#kuras fics

[trappolia]

── AND IF HEAVEN WERE TO TOUCH ME, IT WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH

kuras. the fallen angel sits with you in confessional as you ruminate on all you never dare to grasp for yourself.

Your knees ached, pressed taut and numb against the cold steps of which you’d been genuflecting upon for the past hour. Or had it been more than that? To be aware of the passage of time was to not fully immerse yourself in prayer with the gods, but the hymns did not come to you so easily anymore. Perhaps they never did. Grief weighed your lungs down like smoke, even in this holy house.

He stirred beside you. Kuras. Golden-eyed and beautiful in the way that made you want to kneel and repent for the sole action of loving him.

“I must confess,” you said, voice hoarse.

“Tell me,” he spoke, softly, the most divine thing you’d ever known. To speak to him felt strangely akin to repentance, but something horrid churned in your gut, and you shook your head.

“What of my anonymity?” you asked, half-joking. It sounded bitter upon your tongue.

Kuras’ eyes lowered briefly, hiding behind the shield of slender black lashes. The silence wrapped around your silhouettes like an invisible fog, thick and smothering, broken only by the distant chime of a distant bell. Then, Kuras’ voice emerged, gentle against the dark shroud of melancholy settled all around the room, illuminated only by the hazy glow of the candlelight.

"You know that what is said in this chamber will never pass my lips," he told you, words like a whisper that floated in the holy space between your vessels as a promise, a covenant. “The gods do not see us here.”

The words that come out of your lips were hoarse, caught in your devotion and hypocrisy. “Does it matter?”

To that, Kuras said nothing. His golden eyes flit to the candles, thousands lit over what could very well be a millennia and moulded into a single wax entity sprawled over the stone altar. Perhaps he thought of you two of you, melded and fused together to be one body, one soul. The very thought was blasphemous. It should not have made your heart sing.

He had fallen for you, you knew this very well. There was little you did know of his time in that kingdom that so many of your priests and priestesses have only dreamed of, but you were sure of this: you were the very reason he had decided to fly too close to the sun, why he bled molten gold and why he was doomed.

You were too, no matter how much you may have tried to deny it. It was only a matter of time before your own fall was recognised, and then comes your fall from grace.

The gods did not see you here, but what was once devout and holy in you and Kuras were aware of what you had done.

That is damning enough.

© trappolia 2024

[eggroll-sama]

Who’s My Roommate?

The Touchstarved cast are at a hotel and can’t decide who will be their roommates. Some are against certain pairings. You don’t really care, but they seem they’ve got a few colorful opinions || Touchstarved LI x reader. All of them have a crush on you, but you’re oblivious. I had this in my drafts for a while but I finally got the motivation to finish it. Just light-hearted shenanigans. Sorry if there are any typos!

__________________________________________

“I don’t want Leander,” said Vere, his arms crossed and glaring at the man across from him.

They didn’t think deciding on rooming buddies would be so hard. There were exactly three rooms, side by side, and anyone who knew basic math understood there would be two people per room. The problem was, who and who?

Vere and Ais were the first pairing that came to mind. But then Mhin complained that they didn’t want to hear them having sex at two in the morning. You and Kuras could sympathize so argued that, no, Vere and Ais cannot be together in the same room. Vere was angry, Ais was indifferent. He preferred Vere’s company over others, but as long as he didn’t get Mhin he was fine. He found the idea of Mhin aiming a knife to his neck fun, but in the end he didn’t want to deal with them pestering him like a fly.

And then there was Leander. If they went off the reason of not wanting to hear someone having sex, then Leander was tough. He had had sex with half of the members in the group: Ais, Mhin, and (maybe) Vere. You still didn’t really know if they did it or not.

“I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the same room as Leander,” you said. Everyone stiffened except for the man in question, who had a cocky smile on his face. Secretly, everyone wanted to room with you, but they didn’t want to admit it.

Kuras stepped in before Leander could make a comment, and steered the conversation to possibly drawing sticks so it would be fair for everyone and well, not everyone was happy with their partners. Vere got Leander, Mhin got Ais, and you got Kuras. You weren’t against Kuras being your roommate; he was a gentleman and minded his own business. He didn’t seem like he was against rooming with you either. The others were not so happy with their results.

“I’m not rooming with a monster,” Mhin spat, venom lacing their words, glaring holes in the back of Ais’ head.

Ais ignored them, while Vere rolled his eyes.

“Oh yeah, well nobody wants to deal with an annoying midget like you. I think you forgot to pack your booster seat.”

Vere snickered as Mhin’s face turned red from anger.

“Hey hey now hold on, MC said that they were fine with rooming with me, so why not just leave the two of us out of it?” Leander said, arms snaking around your shoulder.

“No, you soft penis numbskull. You’re not rooming with MC.” Mhin stepped in. When the others looked at Mhin curiously, they coughed nervously and looked away.

You tried to lighten the mood with a joke, “Ais and Leander are best friends. We should room them together.”

The corner of Leander’s smile frayed at your joke. Ais narrowed his eyes at you. At least Vere was laughing, probably at you for your failed attempt to lighten the mood, but at least he laughed. You drew into yourself. You’ve forgotten the others were getting quite annoyed by the arguing. This was serious business that might mean life or death.

“How about we draw sticks again?” You suggested meekly, trying to move past the awkwardness.

“No, it’s just a waste of time,” intervened Vere, “we all clearly have our preferences, so how about we list anyone we don’t want to room with? I go first. I hate all four of you, fortunately, so I’m going to room with Ais or no one.”

“I don’t have a preference,” said Leander with a blush.

“We know,” Vere rolled his eyes.

“At this point let’s just room the two people that are the doormats of this group, Leander and Vere. It’s the easiest way to deal with them,” said Mhin.

“Or how about we room Leander in one room and Vere in the other one, and then we all share the last one,” you suggest. At this point you were running out of ideas and throwing them out randomly hoping you would hit a jackpot.

“I’m not invited to the foursome? That is unfortunate to hear,” Vere said.

“It’s getting too complicated. Room Vere with MC, Mhin with Leander, and me and Kuras. That should be good,” suggested Ais, getting impatient.

“I’m afraid that would be endangering MC’s safety,” said Kuras coolly, ignoring Vere’s exasperated reaction.

He quickly switched to his flirty demeanor, a coy smile on his lips, “Oh, but I don’t bite. Unless they ask me.” Mhin scoffed in the background. Kuras was expressionless. If he reacted to Vere’s tasteless innuendos, he would give the fox exactly what he wanted. So he stayed quiet and didn’t let his face give anything away.

