we may be religious or not, and the symbol of a candle burning in the dark, my own with many more, still speaks to me. Over the last year the world has had to face a global pandemic that has taken coming up on two million lives thus far, and has brought suffering and loss in some form or another to millions or even billions more by effecting the world economy and burdening much of the global psyche with a daily dose of anxiety and uncertainty (added to the anxiety and uncertainty that each of us has to deal with already on an individual and collective level), and along with the pandemic there has been political and social upheaval and turmoil here in America and in other parts of the world that sometimes can feel greater than it has ever been before, or at least has been for a long time, or at least in my lifetime, and all of this, when you really think about it, dwell on it, can make it feel like the times are very dark indeed. I think making a joke of how horrible 2020 has been for so many of us (to one degree or another) has become a widespread cultural meme because being inane sometimes keeps us from going insane, because sometimes our laughter is easier for us to handle than our tears. I could try to go into the details of this time, give my views on the pandemic and on some of the political and social issues of the day, but I’ve tried to do that in previous reflections, and really we hear about it enough in the news, and while it’s important to try to keep at least moderately informed, sometimes it can just be too much and we need a break, and more than that we need something to counter all the reminders of division and sorrow and pain that exist in our world, we need to counter the weight of it all, maybe find some reminders of unity and joy and love in our world to balance things out a bit, find some light in the dark to hold onto. I have found these reminders and this light in things that are too easily taken for granted like food and clothing and shelter, a steady job, or the love and support of family and friends, as well as simple pleasures like reading and watching movies and listening to music, taking a warm shower or laying in a warm bed, getting out of the rain or gazing up at the stars, and so many things. Of course not everyone has what I have, and I am aware of that, aware that I have certain advantages and gifts that others don’t possess in a too often unfair and unjust world where no one should be in want and yet so many are... and there are many who go without food or clothing or shelter, many who are unemployed, many who find themselves without love and support, many who have few pleasures and comforts that they can name, and while feeling guilty for what I have isn’t helpful or necessary, I know that I should be grateful for it and understand that in some ways I’m fortunate, and that I can try to help others where I can so I can make the world a little better (and trying to figure out what ways I can do that, make the world a little better, as flawed and fallible as I am, is something I wrestle with often). Sometime later today (probably sometime in the afternoon because the Wiley clan are generally not morning people) my working class family and I will open our gifts under our decidedly fake and yet ever so shiny and pretty (and that’s really all that matters when it comes to Christmas trees I would think) little blue Christmas tree, and likely there will be a little drama (as is often the case around the holidays as we all know too well), but also likely there will be a little love (which thankfully is often the case around the holidays), which is partly why I still appreciate Christmas even after all these years and even moving further and further away from the innocence of childhood and my faithful letters to Santa, and in spite of all the commercialism surrounding it, and in spite of this being one of the darkest years in memory, because it can be a reminder of the good and of the light. Of course this is just my experience of Christmas, and of life in general, as again not all are so fortunate, and some view Christmas (or even life in general) with so much cynicism and even disgust and I can’t say that I completely blame them for it when looking around at the world there are so many reasons to be cynical and disgusted, and unless you have blinders on you can’t really argue that. And yet I can’t help but cling to my little candle in the dark, the light that life brings me and maybe even the light I can give (as hard as that may be sometimes as flawed and fallible as I am), and look for the candles of those around me and see how they shine, trying to remember those things that make our lives worth living or at least make them bearable, like the simple enjoyment of our hobbies and interests, or the beauty of art or of nature, or the kindness of family and friends and even of strangers, but also those moments when we feel that longing and aching for something more, something that I’ve felt is with us from birth and throughout our lives and until our deaths and perhaps beyond, something that connects all of us on some deeper level that we can’t fathom, that somehow goes beyond the doctrines and dogmas of religion or politics or society or culture which can never make everything clear or get everything right, something that lights up our faces as well as our hearts, that we may try to give a name to but cannot wholly contain in our labels or definitions, as its flame is so great and powerful that the silly plastic cups of our assumptions and expectations cannot contain it, though our little candle flames, as insignificant as they may seem, are a reflection of and a channel for that fire. But even though I no longer believe that we can truly name and define this greater light, this brighter flame, that connects us, let alone contain it, I do find myself believing that (because sometimes I think we can point to the truth, whatever it may be, even while we are stumbling in the dark and there may always be more that we don’t know than what we do know), as the Advent season leading up to Christmas points to, that it has something to do with things such as hope, peace, joy, and love. And we need these things, and in times like this most especially, we need reminders that our world isn’t only filled with ugliness and terror only but also with beauty and wonder, isn’t only despair but is also hope, isn’t only fear but is also peace, isn’t only sorrow but is also joy, isn’t only hate but is also love, and that there is light that can keep the dark at bay.  Of course I can only speak for myself, and I don’t know exactly what the future will bring, and sometimes the thought of it frightens me I admit, even overwhelms me, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that, and yet I keep holding on as best I can, holding to the good, holding to the light. Wherever you are right now, and whoever you are, may you find some hope, some peace, some joy, and some love to hold to in this time, and may you find light to carry you through the dark.

[verai-marcel]

Midnight Rendezvous (Vampire!Arthur x Fem!Reader, RDR2 Fanfic, 18+, Part 1 of 2)

Summary: It's 1905. Working as a saloon girl in a respectable establishment in a small town west of Tumbleweed, you are intrigued by a man who begins to spend his time sipping whiskey at a corner table and writing in a worn journal. He turns out to be far more than he seems. 

Author’s Notes: Finally hopping onto that vampire Arthur bandwagon, because anon requested a fic at the right time. 

Tags: vampire Arthur, medium honor Arthur, female reader, sorta virgin reader, biting, blood, gentle sex, rough sex, light angst

AO3 Link is right here!

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

Chapter 1 - Meetings 

Word count: 1769

“He’s here again.”

You looked over to the corner of the saloon where a man dressed in a worn blue shirt, a burgundy vest, black ranch pants, and black boots sat down at a small table. He had come in almost every night since the beginning of the week, slowly sipping a whiskey and writing in a journal. Watching him with some curiosity, you noted how he took out that journal from his satchel, placed his old stalker hat onto the table, and started writing, occasionally looking around the room, observing his surroundings.

“Get him to buy more than just one drink tonight, would you?” Your boss, the barkeep, gestured towards him. “You’re usually pretty good at that, ain’t ya?”

“Usually,” you mumbled as you straightened your skirts and sashayed your way to the man in the corner.

“Good evening sir,” you said with a simper, pulling up a chair and sitting coquettishly next to him. “May I ask what’re you writing there?”

He chuckled, a self-deprecating tone laced between his mirth. “Just my idiotic thoughts. Nothin’ too grand.”

Your heart warmed a bit at his humble demeanor. “Can I see?”

He shrugged. “I guess.” Handing his latest page over to you, he sat back and sipped his whiskey slowly, watching as you read his flowing script across the paper.

It was wonderful. You sat, enthralled by his every word, until the last sentence ended and you were forced to stop reading.

You secretly loved to read, a hobby that didn’t match your profession. You were supposed to play the floozy, the flirtatious lady who would offer her companionship to the lonely men that came to the saloon for a drink and be doted upon by you and your fellow saloon girls.

Handing the journal back to the man, you had to swallow before you could speak. “It’s… it’s fantastic.”

The man smiled as he looked down and scratched the back of his head. You could see by the way he tried to hide his face that he wasn’t used to such compliments. “None of the other ladies seemed interested in my writin’. They all just wanted me to stop and drink with’em.”

You felt a bit guilty; you were here to do the same thing. But after reading such wonderful prose, you couldn’t help but be honest. “Well, to be fair, they’re just doing their job.”

The man nodded. “Sure. But you actually asked to read my book.”

“So you’re writing a book?”

He shrugged. “Tryin’ to. Thought it might be… interestin’, I guess.”

You nodded enthusiastically. “It definitely is! The way you write is so unique, so authentic, I loved it!”

The man blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback by your zeal. “Well, I… thank you.”

“What’s your name?”

“Arthur.”

“Like the king.”

He chuckled. “I guess so.”

His smile was warm, like a fireplace on a cold winter night, and you suddenly grew much more interested in him.

***

Ever since that night, you had come up to him every time he came in, asking him questions about his book. He was always happy to see you, and would answer you in an earnest tone. He started to ask your opinion, if the latest paragraph he had written felt a certain way, or if his words were too convoluted.

But then one night, when you came to work a little later than usual, you saw another woman at Arthur’s table. She was one of the newer saloon girls, and she was flirting with him, much more than you did. You could clearly see three whiskey glasses at the table, and when she caressed his arm, he didn’t shy away; not only that, his smile grew.

Your heart cracked a little bit, but you took a deep breath. He was just a patron, no one special.

You were just lying to yourself.

Putting away your emotions to sort out later, you continued to work the rest of the night, avoiding the corner of the saloon. 

***

Admittedly, you were distracted and unable to convince enough men to buy more drinks like you normally could. A bit sad that your wages would be lower tonight, you left work at midnight, walking through the alleys to get to your little room in the boarding house. You hated walking along the main road, where cars would sometimes come by, stinking of fumes that irritated your nose. It was about a twenty minute walk, but you hurried home at almost a jog, knowing that at this hour, it wasn’t the safest place to be.

A soft feminine moan made you pause. Was someone in danger? You reached under your skirt and pulled your dagger out of its holster wrapped around your thigh. Inching forward quietly, you peeked around the corner of the nearest building to peer down the other alleyway.

Under the light of a streetlamp, you could make out the profile of two forms: a woman, her back against a wall with her arms and legs wrapped around a man, thrusting against her, his clothes still on, his hat familiar to you.

As she moaned louder, you watched as Arthur leaned in and kissed her neck, making her moan turn into a high pitched cry of pleasure. You recognized her as your newer coworker. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

When he pulled away, you saw a glint, a flash of a fang. Blood stained the corner of his lips before his tongue quickly licked it away. His eyes glowed an ominous red, and he grinned like a cat that had eaten the canary. 

It clearly was not a kiss. And you knew, clear as day, that Arthur was a vampire. 

You stepped away from the building and quickly scurried home, locked the door, put a chair in front of it, and attempted to sleep. 

