#like a week where nothing new is assigned and I can just work without feeling stressed

[pixies--dust]

Need to do schoolwork but i have been attacked by the mental illness creature

[springwitch26]

hots for teacher (melissa schemmenti x fem!reader)

part 2

summary: you've been infatuated with melissa schemmenti ever since you worked under her as a student teacher. what will happen when you meet again a few years later?

warnings: NSFW content, implied future smut (part 2 on the way??), praise kink, age gap idk

notes: hi everyone! my name is april, and this is my first ever fanfiction. i wrote this for fun and then decided to share it with the community, because i love the little gay women in my phone! i've been reading fics on tumblr for as long as i've been on the internet, so this is a strange experience for me. anyway, enjoy, and let me know what you guys think!

tonight you looked sexy, and you knew it. you wore a sinfully short black dress with colorful butterflies. it was one of your favorites; it showed just the right amount and hugged just the right places to be tantalizing. your eyes were painted with thin black wings and soft, glittery eyeshadow that made you look like a sweet dream. your lips glistened and your hair was tied up in two dutch braids. you were a vision.

all this meant that you were not the least bit surprised when a deep, sultry female voice sounded from behind where you sat at the bar.

"it should be illegal to look like that in public."

you smiled coyly and turned around to face the stranger.

"why? see something you like?" when you turned to face her, however, you were met with a familiar face. it was a face you'd seen in your dreams time after time: your former boss, melissa schemmenti.

you had been assigned to work with melissa as a student teacher while you were in school for your teaching certification. at the time, she was teaching two grades simultaneously, so she was grateful to have you there to ease the burden. it didn't hurt that you were always so eager to please. you wanted to learn and become the best teacher you could be.

of course, your motives weren't entirely pure. you were attracted to melissa from the moment you saw her. you remembered it like it was yesterday: her flaming red hair was slightly messy from trying to wrangle her double class, and her glasses sat askew on her nose. then you came along and turned everything around. she would give you to-do lists, and you would finish them before lunchtime the same day.

"great job, hon! you're so good, don't know what i'd do without you..." she'd say each time, beaming with pride at her new prodigee.

"o-of course, ms. schemmenti. what else can i do for you?" you'd respond, blushing profusely at the praise and struggling to hold her intense gaze.

within a week of having you, melissa was caught up on all her work. she couldn't help but feel like you were an angel, or some kind of gift from god. whatever you were, she cherished you. as the two of you spent more time together, she started to want you more and more. every project, every conversation, every smile you two shared only added to your chemistry.

she had fun with it--teasing you with special pet names and praise, watching you get all flustered and squirmy. she knew you liked her back. you weren't the most subtle about your desire.

melissa would never act on her feelings, though. you were a doe-eyed twenty-something with big dreams, and she was your much older boss. getting involved with you would be too messy. but she always held out hope, even after you left abbott, that one day you'd meet again.

you studied melissa's sly smirk for a moment, in disbelief at your luck. it had been two years since you left abbott. you had your own big girl job now, and you were a bit more mature. there was nothing stopping you from acting on your desires.

"oh my god, ms. schemmenti! please, have a drink with me. it's been a while." you hoped you didn't sound too desperate, although you definitely looked desperate once you got a good glance at her.

her look was striking. your breath hitched in your throat as you scanned her form, dressed in red leather pants and a button-down shirt. her arms were visibly muscled, even through the jacket. the black button-down shirt she wore was unbuttoned just enough to tease her cleavage. around her waist was a thick black belt that you wanted to pull on. her fiery hair was tied back haphazardly in a high ponytail, just messy enough to be sexy. and her hands—god, her fingers were long and ringed and—

"whatever you say, kid," she shrugged and sat down next to you, giving you a playful smile. "and you can call me melissa now."

she had a mischievous glint in her eye, probably knowing how you felt just by the wanton way you stared at her. when she sat down beside you, you felt your whole body heat up. your thighs were almost touching from the proximity, and you could smell her intoxicating perfume with each inhale. feeling her body so close to yours had you more drunk than the alcohol. it didn't help that her eyes now roamed over your body shamelessly, taking in your glistening lips and lingering on your soft cleavage. you tried your best to play it cool.

you talked for a while, catching up on everything. you told her about your new job at a suburban elementary school, your volunteer tutoring on the weekends, your summers in the mountains. she beamed with pride hearing of your accomplishments.

"that's great, y/n! sounds like you're goin' places."

"thank you! i think i owe a lot of my success to my student teaching experience—everyone at abbott was great, including you. especially you," you looked at her with an intense gaze, feeling your desire catch up with you.

"you were such a passionate mentor. you just had this way of getting me excited..." you trailed off as you fixated on the stirrings of a smirk on her face.

"...excited about learning," you finished shakily.

"mm-hmm," she chuckled.

maybe it was the alcohol, or the simple fact that she was right next to you and seemingly devouring you with her eyes, but you became bolder then. you only had one shot at this.

"i mean, you really touched me in a way that nobody else could," you leaned in, dragging out your syllables for emphasis. "i worked so hard because i just needed to be good for you."

now she was the one shuddering. you had the upper hand, if only for a moment. but she quickly got her boldness back.

"i noticed that. always so bright and attentive. i bragged to all the other teachers about what a good girl you were." to top it all off, she punctuated her sentence by placing her hand firmly on your knee.

you thought you were going to explode right then and there. your skin erupted in goosebumps at her touch, and you spread your legs ever so slightly to indicate your consent. her face split into a smug grin and she began to crawl her fingers up your thigh, agonizingly slowly.

your response came as a shaky whisper. you were sure you must have soaked through your panties just from her teasing touches.

"it's good to know that you thought so highly of me. i looked up to you a lot," you said sheepishly. "um, i'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but i did have a bit of a crush on you..."

"oh, yeah. that doesn't surprise me. don't be embarrassed, hon. you can't help what you feel," her hand had stalled at the midpoint of your thigh, and she looked at you with sincerity.

"it doesn't surprise you?" you asked, struggling to get the words out once she resumed stroking your thigh.

"i had my suspicions," she said with a knowing smirk. "i'm sharper than i look, ya know."

her darkened eyes sent shivers down your spine. you felt your core heat up at the humiliation of knowing she knew exactly what you thought about her.

"am i that obvious?" you asked, somewhat breathily.

"oh, sweetheart," she laughed. she leaned in close and you could smell her perfume, feel the warmth of her breath on your skin. her fingers pinched the skin of your thigh as she whispered to you. "you sat five feet away from me for months, always wearin' those little black skirts. you think i didn't see you rub your thighs together every time i gave you praise?"

her hand now caressed your inner thigh softly, teasingly. you failed to respond, trying to process her words but finding yourself unable to do anything but whimper almost silently.

"so soft here. mhmm," she husked into your ear. there was a hint of giddiness in her voice, as if she was pleased with herself for taking you apart so easily. "does that feel good, princess? do you like it when i touch you?"

"yes!" you said, almost too loudly for the public setting. "yes, i like it very much."

"good," she whispered as her fingers found the edge of your panties. your thighs spread even wider, and you let out a small gasp.

"we've got lots more to catch up on, don't we?" she continued, her fingers drawing feather-light circles over your clit through the fabric. you wondered if she could feel you throbbing for her. your hips bucked up to meet her hand, and she slapped your thigh in warning. "if you wanna keep talkin', we can head back to mine..."

you turned to her with big, glazed-over eyes. still whimpering, you nodded rapidly, earning a laugh from the older woman. she grabbed your hand and guided you out of the packed bar.

"i'm gonna wreck you, hon," she mumbled without looking back at you.

[sakuralovespossums]

Human Frylock x GN Reader

Honestly, you getting with Frylock makes the most sense

He’s objectively the most attractive, smart, charming, good with kids, you get it

But just cuz he’s the most humble, doesn’t mean he isn’t equally insane

There was a whole episode where he went full yandere and implanted his brain in the corpse of his crush’s dead boyfriend

BUT HE’S STILL A KEEPER!!!!

Calls you “babe” or “hon” often

Always has an arm around your waist when going out

It’s also a subtle way of showing people your his when someone tries to hit on you. He doesn’t get aggressive or anything but his usual frown does deepen and his tone gets more blunt

If the harasser still doesn’t take the hint and really gets on his nerves, he’ll use one of his inventions to brutally mutilate them then act like nothing happened

Other than that, he’s still generally a pretty chill guy and is the best boyfriend

Always plans ahead for alot of things like dates, trips, grocery shopping, special events (my ADHD ass is so thankful)

For those who deal with periods, he even keeps track of your cycle for you and buys all the things you need like pills, snacks, blankets, etc.

His deep voice is so soothing and he takes full advantage of it lol

One time you saw him without his goatee and you swore for a millisecond he was someone else. It’s just so weird seeing him with a bald face

Shake is an annoying pest who’s always following you around and tries to convince you to ditch Frylock and get with him instead

Carl just thinks your a weirdo for wanting to date one of his weirdo neighbors

There are days where you just walk into your bf’s room and plop your chin on his shoulder as he types away on his computer. No words. Just silence and occasional kisses

He def wears cologne

The only guy to ever make braces look hot

It would be cute if you guys met at one of those prestigious universities like Harvard or Yale. Either you bumped into each other in the same dorm/class building or were assigned to work on a project together. You guys slowly bonded and became friends, to eventually something more

You help him put in his yellow hair dye every few weeks, but you also really like seeing his natural hair color

One time you put in the wrong hair dye by accident and Frylock was left with an ugly colored hair for weeks. You desperately tried to hold back your laughter at seeing how moody he was with messed up hair. Shake wouldn’t stop making fun of him for days

You can’t help but feel a bit bad for him as he has to deal with his chaotic roommates (mostly Shake) all the time, so you help him however you can

Cooking and bringing him food, dragging him out of the house to your place or somewhere fun, buying new science supplies or books with him

He used to go shop for those by himself, but now can’t think of doing it without you since you make it way more fun

He never quite realized how lonely he was until you came along

He teases you about wearing his red sweaters all the time like it’s yours now and sometimes chases you around the house to “get it back”

Frylock is noticeably in a better mood when he’s with you. He doesn’t smile but has an upturned smirk instead of his typical frown and always plays along with whatever joke you tell him. That’s how much in sync you guys are

Everyone sees you two as Meatwad’s parents (his teachers, the neighbors, hell even Carl and Shake)

It doesn’t help that you often go with Frylock to Meatwad’s student/teacher conferences

Or play with/babysit him when your bf’s too busy

Or how you and Frylock always hold Meatwad’s hands when walking to the park

Or come to Frylock’s aid in lecturing him why he’s still listening to MC pee pants when his bed time was an hour ago and………..

Ok maybe you are his parents

NSFW stuff

I just see him as a top. He likes being the one to lead but will let you take the reigns if you want

Again, he uses his voice to his advantage ;)

He likes using toys depending on the mood

I feel like he would tell you he doesn’t mind if you sometimes wanna go solo with your toys (nothing wrong with sexual independence) but secretly grumbles and is jealous lol

Shake has def walked in more than once just to annoy you two and ask if he can join

*slams the door in his face*

He has more length than girth

Frylock has a pretty well toned build, which really doesn’t help make you any less desperate for him

And maybe also make you feel a bit self conscious of your own body. He tells you he finds you gorgeous just the way you are

You love how his goatee scratches your skin, lips, thighs, everywhere as he kisses you all over

Is so amazing at aftercare. Always checking if he didn’t go too hard on you, gets you a towel, water, snacks, anything you need

[m00nlight-ramblings]

Like Real People Do: Chapter 1

You are the new girl at Hawkins High for your junior year. As a stereotypical "goody goody", you've been focused on friends, studies, and getting into college...so when you become friends with Eddie Munson, it completely throws a wrench in your system. But, sometimes, that can be a very, very good thing. (slow burn strangers to friends to lovers)

This is "Like Real People Do: Chapter 1"

Pairings: Eddie x AFAB reader (for continuity sake, you will have a name because I truly hate writing "y/n" it gives me hives, but it won't be prevalent enough to be distracting)

Warnings: swearing. every chapter will have their own warnings - eventually, their will be fluff, angst, smut. THIS ENTIRE SERIES IS 18+ MINORS DNI

Word Count: 2.64k

A/N: My Eddie obsession will never leave me, apparently lol. Some of the plot will be out of order from the show - I'm not quite sure if I want to incorporate the Upside Down stuff just yet. Graphic made by me, I do not give permission for it (or this series) to be shared without my knowledge.

The end-of-summer breeze was light, running through the open window of your car. You had your arm extended out the driver window, lightly tapping the outside of the door as you drove slowly down the road where Hawkins High School was located. The closer you got, the more the butterflies fluttered in your stomach, bouncing off of the walls and causing you to breathe out shaky breaths every 10 seconds (approximately).

Bananarama’s “Venus” was playing through the speaker of the sound system in your car – normally, you’d be singing along, your toes tapping along to the beat. But instead, you felt like you were driving into something awful – a battle, or a funeral, perhaps.

Which, if you think about it, is probably the exact opposite place that you should be listening to Bananarama’s “Venus”.

As you turned the corner, you saw kids from both the high school and close by middle school mingling outside, in the parking lot. It seemed that everyone – except for you – had First Day of School™ smiles plastered on their faces, which only added to your growing pit of nerves. Slowly, you maneuvered into your assigned parking spot – lucky 31 – and parked the car, rolling up the window and turning down the music. You let out a shaky breath and gripped the steering wheel so hard, your knuckles turned white.

“It is your first day of school,” You reminded yourself, trying hard not to look at the people walking around your car abstinent-mindedly, chatting to their friends about what they did over summer vacation. You felt a pang of sadness as you yearned for your best friends back home – this past summer was the first summer in high school you three didn’t work together at the local Dairy Queen, and even though you hated that job, you missed them so much sometimes your heart hurt.

Shaking the sadness out of your quickly, you looked ahead and started again, “It’s your first day of school. It is your first day of school – you are not about to enter a Roman Coliseum to fight a caged tiger.” Accidentally, you made eye contact with a boy walking past the car, who squinted his eyes at you in confusion.

Although you feel like you’re surrounded by caged tigers… You thought, expelling another shaky breath. Were you sure that boy wasn’t a caged tiger? Because he sure was making you feel like it.

“It’s your first day of school,” You whispered again, checking your watch. 10 minutes until you had to meet the principal in their office to get the grand tour and your class schedule. “It’s your first day of school, and you’re going to kick ass. It’s nothing to be scared of.” You watched another person make a face at you while they walked by.

Okay, time to stop talking to yourself in the car.

You grabbed your backpack and opened the door, your knees feeling slightly like Jello. Locking the door behind you, you made your way through the front door of the building. According to the packet that came in the mail a few week’s prior, the principal’s office was almost directly next to the entrance, to the right.

Turning to the right, you saw the front office, with the sign “Hawkins High Front Office” plastered at the top of the doorway.

Okay. That wasn’t so hard.

Progress.

You stepped in, stepping into the small line that had already formed at the receptionist’s desk. Taking in your surroundings, you heard multiple phones ringing, and multiple conversations happening at once.

School wasn’t hard for you – in fact, you actually loved school. Known as a Goody-Goody at your last school, you were interested in homework, and getting good grades. In your junior year and on the fast track to a big university, possibly on the East Coast, you wanted to study psychology to become a therapist.

So, school definitely wasn’t hard for you. What was hard was moving to a new state due to your dad’s new job, and having to start school smack dab in the middle of your high school career. Being 550 miles away from everything you had ever known was tough – doing it at 17-years-old was even worse.

“Miss?” The receptionist said, pulling you back to reality. You snapped your head forward and saw that she was smiling politely, but definitely impatiently. You blushed as you stepped forward, being next in line. “How can I help you?” She asked as you stepped up. She had thick glasses and lipstick had already stained her teeth, even though it was only 7:00 in the morning. She tapped her pencil against the desk as she waited for your response.

