#ive been watching too much of the office lately

[unabletonotlovesatoru]

.°⋆🖇₊˚ෆ synopsis: you’ve been visiting doctor nanami regularly under the pretence of needing treatment, but your lingering presence in his office starts to shift into something more. as flirtation deepens into real connection, nanami struggles to keep his distance, even though he can’t deny the pull he feels toward you.

₊˚ෆ teddy’s notes: GUYSSS ITS FINALLY HEREE!!! ive been working on this for a while now, thus is a love letter to nanami from me because ugh he is a dream. its just that ive been practicing in hospitals a lot and there was not enough beautiful male doctors so ive been daydreaming about doctor nanami and started writing it about 2 months ago. it took a long time because i was having a hard time writing, honestly. anyways! enjoyyy <33

₊˚ෆ contains: 4697 words, doctor! nanami, gender neutral reader, minor descriptions of injuries, a lot of nanami’s thoughts and internal conflicts, and maybe slow burn-ish? dunno, its just a silly one shot. artist credited in the banner!!

the hospital was quieter than usual. the hum of fluorescent lights above, the distant chatter of the staff—everything seemed muted as nanami kento walked down the sterile corridor. he had long learned to appreciate the calm of late-night shifts. in his world, filled with chaos and unpredictability, the silence was a reprieve.

when he walked into the examination room, clipboard in hand, he didn’t expect anything unusual. it was supposed to be just another routine visit, another night spent stitching up cuts or treating minor injuries. he hadn’t expected to be confronted with you.

you were sitting on the examination table, your hand bandaged up, looking like you had a thousand other places you’d rather be. nanami’s eyes immediately flicked to the injury. a small, superficial cut. barely worth a second glance. but there was something about you—something that felt out of place in the typical ebb and flow of hospital life.

when your eyes met his, nanami didn’t know why he lingered on your face. there was a softness in your gaze, an energy that seemed to pull him in. it wasn’t just the usual patient—uninjured, pretending to be hurt. no, you were different. he could see it in the way you carried yourself, in the subtle way your lips curved upward when he spoke.

“i understand you’ve injured yourself?” he asked, his voice steady and professional, but there was an edge to it. he was trying to suppress whatever curiosity had sparked in him the moment he laid eyes on you.

you didn’t seem fazed by the sterile setting, or his no-nonsense demeanor. instead, you smiled faintly, a little sheepish as you held out your hand, showing him the tiny cut that barely needed attention.

“it’s nothing, really. just a scrape,” you said, and he raised an eyebrow, assessing the injury once more. it was minor—nothing to worry about—but your insistence made it seem like something else was going on.

“hmm.” he bent closer, his fingers brushing against your hand as he cleaned the wound with a swift and practiced motion. his eyes flickered over the bandage, then met yours again. “it’s not serious. but we’ll clean it up anyway.”

he didn’t expect it to happen, but he felt a small ripple of something within him as he worked. it wasn’t just the touch, though that was part of it. it was something in the way you were watching him, your gaze unwavering, full of quiet intensity. he almost forgot for a moment why he was here. he could hear your breath, slow and steady, almost like the air around you had shifted.

when he finished, he didn’t say much—just the usual instructions, the reminder to keep it clean, change the bandage. but there was something in the air between the two of you that lingered after he stepped back.

you were still looking at him, a faint smile on your lips, like there was something unspoken. something that made his heart skip just a little.

“thanks.” you said, your voice soft. too soft.

nanami couldn’t explain it, but as you spoke those words, he couldn’t help the thought that had started to form in his mind: why did you feel familiar? it was a strange thought, one he quickly dismissed.

before he could say anything, you were gone, slipping out of the room without another word, leaving nanami to stare after you. there was a lingering feeling, something unidentifiable, that stayed with him long after you had left the room.

—

he’d spent the last few years working here, and by now, he was used to the quiet rhythm of night shifts. routine was something he had long ago embraced, finding comfort in the predictable flow of patients and paperwork. but then came you—the one anomaly in his perfectly balanced life.

the first time you returned, nanami had thought little of it. patients came and went, most of them with complaints so trivial that it barely warranted attention. but when you stepped through the door again, with that same half-apologetic smile, that same determined gleam in your eyes, something in him shifted. he wasn’t sure what it was yet, but there was a curiosity brewing inside him that he couldn’t shake.

“back again, i see,” he said, his voice low, controlled. he glanced at the bandage on your hand from the previous week. the sight of it reminded him of how gentle he had been with you—how soft his touch had felt compared to the usual brusque motions he used with patients.

this time, you were a little more direct. “well, you know me,” you said, holding your arm out like it was offering up some tragic tale. “i can’t seem to keep my balance lately. bumped into the corner of a table.” you made a show of wincing as though it was a severe injury, but the way your eyes gleamed suggested otherwise.

nanami raised an eyebrow. another injury? he couldn’t help but feel a small, skeptical tug in his chest. but, as always, he hid it behind the professionalism he was known for. his gaze dropped to your arm, and as his fingers gently pressed against the bruise, he felt the subtle tension that always seemed to be there when you were around. it wasn’t just the touch—though that was certainly part of it. it was the way you looked at him. your eyes always lingered just a little longer than necessary, and nanami couldn’t ignore how it made his heart flutter.

he adjusted his glasses, his fingers still lightly brushing over the bruise. “it’s minor,” he said, his voice a little less dismissive than usual. “you’re fine. just take it easy for a couple of days.”

you were clearly enjoying the attention, despite the trivial nature of the injury. “i suppose i’ll just have to rest,” you said, a playful lilt in your voice. “though, i don’t know how i’m going to manage without your expert care.”

the compliment wasn’t lost on him. it wasn’t that nanami couldn’t handle the flirtation—it was that it made him feel something he wasn’t used to. something soft. he let out a quiet sigh and gave you a side glance. “you’re impossible.”

but the words didn’t have their usual bite. instead, there was a trace of amusement in his tone, an unexpected crack in his professional armor. and you noticed it. of course, you did.

—

the next week, you were back again. this time, with a slightly more elaborate tale about twisting your ankle while jogging. he didn’t even bother asking if it was true—he already knew. it was another excuse. another reason for you to seek him out.

but, as usual, nanami couldn’t bring himself to push you away. he couldn’t explain it. there was something magnetic about you—something that kept drawing him in no matter how many times you made up some new injury. maybe it was the way you looked at him when you walked into the room, like you were waiting for him to see through the act. maybe it was how you teased him so effortlessly, as though you knew exactly what buttons to push to get under his skin.

this time, you’d pulled a muscle in your leg. the bruise on your ankle wasn’t as bad as you claimed, but you made sure to exaggerate the tenderness as you sat down on the exam table.

“do you need help getting up?” nanami asked, though he had already seen you walk in with ease, so he knew it wasn’t as bad as you made it sound.

you tilted your head, your smile a little more mischievous. “only if you’ll carry me.”

nanami blinked, the words catching him off guard. but he couldn’t hide the slight shift in his expression—just a subtle tightening around his jaw, an almost imperceptible flush in his cheeks.

you were relentless, weren’t you?

he cleared his throat. “i’m not in the habit of carrying patients,” he said, though even to his own ears, his voice lacked the usual firmness.

“i bet you’d make an exception for me,” you replied, your smile only deepening as you leaned back, clearly enjoying the effect your words had on him. there was a glint of something playful—and yet, something deeper—in your gaze.

for a moment, nanami didn’t know how to respond. he wasn’t accustomed to this. you weren’t just another flirtatious patient; you were different. you’d burrowed your way into his thoughts, disrupted his routine in a way he couldn’t explain.

with a soft sigh, nanami knelt in front of you, his hands firm but gentle as he took your ankle in his grip. you met his gaze directly, not backing down. and why should you?

he started to work, massaging the muscle in your leg, his movements slow and methodical. but even as his hands worked, a part of him was aware of the connection that had formed between the two of you. it wasn’t just the act of caring for you—it was something deeper. something unspoken, but there, just under the surface.

“i’m not going to keep letting you get away with this,” he muttered under his breath. but you heard it, of course, and it made you smile.

“you’re not supposed to keep me out of here,” you said teasingly, leaning back slightly, still watching him with that knowing look. “i think you secretly enjoy our time together.”

nanami stopped for a moment, his eyes locking with yours, something flickering between you. he let out a quiet breath, resisting the pull you had on him. “you’re a handful,” he said, but there was warmth in his voice now, something he hadn’t intended to let slip.

—

over the weeks, it became harder to ignore the tension that had grown between you two. nanami’s professional mask remained intact most of the time, but he couldn’t help but let it slip more often when you were around. your teasing had evolved into something deeper—flirtation wrapped in softness, words said with intention. you began to linger a little longer after your so-called “injuries” had been treated, finding ways to stay near him, just to be in the same space.

one evening, as he was finishing up his shift, nanami found himself unexpectedly drawn to your presence in a way that he hadn’t anticipated. you were sitting in his office, your legs crossed, looking completely at ease as though you belonged there.

“you’re here again,” he said, though there was no surprise in his voice anymore. he had come to expect it.

you glanced up from your phone, meeting his gaze with that easy smile that never failed to catch him off guard. “can’t stay away from you.”

he couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped him, a sound that surprised even him. you really are impossible, he thought. but damn if you don’t make things interesting.

you didn’t say anything else, but your presence was enough. the room felt charged, like something was hanging in the air between you both. nanami shifted slightly, adjusting his glasses. he wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion from his shift or the way you made him feel, but tonight, he felt something he hadn’t before—a pull toward you that he couldn’t deny.

when you stood to leave, you reached out, placing your hand on his arm just for a moment. the touch was light, but it sent a ripple through him. his breath caught in his throat as he glanced at you. your face was serious, no longer playful.

“i’ll be back next week,” you said, your voice steady, almost as if it was a promise.

before he could respond, you were gone.

—

the days between your visits had always felt like routine to nanami—filled with the usual responsibilities, patients, paperwork, and the monotony of hospital life. but ever since you’d entered his world, there was a subtle shift in his thoughts. your presence had become a part of his daily rhythm, even when you weren’t physically there.

he found himself wondering, during his quiet moments between patients, about your smile, the way you always seemed to know how to tease him just right, how you made him feel something he hadn’t experienced in a long time: disarmed. even now, in the midst of yet another late-night shift, he couldn’t stop thinking about the touch of your hand on his arm—the warmth of it lingering long after you’d left.

and that was when he realized something. he didn’t want you to stop coming. there, he’d said it to himself, even if he wasn’t willing to say it out loud just yet.

—

nanami was still processing his thoughts from the last time you’d left, still unsure of how much of it was just you—and how much was his own reaction to you. but when he saw you walk through the door the next week, with a familiar glint in your eye and that same teasing smile, he knew exactly what was happening.

you didn’t waste time this time—there was no exaggerated tale of injury. instead, you came straight to the point, your eyes mischievous as you stood before him. “i didn’t want to be too dramatic today, but…”

nanami glanced up from his paperwork, his brows furrowing slightly. “but?”

you didn’t say anything for a moment. instead, you stepped closer, placing your hand on his desk—just close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from your skin. “i was hoping you might have time for me,” you said softly, voice quiet and seductive, a slight catch to it as if you weren’t entirely sure of his response. it was almost vulnerable in a way that took him by surprise.

for a heartbeat, nanami couldn’t say anything. his heart pounded in his chest as you stood there, so close to him that he could smell the soft fragrance of your perfume, feel the heat coming off your skin. he knew you weren’t here for an injury this time—not really. you had found your way back to him in a way that felt almost too intimate.

he cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses nervously. “i’m not sure what you expect from me, but if you’re here for another injury…”

you shook your head, a teasing smile spreading across your face. “no injuries today, dr. nanami. just… a little company.”

the quiet weight of your words hung between you two. you were persistent, and while nanami had originally assumed it was some harmless flirtation, something had shifted. he couldn’t deny that the idea of seeing you, spending time with you, had become something he secretly looked forward to.

he sighed, leaning back in his chair, and studied you for a long moment. he couldn’t quite put into words the feeling he had when you were around. maybe it was the way you made him feel seen, or the way you slowly peeled away his layers with every encounter. whatever it was, nanami knew he was walking a dangerous line, and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

“alright,” he said, voice low and resigned, but there was a soft undercurrent to it. “i’ll make time for you, then.”

you smiled, that playful glint in your eyes flickering with satisfaction. “thank you, kento,” you whispered, the softness in your voice almost like a secret only the two of you shared.

—

over the following weeks, the line between patient and something more blurred further. the flirtation, once lighthearted and innocent, had evolved into something more serious, something more significant. you found reasons to spend time with nanami not just for medical attention but for the connection between the two of you that had been quietly simmering under the surface.

sometimes, you’d linger in his office after your injuries had been treated, talking about your day, your life, or just sharing a quiet moment together. the conversations started to stretch longer, more intimate, and nanami noticed that he began to enjoy the sound of your voice. he began to learn little things about you—things that made his heart stir. your laugh, the way you crinkled your nose when something amused you, the soft hum you made when you were thinking.

he learned that you were always too hard on yourself, that you’d been through a lot in your life, but never let it show. he noticed the vulnerability in the way you’d look at him sometimes, as though you were waiting for him to notice. and for once, nanami didn’t feel the need to maintain his distance. he didn’t want to push you away.

but every time you flirted with him, he remained cautiously reserved, not quite allowing himself to fully lean into it. there was always a part of him that held back—the part that reminded him this wasn’t a good idea. he wasn’t supposed to fall for patients. but damn it, you made it impossible not to.

one evening, you came in as usual, this time with a strained smile on your face. “no injuries today,” you said, as though that was a small victory. “i just wanted to talk. if you have the time, of course.”

nanami glanced up from the paperwork he was working on. for the first time in weeks, he didn’t feel frustrated by the interruption. he felt… relieved, even. you weren’t here for an injury. you were just here to be with him.

“of course,” he said quietly, setting his papers aside. his gaze softened as he met your eyes. this is what i’ve been waiting for, he realized—this unspoken connection, these moments where it wasn’t about injuries or excuses. it was about the two of you.

you took a seat in the chair across from him, your gaze unwavering as you leaned forward slightly, the intensity in your eyes making his pulse quicken. “you know, i’ve been thinking about something.”

nanami raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “what about?”

your lips curved into a small, secretive smile, and you didn’t immediately answer. instead, you simply reached out, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead in an unexpectedly intimate gesture.

“you’re always so serious, nanami,” you said softly, the tenderness in your voice disarming him. “i think you should smile more.”

the simplicity of your words struck him in a way he hadn’t expected. he didn’t know why, but hearing you say that made something inside him shift. the tension he’d been carrying for weeks—the anxiety about getting too close to you—began to loosen.

nanami didn’t know how to respond at first. he was always so reserved, so careful about everything, but when he met your eyes again, there was an openness there that hadn’t been there before. he allowed himself a small smile, just for you.

“i’ll try,” he said, his voice softer than usual.

you leaned forward a little, your eyes bright. “good. because i’d like to see it more often.”

and with that, nanami realized the truth. he wanted to see more of you, too. more than just a patient. more than just the soft teasing and gentle flirtation. he wanted something real, something that neither of you had admitted yet, but that was undeniably there.

—

the surgery had been long and exhausting—hours spent under harsh, fluorescent lights, his focus sharp as he assisted the lead surgeon with meticulous care. it was the kind of work nanami was used to—demanding, grueling, but also strangely satisfying in its precision. his hands ached, his body was stiff, and his mind begged for rest as he made his way back to his office in the quiet hours of the night.

he wasn’t expecting much. just the usual—silence, paperwork he didn’t want to deal with, and perhaps, if he were lucky, a cup of tea from the breakroom. what he wasn’t expecting was you.

at first, he didn’t notice you. his office was dimly lit, the desk lamp casting soft shadows across the room. he shrugged off his coat, draping it over the back of his chair, and ran a hand through his hair, loosening his tie. his mind was already moving ahead—thinking of the report he needed to finish and the notes he had to add to the patient’s chart.

then he heard it: the soft, steady sound of breathing. his movements stilled. slowly, he turned toward the examination table, his eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. and there you were, lying curled up on the table, your chest rising and falling in quiet rhythm, your head resting on your folded arms.

for a moment, nanami simply stood there, frozen in the doorway. his heart gave a strange, unfamiliar lurch in his chest, an ache spreading through him that he couldn’t quite name.

you waited for me.

the thought startled him. he wasn’t sure if it was disbelief or something deeper, something warmer, that coursed through him at the realization. he knew you were bold—your shameless flirting over the past few weeks had proven that—but this? waiting for him after hours, in his office, without even an excuse of an injury to justify your presence? it was reckless, but also… endearing.

his steps were quiet as he approached you, his gaze softening despite himself. you looked so peaceful in sleep, the sharpness of your wit replaced by a vulnerability he wasn’t used to seeing. his fingers twitched at his side, tempted to brush away the strand of hair that had fallen across your face. he resisted, though the thought lingered.

he stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. his rational mind told him to wake you gently, to send you on your way, to maintain the boundaries he’d worked so hard to uphold. but something inside him—the part he’d been suppressing for weeks—kept him rooted in place.

it wasn’t just your presence that struck him. it was what it represented. you stayed. for me.

nanami finally allowed himself to exhale, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. he leaned forward, resting a hand lightly on the edge of the table, and called your name softly.

your eyes fluttered open, bleary and unfocused at first. when they landed on him, a slow, sleepy smile spread across your lips.

“nanami…” you murmured, your voice thick with drowsiness.

his chest tightened at the sound of his name on your lips. he cleared his throat, forcing himself to adopt his usual professional tone. “what are you doing here? you shouldn’t be—”

“i waited for you,” you interrupted, sitting up slowly. you stretched your arms, blinking as if trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. “i just… wanted to see you.”

your words hit him harder than they should have. he didn’t respond right away, his mind caught between the rational urge to lecture you and the growing warmth spreading through his chest.

“you shouldn’t have waited,” he said finally, his tone softer than he intended. “it’s late, and you should be resting.”

you smiled again, this time wider, the teasing glint he’d grown used to returning to your eyes. “i couldn’t rest. not until i saw you.”

nanami felt his resolve cracking, the careful walls he’d built around himself beginning to crumble under your gaze. he tried to focus on the clinical details—the faint redness in your cheeks from sleeping on your arm, the way your fingers fidgeted slightly against the edge of the table. but all of it only made you more real, more tangible, and it was becoming harder to maintain the distance he’d fought so hard to keep.

“you…” he hesitated, his hand curling into a fist at his side. “you shouldn’t say things like that.”

“why not?” you asked, tilting your head slightly. “it’s the truth. i like being around you, nanami. is that so bad?”

his breath hitched. he wanted to say yes—that it was bad, that it was unprofessional, that it was crossing a line he wasn’t supposed to cross. but the words wouldn’t come.

instead, he found himself stepping closer, the space between you shrinking until he could see every detail of your face—the way your eyes searched his, the way your lips parted slightly as if waiting for him to speak.

“it’s not bad,” he said finally, his voice low, almost like he was admitting something to himself. “but… it’s complicated.”

you smiled softly, undeterred. “complicated doesn’t scare me.”

nanami exhaled, his gaze dropping for a moment as though weighing his next words carefully. “it should,” he murmured, the faintest crack of vulnerability slipping into his tone. “i don’t know if i can give you what you’re looking for.”

you didn’t hesitate. “what if i’m not looking for anything specific? what if i just… want you?”

the words struck him like a blow, harder than he anticipated. his breath hitched as he raised his eyes to meet yours, searching for the usual teasing glint in your gaze. but there was none this time—no hint of mischief or lighthearted charm. only sincerity.

he swallowed hard. you made it sound so simple, so easy, as if he weren’t a man weighed down by his own doubts, his own careful walls. he’d spent weeks trying to convince himself that this was a passing infatuation, something fleeting on your part. but now, faced with the raw honesty in your voice, he couldn’t pretend anymore.

“i…” he started, his voice faltering. he looked away, his jaw tightening as he tried to collect himself. “you don’t understand how difficult i can be. i’m set in my ways. i work late hours. i’m not the type of man to make grand gestures or say the right things.”

“i don’t need grand gestures,” you said, your tone quiet but firm. “and i like the way you are—your quiet, your seriousness, your care.” you hesitated for a moment, your expression softening as you added, “nanami, i know what i’m saying. i’m not scared of who you are.”

something inside him gave way, the weight of your words pressing against the walls he’d built around his heart. for the first time in years, he felt seen—not just for what he could do, not just for the roles he fulfilled, but for the man beneath it all.

his hand moved almost unconsciously, reaching out to yours. when his fingers brushed against yours, he felt the faintest tremor in his chest, the warmth of your touch grounding him in a way he hadn’t realized he needed.

“i don’t deserve this,” he said softly, almost as if to himself.

your fingers curled around his, steady and sure. “you do.”

and that was it. the last thread of resistance snapped. he stepped closer, his free hand rising to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing lightly against your skin. his gaze flickered between your eyes and your lips, his heart pounding in his chest.

“i’m not good at this,” he warned, his voice low, rough with emotion.

“then let me show you how,” you whispered, your voice a promise and a plea all at once.

before he could second-guess himself, nanami closed the distance, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that was deliberate and slow, but no less fervent. his fingers threaded through your hair, pulling you closer as if he were afraid you might slip away.

you kissed him back with equal intensity, your hands clutching at his shirt as if to anchor yourself. the quiet of the room was broken only by the sound of your breathing, the world narrowing down to the press of his lips against yours and the warmth of his touch.

when he finally pulled away, his forehead rested against yours, his breath uneven. “this… this scares me,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

you smiled, your fingers brushing lightly against his jaw. “then let’s be scared together.”

a quiet laugh escaped him, a rare, unguarded sound that softened the lines of his face. and for the first time in what felt like forever, nanami allowed himself to let go of the doubt, the fear, and the weight of his own expectations.

because in this moment, with you in his arms, it didn’t feel so complicated after all.

thank you for reading this! likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated <3

[ebsmind]

My Little Treasure | president!Nico Hischier x fem!reader

summary : being the presidents mistress isn’t easy. even when another woman comes out saying she’s having an affair with him.

word count : 8.5k (the longest ive ever written BE PROUD OF ME)

warning(s) : this is purely based off of shonda rhimes SCANDAL sjiwiejdj, angst, longing (kinda? idk), cheating/infidelity (nellie deserves better), reader pushes her feeling aside, timo being called nico’s personal bitch AHAHAHA, murder (mentioned in case), non accurate descriptions of politics and law stuff, like 2-3 mentions of vomit , use of Y/N (I tried not too but I just couldn't), tbh there’s not a lot of nico x reader IM SORRY part 2 will make up for it, heavy makeout session, smut kinda? idk but next part will be smutty TRUST, getting caught by timo (what the hell Timo), VIOLENCE aka just a slap in the face, one flashback spicy scene and i think that's it!

a/n : LISTEN LISTEN before i say ANYTHING i just wanted to say that i know nico isn’t american but im currently hyper fixated on him and only him and i just started watching scandal again SO I HAD TO so please if you don’t like the “accuracy” don’t read it! this is FICTIONAL but yeah here we are! this closely follows the first episode from season 1! this is a long oneeeee! i’ve also changed the names of Abby, Quinn, Harrison, Huck, AND Cyrus (you’ll see who I change him with 😏) I also go along with the case that’s happening so this is semi like a mystery but not? idk how to explain but you’ll see as you read. send me something in my inbox if you want me to elaborate on anything about the side characters! i definitely want to turn this into an au so send me something so i can write about it or talk about it! here’s the mood board! this is also my second time writing anything spicy so please bear with me, this whole fic idea really had me out of my comfort zone so it isn't my best writing but I still wanted to get this out!

The clicks of your So Kate’s are heard throughout the law firm. Everyone knows it’s you, just by the way you walk. It’s swift and carries determination, you are on a mission. You present yourself with a sense of purpose to your colleagues. Scratch that, they’re family. Despite them technically being your coworkers, you would do anything for the four of them. From saving Gwen from her violent ex-husband to Kurt, a soldier who had served in the United States CIA’s top secret, off the books, B-613 program who ended up being dumped on the streets to beg for food, you saved them and they were all you had. 

You step into the standard-sized conference room, and the extensive window along the back wall displays an orange-to-blue hue. The sun is setting and making it known that the end of the day is near. You first make eye contact with Blair, the senior associate at the firm. She stops her conversation amongst everyone and before she can greet you, Kurt, who is sitting at the very right end of the table, utters, “Perla Schmitz killed herself, channel 5.” 

You make no time to strut to the table and grab the TV remote, which had been sitting next to Blair. You don’t need to change the channel once you press the power button on the remote, it’s all you watch in the firm—across the 55’ inch screen, displayed in bold lettering ‘Perla Schmitz (26) found dead in her home’. You take a second to yourself. Perla had been caught cheating on her husband, who was a very conservative congressman, but that wasn’t the icing on the cake. The guy she was having an affair with? He murdered her husband, brutally. 27 stab wounds to the chest, his head almost decapitated because of how much force was used to slit his throat. If someone were to ask you, you’d say she had it coming. 

You turn to the group and raise a finger in the air as you start to speak. “We knew this was coming, let’s not pretend that she wasn’t the one cheating on her husband.” 

Perla came into your office late last Friday night, around 11:25. You had stayed longer than you originally wanted to, needing to finish up some paperwork that had to be done for one of the previous clients you had. What a way to bring in the new year, but you weren’t complaining. 

“Exactly! I knew she didn’t have enough willpower to continue her life. She took the easy way out, man.” You take a seat at the left end side of the table, parallel to Kurt while Neil, another associate and close friend of yours finishes his veracious remark. You decide it’s best to tell Neil and everyone else to drop the topic, but before you can open your mouth, the firm doors open. The 7-foot ebony-colored wood doors reveal a man with black hair and blue eyes, maybe mid to late 20s. The first thing you notice is how his eyes tear up before he speaks, not how he’s covered in blood. 

“I-…I didn’t kill her I swear! She was my best friend, we were gonna get married!” 

Your irises scan over the pinned evidence on the whiteboard, it had been approximately 18 hours since the 6’2 blood blood-covered man had walked into your firm. Sully St. James comes from an extremely well-respected family. His father was a Veteran from the Vietnam War. Sully himself had done two tours in Iraq and received the Medal of Honor. Having someone as well respected as him, show up to the front door of your firm, asking for help wasn’t new but you were determined to help the man not get convicted as the killer in his girlfriend’s murder case. You needed time, but the US attorney general David Rosen was stubborn. 

“Okay! So, according to Sully, he had just come home from the bar down on 9th St, called SOST, he then walked into the bathroom where the crime scene is, saw Paige’s body on the ground,” Blair points out and before she can finish her sentence Kurt cuts her off. 

“Paige suffered from 2 bullets to the chest and 1 to the head. This wasn’t a freak accident, someone wanted her dead.” Kurt crosses his arms and moves up from the far end of the table. He was correct, but your gut couldn’t help but wail that Sully was not the cause. 

Blair continues to explain the approximate details, “Here’s the weird part, Sully calls the police but before they can get there he flies, and he flies here.” She takes a step away from the whiteboard and makes eye contact with you. She can sense what you’re already going to say. Blair knows you, and she knows you like the back of her hand. 

“My gut tells me that he didn’t do this. Something is missing. I need more, all of you need to try to find something, anything! Anything that can clear this man’s alibi. He said it himself that he loved her and that she was his best friend. I believe him.” You step up from the chair you were sitting in and start heading towards the conference room doors when your cell phone starts to ring. Grabbing it out of your left pocket, the name “Timo Meier” is displayed across the screen. You huff in response. 

He needs you right now and you know if Timo were to tell you to head to the White House as soon as possible you would and it wouldn’t end in a way you would like. Yet, you still manage to press the green button, confirming the call. 

“What do you want.” You’re busy and Timo knows it. This isn’t some ‘Oh hi! How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you in a while phone call. Timo didn’t have time for that, being the White House’s Chief of Staff to Nico Hischiers personal bitch, he never had time.

Timo sighs, you can already picture him, sitting at his desk, elbow resting on it, his thumb and pointer finger trying to relieve his throbbing headache. Timo did so much for the President of the United States and somehow that included calling you on a random Tuesday afternoon. 

“He needs you to come in. Something happened and we need you to make it go away.” Timo lets you take a second to respond. Already sensing that the situation was substandard, it had been months since you had last spoken to Timo and maybe even half a year since you’ve seen Nico. Physically. It wasn’t that you hated him, you could never. It was the fact you left your position as the White House Communications Director for yourself. Everything you did was always for Nico and never not you and when the realization of that hit you, it was time to go. It’s time to separate yourself from some fantasy that only ever works out in the books. The feeling of two hands wrapped around your throat finally caught up to you. 

“I’ve got a client sitting in my conference room Timo.” 

“Look, I know, I know, but this isn’t something that needs to be out in the public. Make it go away. Please. If not for him, for me.” He’s desperate and you know it. If you were to tell him that the only reason you were about to agree was because you held him in such high regard, you’d never hear the end of it. So, you keep your reply as simple as needed. 

“Okay, I’ll be there in 45 minutes. I need to let Neil know.” 

You spot Timo before he spots you. He’s sat on a bench, perhaps getting some proper vitamin D. You watch the way his foot taps every other millisecond. Being cooped up in a mediocre-sized office in the White House can make someone feel insane, you’ve been there. 

As you get closer, you examine the navy blue suit that he’s dressed in. It’s his favorite one, he has 3 more pairs of it because he wears it so much. His tie has gold accents on it, it’s from his wife. You had helped her pick it out for him since you had seen him a lot more than she did. His eyes are heavy, he’s needs a vacation, a long one to be exact. You’ll let Nico know if you ever see him again, maybe he can pull some strings for him even if it’s a nice (long-awaited) expensive dinner.

You walk up the concrete steps before reaching Timo, the only thing grabbing his attention is the click of your heels. Once he realizes that you have walked up to him, you open your mouth to greet him. 

“What.” Timo giggles, he’s knows you mean business but he can’t deny he misses your presence around in the White House even if you were telling him off half of the time. 

“Well, hello to you too.” He stands up and gestures to start walking with him. You obey and within a second you guys stride across the walkway that overlooks the White House. 

“What do you need me for Timo? I don’t work for him anymore.” 

“He needs a favor.” You scoff at Timo and choose not to say anything.