“I agree with Kuras on this one. A bloody, mangled corpse is the last thing we want to deal with,” said Mhin. Though Mhin said this, you knew that they cared about your safety.

Ais sighed in defeat, pulling out a cigarette and a match, “I’m going out for a smoke.” You couldn’t blame him, they’ve been arguing for the past thirty minutes. Ais walked off to the entrance of the hotel.

Seeing Ais walk off, Vere waved their fingers before sauntering off in the same direction.

“The dog went to take a walk with it’s owner. Good grief,” said Mhin.

“We still need to get this rooming situation settled. I’m sure the others won’t mind if we decided without them,” said Kuras.

He sighed, “From what I’ve observed, the best rooming pairs seems like the fox and Ais, Mhin and MC, and Leander and I. We’ll take the middle room, Mhin and MC take the left, and Vere and Ais the right. That way Mhin wouldn’t be disturbed from any unnecessary sounds at night.”

“I could live with that,” said Mhin.

Leander didn’t seem too pleased with the end-result, but he wasn’t going to complain, “Alright. Guess I get to room with the good doctor tonight. Hey, maybe we can finally get some dinner, you and I.”

“Perhaps,” said Kuras, but from his indifferent expression and hollow tone it sounded more like a no.

“Ah,” was all Leander said. You could see the cogs turning behind his eyes. Then, he pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket, “I brought cards with me. Anyone wanna play Poker in an hour or two, our room?”

You smiled, “I like Poker. Bet I could beat you,” you nudged his shoulder teasingly.

“Sure.” Leander said with a laugh, but the way he said it almost sounded…condescending? You raised your brows, but before you could fully process it, Leander had already started speaking, “Would the doctor like to join as well?”

Must’ve been my imagination.

“I suppose if you are going to play in our room, I could join for a game or two.”

Kuras reply seemed to brighten Leander’s mood from the thinly-veiled rejection for dinner a few seconds ago.

“Great! How about you Mhin!”

“I’m tired.” Mhin grabbed their bags and started heading for the elevator, ignoring Leander’s invitation. You saw Leander’s smile falter.

“I’ll try convincing them,” you whispered to Leander who gave you an appreciative smile.

You had the keys to the room, so after saying goodbye to the other two, quickly followed after your small companion.

“I’m glad I get to room with you, Mhin,” you said while waiting for the elevator with them.

Mhin huffed at your words, turning away, “Right.” In the corner of your eyes you could see their pale skin get pinker just a tad. You smiled to yourself at their reaction. You weren’t really sure what the rest of the day will entail, but at least you were able to get through the hurdle of deciding who will be your roommate.

[lu-dao-writes]

Me remembering that Kuras is literally the first person to see us/the mc naked-.

[softagenda]

pillow talk (multi)

rating: m+

drabble collection: moments with each LI in the sheets, told through intimate and vaguely sinister drabbles

originally posted on ao3

masterlist

Preview

You stared into the smoldering fire by the bed, amidst the sumptuous blankets and furs, from the prison of his arms, suddenly cold.

Leander

“And how does the magic happen,” you teased, now languorous and slightly drunk, your body aching pleasantly and cheek pressed to his bare chest.

“Give and take, beautiful.” His hand stroked along your back, tracing a swirling, winding pattern.The rings on his fingers brushed a cool kiss against your skin. “Sometimes, it’s a small thing: a free drink here, a favor there. For others, well… every debt must be repaid in equal measure.”

A handful of free drinks. A room at the inn. 

Information, knowledge of the city, a personal guide. 

Minutes - an hour now, altogether - holding your hand, resisting an ancient curse, a risk of incalculable value.

You stared into the smoldering fire by the bed, amidst the sumptuous blankets and furs, from the prison of his arms, suddenly cold. 

The tip of a finger dipped in the valley of your spine and drew a line up your back. As though he felt the slight stiffening of your body, his hand settled against the nape of your neck, his palm a hot, firm weight holding you to him. His thumb sat below your jaw, stopping over your pulse.

Leander rested his cheek against your head and pressed a kiss to your hair, the words drifting across your ear like the mist enshrouding the city.  “The only truth of this universe is this: nothing is free.”

_______________________________________

Kuras

Candlelight brought you from the shadows of your doze.

Blurrily, you nuzzled closer to the firm pillow by your face when the familiar scent of  magnolia - sweet, slightly citrus, earthy - filtered through your senses, alerting you like smoke in a barn.

Your eyes opened. 

The pillow was, in fact, a thick, muscled thigh covered in a layer of white cotton trousers. Following the leg upward, you took in the sight of Kuras in the dim,  flickering light of a single candle by the bedside. He held a book in his lap, one hand idly turning a withered page. A thin trail of smoke drifted into the dark beyond his shoulder.

Gold eyes met yours after a moment. Even in the deep night, they glowed brighter than the flame at his hip. 

He smiled indulgently. “Dawn will not break for  a few hours more. Sleep.” 

You stared at that smile, blinking heavily, clinging to wakefulness for just a little longer. A thought nudged at the fuzzy edges of your mind at the smile, the eyes - a thread of disquiet amidst the warm cocoon of blankets and his body.

Kuras lifted one hand and turned to the bedside table. A thin stick passed through the flame, the smoke blooming like petals from the stem, before magnolias perfumed into the air once more. 

As the scent wrapped around you, filled your lungs, soothed the voice at the back of your mind, a large hand cupped your cheek. His thumb caressed the corner of your eye before coaxing the lid shut and lingering there, gently holding.

“Sleep. I am here with you. I will watch over you.”

You slipped back into the night.

________________________________________

Ais

The soft bubbling of water woke you.

Your hand sleepily tugged the kimono over the bared edge of your shoulder. You’re curled into a ball beneath the thin fabric, legs fully tucked under the hem, hands curled against your chest, a tortoise sheltering from the cool, humid air drifting from the water’s edge.

Peering through the folds, you stared at the empty sheets next to your eyes adjusted to the night. Then, turning on your other side, you looked for him.

Glowing red eyes caught yours instantly.

He leaned against the open door. Moonlight painted his chest and shoulders pale silver, glinting sharp on the necklace that hung by his navel, his rings, his horns. A cigarette lingered by his mouth. As he drew another puff, embers burned and flared at the end.

“Want a hit?”

You sighed and rolled over on the bed, cheek pressed to the cold sheets. “No. Could use a drink though.” Your mouth felt dry, your belly hollow.

Ais held your gaze for a moment before releasing the smoke in a soft grin. He flicked the cigarette outside the door and strode over, bare feet silent on the creaking wood of the old pier.