“Oh, hi,” You said, subconsciously running your tongue over your teeth, “Um, today is my first day…I transferred in. And I was told to be here now to meet with the principal –”

“Brooke Henway?” The receptionist interrupted. You nodded. Quickly, she waved her hand as if to say come on, “This way. Principal Higgins is in his office and will be waiting for you. Have a great first day.” She knocked on a door marked “Principal Higgins” on a gold plaque, the entire sentence a monotone run-on. Offering a strained smile to you, she scooted back to her desk, shouting, “WHO’S NEXT?!”

You sighed heavily and re-adjusted your backpack, shoving your hands in your jeans pockets. Rocking on your heels, you reminded yourself that no matter how large and scary it felt, this was just a high school, and not a Roman Coliseum.

This was going to be a long year.

Shutting the door to your locker, you felt exhausted. The first day of school wasn’t bad – people here were actually pretty nice, and it seemed like you would be able to keep up in your classes fairly easy. But a first day of school would be tiring anyway…adding on that it was a first day at a new school, and you were downright asleep with your eyes open.

You were just about to make your way to your car – home at last! – when all of the sudden, what sounded like a heard of buffalo made its way down the seemingly empty hallway. You turned to face the noise at the end of the hallway, and a group of rowdy boys turned the corner, laughing and shouting about something that made them so excited, they seemed to be breaking the sound barrier. Something told you hang back a second, so you decided to wait until they passed to head out to the parking lot.

The group consisted of what seemed like various grades – definitely a few freshmen, but some seemed older. A few were wearing shirts that boasted “HELLFIRE CLUB” on them, and they seemed like a rag-tag group. One boy with longer, curly, brown hair and a leather jacket, made eye contact with you while he was smiling at one of the younger looking boys. For a split second, you both maintained eye contact as the group passed by you, and you felt a little jolt in your tummy.

Okay…he’s kinda hot. You thought, a smiling threatening to break through on your lips. Even though he wasn’t technically smiling at you, he seemed nice.

Or, at least funny since he was making the rest of the boys around him howl with laughter.

As soon as they passed, Long Curly Hair Boy shoved his hand in his back pocket, causing whatever was in there to tip out, scattering on the ground. They sounded plastic by the sound of the pink pink! noise they made as they fell on the linoleum, but they group didn’t hear over their conversation. You stepped to them, snatching them in your hand.

Looking down at them, they seemed like dice, except there was way too many sides. Inquisitively, you investigated them, turning them over with your finger. The dice themselves were a cool, swirly black and maroon color, while the numbers on them were a metallic gold.

Suddenly, you remembered these cool, weird dice were not, in fact, yours.

“Hey! Excuse me?” You shouted, jogging to catch up with the group. At first, they didn’t hear you, so you shouted again. “Heyyyyy! Hey!”

Almost as one organism, they all turned at the same time (and weirdly, in the same direction). Long Curly Hair Boy had his arm around two of the younger guys – Smaller Long Curly Hair Boy, and Tall And Lanky Looking Boy – affectionately. You locked eyes again and he widened his smile.

“Yesssss? Can I help you?” He asked in a playful tone. You extended your hand, flattening your palm to show off the dice.

“You dropped these.”

He looked at the dice and one of the boys whistled. Quickly looking back up to you with appreciation, he quickly took the dice and put them in his back pocket, “Geeze, thanks. Can’t believe I would’ve left those. They were custom made…” He looked back at you and tiled his head, “…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

You smiled, “Because you haven’t. I’m new…moved here this summer. Today was my first day,” You offered, but then remembered that today was everyone’s first day, “Well I mean, like here. In Hawkins.”

Long Curly Hair Boy chuckled and nodded, “No, I got what you meant. Well, welcome to the exotic and exciting Hawkins, Indiana! I’m Eddie,” He introduced the rest of the gang (Smaller Long Curly Hair Boy was actually named Dustin, and Tall and Lanky Looking Boy was actually named Mike).

“I’m Brooke,” You said after they were done. There was a moment of silence after pleasantries were exchanged and you raised your eyebrows, “Welp…I better get home. Even though it’s only the first day, I have like, 100 pages of reading for English, so…” You jabbed your thumb in the direction of the parking lot, your voice trailing off.

“Right, right. Well, we better go too…” Eddie started, crossing and uncrossing his arms, “Thanks again for saving my butt with my dice back there…and see you around.” He smiled again and the group said their goodbyes, walking away collectively as one organism again. You chuckled watching them leave.

Teenage boys are so fucking weird.

You headed out to the parking lot and got into your car. As you turned the radio up and rolled down your window, you found yourself smiling.

Yeah…maybe the first day wasn’t so bad.

Something about the new girl had thrown Eddie’s head for a minor tailspin.

Sure, he had only talked to her for like, 30 seconds. And sure, it wasn’t flirty by any means. But there was something about her…was it her smile? Or the way her hair was shining in the afternoon sunlight? Or maybe it was, even with such little conversation, Eddie could tell she was really nice – a “kind soul” was what he had heard it described as.

Jesus Christ, he knew this girl for all of two minutes and he was already waxing poetic.

Thankfully, he was able to shake the thoughts of her off as he focused back on the main thing he should be focusing on after the first day of school.

His new Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

Quickly scribbling ideas down, he worked through some new thoughts he had conjured up in third period. Smiling as he did so – he had a feeling Henderson would love the new direction he was taking it – he bobbed his head to the Iron Maiden tape playing in his stereo next to him. Thankful for the new, freshmen recruits he had met earlier in the summer, he hadn’t been so excited for a campaign in a long time – and this Friday, they were going to have their first, official Hellfire meeting of the school year.

��EDDIE,” Wayne screamed over his music, knocking on his door, “PHONE FOR YOU.”

“THANKS.” Eddie replied, not looking up as he shut the music off. He snagged the phone in his room out of its cradle, “Y-ello?”

“So she was really hot, right?” Dustin’s voice rang through the phone and Eddie heard Wayne’s chuckle as he hung up the other phone in the kitchen. Embarrassed, Eddie rolled his eyes, even though Dustin couldn’t see him.

“What?”

“I said, ‘she was really hot, right’?”

“No, Dustin, I heard you, but what the hell are you talking about?”

“The new girl!” Dustin groaned, “The new girl is pretty cute! You know exactly who I’m talking about!”

“Dustin…” Eddie sighed, rubbing his forehead in between his eyebrows, “I don’t even remember her name -”

“Yes, you do.”

Yes, I do.

“Whatever. Point is, who cares?”

“Who cares?! Us…we should care!” Dustin sounded exhausted already, “She’s a new girl – a new, hot, girl – and she was nice to us! On the first day! Do you know what that means?!”

“…no?”

“It means, genius, that we could get our high school credibility up! She doesn’t know that we’re the freaks of the school – yet – and she was nice to us! That combo means that we could have a pretty girl as a friend, thus making us cool!”

“Dustin…” Eddie winced internally at the word “freak”, “I don’t care about my credibility in this dumb town.”

“Well, it’ll make our lives easier! My whole life, I was thrown into lockers because I’m a nerd with new teeth basically every other year…if we have pretty, nice girl as a friend, that could change! We’ll still be nerds -”

“But with a pretty, nice friend?” Eddie finished, basically checking out of the conversation.

“Exactly!” Dustin shouted excited.

“Okay, Henderson, I’m going to hang up the phone now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ugh, okay fine. But just think about it, okay?!”

“Yeah, sure, bye.” Eddie rushed to hang up the phone, the idea of talking any more about Brooke making him sweat a little bit. He sighed, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders, before he turned his stereo on again.

But even with the pen in his hand, and music playing in his room, Eddie still couldn’t concentrate on his campaign, and tried shake the thought of you. He didn’t need to have a “nice, pretty friend” because he truly didn’t care, but it would be nice to have you as a friend.

Or at least, he thought.

Maybe “this will be my year” would take on a whole new meaning now.

---

A/N: thanks so much for reading, y’all! I have Eddie Munson brainrot right now, so even though I have oneshots AND another multi-chapter fic I’m working on, I guess my brain also decided I needed to write this one too lol. As always, your likes, reblogs, and comments mean the world to me, so they’re greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

the abandonment issues au,,

where Sun and Moon gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss their way into ur heart

and then turn into sad wet baby kittens when u find out and call them out on it <3

(copy and pasted from the space aces discord, sorry fellas lmao)

abandonment issues au:

ok what if. fucked up au time

where. reader is the new daycare assistant or a mechanic or smthn idk theyre working withh Sun and Moon thats the important part

i think it works better if theyre like, Sun n Moon's handler? Bc they r closer that way and it makes it more fucked up lmaooooo

so basically. this takes place right after Sun n Moon had their best friend-handler person leave bc Sun n Moon had been acting increasingly volatile n buggy n rlly just having issues but the more the previous handler tried to talk to them abt it and fix it the more they got anxious abt getting decommissioned and would cover up the problems n act like nothing was wrong

and eventually one day the previous handler nearly got rlly hurt and knew they had to leave bc it wasn't safe for them and they left a detailed warning/report for the mechanics

(and they didnt say goodbye, not out of malice or anything just bc they didnt want even more reasons for Sun n Moon to act up/potentially hurt them or themselves)

so. the mechanics did a total clean up of Sun n Moon's system, basically left their memories but scrubbed their data of a lot of the 'feelings' they'd had- mostly wiping away the feelings tied to 'good' memories, and the only thing Sun n Moon could do to fill in the void of 'feelings' was assign different feelings in their place, so when they once looked back and felt happy or nostalgic, now they feel confused and angry and sad and betrayed bc why was all of that happiness taken from them?? why did their handler hurt them like this??

so the scrubbing of their systems, which was one thing they really really didn't want to have done for fear of losing their memories entirely, DID work in putting their issues on a much lower level,, but it didn't get rid of the issues entirely. Now they're just,, easier to hide or play off or ignore. They're careful around the kids, of course, but they do at times have trouble with their motor controls or their speech will glitch slightly, etc

a few handlers come and go, never staying for more than a week or so- none of them really care about the job, don't see Sun n Moon as coworkers but more like fancy 'machines' with no real thoughts or emotions, they normally leave after Sun or Moon has a glitchy moment and nearly hurts them or, in at least one case, does hurt them by squeezing their wrist too hard. more often than not, the ppl applying for the position read the list of warnings n cautions and are like 'hell nahh' and bail immediately

then. in comes,, reader. local dumbass. most endearing of idiots. a bit dense. very much clueless. dearly beloved

you're the first one to really treat them like your coworkers, making small talk and being friendly and kind and patient and laughing at their jokes. you smile when you introduce yourself, offering your hand for them to shake- not afraid of them or their little twitches at all. god, how they missed that. you remind them of their previous handler, if only in how you see them like theyre people and not machines.

and they make a mutual agreement to do whatever they can to keep you as their handler. even if it means dodging around company rules and policies by doing something like crumpling up the confidential 'warning' forms, ortelling the occasional white lie, like forging your signature onto the papers when your back is turned and making sure it makes it to your manager without either of you noticing who exactly was putting it on their desk.

you've already started calling them your friends the first time they have a glitchy moment. you're doing detailing work on their endoskeleton, really just cleaning dust away and making sure everything looks the way it does in the manual, when they break something- a tablet, a pen, your phone, whatever it is, it happens in an instant and startles you.

when Sun n Moon come to and realize whats happened theyre terrified. what if you use this as some kind of excuse to leave? What if you abandon them, just like their previous handler did? What if you start treating them differently, or you tell the staff that they need to be scrapped

so when you ask what that was about, they're frantic, quick to come up with something, anything that might make you shrug and forget all about it,

"Well, you WERE just working on their insides, right? That must have been something YOU did to suddenly make us do something like THAT! There's no way else it could have happened. Right?"

You take the lie hook, line, and sinker, apologizing profusely, promising to try harder to make sure nothing like that happens again. The relief they feel is almost euphoric. They pat you on the head kindly, reassuring you that they know you didn't do it on purpose, it was just a little mess up! You're fine, friend, we forgive you.

From then on, they dodge blame and truth alike, most often redirecting your attention to something you must have said or done to make something so strange and out of character for them happen so suddenly, and you believe them, full of apologies and careful words and actions and nervous worrying about doing things wrong and hurting them somehow. It's cute, how anxious you can get. It's cuter, how you melt for their comfort and reassurance. 

They play the song and dance with you again and again, weaving doubt and guilt into you more and more frequently. Until one day, you mumble something about how 'maybe i'm not cut out for this, maybe i should switch to be on the janitorial team instead, or some other department, i don't want to hurt you guys, or-or be the reason someone else gets hurt, i clearly dont know what im doing, and it's only gotten worse, maybe i should talk to my manager,,' and they panic

don't be silly, friend!!!! you can't just leave like that, what about the kids, what about that puppet show you had helped them plan, did you really want to just abandon all that?? so what if maybe they had the occasional hiccup, you were always there to smooth it over, who cared whether they dropped things from time to time, or- or broke a toy or two, that didn't matter, did it??? You were getting so good at being their handler, your little mistakes were normal, come on, you don't want to leave your very best friends. Do you?

and you cave, agreeing to stay, and they are so, so extremely careful to hide their little moments from you for several weeks, making sure you don't notice their tiny twitches or split seconds of glitchy voices, maybe keeping a closer eye on you than would be comfortable, watching over your shoulder each time you type up a report about the day, giving the manager a loathsome glower behind your back whenever they happen by,, and every time you leave you say 'i'll see you guys tomorrow!,' they grab onto your sleeve and respond with 'promise?' so you always know that they really, really do want you to come back

and then. one day,, you decide to go looking in their files for something small and silly, like what kinds of updates had been added to their pick-up protocols, and you find the warnings and cautions forms

and you see your signature on them, but you would definitely remember this and you are absolutely certain you have never seen these papers in your life. and you take the papers and you go to ask them about it.

"i thought you said you never had any problems before? you told me you never had any issues before but this- this is full of things that you- and you, you've been having these problems for that long??"

they stumble over their words, frantic, panicked, backpedaling on everything theyve ever said, trying meekly to grab the papers from your hands, piling excuses on excuses 

"you knew? you knew you were having these problems, and you didn't tell me? and you- you told me it was my fault!"

you're close to tears, hurt that they lied more than anything. you keep backing away from them, dodging their attempts to get the forms. they don't know which is worse- seeing that look on your face, or when they were left without so much as a goodbye.

"you could have told me. i thought i was the reason for everything, i thought i was hurting you, and you just... you lied right to my face and let me think that."

theyre putting on their best soothing voice, movements slow and gentle, wanting to comfort you and wipe those tears away and reassure you somehow that this- this isn't their fault, none of it is, it never was, they're fine and you're fine and nothing was ever wrong, and everything will be fine if only you calm down and stay

you can tell they arent really listening. you take a deep breath and turn away from them, scraping the tears from your face. you tell them you're going to go home and write up a report about all of this and when you come back you can go over it together before you send it to management, but right now you're leaving because you need space to breathe and time to think

but all they hear is that you're leaving, and they panic.

they don't hurt you, of course! but right now you're not allowed to leave.

you try to shut out the sound of them crying and apologizing and begging, even if it breaks your heart, because right now all you want to do is go home and lie in your stupid bed and have a stupid cry in your favorite pajamas. but you try every door you can think of- none of them open. you've sstayed past closing more than once, but the doors aren't normally shuttered for another two hours,, and you're pretty sure the night guard isn't even here yet

the entire time you're walking around the 'plex, Moon is trailing sadly behind you, waiting with the saddest, most pathetic wet cat look an animatronic can achieve, for you to turn and face them again

and thus begins what is probably the longest night of your life, spent trying to avoid your animatronic friends/coworkers who are acting like the worlds clingiest ex who just got broken up with and who can't stop dropping sad love songs in ur dms

by the time morning rolls around, they agree to actually go to parts n services and cooperate and try their best to get whatever is wrong with them repaired, even if it means they might get decomissioned. in the mean time, you promise to come back once they're fixed and work with them to help them get back to their old selves- or at least, back to how they were before any potentially dangerous bugs

basically this is the 'sun and moon have abandonment issues and gaslight you abt it' au

idk what else would happen tbh idk why i thought this au needed to exist either but here we are *lays facedown in a puddle*

[softpascalito]

We got your back - Chapter 4

Summary: You work as a new DEA agent alongside Peña and Murphy. A not-so-kind colleague reveals more about you than you would like. You also realize you can sleep better if you're not by yourself. You're not the only one with that realization.