Sleep did not come to you until the sun rose and you felt safe from the night. 

***

You were tired and terrified, for when you came to work that evening, Arthur was sitting in the corner of the saloon once more, writing in his journal. The other woman was nowhere in sight. Was she home sick? Or worse, was she dead?

Then he suddenly looked up and met your eyes. Unable to look away, you couldn’t ignore him when he beckoned you over. 

"He's askin' for you," your boss groused. "Don't just stand there, go make your wages."

You gulped and slowly walked over to Arthur, warily smiling. He returned your smile with an easy grin and a wave of his hand to the chair next to him. Feeling as if a lion had invited you to sit beside him, you sat down, perching on the edge of your seat, your back stiff as a rod. 

"What's the matter, darlin'?" Arthur asked, his brow furrowed with concern. 

"N-nothing!" you replied almost too quickly. You quietly took a deep breath. "How's your writing?" 

Arthur watched you silently, not answering you for a while, long enough that you squirmed in your seat. You fidgeted with your dress, your hands bunching up the fabric at your thighs. He finally let out a defeated sigh.

“You saw.”

You nodded.

“And yer scared.”

You nodded again.

“Well, don’t be.”

You looked at him, aghast. “How can you tell me that when I saw you suck the blood out of a woman last night?” you whispered frantically. “I don’t even know if she’s alive—”

“Hi there, sugar,” a sweet voice said. You and Arthur both looked up to see the woman from last night, alive and well, with a scarf around her neck.

“Hullo,” Arthur greeted politely. You just nodded, too dumbstruck to speak.

“If you get bored with that one,” she said, nodding her head towards you, “You know where to find me.” Winking at him, she wandered off, her hips swaying a bit too much for your liking.

“See? She’s fine.”

You turned back to Arthur. “So… you don’t kill your victims?”

“They ain’t victims,” he shot back. “They is… donators.”

You raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed. “What would I do if I killed everyone I drink from? I’d be found out eventually. Then what? I’d have to move on. Best if I keep a low profile and just take only what I need. And I offer my… services, in return.”

“So you need to…” You couldn’t bring yourself to say the exact words. “Need to have relations before you drink?”

“Blood tastes best, right when a lady lets go,” he said, his voice deepening.

Something inside of you shifted, and you suddenly felt incredibly jealous of the other woman. What would it feel like, to have such a dangerous creature taking you, taking your body and your blood?

You felt a hand on yours, and looked up at him. His eyes, a swirl of green grass, blue sky, and the yellow sun, mesmerized you for a few seconds before you shook your head.

“Don’t try any funny stuff.”

Arthur laughed. “I can’t do any mind tricks. Ain’t one of my abilities.”

“So what can you do?” you asked, as curiosity began to outweigh your fear.

“Well, I’m stronger and faster than a regular person, and my eyesight is real good,” he said matter-of-factly. “My teacher said a lot of yer vampire powers are based off what you was good at when you was alive.”

“Oh, so you weren’t a con man,” you said offhand.

“Nope, sure weren’t,” he confirmed, chuckling.

“You had a teacher?”

“Yep. When she changed me, she said she could teach me how to survive for one year, then I’d have to move on, find my own territory, before our instincts took over and she’d try to kill me.”

You soaked in all of this information. You couldn’t believe it, and yet you had seen it. A real live vampire. You wondered vaguely how old he was. How long he may have been around. Were his friends all gone?

What a sad thought. 

“So you can’t be with other vampires?” you asked.

He shook his head and sighed. “It’s in our nature to be alone, I guess.”

Your heart broke, hearing his words tinged with melancholy. You put your other hand on top of his, sandwiching his hand between yours. “Arthur…” You didn’t know what else to say.

He gave you a wry smile, but his eyes were still filled with loneliness. “S’okay, sweetheart.” He touched your arm gently, and began to lean closer to you.

You didn’t pull away.

Leaning in closer, he kissed your cheek tenderly. “Thank you,” he murmured. “Fer bein’ understandin’.”

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

Chapter 2

[lebromaah]

“Is There a Reason Why You’re Gawking?”

Pairing: Zoe and Kayn (Zoyn)

Rating: PG/PG-13

A/N: This is a one shot I’ve had in my head for awhile, so I decided to put it into words! It’s not perfect, but I had fun writing it and I hope you enjoy it too!

The sun was setting now; its bright yellow hues grow dim with a mix of oranges and pinks. High up the plateaus that litter Ionia, wind currents weave through each of the structures’ large frames. Howls hum through the heights as the gales mix with each other, like a pack of wolves storming through its rocky edges. Sitting on top of the large formations, amber grass along the small pastures bend to and fro, as if dancing in tune to the wind’s tide.

His skin welcomes the cool air onto its sweating surface, causing a ripple of goosebumps to erect along his tiring muscles. He couldn’t tell if it was relieving, or troubling, considering the sudden change of temperature tempts his muscles to tremble.

A single quake of his bicep, a small hitch of his breath, a quick lapse of will could ruin his one-armed scale form, especially after maintaining it for two hours straight.

Training during the day was never a hobby of his. In fact, he loathed it. He could always feel his prowess for shadow magic weaken while dwelling in direct sunlight. That weakness made him sick. For the longest time, he thought the only solution was to avoid the light to remain strong.

But he was wrong. Though balance in the art of peacekeeping during war is foolish, it’s practicality in fighting and nurturing oneself was always essential. His master taught him this, despite the contempt towards such teachings. There has to be balance in all things. Where there is a light, there is a shadow.

‘The stronger and brighter a light faces you, the more grandiose and abyssal your shadow will become.’

He’s relying on this philosophy now. If he is to hone his shadow magic to a tee, he would have to learn to find his balance, even in unfavorable conditions. The young acolyte couldn’t be more proud of this new found teaching, having already written it down as a core teaching for shadow acolytes that will call him ‘Master’ some day. They will indeed become strong.

Suddenly, his ear catches wind of what sounded like chimes behind him. He curses to himself, disappointed that he couldn’t ignore her presence longer than two minutes.

His companion has been staring at him for a solid thirty minutes. He feels it; her eyes scratch the edge of his skin like tiny blades of grass on a windy day. Though he has adjusted to her now constant residence in his training, taking a drawn out stare from her made him uneasy.

Not so much because of her critical eye, as if she was judging his form; his form was perfect. But because of that eye; the one soaked in rich-purple twilight.

He now understands why Rhaast always chastises her for looking into his fiendish eye; it felt like it was boring into his very being, his very soul, even to the point where she could see the brevity of his life compared to her’s.

That eye, is the one that makes him precarious.

He is nearing the end of his training, where his muscles are at their most tested, ready to give way at any moment. He couldn’t afford anymore distractions. It’s time to say something.

“Is there a reason why you’re gawking?” He hisses between fixed and calculated breathes.

His words causes the floating girl behind him to jump, despite her advantage over gravity. Her reaction told him two things; she didn’t mean to be caught, or she didn’t mean to stare. Judging from how obvious she makes her gaping, it’s probably the latter.

“W-what are you talking about!” she blurts out clumsily as she turns herself right side up in the air. Was she looking at him… upside down?

“Nice try, Zoe,” he responds, not bothering to turn his head to verify his suspicion, “,but you make it obvious.

“Make what obvious!” Zoe exclaims, unnecessarily resonant. “The fact I wasn’t looking? Cause then, you’d be right!” She straightens herself out, placing her hands on her hips confidently, as if she thought she outsmarted him. “Sharp as always, Kayn. Very sharp.”

Kayn rolls his eyes. Usually, he would ride her case in an attempt to assert himself over her. But through trial and error, he’s learned that such a tactic doesn’t work on her naive disposition. She likes to brag, rather than try to affirm her strengths over his.

Participating in such useless banter wasn’t his usual preference, so there was no need to try to outsmart her. He knows who’s better, so he decides not to waste his breath.

He pauses before speaking up again. “Why are you still here anyway? I thought you hated waiting around while I train.”

“Well, I-I’ve never been here before,” she explains, a hint of fluster still present in her chirpy voice. “I already checked out the field of flowers down there; even tried talking to the farmers,” she sighs. “But they ran away.”

Kayn’s throat emits a short hum. “That’s no surprise. If an annoying girl came flying up to me wanting to share her non-existent message, I would run too,” He asserts with an edgy tongue.

Zoe doesn’t bother giving attention to his remark. Instead, her head perks up, causing her free flowing hair to flutter after it. “But you didn’t.”

Kayn’s arm nearly gives way in response to his heart skipping a beat. What a lousy time for her to be saying such things...

She continues before he could defend himself. “To be fair, you weren’t nice to me either. You wanted to kill me!” She cheeps with a giggle. “But I got slick moves and an endless mass of stars on my side!” She slings her right arm, and after, her left, to simulate her Paddle Star as she rambles. “Too bad.”

Kayn’s scowl only grew as she kept bragging. Not only because she was annoying him with her ranting, but because he knows there’s truth to her swagger. She was slick, quick, and unpredictable. Fighting her only spelled a humiliating defeat by her leaving him in the wilds to dream her magic-filled dreams…and the flower crown… the flower crown.

Kayn exhales, as if expelling the creeping lapse of concentration from his very being. “You lose if your magic is silenced for a split second, you know. Don’t talk like you’re invincible.”

“Oh I know; Too bad you don’t have that ability,” she sasses, smiling confidently with a thumbs up.

There’s that look again. Her eyes were wide, radiant, and colorful; as if twilight itself was nestled in her irises. That cheeky grin she flashes annoys Kayn - while also making him a little nervous.

He was aware of that feeling, bringing it up to himself in his meditations. Unfortunately, his sub-conscience has yet to reveal why that inclination rears its head when she looks at him so... boldly? What was the word?

Before he could be troubled any further, the sun finally disappears behind the hills; his training is officially over.

Zoe’s eyes light up when she sees Kayn lower himself to the ground. “Are you finally done!”

Kayn sighs as he opens and closes his human hand, relieving it of its stiffness. “Yes. Training is over.”

“Woo hoo!” Zoe shrieks as she rolls her body in the air and into his personal space. “I’ll make a portal and we ca-“

“I’m afraid not,” Kayn interrupts as he quickly places his Darken finger on her lips. Zoe cheeks puff as his gesture before she furrows her eyes at him. The way her large oracles glower at his gaze brings the most modest bit of warmth to his cheeks.