At the edge sat a chalice. With two fingers, he hooked the rim, knelt by the red waters, and dipped it beneath the Seaspring.

The chalice full to the brim, spilling over his fingers, Ais took a seat on the bed and braced his arm over you. Several drops fell to the sheets; they wicked into the fabric, not fading to a blush but thickening like blood.

You glanced up from the stain to his face cast in shadow, the red gleam of his eyes thickening too, swallowing up his pupil..

“Drink up, sparrow.”

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Vere

A claw traced delicately over the crown of your head before sinking into the length of your hair. He stroked as though petting a cat - idly, indulgently, reclined against the mountain of pillows on his bed and curled above you with his chin braced on his palm and bent elbow.

You laid there on the sheets, sweaty and panting, every nerve in your body vibrating, aching with the ghost of pleasure and pain. A sickly feeling sapped the strength from your body. The gold veins across your hands and arms felt hollow as scorched earth.

“Can’t catch a breath?” His voice curled with smug satisfaction, the smirk evident without needing to see for yourself.  “All that muscle and misery, with the stamina of a virgin.”

Craning your head back, you glared at Vere through the messy fringe of hair sticking to your face. His claws pricked the nape of your neck. You arched your back away from the bright points of pain and heat.

“Soon, I’ll have you trained to my tastes,” he mused, his gaze trailing down your bare body. “Enough to sate me, at the very least. It’d be troublesome to have you burn out too fast.” 

Fur brushed against your thighs and stomach. His thick, russet tail flowed over your body in a fiery river, the soft pelt tickling over your skin. Heat radiated from it, the ancient magic humming in his veins, less volatile now that he’d taken the edge off.

After one last teasing prick of claw, Vere reached down and lifted the length of chain pooled on the sheets. He slipped the end around your neck and pulled through. 

Then, with a rumbling sigh, he leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. “Wake me up before noon, and you’re lunch.”

With a flick of his hand, the candles extinguished. 

You stare at the dark ceiling, cold steel brushing your throat with every breath.

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Mhin

A chill settled over your skin, casting your dreams in shades of winter. Goosebumps rolled down your arms in a wave. Subtle, heavy breaths disturbed the peace of the night.

Your eyes shot open.

The window gaped open. An autumn breeze stole inside, undulating against the curtains. Clear moonlight spilled across the floor, illuminating the toe of a boot and a pool of blood. A ghostly figure sat beneath the sil.

Heart pounding, you held still, squinting through your lashes, trying to see the face hiding within shadow.

Thick leather pants and bracers. Flowing white shirt. Midnight blue hood, hooked to the collar with silver rings. The light caught the edges of messy hair beneath the hood, shining in the gloom like frost across a frozen pond.

Your hand released its taught grip on the dagger beneath your pillow.

Wrapping the blankets around your body, you sat up and leaned across the mattress. “.... Mhin?”

White eyes with red pupils appeared within the shadowed face. 

You shuffled to the edge of the bed. Glancing at the blood, you asked, “are you injured?”

After a quiet moment, they slowly shook their head. Mhin folded one leg and braced their arm on their knee. In their hand was a silver dagger, twin to the one you’d hidden beneath your pillow. Fresh blood licked the edge of the blade.

“Are the bodies on the roof or the street?”

Finally, a spark appeared in their eyes. “Strung them up like gargoyles.” 

You huffed a laugh. Fresh corpses lured Soulless like flies to honey. They’d never. “How thoughtful of you to help decorate for Leander’s party tomorrow.”

Mhin shot you a weary look that clearly spelled the fuck do you think, before their head dropped back on the wall with a soft thud. The bruises beneath their eyes were dark as plums. They’d never slept soundly, but since the attacks had started, a few good hours had dwindled into a half hour here and there at best.

You considered chiding them for a moment before sighing and rising from the bed. Scooping the quilt from the bed, you shuffled over and dropped down to the floor next to them.

“What are you doing,” they grumbled, frowning when you leaned into Mhin’s side. 

Heedless of the blood wicking into the sheets, you spread the bedcovers across their lap and yours before gingerly resting your head on their shoulder. 

Mhin sucked in a breath. “You’re not actually going to sleep like this?” When you only closed your eyes, they growled, “Ridiculous.”

Minutes passed. Then, “I’ll shove you off the second another wave hits. You realize that, right?”

You kept silent. Beneath the sheets, you found their hand and covered the back with your palm, fingers webbing through the gaps between theirs,  hoping to warm them.

“Your back’s going to hurt like hell tomorrow.” 

Then slowly, as the night and their body next to yours filled you with a sense of safety, their grip tightened on your fingers.

A smile slipped across your mouth as you drifted off to sleep once more.

_____________________________

a/n: ending on a fluffy note - comments and likes are appreciated!

[toxintouch]

I am headcanoning Mhin's monster transformation as being related to their emotions (as in: transformation can be triggered by very strong emotions) SO HARD lately.

It would add an extra layer to Vere constantly trying to piss them off that just ⋆˗ˋˏ Makes Sense ˎˊ˗⋆ to me.

Vere is intrigued by the MC, describing them as "not quite human, not quite monster".

Is it safe to assume that Vere felt similarly intrigued by Mhin? That he picked up on that, smelled it on Mhin when they first met, only to have Mhin stab him on sight? And now Vere is constantly pushing at their raw nerves to try and get a Monstrous reaction out of Mhin... It would add an extra layer to their dynamic that I love to consider.

Alternate theory: The transformation is more werewolf-esque and it's related to something that can be astronomically observed. & that's how Mhin started up their stargazing hobby?? But it's kinda cuter if they just enjoy that for it's own sake, amiright?

P.S. if ur wondering how Vere knows about the emotions trigger he knows bc he can Do That Thing

[butterflewaway]

Credit for prompt: @ravencutebuttevil

"It's just so silly goofy how the MC is so concerned about people seeing their hands but they're apparently so hot that no one cares."

Warnings: MAJOR simping on everyone's behalf i'm sorry, tipsy mc, CONSENT IS KEY, Leander calling your darling is warning enough, ends with Kuras being amazing <3

Pairing: All x Reader

Word Count: 870

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It's hard living like this. Never being able to feel the skin of another person, the bliss of intimacy. Always haunted by what could be. So you kept to yourself.

As everyone drank the night away and laughed and had the time of their lives in the small bar, consuming unholy amounts of watered down beer, you sat alone. Cape wrapped around your body, hood half way to hiding your face. You looked only at your drink. And everyone only looked at you.