Relationships: Javier Peña x F!Reader

WC: 10k+

Tags/Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, mention of canon-typical violence, family issues, they arent specified but reader is implied to be from a dysfunctional family, literal sleeping together, one bed trope if you squint, tac vest javi, nightmares, cuddling, protective javier peña, mention of drugs

AO3 LINK // Series Masterlist

notes: we are back! sorry this took me so long, i started into the year super positive and motivated but then my best friend decided to fucking die so life hasn't been very slay. i hope you babes are doing better and enjoy the chapter <3

(i cope with humor, can you tell?)

Chapter 4

“She could no longer think, nor were there any more images in her head. She was aware only of the softness of the woollen bathrobe next to her skin, and then of the nearness and warmth of a being that did not frighten her.”

- Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

You have the first good day in weeks. Apart from the nagging feeling that you now have something else to hide - at least from Steve and the rest of your colleagues - you do feel well rested, getting through the assigned files and some more intel with record speed.

One of the higher-ups is celebrating a milestone birthday and orders dinner, causing more people than usual to stay late. Javi finds you in the crammed room where the plates of food have been set up and squeezes in next to you, flashing his signature charming smile, “May I?”

“Yeah, sure,” you mumble back, shifting slightly to give him more space. But with how full all the tables are, the people are a good excuse to let yourself get a little closer than you normally would. Somehow, it doesn’t feel weird, the way it likely would’ve before last night. It just feels safe.

You eat your dinner without speaking much, Javi practically wolfing his down. A frown spreads over your face at that, “You got plans after this?”

“Are you asking me out, querida?” Javi responds in between two bites, flirting so casually that it almost seems like second nature to him. Which according to the testimony of at least three women you know in the embassy, is exactly that. 

He cocks his brow as he turns towards you and for a split second, he looks serious, like he means it. The thought has you blushing furiously and you think you just may choke on a piece of your pasta when the familiar grin spreads over his face and with it, a similarly familiar warmth settles in your stomach. “I was just joking,” he reassures you again at seeing your cheeks change color and clears his throat before getting a little more serious.

“Wanted to go through some more files, not like this lot will get anything done tonight.” He nods towards the group of people gathered around the man who is apparently celebrating. They’ve finally opened up the first bottle of Aguardiente.

Of course, Javi knows that with the steadily rising alcohol level, he may just be able to persuade someone into giving him access to precisely the file he wants. Or at least provide enough distraction for him to sneak off and find it himself.

He can still hear Steve in the back of his mind, reasoning with him.

“Have you ever considered that the files are sealed because she wants them to be?”

He has, now. But he finds that he doesn’t really care. There is something there, something that might explain you to him a little more. A tiny voice in his head offers up the idea of just asking you, getting to know you like everyone else does.

But he quickly shakes that thought off. It’s nothing to him, personally at least. His interest is strictly professional of course. Nothing else.

Just as the first people start clearing out, Javi slips away too. You strain your neck, glancing around the room and towards the buffet but he’s nowhere to be found.

“Great,” you mumble to yourself as you follow suit and leave the table, heading out of the large oak doors of the conference room. A pit has formed in your stomach and it only deepens when you catch a glimpse of the time. It’s past nine already so chances are Javier really has headed off to meet some informant. You try not to consider who else he could be meeting and who else may wake up next to him in the morning.

Passing through the dimly lit corridors that lead to the DEA offices, you let out a small noise of annoyance with yourself.

It’s not like it’s any of your business what Javi does after closing time or who he meets. And it’s not really like you to judge him for it.

But today, you realize quietly, your disappointment stems from the pit in your stomach at the thought of having to go home to the apartment you’d rather forget and to spend a few hours tossing and turning on a mattress until it’s time to come back.

You haven’t met a single person on your way back to your office and you consider curling up next to your desk again. A glance around the office tells you that you’re not in luck, though. A few other co-workers still have their bags and jackets draped over chairs and desks and some will no doubt return to get them once they’re done eating. Javi finding you was one thing but they would be something else.

It takes a few seconds until the solution hits you and you take off past the open plan office and towards the smaller adjacent rooms in the back. The crammed file room that you’ve spent the last night in is sitting in darkness, the blinds almost completely closed. You decide against turning on the big light and simply make your way through the room- which is barely a few steps.

The orange glow of the streetlights filtering through the blinds is enough to let your hands find the couch in the corner and you settle onto it with a small sigh, content to just be still for a moment. It’s a little eerie, especially since you’re not sure if anyone other than Peña and Murphy frequents the space. But the sounds that do drift to you are low and distant, nothing more than a couple of cars honking a few blocks away and a dog barking somewhere in the distance.

You draw your legs up onto the couch, wrapping your arms around them for the lack of actual bedding and lean back, closing your eyes.

It doesn’t become apparent to you that you’ve passed out until you wake with a start. You’re semi-aware of something above you and you squint into the darkness of the room. You can’t see his face but there is the voice you know all too well.

“That you, cariño?” Javi mutters, already a blanket in hand that he nudges against you. It takes you a few more seconds to find your voice, bringing a hand up to rub your eyes, “Thought you left.”

“I came back. Here, go back to sleep. I’ll stay.”

You’re too tired to fight him, to put up any kind of resistance against making this a habit, to bring up that this is a bad idea, for the sake of both of you. The blanket warms you up so quickly, even more so with the way Javier’s body slowly comes to rest beside you. You think you answer something before you pass out again. You can’t remember what you say.

It’s not until the next morning, when you yawn as you head into the office kitchen, that you find out precisely why Javier snuck off last night.

There is cereal. And not the shitty kind- actual Cap’n Crunch, your favorite. The man beside you, who has a reputation for being a playboy and for never staying for breakfast, remembered the way you preferred your breakfast. It’s hard not to let it get to your head.

It does become routine after that. Javi lingers around the office until he can tell if you’ll leave or stay. Most nights you stay. Most turn into all. On the second night in a row, he lights himself a cigarette as he flips through a few more files before going to sleep. On the third, it goes from a bad to a really bad night when the nightmares you never seem to be able to get rid of come for you. For a second, you think this will be one step too far for him. But he barely seems to mind the way you cuddle a bit closer to him and he mumbles soft words until you go back to sleep.

He never mentions it during the day and neither do you. It’s almost like your sleeping arrangements are part of a different world, not the one that spins around your work, that’s full of drugs and death and everything else that makes sleep difficult. But Javi just feels- safe. He never asks too many questions. He just gets the blanket, sets his alarm, makes sure there is cereal in the morning. He feels like a godsent.

Of course, it’s only a question of time until someone notices something. You’re always careful to not head into your little room until everyone else is gone but occasionally, someone will show up too early or during the night- a spontaneous raid, a tip that needs instant investigating. Javi keeps the phone by his side constantly and it takes over a week for you to realize it may not just be to get alerts on developing situations but also to be alerted to someone coming into the office during unusual hours.

So when two weeks have passed and someone does catch you, Javi is glad it's Steve who is clearly just grabbing some files early in the morning and freezes in the doorway. He stares Javi down, who in return gently puts a finger onto his lips and motions for them to head to the hallway, gently closing the door behind himself as he steps out of the office.

“I have no way to be certain about Messina’s stance on this, but something tells me she wouldn't appreciate you bringing your hookers into the embassy,” Steve hums, unable to keep a small smirk off his face. Javi rolls his eyes in return, “I'm not an idiot, do you know that?”

He pauses for a moment and raises his hand just as Steve opens his mouth, “Don't answer that.” His mind is racing with too many thoughts at once. He’s not sure why, of all the things he could choose to tell Steve, he picks the truth when the lies would be so much easier.

“She was assigned a shitty apartment, hasn't been sleeping well. I remember you and Connie having similar issues after you arrived down here. With her, I figured we didn't use the room anyway and she-” he trails off. Steve brows have knitted together as the pieces slowly fall into place, “Somehow, a hooker would have been less complicated than a colleague.” There's another roll of eyes from Javi, the air a little thick with tension.

“I'm trying to help her. That's all.”

“You are trying to help her? Do you really expect me to believe that?” Steve shoots back, raising his voice until Javi motions for him to quiet down, nodding towards the door. The blonde man makes a face, but he does lower his voice as he repeats himself, “You expect me to believe that? You’re just helping her, no motive? It has nothing to do with you feeling the need to fuck your way through half the office by the time we finish the case?”

Javier actually groans at that, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. He moves his fingers to the side, using them to gently rub his tired eyes. His free arm is resting against his belt, the fingers twitching ever so slightly.

“Fuck you, Murphy. Just leave us alone and get your files in the morning.”

Steve looks like he wants to say something else, but then he thinks better of it. A small glare is sent towards his partner regardless.

“If you fuck this up somehow, Javi, I swear, I will make sure you get in real trouble. She’s too sweet for whatever you are trying to do here.”

It's two nights after the encounter with Steve- who has much to Javier's relief actually left them alone- when it happens again. It's been a particularly exhausting day for both of you, which actually made Javi hopeful that you'd both fall into a deep sleep as soon as you hit the couch. But it's been as mentally draining as it's been physically. And your mind clearly just won’t shut off.

It wakes him. The small stirring, the movement of your body beside his. He’s never been a particularly deep sleeper and Colombia has only made it worse, his brain seemingly always on alert to danger. So when he does wake, it takes Javi a few seconds to realize that the danger his brain is alerting him to is not a sicario sneaking into your room, it’s not a gun held to his head. It’s an entirely different kind of danger, one much less life-threatening but so much more complicated to fix.

A small groan escapes him as he reaches for the small light perched on the file cabinets, pulling the string attached to it. He blinks groggily as it flickers to life, bathing the room into a dim, dusty light. A few moments pass before he hears another whimper behind him and turns towards you, eyes already laced with concern.

Your features are scrunched up, lips slightly apart as the noises find their way out of your dream and into reality. Occasionally, a muscle twitches in your hands or your leg, making the whole scene even more eerie. But what gets Javier the most, what makes the pit in his stomach feel like one that could reach the ground floor, is the wetness on your face. Tears, undoubtedly slipping from your closed eyes and finding their way down the side of your face. It looks absolutely heartbreaking.

“Cariño,” he mutters under his breath, bringing his hand towards your arm and beginning to rub it in a gentle, circular motion.

“Wake up, it’s just a dream. You’re-” For a split second, he wants to say home. But he knows it's so far from the truth. He's not sure you consider any place in this country a home. Actually, he's not sure which place you do consider one.

“You’re alright,” he mumbles instead, adding a little more force to his touch and voice alike. His gaze never leaves your face as your eyes finally fly open, practically choking on the whimper that had just been leaving your throat. The panic is evident in your eyes, in the way they fly around, searching for something, anything to reassure you, to replace the pictures still floating in your mind. They find soft, brown eyes. It’s something to hold onto.

“There you are,” Javi hums, bringing his free hand to your face, his thumb catching the next tear that rolls out of the corner of your eye. “It's okay, you're safe. Just a bad dream.”

You blame it on the panic still sitting in your throat or the way you've just woken up, the way you don't even think about your movements as you move yourself into Javis arms, sneaking your arms around his waist and you think you feel him hesitate for just a moment before he wraps his arms around you in return, whispering reassurances into the dimly lit room and stroking your back.

You cry a little more, when the memories of the dream feel too overwhelming and he holds you through all of it, not once complaining about how long you’re taking to shake the thoughts off.

It’s a good half hour before you’re both lying down again, his back resting against the edge of the sofa, right arm wrapped lazily around you, “You want me to keep the light on for now?”

The idea seems a little silly to you but it takes you right back to evenings in your childhood bedroom, to what felt like endless nights of asking your father to plug in the small night light you'd gotten for christmas. It looked like a sheep, carrying a smile and enough light for you to be able to tell that there were no monsters hiding in the dark corners of your room.

“Querida?” You nod your head quickly, resting it back on his chest, “Yeah, I- let’s keep it on. If that’s okay.”

“Por supuesto que está bien,” (Of course that is okay,) Javier mumbles softly, his left hand reaching below your makeshift bed and producing a pack of Marlboros. You watch the movements of his hands, the ones you see him do at least ten times a day, his fingers reaching for a cigarette, placing it between his slightly parted lips. Pausing to search two pockets for his lighter before finding it.

At a small nudge from you, he pauses, raising a brow, “¿Sí?” You nod towards the pack that’s still resting next to him, “It’s really rude not to offer me one.”

“I thought you didn’t smoke,” he says, seeming genuinely confused for a moment and you almost take pity. You sneak your hand over his torso, drawing a cigarette from the half-empty pack, “I do now.”

To his defense, he does try and look stern for a moment. But he knows it'd be hypocritical at best if he of all people tried to stop you.

“It's a bad habit.”

“Well, then it's our bad habit.”

Javi thinks, for a split moment, that something entirely else is his bad habit. The way he looks at you when you fall asleep before him or the touches that seem to become more and more frequent the longer your sleeping arrangement continues. The way he jerks off in his shower at home, picturing your face, your body draped in his shirt a few nights ago when your blouse was simply too uncomfortable to sleep in. Spilling into his own hand with a groan at those thoughts. Yeah, that's definitely his bad habit.

“Are you going to light it for me or are you hoping it’ll disintegrate if you think hard enough?” You joke gently, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Teasing again already, are we?” Javi hums but he does reach for his lighter and brings it to your face, careful not to get too close.

He waits until you’ve both taken a few drags to ask his question.

“So what was it about?”

You swallow a bit at that, taking another long drag before you shake your head, “Nothing special. It’s already disappearing.” After another moment of thinking, you add, truthfully, “There was something with drugs in it.”

“Not very creative, I’d say. Five out of ten.”

You stare at him in disbelief, “Are you rating my nightmares, Peña?”

“I like to keep track,” he responds, giving you a small wink that you almost miss. You watch the smoke rising from the cigarette between his lips, sighing softly. You don’t like lying to him. Then again, it really was about drugs. Just not in the way he may think. It’s not your fault he’s stupid, sometimes.

“You’re silly. Go to sleep.”

“Go to sleep yourself.”

You do end up falling back asleep first, head still resting on his chest. Javi stays awake a little while longer, just in case the nightmares come back. At least that’s what he tells himself. And if he happens to use that opportunity to study your face a bit more? Well, it’s noones business.

end notes: if you enjoyed this, please reblog and/or leave a comment <3 also subscribe on ao3 or follow me here to catch the next update!

[atomic--peach]

Her Grace's Handmaiden Pt 10.

(Sandor Clegane x Fem Reader x Cersei Lannister. SMUT: Domme Cersei, light knife play, fingering, bondage, light degradation, overstimulation, oral <male receiving>)

AO3 VERSION: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48276340

The day had finally come for you to return South and you were glad of it.

There was nothing worse, in your opinion, than being trapped in a clearly troubled place where there is nothing you can do to help.

Before you left, Theon Greyjoy stopped you. "Apologies, my lady. But, Lady Stark would like to have a word before you leave."

Catelyn Stark had holed herself up in main tower at her child's sick bed, never leaving as far as you knew.

You agreed, following the young man up the stairs and finding Lady Stark sitting in a worn wooden chair, hands clasped at her knees. She looked more ghost than woman.

"My Lady?" You breathed carefully, as if approaching a baby deer. "You sent for me?"

"Lady Clegane" Catelyn almost jumped when she saw you, as if she had forgotten summoning you at all, "Thank you Theon, you may go."

Left alone with Catelyn, you let your eyes wander the the little bundle in the middle of the bed. "How is he?"

"No change." Catelyn sighed, "but the Maesters say he is out of danger now"

She turned to you with sunken, sullen eyes. "I've asked you here to ask a favor."