“You still came. You came when I called.” His words hit you like a bus. It stings. Both you and Timo know that whenever the President needs anything from you, you’ll be there in a heartbeat. You’d do anything for everyone you love. You were loyal. That’s how it always had been and why Nico wanted you there every step of the way. He knew that he could turn his back and not expect a knife to be plunged into it. 

“Her name is Vanessa Wyatt. She works in AIDE. She claims to have had an affair with him. I need you to make it go away and fast.” Timo places his right arm on his abdomen, in response you hook your left one into his right and walk side by side with Timo. 

“Is it true?” You try to show no reaction but green envy begins to boil in your stomach.

“No, of course not, but I need you to shut it down.” 

“I need to see him.” You don’t think about your reply until after it leaves your mouth. Both you and Timo come to an abrupt stop. He takes a step back and faces you. 

“No, I don’t think that’s possible.” 

“You want me to shut her up? Then I need to look at him in the eyes and know he’s not lying.” Timo knows that you're serious. You always are. 

“The President’s schedule is packed. He has no time to see you.” He’s straightforward, Timo doesn’t have time for negotiating but luckily for you, you’re a persuasive person. You tend to always get what you want even if it means overstepping some boundaries. 

“He wants my services but here’s the thing Timo, I do not work for him anymore! So, tell him to make time to see me if not you’re just gonna have to find someone else to do it for you. You know where to find me.” 

After giving Timo a faint smile, you turn to walk away. As one foot goes in front of the other, you can’t help but feel that some part of this story is true making your heart ache.

By the time you get back to your office, you get a phone call from Timo, confirming that Nico managed to get out of a meeting so that he could talk to you. With that, you grab your coat off the coat rack and start heading towards the conference room to let at least Gwen know about your abrupt departure. 

“Hey Gwen, duty calls at the White House, I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Anything new?” Gwen knows you’re talking about the case and before she utters anything new she’s found, she strides to the door and closes it. 

Knowing that Sully is just in the room next door, she lowers her voice, “Kurt managed to get into Paige’s email and I’ve been reading. I found one where she emailed a friend. She was supposed to meet up with a friend at the embassy party together but never showed.” 

You nod your head to show that you understand but it’s not enough information to be able to explain why Paige was murdered so, you request more information. 

“Who? and Why?” Keep it simple. 

Gwen takes about a second before she replies, “A girl named Ariel, and I don’t know why.” 

“Find out why. ‘I don’t know’ is not an answer I’m gonna take.” That sentence leaves your mouth as fast as lightning strikes the Earth’s outermost crust. 

To other people, your reply would’ve been seen as impolite but to you and everyone at the firm, it was just that ‘I don’t know’ wouldn’t get you anywhere in a case. Especially when so much is at stake.

“I won’t be long Gwen. Tell Blair and she’ll go interview the friend.”

Once you arrive at the White House you are led to Timo’s office. It’s nice and spacious, with a window that overlooks a garden. Nellie’s garden. A sour taste forms in your mouth. The garden is small, not as big as Jacqueline Kennedy’s garden but Nellie insisted she needed her own. You were told moments ago that she’d be attending this “meeting” and as much as you dislike it, you can’t help but feel empathy for Nellie. She was nothing but nice to you when Nico hired you as the manager for his campaign. It sucked most that you went not even a month later you started sleeping with her husband. 

The combined noises of clothes rustling and heavy breaths consume the aura of the small hotel room. It’s unbelievable how an innocent dinner between two ‘colleagues’ can turn outright sexual within two hours, but you weren’t complaining. Maybe it was the two glasses of cabernet sauvignon that your unconscious level of operation had convinced you to drink. 

Nico places open-mouthed kisses from behind your ear, down to the spot on your breast that the black lace push-up bra doesn’t cover. The white ironed shirt, that had been covering your bra, had been tossed over your head about 15 minutes ago and the black midi skirt was currently being tugged down your hips. As for Nico, all to go was the baby blue dress shirt he wore, and the black tie. Which had been taken off right when the two of you entered the room. His dark navy blue pants remained on the list of clothes that needed to be discarded.  

You take a second to admire Nico’s disheveled hair. The thought of pulling it with your fingers when he whispers sweet nothing’s into your core flashes across your mind. Nico cuts off that thought once his lips make contact with yours. It’s messy and filled with need. The months of longing stares, mainly from him, were finally catching up. You take notice that your black skirt is now pooled at your feet. You take a step out of them, in a haze, the action bringing you closer to Nico. He steadies you by placing his hands on your hips. His fingertips graze the matching black lace panties you paired with your bra. He smirks into the kiss at the thought of you planning it out. 

Nico takes small steps, notifying you to do the same but backward, and guides you to the small light wooden desk against the wall opposite of the bed. The back of your thighs hit the desk and with a swift motion, Nico grabs you at the waist and sets you to sit on top of it. A quick gasp escapes your naturally pouty lips and with that, Nico gets on his knees. 

Timo snaps you out of that thought fairly quickly, “Well hello, long time no see!”

He’s being sarcastic, but you waste no time to get to the point. 

“I was told Nellie was going to be here. She knows about this?”

Timo nods, acknowledging your words, and replies, “It’s not like how it was during the election. The isolation of the White House bonded them, their marriage is as strong as ever.” 

Before you can react to Timos statement, Nellie comes barging into the room. 

“Y/N!” 

You fake a smile, deep down you could never hate Nellie. No matter how hard you try. “Nellie, hi! How are you doing?!” Faking your enthusiastic response, you can’t help but feel guilty. It wasn’t hard to read Nellie, so you could tell she missed your presence around in the White House. Once Nellie reaches you she engulfs you in a heartwarming hug. She rubs your back and soaks in the moment, reminiscing an old friendship.

You’re the first to step away and once you create a small fragment of distance, Nellie answers your question.

“I’m doing well! It’s taking some time getting used to you not being here but I’m managing. How’s the firm?”

“We’re doing well over there. It’s been busy but I like being occupied…can never get enough of it.” You chuckle at the tiny comment you make and Nellie goes to carry the conversation but comes to a halt when the double doors to Timo’s office open once again. 

You told yourself, on the drive over to the White House, that you would keep things strictly professional but Nico always managed to make that very hard. Not only that, you still deeply cared for the man and he did the same as well. But the moment you saw his face everything you had prepared yourself for had expeditiously faded away. You can’t even process the moment, that he’s here and physically in front of you until he’s shaking your hand. 

The last time you saw Nico was at a charity gala in late June. Five months after you left. You only managed to stay for an hour until everything felt overwhelming. Your chest felt like it was being compressed by an unseen entity, and bile was rising in your throat. Nico had tried his best to talk to you but with Nellie by his side and her pregnancy rumors, he couldn’t. It broke his heart when he saw the tears in your eyes. You’d felt betrayed but also knew that being the President’s mistress meant that you never came first. Even if he lied to you and said that you did. 

“Y/N, It’s good to see you.” He’s keeping it simple. He can’t show too much vulnerability, there are still two people in the room. 

“Likewise, Mr. President.” You drop your hand first from the handshake and look closely at Nico. He shaved two days ago, you can tell by the stubble sitting on the lower half of his face. It has just grown enough to the point where if he could get on his knees in front of you, you’d feel it scratch your inner thighs. 

“Shall we take a walk?” Timo kindly suggests. 

The three of you decide to chat in Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. With the company of two secret service members but you don’t mind. 

It may be January but the pansies are still in season. You walk up and admire the some that are purple. You notice that in the outer part of the petal, they’re royal purple, but towards the center, they’re light purple - almost a lilac color. That would be a nice color for a wedding. You’re too busy admiring the flowers that don’t notice the sound of footsteps approaching until the person has already reached you. It’s Nico. You don’t even need to look to know it’s him. He clears his throat before starting the conversation with you. 

“I know you have your hands full with the Sully St. James situation so, thank you for doing this, for me.” He turns to look at you. God you’ve missed him. 

Timo walks up behind you and the president, the two secret service agents aren’t too far behind. He pulls out a beige file folder and speaks. 

“Her name is Vanessa Wyatt.” You take hold of the folder and open it up. 

“I know.” 

“Well if you let me finish- anyways, she’s 25. I’ve heard rumors that she might be talking.” Timo states and looks off into the distance. It’s nice and sunny outside, but not even for it to take the edge off the cold. You take a look at what she looks like. She must be new, or at least got hired after you resigned. She’s cute but looking at her makes you feel nauseated. You push that feeling aside, it’s best at what you do. 

“But you can’t fire her. At least not without a shit show going off.” Both Timo and Nico nod. Nico has yet to say anything. You find it odd but push that thought aside. You know Nico wouldn’t do this. 

“Look, she hasn’t gone to the press, so best shut it down before she opens her mouth.” Timo’s phone rings and he excuses himself to take the call. It’s just you and Nico. A part of you doesn’t want to ask him the long-awaited question but you still do it anyways.

“I have to ask, did you do it?” You look up at him for the first time after reaching the garden. All you see are his eyes, they’re identical to the color of the way he takes his coffee. 

“No. I would never do that.” Nico pauses but doesn’t break the eye contact. You’re starting to feel light-headed. Your heart wants to believe him but there’s someone in your ear screaming that he isn’t telling the truth. 

“You’ve known me for a long time. Most of my time has been spent with you. You know I would never, ever fall for some girl. You know there’s only one girl I truly love.” He accentuates the last sentence. Only you know he’s talking about you. It’s a secret embedded between the two of you. You feel warm, not the bad kind, but the warm and comfy kind. He knows you need reassurance, he knows you think he’s lying, and he knows that if he did do it, it would be unforgivable. It feels like time is passing by slowly, you’re lost in his pools of melted chocolate-like irises. He never once, looked away. He’s telling the truth. 

“We’re due to be back now!” Looking back, you see Timo. He’s about 15 feet away, but he’s walking towards both Nico and you. 

“I’ll handle it. Consider it handled.” You look away. A burning sensation hits the back of your eye sockets. You feel like crying but you won’t let the tears fall.

Once Timo reaches you he wraps his arms around you and the President’s shoulders. 

“The band is back together!”

One hour. One hour is how much time you had given Gwen to find anything and everything about Vanessa Wyatt and boy did she find something. 

Gwen walks beside you, to your left. The pace you’ve set is fast, it wasn’t like you had all day. You had a firm to run and a man’s destiny in your hands. Vanessa Wyatt was just a fork in the road. You had a plan and with enough convincing, she’d end up on a bus to Wisconsin in the morning.

“You’re acting as my witness. Just shut up and listen to what I say. Do not engage with her.” Both you and Gwen had been following Vanessa around Easy Potomac Park for approximately seven minutes. You took immediate notice that she was accompanied by her dog, a golden retriever. Gwen had whispered something about it being adorable, to you it was an amazing conversation starter, a way to get in, and a vulnerability point for Vanessa. 

Vanessa’s quick to take a seat on a bench, overlooking the Potomac River. You waste no time to walk up to her and Gwen follows suit. “What a cute dog! Golden Retriever?” 

Vanessa takes the bait like a fish dumb enough to take a worm that’s on a fish hook. You’ve already got her right where you want her and you’ve only spoken six words. 

“Yeah haha! His name is Thomas Jefferson, like the President, it’s lame I know! But it suits him surprisingly.” The thought of how naive she is crosses your mind. Was she like that with Nico? You take a seat next to her before carrying on the conversation.

“Vanessa, it would be a mistake to think that there will be no consequences to you telling lies about the President.” Her face falls almost immediately. Gwen gives you a look. Almost like she was surprised herself, she was least expecting you to mention the so-called “affair” this early on in the conversation. To your dismay, Vanessa doesn’t make an effort to start running away yet. Stupid girl. Rather instead she questions you. 

“I never told you my name. Who are you?” She finally turns to get a good look at you. Vanessa notices the pale, off-white pantsuit that’s on your body. It fits you to a tee. 

“My name is Y/N.” You pause for a brief moment then continue your lecture to the younger girl, “And I want to make it clear that I’m not here in an official capacity. I’m here because I’m a

concerned citizen.” Vanessa looks away, tears threatening to fall on her plump, pinky cheeks. She isn’t wearing anything to keep her warm besides a thin coat. 

She mutters another question. “What do you want?” 

Your response leaves your mouth rapidly. “I came to warn you. A girl like you can’t win something like this. In, employment your face will be everywhere. And by everywhere I mean tabloids, newspapers, social media, local news. People are going to associate you with a sex scandal. All kinds of information about you will become available to the press in a heartbeat. For example, the 22 sexual partners you’ve had? What about that case of gonorrhea? Oh and let’s not forget your mothers two year stay at Bedford Hospital.” Everything you say comes out nonchalantly. You pause and take a look at the younger brunette, waiting for a response but she says nothing. You take it as a sign to continue. 

“That’s what I thought. It’s information like that, that could ruin everything for you.” Both you and Gwen take notice of Vanessa. The tears that were threatening to fall, are now halfway down her cheeks. Gwen’s heart breaks for the girl but deep down knows it’s for the best. You, however, could care less. Situations like this, never end up good for the woman involved. 

“He said he loved me. He gave me this dog.” Vanessa manages to utter while shaking her head. Her world feels like it’s falling apart and you stand at the altar watching it happen. 

“You see, it’s lies like those that could hurt you when said to other people. People not as nice as me. Here let me give you some advice, hand in your resignation, pack a bag and your dog, get out of this town, maybe in Wisconsin, and start over. Never look back.” 

You’ve managed to move closer to Vanessa. It’s not a lot but you’re still testing the waters. If you were to ask Gwen, she’s still surprised that Vanessa’s still sitting there. Personally, Gwen would have fled a long time ago. The younger brunette to your right, takes a deep sigh and begs, “Why are you doing this to me?” I’m a good person!” You get the urge to laugh in her face. It doesn’t matter if you’re nice or not, people love to ruin people. She should’ve known this by now. A girl this naive should not be in a town like this.

“You want to know who was also a good person?” You question her and continue, “Monica Lewinsky. And she was telling the truth. But she still got destroyed.” You say it casually and Vanessa doesn’t appreciate it, in the next millisecond, she grabs her dog’s leash and hurries away. Gwen is still standing, she’s shocked, to say the least. 

Turning to Gwen, you start to state, “If you get subpoenaed in front of a grand jury, you can testify as an officer of the court that I was working on my own. I didn’t blackmail or threaten her. If you don’t get subpoenaed, then this never happened.” You walk in the other direction from Vanessa. Gwen takes a moment to follow suit and once you hear Gwen’s footsteps, you take your cell phone out of your coat pocket to dial. 

“It’s handled.”

You are typing away on your keyboard, answering some emails when the doors to your office fly open. It’s Blair and she’s rushing in. You can tell her her brain is going 100 miles per hour when she cheers, “Paige is a whore! She’s a whore!” You shake your head and smile in return, expecting her to say more, and that she does. 

“I had Kurt hack into her message log and she had HUNDREDS and I mean HUNDREDS of text messages with this guy named Tom Henderson. And I know what you’re going to say ‘Go interview him then’ We’ll that’s what I did while you were gone doing god knows what!” She’s starting to get off track but you don’t mind. Blair was a chatterbox at heart. 

“Good news is that Tom spilled his guts the minute I went to ask questions, but he has an air-tight alibi. He was working as a bouncer at a club at the time of the murder. There has got to be like 100 witnesses.” You nod your head and before you can tell Blair anything she continues, again. 

“Oh my god! How could I forget?! Henderson claims that Sully knew that he was sleeping with  his girlfriend.” With that, you waste no time to get out of your chair, and before you can even take a step Neil comes strutting into the room. 

“Even worse news, the gun found in the murder has Sully’s fingerprints all over it. It gives him means.” A small “fuck!” leaves your mouth and you dash towards the double doors that connect your office and another. Pushing open the door, you waste no time to start interrogating Sully. 

“Did you know Paige was sleeping with Tom Henderson?!” You point your finger at him like a mom scolding her child. Sully replies stupidly, “What?”

“Did. You. Know?” Accentuating every word in the question causes Sully to get irritated.

“I hired you! You can’t come in here and talk-” Sully’s cut off by Neil almost immediately. You let him overpower the situation by walking away. Your mind is running, trying to think what the possibilities could be.

“Yes, she can! She can do whatever the hell she wants! Without her, you would be in jail right now!” Things are starting to escalate quickly between you three. Blair is just observing what’s happening. You decided to ask one more time even though you hate repeating yourself. 

“Did you know Paige was sleeping with Tom?” The tone that you ask him is softer, things are starting to get real and if you don’t get to the bottom of this, Sully could be going to jail for 20 years to life.

Sully answers your question, “Yes, but I didn’t kill her!” Your mind shuts everything out once he answers your question. Neil and Blair start conducting a plan that you have no care for right now. Deciding to walk away from all the chaos, you manage to bump into the one person you least expect. Vanessa, with Gwen following behind. 

“Oh, what the hell!”

“I want you to give him a message!” You stare Gwen down, scolding her with your eyes for even letting Vanessa in, in the first place. 

“That is not appropriate.” You take ahold of Vanessa’s upper left bicep, Gwen the other, and quickly guide her out of the firm. She tries to go with a fight but your grip doesn’t let her escape. You open the front door to the firm, giving Vanessa access to leave but she makes it clear that you hear what she has to say. “Not appropriate? You came to me and I know he sent you! I know you can give him a message! I’m telling the truth! I am!” 

“This conversation is over. Please leave.”

You’re barely coming down with your high from the previous chaos when David Rosen, the US attorney general walks into your building. 

“Times up, Y/N. I have a warrant.” He’s holding up white papers, stapled together. He’s here to take Sully into custody but luckily for you, David arrived earlier than expected. 

“I still have 40 minutes.” You bark at David, taking a look at your watch. Turning your back to him, you reach the conference doors.

“You can wait in the lobby by all means.” You suggest to David. Maybe he’ll listen to you once and for all. 

“Fine, but in 40 minutes I want Sully St. James in custody.” He huffs out. 

Meanwhile, you try to find Gwen. Once you see her in the conference room you have her call Blair, to let her know that you’ve officially been invaded and time is running out to find Sully a viable alibi. 

Blair, Neil, and Kurt walk through the front doors exactly 7 minutes before David is supposed to be arrested. Blair comes in hot, Neil and Kurt trailing behind her. She’s holding a flash drive and gives you a rundown of what that flash drive material contains. You take no longer than 3 seconds to head your way to the conference room where Sully St. James is currently seated. You tread the water lightly, not wanting to anger him when approaching the situation. 

“We don’t have much time, Sully,” you start with, “the police are here so I need you to listen.” Blair, Kurt, Neil, and Gwen slowly enter the room with you. Most of the time, when debriefing with a client, there’s always someone else with you. In this case, all of them. 

“We were able to verify your alibi.” Sully’s reaction doesn’t surprise you. Confusion shadows over his face. Almost like he didn’t even know how or who verified his alibi. 

“You were?” He looks around the room after he questions you. All eyes are on him and everyone can tell that he’s realizing that his secret is no secret anymore. You nod in response to his question. 

“That’s.. that’s a good thing, right?” He’s playing dumb and you’re catching along. You open your mouth to start a lecture. 

“Sully, you’re the most decorated hero since the Vietnam War, you come from a family of well-respected soldiers, you make your living giving speeches for the conservative right, and you’ve said over and over, that Paige was your best friend. Not your lover.” Your eyes never leave him during the duration of your speech, but when they do you signal Blair to turn on the TV and plug the flash drive into it. Once she does, a video starts to play. It’s from a security camera at an ATM, that so happened to be next to the bar Sully had been seen at before the murder. In the video, Sully St. James is seen standing on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, pacing. He’s waiting for someone. Just on cue, a man in his mid to late 20s is seen approaching Sully. Once he gets his hands on Sully, he kisses him with passion. Almost like lovers who are reuniting for the first time after months of being apart. The room is silent up until the video shows the two grown men kissing. Sully’s breath starts to pick up, he’s infuriated. 

“Paige knew, didn’t she?” You already knew the answer to that but still needed the clarification. You were never one to go based on assumptions. Sully doesn’t respond so you continue, “She knew you were gay, the two of you had a deal.” Sully speaks up for the first time in 3 minutes. 

“You can’t show anyone that.” Disregarding what he said, you ask, “I need the name of the man that you were kissing.”

“Over my dead body! I serve my country. I honor the uniform! I am a conservative man. Everything I stand for is anti-gay. I am the deacon of my church! They’re talking about me running for Congress one day. I’m a hero. I can’t be gay.” His demeanor starts off hostile but then shuts down and he manages to whisper the last remark. 

“But you are. This is who you are.” You point to the TV which had been paused at a time frame where Sully and his secret lover were engaged in a kiss. “This is your alibi. Let us help you.” You walk over to the couch that Sully is seated at and crouch next to him. You and Sully are the only two who have spoken a word so far. Everyone else is watching the scene unfold in front of their eyes. 

Sully stands up straight and looks ahead of him. With one small word, he answers you. 

“No.” You stand, but before you can mutter a word he turns around and heads out the conference room doors. You don’t pay attention as to whether everyone follows you but you follow Sully out. Demanding him to wait but to no avail, he doesn’t listen. Once he opens the firm’s front doors, he is met with David Rosen. 

The bright ceiling lights are the cause of the forming headache across your temples. To say that everything that happened in the past 28 hours is ridiculous would be an understatement. Neil and Blair are at the police station with you. By the time Sully St. James had his mugshot taken, you got a text message from Gwen. You managed to mutter an ‘I have to go’ and frantically left. Having left instructions for Neil and Blair just in case anything happened with Sully. 

Being told, by Gwen, that Vanessa Wyatt was in the hospital and she was going to see her was just the cherry on top. You wasted no time to get there as fast as you could. It was 7 pm by the time you entered the hospital door, exhaustion hitting you like a ton of bricks. Getting into bed sounds much better than having sex. 

Gwen is standing outside of Vanessa’s hospital room when you get there. You greet her then immediately ask, “What happened?” You take a look at Gwen and she genuinely seems worried for the girl who’s in the hospital bed, clearly sedated. 

Gwen explains, “She slashed her wrists. There’s no press lurking around but one of the nurses told me her dad’s flying in from Michigan.” 

You double-check with Gwen, just to make sure that there is no possible threat. “No nurses or doctors, about anything?” Gwen shakes her head, her ponytail moving along with her head, and responds shortly. 

“Just to me.”

“Good stay with her.” You turn to leave, regretting to have even come in the first place. A simple phone call would have been fine. Before you take a step Gwen takes ahold of your upper arm and blurted your name. 

“Y/N! You told me to trust my gut when I first got hired, and now my gut is telling me that she is telling the truth-” You cut off Gwen to share what you think. 

“She’s not.” You keep it short and sweet. Nico told you that he didn’t do it and you believe him. Your heart believes him. He said he loved you and you were the only girl he’s ever loved. 

“I know the President, Gwen. He wouldn’t do this.” You’re starting to become stern since Gwen is being persistent about something that could never, ever possibly be true. 

“I just find it weird that she was going on and on about how there’s this secret room off the Oval Office where they’ve met, and I’ve read about the White House. There is a little room.”

You waste no time to state the obvious. “If you read it, she read it. People are crazy Gwen. They love to get fixated on famous people and stalk them.” 

“But I don’t think she’s crazy.” If you didn’t have any love for Gwen you probably would’ve smacked her for continuing to run her mouth. Since you do care for her deeply, you demand her to tell you why she thinks that. “Why?”

“Okay, she tried to take her life but she didn’t want to die. She called you right after she did it because she wanted him to find out she was hurt and come see her. She thought he would do that.” Gwen rambles everything out in one go as if she’s already rehearsed this conversation in her head. 

“Gwen-”

“She was going on and on about how she thought he’d come to see her and call her some stupid little German word.” You start to doze off but your ears perk up like a dog that hears a siren from a mile away when she mentions the word German. 

“What?” 

Gwen’s face scrunches up and tilts her head to the side at your remark. She’s questioning you and doesn’t even need to open her mouth. 

“Repeat yourself.” You try to tell yourself that you heard something completely different. How pathetic. 

“Oh! He’d call her a German word, she said it means treasure or something. Why does it ma-” You cancel out the rest of Gwen’s sentence and scurry away. Your legs start working independently and lead you down the hospital corridor. Gwen calls out your name in response, but you pay no mind to it. The pit in your stomach is probably the size of a football and it doesn’t help that bile is rising in your throat and everything feels hazy. Betrayal wasn’t something new to you but coming from someone who expected the same loyalty from you was gutwrenching.

Sometimes you think it’s crazy how much authority you still have in the White House because you simply do not work there anymore. Nonetheless, it comes in handy, in instances like these. Rose, the President’s Secretary, leads you the way into the Oval Office in a matter of seconds. It didn’t take much convincing, just a quick “It’s an emergency”. Once Rose opens the first of 3 doors that connect the Oval Office to the White House, you step inside. Walking up to the set of couches that sit in the middle of the room, to set your purse down, you notice Nico isn’t at his desk. Matter of fact he isn’t anywhere in the room. With that, you question Rose about Nico’s whereabouts.

“Where is he?” You expect her to go into detail, whether it’s a meeting or at dinner with Nellie. But Rose never does. Instead, she gives a simple answer. 

“It’ll just be a moment.” With that, Rose walks out and shuts the door behind her. 

It doesn’t take long for Nico to come walking through the door, Timo trailing right behind, but when he does, you notice his attire. He’s wearing a bowtie. Which only means he has something important going on. 

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Disregarding his question, you plea to him with your eyes. He notices the quiver of your lip and how tears threaten to leave your eyes. Nico senses something is up. 

“We’re gonna need the room, please.” He demands Timo. Nico’s eyes never leave yours. Almost as if there is a magnetic pull to the two of you. Timo stands there dumbfoundedly and questions the President. 

“But, Nico you have to give that toast to the President of Mexico in 10 minutes. Maybe this could wait until after?” Nico’s eyes finally leave yours. He turns to Timo and repeats himself. 

“I said we need the room,” Nico demands almost instantly. That being so, Timo lowers his head, and his hand reaches to the door handle so he can close the door behind him. Once Nico hears the click of the door shutting fully closed he whispers your name. You take no time to finally repeat the word you know Gwen was talking about. 

“Schatzli, huh?” The word rolls off your tongue as if it’s venom. It makes you want to curl up into a ball and never be seen again. Nico turns to you and you repeat the word of endorsement like it’s a chant. You’re angry and Nico knows it. With that, Nico points up ahead. There sits a security camera that overlooks the majority of the room. Watching your every move. Nico knows he can’t have a conversation about Vanessa knowing he’s being recorded. Good thing he was a smart man. During the first week after his inauguration, he managed to find out that the camera doesn’t record past his desk. So the pair of you had rendezvous against the large crystalline window that overlooks Nellie’s garden and a patio. Countless times. 

Nico guides you to stand in front of the window with a simple, “Come here.” To that, you obey. As to why? You don’t even know the answer to that considering all you see is rage. You reach him, keeping your distance but still out of the security camera’s view. Disgust and humiliation still sits on your face, never intended to leave soon. 

Nico is the first to speak amongst you two. “You left me.” He can’t even look you in the eye when he finally admits the truth. A man who lies is always a coward. 

“Because you are married! You said you wanted to dedicate yourself to your marriage! I wanted you to be a better man and be the man that I campaigned for-” Nico cuts you off by slowly taking steps towards you. You don’t need to be a genius to know what he’s doing. 

“Do not touch me.” You planned for it to come out stern but ended up sounding like a hurt duckling. But that you were. The look in Nico’s eye confirms that he was not listening to you. Instead of him pleading for you to hear him out, he steps even closer. Once he reaches you, his hands rest upon your hips. His body aching to make contact with yours. Your body is pressed up against the large window with another step. Nico’s eyes stare down at you, faces only mere inches apart. The pair of you already know where the next thing leads to but you’re not letting him go that easily.

Before his lips can make contact with yours, you push at his chest to get him off of you. Putting all force you can conjure into the shove. You turn around and before you can think your right hand makes contact with his left cheek with a hard smack!

“I believed you! You clouded my judgment! I wanted to believe you because I love you and THIS is what you do to me? She tried to kill herself! Did you know she’s lying in a hospital bed because she slashed her wrists open? I destroyed that girl-” Everything happens too fast and you can’t even see through the tears that started falling just moments ago. Nico finally dared to walk up to you and kiss you. His right hand has ahold of the back of your neck. While the other is on your upper arm, keeping you in place. It takes less than a second for you to come to terms with what’s happening. As mad as you are at Nico, you couldn’t help but feel the need to return the kiss. Your internal dialogue screams at you to stop. To step away and never talk to him again. 

The kiss is slow and passionate, Nico doesn’t want to rush into anything further because he knows you won’t hesitate to take a step back and slap him again. You had the balls no one ever did. Before Nico can gain access to your mouth with his tongue, one of the doors is swung open. 

“I just want to let you know that we can hear you yelling.” By the time Timo shuts the door, Nico and you have created a small fragment of distance away from each other. The satin pinky nude lipstick you wore, transferred onto Nico’s lips. Your hair is a bit disheveled and the pair of you are out of breath. Timo was a smart man so it didn’t take much for him to recognize what was happening behind closed doors. Timo clears his throat before he speaks. 

“Mr. President, I recommended you go wash up.” Timo puts his hands in his pockets and refuses to look you in the eye. 

“Timo-”

“No. You have lipstick on your mouth. You have a toast to give. Go. Now.” With that, Nico obeys and leaves the room, not even looking back towards you. Timo and you bask in a moment of silence. You stand there like a doe who has yet to learn how to walk. The feeling of embarrassment is an understatement to say at least. In times like these, where Timo puts his foot down, it makes you feel like a child being scolded for writing on the wall with markers. 

Timo walks up to the President’s desk and admires the picture he has of the three of you. It was the day of Nico’s inauguration, the picture was taken right after Nico’s speech. Timo wishes things could go back to the way they were. 

“Oh mein gott,” Timo mutters under his breath. After the past two years of knowing Timo, you’d expect that he knew about the affair. 

“You didn’t know? He tells you everything.” You scoff. Nico and Timo are close. Like brothers, who manage to piss each other off all day every day but that doesn’t get in the way of Nico telling Timo every personal detail that goes on in his life. 

“He didn’t tell me this.” He shakes his head and looks down at his feet. 