As you sat recluse on your barstool at the very edge, five pairs of eyes bore into your back. In your bandaged hands you nursed your eighth glass of cheap whisky. Sipping the burning drink, you rested your chin on you palm. It was cold in the bar. Even wrapped up as you were, you felt the biting of cold on your cursed fingertips.

A chair was pulled out next to you, and down sat a figure. Leander was the first to make his move, unbeknownst to you. His charming grin had faded into a softer smile as he looked down at you. "Face is a bit red, isn't it? Already drunk I see?" His stupid sweet voice almost lulled you to sleep. He was whispering in what was an attempt to preserve your dignity. Not that any of his Bloodhounds cared, they were too busy focusing on a loud drinking game.

You hiccuped quietly and sat up straight, glaring at him with an uncharacteristic pout. "I am not drunk. That's absurd." He just smiled wider and takes your hand into his gloved ones. Your eyes widen as brief panic overtakes you before you remember that this might be the only man in the world capable of touching you and being perfectly fine.

His hands exude a warmth that is foreign to you, encasing your fingers and palm. "Time to retire for the night, don't you think darling?" You scowl and pull your hand away. "N-never- I-" You stand abruptly and topple over your chair. Before your beautiful face reaches for a tantalizing kiss with the floor, two strong arms catch you.

You land in an even warmer embrace. Surely, the floor would have been cold and unforgiving. Instead, Ais peers down at you with a sharp grin of his own, teeth glinting in the soft light emitting from the bar. Your eyes are wide, all alcohol purged from your system. Your face tinges red as he pulls you up, but does not let go.

Just as sudden, you are yanked out of Ais's embrace, a scorching hand on your wrist. Noting with more severe panic that your wrist is covered, you look up to see your assailant. Vere is smirking, but he does not look pleased to see your blush directed at Ais. The fox is... jealous? Just as he opens his mouth to something haughty no doubt, you are once again yanked.

You're confused, head spinning. Swearing to yourself you would never drink again, you survey the room slowly until your sleepy gaze finds your newest assailant. This time it's Mhin, and they are boring holes into Vere's skull. "Don't touch. You- you-" Seething with rage, Mhin barely has the words to express their hatred for the smirking fox.

As they engage in a staring contest with the fox, Ais and Leander watch in amusement. You are left standing there with a dumbfounded expression at the pissing contest being had. Just as you are about to slip away, a hand is placed on your shoulder. You brace yourself as you come face to face with none other than Kuras.

You let out a sigh of relief and a gentle smile appears on his face. He places his second hand onto your forehead, brushing away any hair in the way. "Are you alright? That was quite a frightful fall. You are flushed." You burn hotter as you observe the taller man. He is calm and quiet, and you feel the rest of the bar mute around you, all noises and laughing fading into the background.

There is nothing but Kuras's beaming golden eyes, gazing into your own. You exit quietly as he leads you to your room, his hand never leaving your shoulder. He opens your door and ushers you inside. You're still dazed when he gently pushes you down to sit on the bed and kneels in front of you.

All thoughts are suddenly drained out of your head as you stare down at this beautiful man, kneeling in front of you. He unlaces your boots and pulls them off, placing them neatly beside the door. As he stands back up, you fall down onto your mattress, the air leaving your lungs as Kuras walks back over to you and smiles again. He grabs your blanket and pulls it over you.

You're half asleep as he tucks you in, and you faintly feel warm fingers brushing your hair out of your face. A whispered, "Goodnight, dear.'", is all that is heard before the clicking of a door being shut. As you sleep soundly, Kuras ignores the eyes stabbing holes through him as he bids his companions goodnight and exits the bar, the smallest smile on his lips.

[lilacl0veskrew]

𝚄𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝙰𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜

The Touchstarved cast ended up in the modern world somehow. Your world! So what better way to teach them about it then with a road trip! But unfortunately, they have to figure out the seat assignments in the car if you're ever gonna get on the road! You're driving so you don't really care but all the noise and strong opinions are causing your irritation to simmer beneath your skin. ∥ Touchstarved LI x GN! Modern! Tired!Reader. This is my first time writing on Tumblr but won't be my last. I've had this fake scenario in my head for a while so I'm happy I get to put it in writing. Enjoy.

Credits to @cafekitsune for the cute divider

Zzp!-

You paused, looking up and taking a deep breath so you wouldn't lose your mind. "Please, God, grant me the patience today." You angrily shoved your fingers into the edge of the suitcase, pushing in the peaking fabric responsible for your anger. The fury simmering under your skin was about to explode. The amount of zippers that had jammed that morning was astronomical. You pulled the zipper, finally closing the last suitcase, your anger starting to calm again. You turned your head, only to notice that you had forgotten to put something in said suitcase. The only way you could express your anger in that moment was very exotic hand gestures. You felt a hand on your shoulder and turned your head. "Hey, [Name]? You seem annoyed, is everything okay?" You shrugged his hand off, you weren't in the mood for him to be touching you. "It's fine, Leander. Really. Go join the others outside. I need a minute." He smiled at you, seeming a little dejected by your rejection however obeyed your command nonetheless. You threw the misplaced item into your backpack and leaned against the edge of your bed. You had no idea how this managed to happen. "Going on a road trip with 5 people I barely know. That's not a recipe for disaster at all." You picked yourself back up, dragging the last suit case out to the car.

"I'm not sitting with him." Mhin said, audible sneer in their voice as they talked about Vere. You took a deep breath, placing the suitcase into the trunk of the car. You pushed it down, hearing it click as it locked. "[Name]. Your timing is immaculate." "Ah, yes. What bullshit shall greet me today? What's the problem now?" Kuras tilted his head to the right, your eyes followed, landing on Mhin, Vere, Ais, and Leander all debating where they were gonna sit in the car. "Oh my fucking god." Ais looked at you, a sit eating grin rising to his face. "Upset about something, sparrow?" You gave him a deadpan look, "Wow, you are so perceptive." You grumbled, annoyance bleeding into your voice. "So, what's the problem? Kuras gave me a run down." Vere looked at you, a pout on his face. "[Name]~" He cooed softly. "Do you have a bigger car, I don't wanna sit with any of you." Without missing a beat, you said, "Vere, if you keep complaining the next time you're showering I'm gonna throw something electrical in there and fry your ass." You weren't being serious but hopefully it was enough to settle the shit down. His lips curled into a cat like smile, oh how he loved to string you along. "Ooh, how mean. Such pretty lips shouldn't spout such harsh words." You let out a dull hum, barely acknowledging his existence. You heard a familiar scoff, able to almost feel the amusement bleed out of him.