"Anything, my lady" you nodded, feeling great pity for the woman before you.

"This will be my daughters' first trip south, away from home." Catelyn breathed, "Their father will be with them, and he is a good man, he is but...."

Fresh tears began to well up in her eyes and she wiped them away firmly.

"They've never been away from their mother before and I need...I am asking you to watch out for them, as if they were your daughters. Please, do this for me?"

"Oh of course, Lady Stark." You were relieved the assignment was so straight forward, "I will do everything I can."

You weren't expecting the sudden onslaught of physical contact as Lady Stark wrapped her arms around your neck.

"Oh thank you!" She sobbed, "thank you, thank you."

You nodded and waited for her to let go before clearing your throat. "Forgive me, Lady Stark. But I must go before they leave without me."

"Of course" she pulled away, face once again wet with tears, "go, go. You mustn't keep them waiting"

You gripped her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, "my prayers will be with you, Lady Stark"

---------

"What did she want?" Sandor grumbled, annoyed you had left him holding your mare's reigns to wait for you.

"She asked me to keep an eye on her girls." You sighed, "that poor woman, she looked closer to the grave than her son."

"It doesn't feel right" Sandor mounted Stranger as you pulled the mare up beside him. "Give me a good, clean death. I wouldn't want to get stuck between."

"Ugh" you pulled a face, "I don't want to think of you dying. There's been enough unpleasantness these last few weeks. I'm just glad to be going home."

Sandor didn't say anything, not wanting to point out that all that likely waited for you in Kings Landing were bitter nobles and nasty rumors about the upstart handmaiden who had slept her way into the Queen's Court.

He knew there was very little he could do to shield you from that. His speciality was in the feild and the fighting pits, with his sword or his fists. The gentry was an entirely different beast.

Part of him wanted to ship you off to the Westerlands to Clegane Keep. It was a generous bit of land gifted to his grandfather by the Lannisters, and had plenty of forest and farms to draw a profit from if you actually bothered to maintain it.

But the queen would never allow it, and a part of himself wouldn't either. Away from him meant closer to something else. Brigands, lustful lords, and worst of all, Gregor.

Sandor knew that at some point, some point uncomfortably soon, you would have to formally meet your new brother by law. Gregor was more beast than man, never sticking around court too long lest he find some stuck up noble to decapitate or unlucky lady to rape.

How would Gregor react to his younger brother marrying before he did? Probably producing a Clegane heir before he did? Would he see it as a challenge to his seat?

Sandor prayed he didn't.

But he didn't bring this up, not to you. Instead he rode in comfortable silence beside you, keeping an eye out for Prince Joffrey, who was probably being held hostage by his lioness mother trying to woo Lady Sansa.

That poor kid, he thought, that family was going to eat her alive.

___________

At dusk, you had come to an inn and thanked the gods for it. Who knew just a few weeks at Winterfell would soften your legs so much.

"Ow," you hissed as the chaffed flesh of your thighs touched. "Dammit"

"Sore?" Sandor smirked, his thighs of iron practically impervious to riding sores. "Perhaps you need something between them to make you feel better"

"You offering?" You challenged him with a teasing smile.

"Run along" the not-knight pulled down your hood and kissed the top of your head, "you queen wants you."

Cersei smiled as you approached the royal carriage. "Lady Clegane, come sit with us" she reached out to you and you took her hand carefully as you climbed into the carriage.

Inside was Lady Sansa and Princess Marcella who had been chatting like eager birds.

"You remember Lady Sansa?"

"Of course" you nodded to the spry 12 year old who nodded back politely. "How is the travel treating you so far?"

"I've never been so far from home before." Sansa confessed, "it's thrilling"

"I hadn't traveled much before this either" you agreed. "But this Northern countryside is just heavenly. So quiet."

"You must be exhausted, my darling" Cersei fussed "all that time on that beast, you must join me in the carriage at least once"

"I will try to tear myself away, your grace" you promised almost teasing, relaxing as the queen linked her arm in yours.

"You, guard." The queen swiftly called to random servant, "find the Hound and tell him Lady Clegane will be spending the evening with the Queen and not to worry." She glanced at you, eyes tracking your form like a wild cat, "She will be very well taken care of"

"At once, your grace" the servant scurried away and you smiled shyly.

"The king will not mind?" You whispered, unsure how much could be said in front of the younger girls.

"His Grace is busy orientating his new Hand" Cersei assured you, "trust me, he won't even notice. Now-" she raised her voice, indicating they no longer needed to talk in circles around Sansa and Marcella.

"I sent a raven to my dressmaker while we were in Winterfell and bless him, he was able to get a response back to me before we left. If we take your measurements and sent them to Kings Landing tonight, he should have some gowns ready for you upon our arrival. Any alterations needed can be done when we get there."

"Wow" you were awestruck at the efficiency. If left to your own devices you wouldn't have known where to begin. "I can not thank you enough, your grace."

"Nonsense" Cersei moved to leave the carriage, trailing you and the girls behind her like ducklings. "I will not have you looking any less than your best when you're received. Marcella, why don't you run along and find your Septa, I'm sure you have some lessons to go over. And Sansa, isn't you sister around here somewhere?"

The girls dutifully fled as Cersei's arm went from your elbow to your waist, "and you, Lady Clegane" she breathed, "will take me up to my room"

The innkeep had set aside the two largest rooms in the inn for the King and Queen. Cersei's room contained a large 4 poster bed, a writing desk, full length mirror edged in carved oak, and a fireplace.

"Have you ever had your measurements taken?"

"No" you swallowed, knowing damn well that wasn't why she'd stolen you away for the evening.

"Stand up straight" Cersei pulled a measuring tape from her bags. "Arms at your sides, there's a lamb"

The Queen's breath warmed the back of your neck as she measured your legs, your waist and bust, and your arms finger tip to finger tip.

For a moment you thought you had fooled yourself. She hadn't called you up here for anything more than measurements, that was all.

Your skin prickled as the leather measuring tape brushed your throat suddenly, unsure when it had even gotten there. The strap pressed against your windpipe lightly, not enough to restrict you but enough to threaten.

"Put your arms behind your back" Cersei purred into your ear, nipping gently at the lobe until you obeyed. You felt the thin leather wrap around your right wrist, then your left before they were pulled together tightly.

"I want to tell you a story" Cersei's hands fell to your hips, guiding you to the full length mirror. Her chin rested on your shoulder thoughtfully, running her hands up and down your body.

"When I was a little girl, I had a doll. Well, actually, I had a great many dolls. But one doll in particular was my favorite. I thought she was the most beautiful doll in the world."

As the story began, you watched in amazement as her elegant hands cupped your breasts and rubbed tender circles on your hips. It was like they moved on their own, Cersei fully engrossed in her own story and letting her hands grope and feel as they pleased.

"I took that doll with me everywhere I went. I brushed her hair, made sure all her dresses were clean and beautiful. When her paint chipped, I made my father's craftsmen repaint her as if nothing had happened"

Her hands found your clothes nipples now, rubbing her thumbs over them until the hardened and ached.

"Then, one day, my father informed me that I had grown to old for dolls. He made me throw her away with all her beautiful dressed, and I cried and protested but in the end the doll was gone." Cersei's hands came back to your shoulders, hugging you to her in a surprisingly tender embrace. She kissed down your next and back up again until she reached the shell of your ear.

"But now, my doll has come back to me, hasn't she?"

"I- yes, my queen" you agreed, not fully understanding but playing along.

"Hmmm" she cooed and looked you up and down in the mirror, pulling at your riding gown critically. "I don't like this dress on my doll."

You gasped as the skirt of your dress was sliced down the back. "Your Grace!"

"Shhh sh sh." Cersei hushed you, fingering the small blade she kept hidden in her sleeves, flashing the blade at you in the light. "Don't flinch now, I don't want to knick you"

You tried to keep as still as can be as the sound of blade cutting through wool filled the room and more and more of your body was exposed to the cool air. You jumped when the knife ripped open your bodice, earning you a sharp slap on the tit that stung wonderfully.

"Now look" Cersei forced you to look back into the mirror, hands once again traveling up and down your now exposed flesh. "Isn't that so much better?"

"Y-Yes, your grace" you closed your eyes to the slight but Cersei bit into your shoulder.

"Keep looking" she hissed, cupping your bare breast in both her hands and making you watch as she pinched and pulled your sensitive nipples.

Once a hot flush had filled your face and chest, Cersei pushed your legs apart with a growl. "Let me see" she taunted, slipping a hand down your back, affectionately toying with your bound wrists before you saw her clever hand appear between your legs in the mirror.

She stroked your folds softly, reveling in how quickly you got wet for her.

"When I do this" she stared into your eyes through the mirror, "I want you watching. I want you to see how beautiful you look getting fucked. If you stop watching, or if you close your eyes, I will punish you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, my queen" you were trembling by now, desperate for her to touch you and oddly intrigued by your own reflection.

The queens graceful fingers wasted no time dipping between your wet folds, gathering your wetness before slipping up to rub your clit. It was an usual experience, being forced to stand, forcing your knees not to buckle as she pinched the nub between two fingers and rubbed in circles.

"Eyes open" Cersei cracked her free hand against your ass and your eyes shot open instantly.

Once your knees were buckling, Cersei slipped three fingers inside of you. The intrusion almost made you double over, if she hadn't caught you by the hair and kept you standing.

"Remember to keep quiet this time sweetling," Cersei chuckled into your ear as you bit your lip to keep the moans from spilling out. "That's right, good girl."

The sting from your scalp meeting the relentless pleasure between your legs had you struggling to keep from falling off the edge, but you didn't. You wanted to keep going for as long as you could.

"My sweet girl, my little doll. I know your close" Cersei pressed, curling her fingers up into your g-spot. "You know, everyone had has the pleasure of watching that sweet little face of yours cum. Me, Jaime, your precious Hound."

She taunted you as you struggled against your bindings, the restraint becoming all too much.

"Everyone but you. Have you any idea how pretty you look, when your eyes roll back, sweating, flushed? It's fucking addictive."

The queen knew you were fighting it off, desperate to keep this going, to be the center of her frantic and cruelly pleasurable attentions.

"Stubborn little slut, aren't you?" she growled. "Fine then, you can't hold out forever"

The withdrawal of her hands felt like punishment and you sealed your mouth to muffle an involuntary sob that turned into a whine.

"Don't worry, doll." The queen dragged the chair from the writing desk to the mirror, pushing you down into it with a menacing grin

"You're not done until I say you're done"

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

It was the hour of the Rat when Sandor finally decided to look for you.

Neither you nor the queen had been to dinner, and you hadn't been seen for hours.

"I have an idea" Robert had grumbled, three sheets to the wind.

Approaching the highest floor of the inn, Sandor paused moment. It sounded like something had fallen with a dull thud.

Stripped of plate, he tried to be a quiet as possible as he drew closer. He didn't know why he had come, it's not like he didnt know what was going on behind that door.

Part of it, he presumed, tracked back to that night in camp when your cried of agony and pleasure had been the symphony of the night.

A siren's song.

He could hear that song again, but it was muffled now.

"Have you learned your lesson, sweetling?"

He strained to hear the response and sucked in a breath when the sound of flesh hitting flesh drew forth a drawn out moan.

"Too fucked out to answer? That's fine" The queen purred, "I wonder how your husband would feel seeing you like this? Blissed out, cunt swollen and drenched, ass bruised. Would he be disappointed by his little slut of a wife?"

The description alone has Sandor growing hard as his mind wandered.

"No, don't look so sad. I don't think so" Cersei's voice became something resembling encouraging. "I bet he'd find you just as beautiful as I do. Should we ask him? He's right outside."

Sandor's stomach dropped as the bedroom door squealed open and he stumbled back. Queen Cersei was draped only in a floor length silk robe, and from this angle it covered very little.

"Looking for your wife?"

The Hound's mouth went dry and silent as the queen chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Come along, she's right this way."

The queen had never really spoken to him before, let alone touched him, so it was strange when she grabbed his large hand with her lithe one and pulled him into the bedroom, closing the door firmly.

You were probably more beautiful now than he had ever seen you.

Laid out on the bed like a girl from the gods. Your arms stretched above your head and held in place by a leather strap exposed the whole of your body for his eyes to feast on. Your nipples were puffy and lightly bruised, shining with saliva to match the swollen lips of your cunt. Your eyes were screwed shut as if trying to block out everything in the world, trying to bring yourself back to earth, and your hair was fanned out in the pillows behind you like a halo.

"What do you think Clegane?" The queen prompted you. "Do you think she's had enough?"

He blinked hesitant, entirely unsure how to interact with the royal in this situation.

"Don't be shy" Cersei moved across the room, pouring herself a cup of wine then offering his some. He accepted.

She sat next to you on the bed, removing the bindings at your wrists and offering you a sip from her wine cup. "Darling? Your knight is here for you. He got worried, isn't that sweet?"

Your eyes settled on him over the rim of the cup and before he could argue you were pulling him by the hands towards the bed.

"Darling" you cooed into his ear. "Sweet husband. My love, please hold me" you begged him in a voice so sweet it would have killed him to deny you.

He swept you up carefully, melting as your curled your face into his chest sighing.

"One moment now" Cersei pulled a loose frock from a chest. "You can't very well walk her through the inn like that."

Carefully she helped you slip into the dress. It was as if you were drunk, only there was no smell of wine or beer on you. You stumbled occasionally, leaning on either your husband or your lover to catch yourself.

"Goodnight sweetling" Cersei killed your mouth firmly, then your forehead. "Go on now"

Clegane moved to pick you up again but as he bent down he froze. Cersei pressed her soft lips against his gently, almost chastely if he hadn't smelt the distinct scent of sex on her.

"Be good to her" she leaned into his ear, hand pressed against his shoulder, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

By now you were able to walk, and the bliss filled fog that had clouded your mind was clearing.

"We should go" you urged them, pulling your shell shocked husband gently. "Before the king catches us"

"She's right" Cersei agreed, "a woman is one thing, but if Robert thinks I've pulled you into this that's all our heads"

Rushing out into the night, you gasped as Sandor pressed you against a wall when you turned the corner. His kiss was insistent and fierce, hands cupping your jaw firmly.

"Darling." You sighed into his mouth, "did you miss me that much?"

He breathed heavily, trying to figure out what to say. "Is it always like that?"

You laughed and shook your head "I think she was just in a really good mood"

"I may have to learn a thing or two from our queen" Sandor growled, "You looked like an angel laid out like that."

His hips pressed against you hard, grinding slightly and you smiled tiredly. "Darling, I dont think I have it in me to go again"

He grumbled in disappointment but moved to free you until your hands gripped his hips.

"But, my throat feels just fine"

[haleswallows]

I'm still on hiatus. Just already had this written and it felt like such a shame to not post it.

For @aug-kissed - Week 1 Indirect Kiss | Blow a Kiss | Butterfly Kisses Fandom: DC x DP Pairing: Dead on Main Rating: Explicit (NSFW) Sequel to: Fuck Me Like You Need It Summary: Danny meets a cute boy in the cafe. What else was he supposed to do? Teaser: Danny makes a deal with the devil himself. If he manages his homework, then tonight will be for getting fucked again. Satisfied with his plans, Danny dives into the geomatics assignment. Take that, Jazz! Danny can totally manage tasks and priorities. And without a planner!

Hyperfocus takes over. Danny’s vaguely aware of the coffee shop getting busy around him. His books have colonized a pretty significant part of the table. Slowly, he cedes his territory. Doesn’t even look up when someone sits next to him.

He surfaces for air, hand cramping. Danny searches for his coffee cup, finds it at his elbow and a little confused it isn’t where he remembers setting it last. Nose crinkling, Danny glares at the lid. That isn’t coffee. That’s tea, nothing more than glorified hot leaf juice. Disgusting. Danny prefers hot bean juice.

A stifled laugh makes him jump. Danny turns to the person - woah, hot guy - sitting directly next to him. Slowly, his mind grinds through a realization. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry, I stole your drink!” He sets down the cup, pushing it towards the hot guy.