“How did I get up here?”

She blinks as Kayn softens the pressure from his finger on her lips, allowing her to speak. “You… climbed?” she answers sheepishly, as if he was asking her a trick question.

“Ok,” he smirks. “So how am I getting down?”

Zoe blinks twice as her brain processes and accesses his answer hidden in the question. Then it hit her; her body gives into gravity and her curious expression switches to one of disappointment. “You’re not… climbing… down?” Her voice trails off sheepishly.

Kayn’s finger releases her lips. His eyes never leave her pleading gaze as he loosens up his arms, then his legs, smirking as she pouts her little lip.

One of his guilty pleasures was always to deliberately tease his impatient partner. Sometimes, completely unaware of this, he goes out of his way to bedevil her just to see her little scowl. She gets her way most of the time they’re together anyway, so Kayn never sees any harm in trying her patience.

Zoe groans, her eyes not leaving his teasing stare, that is until he flexes his arms and chest during his warm up. For a split second, her eyes dart across his torso and arms before starting back to his eyes.

He catches on to her look-see. “Pervert.”

Zoe gasps, her eyes growing wide once again while her cheeks flush bright red. “NO I’M NOT!” she screeches. Kayn chuckles before starting his descent, completely unaware of how charming her blushing face is to him.

[precipicles]

A for Alive, but now we go the opposite direction

an alphabet challenge, for A:TLA and my all-time fave, azula

A/N: I need a hobby, I’m kinda depressed and need a coping mechanism, so this what I came up with. Fanfic has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, and after not finding the fanfics I’ve wanted to read, I figured: okay, might as well write it, right? I’ll admit that I’m not in the state of mind -- nor do I have the energy at the moment -- to think these through so much. I’ll figure these out as I go along. So for now, these are my freewriting exercises, where I’ll get prompts using a random word generator (literally randomwordgenerator.com), and where I try not to overthink the thing. 

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. 

Enjoy, I guess? 

A: Alive  

She felt like she was dead. Days seemed to merge together; they all felt the same. It felt like one really long day that didn’t seem to end. 

Everyday, she’d wake up, they’d unshackle her, and she takes a morning walk. They bring her to breakfast in a dining hall where she sits alone. Everyone keeps a safe distance. An afternoon activity. They say that when she’s well enough, this solitary activity would include other people eventually. Then, lunch. An activity again. Surprisingly enough, they encourage her to practice her fire bending -- or at least some sort of physical exercise. It’s important, they encourage her.  She’s locked in a room when she practices, though. And it doesn’t escape her that there are twice as many guards as usual. Finally, dinner and then lights out. On some days, she has to talk to a doctor. A patient man in white robes who tries to be fatherly-like. 

She doesn’t like it. 

The routine goes on.

She supposes it isn’t as bad as it could have been. A few months prior, she couldn’t even leave her room because she was seen as a danger. She’s toned down a bit since then. On days where she feels like she still has some sort of dignified pride to protect, she attributes her submissiveness to the medication. On days of shameless self-pity, she knows deep down that it’s because the fight has left her. 

Either way, the reason doesn’t make too much of a difference if no one else will ever know it. 

In spite of the stimulation from all the things they have her do, she feels like she never really stops sinking. As she succumbs to the routine of the institution, she feels herself succumbing to past memories that never leave her. The triggers seem inescapable. A gold color here, a dark skinned girl there. Too many similarities that never seem to leave. 

After a night where the nightmares were worse than usual, they bring in a woman who tries to get her to talk. She tells her that the episodes will never stop until you start opening up. She feels like she’s being manipulated somehow. She won’t let them win. She can do this on her own terms. 

Apparently, she is wrong. 

The next night is worse than the previous one. After a few more days, she gives up on sleep altogether. The voices don’t disappear when she’s awake, nor do they disappear when she’s sleeping. At least she had more control while awake. So, she decides to go with the former option. 

The all-nighters take a toll. She is back to lashing out with her bending. The routine she once found so distasteful -- yet admittedly, was still peaceful in its own ways -- stopped. She is sobbing on the floor of her room, chained like a beast, and the sensations only trigger those traumatic moments once more. It compounds. The trauma compounds. And she doesn’t know how to get out again. She is scratching at her skin and punching walls while doctors outside scratch their heads and pound their brushes on parchment. 

Both parties seek relief and answers.

They don’t know what to write on her progress report. She was doing so well. Now, what? 

The man in white robes that used to have his weekly talks with her -- which stopped after she almost burned him a few days prior -- says its time. Time for the risky option that may leave her better or worse: the visit. 

A/N: 

The goal is to post this before I reread it enough that I become embarrassed. I had no expectations. I think I cheated on this prompt and didn’t embody the word as much. But I guess the prompt did work in a sense that I took it and made the story go the opposite direction. 

Huh. 

[sandalaris]

10 for 10 for 10

I’ve been tagged by @yossariandawn Thanks for thinking of me! and for all the great questions! (and sorry it took so long. I had a hard time thinking of 10 questions of my own.)

Answer 10 questions, ask 10 questions, tag 10 people.

1. If you could learn a new skill instantly, what would you choose? I’m not sure. I think that if it’s a skill you really enjoy than taking the time to learn becomes part of the enjoyment, so it’d have to be a skill I either only kind of wanted or that I felt was a need over a want. Oo, MMA, good exercise and the ability to defend myself or someone else if I ever need to, and it’s not something I feel really passionately about going through the process of learning.

2. What part of the world (that you’ve never been to) would you choose to live in for a month? Hyère, France. Don’t even have to think about it. About eight years ago I was planning a move and it was on the short list of places I was considering going to. The climate seemed the most ideal to what I wanted to live in and all the pictures were beautiful. 

3. Favorite kind of sandwich or wrap? Grilled cheese? I don’t like sandwiches (or wraps) typically.

4. Show swap! Bring back 3 shows you love, but you also have to choose 3 you like to cancel instead. Oo, gotta think about this one. I don’t want to bring back a show that was already past its peak and I don’t want to say to cancel a show that isn’t ready to end.

Cancel: (I stuck only with shows that I watch and enjoy so I’m not digging at any show just because it’s not my personal preference)

NCIS – I love the show, seen every last episode and will continue watching it until the end, but it’s time for it to wrap up. It well past its prime.

Lucifer – Listen, I love this show, and there’s a ton of great characters and material here to make a long running series, but they have started going in circles with it and that’s making it feel old. How many times can the same characters learn the same lessons before it just feels like the writers are just forcing things back into the same ol’ mold? Let the story grow or move on.

Shameless – It’s a stretch because the finale season has already been declared, but it’s a show that I don’t really need that finale season, even if I will watch and enjoy it, because it’s reached its natural end.

Bring back:

From Dusk till Dawn: the series – I debated on this one. It wrapped everything up so nicely and I’m quite happy with how it ended, but at the same time the writers had plans for the next season and it was never officially cancelled and there’s so much more story that could be told.

Firefly – Although it’s been enough time that it might have to be more of a reboot maybe? Or are we doing the impossible and it’s coming back shortly after it was canceled? Either way, that show was cancelled way too soon.

The Gifted – Yes, it was a bit cheesy but it’s just as good, if not better than, a lot of the comicbook shows still going AND it ended on a cliffhanger. It needed to continue

5. What fandom would you want to get into, but haven’t yet? I don’t know. I feel like I don’t exactly pick my fandoms. I start watching a show or go see a movie or read a book and then if I feel like looking up fandom stuff after I do.  

6. What show or movie do you watch to cheer you up? Probably Community. It’s a good show that has that nice balance of being a ridiculous comedy, but not too silly at the same time. And it hits so many of my favorite tropes. (Leverage could also count.)

7. Favorite condiments? ….salt? That’s technically a seasoning, but I am not a condiment fan. They are mostly gross and just cover up the flavor the food with their grossness.

8. What characters (from different universes) do you think would love hanging out together? Pick as many as you want. I wrote for fun a Kisa (FDtD) and Troy (Community) scene and discovered I really like them interacting (there was other people in the scene, but they stole all my attention in a matter of moments). They connected in a weird way and I loved writing Kisa’s bizarre and confused reactions to Troy. Britta (Community) and Richie (FDtD) would get along well I think. They’d click in that odd way that Richie has with random people and Britta would be a little too oblivious to Richie’s more social flaws/creepy nature, as is her way when it comes to guys with even the tiniest bit of charm and intelligence. Not gonna lie, I kind of ship them now.

I would also put Shawn from Psych with the entire Leverage crew. Sophie is the only one I feel would find him a bit much at times, mainly because she can spot a grift a mile away and Shawn’s kind of always “on” and think it would mess with her trust issues too much for her to be entirely comfortable around him. Nate sees his potential, especially if Shawn’s been brought in to help on a job, and the guy is ultimately one of the Good Guys, and he would go a long way to helping put Sophie at ease. Because Nate’s too smart to be taken in by someone like Shawn and Sophie wouldn’t feel like she’s the only one who sees him for the conartist he is. Eliot would groan and grumble for show, but in the end Shawn’s like a combination of  his two favorite people in the world; Parker and Hardison. Plus, I headcanon Shawn and Eliot as cousins. I think Hardison might find Shawn a little too like himself to ever be best buddies with the guy, but overall they’d get along just fine. As for Parker... I feel like they’d be almost like two kids on the playground who both found out they like the same obscure cartoon none of the other kids have seen. 

I have a little headcanon about Parker (Leverage) and Clint Barton (MCU) having been in the same foster home as kids and having this kind of a past-sibling-esque connection. I like to think that with both their careers they don’t meet up often, but whenever they realize they are in the same place at the same time, it’s a given that they’ll hang out while there.

My roommate keeps yelling over my shoulder Starlord and Micheal (from the movie starring John Travolta) until I agreed to put them. They would get along in a weird sort of fun way that would be fun to watch but hard to be a part of, but since I haven’t see that movie since I was a kid it’s not one I think of.