"So we're fighting over seating arrangements?" You took a sip of your thermosed coffee, you weren't gonna be part of this. "I'm driving since I'm the only one who knows how to so I don't really care. You 5 can hash this out yourselves." Leander smile, much to your annoyance. "Well, [Name]. How about you give us some insight?" You leveled his cheerful attitude with a tired look. "If anyone's sitting in the front with me, it's gonna be Mhin or Kuras. Those two are the only one who wouldn't bother me while I'm driving." Ais smiled, "No need to be so harsh, sparrow." "Not being harsh, just being honest." You murmured, taking another sip of your coffee. Leander spoke with a cheerful tone as if it wasn't 5:30 in the morning, "I don't mind the doctor sitting with [Name] and I can sit with Ais!" "No. Absolutely not. I'm not sitting with Ais' housepet." Mhin said with a scowl, Vere's ears twitching in irritation.

You decided to ignore what was going on and start up the car, sitting in the driver seat to warm up. You stared forward into the abyss of the dark street, people who unfortunately work early morning jobs pulling out of their driveways. You heard soft tapping on the window, you had to gather yourself and steel your nerves to not start bugging on whoever was bothering you. You rolled down the window. "I just got in the car, what's the problem now?" Leander, Mhin, Kuras and Vere were scattered around, no longer talking. You stuck your head out and looked around, "Where's Ais?" Leander replied with a sheepish smile. "Smoking." You held your tongue and leaned back with a sigh. "Looks like we're deciding without him." Vere clicked his tongue. "How about we start with our preferences? I'll go first. I hate all four of you." You frowned, "Of course, Vere. Leave it to you to make everything much more difficult then it needs to be." He grinned at you, sharp canines catching the reflected light of the headlight. Sensing the tension, Kuras slipped between you and Vere, taking his place next to Mhin.

You propped your head up with your hand, this is so annoying. "How about we put Vere and Ais together? Because he hates everyone else." Mhin quickly interjected. "Absolutely not. Because leave it to those two to have sex in the back seat." "It'd be better then being put with a garden gnome. Maybe [Name] has an extra booster seat since you clearly forgot yours." Mhin's frown deepened, their face reddening in anger. "Okay, wow. So clearly we're getting nowhere." Vere smiled at you, and god was it evil. "I could sit in the front with you to make this ride less boring." "I'm afraid that will not be happening." Kuras objected with an indifferent tone. Vere scoffed but resigned himself to ignoring the doctor. You pinched the bridge of your nose. "Okay look. We're gonna be on the road for like 5 hours. So we need to decide or we're not getting anywhere."

Ais returned from smoking, snuffing out his cigarette in the damp morning grass. You gave him an irritated look. "How nice of you to join us, Ais." He returned the look you were giving him. Understandable, they'd been arguing for the past 30 minutes. You stared forward through the windshield, the sun was slowly starting to rise. You were desperately trying to tune out the sounds of the bickering but you couldn't.

*Pissed off*

You jolted forward, your body half-way out the window. "STOP, GODDAMNIT. YOU'RE GIVING ME A FUCKING HEADACHE." Everyone went silent at the sound of your sudden outburst. "[Name]-" Your gaze snapped up to Leander. "DON'T INTERRUPT ME. VERE, AIS, BACK SEAT. MHIN, LEANDER, MIDDLE. KURAS, YOU'RE IN THE FRONT WITH ME." You started rapidly clapping your hands to motivate them to move. "LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LET'S GO." Ais looked amused... and proud? Of your your verbal paroxysm. Maybe you were just seeing things while your anger boiled out of control. Surprisingly enough, everyone got into the car without objection. You took a deep breath, falling back into your seat. "Alright. Finally." To drown out anything else that might piss you off, while still being able to hear the five, you put in one airpod, leaving out the other and finally shifting the car's gear from park to drive.

Yay, we finally got onto the road. I'm planning another part or two about how a pit stop gone wrong would go or how the cast would react to their first case of road rage. I'm glad you enjoyed❤️ -Your online bestie

Enjoyed this? Head home!

[killugonficlibrary]

No, I Don't Accept Your Stupid Rose by nosewise ( T | 55,840 | 25/25 )

It's season 15 of The One, and Gon Freecs might just be the worst bachelor they've ever had on the show, but it's not his fault, okay? Not when the cameraman looks like That.

Gon is about to make incredible reality TV, just not in the way he expected.

[leanderfields]

I hope I’m not reading into this too much, but the way that the Touchstarved logo (with the characters) on the Red Springs Studios website and in the PV trailer is set up makes me think it’s not just an artistic choice. I know that the characters in the image have been rearranged in a different order for certain promotions, but I just want to talk about why I think the characters in the main logo are set up that way and what it could imply about Touchstarved’s routes.

As seen above, Ais is in the center with Leander on his right (our left) and Mhin on his left (our right). Behind him, there’s Kuras and Vere. Ais is obviously the poster boy for Touchstarved. He’s usually in the center for their promotional images and merchandise e.g. the game’s loading screen, the pins and the tote bag. The devs themselves have said that Ais was the first character they created and that they built the world of Eridia around him.

There’s lots of theories floating around about Leander’s design which features Ouroboros, his eye bags, motifs of life and death, his white lilies, and lots of other things. His belt in particular features a triple goddess symbol which represents stages of womanhood as the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. The Maiden is associated with beginnings– so things like (re)birth, youth, exploration, etc. The Mother is associated with, well, motherhood but also power and stability. The Crone is the opposite of the Maiden, being associated with death. I’m sure there’s already theories on his belt and this symbol, but I think personally Leander only represents one of them in the grand scheme of things.

I think Leander, Ais and Mhin respectively represent the Maiden, Mother and Crone. Despite Leander’s death motifs, I feel like him being the Maiden is fitting because of his personality and character design. His coat is green and so are his eyes and magical flowers. Green is the color of life. Though his flowers are typically used for funerals in some cultures, flowers themselves are full of life. He even comments that they don’t last long, but they’re beautiful nonetheless. As life is. Secondly, Leander’s personality is, perhaps, the liveliest among the cast. He’s always upbeat and smiling (or blushing) which is why I think he represents the Maiden. He’s what you’d think of when you think of youth. He’s partying, drinking, performing magic tricks, has a club/the Bloodhounds and he seems to be having fun all the time.