Who smiles, amused. All rogue-ish and cocky.

“No worries. You looked like you were pretty focused.” He leans back and Danny gets a better look. First thought? Built, holy shitballs, built. Load bearing thighs, a tiny waist, broad chest, stacked shoulders. Arrogant smirk, pretty greenish-blueish eyes, and a white streak in his hair. Oh no, he’s Danny’s type. And Danny already embarrassed himself!

“Let me buy you another,” Danny pleads. He can feel how flushed he is, guts writhing in embarrassment.

“Nah, it’s fine. Promise.” Then, hot dude takes a sip, cocks his eyebrow.

[peaches2217]

“I’m here to kidnap the king,” Luigi says, leaning into the room where Mario’s busying himself with administration work.

“I was rather hoping you would.” Toadsworth has clearly been assisting him, but now he’s tidying up and sweeping papers aside as Mario’s head swivels back and forth between the two. Then Toadsworth is herding him towards the door and bidding him a restful afternoon as he’s led away. Luigi tries not to find Mario’s flustered confusion funny, but he can’t quite help himself.

That said, Mario looks awful. His eyes are dark and sunken in, his hair and mustache are messier than usual, and the stubble on his chin and cheeks is patchy, like he hurriedly started shaving days ago and then gave up halfway through. It’s not really surprising; Peach is due any day now, and he’s taken on her responsibilities while she’s on combination bed rest/baby watch.

Peach, in fact, is the one who sent Luigi to kidnap Mario. He spends all day fretting over royal duties he’s not as well-equipped to handle and then spends all night fretting over her. The only sleep he gets is when he gets still and his body forces him into rest, but he’s right back up as soon Peach makes the slightest movement or he hears any sound other than basic ambience. And Peach can’t even stand for very long without help at this point, so her efforts to get him to relax and rest have amounted to nothing.

Cue an elaborate plot that involves Luigi, Daisy, Toadette, and Toadsworth, because she knows four people is the absolute bare minimum it’ll take to get him to stop struggling.

So while Luigi leads his bedraggled brother to a spare bedroom, he lets him know that Toadsworth is covering all of his assignments (which he’s more adept at anyway), Daisy and Toadette are keeping Peach company and watching over her condition, they’ll let the brothers know if there’s any developments, and otherwise, Mario is going to sleep for the rest of the day at the absolute least.

Mario, predictably, resists. These are all his burdens to bear! He’s king consort! He’s Peach’s husband! He’s the father of her child! He can’t just put all of this off onto other people! And Luigi just hums and nods and lets him keep ranting while he coerces him into some nightclothes, because he’s sure talking is the only thing keeping him awake at this point.

Somehow, he finally gets Mario to lay down, and he climbs under the covers with him, both because it’s the best way to guarantee he won’t try sneaking out at some point and because he wants to let him know he’s there, and he can, in fact, give his burdens to other people. That alone does wonders. Comfortable, warm, and alone with his brother, Mario cracks and lets it all out: he’s scared, and he feels worthless. Not because he’s not as good a ruler as Peach, no, him being acting ruler is only temporary after all. But he feels like he’s failing her.

Luigi holds Mario and strokes his hair as he sleepily, almost tearfully pours his heart out. The final weeks of her pregnancy have taken a toll on Peach. She’s weakened, and she’s uncomfortable, and he can’t change that. He can help, but he can’t take away her pain. And what sort of a man does that make him? He’s supposed to protect her. He’s supposed to protect them. Surely he’ll make for one sorry father if his inability to help Peach is any indicator. He doesn’t care that he can’t sleep; she’s constantly tired too, so the least he can do is share in her suffering at least a little. He wishes he could suffer more. He would take it all from her if he could, but he can’t, and he’s convinced himself that that’s some kind of moral failing on his part.

Anyone listening could tell you his fears are nothing more than a combination of new parent jitters and sleep deprivation blowing otherwise rational concerns out of proportion, but that doesn’t make Luigi’s heart hurt any less for him. Mario’s top priority has always been the well-being of his loved ones. There’s a lot on his plate right now, and there’s absolutely no way he can manage it all alone, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying. Luigi wishes he would have stepped in sooner.

But for now, all Mario needs is a listening ear and many, many, many hours of sleep. Having given him the former, Luigi encourages him to take the latter, promising to help in any way he can once they wake up. Mario’s family is his family too, after all. And having used up the last of his energy lamenting his woes, Mario finally stops resisting.

“She’s so strong, Weegee,” he mutters, and Luigi can barely understand him. He’s already dozing off. “I need to be strong too.”

“Then sleep, stars’ sake.” Luigi grins and ruffles his hair. “You can’t take care of her unless you take care of yourself too.”

Mario makes a noise that might be an agreement or might be one final protest, and then he’s breathing deeply and evenly. He sleeps until the following afternoon, and Luigi stays by his side the whole while.

[beaker1636]

O is for Orgasm Denial - Chris

Chris lets out a sigh, having been up working on a new song idea and struggling with it most of the morning.  Unable to figure out what he doesn’t like but he doesn’t and it is frustrating him…. And maybe the fact that they all said he was facing a punishment of some sort for hanging up on Justin the other day is looming over his head too.  Especially knowing Rick is the one who assigns him things and Rick can be a total douchebag when he wants to be.

He gets a text message and glances down at his phone, noticing it's the group chat and from Vinny.

“Rick passed, Lottie had no clue until she noticed that Naomi had a mark on her throat.” Vinny says in his message followed by a laughing emoji.

“Naomi still hasn’t stopped bitching about me making her do that… guess I still lost and get blue balls for awhile. Anyway Chris, I have yours and what I’m giving you is also what your punishment is if you are ready?” Ricky responds as well.

“Do I want to know?” Chris sends with a groan, not looking forward to this.

“Probably not, O is for Orgasm Denial, but only for you, Mia has to finish… and has to finish at least one on your dick but you can’t.  You cum you lose,” Ricky sends.

Chris doesn’t even try to respond, his frustration he was already feeling and then getting a message like that has him sending his phone across the room in annoyance.  Nothing is going how he wants it to today and now this… is it even worth trying honestly.

You hear his phone hit the floor and know something isn’t right, you move to his office quickly, wanting to check in on him because that isn’t like him to throw things around and suddenly feel a bit concerned when his head is resting on his desk, showing you that he feels like shit about something.

“Chris, baby, the new song must not be coming out how you want it?” You ask gently, sitting on the edge of his desk.  Without thinking you reach out and start to toy with his hair, wanting to give him some comfort.  When he moves so his head is laid in your lap where you are sitting you take that as a sign that he wants you to continue so you do.  This continues for several minutes before he finally moves, sitting up slouched in his desk chair as he looks at you sitting on his desk.

“No, it's not going well at all.  I’m struggling with this more than I thought.  And then I got our stupid letter and Rick decided to punish me because I hung up on Justin the other night when I was supposed to be watching… I just got frustrated.  Shouldn’t have thrown my phone like I did but.” he lets out a groan, his eyes meeting yours.

“Yeah, that was pretty stupid but we all always have bad days, yours is just today.  Come on, let's go take a relaxing bath and then we will worry about the letter and everything else.  And if we need to skip this one we skip it, we can make it a week without if we need to,” you say softly, moving to stand up and pull him out of his seat.

When he doesn’t answer but stands up with you, you take that as your answer, leading him towards the bathroom and starting to run some water in the tub before telling him to pick out a bath bomb that he wants.  Once he is settled in the warm water and starting to relax you sit on the floor next to the tub, continuing to play with his hair.  Occasionally your fingers trail up and down his arm that is closest to you while you continue to help him relax some.  Feeling better when you can tell it is working, can feel his tension slowly starting to fade away.

“Thank you Mia, you always know just what I need,” he says softly, turning to give you a quick kiss and a small smile.

“Of course, that is what I’m here for.  Now, are you relaxed enough to tell me what our letter is? It seemed like it was part of your stress earlier…” you ask, trailing off and more than okay if he chose not to tell you quite yet.  Right now you are worried more so about what he needs than what the game says.

“Because I am why Justin technically didn’t finish his last letter I got a punishment letter.  It’s orgasm denial, so I have to get you off with my dick but I can’t finish or else I lose… and I’ll be honest I am not looking forward to this at all. But I also want to do it to prove to them that I can do it and they didn’t get one over on me…. If I can pull it off,” Chris admits, glancing at you.

“I mean we can skip it if you want to, we’ve gone longer without it due to tours and stuff, we can make it work.  We don’t have to do this one, or we just do it like normal and then spend a few days without it,” you answer.  You don’t want him to beat himself up over it, knowing it could cause more frustration issues over something stupid that isn’t worth struggling with.

“No, I want to prove that I can deal with this, honestly… and also show myself I can,” Chris answers, his eyes meeting yours before he winks at you. “So why don’t I get out and we can have some fun yeah?”

You roll your eyes, moving to grab him a towel while he pulls the plug from the bathtub before standing up to dry himself off before turning towards you with a smirk.

“Go lay down, lose your clothing on the way,” he says, watching you closely as you giggle and scurry your way out of the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind you on your way as you walk into the bedroom.  He rolls his eyes, knowing he should have guessed you'd do something like this but it still caught him off guard that you didn’t show any reservations.  

He follows behind you slowly, wanting to give you some time to do as he told you, though part of him would be lying if he said he also wants to give you a reason for him to spank your pretty ass until it is a nice shade of pink.  When he steps in the room and finds that you are laying down on the bed naked like he asked, he is slightly disappointed. 

He leans over you, his lips almost on yours before he whispers “good girl.” 

You watch him for a moment but then suddenly feel his lips on yours, wanting you to relax a little as he helps you get in the mood.  You relax and lay against the bed, accepting the kiss with him as he increases the pressure on your lips, his tongue quickly finding yours as he leans into you.  His body pressing tightly into yours as both of you begin to feel needy, wanting to feel close to each other.  You focus on him, his lips start to trail, leaving a trail as he kisses under your ear, then slowly working down your neck and chest, wanting to turn you into a needy mess before he even touches you down there.

“If I have to do this then I need to make you so sensitive that you come undone for me almost instantly, turning you into a needy mess. You better be prepared for a lot of teasing,” he murmurs before settling his lips on one of your nipples.  Slowly circling it, sucking on it, bringing it to a hard peak before biting it lightly.  Watching how you shift the more he teases it, starting to feel more needy and make you want more for him.  But rather than giving you what you want he moves to your other one, spending several minutes giving it the same attention and more, building you up more and more.  Enjoying when you start to whimper underneath him, enjoying what is happening more and more but also growing frustrated. 

“Shh, be a good girl and take it, only good girls get what they want yeah?” He whispers against your skin, knowing that he is starting to get to you… enjoying that he is.

I nod acknowledging him as his lips continue to trail down your chest and belly, towards where you want him the most now, but he skips over it, moving towards your inner thigh but close to your knee, chuckling when he hears you whimper slightly when he does.

His lips slowly move up, starting to leave a trail of kisses and soft, gentle licks up the inside of your thigh before moving to the other one, his eyes watching your face closely, enjoying the look on your face.  

When he finally decides you’ve had enough teasing he uses his arms and pulls you down towards the edge of the bed before getting off and kneeling on the floor in front of you, placing your thighs on either shoulder before he leaves a couple teasing licks among your folds.  One soft lick on either side of your clit, not quite meeting where you need him at, feeling you lightly shift your hips trying to get what you need.  He lays an arm across your lower stomach, trying to make you stay still before finally wrapping his lips around your clit, giving it a few gentle sucks as two of his fingers work their way inside you.  Teasing you, moving slowly and making you want more as you lean on your arms so that you can watch him as he works between your thighs.

Your eyes meet his as he looks up at you, making you flush.  You know that you honestly shouldn’t be embarrassed by this right now, the two of you have definitely done much worse with him but you still feel shy at moments like these, and you honestly hope that feeling doesn’t leave, it is part of the fun for you.  That he can still make your heart race with just a look, make you crave him while barely doing anything.  

“Hmm you want more don’t you.  Want to cum… beg for it,” he says with a smirk, watching you closely and pulling himself away from you.

“Fuck, chris, I, you know I hate when you make me beg,” you whine, hoping to talk him out of doing it but he gives you that look, letting you know that he is serious and if you want it then you have to do as he says.

“Ugh fine, please Chris, you know that you have me close, have me wanting you.  I, I want to cum, no I need to cum, I please.  In the morning I’ll blow you without whining about swallowing if you let me finish right now, please,” you whine, looking at him with a flush on your cheeks, your eyes half lidded from the pleasure he is bringing but also withholding.

  He nods slightly, accepting what you are asking for and dipping his head back down, getting to work quickly with his tongue and fingers, finally moving hard enough to give you what you need, knowing that he is bringing you to the edge again.  With one particular harsh thrust of his fingers you do, finishing as he works you through the orgasm, you slowly come back down with a smile on your face as you watch him.  

 Grabbing one of his arms you pull him back up towards you, kissing him while ignoring the fact that you can taste yourself on his lips.  That is something that you will never get used to despite how many times you both have kissed after he has gone down on you.

After a moment he slowly pulls away and glances at you with a soft smile, “You ready for number two?”

I nod, but then let out a sigh, a little annoyed that you know he can’t get anything out of this too, but fully intending to make it up to him in the morning.  Wanting him to get to enjoy himself too… maybe he just needs to take a quick shower once you are done so he can relieve himself some.

His lips meet yours again as he lines himself up with your entrance, having absolutely no resistance when he sinks in, both of you letting out a sigh at the sudden shift of change, enjoying it.  He doesn’t waste much time, wanting to bring you to your second orgasm sooner than later so he can go take care of himself after, so he doesn’t reach the point where he can’t stop himself anymore.

When his hips start to harshly meet yours you let out a moan, feeling so full, so good already that you can’t help but enjoy it.  Your hips are now starting to buck to meet his, suddenly growing frustrated because he suddenly stops.

“Sorry, I was starting to feel myself get close, didn’t want to yeah…”

This happens a couple more times, you grow more and more aggravated each time, how the hell can they expect you to get off from his dick if he has to keep stopping every time you are about to.  You audibly let out an annoyed groan the next third time he has to stop, effectively edging you over and over.

He starts again, his fingers reaching between the two of you to toy with your clit, wanting you to grow closer and finally cum so he can head to the shower and deal with his problem himself.  He can tell you are close, feel you clenching around him which is drawing him close but he’s pretty sure you’ll smack him again if he makes you stop.  

When you finish, clenching around himself he realizes it's too late, it pulls him over the edge with you as he finishes inside of you with a groan.  He doesn’t even care at that point, the edging making it feel that much stronger, making it hit him harder than normal as he lays his head down against your chest while coming back down.

Both of you are silent for a bit, realizing that you both just lost your first round of this game, a little frustrated but also accepting that it was going to happen.  Either you lost because he finished or you would lose because you refused to sit there and let him keep stopping whenever you felt close so regardless you we’re going to lose.

“So… we grab some dinner and have round two to make up for the week we are going to have to go without once we tell the guys I lost?” Chris asks with a wink, making you laugh before you nod.

“Sounds like a plan.”

[opalimagines]

Bad Influence

After your first week at school, a teacher warns you about your friendship with Rick, and you realize just how the people of Blue Valley see him. Takes place early season three.

Rick Tyler/gn!reader

Warnings: tiny reference to sickness/vomiting

Notes: There was a request for Rick keeping snacks on hand for a speedster so I've been working that into a few parts of the series :)

"(Y/N), if you could stay for a moment..."

Surprised to hear your name, you stopped in the doorway and looked back at Mr. McFarlane, who was standing near his desk. You turned to Rick and smiled. "See you later."

"Yeah, sure," he said, readjusting his bag where it hung from his shoulder. Rick gave you a nod and continued down the hall to his next class. Usually, you would walk with him since your class was on the way, but apparently Mr. McFarlane had different plans.