You wipe a tear that cascades down your left cheek and  quickly mutter, “Because it didn’t matter.” In disbelief, you walk towards the couch, reaching for your purse. Feeling the sudden need to get out of the one place you do not wish to be at. Timo tries to grab at your wrist, tries to talk you into staying but you’re too fast enough for him to get a good grip. Once you reach the door, you adjust your purse and push the straps up against your shoulder blade. You take a deep breath, fighting the urge to stay. Alas, your right hand makes contact with the gold door knob and you twist and push the door open. With every last bit of courage you have, you step out of the Oval Office with your head up high. You’ve got a man to get out of jail.

[anonyymouslyyours]

hi! could u do spencer reid fluff with a reader who overworks herself? maybe hr comes home late and shes asleep at her desk, and even as he wakes her up she tries to keep working? i hope that makes sense! xo

the man is just a sweetheart, i know it! <3

recently, you'd been promoted at your work. meaning the hours were longer, the work more grueling and you were just generally tired all the time. you've been working all evening, as spencer is also having a late night in office due to a case.

mid report, you find yourself slipping into a slumber, and passing out face down on your papers, in your office chair.

you don't wake up, until you feel the tentative touch of spencers hand on your shoulder, slowly waking you up.

"hi sweetheart.." he whispers, thumb stroking over your shoulder, as he watches you groggily sit up.

"shit.. hi spencer, what time is it? i must have fallen asleep-" you look at him, still in his work clothes, and turn back to the papers on your desk, sighing.

"its 2 am, come to bed.." he whispers, placing a hand on your arm to guide you up.

"no- no. i cant, ive got to finish this report its due soon and im not done and-"

spencer shushes you, placing a hand on your cheek and pushing the hair out of your face.

"its way too late darling. i know you want to but lets go to bed. c'mere." he says, beckoning you with his hands.

he pulls you up, hugging you tightly. you relax into his chest, breathing softly. you are over tired, and in need of proper sleep.. and some time with spencer.

you allow him to walk you to the bedroom, and set you in bed. he makes you a cup of tea, turns the lights off, and lays down next to. pulling you into his body, his hands rest gently in your hair, stroking softly.

"shhh, just get some rest sweetheart."

you sigh, peacefully, and allow yourself to lay with spencer, eventually slipping into a much needed slumber.

[ramblingoak]

How about "you're gonna get lipstick all over me"? Choose your papa 🥰

Love u!

I want nothing more than lipstick marks from Papa. Any Papa. But for you I chose Copia 💙

Smudge

Papa Emeritus IV x GN Reader (gender neutral reader, sfw, just Copia being silly, 700 words)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

“Well?  What do you think?”

You couldn’t shake the stupid grin on your face as you watched your Papa strut around in front of you.  He had dragged you out of your office an hour ago under the guise of needing help with tour prep, but it had quickly become obvious that all Copia really wanted to do was show off.  Even so you obediently had sat down on the couch in his office to watch him move around the room.  When he turned to look at you expectantly you couldn’t help but mess with him a little so you crossed your arms and scrunched your nose up.

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”  His mouth fell open and you had to bite your lip to keep from laughing at him.  “Don’t you already have one of these?”

“Si, si but not in this color.”

“You needed another one?” 

“D-dolcezza!”  You wondered if anyone would believe you that Papa sometimes stomped his foot like a child.  “This is for the fans.”

“What about the blue one, was that for the fans?”

“Si.”

“Hmm and the red?”

It was Copia’s turn to cross his arms as he glared at you while you stared at him from the couch.

“People had been asking for the red to come back for a while, dolcezza.”

“Oh, have they?  I hadn’t noticed.”  You hummed and tapped a finger on your chin as you watched him mutter to himself in Italian.  “So now you needed a, what, silver one?”

“Silver?”  Copia looked about ready to throw a fit, holding his arms out while he glared at you.  “You think this is silver?”

“Isn’t it?  Wait, hang on.”  He watched you warily as you hopped up to wander over.  Copia held still as you walked around him, running your fingers across his shoulders.  “Ok, I’m sorry Papa.  It’s not silver.”

“Si, grazie.  Silver wouldn’t be very exciting so that’s why I asked for a go–”

“Brown is kind of boring though, don’t you think Papa?”

“Brown?!”  He looked down at his jacket and back up to you a few times before finally growling and advancing on you.  “Why you little brat.”

You shrieked when he tried to grab you around your waist, quickly moving away from him and stumbling back towards the couch.  He caught you right before you fell onto it, his hands on your waist helping to ease you down.  Copia climbed up after you, straddling your legs and leaning forward to make his eyes level with yours.

“Do you enjoy riling up your Papa, dolcezza?”

“Yes actually, it’s a lot of fun.”  He snorted, shaking his head while he straightened up.  You let your eyes wander over him, admiring how handsome he looked in his Papal paint and his fancy jacket.  “The gold is very pretty.”

Copia smiled and grabbed your hand to place a kiss on the back, his lipstick leaving a smudge of black on your skin.  

“You really think so?  It’s not too much?”

It always broke your heart a bit when he sounded timid, like he was afraid of your answer.  As if you couldn’t possibly be hopelessly in love with his stupid handsome face.  Still, it wouldn’t stop you from messing with him.  Just a little bit.

“No Copia, I don’t think three sparkly jackets are too much.”  You laughed when he growled and leaned down to plant a sloppy kiss on your cheek.  “It’s not too late to get another.  Maybe a pink one!”  He planted another kiss on you and you reached up to rub a hand over your skin.  “Ugh, you’re getting your lipstick all over my face!  I have to go back to work, you know.  Not all of us can spend the day playing dress up.”

“I’m Papa.  I can do what I want.”  When you raised an eyebrow at him he let out that dirty chuckle you loved so much.  “You should take the rest of the day off.”

“Oh?  And do what?”

His eyes darkened as he gently took your chin in his hand, rubbing a thumb across your lower lip.  

“How about we see where else I can leave lipstick marks, hmm?”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

my masterlist

my ao3

[ghostboy512]

Get to know your mutuals: tag game

thank you for @mapofyourstars and @ashestxr for tagging me 😊😊

What's the origin of your blog title?

when i was a teenager being a closeted pre-transition trans guy i felt really invisible and like i didnt fit in anywhere, a "ghost". and 512 is the name of a song i listened to a lot at the time. nowadays i find the url a bit cringy but im too lazy to change it lol

OTP(s) + Shipname:

honestly at the moment i only care about cherik haha but i appreciate raven x emma and logan x ororo as well :)

Favourite colour:

black for clothes, pink for literally anything else i own

Favourite game:

i have 1500 hours of stardew valley on steam lol. its an absolute obsession. it comes in waves tho, like twice a year ill get hooked on it again and create a new farm to achieve perfection on. other than that, i really loved playing undertale and graveyard keeper.

Song stuck in your head:

this is kind of embarrassing but atm im a bit obsessed with daisy by ashnikko (the ft. hatsune miku version).... I LIKE BETTER MUSIC TOO I SWEAR

Weirdest habit/trait?

pacing around my apartment thinking abt my current obsessions... i used to be so embarrassed but ive come to find out lots of people do this too so thats fine i guess

Hobbies:

reading and playing games, mostly. ive been trying to write more lately too

If you work, what's your profession?

ESL teacher. its not the coolest thing in the world but i really enjoy it

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Realistically?

literature professor in uni/published author

Something you're good at:

(literally the same thing ashe, who tagged me, said) i believe im a pretty good writer despite being slow and not doing it that often lol

also i know im a very good teacher (i know its my job so duh but youd be surprised with some of my coworkers...)

Something you're bad at:

keeping secrets, especially my own 😭😭😭

Something you love:

cats, wine and contemporary brazilian literature

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff:

why i love charles xavier so much and queer/feminist theory.

Something you hate:

uhhhhhh idk my ex i guess (happy valentines day!)

Something you collect:

hello kitty merch 😌😌😌

Something you forget:

dates and appointments, its so fucking bad i put everything on a calender above my desk and i still manage to forget them sometimes

What's your love language?

im very touchy and affectionate but i also love acts of service, like surprising people with small gifts (i believe thats part of acts of service?)

Favourite movie/show:

my favorite movies are xmen fc, dofp and xmen II (obviously) but also amelie poulain and fried green tomatoes

my favorite series are breaking bad and the office, ive watched them both multiple times

Favourite food:

chicken!!!! fried chicken, roasted chicken, chicken with pasta, chicken with rice and beans, chicken with mashed potatoes, give me!!!!!!

Favourite animal:

i was OBSESSED with cheetahs as a child, still love them but in general rn id say cats. also love monkeys

What were you like as a child?

a very idealistic dreamer with a bit of a savior complex (hello charles xavier). not the sharpest social skills.

Favourite subject at school?

in high school it was english just because it was so fucking easy bc i was fluent lol

in uni any of my literature classes

Least favourite subject:

hated physics in hs i was so fucking bad at it. and in uni i'd had ENOUGH of pedagogy classes they were soooo boring and repetitive

What's your best character trait?

im very honest and if i love you i will do anything for you

What's your worst character trait?

probably snapping at ppl sometimes. i know its terrible but i really try not to and i always apologize. up until last year also i always let ppl treat me like shit and didnt set boundaries. im unlearning that now.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?

have enough money to only focus on my studies and not have to work lol

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

maybe kim jonghyun. he was my favorite singer when i was younger and he passed away in 2017 :( he was such a great person :(

im not sure who has already been tagged in this but ill tag @caramelc0rgi , @foxherder , @disasterhals , @eriknocherikyes , @stinkrat-aleks , @mooniel, @eriksdefender and any other moots who'd like to do this!

[catcherwrites]

Welcome to Part III of my Soren & Sarai Crownguard fic! Below is the chapter, but if you want to read it elsewhere, you can find it here on AO3. Part IV is also done and will be posted later today, so keep an eye out for Soren’s chapter!

Recognising that Soren needs some...help...with his defensive skills, Sarai trains him in the courtyard of Katolis Castle. Perhaps she can show the boy that he's got someone in his corner?

——————————————

“Are you sure about this particular lesson?” Harrow asked Sarai, his hand firmly in hers as they overlooked the courtyard of Katolis Castle. “Soren might be a fast learner but he’s still a novice, and if he makes a mistake, you and our child could get hurt.”

“I know what I’m doing, Harrow,” she assured him. “We’ll be fine.”

Like second nature, Sarai moved her free hand to gently touch her belly through her personally tailored tunic. The seamstress was…certainly concerned when Sarai had requested clothing that she could spar in – but one look from Harrow had been all the warning the woman needed before she thought to question the Princess Consort’s choice of attire again.

Her husband gently kissed her on the cheek as he pointed to a small figure below them. Wooden sword in hand, Sarai watched as Soren practised his formations against a training dummy. He was dressed in the tunic, vest, and pants she’d had made for him: light fabric that matched the training attire of the Crownguard recruits, tailored to his small size. His messy blonde hair was getting a little too long, though, and Sarai knew she’d have to talk with Soren about either tying it back or getting it cut again.

They watched in silence for a few more moments as the force of one of Soren’s strikes knocked the training dummy over. She could hear him grumble before picking it up and beginning the formation again. For what it was worth, he had a natural gift for swordplay, even if Sarai could still see the inexperience bleeding through his movements. Each rush forward, each audible grunt, each pause as he admired a new dent in the training dummy screamed out to her Crownguard-honed senses. ‘I’m an easy target! I rush into fights without thinking twice! Hit me, I dare you!’

Sarai admired his confidence. But if she didn’t help Soren temper it, his hubris would kill him.

Harrow spoke again. “Someone else could take over training him. It doesn’t have to be entirely on you anymore.”

“He needs this.”

“The sword lessons?” her husband asked, raising his eyebrows. “Or you?”

Sarai shrugged. “Can’t it be both?”

That was the other reason she insisted on being Soren’s teacher, even while carrying Katolis’ heir. The boy needed her. No one else knew his history, struggles, or strengths quite like Sarai did. As extroverted as the boy was, he seemed to have a hard time connecting with others as of late.

Perhaps it had something to do with the castle’s stiff atmosphere. Soren was, for lack of a better word, isolated. Sarai frowned as she thought back to when Viren entered the throne room and numbly announced that Lissa had left for Del Bar, then of Viren’s increasingly long hours in the High Mage’s office. Her mind jumped to Claudia’s erratic behaviour, the girl’s mood shifting rapidly between reclusive-yet-studious mage’s apprentice and reclusive-yet-mischievous local delinquent. The only other child roaming the castle was Callum, but as friendly as her son was, he had his limits. The boys’ interests fundamentally opposed the others’. Sarai could hardly picture Soren quietly drawing all day, nor Callum committing to several hours' worth of races around the castle.

And so, Sarai would watch from afar as Soren wandered the halls alone, with too much fire in his body for others to handle – something she could understand all too well. Sarai had been lucky to have Amaya, who matched her energy perfectly, growing and playing together on the outskirts of their hometown. In the open fields, there were no expectations to be ‘proper’ or ‘well-behaved.’ But here in the castle, servants and soldiers alike glared when a child got underfoot one too many times.

Sighing, the Princess Consort quickly wrapped her arms around her Prince in quiet farewell. Then they parted ways, Harrow walking back to the throne room and Sarai heading down the steps. She’d hardly reached the courtyard itself before Soren noticed her arrival and sprinted to greet her, wooden sword in hand.

“Princess Sarai!” he eagerly cried. Sarai smiled and gently ruffled his blonde hair.

“When we’re training, I’m not a princess, remember?” she told him. “Do you want to try that again?”

“Oh…oh right!” Before Sarai could stop him, Soren darted to the training dummy, took one more swing, and spun around with pretend surprise. Stoically, he marched back to her before giving a salute. “Ma’am.”

She chuckled under her breath. That hadn’t been what Sarai meant exactly, but she played along anyway.

“At ease, soldier.”

Soren relaxed and gave her an even bigger grin. “Yes, ma’am, yes” he declared proudly. The two of them started walking back to the training dummy as Sarai eyed the nearby Crownguard, all of whom were keeping a close watch. Perhaps it was out of curiosity for the coming lesson, exasperation at Soren’s boisterous personality, or fear for the future heir, but the effect was the same. The moment Soren took notice, he shrunk under the eyes of his heroes.

“Don’t pay them any mind,” Sarai murmured kindly, placing a protective hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Soren nodded, and just as quickly as he had begun worrying about the adults, he’d stopped. Sarai saw his eyes brighten as Soren shouted across the courtyard at an approaching figure, a sketchbook in their arms.

Sarai’s son. Her precious boy.

“Hey, Callum! Are you gonna fight today?” Soren hollered. Callum froze, his eyes flitting between his mother and Soren, the training dummy covered in dents and chips, and the wooden sword Soren was confidently flipping in his hand. Sarai shot her son a silent look of support.

Callum gave a weak smile to Sarai and shook his head. “No thank you, Soren. I’ll sit under the tree and draw.”

Soren wrinkled his nose. “You and Claudia are no fun…”

“Hey,” Sarai butted in, wanting to stop that train of thought as soon as possible. “Callum doesn’t have to learn sword-fighting just yet – not until he’s a teenager. That’s the traditional age for a Prince of Katolis.”

“But I’m not really a prince, Mama,” Callum said, sitting on the bench. He tilted his head in curiosity. “Do you think that means Prince Harrow will let me skip all the fighting stuff?”

Sarai wasn’t sure what to say in response to that. She knew they’d have to talk about their complicated family dynamic eventually, but now was not the time nor place. Callum was struggling with a lot of changes in rapid succession, and the last thing he needed was his mom interrupting his activity for ‘Big Feelings Time.’

So, she tabled that thought and refocused on Soren.

“Are you ready for today’s session?”

Soren brightened up. “Yeah! What am I learning?”

Fast, though perhaps not faster than lightning, Sarai kicked up a spare wooden sword lying on the ground beside her. Catching it in mid-air, she swung in a dramatic flourish towards Soren’s neck before stopping an inch from his skin. Sarai had to hand it to Soren; he barely flinched. But that also meant he didn’t move to defend himself at all. It had to come from either trust or complacency, and Sarai wasn’t sure yet which one she was going to train out of him.

“That.” She gestured to the sword she held against his neck, and then to the sword hanging lax at his side.

The boy looked hopelessly lost.

“…How to…behead people?” he asked with a bewildered look.

Sarai shook her head in exasperation. “No, Soren.” She stepped back and took a defensive position, sword up and ready. “We’ll be focusing on the art of defence.” She began moving, carefully avoiding imaginary strikes from an invisible attacker.

Soren grimaced but nodded his head anyway. “I prefer attacking,” he said with a shrug.

“You’re allowed a preference,” Sarai admitted. “But defence is critical in sword-fighting. Skills like parrying are all about angle, motion, and anticipation – all things that transfer well to offensive skills, too. Learn how to analyse and defend against your opponent, and you’ll end the fight quickly. Misjudge your opponent, and it’s over for the wrong reason.”

The old captain gestured again to Soren’s sword, still dangling limp in his hand. “Now, show me your standard second position.”

That was all it took for Soren to spring into action. He brought his arms up and shifted his feet until he was standing on the defensive. Sarai observed closely, watching for a flaw in his stance, but there was hardly any. Soren was leaning forward on his feet a little too much again, but one light tap of her sword against his spine was all the reminder Soren needed to straighten up.

“Let me be very clear,” Sarai told him sternly, “for this activity, you are not to take an offensive position under any circumstances. I will attack you, and you will defend.”

“But what if you leave an opening? Can I attack you then?”

“No. A Crownguard must be able to follow orders without question. If I’ve told you not to attack me, that means…?”

Soren bowed his head. “I will not attack you.”

“Good.”

She moved into the standard first position – ready to go on the offensive. Usually, Sarai would offer a countdown before they began sparring, but today she gave Soren no such leeway. A worthwhile enemy would never broadcast their attack, and this trial by fire was no exception.

Sarai struck hard and fast, bringing her arm in a downward swing. Soren’s wooden blade met hers in the middle with an audible thwack.

“Parry, parry, parry,” Sarai narrated with each successful blow Soren countered. She kept the attacks simple, with no pattern or technicality to them. It served as a decent warm-up for the two of them to go through the motions. Sarai did intentionally leave a gap in her stance, one that Soren could be tempted to exploit, but true to the boy’s word, he bit his lip and left it alone.

They continued sparring for quite a while before Sarai eventually called out. “Break!”

Trained to do so when Sarai spoke that word, Soren sprang away immediately. He beamed at her, sweat running down his forehead, and Sarai couldn’t help but return the smile.

“That was good for a warm-up, Soren.”

He glowed in response to her praise.

“Thank you, ma’am!”

“I was very impressed with your appropriate choice of blocking; you didn’t try to show off.” Sarai watched as his blush only grew. “But you need to be more aware of your surroundings – you almost fell over the training dummy earlier.”

Soren’s face fell slightly, and he scowled at the dummy. “It got in the way.”

“And it’s your job to make sure it doesn’t get in the way again.”

They took their marks once more, with Sarai informing Soren that she’d try a different approach to her attacks. “Remember: analyse your opponent and act accordingly.”

“I’m ready,” the boy smirked.

She began with a forward motion into Soren’s chest but, when parried, followed it with an attempted disarming slice to his shoulder. Soren caught the movement in time to block her again, and the two fell into a rhythm. Fast, though perhaps not faster than lightning, Sarai would thrust, cut, and swing the sword, shifting her feet to try and get behind Soren. Thankfully, Soren had heeded her earlier advice and managed to avoid both her and the training dummy.

It was a perfect execution of the Deceiver’s Drill – Soren must have been spying on the Crownguard’s training sessions. He was grinning ear to ear as they continued to spar one another.

“Parry, parry, parry, parry –”

“Argh!”

Sarai’s practice sword stopped an inch from Soren’s clavicle, with Soren’s blade in a blocking motion close to the ground, nowhere near where she was attacking.

“You’re dead.”

Soren huffed in agitation, dropping his sword to the ground and bringing his hands to his face in a loud sigh. “That’s not how that one goes!” he exclaimed.

“Oh really?” asked Sarai. “And why is that?”

“You were doing the Deceiver’s Drill! After striking the ribs, you’re meant to crouch down and slice the ankles so I can’t walk! But you didn’t!”

Her apprentice’s agitation died down the moment Sarai raised an eyebrow at him.

“I want you to take a second and think about it, Soren. Really, really think about it. Why did I change the move?”

Sarai could see Soren’s mind race as he tried to come up with a reason for the altered manoeuvre. Finally, she saw the realisation dawn on him.

“You’re pregnant,” he groaned.

“I am. What does that mean?”

Soren started pacing, gesturing as he spoke. “Babies are heavy! I remember I almost fell over trying to hold Clauds back when she was little. So if you’ve got a baby in your belly, it means you’ll probably fall over if you bend down too – so you decided to attack higher up instead! I messed up because I was ant…intacip…”

“Anticipating?” Sarai offered. Soren nodded.

“I was ant…ic…ipat…ing the Deceiver’s Drill. Not you.”

“Exactly. In a real battle, it’s very rare that your opponent will execute a manoeuvre exactly as it was taught, because they’ll know you were trained to counter it. A good warrior will analyse their opponent for who they really are, rather than assuming their enemy’s next move based on what they’re ‘meant’ to be.”

Soren glared at his feet. “I’m so stupid…”

Sarai shook her head emphatically. “I disagree. You’re incredibly smart to have learned the Deceiver’s Drill at your age, and you pieced together where you went wrong very quickly.”

“That’s not being smart, though. Dad’s smart, Claudia’s smart – they read books and stuff and know tricky words like anti…whatever. You don’t need a brain to swing a sword; that’s what everyone says!”

Sarai was almost certain it wasn’t what ‘everyone’ was saying. Still, Soren’s twisted idea of intelligence had to have come from somewhere, and it pained her to think where he learned it.

“There are different kinds of smart, Soren.” She crouched down to pick up the practice sword and offered it to him. “Some people are book-smart, some people are people-smart, some are sword-smart, and some are what I like to call heart-smart.” Sarai gave Soren a comforting smile.

“I think you’re more kinds of smart than you believe.”

The young boy looked at her doubtfully, but he accepted the weapon. “…Can we do it one more time? I want to try something else.”

Sarai nodded and got on her feet, resuming the standard first position across from Soren. He brought his sword up as well, and they began. Sarai found herself having to increase the difficulty of her attacks as Soren quickly entered a flow state. There were no thoughts, just an acknowledgement of the ways Sarai’s movements needed to be countered with equal intensity. To test him again, Sarai offered another weakness for Soren to exploit, wondering if he’d let mindless instinct guide him to attack, even against her explicit instructions.

What she did not expect, was for Soren to slip his blade through her sword arm and pull sharply. The sudden pressure on Sarai’s arm grew worse the longer she held onto her sword, and she found herself losing grip.

Soren was a clever boy indeed; disarming was undoubtedly a more aggressive form of defence, but it was defence nonetheless and, thus, allowed by her own rules. Even still, she wouldn’t let him win that easily. Sarai dropped her sword and caught it in her offhand before quickly executing what her old master called the ‘Sky-Stripped Swing’ – a technique that launched an opponent’s weapon in the air.

And launch, it did. The two of them followed the wooden sword’s arc as it sailed through the air until it landed with a heavy impact in the boughs of the tree Callum was sitting beneath. A split second was all it took for Sarai and Soren to realise what would happen next. Time seemed to slow as one of the larger branches cracked from the force of the sword.

She was fast, though perhaps not faster than lightning. If Sarai were in her prime, perhaps she would’ve made it to Callum before he got hurt, but all she could do was call out his name as the branch began to fall. It was Soren who moved fast enough to act. With reflexes accrued from months of training and speed achieved from countless races, Soren sprinted to the bench with a shout.

“Callum! Duck!”

Soren threw his body over the younger boy as the bough came crashing down. Both Soren and Callum cried out as it hit them before rolling off and coming to rest on the ground.

Sarai was by their side a moment later, grabbing the boys and checking them for injuries. “Are either of you hurt?!”

Callum shrugged, clearly in shock, as frightened tears gathered in his eyes. Sarai frowned and brought him into an embrace, gently rubbing his back and peppering kisses in his hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Soren take a step back, a dark expression falling over his face as he looked at the mother and son holding each other.

Sarai didn’t give it a second thought. She reached out and offered an arm to Soren – a silent invitation. But the boy shook his head and took another step back, expression twisted into something far too complex for a child his age.

“I’m fine, I promise.” Soren’s voice was barely a whisper. “Tell Callum…tell Callum I’m sorry I screwed up and got him hurt attacking you…”

Before Sarai could stop him, Soren turned on his heels and began to run.

She wanted nothing more than to go after Soren at that moment. She wanted to convince Soren that he wasn’t to blame for what had been an accident. She wanted to cradle him like she was doing for Callum. She wanted him to know that he was understood – and loved.

But she blinked, and Soren was gone.

——————————————

Read this chapter on AO3 here!

[amhrosina]

I Wanna Love Me The Way That You Love Me

(Frank Castle x f!Reader) - Hurt/Comfort

MASTERLIST // JOIN MY TAG LIST

Summary: Frank uses a mirror to remind insecure!reader how beautiful she is. (In a fluffy and a smutty way!)

Warnings: reader is not very kind to herself, fluffy frank, like FLUFFY frank!!!!, super soft!boy frank, the softest of franks ive ever written, some body descriptions but I tried to keep it super vague, (later on) whew chile smuttttt, fingering, frank makes you watch yourself come in a mirror (lmfao), frank is sort of a dom but in the loosest sense, frank just loves reader so much!!!!!)

A/N - Thank you to @wheredidiputmyfish for being an absolute doll of a beta reader!!! I have a couple more Frank fics otw (i cant help it, i love that stupid man) and a poly!fratt x reader one hopefully soon after that!

You huffed as you pulled the green blouse over your head, annoyed that yet another online purchase didn’t fit right on your body. Just this week alone, you’d already made two trips to the post office, and Frank was bound to ask questions if you went for a third time so soon.  

You couldn’t even remember why you’d started buying nicer clothes to begin with, except that Karen always looked nice and Frank had been in love with her at one point, so why wouldn’t the same concept apply to you? The only problem was that you couldn’t seem to find anything that fit you correctly, and the idea that Frank might grow bored with your everyday attire kept you up at night. And of course, Frank had never actually said anything about your clothing choice – this was just the overthinking part of your brain going into overdrive. 

You flopped onto the mattress, shoving your face into your palms and groaning. You couldn’t figure out exactly what Frank saw in you, and it was hard not to compare yourself to his late wife or Karen. They were both beautiful women – definitely Frank’s type – and that was not exactly how you’d describe yourself. The thought of it brought tears to your eyes again. You quickly blinked them away when you heard the front door shut. 

You joined Frank in the living room, where he was removing his boots. You threw the package you needed to return on the table by the door, and though you tried to do this casually, Frank noticed it and your expression immediately. 

“You sendin’ care packages to some other boyfriend or somethin’?” He teased, pressing a kiss to your temple. 

You giggled. “No. It’s just another return.” 

“Not that I’m not supporting this new wardrobe thing,” he started, eyeing the package by the door, “but why are you returnin’ everything you buy?” 

You shrugged. “It just doesn’t fit right.”  

“I bet you look great.” 

“I don’t think so.” You shrugged again, avoiding his eyes as you stepped into the kitchen. 

“Sweetheart.” He followed you into the kitchen, though it was clear he was struggling to figure out how to broach the topic. “Is everything okay? You’re talkin’ down about yourself again.” 

Your smile faltered slightly. “I’m fine.”  

“Baby,” Frank wrapped his arms around your middle, pulling your chest into his, “You’re not fine. You wanna know how I know that?” 

You remained silent, avoiding eye contact, but nodded. 

“Because you won’t look at me.” You lifted your chin and stared into his warm gaze out of spite. “And because I know you and I love you, I know that you start avoiding me when you feel bad because you think I’m going to miraculously start to hate you and leave.” 

You didn’t respond, instead gnawing on your cheek and curling into yourself. Frank’s hold around your waist remained steady, and as you tried to look away from his meaningful gaze, his hand gripped your chin and held it steady, too.  

“You’re beautiful, baby.” He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of your nose. “I love you no matter what you do or wear or say. You’re beautiful.”  

You tried to push away from Frank, suddenly aware that you hadn’t fixed your makeup or hair that morning. He was lying. He had to be lying, right? No one thought that about you, least of all Fra- 

“Don’t.” Frank was gentle in his coaxing, running his knuckle over your cheekbone in a soothing pattern while pressing his fingers into the small of your back. “Don’t do that to yourself. I love you. I’m not goin’ anywhere. You have to trust me.” 

You fiddled with your fingers, wringing them together in an uneasy gesture, unsure of what to say. He gently grasped them and pulled them into his chest, cradling them as he held your gaze.  

“Come with me. I wanna show you somethin’.” He murmured, tilting his head toward the bedroom.  

You followed close behind him, curiosity outshining your desire to crawl into bed and never get out. He led you to a stop in front of the full-length mirror, resting his hands on your shoulders behind you. A clear and decisive frown formed on your face. The last thing you wanted to do was look at yourself. 

“What do you see?” he asked, holding your gaze through the mirror. 

“What?” You furrowed your brow. 

“What do you see, sweetheart? Be honest.” he asked again, patting your shoulders encouragingly. 

“Well, um,” you breathed, starting at the top of your head and making your way down with your observations, “I see dull hair, bags under my eyes, and a nose that’s too big. My shoulders are broad, my hips are too wide, my skin looks lifeless, and I’m wondering why you ever gave me the time of day and why you stay with me when there are so many people out there that would look better standing next to you.” 

Frank stayed quiet throughout your assessment, expression turning grave as you brought up your deepest insecurities about yourself. He let you finish your observations before pressing a long kiss to your head. 

“Now ask me what I see.” he prompted. Confusion overcame your features again, but he silenced your doubts with an encouraging nod.  

“What do you see, Frankie?” You quietly asked, unsure if you really wanted to hear what he had to say. 

He brought his finger to your face, tracing each element as he pointed them out in the mirror. 

“I see a pair of beautiful eyes and a perfect nose. I see the most sensual lips I’ve ever felt pressed against my mouth. I see a beautiful, strong body that can handle anything thrown its way. Remember when you had to carry me from the living room to the bedroom after I passed out? That shit was impressive, sweetheart.” A soft smile rested on his face as he continued. He folded his arms around your middle and pulled your body against his. “I see hands that hold my entire heart in them, and a body that has all my love. You’re beautiful, baby, and I love you so much. Every piece of you.” 