As for Ais, I feel like it's pretty understandable that he is the Mother. He’s marketed as powerful, violent and intimidating. He loves bar brawls and hates easy fights. Additionally, it’s implied that he used to be a leader or at least in a gang. Red is a predominant part of his character and design. The Seaspring is red. So are his horns, eyes and the accents on his clothes. Red is, well, a powerful color. It represents powerful, strong emotions like love and anger. And emotions are a big part of Ais’s character. They’re his fatal flaw!

And finally, Mhin is the Crone. I was actually debating whether they were the Maiden (and Leander would be the Crone) since they were fairly new to Eridia like MC… like a new beginning in a new city? I’m going on a tangent here, but I think it may be deliberate on the devs’ part. Leander and Mhin could possibly represent the Maiden and the Crone because life and death are intertwined.  Mhin has a celtic knot/triquetra on their cloak’s clasps. The triquetra is used to represent three things that are deeply connected e.g. the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In pagan traditions, it’s used to represent the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone… like the triple goddess symbol on Leander’s belt. Anyways back to Mhin, I think the Crone suits them the best. Their supposed monster form is either a crow or a raven. Black feathered birds are associated with bad omens. Moreover, crows and ravens are associated with death thanks to pop culture and media. Our first encounter with Mhin was when we were at death’s door. They also shroud themselves with a cloak, have white hair and are extremely pale when compared to the rest of the cast.

The way Leander, Ais and Mhin are set up in the logo makes me want to believe that they’re representing the triple goddess symbol and that at least story wise, they may be the most important routes. They’re placed at the front and all three characters have something to do with curses. Leander knows his way around curses. He might be cursed himself. His eye bags are pointed out by MC and he doesn’t seem to be that fond of sleep either. Ais technically doesn’t have a curse, but the last two lines of his character introduction are “He’s beginning to suspect that he may not be in control of his powers as he thought. Can you save each other, or will he drag you into the abyss with him?”... which sounds like a curse to me. And aside from Leander, is also the only one to know about MC’s curse. Then, for Mhin, they also have a curse of their own and have been seen sneaking around the Senobium… possibly for a cure of their own?

This isn’t to say that Vere and Kuras aren’t important and relevant characters. It may just be the typical thing with otome games where certain routes have more lore than others and it’s recommended to save them for last. It’s usually the poster boy’s route. In this case, Ais’s.

[loventian]

People who read/write Touchstarved fics, do you prefer to use tumblr, ao3, both, neither? I want to start writing some little fics but I have no idea where the audience for them is ;-;

If you vote pls reblog for sample size! I think others would find this helpful too!

[trappolia]

HOUSE OF ERIDIA ── touchstarved x reader, high fantasy au

“Among the monarch's most intimate inner circle was their Master of Whispers (...) sharp and cunning, the mastermind of an intricate network of spies and informants that ran through the high aristocracy within the walls of the palace, down to the most slimy backwaters of the kingdom's outskirts. The truth of LEANDER’s threat, however, laid within his charm (...) it is said that not even his most beloved Eminence trusted him.”

Leander was devoted— as devoted as a man of such skill in less than legal information brokering could be, at least. Often times you wondered whether he was worth trusting; so much information he laid out at your feet like a suitor would bestow upon you with golds and jewels and fine silks, and just as much he kept away from you. Perhaps it was unwise to bestow upon the fickle position of Master of Whispers to a man who shared your bed, but never his own secrets-- or perhaps you thought too much of him. You did, after all, cradle your own secrets to your chest.

“To one such as the monarch, who clung onto their religion as if it were drywood amidst the furious seas, KURAS was a strange sort of salvation in himself (...) rumoured to be otherworldly, golden-eyed and infinitely wise not only in his knowledge of forgotten, they claimed him a lost eldritch being, shunned by the highest deities of the sky. Others said that he was a deity himself. But what deity hid in the shadows of the throne and kissed the feet of the mortal that sat upon it?”

Amidst the fickle serpents' game of politics and war, there was a superficial solace to be found in the religion you were raised in as a child. From that faith, your devotion extended to a gift from the gods laid at your door, the golden-eyed angel that you were not quite sure existed till they bestowed him to you. Strangely enough, he treated you with the same sort of reverence— as an acolyte might to their own deity. Yours was a strange relationship, a push-and-pull of prayer and religious guilt. Both of you hid your unholiness within a facade of worship and idolatry. You did not know why he has come, but you knew he saw you for what you were and bent the knee anyway. Be not afraid, he said. And so you were not, blindly so.

“The paramour was flame-haired and quick of the tongue, an exotic pet that graced the bed of Their Majesty easily enough once lured with the promise of lavish gifts and security (…) VERE traded his ugly iron shackles for a prettier set of golden chains, but he was not so cunning so as to let himself be lured in by the false promises of what he called “these damned monarchs”.”

It was not an uncommon feat for monarchs to take paramours even after marriage, but if the whore picked from the streets of silk was pretty enough, it could warrant the envious whispers of enraged nobles no matter how high a position one may hold within the royal family. Fortunately, Vere played the game of thrones well, you must admit. Of all the lovers and paramours you've taken over the course of your rule, he is the one you have to worry about defending in court the least… though his knowledge and skill holds up a different problem for you entirely. Perhaps your Small Council does speak some truth when they warn you of the lies he could entrap you in…

”THE STRANGER came like death on a misty night in the dead of winter. Who were they? What reason could they have to lurk around the castle halls, to indulge themselves in the benevolence of the monarch of which they did not worship? What did they seek, and why was Their Majesty so eager to offer their aid?”

A ruler as kind and benevolent as yourself was not so arrogant so as to be oblivious to the suffering of the smallfolk. Many called you naïve, too young to carry the burden of the crown, but you have inherited centuries of peace from your parents, and are intent on continuing such tradition. That is, perhaps, the reason why you welcomed MHIN into your palace that night, turning down your council’s suggestions of torturing them — where they’ve came from, why they’ve come, how a commoner possesses a gift for the magic arts. You offer them bread and wine and a place of rest, speaking nothing of how you’ve noticed their eyes flit about— not warily, but searching. It is naïvety then, in your hopes that MHIN finds what you seek in you, despite your sureness that you will one day stand at opposite ends of a looming war.

“Rare was a monarch who did not indulge in illicit affairs, whether it be a matter of simply flesh or true romance— but what transpired between Their Majesty and the creature of Crimson Grotto was so twisted that their story was told as both urban legend and warning even a millennia afterwards. But in the most desperate of times, even the most noble of the gods’ chosen are capable of such sin.”