You moved further into the room again, playing with the loose end of your backpack strap. After sitting at a desk for 45 minutes, you were itching to at least walk a bit before having to do it again. "So, am I not doing as well in class as I thought?"

"No, no. Your work so far has been excellent." Mr. McFarlane sat on the edge of his desk with a sigh. "Myself and a few other teachers are...concerned about your friendship with Rick Harris."

"It's Tyler, not Harris." Rick had mentioned how he used to go by a different last name before he found out who his dad really was. Some of the teachers hadn't gotten with the program yet, which made you feel bad for him. You were going through something similar—having to go by Swift in public instead of Garrick—but at least you had the name of someone who loved you. While Harris was also Rick's mom's name, his uncle had soured it. "Why is there concern?"

"I know you're new to Blue Valley, but Mr. H–Tyler is not. He has a certain reputation for behavioral issues, and I would hate to see a bright student like yourself get involved with someone who could be a bad influence."

"I–"

"Excuse me?" Since school began, you'd been nothing but respectful to your teachers, just like your father taught you. At that moment, you weren't really feeling it anymore. "You obviously don't know Rick very well at all. He's a good person and a good friend, and I'm not going to stop being friends with him just because the teachers here want to be judgemental towards certain students."

"I need to go or else I'll be late to my next class. We wouldn't want Mrs. Thomas to think I'm being corrupted by a bad influence."

Without waiting for him to say anything else or dismiss you, you simply walked out, bumping right into Cameron Mahkent as he approached the door. You stared at him a moment before giving him a nervous smile. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said before entering the classroom.

You couldn't help the shiver up your spine knowing that he was Icicle's son. But that didn't do much to stop your annoyance at Mr. McFarlane as you quickly headed down the hallway towards your next class.

"Ugh, I think I'm out of snacks."

You continued to dig through the front pocket of your bag just in case, but you were pretty sure you'd eaten your last package of crackers when you first met Rick at The Pit Stop that evening.

"Here..." Rick opened up his backpack and took out a candy bar, handing it over to you.

"You don't have to give me your food. I can go run and find something."

"It's fine," he said, turning back to his homework. It wasn't like he actually ate that type of candy bar anyway—he was more of a nutty buddy guy—but you didn't need to know that he kept his own stash for you. After all, he'd feel pretty bad if you crashed while hanging out with him.

You smiled at him and opened the wrapper. "Thanks." As you took a bite, you flipped through the assignments in your binder to find the next unfinished one, and you rolled your eyes when you saw the subject at the top. "Mr. McFarlane. What a jerk," you mumbled.

Rick glanced at you as you pulled the packet out and started writing on it. "You never told me what he wanted to talk to you about." You were acting strange the next time he saw you afterward, but you'd avoided saying anything.

"Because it was stupid." And because you thought it would hurt him, but you suspected that it wouldn't be much of a surprise. "Apparently, you have a bad reputation and 'behavioral issues', and our teachers think you'll be a negative influence on me."

Rick put his pen down. He'd seen this coming. Beth and Courtney had both gotten the same talk. A tiny part of him hoped that things could get better with the new school year, but obviously not. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.

"I think it's complete bullshit." Rick had never heard you curse quite like that before, and he realized you must have been even more upset by this than he thought. You turned around in your seat to face him, your knees pressing into his outer thigh.

"You're one of the sweetest people I know. And you're so smart. I mean, you taught yourself chemistry so you could decode your dad's journal! That's not even mentioning how you went to fight Eclipso without your hourglass because you knew your friends needed you. You're a great friend, Rick, and I don't care what anyone else says. You're not a bad influence. The JSA is lucky to have you."

Rick smiled, willing the warmth that rushed to his cheeks to go away. "I think you're the only person that's ever called me sweet, but...thanks."

"Don't get me wrong, Beth is still the number one sweetest." You didn't turn around again, instead leaning back against the arm of the couch. "But you're very close."

He laughed softly as he went back to his work, but you didn't find yourself as motivated anymore. "You know what...." You closed your binder and shoved it into your backpack. "Do you want to take a break and grab something from Richie's? I can run us over there. Then maybe we can do some work on the hourglass."

You had taken him on runs a few times—because all of your teammates really needed to get desensitized to it—so he was mostly used to traveling at high speeds by then. The first couple of tries hadn't been so pleasant.

"Sure," he said, placing his notebook on top of his bag so he could stand.

In a blink of his eye, the two of you were at the corner where the coffee shop mural was, just out of the way enough to not be accidentally seen by anyone. And he was only a bit queasy as a result.

"Feeling okay?" you asked as you let go of him.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Alright, let's go," you urged, crossing the empty street. "I would kill for a banana split right now."

Rick followed you with a little smile and a shake of his head.

[nian-7]

Hallo :>>> can I request for pjsk boys x gn!reader headcannons when character x reader met in college. If you dont mind, please add whether their respective group/s disbanded or not :') that's all for me and ty in advance <333

hello! sure, please enjoy!!

Tsukasa, Rui, Akito, Toya x gn!reader

✧meeting in college

✧fluff

-Wonderlands x Showtime has become more of a side thing for them. Emu does it the most often though, followed by Tsukasa.

-Tsukasa probably went to college for something in the drama or theatrical department. An actor of sorts, whether it be a stage actor, movie actor, or a voice actor.

-He likely met you through a group project where he needed a partner and you just happened to be sitting next to him that day so why not ask to be partners? No harm in it!

-He'd get along with you fairly easily. As long as you don't push him away, he'll be your friend even without ever verbally asking to be friends.

-Probably asks if you need help and vise versa. You're his friend now and he'd like for you to be able to get through college and pursue your dream as well!

-Again, Wonderlands x Showtime has become more of a side thing for its members. Rui is the least active in it because of college work but, he does occasionally show up for shows.

-He probably had gone to college for some sort of engineering degree. It probably wasn't unlikely that he met you in a class that you struggled in and asked him for help.

-Rui helped you but it wasn't much after that. You both would chat occasionally when you found yourselves sitting next to each other in class or in the halls.

-Probably would accept your offers to come by your dorm or house to work on an assignment together. As long as he has nothing going on, he really doesn't mind.

-Honestly, he likely has invited you to come to Phoenix Wonderland and help work backstage on the automations like Robo-Nene. It was honestly quite a shock to the other Wonderlands x Showtime members when they see Rui there along with a new friend.

-Vivid Bad Squad has probably gone on some sort of hiatus. Both Vivids and Bad Dogs operate still just at a lesser rate. They can't find the time to all get together with their busier schedules.

-Akito likely went to community college. Whether it be because he wasn't sure what he wanted to go to college for or if he just wanted to continue Rad Weekend.

-He honestly probably met you through Rad Weekend. Having you randomly come up to him after Toya and him got off stage and telling him he did a good job! Somehow the conversation spiraled from there into him getting your number by the end of it.

-After that, he'd always text you when he'd be performing at Rad Weekend and you'd always show up. He appreciated it even though it wasn't often that he got to see you.

-With the two of you being in college, study sessions aren't uncommon. He'd randomly bring it up one day and it'd start becoming a near weekly thing for the two of you.

-Again, Vivid Bad Squad would be on a hiatus while Bad Dogs and Vivids operated independently. Toya is a bit bummed about it but, he still is able to go up occasionally.

-Toya likely went to a college on his fathers accord. He likely came to a sort of compromise (if it was even possible) with him about where he'd like to study.

-Most likely, he met you on a walk one day when he was going out for lunch. Whether you were an employee or just another customer, it was a simple and nice chat.

-You both would see each other at the same place every week, whether it be on purpose or not, he's still baffled by how he had gotten your number in such a short amount of time.

-He likes to text you about random things and will always respond to anything you send him. Sometimes you feel like he's waiting for you to text him with how fast he'll respond, even when he's in class sometimes...

please do not repost any of my work without my permission, thank you for reading.

[avengerscompound]

The Interview - Chapter 28

The Interview - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings: smut (MF, vaginal sex, multiple orgasms)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Melody Danes

Word Count: 1968

Summary:  Melody Danes gets the break of a lifetime when as a lowly intern, she’s assigned to write a profile piece on Captain America.  Steve Rogers is a hard man not to fall for and as she and Melody get closer and Melody’s career takes off, jealousy leads to sabotage, and the potential to bring her whole world crashing down.

Chapter 28

Getting home took far too long, and then everyone wanted to catch up and find rooms, and all that other stuff you do with family when all the estranged members and new boyfriends showed up just before Christmas. All Melody wanted to do was take Steve back to her room and make up for lost time.  She’d been so wound up and stressed that all she wanted to do now was work out that stress.

At dinner, there was a lot of talk about what the plans are from here on out.  Melody didn’t have a concrete idea of what her plans were, but Steve seemed a little more certain.

“The legal team is putting pressure on the DB to post a retraction.  Despite his blustering, it looks like it will happen within the next week.  We’ve found out that Norah Winters has already been fired.  The police are investigating whether or not theft charges can be filed.  They need to find evidence that she actually stole the journal and without the journal that will be difficult.  Also, it’s hard to put a value on it, so it may not be worth it.  Regardless, we’ve started proceedings to have both her specifically and the DB charged with liable.  Melody, in particular, has an excellent case for that, because she no longer feels safe to work there, and thus her income and reputation has been severely hurt,” Steve explained over dinner.  “Of course, it would have been better if none of this happened, but we get the feeling that this was a case of jealousy on Norah’s behalf.  She’d been wanting to be the superhero reporter, but she’d alienated everyone.  Then Melody came along and we were all quite happy to talk to her.  It irked her and she wanted Mel out.”

“Well, it worked,” Melody said.

“It did, but she’s out of work now too,” Steve said.

It was a small comfort.  Melody’s whole reputation was ruined.  As far as the public was concerned, all the reasons they wanted to hate her because she dared to date Steve Rogers had now been confirmed.  It would be hard to have any kind of public online presence now without attracting hate.  Norah on the other hand might be vilified by some, but she’d have a huge audience of people wanting her to spill more dirt.

There was nothing more that could be done about that now, and it was not something Melody wanted clogging up her thoughts now that she had Steve here with her anyway.  She’d worried about her new career path after Christmas.

Finally, they were saying their goodnights.  She hugged Bobbi in the hallway, rocking side to side with her.  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Yeah.  Me too,” she said.  Melody knew it had to be hard for Bobbi to be here too, so she wasn’t sure that she was completely happy to be here, which made the fact that she was happy enough to be with Melody even more special.  “Alright,” Bobbi said, patting her back. “Go get your man.  I can see how antsy you are.” 

Melody laughed as she pulled back. “Night,” she said.

“Good night,” Bobbi chuckled.

Melody stepped into the bedroom with Steve and kicked the door closed.  “Hello,” she said, looking up at him.

“Hey,” Steve replied.

There was a pause where they both just stood staring at each other.  “Mel…” Steve said softly.

They surged forward, colliding with each other.  Melody wrapped her arms around his neck and his curled around her waist, lifting her as their lips connected.

She curled one leg around his waist and he carried her to the bed, placing her on it as he moved on top of her.  Melody’s closed started to feel restricting and in the way.  She scrambled first to try and get his off and then to get hers, but with how tightly they were pressed together, and how they clutched at each other, it was almost impossible.

“Steve,” she said breathlessly.  “Too many clothes.”

Steve sat back and pulled off his shirt, and as he did, her hands went to his pants and began to work his pants down.  When his cock sprung free, they moved to her clothes.  Steve practically tore them from her, leaving them in tatters around her naked body.

She grappled at him, pulling him back down on top of her and into another searing kiss.  When he’d settled between her legs, she wrapped one around his slim waist and drew him in, and with one smooth stroke, he entered her.

She gasped, arching her back and clenching her walls to grip his cock tight and pull him in deeper.  Steve let out a deep moan.  “God, I missed this,” he breathed.

She clutched at him like she was trying to pull her down into him more.  “Me too.  I missed you.  Steve. I love you, Steve.”

He bunched his hand in the back of her hair and held her there as he looked down into her eyes.  His normally light blue eyes were blown out black with lust.  “I love you too.  I’ll never let that happen again.  I promise.”

He kissed her again, claiming her lips with his.  She couldn’t seem to get close enough to him.  It was like she was trying to merge their bodies into one.  Steve was only too willing to give her what she wanted.  His hands slid around her hips and up under her back, making her spine curve off the mattress as he pulled her up against him.  He rolled his hips slow and deep, thrusting in as deep as she could take him, the head of his cock nudging against her cervix.  When he pulled back, he rubbed the base of his cock against her clit, adding to the intense sensations rocketing through her.

Her lips trailed from his mouth, along his jaw, to just under his ear, and she tugged on his earlobe with her teeth.  “I missed you,” she mewled.  “I missed you, Steve.”

“I’m so sorry, honey,” he murmured breathlessly.  “I missed you too.  I’ll never do that to you again.  Never.”

He picked up his pace, thrusting into her, making the bed rock below them and bang against the wall.  Melody cried out, arching her back under him and grabbing hold of the headboard.  Steve’s hand went to her mouth, muffling her sounds.  “Shhh,” he whispered in her ear.  “You need to be quiet.”

She moaned, writhing under him.  She wasn’t sure that she could keep quiet.  Everything felt too good.  Too intense.  He filled her perfectly, and when she angled her hips just right, the head of his cock hit her g-spot and sent a wave of pleasure right through her.  She was careening toward the peak of her orgasm.  She was just considering whether she should reach down between their bodies to rub her clit when it hit her like a tidal wave, crashing down on her and sending her tumbling over the edge.  She lost all control over herself, her loud cry muffled by Steve’s hand, and was left dazed and panting as the waves washed over her.

Her cunt hadn’t even stopped quivering when Steve pulled out and flipped her over.  The move was so commanding and hot that she quickly scrambled onto her knees, her legs spread just enough for him to move between them.  Her slick ran down her thighs in little rivulets and when Steve slammed back into her aching cunt, it made a wet squelching sound.

He didn’t hold back, pounding into her from behind, their bodies slapped together again and again.  Melody couldn’t focus.  She bit down into the pillow to smother her moans as he railed into her.  Her hand snaked down under her body and she began to rub her clit.

She came again and again, over and over, until one orgasm blended into the next, and all she could do was lie there limply and take it.  “Please, Steve.  Give it to me.  I need it,” she mewled, clenching her walls tight around his cock.

Steve moaned through gritted teeth, his head falling back and with one more hard thrust, he came, pumping into her.  She could feel his cock pulsing as it emptied inside her.

“Oh god, Steve,” she moaned.  “Yes… fuck, baby.”

Steve hummed and ground his hips in one last time before pulling out and collapsing on the bed beside her.  As he lay on his back breathing heavily, Melody rolled over and curled into the crook of his arm.  They lay there quietly, riding out their orgasm highs.  Steve’s heart thundered against her ear and she listened as it slowed and evened out to his usual slow rhythm.

She looked up at him through hooded eyes, a soft sleepy smile on her face.  “That was amazing,” she hummed.  “God, Steve.  I love you so much.  I hate being apart from you.”

He frowned and leaned down pressing a kiss to her forehead and then her lips.  “I know.  I don’t like it either.  This - what happened - I’m not going to let it happen again.  But you know that there are going to be times that I can’t be around.  My work…”

Melody pushed herself up onto her elbow and looked down at him.  “I know, Steve.  I’ve had the separation by mission before.  I’m not gonna lie, I hated it.  I hated worrying and not having word from you, and thinking maybe you’d died.  It was hard.  But I wasn’t alone.  I had Mattie and Bobbi.  And I knew you at least wanted to come home to me.  That is part of you.  And I get it.  I wouldn’t change that part of you.  You help people and it’s one of the reasons I love you.  Besides, when you get back, it means reunited sex, and we just proved how great that was.  This was different.  I was alone and I thought what happened was enough to turn you off me.”

“I’m sorry.  I need to communicate better,” he said.

She shrugged.  “We both do.”