9. What’s the most underrated show or movie or book or artist that you love and people should really check out?

Ilona Andrews is an amazing author and more people should check their works out. But the most underrated show I think I’ve ever gotten into… honestly would probably be From Dusk till Dawn. I feel like most of my followers are at least aware of it though because I post enough about it, but it was just really good and sort of cut off before its time. A really close second would be Leverage. It’s still the number one show I recommend when people ask me and I just adore it to pieces.

10. What were you obsessed with as a kid?

So many things, but probably Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin the most. Pretty sure I named more than one stuffed animal after her.

My questions:

1.      What was your first fandom? Are you still a part of it?

2.      Current self care method(s)?

3.      What are three (3) shows you keep meaning to binge watch but haven’t yet?

4.      Do you stay active in fandoms after a new one catches your eye, or are you more a one at a time person?

5.      What was the last movie you saw with someone else? What would you rate it?

6.      Favorite guilty pleasure?

7.      What’s a highly underrated show/movie/book series that you would recommend?

8.      Any new hobbies you’ve started during quarantine? Any you want to start?

9.      What meme do you wish would just die already?

10.  Spread the love to your followers and post at least one link to a fic you’re reading/have read/wish to read/you’ve written yourself/etc. 

I tag: @shyesplease @valeskaj @ithoughtiwasflying @c-sand @mygutsforgarters @bethanyactually @crystallinee-waters @evanberries @nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather @katwithlove and anyone else who wants to do answer! Seriously, I love having people respond even if I didn’t tag someone. 

[anubislover]

Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya chapter 11: Dinner with Dr. Heart Stealer

As the clock struck seven, Nami critiqued her outfit in the mirror; a strapless little black dress that hugged her curves like a glove, gold stiletto heels, black thigh-high stockings, and the tourmaline jewelry she’d bought from the seller in Tokken. She even used the hairpins Law had gotten her to clip back the left side of her hair. She finished off the look with some dark red lipstick and gold smokey eyeshadow, giving herself an elegant but sensual look.

“Getting all dressed up for the captain?” Ikkaku teased from her bed. The engineer was thumbing through the romance novel she’d caught Nami with, and though it wasn’t her usual thing, had decided to give it a shot. After all, it had managed to entrance the usually energetic navigator for hours, and she had some time to kill before Ladies Night.

Brushing some gold highlighter over her cheekbones, Nami scoffed. “Please, I’m getting dressed up for you. Law’s just a lucky bastard who benefits due to scheduling.”

“I’m flattered,” she said with a wink. “Though I’ll understand if you ditch me to take him back to the nearest inn so he can rock your world. I mean, I won’t be happy, but I’ll understand.”

“Ok, I gotta ask—have you ever slept with Law? Because you’re always vouching for his sexual prowess…”

Ikkaku immediately made fake gagging sounds. “Oh, hell no! That’d be like fucking one of my brothers! But I have talked to some of his past lovers, and they all seemed pretty damn satisfied. Something a girl like you deserves to be.”

Hip jutting out and eyebrow raised in challenge, Nami replied, “How do you know they aren’t lying? Maybe he’s terrible in bed but they’re all too scared to speak ill of the Surgeon of Death, especially to one of his fearsome subordinates.”

The grin said subordinate graced her with was nothing short of salacious. “Because if he were bad, Drake wouldn’t keep coming back for more, even though Law pisses him off so much.”

Nami bit her lip to hide her grin. “Ok, fair point. Also, I want the inside scoop on that relationship.”

“If Law doesn’t give you the dirty details himself, I’ll happily fill you in,” she replied, sniggering. “Bet they’ll give you better fantasies than whatever’s in your books!”

Pink rose to the redhead’s cheeks as her eyes briefly darted to the space under her bed. Nami had shoved Ikkaku’s scandalous box to the very back corner to hopefully never see the light of day again. She dared not throw them out; she doubted Ikkaku would take kindly to it, and knowing her, would probably present her with something even more embarrassing in retaliation. “By the way, as much as I hate your stupid ‘gift’, thanks for not spilling that to everyone. At least, not directly.”

“I thought about it but figured the sex toys would be just as funny without the guys prying into your hobbies. Most of them have enough tact to keep them from teasing you about a dildo, but I doubt they’d show the same restraint if they found out you were into erotic novels.”

“You just want to lord my guilty pleasure over me, don’t you?”

“How’d you know?”

“I have a sister, remember?”

“Ha! Good point. I’m guessing she teases you about this stuff?” she asked, pointing to the book.

Chocolate eyes rolled in exasperated fondness as she played with her bracelet. “All the time. It was annoying, but I guess I appreciated it, in a way. It was one of the more normal things we could talk about, given how screwed up our situation was.”

“Because of the pirates holding your town hostage?”

“Yeah,” she replied, debating on whether she should elaborate. Finally, she added, “I was kind of an outcast among the townsfolk because I made sea charts for the captain. My sister was the only one who knew it was against my will, and that I had made a deal to raise money to buy the village back. Or at least, they all pretended not to know so if I ever decided to give up and run away, I wouldn’t feel guilty.”

“You know, I’m beginning to understand why you have so many trust issues,” Ikkaku quipped, though her eyes were sympathetic.

“Believe me, it was way worse before Luffy came into my life. If we’d met a year ago, I would have already betrayed you and stolen the ship and all the treasure on board.”

“You could try, but the Boss would kill you. He loves this ship and he does not take threats to his crew lightly.”

“I’ve noticed,” Nami deadpanned, adjusting her bodice. It was a sweetheart neckline, which nicely accented her generous bust, had enough support to keep her from spilling out. Such a thing was extremely necessary, given the low back of the dress. Not long ago, she would have been nervous wearing something so daring around Law, but she was still leaning on the theory that he had a weird fetish for modest clothing. If she was right, showing this much skin would act as a repellant.

“He wasn’t too rough with you, was he?” Ikkaku asked, genuinely concerned. “I mean, he can get intense—”

“Oh, he was absolutely terrifying, and I’m pretty sure he was ready to start removing body parts if I hadn’t been having a panic attack, but honestly? I’d still choose him over Arlong.”

Before Ikkaku could ask any questions, there was a firm knock on the door. Grabbing her new purse and slipping into a leopard print, fur-trimmed coat, Nami nodded at her roommate. “Promise me a 9pm rescue?”

“Hmmm, only if I don’t get too caught up in this book,” she teased, cracking it open. “I mean, you did say there was some pretty intense eye contact to look forward to.”

Blushing, she shot back, “You laugh, but chemistry like that can be more intense than any make-out scene.”

“Says the virgin.”

Choosing to ignore the jab, Nami yanked open the door and was met by Law’s cocky smirk. To her surprise, he wore a tailored white suit with a black dress shirt, which brought out that extra little bit of olive in his skin tone. His polished black dress shoes gleamed as brightly as his earrings and the thick, gold chain around his neck. A heady, musky scent tempted Nami’s nose, and she realized Law’d chosen to wear some kind of cologne. Oddly enough, his white fur hat and tattoos didn’t seem as out of place as when he’d dressed up on Tokken Island; perhaps it was because this wasn’t a disguise, or the color was just far more complimentary to his trademark accessories. He looked slick and dangerous, but also at ease—a criminal on a night off.

Damn it, he looked even better than he had at the gala.

Leaning against the doorframe, Law’s grin widened at her perusal. “Do I pass inspection, Nami-ya?” he purred, giving her his own approving once-over.

Gold eyes locked with hazelnut as Nami cocked her hip. “Considering how you haven’t told me where we’re going, it’s a bit hard to judge. For all I know, you’re underdressed.”

“We’re going to a jazz club I frequent, so even if I showed up in jeans, they’d let me in—especially if I have a beautiful woman on my arm.”

“Flatter all you like, Law—you’re not getting out of footing the bill.”

Never breaking eye contact, he gave a little mock bow. “Of course not. A gentleman always treats on the first date.”

“I don’t know you’re more wrong about; that you think this is a date, that there’ll be more than one, or that you’re anything even close to a gentleman.”

“I think I proved myself at the gala. I was on my best behavior, wasn’t I?”

“Maybe in public, but the second we were alone, you went right back to being a bastard.”

A low whistle interrupted their banter, and Nami turned to see Ikkaku wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she meaningfully glanced between them. “You know what, Nami? You may have a point with that ‘intense eye contact’ thing.”

Cheeks inflamed, Nami grabbed Law by the arm and dragged him down the hallway before Ikkaku could say anything else. As she felt the captain’s intense gaze burning into the back of her head, she silently wondered if a free dinner was worth it.

XXX

The outside of the jazz club was far from impressive—in fact, the entrance was a nondescript wooden door against a plain brick wall, its only ornamentation a faded bronze knocker and a number “8” nailed at the top. Nami was positive she would have walked straight past if Law hadn’t led her to it, pausing to quickly rap three times with his knuckles, then four with the knocker.

After a moment, the door opened, and they were greeted by a young woman dressed in a short skirt and tailored red vest. “Captain Trafalgar. So glad you could join us tonight.”

Law gave a lazy, familiar grin as he wrapped his arm around Nami’s waist. “Always a pleasure, Akari. Is my usual booth ready?”

“Of course, sir,” she replied, ushering them inside and leading them down a narrow, winding staircase.

As they stepped into the lounge, Nami’s eyes widened in surprise. The bland building façade hid a much more elaborate interior; everything from the bar to the floor to the wall panels were made of mahogany or cherry wood, with ruby red cushions, upholstery, and carpets. Red and gold lamps provided just enough light to see by while giving the place a sensual, mysterious ambiance.

At the far end of the room, low couches formed a semi-circle around the small dance floor in front of the stage, where various instruments and music stands awaited performers. Currently, the stage’s sole occupant was an older gentleman playing a soothing tune on the piano. There were a few larger tables scattered about, but most of the seating appeared to be small booths in the walls, their openings framed by red velvet curtains. Several were occupied by canoodling couples, and it didn’t escape Nami’s notice that a few even had the curtains drawn.

Akrai led them to an empty booth, and Law graciously helped Nami out of her coat, handing it to their hostess to hang up before sliding comfortably into his seat.

“Wow,” Nami said, taking it all in. Their seating arrangement was cozy but not claustrophobic, the velvet cushions that padded the crescent bench wonderfully plush. A gold lamp hung above the round table, allowing her to more easily peruse the embossed menu. Appetizers ranged from shrimp cocktail to deviled quail eggs, while entrees featured grilled seafood, roast duck, and steak. The drink list was extensive with an assortment of sparkling wines, cocktails, hard liquor, and even absinthe.