You tried to blink away the tears that clouded your vision, but Frank’s speech combined with his gentle touch and open expression sent a wave of tears down your face. You curled into his hold, turning so you could bury your face in his chest. He cradled you against him while you cried, pressing soft kisses to your hair every few minutes until you were calm enough to look up at him through your eyelashes. 

He swiped his thumbs through the tears that had gathered under your eyes. “Are you okay?”  

You nodded, blinking up at him. “Thank you. I love you,” you murmured. 

He pressed his forehead against yours, which had always been his way of showing love. “Anytime, sweetheart. You hear me? Anytime.” 

- 

Bonus Scene: In which Frank comforts you in the bedroom later. 

“Frank, what are you doing?”  

Your tone was a mixture of confusion and curiosity, combined with the lazy haze that had taken over your body for the time being. Frank had jumped up from his relaxed position between your legs, where he’d licked up every bit of your desire after making you see stars, and had begun fiddling with the floor length mirror across the bedroom. 

“Hang on.” He called over his shoulder, tugging the heavy glass across the carpet. 

“Why are you moving the mirror?”  

“Wanna try somethin’.” 

He stepped back, looking between your slick, bare skin and the mirror with a smug expression. You were now face to face with your reflection, and as soon as you realized Frank's plan, a string of fire worked its way directly to your core.  

“Wanna show you how perfect you are.” He crawled on the bed behind you, settling himself before tugging your body back against his. Both sets of eyes, yours and Franks, were focused on you, and boy were you a sight to behold.  

Your limbs, still shaky from your first orgasm were splayed out, giving both you and Frank the perfect view of your glistening cunt, which was busy clenching around air as Frank worked his needy fingers down your skin. 

“Shit, baby. You look fuckin’ perfect like this.” He breathed. The proximity of his warmth to your ear sent a wave of goosebumps down your body, and you had to fight the urge to clench your legs together. “Look at how beautiful you are, sweet thing.” He murmured, holding his gaze on the treasure between your legs. 

You looked, fully looked, and felt heat crawling up your neck as his sensuous fingers swiped through your arousal. A low groan emanated from his throat, and he couldn’t stop himself from circling your clit. You watched as a moan left your mouth, your back slightly arching against Frank’s chest.  

“You see how perfect you are, sweet girl?” He cooed, circling your clit again. “Your pretty pussy drives me crazy.” 

His other hand began to rub your nipple in light circles, and if that weren’t enough to have you gasping for air, the touch of his lips to the spot below your ear was. You squeezed your eyes shut, throwing your head back against Frank’s shoulder. His fingers halted – no, everything halted – and the whine that came from his sudden stoppage wasn’t entirely a conscious decision of yours. 

“You stop looking, I stop moving, sweetheart. You got that? Keep your eyes open.” he asked, locking eyes with you in the mirror. His gaze held no room for negotiation, so you shyly nodded before returning your gaze to your body. His focus remained on your flushed face, panting as he worked you closer to another orgasm.  

You could see what he was talking about. For the first time in a long time, the girl that looked back in the mirror wasn’t someone you shied away from. She was beautiful, and confident, and sensual, and she looked good next to Frank.  

“You look stunning, baby.” He murmured. 

“I know.” You responded, briefly lifting your eyes to his before returning them to his fingers. His winning smile was priceless – wide and open and beautiful, and you loved him, you loved him, you loved him. 

Light twinkled in your eyes as he inched you closer and closer to your release, and as soon as you locked eyes with Frank again, you were a goner. 

Frank worked his fingers around your clit, coaxing out one of the most intense orgasms you’d ever experienced. It washed over you in waves of fire, and it was a struggle to keep your eyes open for it, but you were glad he had asked you to, because you looked glorious coming around his fingers. 

You panted, body gleaming with sweat. Your heartbeat finally slowed as you leaned against Frank for support. He ran soothing hands over your limbs, massaging feeling back into them and kissing every inch of skin that he could reach in the process. The silence as you returned to your body was long, but comfortable, and when you finally had full use of your limbs again, you pulled Frank’s arms around you.  

He kissed your hair, resting his cheek on your head. 

“Do you see what I see now?” he asked, glancing at you through the mirror. You nodded, carefully lifting your chin so you could look at him – the real him – to respond.  

“I love you.”  

He grinned, leaning down and planting a sloppy kiss to your lips. 

“I love you, sweet girl.”

-

Tag List:

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[risuola]

IV — MY LOVE // F. READER x TOBIRAMA SENJU

It's not often that you and Tobirama go on dates together. This one brought you even closer, when in the golden hues of sunset, Tobirama realized his feelings towards you.

contents: fluff — 2,8k words

POLITICALLY LOVELESS || SERIES MASTERLIST

Showered and clothed cleanly you left your house before 8pm. To the hokage office you had just few minutes of slow walk, so you took your time and even engaged in few conversations with villagers along the way, one of which absorbed you more than it should. An older lady, late in her seventies asked for your help in closing her shop for the day. It’s usually her son that helps her carry the heavy boxes, but that day he couldn’t so you obviously agreed. For you it was nothing and for her, your help was everything as she couldn’t do this by herself even if she tried.

“You’re a gift to this village, y/n-chan,” she said to you, helping as much as she could, even though you advised her to just wait for you to move everything. The woman insisted to be useful, so you allowed her to carry the lightest of things.

“I’m always happy to help,” you smiled at her.

“I’m taking your time, I’m sorry,” granny lowered her head but you took her hands into yours, placing a soft kiss on top of them.

“Please, don’t be sorry. I find joy in helping, don’t feel guilty. My time is yours if you need me.”

“I’m so thankful.”

Although Tobirama tried to focus on his work, he couldn’t fully do that. Not when you called him love, not when the taste of your lips still lingered on top of his and definitely not when he was already thinking about the date you’ve been set to at evening. He had to force himself to think of politics, not the feeling of your body pressed against his and he found it exceptionally hard this time. What an effect you had on him, it’s unbelievable how easily you molded him in the warmth of your hands into something he never expected himself to be. What’s even more surprising, he really, truly loved the change; deep in his heart that for years he thought is frozen, young Senju couldn’t be more thankful for everything you’ve done to him.

He left the tower earlier than he said he would, so he moved forward to meet you half way only to fall in love with you once more, when he saw the scene in the village. You were carrying boxes for an elderly woman, too heavy for her to lift safely. Chatting joyfully, you stopped the service only to grab the woman’s hands, preventing her from bowing before you and as you pressed your lips to her worked up knuckles, the Senju felt like he didn’t deserve you. Pacing up a little, he joined you quickly, taking the box from your hands. “Let me finish this.”

There wasn’t much left, just few more so you allowed without argue.

“Please don’t bow,” you joined the elder that bent in half despite the pain in her back that she made obvious before. At her age everything hurt, and you felt bad for her. “Be careful of your back. I noticed it hurts you.”

“It’s just age, my child,” she responded, looking up at you and you lowered yourself as she reached to cup your face. “Please, don’t let the world change you, and you, Lord Senju,” she addressed your husband that joined after finishing the boxes, “you cherish that treasure with all of your might.”

“I will,” Tobirama responded, and you chuckled. “Do you need help with anything else?”

“No, you both have done a lot, it means the world to me as I thought I’d need to stay the night here and watch over those boxes. Now I can lock and go home.” She thanked many more times and you reassured her just as much that none of that is needed. Making sure she truly didn’t need anything more, you finally looked up to your husband.

“Was I late? I’m sorry, I lost control of time.”

“No, I finished a little earlier,” he pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear. With a kiss planted on his hand you two moved forward. "I'm so proud of having you by my side," Tobirama confessed, whilst you two were enjoying the riverside walk. In the golden hues of sun setting, he couldn't help but admire your features. "You might be the best thing that happened to this village and you definitely are the best thing that happened to me."

Soft smile bloomed on your face, as you looked up to see him. "And you deserve everything what's good in the world, Tobirama. You're just too stubborn to acknowledge what a wonderful human being you are."

Your husband scoffed, silently and yet openly disagreeing with every word you spoke.

"I'm not sure if I will ever deserve you."

"As I said," you chuckled, taking his hand and kissing his knuckle, "so stubborn. But you seem to turn a blind eye to everything what's wrong in me and that's unlikely of you, my love."

"There's nothing wrong in you that would alarm me enough to analyze it and there's so much good I wonder how all of that fits in your frame," he said, already wandering away in his mind.

Your love. Once more, you used those words to address him; once more you filled him with hope for something, he wouldn't dare to expect from you. He could never expect you to love him. Not when you were stripped off your own choice, your own happiness and love whilst being given up to political marriage with a man you had never seen before. You had no word in what you were pushed upon, you were presented on a silver tray to someone that your father found beneficial to his own businesses. Tobirama couldn't expect you to fall in love with him, when most of the time you are alone in home. But he wished.

"You know, I'm grateful for what happened to me," you draw his attention back to you, as you stopped by the edge and glanced over the calm waters. What you said surprised him, it’s like you heard his thoughts. "My whole life I was caged like a golden bird. My father held an iron, controlling grip over me, forcing me into behaviors he deemed appropriate. Truth is, the only thing that stopped him from marrying me off so much younger was my bad character. That's how I like to call it," you laughed quietly. "When he presented me with the news of a Lord from another village that agreed to take me as a wife, at first I felt nothing. Then it was happiness. The marriage with you meant an escape from the world that put me in chains. You gave me back freedom, gave me a place to love, people that appreciate me for who I am without fake respect that I experienced in Yu, being the so-called princess. I became free here."

Tobirama hummed, taking in your words, sensing nothing but sincerity. Everything you said made sense to him. He had seen your father only few times after the wedding ceremony, but every time was just as uncomfortable as the first one. The clash of two drastically different traditions was unbearable.

"And you know, those things really don’t matter that much but there was a chance I would be given up to a feudal lord from Iwa gakure and as far as I know, he’s at least fifty.” And overweight. And disgustingly perverse. But those things, you kept to yourself. “It truly didn't bother me that it was arranged and was set to be loveless. I knew it was a duty for you, a political agreement just as it was for Yugakure. When I saw you the first time in that forest, when you took the blindfold off my eyes, I felt relieved. It's like you finally allowed me to breathe."

"Do you still consider it strictly political and emotionless?" he asked, watching you carefully from above, searching for hints as of what do you feel. You smiled softly, your eyes following a little fish that shimmered under the water surface, swirling it's red-tinted tail.

"Do you truly not know the answer to that or do you just want to hear it?" you asked, sounding as light as if he asked you about something trivial like weather.

"I'm conflicted when it comes to finding the answer."

"I guess your incredible analytical skill doesn't apply to emotions, huh?" Joking, you dipped your fingers in the water, stirring its surface just as if you were trying to engage in a dance with those golden creatures swimming around you and somehow, it didn’t scare them away.

"At first I hoped just for unison, but you seemed so unachievable. I thought it's impossible to break through the cold walls you built around yourself. You make quite an impression at the first sight."

"I'm aware," Tobirama chuckled, observing you. Everything you did was fueled by the pureness of your heart and it was far from forced. "But you're stubborn."

It was heartwarming to think how much you've worked to pull him out of the protective shell as you were breaking in, ripping it piece by piece with every smile you gave him, every innocent touch and every kind word. You never gave up, even when he was indifferent to your efforts. Tobirama could never forget the wedding night, during which he escorted you safely to the bedroom that he thought will be yours, he wished you good night and left you to rest after the ceremony. It’s like the roles have been played and behind closed doors, there was no need to act it further. Nothing happen, the marriage was not consumed that night, and he was grateful for that. Many moons after, when you two got close enough to get intimate, it tasted much better.

"I was told I am, yes," you chuckled and got up, drying your hand on your clothes and looking up, straight into his eyes. "But I'm not acting towards you the way I am because that is my duty as a wife. I'm not acting towards anybody the way I am because that's what's expected of me. I love the village you and your brother founded and I love you dearly."

Tobirama stayed quiet for longer than he would expect, looking into your eyes, searching for anything what would say different than what your mouth delivered but he found nothing but sincerity. The soft feeling of your palm against his cheek sent shivers down his spine, and whilst you smoothed your thumb over his lips, he grabbed your hand gently and pressed a kiss onto it.

"You truly mean it," he breathed out, feeling his insides bubbling in excitement. "Am I dreaming?"

"Well, you do have exuberant imagination, my love, but I don't think that even the wildest dreams of yours would consist of me."

Tobirama chuckled at the truth he was hearing. You got to know him so well in such a short time. If he was to dream about his marriage before he met you, he would imagine it to be peaceful but cold. His own mind couldn't think of any affection towards himself or his wife, like his body knew it's incapable of it. He would wish for getting up before his wife, preferably sleeping in separate beds and then getting back to have a little talk if necessarily needed, then resting in quiet. He would wish his wife to stand up to the challenge of cherishing Konoha but not bother him too much. Mito would be a role model for that, as he was quietly looking up to his brother. The Uzumaki was cold and reserved when she first came to the village, she was representing the values correctly and respected Hashirama as her husband, but at first, they were just co-workers on the issue. It wasn't surprising for them to develop feelings. The oldest Senju had a heart made of gold and it was just a matter of time that they'll get closer, but Tobirama wasn't even close that. He wasn't warm and bright, he wasn't so openly inviting and first and foremost, he wasn't stupid to wish for love when he's so emotionally unavailable. But then you happened and he began wishing for things he wouldn't dare to wish for before. He began longing for every touch you had given him, for every smile he was responsible for, he even caught himself thinking about many long nights that you two spent not sleeping.  

Saying nothing more, he leaned in and pressed his lips against yours, surprising even you with the public display of affection. It wasn't news that Tobirama wasn't exactly the best in showing his love, but with you he felt comfortable. You gave him time and freedom to express himself how he felt acceptable and now you felt thrilled to the bone that he went for a kiss in a place where everyone could see you. It was short and followed by another peck on your forehead before he pulled you into his arms, caging you in safe embrace of his strong arms and his fresh scent.

"I-" he began but words stuck in his throat, his heart racing underneath your ear.

"I know, my love," you cooed softly, smiling. "I don't need to hear it in order to feel it."

He exhaled, unaware of how he held his breath for few moments. You were so good to him, so understanding.

"I don't know what I'd do if I'd lose you."

"Good thing I'm not going anywhere."

"Public displays of affection? Who are you and what have you done to my brother?" Familiar voice came from the side, breaking the moment and you chuckled at the wave of tension that washed over your husband's body just for a second before he relaxed once again.

"Am I not allowed to caress my wife?" Tobirama asked, slowly letting go of your silhouette to greet his brother.

"Oh, you absolutely can and should," Hashirama giggled, welcoming you as well whilst you gave him a nod. "I can't count how often I hear about your wife making someone's life better."

"I like to help," you giggled.

"I'm glad. Tobirama, I have a notice for you. Well, it's regarding both of you, so I decided the sooner you get it, the better."

Handing the letter to his brother, Hashirama gave him a second. Once your man opened the envelope and the paper inside, you tensed seeing the contents. You felt like your body had suddenly forgot to breathe, your airways clenched and you couldn't help but shiver.

"Your father has an issue to discuss with you and he wants you to pay him a visit," Tobirama read, pulling you closer to him. He sensed your uneasiness immediately, as he had learned already that your father is very specific person and by the way his request was formulated it was clear that he wanted you to come alone. Your dad is a smart man, aware of Tobirama's duties and not one of your meetings with him after marriage went smoothly. You were always distressed.

"Your wife is expected in Yugakure tomorrow evening, so it'll be the best if she leaves in the mid-day." Hashirama informed, knowing how problematic is the situation. He also had experienced the odd behaviors of your parent and empathized with you on the matter.

"I understand," you muttered quietly, feeling the living power exiting your body. It's not like you were afraid of your father, no. He had his own ways of taking care of you and he kept himself in order when you visited with Tobirama, but when him, or anyone from your village, caught you alone, then it all began. The constant insults, physical attacks, accusations. They all thought that your relationship with the Senju was meant to look different, that you shouldn't be so friendly with him, that you should serve him and not be equal. It was against everything Yu believed to be moral in relationships, with women in your village being servants to their husbands, always three steps behind, always with their heads low.

"Tobirama," hokage spoke, "I can take care of your duties in those days, you're free to join y/n."

"No, it's okay," you said, putting on a smile, "I can manage, I know your schedule, it's important."

It was a hard choice for you, but you couldn't expect Tobirama to not attend the negotiations that were meant to take place in Konoha in two days and take up to three. His brain was needed there, he was needed there more than by your side. If not for Tobirama’s intelligence, the village would be destabilized soon after its founding. He was the one who kept Hashirama in place, who made sure the finances are stable and everything works politically correctly. The oldest Senju was a perfect hokage – kind, strong, loving, but when it came to formalities, he was just too good and naïve, and your husband’s strict and logical approach was crucial.

"Are you sure?"

"100%."

[morgana-ren]

Come down to the Black Sea VI

I just realized I never even posted part fucking six on here, so here's a read-up before I post chapter VII.

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Mentions of violence, blood, attempted assault, slight sexual content, one very pissy, overgrown fish and bad writing. It will get worse. Just trust me on this one. I don't write anything without gratuitous smut in it. It's sorta my baliwick.

In other news, several bodies were found mutilated along the south beach early this morning leaving investigators absolutely baffled. At least two women and one man are dead– but how? The police seem entirely unsure. They say it’s too early for a definitive call, but speculations range from-

You’re convinced the world has gone absolutely mad. 

Watching the news as you’re grasping at straws to find the motivation to continue living, getting ready for work and venturing outside your apartment again probably isn’t the best call, but given how insane things have been lately, it’s hard not to watch with a macabre fascination. It’s like watching a train go off the rails in real time. 

Horrifying, but you have a difficult time tearing your eyes away.

‘-unlike anything we’ve ever seen. They were just left completely bare in the sand 20 feet from the parking lot where kids could have found them. The ferocity of the attack is– well, it’s horrifying. We’ve got officers working the scene who have been on the force for 20 years and haven’t seen anything like this. We’re working overtime to try and discern the nature of these attacks so that their loved ones and the general public can rest assured-’

Things used to be quiet here. Slow and simple and easy. A tad boring at times, but danger was far from most people’s thoughts. The biggest threat one could face on a daily basis was a sudden, violent shift in the tide or a tricky undertow hellbent on sucking you under. Maybe a particularly tumultuous storm, on a really bad day.

But that’s before he arrived, isn’t it? 

‘-ruled out any sort of foul play. What happened here early this morning is a tragedy, and we can’t say for certain, but the evidence points toward some sort of animal attack, likely a predator driven from their habitat by-

Separating yourself from the situation has made it seem even more surreal than it did to begin with. Now that you’re not attending your nightly meet-ups with Shigaraki, it’s allowed you some time to reflect on just how odd the entire ordeal really was. Feeling like a fool is a hard pill to swallow, especially when he was so upfront with his intentions from the get-go. Why you ever expected him to actually care is beyond you. 

For one measly, shitty little minute, you thought you could have your cake and eat it too. Caught up in the illusion, it was all too easy to believe that this creature with claws for rending human flesh and teeth for gnashing bone could have the capacity to care for you to some degree. The congratulations he’d given you when you told him you found someone seemed as genuine as you could get from him, and he’d listened quietly– albeit with a few eye-rolls– to your endless babbling about how you felt renewed and he’d given you to motivation to start trying again with his weird philosophy of ‘do what you have always done and you will remain as miserable as you always are’-- even if that wasn’t exactly what he’d meant. 

But that’s his nature isn’t it? Spinning pretty lies into an ensnaring web of beautiful falsehoods. Luring you in with those beautiful eyes designed to reel foolish humans like you in and yanking you under when you go to reach for him, both metaphorically and literally. He’d told you what you wanted– or needed– to hear at the time and banked on the opening it left and the trust you’d given him after. 

Forgiving him for his little flare-up that night had even been easy to achieve after a few drinks and a quick pep-talk. He’d waited the next evening– much like he always did– at your rock, for you to sit with him. It’s not in his nature to apologize, but he was more than willing to carry forward even given your hesitance. Words like ‘patience’ and ‘understanding’ might be a bit far-fetched, but it was more than you thought you could expect from him nonetheless.

It seemed, for one fleeting moment, like everything was okay.

You were practically raised on tales of nefarious sea creatures that lull you into a false sense of security and then feast on your viscera. So why did you think your fairytale ending would be any different?

Heroine syndrome is a fair guess. Everyone wants to be special. Everyone wants to be the weakness cradled in the monster’s ribs– the weight they carry willingly. It’s a stupid little dream a lot of kids have, to grow to become revered in the arms of a titan, to be swept away from the mundane life they’ve come to know. 

But the original fairy tales don’t have a happy ending. They weren’t written with happiness in mind. Princes are often fools and monsters are just that– monsters. They’ll rip you apart if you give them the chance and your memory will be used as a cautionary tale. A beautiful beast is still just that: A beast. 

Endearing yourself to him had been a foolish venture, and if you hadn’t been so clouded by your own vanity, you might have seen that. You had been toying with a very dangerous, very real predator and opted to treat it like he was a mere fish in a tank, despite how many times he’d almost killed you. 

The wound on your arm pulses, and you can’t help but run a finger over the gnarled skin, puffy and barely healed. You’d only recently been able to remove the bandages, and it was probably fair to say that it would scar over something nasty. A constant reminder of your short-lived time with him. One you would carry for the rest of your days. A reminder of what dwells deep in the ocean and why you should keep very, very far away, even as the ache deep in your gut never dulls and the restlessness breeds a garden of misery that suffocates you. 

‘-urge all beach goers to exercise caution at this time and try to avoid visiting after dark until we know what it is we’re dealing with. If you have any information, please call-’

Your finger finds the big red button on the remote, flipping the TV off. You’ve heard enough for today. There’s more misery on your plate than you can finish in one sitting, and drowning yourself in it isn’t going to do anything decent for your mental health. Not when you’re mourning a loss you can never speak to anyone about and a betrayal—

Does it really count as a betrayal though? 

It sure as hell hurts like one. 

It’s probably your own fault, but stabbing yourself doesn’t make the wound any less painful. When you’re lonely, you’ll reach for any driftwood your listless body wades to. 

You offered the sea your loneliness and she gave back what she could: a lesson. 

You’d like to think you’ve learned from the experience, that you’ll never let yourself be fooled by supernatural beauty and wonder ever again, but if the wendigo or chupacabra knocked on your front door to ask for some sugar, you’d probably give it to them. 

Humans just don’t learn. Shigaraki was right. It’s amazing we’ve gotten this far. 

You sling your work bag over your shoulder, wondering briefly if he's shouldering the same burden as you; does he feel this hollow ache in your absence? 

He’s probably more pissed off that his dinner reservations got canceled. 

It’s a pathetic line of thought, but that strange emptiness refuses to listen as you rationalize with it. You’d been dumb enough to count him as a friend– albeit a very licentious, very moody one– even though he’d made a point to never tell you as much. You’d viewed your relationship with him through rose colored glasses and it left you completely incapable of seeing all the red flags, even as he made no effort to hide them. 

Now that he’s gone, it’s back to a lackluster existence– minus the sea. The sea that you’re surrounded by and can somehow never touch again. There’s not a doubt in your mind that if you were to touch the water, somehow he would know and find you again, and judging by the world class fit he threw, he’d have no qualms about just killing you this time. 

In a way, you had grown to actually care for him a little. Or maybe that was a strange form of Stockholm syndrome. Either way, he still seemed like a friend, and it hurts a bit that he’s no longer a part of your life, though perhaps a part of that is the human arrogance of losing a supernatural buddy.

Who else can say they’d befriended a siren, after all?

Ideally you could take your mind off of it and focus on work, but the sad truth of the matter is that you’re likely just going to fixate on it while your job finishes dead last in the mental race of ‘things I give a good goddamn about right now.’ 

Tomura would have told you that if you hated it, you should quit. Why force yourself to do something you hate? 

But Tomura isn’t here. 

The most you can do is pray it’s a slow day and that your boss doesn’t notice you slipping. No way to explain that, after all. 

With every last ounce of willpower you can muster, you manage to tie your shoes and lock your front door, slipping out into the streets. 

The streets are crowded and filthy and rotten and loud , the tarmac packed with vehicles and the sidewalks blotted with all manner of people. Self-important businessmen shouting into their phones, aimless sightseers, and hoards of shrieking children barely clinging like a thread to their mother’s hands while being herded like cattle to whatever unfortunate restaurant will host them that evening.

He ignores them all, leaving the responsibility to dodge his hulking body wholly on them as he storms forwards towards his destination: You . 

Where that is exactly, he doesn’t know, but he follows your scent– still thick on the scrap of fabric he keeps fastened to his wrist– deeper into the city and away from the waters he calls home. 

The sensation of shoes on his feet is deeply unpleasant, and the clothes he’d stolen from his breakfast were ill fitting and uncomfortable, leaving him shifting and squirming and resisting the urge to shred it clean off. Anger burns a hole in his gut at having to cover his form simply for their sake, but there’s more important matters to attend to, and as much as he’d like to think that he could, taking on an entire city’s worth of humans outside of his home turf might be a bit of a stretch. Rather than giving into his rage, he keeps the hood firmly yanked up over his silver hair, his features hidden behind the thick curtain of his bangs and his hands firmly shoved into the kangaroo pouch. 

From an outside perspective, he looks like a drugged up local with a pituitary problem on a particularly bad trip, but he could care less about what the human infestation around him thinks. So long as none of them bother to look for too long, he’ll leave them be. For now. 

Agony still wracks his bones and relearning to walk on two legs is humiliating in a way he doesn’t care to think on, but the rage carries him through. The human body is disgusting. How you exist like this is beyond him, but it offers you one singular advantage that he couldn’t overcome in his true form– the ability to find shelter away from him on land, far from the reach of his claws. Far away from him. 

It’s a testament to how much he hates you that he subjects himself to this. 

You dared to defy him not once– not twice– but three times, only narrowly escaping your fate each time, and then you had the audacity to just leave . He should have killed you. He should have. It was a mistake, and one he swears won’t happen again. This time, when he finds you, he’ll do what he should have done from the start. 

You won’t talk or enthrall your way out of it this time. He’s going to get what he came for. His pride demands it.

But you’ll figure that out soon enough, won’t you?

[cupfullofpapas]

(Yes I'm reusing this image too busy to doodle a new one :''( life has been super crazy as of late ) Second Vol in The Assistant series: In the arms of a Devil Rated: E F/M Cardinal Copia x F!Reader Papa Emeritus IV x F!Reader

Also read it on my Ao3 here Previous Vol. : The Assistant Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Part 6: Scent Your patience was nearing its end as you stood by the window looking over the ministries garden watching your fellow siblings of sin some tending to the gardens, some sitting below the few trees that offered an abundance of shade, the weather had decided to act right for once and allowed everyone a day outside, you however, decided to stay indoors. 

As much as you tried to convince yourself that things were okie dokie they weren't, you missed Copia like hell and your chest ached from it, well it was either that or allergies or perhaps both. You've considered talking to Gemma,  the only Prime mover you knew of who had been with her Papa during his touring era.

Each time you went to talk to her you gave yourself excuses not to bother her those excuses now becoming ridiculous. 

With everyone outside enjoying the sunny day the Abbey was quiet so you chose to sit in the cafeteria once the walls of your dorm room started to get to you feeling as if they were closing in. Sitting down at one of the many tables with a muffin you had gotten from the kitchen, picking little pieces off of it like an overgrown crab. 

Sweet Satan, you felt weird, you never thought you could miss someone this much you didn't even miss Secondo this much when he was out of the office for a long period of time... pausing you frowned, with all that had happened that sounded pretty harsh, being lost in thought you plucked another piece of the muffin popping it into your mouth followed by another.

"Child what's got you down in the dumps?."

The sudden voice made you jump looking up to see Sister Twist looking down at you her hands on her hips concern written all over her face. "Satanas, Twist don't spook me like that."  The redhead only shrugged before sitting in the chair across from you the thing giving a slight whine. 

"I forgot how cheesy these things were, you'd think with how much Imperator bitches about the budget and cash there would be a stockpile for new cafeteria chairs at least, things look like they're from the fuckin sixties" Twist snickered however when she didn't hear you join in either laughing or ragging on Imperator she knew something was on your mind. 

"Hey."  Twist snapped her fingers a few times getting your attention.  "Talk to me, what's eating at you, and don't say nothing 'cause momma Twist knows."   You rolled your eyes before answering.  "Just with the tour and all and.."  You trailed off looking for the right words. "You miss your man". Your cheeks turned a light shade of red nodding adverting your eyes from the older sister of sin.

"You miss Copia and you feel weird for missing him so much because you've never missed or depended on someone else who wasn't blood-related that and you feel like your heart is being ripped out through your rib cage."  You opened your mouth to speak however Twist held up her hand silencing you. 

"And even though you still talk to him on the phone or text it feels like it's not enough and yadda yadda."  You stayed silent staring at her before uttering a little 'fuck you' which made the older sibling laugh.   "There's nothing wrong with feeling this way, it's natural to feel this way when you miss someone you love."  

Love, you did love him right?, you remembered the day you told Secondo that you loved him back when he declared his love for you the thought put an uneasy pit in your stomach which caused you to push the muffin aside, why were you even asking yourself this?, you just had teenage phone sex last night with the man. You felt a hand rest on your shoulder Twist wore a kind smile.  "You'll know the answer when he comes back, sweetie."  You smiled and rested your hand above hers the moment was short-lived as Lenti came running into the cafeteria. 

"Twist! Omega, Divine, Alpha, and Terzo are fucking in the music room again!."   "Oh for the love of sweet Satan, those fuckers are gonna get a boot up their ass."   "Careful they might like that." You chimed in as Twist pushed the chair in heading to the music room complaining the entire way, the last time those four got into it in the music room Pebble's drumset was a casualty and Sister Imperator was furious about having to buy a whole new set for the ghoul. The sound of something hitting the floor and the yelling of Imperator's voice pulled you from your thoughts. "You daft idiots!, Be careful with this equipment it's very important and very expensive!."  Getting up from your seat you wandered over to the door seeing that the ghouls were moving a bunch of medical equipment, was someone sick?