“I just wanted to make sure you knew what it was like to be with me.  I’m serious about you.  There’s going to be lots of times when I want to be with you, and I can’t, and I won’t be able to call.  I don’t want to hurt you, so if that’s something you can’t live with…”

She placed her finger on his kiss-swollen lips and shook her head.  “I can.  As long as you can live with those people saying all those terrible things about us.”

He shook his head.  “I feel like that’s my fault, not yours.  Do you think that article would have been at all interesting to anyone if you weren’t dating an Avenger?”

“Maybe not,” she said. “And I admit, that stuff is hard for me to read.  But it’s something we both have to live with.”

“I don’t care what anyone else says about us.  I know what's real.  I know what's in my heart.  I love you, Mel.”

Melody looked down at him, and she could picture a whole life with him.  A home in Brooklyn.  A dog.  Getting married.  Children.  Date nights.  Marathon sex sessions.  Being held in his strong arms. Being harassed on the internet.  Nights alone worrying.  Tending to wounds.  The good and the bad mesh together to form a full well-lived life.  He was her person.  She knew that.  All that bad was worth it because the good could be so good.  He was right.  She knew what was in her heart.

“I love you too,” she said and leaned in to kiss him.  He wrapped his arms around her and she knew they were going to be okay.

// NEXT

[thatfreshi]

Radio Silent (Uni AU P. 10)

tw - mentions of abuse, themes of anxiety, general insecurity

The night fizzles out the way you expect it to, disappearing without a word to your friends in the diner, letting your new, yet reluctant friend, drive you home. You'd simply deal with Shadowheart when she got back to the dorm.

Just as Astarion said, he's gone the next morning, but the two of you text quite often. He finds it easier to talk to you through pixels on a screen, where he can pretend like you're not this very real person who knows far too much about him. On the plane ride to LA, he doesn't sleep, which isn't odd for him. Instead, he thinks about the past couple of days and how you've wriggled your way into his life, into his head. Instead of trying to put his feelings into tangible sentences, he makes a playlist while waiting the hours away and catches up on some much-needed reading.

Thursday comes around, and the group is pissed at him, as you expected them to be.

"Damnit, he's the reason we picked my lunch break to do this during anyways! You think he'd at least stick to plans like a reasonable individual."

"Gale, it's not like he chose to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip to California. It's a work thing, not in his control."

You almost sound a little angry when the words come out, knowing that he's probably going through some hell that all your friends don't know about. Gale picks up on this sentiment, and leaves the conversation at that, mumbling something about how they'll all just update him on the project details later. Indeed, you all talk in the group chat with him about plans for the upcoming assignment, which he sporadically responds to. Although, he always responds to your texts, even if he ignores the group chat. Astarion argues with himself about it in his head, trying to reason with himself, saying things like 'it's just because the group chat is overwhelming.' For how good of a liar he is, he's not good at lying to himself.

Friday morning, he goes radio silent, which you're not concerned by at first. He's busy, probably busier than you've ever been in your life. Yet, he had made time to text you since Monday night. It starts to worry you when Saturday and Sunday both pass with nothing new. You hold yourself back from asking if everything's alright, knowing if something is stressing him out it's probably better to just let him deal with it and get back to you. And yet, you don't talk to him until he's back, and you're not even the first one to hear that he's back on campus.

"Oh yeah, I saw him in the elevator earlier. Tried being nice like you said, I even waved! You should be proud. Doesn't seem like he appreciated it though."

Shadow rolls her eyes, almost covered by her bangs that she desperately needs to trim. You're not sure exactly why, but you rush to his dorm room, knocking frantically. It's Monday night, which is surprising. You could've sworn he said he'd be back Tuesday morning, but maybe you misremembered. The door creaks open.

"Oh, hello Tav."

Astarion's eyes are weary, which you chalk up to not being able to sleep on the plane.

"Hello? You haven't texted me since Thursday, what the hell? I thought you like died or something."

"Nope, not dead, very much alive. Got wrapped up in some work affairs over the weekend, fashion people can be quite dramatic. Either way, I apologize. I'm still quite new to the 'having a genuine friend' thing."

"Well, how's your arm?"

He scoffs.

"It's... it's fine. Weird to have someone ask."

At this point, he's opened the door and let you in. You're welcomed to a sight of half un-packed luggage and a stack of leather binded books on the coffee table.

"Holy shit Astarion, did you rob a bookstore while you were in California?"

"Nope, all from the library. Missing out on a week of school when you're a senior here comes with its disadvantages. For example, I have had no time to work on my thesis essay, and I've barely even unpacked from the trip itself. Although, I did snag this."

He takes out a garment bag that has been carefully finessed to fit in his suitcase without wrinkling whatever is hidden inside. His fingers nimbly move to unzip the bag, revealing a white faux fur coat.

"Now, do I wear too much white? Absolutely, but passing up on this? I could never."

You almost feel bad, not knowing anything about clothes or what makes them cool, but to your credit, you know it's a nice coat. He slips it on, happy with his latest thievery.

"Well, what do you think? Is it stunning, or is it stunning?"

In that moment, while you're about to make some quip like 'go look for yourself, you realize he has no mirrors in the dorm, not even in the bathroom that you've only ever caught a glance of.

"I would say look for yourself, but you don't have any mirrors. That's shocking."

"Well, I had the one in the bathroom removed. Guess I'm just not particularly a fan of reflections."

"How come?"

He stares at a detail on the sleeve of the coat.

"You get tired of seeing your face after a while."

"Well, I think it looks fabulous, and so do you."

"Wish I felt just as fabulous."

He lets out a small laugh, shrugging his way out of the blinding fabric. There's something left unsaid in the air, you can feel it as he goes to hang up his new treasure.

"What really happened this weekend?"

Astarion tenses, almost dropping the hanger he so delicately placed the jacket on.

"I... I'd rather not say. I know I told you a lot the other night, but there are truly some things best left as skeletons in the closet. Maybe in time, but not today. I can't today."

"That's okay. I was just worried, that's all."

"Funny, I'm so used to people prying all the time. It's pleasant, getting to have secrets when I talk to you."

He comes back out into the living room.

"Would you like to stay for a while? You don't have to help unpack or anything, just be here."

"Sure, as long as you don't mind. And I would gladly help you unpack. Besides, you have a master thesis to get back to."

"I suppose I do. Thanks, I won't forget this."

"What, like you need to trade some favor back or something? Because that's not necessary."

"You're too nice for your own good."

The pale man puts some soft R&B on, and the two of you go ahead and start putting all his things away. Although, he doesn't let you handle any of his nice clothes. You learn that the hard way when he bats your hand away from a pair of very expensive jeans.

"They're just jeans, I promise I won't taint them!"

"Yes, they are just jeans, but they're also 800-dollar jeans, and I am not risking it."

You continue to ask him about various articles of clothing, what shoots he took them from. He remembers every single one. Although, he does skip out on some details, brushing past parts of his tales without a second thought. You don't mind though, knowing it's probably just things he isn't ready to talk about. At some point you become distracted by the stack of books on the nearby table, and start looking at all the titles. They're all related to ethics, morality, or philosophy in some way, but particularly focused on the psychology of abusers and the abused.

"I thought you weren't a philosophy person?"

Astarion's voice almost makes you jump, taking you out of reading the back of one of the books.

"Is this what you're doing your thesis on?"

"I mean I'd like to, but I'm still not sure. Feel as though the head of the department will be surprised when I present it to him."

"How come?"

"Because I've always made my projects, lifeless, I guess. I've always written and studied by the book, never touched on emotional topics. Just don't want people asking questions."

"So, what specifically are you going to look into?"

"The philosophy of abusers, how power imbalances change our moral codes, that kind of thing."

You lightly place the book back in the stack.

"I think you should do it. If anyone asks, just say you were curious about it."

"That's true, I am known to be quite curious. Now, are you going to help me with the rest of this, or have you given up?"

The night passes by too fast for his liking, as the two of you talk while he prepares for the week ahead. It's past midnight when you finally check your phone, seeing that you've received a couple of cheeky messages about your absence from Shadow.

"Is it late already?"

Astarion checks him phone as well.

"Perhaps it's time for you to go get some sleep darling. After all, not everyone is as extreme of an insomniac as I am."

"Yeah, I guess I should probably get back. Happy you're back though, and that you're okay."

Without really thinking about it, you go for a side hug, and make your way to the door.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow Tav."

And his smile is warmer than normal, knowing there's something to look forward to after a torturous night of barely any sleep. Maybe opening up to a single soul isn't so bad after all.

[teaberrii]

Chapter 20: The Road to Recovery

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

You and two other maids were helping Jing Yuan’s wife with her makeup and attire for an important event with the South. One of the maids was fixing the robes when she brought up the suspicious situation of the king.

“I heard he’s getting worse by the day.”

“Yes… Even I haven’t been able to see him,” Jing Yuan’s wife said, looking off to the side. “It’s strange how no one has been able to pinpoint what happened to him.”

A soft sigh. “Master Luocha has been working around the clock. I saw him just a few hours ago… He looked exhausted.”

One month had passed since you cursed your father. Within the first two weeks, rumours were already running rampant about the king’s strange behaviour. He was cranky, easily irritated, and getting increasingly violent. While some had said that he was having a bad week or a bad day, it wasn’t until someone reported seeing a strange pigment on the king’s skin. Another had said he saw his eyes become cloudy.

Doctors and physicians were brought in, but none could determine what was causing the king’s strange behaviour, including Luocha. When the king harassed one of them, that was when they confined him to his quarters. Only specific people were allowed to see him. However, there were already stories of some coming in… but never coming out.

You were applying the finishing touches of makeup when Jing Yuan’s wife suddenly looked at you. “You’re awfully quiet.” You spared her a glance but said nothing. “Are you not curious?”

"I'd rather not entertain myself with those stories," you said, turning around and putting the brush on the vanity table. " The lack of transparency has everyone frightened. I want to keep my sanity.”

"Don’t tell me you know what’s happening.”

The door slid open, and one of the guards said, “It’s almost time.”

You stepped aside, allowing Jing Yuan’s wife to see the new look in the mirror. Then, one of the maids stepped out, but the other one said, “Oh, I’m just about finished. Please give me just a few more minutes!”

You smiled at Jing Yuan’s wife. “Well, if you’ll excuse me…”

Before you walked out, you glanced at the maid and quietly snapped your fingers. Her lips formed a neat line and her eyes were suddenly devoid of any emotion. It was like you flipped a switch, turning her into a puppet for the short amount of time the spell was active. Earlier in the day, you’d met the maid in private and used magic on her to help you with your operations.

Ever since you caught Jing Yuan and his wife together that night, she hadn’t been too fond of you. You kept your distance, careful not to stir up drama, and that helped ease the tension. However, it wasn’t until you learned about her extensive knowledge of magic that you felt you needed to take action. Thanks to Luocha, it was only recently that other experts started to take her seriously. However, this was where it ended. You had to stop them from finding out more.

It didn’t take long to discover that this maid was one of her favourites, the easiest person who could get close to her without arousing suspicion.

You slid the door open, stepped out, and shut it behind you. There was no one around.

“...This won’t hurt,” you heard the maid say. “Please trust me.”

“Wha—What are you���”

You heard something topple over, and then everything went quiet.

Your eyes open, and you hear the faint ticking of the clock hanging on your bedroom wall. Another dream. Another flashback. You never thought you would brainwash someone to do your dirty work for you.

“Can’t sleep?”

You almost jump at the unexpected voice. You quickly reach over and turn on the light. When you see Lan, you ask, “Did you want to give me a heart attack? What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see if you were awake.”

“Gosh, that doesn’t sound creepy at all,” you deadpan.

Lan sits on a nearby chair and says, “I’ll knock next time. How’s that?”

“Nanook’s rubbing off on you.”

“The two of us came to an interesting theory, actually.” Lan’s eyes meet yours. “It’s about Young’s mother.”

“Is it more shocking than her also being Jing Yuan’s mother? I don’t think anything can top that.”

“Well, you might be surprised.”

You sigh. “Okay, I'm prepared. Shoot.”

“We’re assuming Jing Yuan knew about concealment spells. It’s likely he used them on his horns instead of cutting them off when he got older.” Your eyes widen, and Lan subtly nods. “It’s because he knew about them that he discovered how to use them on a larger scale… to conceal Young’s execution.”

“...But, he couldn’t have done it without help.”

“It seems like you know something about how concealment spells work.”

“Pom and I talked about it,” you said. “Way back then… he said that Young’s kind had magic in his blood that could make a spell more effective… The older you are, the better the results, essentially.”

“That’s right. The only person who could’ve helped him is his mother.”

You lean the side of your head against the wall. “I’m assuming she abandoned Jing Yuan… So why help him?”

“We believe he tricked her into thinking it was someone else’s execution.” Lan pauses. “...Your execution.” Your expression hardens, and at your silence, he asks, “Do I need to explain why?”

“...No. I see how that’s possible.” You glance down, and Lan can see the gears turning in your head. “She probably knew about Young and me. I don't know how, but it's the only explanation. And... Jing Yuan’s father must be human. Maybe she didn’t want whatever happened with her to happen to Young.”

“That’s no excuse to try to kill you, though.”

You give Lan a little smile. “Gosh, I never thought I’d see the day you’d stick up for me.”

Lan shrugs. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“We've come a long way, I suppose,” you say. “But, I never thought this is how we’d bond.” He chuckles. “Anyway, I… I don’t remember Young’s mother trying to kill me. Not now, at least. But… I’ve been remembering how I cursed everyone. My father. Jing Yuan’s wife. The next victim must be Young’s mother.”

Lan sees your hands fiddling with each other with a slightly nervous look. “...If it’ll make you feel better, Dan Heng’s awake.”

“How do you know?”

“Because before coming here, I talked with him.” Lan looks at your phone. “...He’s worried about you.”

“I have to say I’m surprised,” Lan said, looking at Dan Heng. “Even after finding out she cursed your mother, you simply trusted that she wasn’t a bad person. To be frank, some people would call that dumb.”

“...I’m surprised myself.” Dan Heng looked ahead. “It was a feeling.”

“A feeling?”

“I felt like I could trust her. If you ask me why, I… can’t give a reason. But, I didn't want to judge her without knowing what happened."

“Still, it sounded like it bothered you. Was that why you asked me if your feelings were because of Young?”

“I went through a rough time because of what happened to my mother. Logically, if she was the one who cursed her, I should be angry at her.”

“...You were confused why you weren’t.”

Dan Heng’s silence gave Lan his answer.

“Whatever happens now, I just don’t want her to be alone.”

Lan looked down and slightly smiled. “Well, Lover Boy, she also has us.”

Dan Heng raised a brow and said, “Lover Boy?" He smiled slightly. "Nanook’s rubbing off on you.”

“Hey…” You’ve just taken your phone off the nightstand when Lan makes you look up. “Have you ever thought about what will happen after you get your memories back?”

“Why do you ask?”

“...Do you know someone named Sampo?”

There’s a short silence as you mull over the name.

Suddenly, you hear a male voice. While you can’t understand what the voice is saying at first, you gradually realize that it’s your name. A sudden migraine forces your eyes closed, and then you see a silhouette in your mind. You assume is a man based on his larger build. He walks towards you, but the upper half of his face remains in shadow. He smiles, and his lips start moving. Yet, you can’t hear what he’s saying until…

“...known as Cupid.”

Your eyes open, and you look at Lan.

“Did you remember something?” he asks.

“The name doesn’t sound familiar, but I saw someone… A man.” There’s a slight pause before you say, “Does he have something to do with all of this?”

That’s what Lan is hoping to find out.

“He’s a mercenary of death who takes up odd jobs about anything that relates to the afterlife.”

“If that’s true, I hope he doesn’t have anything to do with me,” you say quietly.

“Get some rest. Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him up in the middle of all this." Before you can say anything, Lan says, "Oh, and... perhaps you and Dan Heng should pay Jing Yuan a visit. He wants to apologize." 

And then Lan disappears.

At Dan Heng’s apartment, Dan Heng returns to his room with a cup of tea when he hears his phone buzz with a message. He puts his half-finished tea on the table and picks up his phone.