“I figured you’d approve,” Law replied smugly, lounging back in his seat. “And I told you I wasn’t underdressed.”

“I guess not. How’d you hear about this place?”

“It’s an establishment that first started in the North Blue—Prohibition Island decided it wanted to outlaw alcohol, among other ‘sinful’ things. The club’s owner was an entrepreneur from the West Blue, so she knew a thing or two about setting up businesses under the government’s nose. The original club became successful enough to branch out to other islands, and eventually made its way down the Grand Line.”

“I wouldn’t expect Grimm to ban alcohol,” Nami replied, brow furrowing in confusion. An archipelago that catered to pirates and other scum, which had a thriving black market and a brothel on every corner, but outlawed alcohol? The very idea was baffling.

Head shaking, Law chuckled, “Oh, it doesn’t, but Haiko-ya felt the atmosphere suited the clandestine aesthetic. This just happens to be a place where you can get quality booze and not worry about someone spiking your drink. She’s a criminal, but she has standards far higher than most of the island’s establishments.”

“You sound like you know her personally.”

He shrugged but gave a mysterious smile. “She’s Kimo-ya’s wife, actually. Considering all the business I do with her husband, she was happy to give me a lifetime VIP membership.”

A wave of paranoia sent a shiver down Nami’s spine. “What if she sells us out to Jinzo?”

“She won’t. She hates the man’s guts to an impressive extent. Hell, if she’s here tonight, she’ll probably give you special perks for ending up on his shit list.”

By that point, a young man in a red satin waistcoat appeared, smiling at the pair pleasantly. “Welcome back to Ruby 8, Captain Trafalgar. My name is Hansuke, and it’s my pleasure to serve you tonight. What can I get you to drink?” he asked, flipping open his notepad.

“I’ll have a neat whiskey,” Law said easily.

“A Sour Sunrise for me, please,” Nami said, pleased to find an orange juice-based cocktail. She flashed Law a catlike grin as she added, “And a bottle of your best champagne.”

“One glass or two?” the waiter asked, glancing at Law for confirmation.

“Two,” Law replied, smirking at Nami. “In fact, make sure there’s another bottle ready for when we finish the first one. We’re celebrating, after all, and I intend on giving my woman an unforgettable evening.”

“I’m not your woman,” she growled, but was ignored by both men.

“Of course, Captain Trafalgar,” Hansuke said with an eager nod. Men looking to impress were men who spent a lot of money, and if he did well, he might just earn himself a hefty tip. “Are you ready to order your meals as well, or do you need more time?”

“I know what I want,” said Law, barely glancing at the menu. “I’ll take the grilled salmon with the house salad.”

“I’ll have the orange duck, and can we also get a basket of rolls for the table, please?” Nami asked the waiter sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes for extra measure.

The young man nervously glanced between her and the scowling Supernova, clearly debating which one was better to please.

“I…let me check with the chef—I think he said something about running out,” he squeaked out before sprinting off.

“That was cruel of you, Nami-ya,” Law rumbled, fixing her with an annoyed glare, though sadistic humor twinkled in his eyes. “I told you, I’m a regular here. They know I despise bread and will decapitate anyone stupid enough to bring it to my table.”

With a huff, she crossed her long legs and flipped her hair haughtily. “Killing a waiter isn’t a great way to impress a girl and will definitely get you banned from any self-respecting restaurant—VIP or not.”

“I wouldn’t kill him—you forget, my powers allow me to cut a man to pieces and still keep him alive.”

“You should seriously still be banned.”

“They’ve served far worse patrons than me, and they know I’ll be on my best behavior and fill their pockets with plenty of belli so long as they don’t intentionally piss me off.” Lips turning up in an amused grin, he continued, “I’d say it’s a lesson you could stand to learn, sweetheart, but half the time I find your petty acts of defiance charming.”

“Does that include the sunburn I gave you?”

“No, though I did enjoy everything you did to distract me from it.”

The waiter returned to their booth with their drinks and a small tray of assorted meat and cheeses, smiling at Nami apologetically even as a drop of sweat trickled down his face. “I’m so sorry, miss, but it seems we’re out of bread this evening. Not so much as a crumb can be found. Please accept this complimentary charcuterie board with the house’s sincerest apologies.”

Annoying as it was that Law had the staff wrapped around his finger, she took pity on the poor man and gave an understanding smile. If the Surgeon of Death really was a regular at this place, she couldn’t blame him for not going along with her game. “Oh, this is just lovely! Thank you so much!”

Hansuke’s relief was palatable as he set down the tray and their drinks before running off to fetch the champagne.

“See? It’s things like this that keep me from getting too mad at you,” Law chuckled, popping a cube of cheese into his mouth. “I haven’t gotten a free appetizer since that time a new waiter insisted I’d ordered breadcrumbs on my salmon.”

“So, you tolerate me so long as I get you free stuff?” Nami quipped, taking a dainty bite of a slice of ham. It had a surprising fruity note and practically melted in her mouth. She’d have to tell Sanji about it. Hell, even Luffy might appreciate it, assuming he took the time to chew.

She swallowed a bit more harshly than she’d intended when Law leaned across the table, long fingers lightly stroking her elbow as he murmured, “I put up with your antics so long as you make it worth my while, Nami-ya. Keep that in mind next time you’re tempted to pull one of your little pranks.”

Despite pulling his hand away to pick up his drink, Nami could still feel tingling sparks dance across her skin. It really was ridiculous how a brush of his hand invoked that reaction. She was supposed to be more composed than that—a wily thief that didn’t mix business with pleasure—but while his overt come-ons could be annoying, his subtle touches and inviting glances still managed to tempt her. “Fine, but the fact that you’re willing to literally take someone’s head off over bread is way more childish than my ‘little pranks’,” she grumbled into her cocktail.

Whether Law heard her snarky comment or not, their conversation was briefly interrupted as the waiter appeared with the champagne, popping the cork and carefully pouring the bubbly liquid into a pair of elegant crystal flutes. “The sous chef has received your order and will of course be making it himself, Captain Trafalgar,” he said. “If you need anything else in the meantime, please, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thanks,” he said breezily, sipping his whiskey. “What time is the band scheduled to start up?”

“In less than a half-hour, sir. They’re currently on their dinner break, but I can ask—”

He waved him off. “I’m in no rush, and I’d rather they be at peak condition while performing. I don’t need my evening ruined because one of them fainted onstage from hunger.”

“Of course, sir. Regardless, I’ll inform them you’re in the audience. Anything else?”

“Time alone with my date would be ideal,” he replied in a clipped tone, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.

Nami could see the way the young man shivered at Law’s glare, and he skittered like a mouse back to the kitchen, wisely leaving the bottle behind.

“And you call me cruel,” she stated blandly as she savored another piece of ham.

“I’m all for attentive servers, but the constant sucking up was getting old.” Trying some of the meat for himself, he glanced at her appraisingly. “But enough about him. You’re a far more interesting subject.”

She frowned, brow furrowing suspiciously. “Am I?”

Linking his fingers and leaning his elbows on the table, he smirked. “Of course. Despite being on my ship for nearly three months, you’re still a mystery. A puzzle with so many missing pieces that I can’t yet visualize the total picture.”

“I could say the same about you,” she said, remembering the confusion she felt as he ran off the day before. “We’re both complex people who play their cards close to the chest.”

“That we are, but yesterday proved that a lack of communication between us can be detrimental to our working relationship, not to mention your health. I promise not to pry too much, and you don’t need to give me all the details, but I expect honest answers.”

Much as she wanted to argue, Penguin’s advice stopped her. The first mate was right; everyone had baggage, but how were people supposed to know her bugbears if she didn’t tell them? As worried as she was that a man like Law would be willing to exploit her weaknesses, he also had a point regarding how their communication issues had nearly gotten her killed. Even if it drudged up unpleasant memories, this was a necessary talk for the sake of side-stepping further unpleasantness. “Fine. I’ll open up—just a little—if you will.”

Resting his chin on his knuckles, Law took a minute to mull over his first question. “Tell me, Nami-ya, how’d you get the name ‘Cat Thief’, anyway? Rumor has it it’s been your moniker since well before the World Government issued your bounty.”

Taking a deep breath and a steadying swallow of her Sour Sunrise, she replied, “My…first captain was always comparing me to a kitten. Guess it was his way of praising me despite my species, since he saw humans as the lowest of the low.”

“Odd opinion.”

“Not for a Fishman.”

Leaning back against the plush velvet cushions, Law unlinked his fingers and munched on another piece of cheese. “Ah. A backhanded compliment. Better than a human, but still little more than a pet.”

“That about sums it up,” she said, pushing down the image of Arlong’s patronizing smile. God, some days she’d hated his condescending approval more than his disgusting hatred for her species. It made her feel dirty, being someone that a monster like him could admire.

Law rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. “No wonder you had such an extreme reaction to me calling you ‘kitten’. I’ll try to avoid it in the future. Still odd you’d adopt a feline signature, though.”

Shaking off her former captor’s vindictive smile, Nami shrugged, buying time before replying by nibbling on some cheese, even though she barely tasted it. “Guess it was a little out of spite; I wanted to take the word back and feel like I had just a shred of power. Didn’t really work, but it was still a good nickname for a thief.”

Perhaps he sensed her discomfort, but Law gently nudged the topic towards safer waters. “Fair. Shachi was the one who came up with ‘The Surgeon of Death’. Bit over-the-top, but I like it. Iconic, and definitely strikes fear into the hearts of my enemies.”

“Sounds like something from a comic book,” she scoffed as she finished her cocktail, moving on to the champagne. She knew she wouldn’t get drunk, but the bubbles tickling her palette would be a pleasant way to keep her mind from slipping into the past. Even without the meds in her system driving her towards panic attacks, she knew nothing good could come from dwelling too long on what Arlong had put her through.

“Like I said, it was Shachi’s idea. He was worried the Marines would give me something lame, so he and the crew went out of their way to mention it in every port we stopped in until they had no choice but to put it on my wanted poster.”

“I’m sure Drake had his own suggestions on what to call you.”