AIS was already a figure of urban legend when you came to him him, a sopping wet half-adult playing dress up in an oversized crown and velvet robes weighed down by the grimy water that stained its hem. He never did tell you whether the stories you’d heard were true, only confirmed that yes, he is capable of what you beg him for. He thought of you foolish, to make a deal with an eldritch creature — or, at least, the vessel of one — but he realised too late that he’d gone off the deep end with you when it came to this deal. In the end, there was only his hope that they would not liken you, so good and so bright, to the hopeless thing that is whatever is left of him. Or, perhaps, it will be a last mercy to both of you, to be known in history side-by-side, mentioned alongside the other always— like a single entity.

© trappolia 2024

[sincerelymanic]

Looking for a new Fanfiction to read while the game isn't out? This is gonna come out at at least 40K words.

Summary:

I've never had what one would call an easy life. The Temple who raised me up as their Oracle, turned against me when the truth of my curse came to light. After fleeing from the Temple, I made my way to Eridia. I naively thought the Senobium would be my new salvation. Turns out they don't take too kindly to people coming up to the gates asking for help. Several broken ribs later, I'd learned another hard lesson about life.

I say all that to say, I've been through it more than a few times. But it feels like this time, things are going in the right direction. I've made unexpected friends in unexpected places. I still have my curse but I'm living with it. I'm finally starting to make a name for myself apart from 'cursed one' or 'abomination'. Life's not perfect, but it's mine.

Little did I know that my foundations are about to crumble all around me. Because when things seem too good to be true, they often are.

[thekuraning]

sometimes your boyfriend has a chicken and sometimes he needs to infodump about the chicken and the chicken’s power marble

[softagenda]

antidote (kuras)

kuras x reader(f)

aphrodisiac au / short fic

series: sweet poison (scenario-based collection of character imagines)

originally posted on ao3

masterlist

Preview

You’re an idiot for drinking that. An absolute idiot.

You’re spilled across the floor, head swimming, burning from the inside as though you’d swallowed a star. The velvet rug brushed soft and cloying against your prickling skin as you squirmed, your heart pounding in your ears and beating an insistent rhythm in your groin.

Cooing at you from the table, her cat’s eyes curled in satisfaction, Morgana asked, “Something the matter? You look positively feverish.” She twirled a curly black lock around her finger.

Bitch. 

Paintings of naked people - bathing in springs, dancing around a fire, having an orgy in front of a temple - swirled into one colorful blob as you turned on your side, fisting the rug. You attempted to pull yourself to where you remembered the door but stalled a couple inches in, weak as a newborn kitten and stifling a moan as your body rubbed on the carpet.

“Now, now, where’s the fire? Stay a while.” She rose from her chair and stood over you, her arms crossing under her full chest. “You’re clearly hot under the collar. The thought of you wandering the streets like this concerns me deeply.”

You glared up at her, using every ounce of willpower not to writhe on the floor like a worm on a hook. Your hand felt clumsily around your hip for the dagger. 

“I’ll take that,” she chirped, snatching the weapon from your belt and tossing it behind her. “Can’t have you nicking that lovely skin.” Her heel braced on the other side of you, straddling your back. Her hands tugged the shirt from your waist before dragging warm palms up your back, her nails scratching on the return journey.

You bit your lip to stifle a moan rocketing through your chest, as every nerve in your body vibrated with electric pleasure. Your hips pressed hard into the floor, growing ever desperate for friction even as you struggled to focus.

Morgana sunk her hand into your nape, drawing your hair back from your face. When she leaned down to brush her painted lips against your ear, goosebumps erupted down your neck. “We’ll start with the bandages, shall we?”

____________ prologue end ______________

With her left hand holding your head to the ground, Morgana traced her right across your shoulder, scratching gently at the fabric here and there as though offering scritches along a cat’s back. 

You bit the inside of your cheek until the taste of blood slipped over your tongue. 

Heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs, accompanied by the faint murmur of voices, until the conversation slipped amongst the folds of the curtains. ‘-- with a client right now, but she will address the issue as soon as she is available. So, please - “

A knock sounded at the door.

Morgana froze. Her grip tightened on your neck, nails pricking your skin. 

A woman’s voice pleaded, her voice hushed but increasingly frantic, “Please, sir, the mistress must not be disturbed -” 

“Pardon my intrusion,” said the man, opening the door with only a moment’s pause, clearly not giving a single fuck about his clear intrusion.

You squinted through your hair, recognized the spotless white coat and curling waterfall of hair trailing over his chest, before letting your face fall to the floor once more, a whine of humiliation stifled against the luxurious threads.

Of all people to walk in like this. What must he think of you, trapped under a pleasure house mistress?

“Doctor, while I am forever grateful for your services, I must say this is rather… inappropriate,” Morgana purred, just enough of an edge to her voice to bare her claws. 

Kuras folded one hand on his chest and gave a short bow, his glowing eyes holding hers, his smile sweet. “I do apologize, but I fear the matter is quite urgent. When your employee visited my clinic this afternoon, they appear to have grabbed another patient’s prescription.”

She froze. “Oh?”

“Yes. This patient suffered from infection of the stomach, brought on by parasitic worms crushed into his food. I had a vial of evulsion agent waiting for him.” His gaze swept the room perfunctorily, passing over the massive bed piled with silks, the open chest of brightly colored sex toys, and the lurid paintings on the wall without batting an eye, before settling on the table, where the bottle of aphrodisiac had tipped on its side..

Kuras strode into the room, skirting around your tangled form, his brow furrowing slightly. “Ah.”

Morgana shifted uneasily, inadvertently sending a shiver down your back. “What?” She paused. “Was that not Fever Dream?” 

With a hum in the back of his throat, the doctor stepped back and stared down into your face, his expression purely clinical. “Do you know how much she consumed?”

“... at least half.”

“Ah.”

“What’s going to happen?” All lustre and verve had dropped like a stone from her voice. Her hands still pinned you in place, but her palms curled away like she was touching something contagious or slimy. “What are the side effects? She seemed fine - no different from the usual effects of the drug.”

“Well, I suppose the initial symptoms present in similar ways. Fever, confusion, muscle weakness, temporary loss of motor function.” Kuras paused then added, “Treatment of parasitic infestation of the stomach naturally involves expulsion of the organisms.”

The body hovering on your back vanished in a heartbeat. 

“She’s about to start vomiting?” Morgana snapped her fingers at the woman lingering in the doorway. “Imelda. Carry her to the back entrance, now.”

Kuras interrupted with a wave of his hand. “No need.”

Polished white boots stopped inches from your hand, twisting feebly in the rug. With a feeble twist, you met his gaze, teeth gritted against the fire swimming in your veins. 