"Sister?." you asked stepping from the cafeteria, Imperator turned quickly to face you a smile coming to her face her demeanor changing quickly.  "Hello dear." "What's all this?." "It is for Papa Nihil when he gets back from tour with Cardi, don't you worry about it I have everything under control" She offered the fakest of smiles before following the ghouls walking away her red heels clicking and clacking on the floor. 

The 'short time apart' felt more like years apart the only good thing that happened in your opinion was that Sister Imperator had given you the option of going back to your old dorm room or staying in the current one alongside Copia given the fact that you two were an item, you of course chose to stay in the shared room one because you did not feel like packing everything up and two once Copia got back you were going to stick to him like glue. 

Your day off finally came, the day when you could just lay around your dorm room and not have to worry about anything other than flopping your face into Copia's pillow and breathing in the fleeting scent you hadn't even bothered to change out of your pajamas.

 Rolling over in bed you went face-first into the soft depths of your Cardinal's pillow breathing in-- it was then that you realized that his scent was gone from the fabric, you started to think, what could you do? you needed his scent you needed to feel as if he was there, the worry was starting to set in, and then it hit you.. but were you that desperate?

.....Yes, yes you were...

 Scooting closer to the edge of his side of the bed you opened the nightstand digging around in the drawer. Sometimes the lack of organization of his personal items got to you and made you want to shake him but on the other hand, it also gave you things to do. While you were on your search you looked at some of the things he had tucked away in there. 

A list of numbers, a few unopened juice boxes, several pens, pictures, loose change, and receipts however it wasn't just any receipts they were from the couple nights you and him half-assedly eloped there was even one from the gas station. A smile had worked its way to your face as you looked over each one recounting each item there was also a list there in his scratchy handwriting of things you liked and didn't like, your smile only grew wider as your fingers slid over the indented paper following the pen marks the Chinese menu you both had ordered from. 

You remembered when you accidentally launched a shrimp at the television screen that night, the memory earned a quiet laugh, putting the items back you were on the move again until your searching fingers finally found what you were looking for.

Closing the nightstand's drawer you sat up holding a bottle, it was Copia's cologne your thumb ran over the elegant lettering feeling the different textures on the label, after mentally telling yourself how crazy and weird you were several small sprays were sprayed onto his pillow and one on yourself.

The bottle was placed back inside the nightstand drawer, and the pillow now damp with the scent was turned over the damp side against the bed sheet once again you flopped face-first into it this time being hit with the strong scent of your man. You felt your whole body tingle and warm up as soon as you breathed in his scent your skin prickling with goosebumps, it made you giddy picturing Copia there with you tangled up in the blankets enjoying your time together. 

It was weird sometimes, how a simple scent could make a body heat up, your thighs squeezed together dulling the throb that started as soon as his scent filled your nostrils, your mind thinking about those hands of his and the way they felt when he slid them along your body and gripped your soft flesh the smooth of the leather.   Your hand has started to trace the patterns on your body picturing that they were his fingers, his palms, and you were a willing victim under his expert touches, your Cardinals name was whispered past your lips as your fingertips came to the swell of your pussy lips.

You could picture him there staring down at you, kissing you his fingers teasing you driving you wild, his tongue swirling with yours in the timeless dance of love. You were about to sink your fingers inside of yourself when there was a knock at the door making you halt your actions and look up. Rolling your eyes you stayed quiet maybe if you didn't make a sound whoever it was would just go away thinking that you weren't home, you thought it had worked but there the knocking was again, flopping your pillow over your face you groaned into it before getting up washing your hands and answering the door.  Unlocking the handle and deadbolt you opened the door being face to face with Sister Imperator once again at this point you almost swore this woman was stalking you. 

"Sister?."  You asked doing your best not to sound annoyed. "Evening, I have some-- unfortunate news for you."  -------------------------------------------- TAG LIST: Please message me if you would like to be added to the tag list! @thesoundresoundsecho @xpapaemeritus @copiasprincipessa @siouxbauhaus

[louloulemons-posts]

The Criminal And The Princess IV

Grumpy!College!Eddie X Sunshine!Skater!Reader

Summary : the aftermath of billy and eddies fight, but who gets punished for it?

Word Count : 2.3k

Warnings : wrote at 4am, mentions of billy (he doesn’t appear), swearing, dad is an asshole again, talks of food issues, eddie fluff, cute friendship fluff.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Eventhough dad had said I didn’t need to go into the rink this weekend, I knew the ice would clear my head after all the drama the night before.

There was barely anyone in, your dad’s office dark. Lacing my skates, I popped in my earphones, making my way to the ice, gliding along.

I practiced my spins, dad had mentioned they were sloppy too. Apparently my whole routine for regionals was, that’s why he’d pulled Yrene back in. She’d been on maternity leave.

The music took over and I ignore the few people around me, leaping, jumping, spinning. Again and again. I went through the whole routine, replaying the song over and over again - it was a good thing I loved Hozier.

The song built up as I went into a triple spin, breaking out and leaping into a lutz, making sure my arms and legs were straight enough. I sighed, too wobbly.

Coming to a halt, a bit of the ice kicking up under my blades as I did. Again, the whole thing again. The sweet sound of guitar began playing, then the man’s melodic voice filled my ears, “You know the distance never made a difference to me.”

It started slowly, gliding across the ice, a few gentle spins just to show off a little bit. Catching my the top of my blade in my hand, I spun around twice - that was better.

My layback spins were always pretty good, one of the moves I always found joy in watching mom do. Once again the song built up, a few axles and then a lutz, finally followed by a triple jump.

I landed with ease, gliding along the ice, a few more spins here and there, one again holding my skate in my hand making it level to my head and the leaning back slightly. That was much better.

The lights flickered, there he was. Chest heaving I skated over to the man, noting how grey he was beginning to be. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Needed to clear my head, what did you think?” Pulling out my earphones I popped them back in their case. “Better, still needs to be brilliant though. Work on your lutz.”

I hummed, biting the inside of my cheek, that was the closest thing to a compliment I’d get from the man. “Ah there you are! You’re late,” my father said to someone.

Turning my face scrunched in confusion, “Eddie?”

“You know this young man?” dad asked.

“Uh yeah, what are you doing here?” Eddie was about to explain when dad cut him off.

“Mr Munson took it upon himself to injure one of my best hockey players, therefore will be helping out around the rink until I think he’s made up for it.”

“Is this about Billy?” I turned to my father, instantly feeling angry. “Yes, how did you-“

“Dad it isn’t Eddies fault! Billy is a vile piece of work and you know it!”

“Eden,” I heard Eddie speak from behind me.

“And what punishment will Billy be getting?”

“Why should Billy be punished?” I let out a breathy laugh, “Oh I don’t know, maybe grabbing your daughter and threatening her?” The last part came out in a snap.

“What? He didn’t tell me that,” my dad said, almost untrusting in the way he did. “Of course he didn’t. He’s an arsehole.”

“Language Eden. I’ll talk to Billy again-“ I cut him off, “Talk to Steve, he was there. He’ll tell you.”

“Either way, in this college we don’t condone violence, Mr Munson, if you’ll follow me.”

“Will you talk to Steve?” I asked.

“Yes! Fine I will talk to him, I don’t understand why you’re so insisted in defending-“

“Finish that sentence I dare you.” His eyes widened at me, and I could feel Eddie tense behind me. “Practice your lutz Eden, I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I grumbled, going back to the ice, not before throwing a sympathetic glance at Eddie. Once again I started the song, letting it take over, yet I felt myself shaking with anger.

Of course Billy made it out like Eddie was the bad guy - he was a real piece of work. Next time I see him I’m gonna shove my skate up his - oh shit time to jump.

Spinning three times, I landed again, gliding along, feeling the ice becoming more damaged with every one. I don’t know how long I was going for, but I must have listened to Unknown / Nth about 10 times.

Pulling out my earphones, I heard a clapping sound. Meeting chocolate eyes I couldn’t help smiling, skating over to him. Leaning on the side, he spoke, “You really are a princess on that ice, you’re incredible.”

My face burned, luckily it was so cold in the rink I could blame my maroon cheeks on that. “Thank you.”

“No worries. I think I’d break my neck if I did that spinny thing,” he laughed, “I dunno who I’m kidding I’d break my neck just walking on the ice.”

“You can’t skate?” The boy shook his head, I smiled when a few curls fell into his eyes, he blew them away with ease. Yet they fell back into the place they just were. “I can teach you.”

“I think your dad would-“

“Munson, I didn’t ask to have you here so you could distract my skaters,” my dad shouted from his office above. ‘His skaters’ not his daughter, wow.

“Oh shit sorry, yeah you’re practicing.”

“It’s okay, I’ve had enough for today anyway.” Sliding down the one of the gates to the rink I climbed up, sitting on a cold seat and took off my skates.

“I’m really sorry about this, what’s the old grouch got you doing?”

“Basic maintenance, cleaning and stuff.”

“That sucks.”

“It’s fine, I have to fit it around work for the next few weeks.”

“He’s acting like we’re in highschool,” I scoffed. “I do kinda feel like I am,” the boy chuckled. “I can stay and keep you company if you want?”

“Nah it’s okay, I think it’d just make Bennett mad.” I hummed, throwing my hoodie on and zipped up my bag. “Well are we still good for the library tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’ll meet you there at 3?”

“3,” I repeated, smiling, walking away from the boy. I made it to the door when I heard my dad’s voice again, “Munson get back to work.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head with laughter, what a sweet boy.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

The rest of my Saturday went uneventful, spending it with the girls, that was before Robin had to head out somewhere. “Anywhere nice?” I asked.

“Just uh .. meeting a friend.” She threw a jacket on, grabbing her phone and keys. “Steve? I thought he was working.”

“You guys and Steve aren’t my only friends, you know. I’ll see you guys later.”

Nancy called after her, making the girl stop with a questioning look. “Tell Vickie I said hi.” Robins face burned as she flipped us both off. “Oh my god!” I shouted, throwing myself back so my head way lay on Nancy’s lap.

“I know, you should have seen them last night. So cute. Anyways how was your night with Munson?”

“Good, we went to a diner called Benny’s.”

Nancy hummed, “Yeah I’ve been there with Jonathan, it’s nice.”

“Yeah, well we got milkshakes and then he walked me back.”

“I can’t believe your dad is punishing him for defending you.”

“That’s what happens when you go up against Billy Hargrove,” I rolled my eyes.

“Anyways, have you heard anything off your mom about Holly?” I asked.

“Mike did, said mom was shouting at him, then he kicked off at her. So he took Holly with him and they had a sleepover with Will and El at Joyce’s house.”

“That sucks, I’m sorry to say Nance but we really have shit dads.” She nodded, letting her fingers play with a piece of my hair. “You know my dad called me one of his skaters today.”

“Please can I hit him?”

“Get in line,” I laughed.

“Do you feel okay to eat with me today? We can make something together if you want.”

“You know that sounds fun, can we have those spicy chicken wraps?” She squealed, “God E, it’s like you can read my mind! I’ve been craving them for so long.”

“Craving? You’re not!” I sat up quickly, meaning that Nancy tugged the hair of mine in her hand. “God no! Jesus E, I’m due on!”

“I was kidding,” I laughed, running away as she went to hit me with a pillow.

It was always therapeutic to cook with Nancy, she never made me feel like I was any less because of my difficulties with food. Her and Robin were the best for that, along with Yrene.

“Did you get on okay with the milkshake?” Nancy asked, as she chopped up some veggies for our wraps. “Hm?” I looked up from chopping the chicken. “Well you don’t really like to drink them, especially around people you don’t know.”

Oh. I hadn’t even thought about that. I’d been laughing and learning so much about Eddie. Finding out that he lives with his Uncle, Wayne, and that he works at his garage a couple times a week. “Uh yeah it was fine.”

Nancy made a sound, I could hear the smile on her face. “What?” I asked.

“You um … just seem very comfortable around Eddie.”

“He’s a nice guy,” I shrugged.

“You shouted at your dad about him.”

I laughed loudly, “Yeah I did. Now, how are those veggies?”

“Done! I’ll grab some plates, you start making the wraps.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

I woke up early on Sunday, showering and planning an appropriate outfit to wear one that dad wouldn’t moan at me for. Jeans and a knitted jumper would do. I sat on my bed, drying my hair, it was 10 so I had enough time.

“Hey,” Robin said, knocking the door before she popped her head round. “Hey!” I smiled at her through the mirror. She sat on my bed, making herself comfy against the dark green bedding.

“Cute outfit,” she smiled.

“Thanks, you’re very chipper. Good night with Vickie?” She bit her lower lip, trying to hide her grin. “Tell me everything right now!”

“We may have … kissed.” I screamed, calling for Nancy. “What?! What’s wrong!?” she shouted running into my room, only to be met by two large grins.

“This better be good because I almost had a heart attack.”

“Robin and Vickie kissed!” I said clasping my hands, hair drying long forgotten.

“Robin Carolin Buckley, you tell us everything right now!” Nancy said, squeezing next to me on the bed. Both of us looking expectantly at Robin.

“You’re meant to be meeting your dad, we can talk about it later,” The girl said. On that note my phone buzzed. Picking it up I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at the message.

Dad : Emergency meetings come up, have to cancel lunch.

Eden : Yeah it’s fine.

Not that he cares if it’s fine, because when does he ever care? “I’ve got nowhere to be until 3pm.” Nancy squeezed my hand. “Hey no being sad over shit dads, it’s time to hear about our wonderful friends love life.”

“So we went to a music store, they were open late having an open mic night for small indie artists. We were just stood there listening to this girl sing and she just … took my hand,” Robin couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face.

“And then she just kinda kissed me. It was real sweet but so good,” she couldn’t help laughing as she fell back against my pillows, cheeks burning bright.

“Are you gonna go on another date?” Nancy asked. “Well she text me this!” Robin handed us her phone.

Vickie 🥰 : sorry for the early message, but I had a great time last night!

Vickie 🥰 : would you want to do it again sometime?

Robin 😚 : Hi! I had a great time too and yes i would love that.

Vickie 🥰 : well i’ll plan this date, are you free wednesday night?

“And you haven’t replied?” I said loudly.

“Well Wednesday nights are girls nights and I didn’t want to bail on you guys.”

“Robin if you don’t go I swear to god,” Nancy said sternly.

“Are you sure?” Me and Nancy looked at each other before saying in sync, “Yes!”

“Okay okay!” Quickly she text back confirming that she’d love to go out on Wednesday.

“Our babies growing up!” I cried, Nancy took me into her arms. “I’m literally older than you!” the girl said with a half serious face. “But now she’s got a love life, potentially a girlfriend, I’m so proud!”

“Oh shut up! What about you and Eddie, you’re having a study date later right?” she asked. “It’s not a study date! It’s just studying.”

“It’s a study date.”

“We’re studying James Hetfield, dunno how date like that’ll be.”

“Who?” Nancy asked.

“He’s from Metallica.”

“Oh Eddie loves those guys.”

“So I’ve heard,” I smiled.

“Oh my god!” Nancy said shaking me and Robin leaned over to clasp my hand. “What?”

“You like him!” Robin exclaimed.

“I’ve literally know him a week!”

“I knew Vickie for an hour and was figure out who’s last name sounds better when we get married.”

“Jesus Robin,” I laughed.

“Do you like him?” Nancy asked.

“I don’t know, come on I haven’t even really dated before. There was 2 relationship, one in highschool and one in middle school which doesn’t count - plus they lasted like 5 months combined.”

“It’s okay to not know. I just think it’s sweet you feel so comfortable around him,” Nancy smiled, squeezing me again in her arms. “Yes very sweet, now let’s leave her to get ready,” Robin pulled Nancy from my bed and out of the room.

Those girls were something else, but I wouldn’t have them any other way.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Writing Eden, Robin and Nancys friendship melts my heart 🫶🏻

taglist : @gnrquinn @flawiette @taylorswiftsloverfr @mygirlchaos @marvelcasey05 @ali-r3n @browneyes8288

let me know if you want to be added 🫶🏻

[oneshlut]

Hello!!!! Love your writing!!!! May i request a platonic Sun and Moon (or eclipse its up to you!) With a favorite child reader? I just think that would be adorable!!!

P.s. i LOVE your writing!!!! And your headcanons!!! Dont overwork yourself!!!! Keep being cool/pos!!!!!!!!

A/N: UGHHH you guys are SO SWEET!!! pls stop im gonna IMPLODE /j tyty for all the kind words, also i really needed some1 to tell me not to overwork myself lmaoao, ive been getting so many requests lately.. promise i'll get to all of y'all! OHOH AND I LOVE WRITING FOR THESE THREE! and child readers for them, especially!

(since im feeling extra silly i'll give you a fanfic recommendation: New Consciousness! i think it can be found on tumblr too.. its a yandere sun/moon fic&child reader, one of my favs and greatest inspo!)

Your Best Friend (Sun/Moon/Eclipse & Child!Reader) [Headcanons]

Rules For Requesting

Characters I Will Write For

Masterlist

Summary: General meeting, friendship, and attachment headcanons for The Daycare Attendant with a child reader.

Extra Info: Sun and Moon share bodies, just like in the game. If I mention them talking to each other, they're talking with their shared consciousness.

Sun:

Sun can usually tell when someone new joins the daycare. If he doesn't hear the obvious audio clue of the ballpit, he'll have a sensor that will go off so that he's notified. Every time Sun gets a notification, you can almost see his built-in smile grow wider. A new friend!

As a child new to the Pizzaplex, entering the daycare for the first time was terrifying. I don't think the current horrible reputation on the Fazbear company helped one bit. The animatronics were definitely scary, you didn't need to know that there was a chance you could go missing because of them.

But the daycare had attendants, so that calmed your nerves. Slightly. Until you realized, they too were animatronics. The statue in the entrance of the daycare was massive compared to you. You suddenly wished that you hadn't accepted that birthday invitation.

Sun immediately goes in to meet you! He's practically radiating happiness onto you, skipping to where you were. He's definitely very intense when first meeting you, waving to you like a maniac. You eventually find yourself getting used to his upbeat energy, agreeing to do most activities with him that he brings up. This includes making macaroni art, crudely put-together paper pals, and a few drawings that he's sure to hang up in his room afterwards.

The security officers seem to catch on over the next few weeks how Sun has grown attached to one child. It pretty much went against his code, as he was supposed to be keeping a watchful eye over all the kids, not just one. But the officers at Freddy's get paid minimum wage, so they don't really care about the two of you unless they've got a lawsuit on their hands.

If you were ever feeling down, he'd immediately try to cheer you up. He will spend the entire day with you if he needs to! He may be intense, clingy, and won't let you out of his sight for a mere 2 seconds, but he's got good intentions. Sun hates seing children sad, and the one thing he knew how to do best was cheer them up. Whether this be silly faces, drawings, or hide n' seek, he always had something new to distract you from the little raincloud utop your head. However, Sun knows he can be a bit chaotic at times. If you want him to, he'll give you space. Sometimes, kids just need calm, and that was definitely not his strong suit.

Sun tries not to have "favorite" children, but he couldn't deny he was growing a bit attached. You were enjoying his company anyway, so why should he have to stop? You seemed much less nervous around him aswell, so as far as he knew, he was doing the right thing. A new term had suddenly seemed to form in his memory bank: "best friend".

Moon:

Now, Moon definitely caught you off guard. You had grown so used to Sun's warm, exatatic nature, that when the atmosphere to the daycare had a sudden chill, yet calming feel to it, you immediately thought something was wrong.

Given this, you met Moon when, apparently, Sun was going under.. technical support of some kind. You didn't know the full extent to the details, but what you did know was that Sun was gone, and in replacement, Moon took over both the day and night shifts. You watched as the kids in the daycare scrambled around, some trying to hide, and some just trying to get all their energy out before Moon came out for the night shift. You had intended to just stay away from him in a random corner, since most kids seemed afraid of him, but with the "night" shift coming up, you really had no way to avoid him.

Moon wasn't in the mood for hide n' seek. Not like Sun usually was. He recognized that he had a job to do, so if anything, he'd get it done. He did enjoy working for kids--it was in his code, after all--but this didn't distract him from his work. As most children were, you were scared of him at first. Moon normally just forced the kid to go to bed, either with a Moondrop candy, or tame threats like time-out. But you seemed.. different. He didn't want to be seen as mean, not to you. Instead, he tried to gain your trust by telling you that he was friends with Sun, assuming you were more favorable towards Sun.. again, as most kids were. Surprisingly, he was right to assume.

You, on the other hand, were thrown completely off guard. For the most part, you had thought Moon was this mean, strict, and harsh version of Sun--as you've heard from other children. But instead, you found him to be much more calming, if anything. Maybe the kids just hated having to tone down their energy, that when someone forced them to, they grew naturally afraid of them. That was your reasoning, anyway.

Unlike Sun, Moon is more of a "denier" than anything. He had things to do, and didn't need things getting in the way. But you were different. You weren't a distraction--no, far from it. He wouldn't admit it, but as Sun did, he grew attached. Out of all the kids he's taken care of during his career, you were definitely the calmest. Your presence is.. nice.

If you're going to anyone for comfort, it's Moon. This is if Sun didn't manage to cheer you up previously. Moon's version of comfort was more of quiet, small ambiance, plushies, blankets, and pillows. Sometimes storytimes! That's one method the two had in common. So if you ever have trouble sleeping when nap time comes around, Moon may or may not give you special treatment to ensure you sleep soundly. This means absolutely everything I just listed above for comfort.

He soon discovered what it was like to spend the whole day with you. He'd now ask Sun every now and then if he could take over the day shift for him. At first Sun denied, that would mean less time with you! But, if he made it equal..

Sun made a somewhat "deal" with Moon, where they would now just take days instead of shifts. This.. didn't look good to the staff, though. Instead of making them go back to their shifts, though, they would make sure they both got what they wanted. And in the staff's eyes, what the shared animatronic wanted was to each have both shifts. Not too far off.

Eclipse:

A day passed one day, where neither Sun or Moon was watching over the daycare. In replacement were just the.. extremely creepy staff bots. You began to grow worried--if he'd ever come back again. Luckily, you only had to wait a day.

The day he came back, the animatronic was.. new. Different. You tried to listen in on the clumps of children's conversations--listening until the words blended together to form the name "Eclipse". The name definitely made sense for their character.

To say you were ecstatic would be an understatement. You were practically as happy as Sun was when he first met you! Eclipse was everything you could ever want--it was both of your best friends put into one personality, one animatronic. But if anyone was more excited than you, it would be Eclipse himself. One thing that was different now was his ability to tone his excitement and clinginess down. With the two brought together, their personality fell on a balance.

Meeting you was much less of a shock for him as it was for you. You liked the new look, though. As soon as Eclipse caught your eye, he immediately skipped over to squeeze you in a tight hug. Don't worry, he tried not to squeeze too hard. Even if you were confused at first, you warmed up to him quickly. You noted his voice as he spoke to you for the first time. Not too frantic like Sun's, yet not too quiet like Moon's. Something about it was.. comforting. Which leads me to my next topic.

Eclipse is the best source of comfort you can get. He can most likely tell if you're having a bad day. If you ever feel overwhelmed/overstimulated at the daycare, he'll take you to his room for the first time. If he's being honest, he's never really shown anyone his room before--until now, that is. You immediately fell in love with the room! You would ask to go there more often, and on some days, stay in there the entire day. Eclipse didn't mind, though! Anything to cheer you up, after all.

Eventually, your birthday will come around, in which Eclipse goes all out. He didn't truly expect you to visit the daycare on your birthday--he had figured you'd like to see the Glamrocks instead, but no! Eclipse was honestly so honored that you'd want to spend your birthday with him of all animatronics. With this in mind, he tries to make today the best day of your life! The best day for you in the daycare, at that. He won't go too overboard, but he will spend all his time having fun with you. Eclipse would schedule activities to do, such as macaroni pictures, creating puppets to be used in future puppet shows, and if he's feeling nice enough, he'll sneak in some FizzyFaz into the daycare. When the day starts to near an end, he'll take you backstage to his room, where he has fully decorated the small spot with birthday balloons, banners, strings, and small gifts scattered across the floor. In the center was a.. poorly made cake. Eclipse was only an animatronic after all, his coding didn't have any baking intelligence in his mainframe. It was the thought that counted.

Going home afterwards was definitely a challenge, though. You were practically dragged away from the daycare, and Eclipse had never felt more flattered. On your drive back, you had discovered that you had a new best friend. Animatronic or not.

[simsroyallegacy]

THE PRINCESS ANNALIESE ENGAGED....WITHOUT PERMISSION?!

Well, well, well, they sure move quickly!

The Savalani family announced the engagement of His Grace Alexei Savalani, Duke of Margate to Her Royal Highness Princess Annaliese of Ancastor along with the couple's official engagement photos. The couple posed for award-winning photographer Elsie Harrow-Bowes within the gardens of the Duke's official residence, Darklynn Manor, in the countryside.

(Pictured above: HRH and His Grace pose in the picturesque gardens of Darklynn Manor to announce their engagement. Princess Ana wears red, a color normally associated with the Savalani family rather than the traditional light blue members of the Royal Family have worn for centuries. Is this a snub to her father and the rest of her family?)

While the announcement of their engagement isn't too surprising considering the two have been closer than ever since the Duke's divorce, we find that the Palace has been suspiciously silent on the matter. Traditionally the Windenburg Palace Press Office will release an official announcement straight from the King when one of his children is engaged to be wed (as seen earlier this year when His Majesty announced the engagement between Crown Prince Nicky and Princess Minnie of Pierreland). This announcement is confirmation of the King's blessing for the marriage, which is legally required for the marriage of any child of a King.

(Above: HRH and the Duke look totally and completely in love in their official engagement shots. Rumor has it that the Princess is already making changes to Darklynn Manor in order to prepare to move in together. Even His Grace's previous wife was never allowed to alter his ancestral home before!)

With crickets echoing from the Palace, we guess it's safe to assume His Majesty has probably been thrown for a loop with the sudden news. It's no secret that King Arden is not a fan of his daughter's relationship with the Duke (who is only a few years his junior) and has decided not to acknowledge the couple.

(Above: Princess Ana flaunts her new ring; a simple, but elegant band of alternating diamonds and rubies. Duke Alexei personally designed the ring, using precious stones belonging to his family. Experts estimate the cost of the ring to around §78,000.)

So, without the King's permission what can Princess Ana expect? Apparently anything from the stripping of her title and patronages to–if the King is feeling particularly vindictive–actual jail time. No one, of course, expects things to escalate that far since no King has acted so severely to an unwanted marriage since the time of the Mad King, Edward IV, around four hundred years ago.

A Royal expert claims that permission is coming any day now:

"I've watched [the Family] for years now and there's not a single thing King Arden has ever denied his youngest. He's always been strict with the boys; Nicky is his Heir and he expects much more of him than the other children and Charlie...well, he has always gotten into trouble and needed firm guidance from his father. But Ana? Ana is his little girl who reminds him so much of his late wife that he can never stand to see her upset or sad. She's never so much as stepped a toe out of line until now; I've seen it in action and know she can persuade His Majesty of anything. Permission will come and soon."

Not gonna lie, we're a little uneasy about this development since it seems like there's a lot at stake for our favorite Lunarian Princess! But congratulations are due to the happy couple...so congrats Your Royal Highness and Your Grace! Hopefully His Majesty is feeling lenient this week!

[fangirlstorycreator]

so. . . . . . .ive seen that you do longer stories to add more to it which I love by the way!! and I was wondering if you could do one with multiple chapters for older terry? I had this idea that y/n had this asshole boyfriend and the night they brake up, y/n sleeps with her friend and boss older terry!! they start dating and in a small time frame, she discovers that she's pregnant but doesn't know who the father is!! and terry and the ex have a stand off!! that would be so cool!! if you could write something like that it would be awesome!! also can you do one of your edited pictures like you've done in your previous ones? like the terry medical mystery? 💙

Of course I can do this for you anon! I hope you enjoy 😊💚

Terry Silver X Reader

Contains: strong language/swearing

Part 1/4

"Oh come on! Are you really gunna do this?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?! I came to your office, to drop off your lunch, and I saw you screwing your secretary on your desk!"

"She's just a secretary! It's not like I was screwing the boss!"

"You cheated on me!"

"It wasn't necessarily cheating..."

"Wasn't cheating?! You literally had your dick in another woman!"

"A woman that's clearly a 4! Your my 7! Well, 6 if you've got your hair up"

"You are unbelievable! How dare you say that too me?! I can't believe I spent over a year with you. You pathetic, misogynistic prick! I deserve so much better than you!"

"Hey! I just said you were a 7!"

"If I'm with a man, I should be a 10 to him! You don't treat me the way I deserve to be treated, and I need a real man in my life. I am not spending another day with you! (Throws his bag of stuff into his arms) Now take your things, and get the fuck out of my house!"

"You can't just kick me out! I live hear too!"

"I pay the rent! I pay the bills! I clean my home when you just sit around making a mess and eat everything in the fridge!"

"Well I'm kind of doing you a favour there, you've been getting a little chunky around the ass lately-"

"Get the fuck out!!"

Shoving him out of the door, you stand in the doorway, watching your now ex boyfriend hastily pick up his things that fell from his arms when you pushed him.

"Come on baby!"

"Don't call me that!"

"It was only yesterday that we were getting it on upstairs, then went to a romantic restaurant"

"Getting it on?! That was a poor excuse of a sexual experience. It was a quicky in the shower, and you were the only one to finish! You will never ever touch me again, and as for romantic restaurant? You drove me to McDonald's and bought yourself a big mac meal, and just gave me a ketchup packet!"

"You said you don't like big mac sauce-"

"Just get the fuck away from me Aiden! I never want to see you again! I hate you!"

"Alright, one last chance to take me back. Because I know your going to miss me giving you all my best moves in bed..."

"You wanna know something Aiden? All those times you thought you'd made me feel good during sex? I waited for you to fall alseep, which was VERY quickly after, might I add! And I slipped into the living room with my vibrator! And in all the time I was with you, THAT was the only time I didn't have to FAKE IT!"