Law chuckled smugly, looking far too proud of himself. “Oh, I’m sure he did, but those posters are seen by the general public, so anything he’d propose would have to be censored. It’s probably why Eustass’ moniker is just ‘Captain’; either that or it’s a lame form of overcompensation.” His grin grew even more devious as he added, “First time we met, I deliberately acted like Killer was the captain, just to piss him off.”

Despite herself, Nami had to giggle. She’d only met Eustass Kid briefly, but he’d seemed the type to not take an insult lightly. With the highest bounty of the rookies, he was certainly someone she wouldn’t want to mess with. “You’re an asshole with a death wish, aren’t you?”

Law shrugged, knocking back the rest of his whiskey. The humor in his eyes dimmed. “Perhaps I do, just a little bit. I didn’t expect to live past the age of thirteen.”

“Why?” she asked curiously before she could catch herself. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Face cast in shadow by the brim of his hat, he tersely replied, “I was a sickly child. My father was the best doctor in the providence, but even he couldn’t come up with a cure. Didn’t help that the world believed it was a contagious disease, so we had no outside help. I only survived because of the Ope Ope no Mi.”

“Your father must have been happy about that, at least.”

“He was killed years before I got my hands on it.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry.” Her heart clenched at the thought. A dead parent before the age of thirteen. Wasn’t that a painfully familiar story? “Well, I’m sure he’d still be happy you survived.”

He shrugged again, watching the bubbles in his champagne flute pop to avoid meeting her sympathetic gaze. “He’d be disappointed that I became a pirate instead of following in his footsteps.”

“Maybe, but I think he’d accept it so long as you’re alive and happy. Bellemere was a Marine, but while she wouldn’t approve of her daughter becoming a pirate, she’d support my decision because I’m free and working towards my dream of drawing a map of the world.”

As he finally looked at her, Nami caught Law’s lips briefly twitch upwards. “I suppose we’ll never know, but it’s a pleasant fantasy, at least.” He gave a mock toast. “To the parents who wanted better for us.”

With a wry smile, Nami clinked her glass to his, the pair gulping down the sparkling wine just as their food arrived. Digging into her meal, she appreciated both the delicious flavor of the duck and the blessed break in the heavy conversation eating allowed.

Talking to Law about her past was far different from Luffy. Nojiko had informed her before they left Cocoyashi that her stubborn captain had opted out of hearing her backstory when she’d offered to reveal it. At first, Nami’d been offended—what, had he thought her reasons for betraying the crew and faking Usopp’s death didn’t matter? But then she realized that, even without knowing who Arlong was or what he’d done to her and the villagers, Luffy had still gone after him.

All because that bastard had made his navigator cry.

As they’d sailed for Loguetown afterwards, Nami had pulled Luffy aside one night, sat him down, and told him everything. Not because he needed to know, but because a man like that was someone who deserved to know. Deserved to know the awful things she’d endured and done to survive. Why he’d found her mutilating her shoulder, cutting off that awful tattoo. Why she was so grateful he’d destroyed that room and all of the charts she’d toiled over for eight years. Why his refusal to give up on her had meant the world to the distrustful thief.

For his part, Luffy had listened quietly, occasionally nodding his head to show he was paying attention, an unusually patient and serious expression on his face. When she was finished, he’d clapped her shoulder, gave her that carefree, goofy grin, and simply said, “Now I’m really glad I punched that jerk!”

Law wasn’t like that. While he didn’t pry, he did ask questions, clearly seeking those missing puzzle pieces he spoke of and not taking her answers at face-value. Admittedly, they had been pretty bare-boned, but it highlighted the difference between the two captains—Law sought to understand because he didn’t fully trust her. Luffy didn’t need to understand, because he trusted her from the moment she’d refused to fire a cannonball at him.

Looking at Law’s nearly-finished plate, she had to suppress a giggle as another difference between him and Luffy hit her—his chewing habits might have left something to be desired, but at least he knew not to eat the fish’s skeleton.

Noticing his companion’s attention had returned to him, Law took a sip of champagne as he considered her. “You mentioned your ‘first captain’. I’m assuming this wasn’t Mugiwara?”

Nami sighed, setting down her fork to drink from her own glass, hoping the sharp beverage would wash away the foul taste talking more about Arlong would inevitably bring. “No. Before Luffy, I served as the cartographer for another pirate crew for eight years.” She deliberately didn’t mention she was an officer—it was easier for people to accept she was a prisoner when it didn’t sound like she was in a position of authority. Perhaps that was why Arlong had “promoted” her, even though she had no real power among the Fishmen. “He…his crew invaded my village when I was ten and made everyone pay for the right to live. Bellemere only had enough money to save her own life, or mine and Nojiko’s.”

“And, of course, she sacrificed herself to protect her children.” Law shook his head, and for a moment, Nami swore she saw a wince of pain, but the amber light made it hard to tell. “Eight years…I know captains who recruit kids so they can brainwash them into loyal subordinates, but he killed your mother. I doubt you joined him willingly, after something like that?”

“Believe me, I didn’t,” she growled. Hands shaking slightly, she instinctively grabbed her knife, holding it like the dagger she’d used to fake Usopp’s death and destroy her tattoo. “Working for my mother’s murderer was nothing short of torture. Day and night I drew maps for him until my hands bled, barely allowed to sleep or eat. And all the while he acted like he was doing me a favor, since cartography was what I loved most in the world.”

The word DEATH entered her field of vision as Law covered her trembling hand with his own. The warmth was comfortingly familiar at this point, and she felt her white-knuckled grip on the cutlery slacken. “Don’t worry; I do believe you,” he said softly, catching her gaze with his own. His expression was soft and concerned—similar to the way he’d looked at her last night in the infirmary. “You’ve shown yourself to be loyal to those you care about, and we’ve all done awful, painful things for the sake of survival. And I have to say, you may actually have a stronger will than me—I doubt I would have lasted a week serving the captain who murdered someone I held dear.”

“Yeah,” she said, breathing deeply, willing herself to calm down. Law’s thumb rubbing little circles across her knuckles was surprisingly helpful with that. It gave her something to focus on; to ground herself instead of letting the memories take over. Rough as the callouses from his swordsmanship and hard life at sea were, they were still so much smoother than the sandpaper-like skin of a shark Fishman. So blessedly human. “I guess…I guess you were right, though; if you’re not strong enough to protect yourself, you’re the property of someone who was strong enough to claim you.”

“I know I’m right, but I wish I weren’t. I’m assuming this first captain of yours has something to do with your dislike of my uniform?”

“You could say that.” She sighed, jerking her chin towards her left shoulder, the faint scars beneath her swirling tattoo barely visible in the dim light, but neither had to see them to know they were there. “One of the first things he did was have me branded with his Jolly Roger to make sure I couldn’t run off. So the whole world would know I was his property.”

Much like Penguin, Nami could see the dots connecting in Law’s mind. He’d recognized right away that the scars were self-inflicted, but now that he knew what had once been in their place, he could deduct why she’d caused herself such grievous harm. She felt his fingers tighten around her own, first in anger, before easing into a comforting squeeze. With forced calm, he said, “Considering how often Fishmen and Mermaids are sold as slaves, it was probably just as much a petty form of revenge. Still, I guess that explains your objection.” Frowning, he rubbed his forehead beneath his hat with his free hand. “Look, I can’t promise you’ll never have to wear the uniform again. Like it or not, it really is the easiest way to keep you safe.”

Deep down, she appreciated his apology and understanding, even as she inwardly groaned at the thought of wearing the beige jumpsuit. “It also made me a target,” she argued. “Drake wouldn’t have looked twice at me if I’d been in my normal clothes.”

“Please, Drake-ya reads the news and would have gone after you regardless of what you were wearing. He’s smart enough to recognize a dangerous alliance when he sees one, or at least an opportunity to get a leg up. Pitiful as your bounty is, getting his hands on a lone Straw Hat, especially one who was able to rob a former Marine Intelligence officer’s mansion, would be quite tempting.” A wide, predatory grin stretched across his face as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his fist as he leered at her. “Though, personally, I think he was jealous that I’d found a new redhead to play with.”

Nami snorted, the tension in her back loosening. Creepy as he was, Law was smart, steering the conversation away from the past and the world’s speculation on their partnership to something they could casually fight about. “Are you kidding? I think he was relieved; with me around, he doesn’t have to deal with you bothering him anymore.”

“If that were the case, he wouldn’t have tried to abduct you.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, he was trying to ‘rescue’ me; Drake’s a real gentleman, unlike you,” she quipped, taking a condescending sip of her drink.

“Oh, yes, a real gentleman who kidnaps and threatens to sell off unwilling women,” Law replied sarcastically.

“Better than a pervert who makes a girl wear an ugly uniform to indulge his weird sexual fetish.”

“…my what now?”

Confident that she’d just played a winning hand, she leaned forward, bending her chest slightly over the table. “Please, I see right through your little act. Sure, you flirt and tease, but only if I’m fully dressed.” The tip of a manicured finger teasingly traced along the swell of her cleavage. “When I’m wearing next to nothing, you show no interest in my incredibly sexy body. Given your proclivities, I’m surprised you even helped me out of my coat.”

Blinking owlishly, Law replied, “I’m sorry, you think I’m attracted to you…when you’re wearing more clothes?”

“Yeah!” she insisted, not caring for his disbelieving tone.

He covered his face with one large, tattooed hand, but through his splayed fingers Nami could still see yellow eyes light up with amusement. As she glared, they only shone brighter, and his shoulders slowly began to shake. Gradually, low chuckles slipped from his lips, finally morphing into full-on laughter, his palm failing to muffle the sound.

An irritated vein throbbed in Nami’s forehead as Law continued to cackle. “Don’t think you can fool me by treating this like a joke! You have a clothing kink! During my initial check-up, you didn’t give a damn that I was strutting around in my underwear. At the mansion, you were all over me when I was in that gown, but once it’s off, woosh, I’m as attractive as a lamp! Even after the mission, you barely even acknowledged what a hot piece of ass I am. Then you insist I wear that freaking jumpsuit…”

“Nami-ya,” he chortled as his hand dropped back to the table, managing to calm down enough during her rant to formulate a reply, “I don’t have a clothing kink—I’m just good at compartmentalizing and know there’s a time and place. When we were in the infirmary, not only was I acting as your doctor, but it was clear you were too nervous to be receptive to any blatant advances. As for the mansion, yes you looked absolutely delicious in that bodysuit, but we were there to do a job; there was simply no time to indulge myself. And when I treated your wounds,” his smile fell a bit, “you’d just been through a potentially traumatizing event. You were flinching just from me touching your calf. I know I can be an asshole, but did you really expect me to come onto you when you were acting like I was Harpin?”