“Do not be afraid. I can treat what ails you,” he consoled, the essence of civility and professionalism, but for his eyes, the gold brimming with hidden amusement. His arms slipped under your shoulders and knees, lifting you up to his chest with ease. “My lovely patient.”

“Thank you for your quick handling of the situation, Doctor,” Morgana said, trailing behind as Kuras turned on his heel and strode out of the room. “Is the rest of the order contaminated, or just the one bottle?”

“The rest should be fine.” 

Not soon enough, he stepped out onto the street. Cool air washed over you in a wave, exhuming the heavy incense and smoke from your lungs and nose. Your legs and outside arm swayed with every step, draped over him like a limpet. Cheek pressed to his chest, you could smell the scent of herbs and magnolia pressed into his clothing - maybe his skin, after all this time. 

Your nose pressed into the crook of his neck before you could stop yourself. Your mouth opened, lips brushing against his skin, wrestling desperately with the temptation to lick, to taste.

“Kuras,” you said, breathless, voice cracking. 

He watched you from above, with that impartial curiosity he had always affected when working with patients, except his eyes. The intensity, unblinking and frightening, of those golden eyes reached deep down into your gut with fear and arousal.

His mouth curved at the edges. “You must be feeling the effects quite strongly now.” His head lowered until his breath drifted over your ear. “Feverish. Elevated pulse. Heightened arousal,” he murmured, velvet smooth.

A full-body shudder wracked through you. 

Kuras smiled. “Once we return to the clinic, I can administer the antidote.” At your confused look, he added, “the privacy of my patients is of the utmost importance. My tendency has never trended toward exhibitionism.”

_______________________________

a/n: thanks for reading!

[sparrowsong-7]

Sparrow's FFXIV Write 2024 Masterpost

Finally compiling all of my fics together into one master list for ease of reading.

Day 1: Steer Day 2: Horizon Day 3: Tempest Day 4: Reticent Day 5: Stamp Day 6: Halcyon Day 7: Morsel Day 9: Lend an Ear Day 10: Stable Day 11: Surrogate Day 12: Quarry Day 13: Butte Day 14: Telling Day 15: Together (Free Day) Day 16: Third-Rate Day 17: Sally Day 18: Hackneyed Day 19: Taken Day 20: Duel Day 21: Shade Day 22: Time (Free Day) Day 23: On Cloud Nine Day 24: Bar Day 25: Perpetuity Day 26: Zip Day 27: Memory Day 28: Deleterious Day 29: Here (Free Day) Day 30: Two Heads Are Better Than One

[butterflewaway]

Hi! I really liked the scenario where the MC of touchstarved was too dumb to realize the boys simping for her and I wanted to as about how the others boys react to Leander being the only one who can hold hands with the mc (and a Leander pov knowing the others are jealous) and maybe even MC touching his face again to feel the difference in texture. Hope that's not too much! Thank you anyway!

Ohhhh you are so fun!! I like this request!~

I couldn't figure out where to fit Mhin and Kuras as I doubt they'd be at the bar in the early afternoon so let me know if you'd like a part 2 as a continuation! <3

Warnings: jealousy!!! Leander is his own warning, taunting! touching uwu

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

The dreary weather really was something else in this city. How could the air feel cool yet humid yet stifling as if pulling the breath from your lungs? Your bandages were dripping with sweat and coming loose, so you practically jogged into the Wet Wick.

Members of Leander's Bloodhounds were scattered around loosely, thankfully not densely packed this early in the afternoon. As you were about to slip behind a group of men and run up the stairs, an arm shot out from behind the bar to grab your hood, pulling it straight off.

Your hair tumbled out and you blinked as your eyes adjusted to the sudden light. Leander was leaned over the bar, lips pulled up into a smooth, pretty smile, eyes looking as tired as ever. "Hey pretty thing. Where you been all day?" You balled your hands into fists under your cloak and smiled back shyly.

"Oh you know. Around." Your ominous answer did little to dismay Leander, and he pulled you closer to the bar. "Would you like a drink, pretty? On the house." The barmaid looked over briefly after hearing that to scowl at the tall man. She hustled to the kitchen to presumably complain to the other workers.

You smiled as you shook your head. "Ah, no thanks. I was actually just on my way up. Really tired from ah- the day." You stared at each other in silence as your words replayed in your head. You could see the disbelief in Leander's eyes. Tired from the day? The sun had barely been up for less then five hours.

Leander let go of your cloak, and without thinking you moved your hand from the safety blanket to straighten the fabric. Piercing green eyes watched your every movement like a predator. "Ah." Fuck. You messed up. You flinched under his scrutinizing gaze and rushed to tuck your hand back into safety.

But before you could, his gloved hand once again reached out to grab, this time your hand. Deep inside, you knew Leander wouldn't get hurt. You flinched anyway. As if sensing your unenthusiastic response, Leander held up your hand to his face and gently kissed your palm, not breaking eye contact.

Your face turned beet red, mouth agape as you stared into his charming pale green eyes. Light reflected from the candles and bounced off his golden earring, grabbing the attention of the newcomers shuffling into the bar. You held your breath as Leander calmly unwrapped your hand halfway and rested his cheek against your palm.

You had no way of knowing, with your back turned to the entrance of the establishment. And though Leander acted as if the only thing he saw was you, in his peripheral he saw his dearest companions staring at the display before them with a mix of anger, jealousy, sadness, and thinly-veiled disgust.

You absentmindedly ran your fingers over his cheek and dipped down to trace the scar along his jaw. Your lashes fluttered tiredly, as if weighed down by the world. He smiled into your hand and pet your head. "Go take a nap pretty. You look like you need it." You looked away to hide your reddening cheeks and nodded, pulling away and wrapping your hand simultaneously as you trudged up the stairs, completely unaware of the eyes that followed.

Vere slid into his usual seat, pink eyes narrowing on Leander's face. The mage simply stared back blankly, before remembering where he was. A big smile erupted on his face and he grinned at the fox. "Hello Vere. Thirsty?" There was a sharp edge to the questioning lilt of Leander's tone. Vere scowled and reached to grab a bottle of champagne poorly hid by the missing barmaid.

Ais slid into the seat beside him, red eyes digging holes into Leander's cheek, as if expecting it to start decaying at any second. When nothing happened for a frame of five seconds, he peeled his unnerving gaze away to look at Vere's pretty pout. As Leander hummed and mixed a drink for the demon, his lips briefly flashes a wicked smile. He hadn't been chosen yet, but he was damned sure he was ahead of everyone else.