With an angry push, you slam your front door shut and scream in rage from all the shit you'd just gone through. How dare he do that to you? Say that to you? Treat you like you were some kind of push over, for him to use and play around with. Well he can go fuck himself! You hate him, and there's no way in hell you'll ever lower yourself like that, and get back together with him, no way! Now that he was out, you stormed around the house, shouting, hitting the walls and crying, you had so much pent up anger and you needed to let it out. But that did unfortunately turn into excessive crying in the shower. You just sat there, pouring out all the memories of Aiden, crying at how he used and treated you, it's horrible when a guy makes a woman feel that way. It was a good hour till you managed to calm down, dry yourself and sit on the sofa, cuddling your squishmallow in your pyjamas. Now you just felt empty, numb after all that shouting and crying, you didn't move, speak or do a thing. But after some deep thinking, you decided that you weren't going to do this. Your not going to let that cheating scumbag make you feel like crap, you were free of him, and you wanted to do something to fill that hole. You decided to put on a nice dress and small heels, and drove down to a local bar, anything is better than staying in, feeling upset. On your drive, you passed your work place, Cobra Kai. It was night time, and you were glad to see that the lights were off. Your 2 bosses Terry and John had been spending a lot of time in there, late nights and stressful days too. You were a Sensei there, but you didn't get involved with anything they did. You were there to teach, and that's all you wanted to focus on. Your working relationship with John was on and off, one day he'd be happy your teaching, then another day, he'd be grumpy, give you the stink eye or just be grouchy with you for no reason. But you didn't care, most bosses are like that. But not Terry. Terry on the other hand was sweet, kind to you and always made you feel happy and welcome. There were days he'd forget to eat, and you'd buy him a pack lunch, sharing the break with him. There were also days he and John would argue or just not be on good terms, and in Terry's words, you were the only good thing about his day, he was very sweet. Honestly, he was sometimes the reason you'd be happy at work too, you both got on like a house on fire, which apparently drove Aiden crazy. He was always jealous when you mentioned Terry, why? You had no idea. They'd only ever met once, but you didn't hear what they said to eachother. It was at a works Christmas party in the dojo, and they chatted by the cheese table when you were getting drinks. But that wasn't on your mind now, not work, not your bosses, not the dojo, just going to a bar to drown your sorrows. After parking, you walk in and see hardly anyone in there, perfect. You ordered your drink at the bar, ran your hands through your hair, exhaling and trying to think of anything else other than the terrible day you'd had. But rather unexpectedly, a familiar voice calls out your name.

"Y/N?"

Turning to the voice, you see none other than one of your bosses, Terry. Poor guy looked exhausted, his hair was messy and he seemed like he was trying to take the edge off too.

"Terry? I wasn't expecting to see you hear. Are you ok?"

"I can ask you the same thing. I know you don't drink, and you only do when your stressed out. So the fact that you've ordered something that's alcoholic, speaks volumes"

"Yeh...your right about that. I've uhh...I've not had a good day. Terrible infact"

"Me too. If you want, I can keep you company while your hear"

"That...actually sounds nice. Thanks"

Grabbing your drink, you and Terry sit in a little booth, quiet and away from the noise of the bar music.

"So what's up Terry? It's weird to see your usually tidy ponytail, all messy"

"(Chuckle) Yeh, I've uhh....been having some issues with John"

"Again? I don't know what's making you guys fight so much, but it really needs to stop"

"The reason is John. It always is. Did I ever tell you that he dragged me back to Cobra Kai when I was happy and comfortably in my life?"

"You did. So why did you come back?"

"I honestly thought things would be different. John wanted help against Larusso but....I don't know, I just feel so deflated every time I go home after a day at the dojo. John isn't the same guy he was when we first started Cobra Kai"

"And that's why your hair is all messy?"

"Hm? Oh that. Me and John got into a little scrap. Nothing serious. I just can't.....I don't know if I can do this anymore"

"You don't know....if you can do Cobra Kai anymore?"

"Not Cobra Kai. John. I'd love to carry on and make the dojo great again, but I feel like...John's stuck in the past...which is where I don't want to be"

"So that's why you guys keep fighting"

"I wanna focus on the students....and he wants a war with Larusso....we're both on very different pages. Oh, don't worry. Whatever happens, you'll still have a job. Me and John just need to find some middle ground, that's all"

"That's alright, I'm not worried about that"

"Well your certainly worried about something. Your half way through that drink and your doing that finger twiddling thing. You always do that when somethings bothering you"

"Do I? I'm just, tapping them and...oh god I DO have a weird finger twiddling thing"

"Don't worry, it's not a bad thing. If anything, it's kind of adorable"

"Aww, thanks"

"So? You wanna tell me what's got to you?"

"It's.....it's nothing really"

"Y/N....."

"It's just.......I.....I went to give Aiden his lunch today, that he forgot at home"

"Ok?..."

"And.........I walked into his office, only to find him having sex with his secretary on his desk...."

"He what?!"

"Yeh....wasn't exactly the nicest experience"

"That son of a bitch cheated on you?! On you?! Is he blind?!"

"He's an asshole, that's for sure"

"My god, no wonder your hear. I'm suprised your not on a third or forth drink by now!"

"I'm not getting drunk tonight. I just wanted one, maybe two to help ease me"

"How?! How are you so calm right now?! You caught Aiden cheating on you!"

"Yep. Well, after I kicked him out, I kind of...let out my rage at my house. There's a few broken pieces of furniture that I'm not proud of. And an hour of crying in the shower helped relieve the rest of the pain. I wish....I wish that all of the pain was gone, but it's still there. Hence the drink...I'm sorry, I've probably put a downer on the evening"

"Are you kidding? We've both had a bad day, but you've had it so much worse. I am so sorry you had to go through that Y/N, he doesn't deserve you, he never did"

"Thanks Terry. I just wished I'd seen him for what he really was before. Then maybe I wouldn't have walked in on that"

"I knew, I knew when I met him that you were too good for him"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Do you mean the Christmas party when you met him?"

"Yes. That's the only time I met him and I'm glad it was only once. The second you walked in there with him, it was obvious to everyone that he was the reacher, and you were the settler"

"Really?"

"Y/N...I remember you walking in the dojo that night, looking impossibly beautiful. You had a gorgeous dress, your hair done, you looked incredible. And there he was, in an old shirt and jeans, he looked like he hadn't even brushed his hair. How the hell he managed to land a woman like you has always pissed me off. Hundreds, no, thousands of real men would grovel and beg for a chance to date you"

"Wow Terry...that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me"

"It's something you need to hear, I swear. That night, I remember him refusing to dance with you when you asked. A real man would never decline a dance with a goddess like you. And when he came over to the cheese table, well, I had to set him straight"

"Set him straight? Oh god Terry, did you say something to him?"

"I said what needed to be said, nothing more..."

Terry's POV from Christmas party:

Terry walks over to the cheese table, where Aiden is pushing some snacks about with a cocktail stick.

"Hi, I'm Terry Silver. You must be Aiden, Y/N's boyfriend?"

"Hm? Oh, yeh hi"

"Y/N's told me so much about you. Is it true your father owns a printing company? And your one of the managers?"

"Yeh, I guess I am. I got my own office and can do pretty much whatever I want, as long as I sign a bunch of paperwork by the end of the day"

"Hm.....fascinating....It's a pleasure working with Y/N hear at the dojo, you must be very proud of her?"

"Eh, it's just a job. She could work in a fast food joint and it wouldn't really matter"

"I'm sorry, a fast food joint? Aiden, your girlfriend has so much ahead of her in her career. She's worked so hard, and is a great teacher to her students"

"Yeh but, it's just kids, I don't really give a shit. It's just annoying that she isn't home to cook me a meal every night when I'm done at work. I just think my woman should be more of a house wife, rather than finding a career like so many women do. Yah know?"

"Uh no. I don't agree with that at all. Women can have a successful career, they don't need to be stuck in the house to clean and cook for their boyfriends"

"Well that's what I want her to do, but she ain't budging. Plus, I don't like that she hangs around with you and that John guy while she's hear. I want my woman to only have me in her life, she doesn't need any other men"

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, I'm the man in the relationship, I should have the say in what happens"

"Wow....you really don't deserve her"

"...What did you just say?"

"You heard me. You don't deserve her"

"I'll have you know, old man, that it's actually HER, who doesn't deserve me"

"Your kidding, right?"

"Hell no! I'm a real alpha male"

"In what breed? Chihuahuas?"

"What?!"

"Take a good look at your girlfriend over there Aiden. She's wonderful, beautiful, independent, with a kind and gentle soul. She looks beautiful every day, but tonight she looks incredible. Are you seriously telling me, when you look at her, you think your the one incharge? Y/N is one of those women who would have men lining up around the town to date her"

"Nah she ain't, you should see her when she's having one of her, what she calls mental health days. No make up, tears and looking miserable as shit. I don't wanna come home and see that! I want a trophy girlfriend not a sappy mess"

Terry takes a step closer, a menacing look in his eye after hearing what he just said about you.

".....What....did you just say?....."

"It ain't nice man! A little makeup wouldn't hurt, yah know? Eh eh...why'd yah walk up on me? Back up a little there, grandpa"

"Now let me tell you something.....you're not worthy of a woman like Y/N...she deserves a real man who will treat her like the queen she is....you don't deserve her..."

"She's my girl, thank you very much! And why are you getting so defensi-...........Oh.......oh ho ho.....nah man, you've got to be kidding me! You? You've got a thing for MY girl?"

"If you don't treat her right, she won't be your girl for much longer"

"Why do you care? It's not like an ancient old grandpa like you has a chance with her! She's all mine....you'll never get her....and I'm gunna make sure, everytime you see her, the days I walk with her to work, that I'll kiss her right outside this place, really kiss her....so that you know....you'll never have that....what do you think about that huh? Got nothing to say have you?"

"Oh...I think you'll find my fist can say plenty-"

"Hi you two"

"Y-Y/N! I'm so sorry I didn't see you come over. How are you this evening? You look beautiful"

"Aww thank you Terry, you look very handsome too. Yes I'm having a nice time tonight, just thought I'd pop over to see how you two were getting on, this is the first time you've met Aiden, right?"

"Yes.....it's been.....interesting...."

Aiden smirks, sliding his hand around your back and kissing your cheek.

"Say baby, why don't you show me your training room? You said you'd show me around once we were hear"

"Sure Aidan, you don't mind do you Terry?"

"Of course not sweetheart"

Aiden never stopped eye contact with Terry when he walked you away from the table. Terry was beyond furious, and he knew that if he told you what your boyfriend said, you may not believe him. He had to suffer in silence, and hopefully, one day, you'd see that side of him for yourself. And now, that day had come, Terry was happy to reveal the truth to you while chatting in the bar. He told you everything they said to eachother...excluding the moment Aiden knew Terry's true feelings. Now it was back to present time, and you had just finished listening to Terry tell you the story.

".....Wow......I had, no idea that was what you were both talking about. Why didn't you say anything to me about this?"

"I didn't know if you would believe me. Trust me when I say I wanted to tell you, I really did. But I couldn't. You looked happy with him at the time, and I didn't want to ruin that....I didn't want to upset you"

"You know what? It's ok Terry......to be honest, if I was in your position, I wouldn't know what to do either. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with him anymore, the guy's a dick"

"I absolutely agree"

"Terry?"

"Yes?"

"In your story....you said about...how I looked..."

"I did"

"........Did you really mean that? Because I thought my makeup that night looked rubbish, and my dress was the wrong colour I picked in the shop, and-"

"Y/N........I meant every word..."

"Really?"

"Of course.......real men, would be lucky to have you......your beautiful.....with or without makeup....."

"Terry, that's..........thank you"

You can't help but blush a little, turning away to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, and yet, Terry never looks away, smiling warmly.

"How is it that you haven't got yourself a wife Terry? Your the sweetest guy I know"

"I did have a partner, Cheyenne. But it wasn't love. The next time I....want to be with a woman....I want it to be real.....I want to have something that will make my heart float out of my chest, feel a warmth through my body......really care for someone..."

"It sounds like you may already feel that way....from the way you describe it...."

"You may be right....."

Again, you blush and look away. You never let your ex know, but you did find Terry very attractive. You can't explain it, but you did have a thing for older men, men who are real gentleman and treat a woman like ladies. You always felt safe, happy and heard with Terry, but never let your feelings get any further than that. You were in a relationship when this started, and when your with someone, they are your focus. But now that Aiden was gone, and seeing how sweet Terry was being to you, was there something hear worth exploring?

"Good evening. Can I get either of you another drink?"

"Oh, no thank you. Two is my limit. Did you want another drink Terry?"

"No thank you, two's enough for me aswell. Hear, I'll put this on my card"

"Terry you don't have to, I'm happy to pay for my own drinks"

"It's my treat"

Terry happily paid the waitress, and she left you both to head to the bar. Both of you stood up from the booth, but there was an awkward silence, it was almost deafening.

"Listen....thank you for listening to me tonight Terry. I know your not a fan of Aiden, well, neither of us are now. But I really appreciate you taking the time to be there for me"

"There's no need to thank me, I'm hear for you anytime. You listened to me moan about John most of the work week too, I think we're square"

"Yeh, your right"

"..........(Runs his fingers through his hair) Uh....Y/N?"

"Yes Terry?"

"You've had a.....a difficult day.....and if you wanted.....your welcome to come to my home, if you'd like some company? Unless you want some time to yourself. I just thought.....I just enjoyed your company tonight...."

"So did I...........ok"

"......Ok?"

"Yeh. I'll....come to your place, for a while"

"That's, that's wonderful. Alright, let's uh, let's head to the cars"

It was a short drive to Terry's home, which was beautiful. A beach house, with a very modern touch, quite neat and tidy too. He was kind enough to show you around and give you a full tour, and it was safe to say, his piano was your favourite part. You loved the piano, and hoped to hear Terry play some time in the future. A little while later, he walked you back to the kitchen and offered you a drink.

"What would you like Y/N?"

"Um, do you have anything that's not alcoholic?"

"Sure, how about a diet coke?"

"That's perfect, thank you. You uh, you don't mind that I'm not drinking, do you?"

"Not at all, I know your not a drinker. To be honest, I don't like being drunk infront of people, especially a lady"

"Pfft, lady! You've seen me take down fully grown men in our adult karate lessons. Somehow, I don't think I suit that word"

He chuckles, walking to you and handing you a diet coke.

"Your a very capable young woman, but still a lady. Many men have fallen to you, I agree. (Sits down on the sofa with you) But you still have to be a teacher, and you do all your lessons with dignity and grace"

"And what about the men who've been slammed by me?"

"Well....they've learned that it's not just men who are capable of that amount of strength"

"(Chuckles)........Thank you....for cheering me up tonight. I didn't know how much I needed it"

"Your welcome. And Y/N, you shouldn't waste anymore tears on Aiden, he's a douchebag"

"I'm afraid that's easier said than done Terry. It's hard when I look at my home, my rooms, and remember things me and Aiden did together. I see my kitchen and remember him flipping a pancake so high it landed on his head. Or my bedroom, when he'd pretend to be asleep, only to jump out and give me a fright when we'd be playful. I broke up with him today....but it's going to take time to forget those moments, when I live in a place full of them"

"I understand.......well hopefully, you'll find another person to make better memories with. Or better yet, have you thought about getting a pet?"

"I did want a dog a while ago, but Aiden was allergic. I guess now that he's gone, I could finally do that"

"If you could choose any dog, what would you go for?"

"Ooh, that's a good question. I think, I'd have to go with a Staffy"

"Staffy? As in, Staffordshire Bull Terrier?"

"Yes, definitely one of those. They get such a bad rep but they're actually one of the most playful, loving and sweetest dog breeds I've known. In my mind, I imagined a blue Staffy, a boy, and I'd call him Blue, especially if he had the same colour eyes"

"That's a very sweet thought. I never knew you wanted a dog so much. If I'd've known, I would've bought you one when Aiden was still around"

"Why?"

"Then you wouldn't have to be around that asshole for as long as you did"

"That's a nice thought Terry...your very sweet"

His smile was so warming, despite the fact that he was one of your bosses, the attraction to him was there, and was getting more and more difficult to keep hidden. But you've JUST broken up with your boyfriend, you shouldn't be thinking about any other man, not yet.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm just going to make myself look a little more presentable"

"Ok. (Sees Terry stand up) Are you going to give your hair a decent brush?"

You ask playfully.

"Get it back to the classic silver ponytail?"

"Cheeky minx.....you'll see when I come back"

You couldn't help but giggle when he left the room, it was a regular thing to be playful with him, and you loved it when it did happen. It often happened at work, when John would be a grumpy guts, and you and Terry would talk shit about him in the office, as a way to blow off steam. John was a pain to both you and Terry, so when the chance came to discuss his issues, or just have a rant about the day, Terry was always more than happy doing that together. You sat, looking at his beautiful living room, when he came back, neat and tidy, hair brushed and sitting next to you once more, still smiling.

"That's better, I do like to look my best if I have company"

"You didn't have to tidy yourself for me you know, I'm company, yes, but noone special"

"Don't ever say your not special Y/N. That's the farthest from the truth"

"....Thank you......"

"Your blushing..."

"I am not!"

"You really are. It's nice seeing you blush...it's adorable....I haven't seen you do that in a long time"

"Yeh well, Aiden's to blame for that. You know, I can't remember the last time he complimented me, like really complimented me. With him, it was always one of those back handed compliments"

"Like what?"

"Oh, nothing you should worry about. Why don't you tell me how you made this house so-"

"Ah ah ah, no. Your not deflecting from what Aiden did wrong. What has he said to you?"

"It wasn't all the time"

"I don't care, what has he said?"

"He....he'd look at how I was dressed, or did my make up, and attempt to compliment me, but it always seemed like an insult. Like one time, I bought this gorgeous green dress"

"The same one you wore to the Christmas party?"

"That's the one. I'd bought it a few months prior to that, and when I showed it off to him, wanting him to see if I looked nice, he just shrugged at first. Then he asked if I got it in the right size. As according to him, it looked rather snug"

"He what?"

"Yeh, and said I should drop a few stone if I wanted to wear it in public"

"What the fuck?! He said that to you?! Y/N! You don't have to loose anything, your size is perfect, your healthy and have an amazing figure! That dress complimented your figure perfectly that night! That bastard.....what's his address?"

"Oh no no, that's not happening Terry"

"What's not happening?"

"I am not giving you his address so you can go and attack him"

"He deserves it! How dare a scrawny little runt like him verbally belittle a gorgeous woman like you? Little shit needs a good slap if you ask me"

"But like I said Terry, that's not going to happen. He's my ex boyfriend, not yours, so just breathe and let it go"

"....Y/N.....please tell me you didn't loose any weight to change your-"

"Oh no no no! God no, I never did what he told me, I just brushed it off and didn't care. Well, I say I didn't care, I didn't like how he spoke to me, but I wouldn't change myself or my body to make someone else happy. If I'm with a guy, they either take me as I am, or they don't have me. And now, he doesn't. I should've dumped him sooner, I know I should. But cheating was the straw that broke the camel's back. Cheeky bastard, when I kicked him out, said he was doing me a favour sleeping with someone else. As apparently, I was getting chunky around the ass lately and I just snapped. Even when he said that I was his 7, and the woman he was sleeping with was only a 4"

".........He......said all that to you?........and said you were a 7?"

"Yeh, well, a 6 if my hair was up, he said. God I was so stupid to waste my time with that dick"

"Your not stupid Y/N...you were lied too, and not shown how you were meant to be treated. But you know don't you? You know you deserve better"

"Yes, I do........it's just.....it's just hard to forget everything he's said, what he's done.....I just want those memories to go. I feel that I can't focus on things properly"

"(Sits a little closer) If you need time from work, I understand-"

"No no, I don't mean like that. I'm fine to work, if anything, that's helping. At least that's keeping my mind off him when I'm busy there. I just don't know how to blank him out when I'm not doing that. My uh, heh, my friend Daisy said I need to 'level the playing field'"

"As in, she suggested that you sleep with someone?"

"Yeh, can you believe that? She said, the best way to get over someone, is to get under someone. Classic Daisy. Oh, god I'm sorry, I've just been talking about my issues the whole time. Why don't tell me more about your-umf!"

Terry had cut you off, rather unexpectedly....by capturing your lips with a kiss. A kiss...that your eyes fluttered shut too, melting into his embrace. One hand cradling your cheek, his other looped behind your back, pulling you in even closer. He was so warm, your hands stroked and clung to his black hoodie as he kissed you like there was no tomorow. His lips were soft, but also hungry, savouring your taste, your tounge, kissing you with a passion that no other man has shown you. His scent was incredibly addictive, peppermint and coconut, oh it was intoxicating. His hands never moved when you both eventually pulled away to breathe, not wanting to move for any other reason. Your both a little breathless, his forehead pressed to yours, looking so deeply in your eyes, and you his. Those beautiful sapphire eyes, chipped ice blue, like the ocean, that made you want to dive in and never come up for air.

".....Terry....."

"Y/N....I've wanted you for so long........he never deserved you.....I can be....everything you could ever want...."

He tilts his head, leans in to kiss you again, but you pull away, worry flowing through you.

"Terry, I..."

Standing up, removing yourself from his warm embrace, you can't help but pace back and forth, all while Terry worriedly watches you.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no no Terry, you, you didn't. I did"

"What do you mean?"

"Terry I...I broke up with Aiden today! I've been single for not even a full day...oh god I shouldn't be doing this"

"Doing what? Finally being shown how beautiful you are? Having a real man give you the physical and emotional love you've been craving?"

"Terry, this is the same day! Oh god I feel like a slut! (Walks over to kitchen sink, grabbing and closing your eyes to ground yourself) This was a mistake, I shouldn't be hear, you shouldn't have to deal with me. I'm sorry"

"Deal with you? (Stands up) Y/N, your not a burden to me, I love being around you. Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to kiss you?"

"Wanted? So that kiss, wasn't a slip up to you? A mistake?"

"Of course it wasn't....(takes a few steps closer) Ever since you started at Cobra Kai....I've been completely hypnotized by you.....your cute little nose scrunch when you laugh.....how gentle and caring you are when your students need support......hearing your voice....your beautiful voice.....there are days when you walk into work, singing one of your favourite songs, and it's like pure happiness is filling the room. Y/N...that night I spoke to Aiden....I might have let slip that I did in fact....have feelings for you"

"......You do?....."

"Of course I do....your the most wonderful woman I've ever known, everytime I see you, it's like a day filled with clouds and thunder turns into a beautiful, sun filled day. You brighten everything....you are...everything.....Y/N.....I know this must feel strange to you, but just because I kissed you the same day you broke up with your boyfriend, doesn't make you a slut"

"But it does! Because......I....wanted........to kiss you too...."

"You did?"

"Of course I did. Look Terry, I won't lie to you. Ever since I met you, I found you attractive aswell. Your so nice to me, you listen to me, always give me a genuine compliment, it's wonderful being around you. And that's why.....and that's why I never said anything.....every time I thought of you in a way that was more than a boss, more than a friend, I had to push that thought out of my mind"

"But why?"

"Because I think if your in a relationship, you should never feel attracted to someone else, I see that as a form of cheating. I have never cheated on anyone, and when I thought of you in that way, I just imagined a big red X in my mind, and made myself think of Aiden. I would never cheat on someone....and I felt like I almost did....when you were around...."

"Y/N.....you don't have to feel guilty about this....he never treated you right, your not with him anymore, he shouldn't be clouding your mind with things that you feel you did wrong, when you've done nothing wrong. You were loyal to him, and he betrayed you. Please don't feel guilty about that"

"I can't help it, he's stuck in my mind, his voice, his comments. It only stopped for a moment when you-uh, nevermind......"

"You mean it stopped...when I kissed you?"

He walks closer to you, just out of arms reach, but gives you the space you need. You can feel him closer, smell his peppermint scent, even turning around to look at him felt like you were doing something wrong, despite his ice blue eyes looking at you so sweetly.

".......Yes.......but there's reasons why this shouldn't go any further Terry"

"Like what? (Takes a step closer)"

"Your my boss, for one"

"That's not a problem with me...(takes another step closer)"

"Like I said before, Aiden and I broke up today. And I don't want to be seen as a slut"

"I would never see you like that...(final step close to you, mere inches from you)"

"I......I don't....."

"(Almost whispers) Don't what? (Reaching out and holding your chin with his finger and thumb)"

"I'm a mess.....I don't want to mess up your life too....and I....I don't know...what it's like....being with a nice guy....with you...."

"......Then it's about time I show you...."

Link to part 2

[starwriterulia]

Tomb of the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon - Chapter 8

SUBJECT MATERIAL WARNINGS FOR THIS FANFICTION ARE INCLUDED IN THE MASTERLIST POST OF MY BLOG AND THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS FANFICTION.

Sun and moon divider by @saradika

Banners for scene cut and creator support by @cafekitsune

A/N: Hi, writing this when first starting this chapter because I had enough energy and desire to work on the next chapter at nearly 9 PM and it's so weird to admit that. OK, see you after working on this if there's anything I have to say then!

(Post-big revision, August 23,2024:) That's a lot better. Is it a different writing cliche? Yes. But, I will attempt to do it well! I believe I'm a goose! I believe and honk at the sky! I think about your bells night and day! And you best get the fuck out 'my way, HONK! I enjoy writing possibly interesting scenarios, and I hope that this new version of Chapter 8 is interesting! (Jacksepticeye voice:) DROP YOUR GUESSES FOR WHAT "HENJIN" LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT HIS GIVEN NAME IS IN THE REPLIES! PUNCH THE LIKE HEART IN THE ARTERIES, LIKE A BITCH! A-AND, SPIN YOURSELVES AROUND! *SPI-NNING! SPI-NNING!* AND, I WILL SEE YOU GUYS! IN THE NEXT SHIT CHAPTER! BYE BYE!

Hooray for a

ten paragraph long chapter summary!

Someone please put me in fanfic writer's timeout!

If you can't tell, it's time for my medication and bedttime. It is 10:38 PM. I am 8 minutes late.

OK, bye! Thank you for all the likes, replies and reblogs! I have work tomorrow, and the day after, so I'll see how much of Chapter 9 I get done. It will be a multiple day process. ^w^

Faith

Chapter summary: Oliver watches Faith draw her first three arrows, Dinah, Cissie and Emiko entering as she looses her third, and are all impressed by Faith's natural but imperfect skills. Oliver begins to coach Faith how to jump again, but realises she needs better balance and strength, and tests her with the equipment before activating an obstacle course that rises from the floor and walls. Afterwards, Faith discusses her vigilante name and costume, then goes with the girls for groceries. Faith bids Oliver and Dinah goodnight, and begins to listen to her favourite ambience to sleep when Barbara texts her with an apology that consumes multiple paragraphs, mentioning that she thinks Dick and Tim forgive Faith as well. Faith is emotional as she reads. Faith thanks her, and they chat about what Faith is listening to before saying goodnight. Faith falls asleep quickly.

Zatanna had fallen asleep too, and after seeking Faith, finds her at the tavern of White-Sun Harbour in the Dream World on Paper, SOFFFIAA greeting Zatanna and mentioning the area is a recreation of Great Inagua from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The magician and dreamer begin walking to a grassy area to practice magic. Ra's had opened and entered the window of the guest room Faith slept in, and Faith wakes as he tries to take off her pyjama pants. The struggle for a short few seconds as Oliver receives a phone call from Zatanna. Oliver interrupts the scuffle just as Faith hugs Ra's' waist, giving pause to the villain and a moment for Faith to apologise and come clean, and asks him to take her somewhere else.

Ra's says he's done caring. Faith tells him to record them having sex for blackmail. Ra's repeats her request, baffled that she wants to be recorded for this purpose, but accepts, and tells Oliver that she'll be home in the morning, who is content with this. Ra's leaves with Faith on his back through the window. Oliver, of course, doesn't believe Ra's will come back with Faith.

Ra's descends with Faith into an especially narrow alley, and knocks to enter a door. Faith doesn't know what's inside, as she keeps her eyes on the floor, as she had been instructed to by Ra's. Ra's brings Faith into the office. Yamagata Jin speaks Japanese to Ra's, insulting Faith's looks. Ra's tries to upsell her, mentioning her name, age, that she's a virgin, and that she has metahuman dragon powers. When Yamagata voices concern for his establishment, Ra's replies that Faith can be killed like a mortal, easing Yamagata.

Yamagata inspects Faith's teeth and speaks English to voice disgust, Faith replying wordily, as usual, to explain. Yamagata shares his annoyance with Ra's. He says that she has anxiety, depression and PTSD, and Ra's reminds Yamagata that Faith is a virgin, and says, "Surely one of your sons will think Faith is worthy of his attention." Briefly pondering, Yamagata smiles, Ra's having a similar grin, and Yamagata purchases Faith for 100 thousand dollars. Faith knows those smiles aren't good, and tells herself that she is the O-type star, and use magic to get out, but wants to stay so her virginity and hormones won't be in the way, anymore.

Ra's leaves, and on his tail, Yamagata brings Faith out, who sees a large, empty nightclub. Faith internally guesses it's closed, but remarks that it's odd because it's Monday, and supposed it's so because Yamagata's sons aren't home. They go into a room where six girls are lounging in a nice living space. This amazes Faith. Yamagata instructs the girls to prepare Faith for Henjin, and Faith furrows her eyebrows in thought, not recalling Henjin to be a name.

Connecting that Yamagata is mocking one of his own sons, and that's who Ra's was talking about, and why he and Yamagata smiled, Faith lets out a shallow breath. Yamagata notices, and from Faith's face knows she's anxious. He smirks, saying, "You had better wisen up, Faith." He leaves, chuckling.

The six sex workers hear a brief retelling of Faith's story and about her dragon powers. One asks if Faith knows her name in Japanese, which she does. The girls introduce themselves as Jennie, Sekine, Kiki and Leia, who wear matching dresses that Leia designed and Kiki crafted, and Mai and Fuga. Fuga tells Faith that the club is called One Night Fever, and Faith comments that it's a good name for a nightclub. Fuga and Mai reply that's it's an awful name, citing that nineteen year old Yamagata, and they all laugh.

Faith whispers that they could give her Dragon Persona gifts for a wish and get new, safe jobs, and assumes they want to stay in their galaxy, Leia confirming, and Faith looks at all of the girls and realises this is what she has to do to make things right. As Jennie helps Faith find lingerie, she notes Faith's feet, and Faith says how the right foot is sensitive. Jennie asks if she can fight, and Faith says she's decent, for someone who's trained for two days and has disability, and that she should be able to hold her own until she needs to use magic and the Arrows come, and that they'll all leave together, and Jennie nods firmly. Jennie says that Kiki can modify a pair of sexy boots for Faith, Kiki confirming happily, and Jennie will teach Faith how to act in front of Henjin and the customers tomorrow night, when Yamagata's sons return from Japan.