For a moment, Nami just sat there, jaw hanging uselessly as she realized just how far off her theory had been, and most importantly, just how badly she’d managed to embarrass herself. Her own vanity had blinded her to the obvious answer. She could justify it with the fact that most of the guys she knew were either perverts or barely acknowledged that she was a woman, so she wasn’t used to a man who could both flirt and control himself, but she wouldn’t lie to herself.

“So…the uniform isn’t some weird sexual thing?” she asked, trying to cover her humiliation by finishing her glass of champagne. Times like these made her really wish she could get drunk; it would be the perfect excuse for her ridiculous accusation.

“I mean, I won’t lie and say I don’t like you in it, but it really is just for your own protection.” Law’s returning grin was smoldering and devilish as he purred, “I’m curious, though, about what bothered you more; that I might have a strange fetish for fully-clothed women, or that I wasn’t giving your incredibly sexy body the attention you felt it deserved?”

“I…”

He shuffled closer, sliding across the booth to close the distance between them, resting his right arm across the back of her seat and teasingly trailing the fingers of his left land along the soft skin of her jaw to cup her chin. “Because if it’s the latter, I’m happy to show you just how much I appreciate it when you run around my ship in crop tops and booty shorts.”

Nami blushed, realizing she’d played directly into his hands.

“You know, one of the reasons I like redheads so much is how vibrantly they blush,” he chuckled, leaning down so his breath danced across her sensitive neck and ear. The way she’d pinned her hair meant she had no shield from it, and she shivered at the sensation. “It’s so cute, watching the capillaries that carry your blood widen as adrenaline rushes through you. No matter how good a person’s poker face is, the body doesn’t lie. Lets me know my target’s receptive to my flirting, even when they stubbornly refuse to admit it.”

“You base it all on a blush?” she countered, defiantly poking him in the chest. “People blush in anger and embarrassment. You can’t assume someone wants you just because their face gets a little red.”

Like a leopard sizing up his prey, Law loomed above her, gaze analytical and hungry as he studied her. “No, you’re right; good thing, as a doctor, I know all the other physical indicators of arousal.” Tilting her head up, he stated, “Dilated pupils.”

His hand dropped from her chin to carefully brush along the flesh of her arm. “Goosebumps.”

Long fingers encircled her wrist, thumb resting over her pulse. “Increased heartrate.”

Honey eyes dropped to Nami’s mouth as the tip of her pink tongue peeked out to moisten her suddenly dry lips. “Unconsciously licking one’s lips.”

Releasing her wrist, Law’s touch traveled back up her arm to gently stroke the ends of her mikan hair. “And the fact that you haven’t even tried to move or push me away. In fact, I’d say you’re leaning into my touch.”

Nami’s face warmed further as she realized he was right. Mentally she berated herself, but deep down, she was beginning to accept that, even if she refused to act on it for pride and professionalism’s sake, she was slightly addicted to his attentions. She was never short on male admirers, but Law challenged her, the push-and-pull giving her a thrill the way heart-eyed fools like Sanji failed to. There was something about Law that drew her in like a moth to a flame—she knew it was fatal to get too close, but damn it, she couldn’t help but dance with danger.

Winding a short, orange lock of hair around a long finger, Law declared confidently, “All this says you find me sexually attractive.”

Before she could confirm or deny this claim, an excited voice bellowed, “As I live and breathe, Trafalgar Law graces us with his exalted presence once again!”

Said captain’s seductive grin shifted into his trademark smirk as he turned to greet the newcomer. “Are you living and breathing, Hiroshi-ya?”

The man chuckled, grabbing Law’s hand in a firm shake. Beneath a silver fedora his graying hair was cut close to his scalp. His skin was dark but sported prominent laugh-lines, a pair of oval sunglasses rested on the end of his large nose, and his brilliant grin could have replaced one of the stage’s spotlights. “If I’m not, you’d probably know before I did, doc.”

“Because I’m that good, or because you’d be too focused on performing to realize you’d dropped dead?”

The two shared a laugh before the man turned to introduce himself to Nami. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting a moment, here, darlin’, but I simply had to come over and say hello. The name’s ‘Devil’s Fingers’ Hiroshi, and your boy Law here is one of my favorite patrons. Tips well, and he saved my life.”

“I only fixed your hands.”

“Considerin’ how they’d been crushed beyond recognition and I need those to make a living, I think that counts.”

Nami gaped in shock as Hiroshi held up his hands, showing that while they were clearly in working order, they were littered with tiny surgical scars.

Law shrugged, though he seemed pleased with the praise. “It was a fun operation—not every day you get to remove someone’s finger bones one-by one to rebuild your favorite musician’s hands.”

“You put someone else’s bones into him?” Nami asked the surgeon, astounded.

“Of course,” Law said casually. “His own were absolutely pulverized, so a transplant was necessary if he ever wanted to play the saxophone again.”

Part of her was horrified at the mental image, but beneath that, something niggled at her. This was the second time she’d heard someone sing Law’s praises as a legitimate doctor, and unlike Reginald, Hiroshi seemed perfectly aware of the Surgeon of Death’s criminal activities and sadistic reputation. What reason did Law have for helping this man? Was it just because he liked his music?

“Well, I’d best get ready for the show, and I’m sure you want some more alone time with your girl, eh, Law?” Hiroshi teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“I’d certainly appreciate a little mood music,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few large bills.

“You got it,” the sax player sniggered, winking at Nami. “Hope you don’t mind, but we’ll be stroking your boy’s ego a bit. After the surgery, I wrote a little ditty about him as thanks, and it’s become pretty popular with the crowd. Plus, it’s the only time Oscar lets me take over as the lead singer.”

“Law strokes his own ego plenty,” Nami groused, eyes rolling heavenward. “And if you want to write about him, go for his flaws; there’s enough of those to fill an opera.”

“Oooo, she’s feisty! Have fun with that, doc!” he chuckled as he strolled off towards the stage.

“I plan to,” Law purred, turning back towards the woman beside him. “I just can’t resist a fiery ginger.”

“Speaking of,” Nami deflected, hoping to keep the conversation from returning to their original topic, “you and Drake, huh?”

He chuckled at her obvious ploy but proceeded to go along with it. “Ah, one of my favorite playmates. What do you want to know?”

“I mean, let’s start with how the hell that happened?”

“You mean, how did the golden boy of the Navy find himself thoroughly seduced by the North Blue’s most notorious rookie pirate?”

“Yeah. Mainly because Drake seems smart enough not to fall for your sleazy tricks. Or at the very least, composed enough to ignore them until you lose interest.”

Refreshing their glasses of champagne, he gave a wolfish smile. “So you’d think, but Drake-ya’s got an instinctual, animalistic side that’s just so much fun to rile up. Besides that, I observed his physical reactions whenever we crossed paths, and wouldn’t you know it? They were damningly similar to yours.”

Picking at the remains of the charcuterie board, she munched on a piece of cheese to keep her body’s natural responses under control. Keep it together, she thought stubbornly. Even if I did mix business with pleasure, there’s no way I’m letting him win. “Pretty sure the heat of battle elicits similar responses. I think you were just looking for clues that weren’t there in a desperate attempt justify a hopeless crush.”

Her sass received a sharp laugh in reply. Handing Nami her glass, Law brushed the tips of his fingers over hers as he stated, “Maybe, but my theory was undeniably proven when Penguin, Ikkaku and I snuck onto his ship and found him moaning my name while jerking off in the shower.”

Nami nearly choked on her drink, the bubbly wine burning as it tried to make its way up her nose. No wonder Penguin wanted to repress that, she thought, mortified for the poor first mate. She’d probably feel the same way if she’d overheard someone masturbating to the thought of Luffy. “Oh my god.”

“You should have heard the things he was saying—fuck, harder Law! Put that dirty mouth to good use, you bastard!” Law moaned in her ear, mimicking his rival’s deep, guttural growl.

“M-maybe he had a hard-on for justice. You know, the actual law,” she argued weakly. She didn’t even really know why she bothered—it was clear he’d been right, considering how he and Drake had fucked at least once, but she just felt a need to try to knock him down a few pegs and keep his ego in check.

“Mmm, do you really believe that?” he hummed, honey eyes regarding her with amusement as he took a sip of his drink. “I think you’re just looking for clues that aren’t there in a desperate attempt to justify your need to be contrary.”

“Oh, shut up,” she grumbled, downing her drink and pouring the last of the bottle into her glass. “Fine, so Drake was utterly repressed from his time in the Navy and you were able to use that to get him into bed.” A thought came to her, and she raised her eyebrow curiously. “Wait, he didn’t leave the Marines because he fell in love with you or something, right?” That…would be kind of tragic, actually. Despite the sexual tension, the two Supernova hadn’t seemed to be on the friendliest of terms, so if Drake had defected for Law only for their relationship to sour…

“God, no,” he laughed, finishing off his own glass of champagne. “Drake-ya was dishonorably discharged not long after he massacred a village rumored to be sheltering pirates. He may seem honorable and composed, and I’ll admit he usually tried to avoid senseless cruelty, but when situations called for violence, he was cold-blooded and bloodthirsty. I think his family history also played a role; his father had defected and turned pirate, so I imagine there was a bit of a glass ceiling Drake-ya knew he’d never overcome.”

“And you know this how?”

“Pillow talk.”

Nami mulled his words over carefully. “Was Drake close to his father?”

“From what he told me while completely shitfaced, Diez Barrels had once been a Marine Drake-ya wanted to emulate, but when he switched sides, he was nothing short of an abusive monster.”

Pity welled up in Nami’s heart at the implications. “Poor guy.”

“You do remember this is the same man who tried to kidnap you, right?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it must not have sucked for him; looking up to someone, wanting to be just like them, only to be let down in spectacular fashion.”

For a brief moment, Law tilted his head, the brim of his hat casting a shadow across his face, but his voice was tight as he replied, “Enough about Drake-ya.” Clearing his throat, he turned to catch their waiter’s eye, pointing to the empty bottle of champagne. When his gaze returned to Nami, his tone was back to normal. “I’m getting a little jealous with all this talk about another man.”

She frowned. Nami could tell she’d hit a bit close to home there. Had Law once looked up to someone? Part of her wanted to pry; the man was uncharted waters, and the cartographer in her itched to discover his secrets and map them out.

But more than anyone, she respected wanting to keep a painful history private. “Then what do you want to talk about? Because if you want any more of my past, you’re going to need to buy me more than another bottle of champagne,” she replied before knocking back the final sip.

He raised an eyebrow, impressed. “You drank quite a bit of that, Nami-ya, and yet I’m not noticing any signs of inebriation. It seems Mugiwara wasn’t exaggerating when he bragged about your tolerance.”

“Please, this is nothing—Zoro and I could drink whole taverns dry and still walk a straight line. Hell, it was one of my favorite ways to swindle pirates; get in good with the crew, outdrink them, then swipe their treasure while they were all passed out.”

“Interesting. You may be physically weak, but your liver sounds formidable.”

The lights, dimmed, and Nami glanced around curiously. Law chuckled, drawing her closer and pointing towards the stage. “Looks like the show’s about to start,” he murmured in her ear as he settled in, the arm around her waist telling her that she wasn’t moving for at least the duration of the song.

The band played a low, steady beat as a handsome man in a white silk blazer escorted a curvaceous woman with bold red hair wearing a silver dress onto the stage, the spotlights hitting the sequins in a way that nearly distracted from the daring slit and sexy black garters underneath. Turning her back to the crowd, she swayed her hips to the rhythm as the man took the microphone.

“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen,” he drawled, tossing the crowd a smirk that could give Law’s a run for its money. “We’ve got a great night in store for you. I see a lot of new faces out there—as well as some familiar ones—so I’m not gonna yammer on too long. I want you to sit back, enjoy the service, the scenery, but most of all, enjoy the show.”

As he finished, he signaled to the band, who immediately transitioned into a smooth but lively tune, Hiroshi’s saxophone front-and-center, and the red-haired woman turned around, sensually dancing with the emcee as he began to sing.

It ain’t no big thing to wait for the bell to ring It ain’t no big thing The toll of the bell

Aggravated, spare for days I troll downtown the red-light place

Jump up bubble up - what’s in store? Love is the drug and I need to score

Enthralled, Nami watched as the pair performed, the song turning into a duet as they moved, the woman’s low, husky voice sending a thrill down her back. Or perhaps it was Law’s fingers stroking idly along her side—far from his groping in the alley, but the light touch was just as hot. Thighs clenched as the male singer bent the woman over suggestively, and she hoped Law was too focused on the show to notice her aroused blush. She didn’t want to imagine herself and the Supernova next to her in their place, but with the woman’s red hair and the man’s cocky smirk, it was really difficult not to picture the sensual scene the song suggested—her and Law stumbling around a dark room, locked in a passionate embrace, until finally they made it to the bed…

God, she joked about Drake being repressed to give in to an asshole like Law, but clearly, she was just as pent-up.

When the song ended, Nami let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, quickly going for her refilled champagne, gulping it down to wet her suddenly dry mouth. She hadn’t even realized Hansuke had refreshed their drinks as she hadn’t been able to pry her eyes from the stage, too lost in the song and her fantasy.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Law smirking in an all-too-knowing manner, but before he could comment, they were once more interrupted, only this time by the gorgeous singer who had left the stage to visit their table.

“Captain Trafalgar,” the red-haired woman purred, voice husky with an edge of a rough accent that somehow made her even more glamourous, “I heard you were back in town.”

“Excellent opening act, Haiko-ya, as usual,” Law replied, standing up to gallantly kiss her hand. “Oscar may be your prized vocalist, but everyone knows you’re the real star up there.”

“You charmer. Still sure you don’t want to quit piracy and come work for me?” she asked with an inviting smile. “I could use a man of your talents.”

“I’m sure you could, but as much as I like this club, staying in one place just doesn’t appeal to me. I like to wander, you know.”

“Pity, but you can’t blame a woman for trying. After all, who wouldn’t want a skilled doctor and enforcer on her payroll? Especially with my husband’s…accident,” she replied, tone suddenly going sour.

“I assume Jinzo’s challenging your claim to Kimo-ya’s share of the business?”

“Oh, he’s doing more than that—he’s trying to compete against my business. Opening his own club and even a few brothels so he can steal my clientele—rumor has it that’s why he’s being so stingy with his black market clients. His recent investments have put him in the red, and he he’s going to have to do something drastic to recoup the cost.”

For a brief moment Law frowned, though his lips soon turned back up into his calculating, sadistic grin. “Until then, his broken promises could earn him quite a few enemies.”

“Oh yes. I hear X Drake in particular was extremely pissed that Jinzo didn’t have his money today.”

“He was even more so when I told him that there’s no way he’d planned on paying his asking price.”

Haiko tsked. “Oh dear. It would be such a shame if some frustrated client were to cross Jinzo’s path before his latest business venture can properly take off.”

Behind them, Nami swallowed audibly, catching onto their intentions. Law glanced at her over his shoulder before returning his attention to Haiko. “Now’s not a great time to talk business, but perhaps we could continue our chat after the show. Jinzo’s trying to screw over a lot of treacherous people, myself included, and while I’m not interested in your job offer, I’d be happy to negotiate a deal that could benefit us both greatly.”

Her blood red lips curled upwards, eyes alight with interest. “Meet me in my office at nine-thirty sharp—it would be a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Before you go, I want to introduce you to my date,” he drawled, gently tugging Nami out of her seat. “Haiko-ya, this is Cat Thief Nami.”

“Ah, the woman who swindled Jinzo out of a lot of money,” the businesswoman replied, pleased smile fixated on the younger woman as she shook her hand.

“Does everybody know about that?” Nami squeaked.

“Oh, darling, it was the best piece of news I’ve heard all day. And not everyone knows—yet. I just happen to have a few eyes and ears stationed close to him so he doesn’t try to do to me what he did to my darling Kimo. I may not be able to prove he was involved, but it never hurts to be ready for anything.”

“Very true,” Law agreed. “So, I’ll see you at nine-thirty?”

Haiko blew him a kiss as she sauntered off. “Absolutely. And as thanks for embarrassing that piece of shit, your drinks are on me tonight. Keep it up, Miss Cat Thief, and you might just earn a VIP membership here, too.”

Nami couldn’t keep herself from staring as the woman left. Beautiful and glamourous though she was, she totally believed Haiko was the sort who would slit a man’s throat with a smile. She had a dangerous aura about her, and given how casually she and Law spoke, Nami was certain an ill wind was blowing.

“You two are going to do something to Jinzo, aren’t you?” she asked, sweat prickling at the back of her neck. She had no sympathy for the man, but she hoped whatever Law was planning didn’t involve her; the last thing she wanted was to get caught in the middle of an underworld power struggle.

“Mmmm, don’t worry your pretty little head over that, sweetheart,” Law purred as he tugged her towards the stage. His eyes were half-lidded and inviting, and Nami’s breath caught in her throat as her heart stuttered. Maybe it was just the aftereffects of Haiko’s performance, but the heat between her legs begged her not to resist him. “Ikkaku’s due to steal you away from me soon, so I’m not wasting another second.”

“What are you doing?” she asked, voice barely more than a whisper.

One hand clasped hers as the other wrapped around her lower back. “It dawned on me that, with how busy you were pick-pocketing rich assholes at the gala, I never got a dance with you. We’re going to remedy that. And wouldn’t you know it?” he rasped, leaning in so close his lips ever-so-slightly brushed her ear. “They’re about to play my song.”

Though initially thrown by his sudden change of tone and forwardness, Nami quickly realized from the feeling of hard wood beneath their feet that he’d led them onto the dancefloor. Before she could protest or break away, Hiroshi noticed them, tossing a wink and pointing them out to the male singer from earlier. Oscar quietly chuckled as he handed over the microphone, even giving a playful bow before stepping over to a xylophone.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are graced with the presence of the man who inspired this next song, the one and only Dr. Heart Stealer!”

As the music began, Law swept her into a dance, easily leading her in time to the lively beat.

Why is everyone so impatient? Recklessly jumping into things Crushing backstabbing

To achieve your goal Sometimes you just need to dive deep, hide yourself Scan the situation, that’s all

Welcome to Trafalgar’s ROOM Look into the mirror and see Are you who you really are? Welcome to Trafalgar’s ROOM Shall I steal what’s most precious to you?

Dr. Heart Stealer

Once you’re addicted, you can never escape…

As Hiroshi crooned the lyrics, Nami forced herself to focus on keeping pace with Law, and not on the surprising suggestiveness of the lyrics or the heat of the doctor’s palm on her exposed back. There were mere inches between them—enough space to properly move, but still so close that their breaths and body heat mingled. He was a surprisingly good dancer, too, gently guiding her across the polished floor in time to the beat, giving the occasional spin and dip, all while those golden, hungry eyes never left hers.

If something’s important, hide it away Once you shout about it out loud It’s just too naive, so sickening

Waiting is not a futile thing With enough clinical data You won’t make a mistake, there’ll be no trouble

Welcome to Trafalgar’s ROOM It’ll be over once your space’s safety is breached Welcome to Trafalgar’s ROOM Because I know what’s most precious to you

Dr. Heart Stealer

Once I set my target, I’ll definitely get it

Don’t run away, come join me Show me how you dance

Welcome to Trafalgar’s ROOM Look into the mirror and see Are you who you really are? Welcome to Trafalgar’s ROOM Shall I steal what’s most precious to you?

Dr. Heart Stealer

Once you’re addicted, you can never escape…

At last the song came to an end, and while Nami wanted to blame her breathlessness on the dancing, she knew at least a little of it had to do with the way Law was looking at her. His intense stare sizzled her skin pleasantly, and she had no choice but to admit that, as much as she wanted to fight it, the song was right.

If she let herself get addicted to him, she’d never escape.