Fandoms: DC Comics, Batfamily, no Batcest, Arrow family, Thalassic Space (OC; takes inspiration The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and other sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles, as well as original concepts, such as the science and lore of the galaxy.)

[In order of appearance] Characters: Faith Lawson (TBA; self-insert), Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), Dinah Lance (Black Canary), Cissie King-Jones (Arrowette), Emiko Queen (Red Arrow), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Ra's al Ghul, Jason Todd (Red Hood), Roy Harper (Arsenal).

Word Count: 6706 (Ah, hey! Some consistency! I wonder how long this will laaaast!🙃) 9472 (NEVER MIND CONSISTENCY WITH THE NEW VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER. AND THAT IS A-O-KAY.)

Content warning: None, I think? Let me know if I'm wrong!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9

Oliver stood by Faith as she held a simple black bow for adolescents. She had asked him how to hold it, as she hadn't really learned how, just from watching people, and so Oliver had helped with that, and told her how to not hit her face with the string. Faith had drawn the string without instruction just fine, but her arms were loose. Oliver hadn't told her about it, as he said she'd do her first draw without help. Faith looked at the wooden target on the wall. Her eyes drifted a little to the right, then back to center, and her hands were going the opposite way.

She heaved a sigh. Oliver inhaled to ask what was on her mind. He saw Faith's eyes focus on the center circle, the muscles of her arms becoming taut as her aim slowly went in the right direction, but a little bit high. Faith released, her aim going down about three inches. The arrow landed about an inch below the bullseye.

"Oh! Wow, I actually corrected myself a little by thinking about what you do, in the comics and TV show." Faith said, relaxing her arm a little, but not lowering the bow, as Oliver fetched the arrow and replaced in the black quiver on Faith's back.

'Ah, and she's not lowering the bow right after, nice.' "Well, it worked out pretty all right." Oliver said. "Uh, well, try again! See if you can do better, without my help, and then I'll chime in."

"OK!" Faith bent her right arm over its shoulder and grabbed an arrow.

'Lucky her, with how her arms bend due to her dwarfism, and that they're at an OK length to grab things. It seems as if she has no issue taking arrows from a quiver on her back.' Oliver thought. Faith drew the string, her eyes finding and staying on the centre easily this time. 'Good, and?' Her arm was tense, and she seemed to be aiming a little bit high and to the right, this time. 'OK, not bad. Let's see the release?' A couple of seconds later, Faith let go, her aim slightly lowering and going more to the right. The arrow struck the upper left of the bullseye, about a centimetre into the white.

"Oh! That was OK, too." Faith relaxed her arm as she had done before, again. Oliver retrieved the arrow, and put it in Faith's quiver again.

"Yeah, that wasn't horrible, either. Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Hm. Well, let's keep going. You're actually scarily close to getting it, on your first two tries, are you sure you're not using magic?" Faith nodded. "W-We didn't go over it, but you're not using magic, right?"

"No, I'm not using magic. You'd see white-blue light in my right hand, or neon orange light in my left hand, if I was."

"Huh, OK. Also, nice job on not lowering the bow when relaxing your arm, when you're still wanting to use the bow."

"Oh! I just did that naturally. Good to know. Anyway, here we go again!" Faith said.

The door lock beeped, and the door opened as Faith drew, tensed, looked at the bullseye. Her arm went a bit lower than it had, the last time. 'A bit too low, about a centimetre again.' Oliver pondered. 'But her aim is perfect. Is she seriously about to hit bullseye on her third try?'

While three pairs of footsteps quietly progressed through the room, Faith loosed the arrow, the natural motion of her arm moving her aim up half a centimetre. The arrow struck centre. "Aaaa!" Faith cried, happily. Oliver's mouth was ajar, as were the mouths of Dinah, Cissie and Emiko. "Wait, seriously?!"

"Did she really do that?!" Cissie exclaimed.

Oliver walked to the target to examine. "You are forty-percent on the mark, Faith." He pulled the arrow, and walked over to put it in Faith's quiver.

"Woo hoo, I hit it!" Said Faith.

"Woo hoo!" Cissie said.

"High-five, girl!" Dinah said, right palm extended. Faith slapped it with her left hand. Cissie also wanted a high-five, and Faith gave it to her. As the girls did so, Oliver held up three fingers on his left hand. Dinah mouthed, 'Three tries?' And left her mouth open further than she had, when Faith hit the mark. Oliver nodded.

"Hi, Emiko!" Faith greeted.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Emiko replied.

"Faith, you did that in three tries!" Dinah said, amazed.

"THREE?!" Cissie said. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Same, girl, same." Faith said, in a slightly country voice, and chuckled once.

"Well, kh, keep going! It'll only get easier from here, right?"

"That's right." Oliver said. Faith nodded, and prepared her bow and arm. She loosed the arrow, and it landed on the red again, but a bit higher, at the left corner.

"Kuh!" Faith remarked. "Um!"

"'Um!'" Oliver echoed. "'Um!' what, Faith? You're a natural." He patted her right shoulder, and sat on the edge of the extended desk area, Faith seeing the other Arrows nodding.

Faith made a face by pulling her cheek muscles to their sides. She removed her left hand from her bow, lowering the bow, now only held in her right hand, and she raised her left hand. A black holographic HUD with white text and details appeared. "Hey, SOFFFIAA?"

"Yes, Faith?" Said an alto with an Northern Indian accent.

"Please tell me that my author-self on Earth-33 isn't cheating, and that I'm indeed not using magic, and please be honest."

Two seconds passed. "I can confirm. Your author-self is not cheating. You are actually performing this task, and you are not using magic."

"OK! Thank you."

"You're welcome." Faith lifted her right arm and moved her left hand back into place on the bow.

"Had to ask a friend, did you?" Emiko said.

"Yeah, my friend Chandra's Dragon Persona is part Android, and she's integrated in the TSRPG app. I have a Dragon Persona too, but Chandra is five-stories tall, and I'm only as big as a large gazebo."

"A large gazebo. No specifications?"

"Uh, not without asking SOFFFIAA to look it up. I haven't written measurements down in the lore, for that Persona."

"That's fair. Sorry, continue." Emiko said. Faith nodded, and turned her attention and body to the target. She prepared, and after about five seconds, released. It struck the white above the bullseye, the top of the arrow barely in the red. "Not bad."

"Yeah, a little bit high, that time, Faith." Said Oliver.

"Still, for four attempts, that's good." Said Cissie.

"Really good." Oliver said, nodding with furrowed brows. Faith continued, having similar results, three times, and landing on the outer red circle to the lower right the fourth time.

"Aw-awww!" Cissie said. Emiko clicked her tongue.

"Man!" Faith said, giggling. Dinah chuckled with her.

"Not a bad streak, for day one." Cissie said.

"Oh yeah, that's decent, for sure." Emiko said.

"Tired yet, Faith?" Oliver asked.

"Nah, not yet."

"Well, when you want to be done, we can go back to physical, if you're up for it. Still got most of the day to burn."

"Sure! You said you had an idea of how to get me actually moving again, so I'd love to try."

"O-kay!" Oliver said, nodding firmly with a small smile. Faith nodded back, smiling a little too.

Oliver had arranged three unpainted wooden blocks on a thick black mat with gaps that increased in distance by a foot, then two. Faith stood at the end of the first block, her eyes bouncing up onto the object and onto the floor several times, Oliver observing. "You're overthinking it." He said.

"Oh, I overthink everything." Said Faith. "I've always needed help to simplify not just my actions, but my perspective on others and myself. That's actually why my subconscious and dream world is so intense. I was unable to let things go because my foster parents spoiled me, and then neglected me after giving me Benadryl and putting me in the crib for bad behaviour." Oliver hummed, unpleased. "I wasn't well-fed by them, either. But, yeah. If you can just explain to me how to simplify the thought, and remind me of what jumping and running feels like, it'll become natural again. It's like me at my retail job, learning all the stuff. I'm a keyholder, so I get to do things."

"Oh, so you're familar with responsiblity."

"Yeah, but even that took years. I was fifteen when my mom slapped me, pulled my hair and called me a cow for being mean to my little brother for so long. It took, like, four years after that. The fourth year, I moved out, and began to learn how to be responsible with money. Well, I still make mistakes, but I'm not horrible with it." Oliver hummed. "That being said, it shouldn't be that hard. If it is, it's because I'm too used to the fear," Oliver hummed, nodding several times. "And I'm OK with, er, no, grammar, sorry," Dinah chuckled. "I've accepted that I'm probably going to have an anxiety attack while relearning how to move. I was wanting to remind you of that when I started this little ramble, and so now I have."

"We'll start working on that tomorrow." Dinah said, raspily, while nodding.

"What? Dinah, that was a perfectly fine time to do a bit of exposition." Oliver said.

"I agree." Said Cissie.

"She does this, a lot?" Emiko said.

"Yes." DInah replied.

"Yeah." Cissie and Oliver said.

Emiko said, "I say, let her just do it. It's part of her personality. Well, maybe work on it a little bit."

"That was the idea, yes." Dinah said.

Oliver said, "Thank you, Faith. I'll keep that in mind, and if you need to stop and do some breathing, just do it. I'll stop you from getting hurt beyond general muscle strains that are bound to happen."

"Sounds good! Let's start."

"All- right." Oliver said, a brief pause between each word. He stood to Faith's right, and moved as he described. "So, you know to bend your knees when you jump."

"Yeah, but I think I'm mentally thinking of bending too much."

"How much is too much, to your brain?" Oliver watched Faith bend down to where her hips were, standing upright, her butt pointing diagonally down and left. "Ohhhh, yeah," Oliver politely corrected Faith's position, holding her waist. He rapidly said, "Yeah yeah yeah." At a normal pace, "You want to stand like that." Faith and shut her eyes, and looked to be thinking. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's been a long time, I don't remember ever standing like this."

"Because it used to just come naturally to you. And it will, once we've done this enough times." Oliver said. Faith nodded. "OK, you put weight in your lower legs, like a spring,"

"Right." Faith did so.

"A little less, for now, we're only going up by a foot, Faith."

"Sorry, OK." Faith returned some weight to her torso, her back straightening slightly.

"Yes, there you go. That probably feels better, right?"

"It does, actually!"

"Good. And then you push the weight down, and the rest of you will go up."

"Oh! Oh, OK. My only question is how do I land on both feet? I can try landing on one foot, later."

"You put both feet in front of you, and your body should do the rest."

"Ah, OK. 'Cause I think my legs like to go to their sides."

"Like this?" Oliver spread his legs, feet pointing outwards.

"Yes! Just like that! Why do I always do that, when my knees buckle? It makes every fall really awkward, and hurt."

"Ah, you've got poor balance."

"Very poor, yeah. It's better in my left leg than my right. I can stand for like, five seconds on my left, and two on my right. Which is funny, 'cause my left knee is the one that dislocated." Faith said.

Oliver hummed. "Well, I think we should work on your balance and leg strength, before we get to you jump."

"Sounds good."

"OK. Let's, uh, go over to the leg press, and see how much you can lift. We'll even check how much you can lift with your arms."

"Sure! I've used a leg press before." Faith said, as she and Oliver went to the equipment.

"How much were you able to lift, in school?"

"420 lbs."

Oliver whistled, the other Arrows nodding and humming. "That's a lot!"

"Yeah, I was impressed, too."

"Well, let's see what you can do, now!" Faith sat on the bench with her feet on the pedals, and she and Oliver went through each weight. She couldn't lift 210, but had been able to lift 200.

Faith said, "Eh, I expected as much."

"You are quite a bit below average, for a woman."

"What's the average?"

"258 lbs."

"Oh! Oh, so I had really strong legs!"

"Yeah, you did. Now, let's see how much your arms can lift." Faith began to lift dumbells, and was able to lift sixty-five. "Hm, all right. That's a little below average, too. Average is seventy-four, without training. With almost a year of training, it's 137."

"Oh, so I'm not far behind."

"Mhm. You get your practice in every day, and it shouldn't be too long before you'll have your full strength back, and hopefully then some." Oliver said. Faith nodded. "All right, let's move on to balance, which I actually want to work on with you, today."

"Sure." Faith said.

"Could someone hit the button, please?" Oliver said. Emiko interacted with the computer. As Oliver walked Faith to a series of railings that rose from the floor, platforms attached to the walls that varied in height with tightropes of different lengths and widths of differing materials became visible.

"That's pretty cool."

"Right? OK, let's start over here. Don't worry about falling, I'll catch you. We'll go until you're tired, and then you can do some reps on the equipment."

"Sounds good!"

Oliver walked beside Faith, who walked to the couch, where Dinah sat, with a slight pause, panting, the armpit and neckline of her shirt wet with perspiration. Faith occupied the middle seat, Dinah to her left. "Sorry, hah, do you want me to move over?" Faith said, while Oliver sat in the armchair nearby.

"No, dear, you're fine."

"Oh, hah, 'kay."

"Good work today, Faith." Oliver said.

"Thank you."

Dinah said, "Yeah, you're looking good, for someone who just started training, yesterday."

"Thank you."

"Catch your breath, and Cissie and I will take you home after an errand for groceries, OK?" Dinah said. Faith nodded.

"You should add whatever Faith wants to the cart, too." Oliver said.

"Oh, absolutely."

Faith asked, while looking at the Emiko, "You've got your own ride?"

"Yeah, the rooftops." Emiko said. Faith chuckled, encouraging the others to join.

Oliver said, "Actually, I wanted to know what you want to be called, Faith."

"Oh! I was thinking Dà-ochd."

"That's Gaelic."

"Not bad pronunciation, there, Faith." Dinah commented.

"Thanks. It means Two-eight." Faith said. Oliver and Dinah hummed, nodding differently. Emiko bobbed her head a little, too. "I intended to have it be Double Eight, proper noun, which would have worked if I hadn't capitalised."

"What would it be, then?" Dinah asked.

"Dùbailte ochd."

"Oh, you'd be saying 'eight' twice." Dinah said, as Cissie returned from the bathroom.

"Yep."

Oliver hummed. "Well, it's unique, and seeing as it's a direct reference to Thalassic Space, which is yours, I think it's a good choice."

"I think so, too."

"Sorry, what'd she pick?" Cissie said.

"Dà-ochd." Said Oliver. "Gaelic for Two-eight. Faith had to compromise in translating Double Eight."

"Ooh, I like it!"

"Thanks!"

Oliver stood, and said, "Well, Bruce sent me your measurements, after Zatanna told him you're with us now. I'll get to making your suit right away. Any details you want to add, besides the Double Eight on it, somewhere?"

"Actually, don't put the Double Eight on it."

"No?"

"I've been using a new banner, for this part of the story, on Tumblr."

"Huh?" Emiko said.

"She's also on Earth-33, chronicling her adventures." Dinah said.

"Oh! That's kind of cool."

"The design is by @cafekitsune. I'll describe it to you, and then suggest how to use it."

"Sure. I'm listening."

"On the left is the outline of a blue crescent moon. It's not neon. It's academia toned."

"Academia toned, OK."

"The colour I have in mind is somwhere between dark blue and light blue. You can just ask me to show you, if you don't get it right."

"Sure."

"The hollow part of the moon faces the outline of a orange-gold sun, and to the right is of the sun is an identical crescent moon, and its hollow part faces the sun, too. Between each moon, towards the sun, is a small blue dot, an orange-gold diamond, and another small blue dot."

"Oh OK, I can see that."

"You can take any part of this design and put it on, say, the hood, neckline, sleeves or hems of the top or pants, and if you're feeling fancy, the boots."

"That on the boots would be cool. Any particular style you want the outfit to have?"

"Pirate. Make me look like a pirate." Faith laughed, the others joining. "With ankle boots, a petticoat, a cool butterfly-sleeve blouse, and a waistcoat!"

"O-kay! Ask and you shall receive."

"Are you asking for an eye-patch, too?" Emiko asked.

"Nah, I can just use my hands to be dramatic, when using one magic or the other." Faith said. Oliver wheezed a laugh. Dinah chuckled, and Cissie laughed, Emiko shaking her head.

"You are an odd one, Faith."

"It's almost like my life experiences made me into a clown." Faith replied. Cissie laughed loudly.

"Are you implying that you own a clown costume?"

"Well, I haven't touched my magic Astral Jester Costume to bind it to my body to wear it on command, but yes, I own a clown costume."

Emiko said, breathily. "Wow." The group chuckled and laughed. "How many pieces does it have?"

"Nine. A hat with four sections that have a cluster of jingle bells, a crop top, shorts, cuff-bracelets lined with jingle bells, a choker with a cluster of jingle bells, and hiker shoes with a cluster of jingle bells."

"Why not a converse or tennis shoe?"

"My feet are deformed, so I can't wear flat shoes."

"Ohhhh." Emiko said. Faith removed her right foot from her shoe. "Oh! That looks painful."

"When colliding against obstacles, yes, it's very sensitive."

"Batman measured your feet, too." Oliver said.

Faith nodded. "Yeah, I remember. It was just this morning, after all."

"All right, I'll get to work drawing some ideas, and I'll get back to you on that, Faith."

"Thank you, Ollie."

"You're welcome."

"Shall we go, ladies?" Asked Dinah. The girls said words of agreement while Dinah and Faith rose from the couch. As Cissie, Emiko and Faith went to the door, Dinah pecked Oliver on the lips, who repeated the action, both smiling. Dinah went to the door, which Emiko held open, then Emiko shut the door, which locked itself. Oliver sat at the desk, turned on the drawing tablet, and began to work.

10:34 PM.

"Goodnight, Faith." Dinah said, quietly, walking beside Oliver to the master bedroom as Faith began to close the door to the guest room while entering.

"Have a good sleep!" Oliver added.

"Goodni-ight." Faith replied, tiredly. She closed the door, removed her underwear and shirt, put her pyjama pants back on, and crawled into bed. She plugged in her wired earbuds, opened YouTube and played the pirate tavern ambience she had listened to at Wayne Manor, turning her phone off to save power, the track still playing due to her Premium subscription. She reached to the nighstand for the TicTacs she bought during the errand run, popping one into her mouth and exhaling as she sank into her new grey maternity pillow.

Several minutes passed, then her phone vibrated. Faith groaned and double tapped her phone to wake up the screen. The Messenger icon was there. Unfortunately, she couldn't preview the message from her lock screen, so she pressed and held the icon, unlocked her phone, and the app opened to the chat. Faith read the top of the UI and batted her lashes in surprise. It was Barbara. Faith pursed her lips into a frown, upon reading the first sentence, flicking her lips up as she read the last sentence.

BARBARA: Hon, I'm sorry for dumping dishwater on you. I know you take things very personally, and I heard from Dinah that we *really* scared you (and that you hit bullseye on your third try! Wow!!). As the senior-most Batgirl, it's my duty to speak with you, the promising girl we expected to be the next Batgirl, about what happened today. This is going to take a few messages, so please bear with me. [Faith liked this message.]

BARBARA: Thank you.

Faith bobbed her head in agreement numerous times as she read the next message. She whispered, "Thank you." Upon reading the fourth sentence.

BARBARA: We acted on our anger instead of talking with you. I know that you know that, I just wanted one of us to admit it, sooner rather than later. You said you wouldn't have acted on your inappropriate desires while with us. I believe you, and I forgive you. I won't speak on their behalves, but I think Dick and Tim have forgiven you as well. You were trying to live on, with shame literally stuck in your mind, and we slammed the door in your face instead of letting you stay when you needed friends.

BARBARA: I think we all can make an accurate guess of what part of you Dohannar represents. No offense regarding your preferences in fantasy people, your cat anthropomorph family was fascinating and lovely to meet. It was unfortunate for *everyone* that the thoughts you never wanted to act while part of us were exposed, so easily.

Faith gasped after reading the last sentence of the following text, and said in an upwards climbing tone, "She knows my name!" 'Dinah must have told her. The others probably know it by now, too.'

BARBARA: You should stay with the Arrows to finish your training. I hope it goes as well as it did, today. Truly, I do. If you're in need of someone to talk to, or you want some more Batfamily-style training, I'd be glad to help. I think Dick and Tim would be willing, too. Maybe take Jason's rather harsh advice and stay out of Gotham for a couple of months, until you're ready to meet the world as Dà-ochd, OK?

BARBARA: Oh, and you may now respond! 😜

FAITH: Thank you. ❤️❤️❤️ I will definitely stay here until I'm ready LOL. Jason is a big guy, and he's got guns! 😰

BARBARA: Valid, LOL not to mention Damian has a sword, and Tim had to get Stephanie to stop prattling about how she wanted to beat you up!😬

FAITH: Yeah, yikes!

FAITH: I'm guessing Bruce left immediately to let his anger out.

BARBARA: Yep. Nothing from him, yet. You probably won't, until he's talked with Oliver and Dinah about how things are going with you (I think that's already happened a little bit today, and they'll probably meet tomorrow to talk some more), and some time has passed.

FAITH: I'm OK with that. 😊 He's not exactly a puzzle, he just has a way of doing, like, everything.

BARBARA: True, very true.

FAITH: Also, I've been thinking hardcore in the background, and I think I'm actually aceflux demisexual?

BARBARA: Oh, all right! If that makes more sense to you, then that's all good! 😁

FAITH: Thanks, Barbara.

BARBARA: ❤️

FAITH: TBH, I almost keep typing Babs aflkasjflds it's two less syllables so my brain is like, "Ah, yes! A shortcut!" I was trying not to make that mistake IRL because I know only Dick calls you that.

BARBARA: LOL. Yes, that name is something that Dick likes to call me, and he and I are exclusive, and I think you're aware of that.

FAITH: Yep! I just wanted to bring it up, 'cause it was like a dog that needed to drag its ass on the carpet LOL

BARBARA: LOL. Ewwww!

FAITH: I'll stick with Barbara, don't worry. 😜

BARBARA: Thank you, Faith. If you come up with something else that only you use for me, you're welcome to, though! No pressure to come up with it right now. ❤️

FAITH: Yeah, I think that'll take a bit of thinking LOL.

BARBARA: Well, I know it's your bedtime, and you've probably taken your meds (you *have* taken them, right?), so I'll let you sleep. We can chat in the morning, if you want. Aaaand you might have apology messages from Dick and Tim to respond to.

FAITH: Yes, I took my meds and am in bed, listening to my favourite pirate tavern ambienc, which funnily enough has no actual pirate sounds.

BARBARA: LOL

FAITH: The visuals are of a galleon at full-mast on the water near the tavern. Pretty sure it's AI. But I like that it has the ocean and boat creaking. The crickets get a bit annoying, and apparently the bird songs are from morning birds LOL. More evidence that it was made by AI. Which sucks, because it's otherwise perfect!

BARBARA: Aw, is that the only one you like?

FAITH: No, it's not the only thing I have in my Sleep Playlist. Here, lemme share it.

[FAITH shared a link.]

FAITH: The video right after the pirate tavern I like, the medieval fishing village with visuals of a stone port, verandah and schooner, has quieter crickets and ocean sounds again. And I believe none of it was made by AI! Both work fine, and so do the playlist entries after it. I usually only listen to the pirate tavern and fishing village videos, which I have downloaded.

BARBARA: Hm! Well, so long as you know what works for you, hon.

FAITH: Anyway! Sleep time! Thanks again, Barbara. Goodniiiight! ❤️

BARBARA: Goodnight, Faith. ❤️

Faith closed Messages, returned to YouTube, and turned off her phone, tucking it under the two stacked normal pillows against the headboard. She relaxed her arms, legs, and face muscles, sighed deeply whlie closing her eyes, and let her mind sink into the bed until she was asleep. Oliver and Dinah, reading books with the nightstand lamps on, heard soft snoring coming from the closed door of the guest room. Oliver chuckled once with his chest, and Dinah scoffed with light laughter.

"Someone was tired." Dinah said.

"Oh yeah. It's only her second day of training, too."

"Oh, yes. We should get some sleep too, so we can be ready with her." Said Dinah. Oliver hummed in agreement as the couple put down the novels, turned out the lights, and settled down.

Zatanna fell asleep too, and sought Faith. She found Faith, wearing a beautiful multi-coloured brown skirt and a brown tank-top with pretty crochet work, sing and dance with tavern-goers. Beyond the docks was the ocean, held by the crescent shaped land. Zatanna glanced behind her to see a well-built pirate town, in good condition, a jungle farther that way, and to Zatanna's right, up on a hill, a white mansion. Zatanna's left hand vibrated like a cellphone. She looked to see a holographic black HUD with white details. SOFFFIAA had sent a new message, and Zatanna clicked the notification to navigate.

SOFFFIAA: Hello, Zatanna! Welcome to the Dream World on Paper, where the deceased, comatose and lucid dreamers of Thalassic Space are free to adventure, play and participate in romantic scenarios otherwise impossible to them in real life.

SOFFFIAA: You are currently in a recreation of Great Inagua from "Assassin' Creed IV: Black Flag" called White-Sun Harbour. It is one third of the Realm of Tree Peoples, but I think you already know that! If you would like, you may read as much lore about Thalassic Space from the TSRPG app while dreaming, thanks to your new connection to Santa's Snowglobe Room, where all of the galaxy's information is archived.

SOFFFIAA: I noticed you were looking the tavern (Please note that alcohol consumption is not required to attend the fun!), and spotted Faith Lawson, the Great Little Starwriter. I am glad that she is your friend and future pupil, as she is my lady-in-waiting with the honourable title of Court Jester. While I expect you to approach her, you may also to visit Captain Arles, who I believe is in the mansion, looking over her collection of maps, or to explore other areas of the Realm, which have access points to other regions of the Dream World on Paper. Take care, Zatanna!

"Thank you." Zatanna said, relaxing her hand, noting that she only needed to start curling her fingers to dismiss the hologram. Zatanna exhaled, raised her cheeks to smile, and walked to the tavern. Some of the revellers glanced at her. "Faith!" She called. Faith paused her dancing and vocals, and turned her body left to see Zatanna.

"Zatanna! Hi, welcome!"

"Would you like to do some training with me, while we're in an optimal place for practice?"

"Sure! Let's go to the grassy area just in front of the jungle, for now."

"Sure!" The magician and dreamer began to walk. The window of the guest bedroom was silently opened. Ra's al Ghul entered. His eyes thirsted for Faith, although she wore pants, the blanket didn't cover her left ass cheek.

Ra's pulled down Faith's pyjama pants to reveal her ass, and Faith felt this in the dream. "Oh. Let's do this tomorrow, Zatanna. I think I have a villain to fuck. Consensually. Trust me, or call Oliver." Then Faith was gone.

"Faith? Faith! Ohhhh no." Zatanna forced herself awake, and called Oliver.

Ra's paused while Faith stirred. As she began to look over her left shoulder, Ra's used his hands to cover her nose and mouth. Oliver heard his phone ring, pried opened an eye, and saw the caller ID. He struck out his right arm to grab and answer the phone as he instantly sat up and hurried to the hallway. "Wait, wait!" Faith cried, under Ra's' hand. She leaned on her right ribs, arms reaching in the air for Ra's.

"No. No, we're done, Faith."

Oliver popped open the door and rushed in. Ra's turned and rose from the bed. Faith let out a loud grunt as she lunged forward, grabbd Ra's' waist, and burrowed with her face to lick under the hem of his shirt. Ra's paused. Oliver socked him in the face. "Guh! Could you wait a moment, Mr. Queen?"

"Sure! Just don't make any sudden movements."

Ra's tilted his head down to look at Faith, stroking her hair with his left hand. "Now, was that so hard, Faith?"

"I'm sorry." Faith said, nuzzling into his hand and Ra's playing with her hair and face in response. "I didn't expect my command to actually work, or the ritual, and then for you to find me, a-and I panicked when you forced yourself on me when you came to my apartment. Can we just... go somewhere else to do this? And then you can leave me alone, and be finished, like we all want?"

"Do I get to keep your child?" Ra's gripped Faith's chin and looked in her eyes.

"You want me to die from a high-risk pregnancy?"

"Your life has no value to me, Faith."

"But you keep pursuing me, and I keep letting you get this close to me. Either I die trying to give you a human baby,"

"What about a dragon baby?"

"There's no magic O-type star here. It wouldn't survive."

"I'm sure we could figure something out."

"No, Ra's. That's an absolute. The O-star is why there are dragons in Thalassic Space."

"Did you just make that up?"

"No, it's real." Faith said. Ra's sighed tiredly and dropped his hand.

"I don't want you."

"Ra's, record it. Dangle my lust for you, a villain, above the heads of people who will hate me and depend on me, in the future."

"You want me to blackmail you?" Ra's sounded intrigued.

"Does that sound fair, since you're going to threaten my life just by fucking me?"

Ra's turned his lips upwards. "Yes, that will suffice."

"Thank you. Now, can we please go somewhere else?"

"Hmph. Yes. I know where to take you." Ra's looked at Oliver. "I'll have her back in the morning, eight o'clock."

"Sounds good." 'I know he won't bring her back, but complacency is required. Hopefully, Faith can hold on until we get her out.' Oliver then said to Faith, "Stay safe." Faith nodded. Oliver left the room, closing the door.

"Grab my shoulders. I'll carry you there."

The alley that Ra's descended into was uncondtionally narrow. Ra's made two steps to a dark grey door with a spyhole. He knocked five times, paused, then three times. Three seconds passed. The door opened, the only part of its operator visible dark hair, tan skin, Asian eyes and a black blouse.

Ra's stepped inside, and as the door master shut the door, Ra's knelt to let Faith down. He held her right wrist tightly and bent with his chest, and made eye contact. He said, "Keep your eyes to the floor and don't say anything, unless you want trouble." Faith nodded.

'Yeah, he's just gonna sell me, isn't he?' Faith thought. They slowed as they came to a door, to the left of the large main room, and one of the men outside the door knocked and spoke Japanese to the person inside. The person, a man, replied, then the door was opened, and Ra's walked Faith inside, the door closing behind them. Whlie Ra's talked with the man, in Japanese, Faith kept her eyes lowered.

"You have not made an appointment, al Ghul. Who is this?" Said the man. "She has nice boobs and beautiful hair, and she is short, but she has too much meat on her legs and stomach. Not many of my customers will like her."

"This is Faith. She's twenty-four years old, and a virgin. She's a metahuman who can become a dragon. She denied me what was promised to me, and I no longer want her. I want 100 thousand dollars for her."

"If she's a dragon, then she's a risk to this establishment. I refuse."

"She is mortal. You shoot her with a gun, she dies. You cut her with a knife, she dies. 100 thousand dollars."

The man rose from his chair, walked around, and gripped Faith's chin, rudely forcing her to look at him. Faith estimated the man to be in his late fifties with a average height, but large hands and firm chest and arm muscles. His black hair was cut short, his dark eyes and nose unremarkable, and his round face had a good jawline. He wore a white-silver dress jacket, a white carnation corsage, a tan shirt with a komodo dragon scale pattern and black hem-work, black trousers, and black dress shoes.

"Smile." Said the man, in English. "With your teeth." Faith did as asked. He forced her face to whip down and leftwards as he stepped in front of Ra's and spoke angrily in Japanese to Ra's. "Her teeth are rotten!"

"They aren't that bad." Ra's responded cooly.

The man said to Faith, "Why are you teeth so ugly, girl? Huh? Are you too lazy to brush your teeth? Do you have no job, so you can't go to a dentist?"

"I usually don't have energy to brush my teeth."

"Argh!" The man scrambled his hands near his chest.

"And whenever my dentist appointment comes around, I don't have money because I need it for food and other personal things."

"Oh, like what?" The man cross his arms.

"I spend money on birthdays, too."

The man flourished his right arm. "What, do you buy presents for your whole family, all year 'round?"

"No, just my mom and brother. Personal things like household items and hygenic things, plus leisure."

"Well, it's a good thing you're so ugly, so you can spend all of your money on yourself, huh?" The man bent to level his face with Faith's, and spit in her face as he said, "Huh!?"

"Yamagata-san. If you don't want her, I'll find another buyer. She has a pale, round face, beautiful, big green eyes and thick hair. Don't you think Lei-Xiānshēng would like to have her?"

Yamagata's face became deep red. "Ra's al Ghul, I ought to put a bullet in your head for sayin the name of that swine."

"Do you want the girl, or not?"

Yamagata was silent for several seconds. "You want 100 thousand for her?"

"That's right."

Yamagata addressed Faith. "Are you really a dragon metahuman?"

Faith sighed. 'If I lie, it'll be worse.' "Yes."

"I would ask you to show me, but that would give you a chance to escape."

"I... I don't want to. Look, I want to accept responsibility for how I treated Ra's. This is the least I can do."

"Ha. Ha ha!" Yamagata looked at Ra's. "Ha ha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha! This little bitch is crazy!" Yamagato looked back at Faith. "This is the last thing you're going to do, Miss Lawson. You've just given Ra's al Ghul permission to sell you to a Japanese sex club! At least you're not my only white-faced girl, bwa ha ha!"

Ra's said, "Yamagata-san. You want her. She has anxiety, depression, and assumedly PTSD. Like I said, she's a virgin. Surely one of your sons will think Faith is worthy of his attention."

Yamagata was briefly speechless, his eyes thoughtful as they looked at Ra's' face. He smiled. "You have a deal, Ra's."

"Excellent." Ra's said, donning a similar grin.

Faith thought, 'Uh-oh. That's not a good smile. I don't have to go through with this, I can transform or use magic at any time. I am the O-type star of Thalassic Space. But I also want to be done with this. I don't want my virginity and my hormones to get in the way, anymore.'

Yamagata went to the right side of his desk and interacted with the framing of a portrait of a Japanese girl in a bikini seated mermaid-style on a beach. The portrait swung open, and Yamagata fiddled with a safe. He opened it, grabbed cash, put it in a black suitcase stored in the cabinets behind the desk, and gave the suitcase to Ra's. The men had a firm handshake. "A pleasure, al Ghul."

"As always, Yamagata-san." Ra's turned and left the room without another glance or word to Faith.

Yamagata took hold of Faith's arms and turned her to the door. "Let's get you ready, little dragon." He forced her to walk out of the office, and Faith seized the opportunity to look at the main room. It was a club with dark purple and pink lighting, and ample seating space made of black polyester and black leather with glass coffee tables and side tables with black frames. In the middle of the area was an area for dancing, beyond it a bar, against the left wall, to the right of the bar black table sets with matching chairs. To the right of the back seating space, the ceiling extended higher, and there were dancing poles with seating and tables, and black stairs to an upper area.

'It's empty!' Faith's mind remarked. 'I'm guessing they're closed, even though it's Monday, because Yamagata's sons aren't home.'

"Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Faith." Yamagata said.

"Sorry." Faith replied, moving her eyes to the floor.

"No, you're not."

"I'm Canadian."

"And too willing to share personal details. You'll be lucky if you live to see the morning." Yamagata said. They went left, past the furniture, into a door on the same wall as the office, and the six woman inside all turned their attention to Yamagata. The walls were white and the floors black oak hardwood.

Closest and left of the door was a kitchen with a stainless steel kitchen sink, stove-oven and microwave, and a small white marble counter space with a white cabinet and cupboard. A black table set with four matching chairs was nearby, then two black polyester sofas, an armchair and a loveseat. A 62" TV screen positioned to the left wall where the living area furniture was placed played a Japanese daytime talk show. The TV stand containing a DVD player, gaming consoles, and its vertical shelves held a collection of discs and game controllers. Two Japanese women occupied the couch, and a young woman, sat on the armchair.

'She's white passing, like one of my Homestuck friends. Nice.' Faith thought.

Against the wall after the living area furniture were two vanity desks, the rightmost occupied by a young Black Japanese woman. A pair of white dressers, a walk-in closet, and two black bookshelves with novels, manga, comics, magazines and framed photos were on the wall to the right of the door. Against the wall behind the living area were two queen sized mattresses with black and white bedding, and two Japanese girls, visually the youngest, laid on the rightmost bed. Both had long, black hair and dark eyes. The one closest to the foot of the bed wore red lingerie, and the other wore hot pink. The outer sides of each bed had a black nightstand with a black lamp.

Faith batted her eyes upon observing the room, and how the girls were relaxed. 'Wow. I'm actually impressed!'

Yamagata said, "Clean her up. Have her pick a name in Japanese. Ask what her favourite colour is. I want her to look extra skimpy for Henjin."

'Henjin? Never heard of that name before.' In Faith's mind, stories and characters enlightened her of the truth. 'Oh. It's a nickname. For one of his sons. For the sexual, social outcast of his sons, who likes ugly virgins he can manipulate easily, because no one else wants them. For me, it's not that I'm visually ugly. I've had boyfriends, although three out of four were online. My heart is ugly. And so is Henjin's, by the sound of it.'

"Yes, Yamagata-san." The women answered as Faith let out a shallow breath, and Yamagata looked at Faith.

Faith whispered, "Oh, I'm fucked."

Yamagata saw her expression and smirked. "You had better wisen up, Faith. Henjin doesn't like ugly girls who don't know their place." He chuckled and exited the room, shutting the door.

One of the women seated on the couch got to her feet, and came to Faith. "Do you speak Japanese?" The woman had shoulder-length hair and wispy bangs, and dark eyes. She wore a dark orange shirt, jeans and black converse.

Faith recognised the sentence from watching anime and Youtube, but shook her head. "I can if I cheat."

"Cheat?" Lightly accented.

"I'm a metahuman. I can become a dragon."

"And Yamagata-san agreed to hire you?"

"Ra's al Ghul brought me here." All movement paused. The TV and a the TikToks of the girls on the bed were all that could be heard. "Long story short, we had a shared wet dream. I'm from Earth-33."

"I-I was scared, I didn't think my command in the dream for Ra's to learn how to reach me using a liminal space from my jumpscare girl Persona would work! I-I just thought it was a very lucid dream, like the sex we had!" Faith said.

The woman in the orange shirt hummed.

The young woman on the armchair had strawberry blonde hair to her waist, heavy sectioned bangs, and rich brown eyes. She wore a white, strapless dress with a tinge of pink, pale pink chiffon and soft yellow stars decorating the front. She asked, in English, "Did he take your virginity?"

"While that wasn't the first time I've had sex in a dream, yes, I'm a virgin." Faith said. "After he grabbed one of my magic items from my dragon tomb, he found the door to my apartment in that liminal place and forced himself upon me while I was still asleep."

The woman, and the other on the couch, with a bleached silver pixie cut, and light brown eyes, clicked their tongues. "Oh, that's scary!"

"That's also why I rejected Ra's. I panicked and ordered the liminal space to hold him while I packed a bag. I thought he would just bring me home. He brought me to━" 'Nope, can't say Wayne Manor.' Faith had paused, and swayed, feigning that she was tired, but she actually was, since it was nighttime and she was supposed to be asleep, so it became a genuine motion. The woman in front of her steadied Faith with her arms, and brought her to sit on the vacant bed, together. "The Batcave, and he threatened to kill me in front of Batman." 'That's essentially true.' Faith thought.

"Ra's cut himself with the item he stole, thinking it would give me control of the liminal space, and creatures from the space took him into a room to rough him up. I ordered the creatures to go home, and I sent Ra's into a door to his home. Batman and I knew he wouldn't stop pursuing me. So, I started training with him and the Batkids."

The women on the couch and armchair and the woman at the vanity desk gasped. "Cool!" Said the woman on the couch. Faith giggled.

"Hey, I know what you said!" Faith said. The seated girls giggled, and so did the ones on the bed. "This morning, I opened a portal to the outside of my dragon tomb to claim my powers and items to me,"

"Wait, really?" Muttered the girl in black lingerie on the bed, turning her head to look at Faith. She had long black hair with curtained bangs, and dark blue eyes.

"I think she's serious about her being a dragon!" Said the girl in red lingerie. She had long black hair, choppy bangs, and mid-brown eyes.

"And I went inside with the Batkids, Batman, Wonder Woman and Zatanna, who had come along on behalf of the League and because Zatanna was going to help me with my magic."

"Waaa!" Said the girl in red lingerie.

"That's so cool!" Said the girl in black lingerie.

"Lucky!" Said the Black Japanese girl. She had chest length locks and dark eyes, and wore a black version of the dress the strawberry blonde wore with bright blue chiffon and vivid green stars.

"But one my friends guarding the final room, who was my lover in a past life, exposed me for liking some of the Batkids, and they freaked out, 'cause I'd become part of their family."

"Did you expect that?" Said the strawberry blonde.

"The reaction to be disgust and shock? Yes. For it to be as drastic as it was, or to be revealed by someone other than me? No."

"Ah."

"I walked back with Wonder Woman and Zatanna in the darkness left by Batman's cape, and that wasn't fun for my anxiety."

"Oop." Said the Black woman.

"The Batkids punished me for my betrayal of trust. One dumped dishwater with bacon grease on me, one gave me a nasty bunny plush, and the one with a sword was going to hurt me before Batman stopped him."

"Damn!"

"I'm sorry they bullied you instead of just talking." Said the woman in the orange shirt. The woman on the couch nodded.

"Batgirl did text me, tonight, apologising. She thinks Nightwing and Red Robin have forgiven me, too."

"But not the rest?"

"No. I wouldn't expect them to."

"Soooo, Wonder Woman and Zatanna brought you here?" Said the Black woman.

"They asked me if I wanted to go to a homeless shelter or help, and I chose help. So, yes they brought me here, to Green Arrow. After he was caught up, he accepted me, and my apology, and why I wouldn't have acted on those desires, and especially don't want to, now."

"They scared you pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, it wasn't fun."

"Well, at least a few of 'em had it in their hearts to forgive you."

"Oh yeah, big time. Everything was fine, until tonight. I had just met Zatanna in the dream world to do some training when I felt Ra's start to take off my pants." The women all grumbled and tsked.

"Oh, we're sorry." Said the woman in the orange shirt.

"He didn't manage anything, though. We struggled for a few seconds before Green Arrow came in the room, just as I hugged Ra's, and that made him pause. I told him "sorry", and the truth about why I didn't submit to him, and I asked him to take me somewhere to fulfill my promise. Green Arrow allowed it because Ra's said he'd bring me back in the morning. I figured he was lying, and I know Green Arrow knew it, for sure."

"Sounds like you've had a rough past few days." Said the woman in the orange shirt. Faith nodded. "What's your name?"

"Faith." The girl in red lingerie began to quietly practice the name.

"Faith. You know what that is in Japanese, don't you?"

Faith nodded, a little smile on her face. "信仰 (Shinko)."

"Yes, Shinko. My name is Jennifer, in English. It's directly from my Japanese name, 純粋な (Junsuina). You can call me Jennie." Faith nodded. "We've got Sekine, on the couch," Sekine waved, and Faith returned the gesture. "That's Kiki,"

"Hi-i!" Said Kiki.

"Hi!" Faith replied. "White passing, right?"

"Yes, I'm white passing."

"Cool! I like your dress!"

Kiki tilted her her head, batting her lashes. "Thank you! I made it myself!"

"That's Hamako, at the vanity,"

"Hi, girl! You can call me Leia, when we're not out in the club, 'kay!"

"Yes, OK!" 'I'll call her that in my head, too.'

"I made the designs Kiki and I are wearing."

"Oh, nice! Both versions are good!"

"Aw, thank you!"

"Thank you!" Said Kiki.

Jennie said, "And on the bed, in red, is Mai."

"Hello, Faith-chan!"

"And Fuga is wearing black."

"Welcome to One Night Fever!" Said Fuga. "一夜の熱 (Ichiya no Netsu)!"

"Ooh, that's a good name for a nightclub." Faith said.

"Noooo!"

"Noooooo!" Mai added.

"It's such a bad name!"

"It's so cringe! It was named by a nineteen year old boomer named━"

"Yamagata Jin!" Mai and Fuga laughed heartily. The others girls and Faith laughed along.

Jennie said, "You probably already know this, but sex work is dangerous."

Faith nodded more. "Yes, I know from listening to active and retired sex workers, online."

"It's especially dangerous in spaces owned by men like our boss, Yamagata-san. You're in the sex working circle, now. And Henjin, the nickname of Yamagata-san's youngest boy, who Yamagata-san wants to meet you, will bring you further into the pit, if he likes you. If Henjin doesn't, you'll get a harsh slap on the face, and his penis up your ass while you suck on the dick of one of his buddies, and the other one rapes your pussy."

Faith cringed her face. "That's not nice."

"No, it's not."

"Sorry," Said Sekine. "But since the Justice League are going to come for you━actually, it's a wonder why they aren't here, already,"

"It might just be the Arrows."

"Oh! Well, what's taking them so long?"

"They might be dealing with the League of Assassins. And no, Ra's no longer has access to the liminal space, the Batkids made sure I fixed that."

"Oh, OK. So then, if this place is going to get busted, where are we going to go?"

"Right, 'cause you're all legitimate sex workers."

"Mhm!" "Yep." The women all said, humming as well.

"I could use my Role as a Cultist of Asherah to help you get new, safe jobs." Mai and Fuga gasped. Faith looked at them, and at the other women, who looked a little hopeful. "Well, "safe" in quotation marks, for the usual reasons, unless you want to leave this galaxy."

"Mm, yeah, no thanks, I think we'll stay here."

"Yeah." Said Sekine. The women all laughed.

"Cult of Asherah?" Said Kiki.

"Yeah, what's that?" Asked Leia.

"There used to be prostitutes outside the Temples of Yahweh, in the very early days of worshipping Yahweh. The Yahwehists didn't like it, and demolished it. We only know they danced around gold painted trees or wooden poles. I've revived it to have importance in my stories in that it educates children and protects sex workers, and women, youth and queer people at risk."

"Oh, that's cool." Said Sekine.

"That's actually really cool. Like, a good idea to work with." Said Leia. "I bet your stories are good."

"Thank you! Been working on Thalassic Space for four years, now."

"Nice!"

"Um, but if the Arrows don't help you, I will. Hell, if I could go around the world, saving people with all of my demigoddess powers, without fear of people calling me Mary Sue or me punishing myself for being too strong by putting myself into horror media that I like, for a night of terror, I'd do it!"

Sekine said, "So you aren't doing it out of fear and to be humble."

"The first of those things, yes, but I wouldn't say it's to be humble. I would call it being fair, and not cheating. Yes, there's some stupidly powerful people, already, but I, I just don't feel like it would be fun to use all of my power. I will, if absolutely necessary, and I have a plan, or just a little bit of an idea, since me improvising with no feedback is how things get messy." Faith said. The women all responded with hums of processing and head bobs.

Faith glanced at the door, then beckoned for Jennie to come closer. Kiki and Sekine perked their ears, Leia tilted her head to listen, and Mai and Fuga turned their heads, too. Faith whispered, "But if you give me a present, declaring it to be for the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon, I can grant you a morally good wish to help you, someone else, or nature, without being a Mary Sue because my Dragon Persona is a wish-granting dragon. Rocks, flowers, gemstones, seeds and saplings, and art of any kind, be it visual, digital or performance."

"Ohhhh." Jennie softly said. Mai and Fuga whispered among themselves.

"My right eye, a magic O-type star, creates, and is a source of magic, and is why the wish-making is possible. I've got two other Personas, but the relevant one is the dragon."

"Wow!"

"Well, you've got our attention, Faith." Said Leia.

"We'll, uh, get back to you on that, tomorrow night." Said Sekine. Faith lifted her cheeks, and nodded. "I'll translate for Mai and Fuga so they get the full picture." Sekine rose from the couch and sat on the bed Mai and Fuga occupied.

"Thanks!" Faith replied, then withdrew her body from Jennie, who draped her right arm behind Faith's back, holding her left arm. At a normal volume, "Now, can we play dress-up for big girls?"

"Oh yes," Jennie said, Sekine, Leia and Kiki laughing with her. "Yes, now we can play dress-up." While walking Faith to the dressers, she said, "What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue! Dark blues, like midnight or navy. Bright blue is nice, too."

"Oh, yes," Jennie said, opening one of the drawers as Faith removed her pyjama pants. "We have both. Your feet look so painful." Jennie said, handing Faith some items.

"Only if I walk or stand for too long. This one," Faith shook her right foot, then removed her pants. "Is really sensitive to being banged against things, though."

"Ooh, I bet. But you can fight?"

"I'm decent, for two days of training, as a person with disability. I should be able to hold my own until I need to use magic, or the Arrows come, and we all go out together."

Jennie nodded firmly. "We'll give you sexy boots. You know that Kiki can sew. She has fabrics of all kinds, so she can make it fit."

"Hell yeah!" Kiki said.

Faith said, "Awesome."

"And, we'll teach you how to act in front of Henjin and the customers for tomorrow night, when the boss' sons are supposed to come home from Japan for a big party, OK?"

Faith nodded. "Well, let's see what fits!"

"Fingers crossed!"

Click emoji to navigate to the next chapter. (To be posted! If you'd like to be tagged in the next chapter, let me know.)

[impishcyber]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞... 𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞?

Jigen Daisuke x Fem! Reader

Cw: mayhaps a bit of an ooc Jigen| age gap (reader is around 25 while jigen is supposedly late 30s)| humping| reader being way too much of a brat| brat tamer jigen| semi exhibition?| Fingering (receiving)| VnP penetration| degradation| bondage with unconventional items| and as always Unedited

A/N: this man is the bane of my existence since the ripe age of 9. I watched this show on a children's tv channel. I know nobody will care ab this, but doing this to heal my horny soul. This has been written truly for my guilty pleasure of old men. Can this be considered as a fic? Idfk i never figured out how this works

Additional: Credits to @Dali91 on character ai, after fucking around in there i was able to come up with this lmfao, for anyone who wants to use it heres the link:

https://beta.character.ai/chat?char=h0rLehid-dfaBpz8Xx6Aa8G1bv1MydYKtGIxdRQ5ZdU

You were an intel of sorts.. you gather information and sell it to the others for a large amount of money. Somehow, you managed to tangle yourself with Lupin and his one of the many of his shenanigans

So now you find yourself in an office room with large windows that have the full beautiful view of the city, with the most annoying gunman known in earth.

Jigen was on the other side of the room, feet on the very same table and just keept smoking while keeping a lookout with his sniper resting low on the window

When lupin grouped you together he keept grumbling about having to work with you, and now he still doesnt seem to like you..

"So whats your deal huh? What did i do to you??" You ask as you try to make him look at you in the eye, his feroda making it impossible to even make out his features

"What do you mean.." he grumbled as now he crossed his arms like a fussy child, still avoiding eye contact.

"You quite literally said 'Women are all the same, theyre all trouble', what did you excatly mean by that huh?" You march towards the chair he was sitting on with hands on your hips

"All the women ive met are full of trouble.." he grumbles as he turns his body to the other side completely avoiding you

You huff and sit on the table, while you rest tour hands on the table you lower to almost his head level "And what are you then, a misogynist?" you giggle out as you see quite literally his body go rigid

"What? No! Its just my personal policy.." he yelps out as he tries to get out of the situation he roped himself in and failing

You make an unamused smile as you raise your eyebrow and cross your arms "So you are a misogynist.."

"No, and stop putting words in my mouth!" He yells out as he grumbles about how annoying you are and starts looking through the scope of the sniper

There is a beat of a silence before you get an idea how to annoy the old man even more. You jump off of the table and start looking out of the window with a neutral face, then the expression truns into a concentrated one as you then gasp in faux shock

"Hey are you seeing this? What is that?" You tap on the glass of the wide window as you catch Jigen's attention "Wha- where, what do you mean.." he picks up the rifle and turns to look at where youre pointing

"Riiiiight.... There!" You snatch his hat as you take a few steps backwards giving him time to react to what just happened

"Hey wha- What the hell are you doing!?" He raises up from the spot he took hours ago as he pulls out his hand towars you "Give that back!"

"Ah so thats what you look like! Not bad old man youre quite handsome~" you wink as you take a few more steps back and make a run for it throughout the door of the meeting office you both occupied

"Get back here! This isnt funny we have a job to do!" You hear him yell on the ither end of the corridor as you run through it, opening a random office door and then as soon as you try to close it, Jigen blocks it

"Alright you brat.. no more games. we've got a job to do.. give. me. that. hat..." he heaves as he blocks out your only escape, as he slowly walks into the room

"Well you know what they say old man.. you gotta catch me first!" You laugh out as you circle a big mahogany office table, trying to avoid him. You dart from left to right, not allowing Jigen to grab onto anything of you

You book it to the left as he starts circling the table on your right but you fail to realize how close he was, because he then grabs onto the belt loops of your jeans trying to pull you towards him and you both fall on the ground

You try to push him away with you left hand, blocking his face while your right one has the hat away from him, your knees on his stomach trying to give you some sort of a space away from him but it only allowed him to part your legs to get closer to your upper body, sitting on his knees while now your thighs are over his

He then catches both of your wrists with his right arm while his left one on the side of your head for support. You grunt out in frustration as now you plant both of your feet on the ground, pushing forward with your hip to try and trample him off of you

"Get off of me!" You push forward but to no avail, though the friction of your jeans and his hips humping into you causes your breath to waver and your heartbeat to speed up. Jigen snatches his feroda away from you and puts it on his head before grinning down on you as he sat on his knees "Not fair dude!"

You try and push forward, but with the compromising position and proximity, it only causes your core to rub against your jeans and his slacks and forming hard-on.

"Youre a brat you know that?" Jigen pants out as he leans down towards now even more friction between you, causing your cheeks to start warming up "The fuck is wrong with you we're supposed to do a job.."

It finally dawns upon you the situation you both are in, but you cant help being extremely turned on by this. The way both of your hips grind on eachother deliciously causes you to whine lowly. You look down where your hips colide to see the growing tent jigen has. You look up at him and clear your throat, you smirk a mischievous smile before you speak

"Well you're not that great either.."

You nod to where the problem is and he looks down to see his cock rock hard from the friction. He look up at you dangerously and be groans out before releasing your wrists and pulls you down even harder to where his hips are. That makes you gasp in arousal and shock as your eyes become as wide as saucer plates. The dudden friction causes to pull out an even louder whine, the heat now even hotter on your face.

"Is this what you really wanted you little fucking brat?" He grits between his teeth, a blush forming on his cheeks. You mewl in response as now the intention was purposeful, you rutt onto his hips, an airy giggle leaving your lips "Is that all you've got old man?"

Jigen becomes completely flustered by your actions, the man cant control his emotions anymore, arousal and fustration getting the best of him now as he leans close to your ear the low tone viberates your whole head as he speaks "You sure you want this? Once we start there's nothig thats going to stop me from teaching you a lesson that you'll never forget.. bratty little slut."

The grinding becomes unbearable as you throw your head back a fustrated moan leaving your lips "Please- please stop fucking teasing me- please fuuuuck-" your clit catches on the lining of the jeans that are mostlikely soaked by slick.

Jigen couldnt believe what was happening. You made him lose his composure and dignity, humping on you like a horny dog. His eyes darkened with lust as he humps on you even harder than before, your moans growing lowder echoing in the empty office as your eyes roll to the back of your head from the intense pleasure.

He couldn't handle it anymore, with a low groan he pushed you off on the floor, catching you by surprise. He angrily removes his belt as he then grabs you by your bicep pulling you up before pushing you towards the office table, your cheek mushing onto the surface as Jigen grabs both of your wrists from behind and ties them up with the belt. He leans down, taking your scent in, his hot breath fans out on your ear,

"You little fucking tease.." you shrudder at the words, you cant help but arch your back your ass sticking out even more, begging for some sort of an attention from him, not having enough of what happened before. You turn to face Jigen, a fake pout forming on your lips as your eyes cloud with lust "Come on~ i know you can do more than this"

Jigen then grips the back of your neck and pushed you down even more on the table, he comes behind you, grinding on your core

"You really, really know how to push someone's buttons.." you only smirk as you hump on his hard covered cock, driving the idea fully to the point

Jigen then releases his grip from your neck and wrists and backs away a little, he then undoes the belt around your wrists to tie it around your neck and then undoes his tie to bind your wrists. He leaves out a satisfied grunt only to undo your pants to pull them down, then a sharp smack on your behind directly on your covered pussy

You yelp out, Jigen then grabs the makeshift collar and pulls it, making you choke on it a little. He then falls on his knees and grips your hips, pulling them forward towards his face. He takes a strong inhale, taking in the scent of your arousal and covered pussy, that makes your whole spine shake with a new found feeling.

He gets up, chucking at your shocked face as you look at him from the side, then the shock completely wipes out to pain mixed with arousal as he gives your pussy another smack.

"Say one more thing and i will make you regret it" He then pulls your panties down revealing your soaked cunt and lowly whistling, he then rubs a finger to your cunt, the slick glimmering in the night. Jigen then brings it to his mouth, tasting your excitement and humming lowly with content.

"With how bitter you act, you sure do taste as sweet as honey"

"Then why dont you come and get a better taste?"

You wiggle out your ass, looking at Jigen in the eye before gasping as now another even harsher smack comes down directly on your naked pussy

"What did i say huh?" He pulls on the belt wrapped around your neck, pulling you off of the table making you choke as the belt digs into your neck deliciously

"Do i have to teach you how to behave you little brat?" He then lets go of the belt enough to make you fall on the table again, but doesnt let go fully of the belt his hand resting beside your head

"Maybe i should give you a lesson you will never forget.." he then smacks you another time on the pussy before plunging his middle finger and pointer inside your cunt, exploring the place

The movements leave you gasping for air. His long figers hitting the same spot over and over again. Fillthy sounds of your moaning and slick sounds of your cunt echo through the room as then Jigen pulls the leash again, lifting your face to be on his eye level.

He then circles your clit with his thumb, a smirk forming on his lips as your eyes roll back and your tongue rolls out like a panting dog, from extreme pleasure or suffocation neither of you know.

He then all together lets go of the leash and pulls his fingers out of you, putting both of them in his mouth, a guttural moan leaving his chest as he tastes you.

"Cant fucking get enough of this sweet pussy, though i have no patience to fully devour you tonight, we have a job to do afterall" with that he pulls his dress pants and boxers down, rubbing his tip on your pussy intentionally catching it on your clit making you shrudder.

He then lines his cock to your entrance and slowly sliding in only to slam his hips onto yours making you scream. He grabs on the leash pulling you close to his chest as his other hand circles around your stomach

"Don't you dare to fucking think for a second that im going to be nice about this. With all the stunt you fucking pulled you'll be glad that ill let you finish" his words drill into your head and it only makes you throb a louder moan escaping you as you turn your head to the side to look up at him

"Do your fucking worst, im into it" that makes him snap as he pins you on the table his hips snapping on to your even faster than before, all you can do is scream in full ecstasy from the intense pleasure.

You feel his pace waver, hes coming close but youre even closer as your leg starts to twitch and tears run down your face. Jigen then leans forward a hand goes down between your thighs and he starts to circle your clit, making you throw you head back and moan out his name

"That's it you fucking brat, this is what you wanted isnt it? To fuck you thoroughly so that the only thing you can think of is how my cock drills into your tight pussy? Come on now, cum on my cock you little slut"

And you do, a silent moan as then a groan pulls out of you, making you arch your back and your vision turns white. Jigen isnt far behind, he pulls out and cums all over your back and ass, as he heaves out in exhaustion

As you two catch your breaths Jigen pulls his pants on and removes both his belt and tie, putting them back on where they belonged, he then grabs tissue papers that were on the desk of the office and wipes all his cum off of you and helps you stand up.

He then pulls your panties and jeans up, making you look as presentable as you can be. He stops to look at your neck, a bruise forming because of the belt, he can only chuckle and leans down to kiss it better making butterflies swarm on your belly from the gentle act

"Hello? Hellooooo? Jigen buddy are you there??" Lupins voice suddenly breaks comfortable the silence through the walkie-talkie that Jigen had strappen on his pants, making you realize the situation that you two are in right now.

He scrambles to get the device, almost falling off of his hands multiple times before responding "Lupin! Whats the matter? Did you find what we were looking for" his out of breath response makes you giggle as Jigen gives you a teasing but warning look

"I sure did old friend! Though you've gotta tell me, what were those sounds coming off of your end? If it is what i think it is-" jigen doesnt let him finish as his face turns beet red

"Shut up! Were both coming downstairs now!"

Jigen then turns off the walkie-talkie as he looks at you and starts laughing out loud, making you break into a fit of airy giggles too

"Come on now brat, if hes done with the job that means cops are on their way... Can you walk or do i have to carry ya?" He smirks down at you, his handsome stare makes you fluster as you push him away and look the other way

"Shut the fuck up. Lets get this over with." "Whatever you say, brat."

Oh did you two have alot to answer for.