Cupid: ≧◡≦ Hi. Are you awake?

Dan Heng smiles.

You’re lying on your side with your phone when you see Dan Heng’s message: How did you know I was thinking about you? 

Eventually, you and Dan Heng end up on the phone.

“...So, Jing Yuan’s fianceé was your second victim.”

You nod. “Going by the timeline… Young’s mother should be next.” Then, you tell him about your assumption that Young’s mother knew about the relationship between you and Young.

“It’s possible. That… would make sense based on what I saw.”

Young and his mother were spending the day together. It was she who had suggested it, but Young had the strangest feeling that it wasn’t just because she missed him.

“I heard that you’ve been sneaking away from the palace. Is there a reason why?”

Whoever it was that tattled must be paying close attention to him. Young thought he had been careful, but apparently someone had been keeping their eye on him.

Young was walking slightly ahead of his mother when he said, “I’ve been practicing magic.”

“In the forest?”

Young looked over his shoulder. “The spells that I’ve been practicing require such an environment.” He had a feeling that his mother didn’t believe him, but he didn’t bother explaining further.

When he and his mother reached a part of the forest, she suddenly grabbed his arm. "Let's turn back." Young didn't understand why until he saw what his mother saw. An unconscious girl was lying underneath a large tree. When Young took a step closer, his mother tightened her grip on his arm. "What are you doing?"

“She might need help,” Young said as if it were obvious.

“She’s human," his mother answered as if the race was a disease. "They can take care of their own kind.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance. “It’s going to rain, Mother. She’s—”

A groan. A short cry for help. Young turned and saw that the girl was looking at him, a desperate look in her eyes.

“Help…”

But Young was stopped again by his mother.

“Stelle!”

A faint voice caught Young and his mother off guard.

“We're leaving," his mother said sternly. "Now."

Young shrugged off his mother's grip. Suddenly, he vanished and appeared in front of the woman. Young got on a knee and muttered something under his breath. Then, he waved a hand over the injured girl and gave her a small smile. “They’ll find you. I promise.”

You almost forgot about Stelle.

“...Stelle?”

Dan Heng briefly closes his eyes. "Has Young ever mentioned her?"

"Not that I remember." However, you're sure of one thing. “I trust that Young wouldn't hurt her, though. No matter how much hostility his mother had towards humans… he wouldn’t do that.”

Is it strange that Dan Heng doesn’t know how to feel? It sounds like you’re talking about another man with such confidence. He quickly shakes the thought away.

“Anyway, his mother had an obvious hostility towards humans,” Dan Heng says.

“...Yet, she supposedly fell in love with a human and had Jing Yuan.”

“It seems like he's the only one who can provide answers.”

You sigh. “Looks like it. Guess we’ll probably have to pay him a visit. Lan said he wanted to apologize... but I guess we'll see when we get there."

A short silence later, Dan Heng says, “...Hey.”

“Hm?”

“...Enough about Young and Jing Yuan. Let’s talk about something else.”

You chuckle. “Um, you aren’t going to pull a cliché on me and say us, right?”

“Does the group vacation count? Gepard found a hot spring hotel in the mountains. March already cast her vote for that.”

“Oh, boy, I know Pom would like that, too.” Then, thinking out loud, you say, “I don’t have a bathing suit, though…” A short pause. “Wanna come with me to buy one?”

“Me?”

You almost smile at the brief fluster in his tone.

“Of course. Who else? Unless… you don’t want to. Then, I’ll ask March—”

“Let’s go.”

“Better not back out last minute,” you joke.

Not in a million years.

◆◆◆

Over the next few weeks, Jing Yuan noticed that his wife was not herself. She was always in a sour mood, and she was eating a lot more. The strange thing was that it didn’t look like she was gaining weight. Rather, she was getting thinner. But what made him suspicious was that his wife seemed to be missing a part of her memory. She could only remember she was attacked by one of the maids she had trusted. But with what? She had no idea.

“How could you not remember?” Jing Yuan asked.

The maid who had attacked his wife was on her knees and hands. She was bowing so deeply that her forehead was touching the floor.

“I-I know it sounds absurd, but please believe me. I… I really don’t know what came over me.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I would never harm her.”

Could he trust her? She looked genuinely distressed, but it might be an act. However, Jing Yuan couldn’t think of a reason why she would harm his wife unless…

“...Black magic.” Luocha, standing beside Jing Yuan, had beat him to it. “But, whoever did this, they must be very experienced.”

Jing Yuan could think of a few people who might want to harm his wife to get to him. However, he was certain they didn’t know about magic as much as him. Truth be told, he couldn’t think of anyone who would have more knowledge about magic than he and Lucoha. Jing Yuan shot the doctor a look.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Luocha looked at the maid and said, “I’d like to run a few tests, if you don’t mind.”

"T-Tests?"

“You were cursed with something… I’d like to see if I can find out what it is or even get access to your missing memories.”

The maid nervously nodded. “Anything to prove my innocence!”

“You can leave,” Jing Yuan said.

The maid bowed, and soon she was out the door.

Luocha glanced at the general. “Don’t tell me you think I did it.”

“It crossed my mind,” Jing Yuan said, not looking at him. 

Luocha sighed. “I would gain nothing from cursing your wife. I would’ve stopped at my father.”

“Figures.” Jing Yuan crossed one leg over the other. “I guess that would've been too easy.”

“...There’s one person who I can think of who would have a motive to kill my father and your wife.”

“It can’t be her,” Jing Yuan said.

“You killed Young in front of her,” Luocha said. "My sister would want to make you suffer."

“...She's gone.”

“But you don’t know where. She could be anywhere.”

After a deafening pause, Jing Yuan asked, “How is your father, by the way? The rumours are starting to spiral out of control.”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

"You said my wife's symptoms are starting to look similar to your father's. If my wife is to follow in his footsteps, I want to know no matter how bad it is.”

“The king is now dead… but he’s alive.”

Jing Yuan curses under his breath as he struggles to get up. His past memories are like nightmares, playing like a movie inside his mind. Getting bits and pieces at at time... it's starting to drive him a little crazy. He reaches over, despite the pain, and picks up his phone. After a few rings, the call finally goes through.

“Should I be flattered that you called?”

“Sounds like you haven’t lost your mind,” Jing Yuan answers. “I dreamt about you.”

“Gosh,” Lucha deadpans. “I hope it was PG-13.”

“My wife was cursed after your father.” Jing Yuan looks up at the ceiling. “By then, it sounds like you had some kind of idea of what The Withering did back then.”

"Well, I wish I could enlighten myself then."

Jing Yuan sighs loudly. “This is starting to kill me.”

“You’re the one to talk.” Luocha scoffs quietly. After a small pause, the doctor asks, “Do you remember who you are?”

“I was half human,” Jing Yuan mutters. “Young was my half-brother.”

“...Well, at least I don’t have to get you up to speed on that.”

Jing Yuan raises a brow. “You already knew?”

Luocha looks at his arm where The Withering has spread. “You told me yourself.”

It was the day Luocha had passed his exam. He’d gone to find his family to deliver the good news but found Jing Yuan instead… right after he overheard the maids gossiping about him not being his mother’s son. He and Jing Yuan eventually arrived at a bar in the village where they got a VIP room due to their royal status.

Jing Yuan and Luocha sat across from each other with an open window view of a spacious garden. The general had just popped open another bottle of alcohol and refilled Luocha’s glass.

“...Not your mother’s son?” Jing Yuan asked. “No wonder you looked off. That’s quite a… discovery.”

“It’s just gossip.” Luocha picked up his glass.

“Bur your face says otherwise.”

Luocha looked at the general who had a curious look. “Your face tells me that you had your suspicions and hearing the gossip feels like a sign.”

Instead of drinking, Luocha put his glass back on the table. “I’ve often been told I looked nothing like my mother.”

“...Well, it’s true, I must say. You don’t look anything like the queen.” Jing Yuan leaned back. “If it’s true you aren’t the queen’s son… we’d have something in common. I, too, didn’t know who my real mother was until I was almost of age.”

Luocha didn't hide the shock on his face. Should he be surprised? Jing Yuan had always been a mysterious individual. People knew enough about him to respect him, but Jing Yuan also kept them at arm's length. No one really knew who Jing Yuan was other than his professional status. Once the shock subsided, Luocha began thinking rationally. Why would Jing Yuan suddenly open up to him? Surely, it wasn't the alcohol kicking in. 

"Did you ever find her?"

"I did, but I don't know if it was a blessing or a curse."

Luocha downed the alcohol in his glass. " How did you find her?”

“I did my research… pieced things together. But, I had a very obvious hint.”

“...What’s that?” After one quick snap, horns appeared on Jing Yuan’s head. Luocha’s eyes widened as he tried to find the right words. “How…” he finally said, standing up. “How could—”

“My mother… is Young’s mother.”

“You’re fucking kidding me. Are you joking?”

“I wish I was.”

“Then… your father…”

Jing Yuan casually gestured for Luocha to sit. He reluctantly did and quickly downed his alcohol. “My father was a noble at the Northern palace.”

Luocha’s face went pale. "Then... my father must’ve known him.”

“Yes. Your father also killed him after finding out about my mother."

Luocha raised a hand as he felt the alcohol kick in. “H-Hold on a minute. This… this must’ve been a long time ago… before my sister and I were born. Or else we would’ve known.”

“I won’t bore you with the story,” Jing Yuan said. “...But, it wasn’t just your father but also the queen. They executed him.”

"Why are you telling me this?" Luocha challenged.

"I had a hunch like you. Of course, mine was much more obvious. But I'm telling you because I think you want to know the truth. Just like how I wanted to know the truth of who I was. Ignorance is not always bliss."

Luocha swallowed and looked down.

“My dear ‘ol mother who was pregnant gave me up to the humans so she could save face and return to the Middle Kingdom where she could erase her sins and start anew.” Jing Yuan smiled as Luocha slowly looked at him. “I know what you’re thinking, Luocha. I’m not here for revenge.” The lie felt so smooth against his lips. “But, I want you to know that your father is not who you think he is. You think you’re not the queen’s son… that could very much be the case.”

“I’m not dumb,” Luocha answered flatly. “If you’re not here for revenge, why are you here?”

“My mother, Young’s mother, wants to kill every last one of the royals in the northern kingdom. That includes you… and your sister. But I don’t.” Luocha narrowed his eyes. Jing Yuan took a small breath. “I love your sister. Truly. And… you’ve also become an important friend. I also shared my story because I know your sister has been seeing Young.”

“You’re paying a lot more attention to her than my parents,” Luocha muttered.

“If my mother finds out, she won't hesitate to kill her." Jing Yuan quietly says your name. "I want to protect her.”

Jing Yuan never knew there would come a time when telling the truth and being vulnerable would be so useful.

Luocha said nothing but poured Jing Yuan more alcohol.

“I don’t know if I should be disgusted or amazed at my love for this woman,” Jing Yuan says. “Or, maybe I was just a damn good liar. That’s what I’d like to believe.”

Luocha sighs. “...Or perhaps I was too easily fooled.”

“Well, maybe I should find it endearing that our little alliance started out because we cared about the same woman.”

Before Luocha can say anything, Jing Yuan hears the doorbell. He groans as he puts a hand to steady himself as he painfully hoists himself up.

“What’s gotten into you?” Luocha asks.

“That same"—a painful grunt—"goddamn woman we cared so much about?” Jing Yuan carefully gets to his feet. “She tried ripping my heart out. Literally.”

“Didn’t know you had one to begin with.”

“Funny.” Jing Yuan slowly makes his way to the door. “The curse is really bringing out your sense of humour.”

“If I’m going to go crazy, I might as well have fun doing it.”

Jing Yuan hears a familiar voice just as he reaches his door. “Yeah, well, I’m not going to let that happen. Whoever I was… It’s not like I did anything to her now. We don't have proof that getting her to stop hating me will get rid of the curse, but we don't need enemies."

“...Do you have a plan?”

Finally, Jing Yuan opens the door, and he’s shocked to see Pom, Dan Heng, and…

“My God!” Pom says. “You’re lucky it’s us. You’d literally give people a heart attack showing up like that!”

“Maybe I do,” Jing Yuan says into the phone, looking at you who doesn’t really look amused. “I’ll talk to you later.” Once he gets off the phone, he puts an arm on the doorframe and looks at you who clearly doesn’t look interested. “Are you here to take responsibility?”

Pom makes a face. “Asking that question when you aren’t wearing a shirt is a little… um…”

Dan Heng steps in front of you, blocking your view of a half-naked Jing Yuan. “Don’t push it.”

“Maybe we should just leave,” you deadpan. “He doesn’t seem like he’s on the verge of—”

"Hey, wait." A sudden pain shoots through Jing Yuan's body when he tries to move. He doubles over; you watch as he puts a hand over his wound. "I'm doing my best to hide it, Princess."

"Well, good thing we came prepared!" Pom says. He peers inside Jing Yuan's large house. "We're coming in!"

Jing Yuan frowns as Pom steps into his house. Then, Dan Heng extends a hand. "We brought something that might help curb the pain while the wound heals," he says.

"Guess it's better than nothing." Jing Yuan takes Dan Heng's hand, and you watch as your boyfriend helps the man you hate walk to the couch.

You're the last to enter Jing Yuan's house, hoping that this visit won't end with you getting rid of a dead body.

Chapter 21

End notes:

My time of the month came early, and I sat on my couch feeling like a puddle of bleh as I edited this. Just wanted to share my last moments before I curl up in a ball and play some games to ease the pain.

Anyway, some of the events that happen in this are inspired by the K-drama Kingdom. It's so good I watched it twice lmao.

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @tanspostsblog @theprinceofkhaos @nqctre @lunavixia @akwardbiscuit @kplatzman @sunsethw4 @hiqhkey @n8mareee (I can't seem to find your user anymore :<)

[sparkles-and-trash]

Pro Hero Touya AU ~

note: this is an old au, I'm just re-writing it into a drabble in stead of the list format!

pt 1, The UA Years

I imagine things were pretty similar to canon up until around Shouto's birth, around then Endeavor has a big work accident that makes it so he can't be a pro in the same capacity anymore.

It forces him into therapy, and the family as a whole actually works on stuff and slowly starts to heal.

But even after all that, Touya still keeps gets injured from his quirk, but he manages to hide it pretty well from his parents and siblings, because he still wants to go to UA and be a pro so badly.

When he does get in, he loves it so much, it's everything he dreamed it would be, he's making some friends, and his parents and siblings are so proud of him!

But then the first sports festival rolls around, and it awakens that old feeling of needing to prove himself as worthy of everything he has, and it starts to eat at him in that old, familiar way.

He gets to the semi finals when he ends up pushing himself too far and he ends up getting really, really hurt.

This naturally leads to his family and teachers realizing how much pain he's been hiding for so long, and they all try their very best to get trough to him.

But in the end, it takes tiny Shouto, only seven years old, clutching Touya's hand while Touya is still half asleep due to the drugs and injury, telling his big brother how much he loves him, and that he please has to stop hurting himself because they need to keep watching cartoons together, and someone has to tell Shouto stories before he goes to bed, and quite frankly that needs to be Touya because nobody does the voices as good as him, and nobody else in their house makes the cereal as good as him, and Shouto hasn't told anyone this, but he thinks math is hard, and he needs Touya to help him so that he too can get into UA and they can be heroes together.

When Touya starts healing properly, he gets sent to Power Loader to get some special support items to help him out, as gets assigned a mandatory meeting with Recovery Girl every week so she can make sure he's staying healthy and doesn't hurt himself again.

It takes a lot of him to go, but every time he feels the idea of skipping the meeting start to form, he hears Shouto's little voice in his head, and he always, without a fail, attends the meetings.

pt 2, The Early Pro Years

Touya debutes right out of UA, and during his first year as a Pro, he already breaks top 20, which is pretty damn rare. Not unlike his father, much of his success is due to his outstanding numbers, but unlike his father, he is also quite popular with the public. It's definitely in a "he's a little bit of a shit, but in a fun and likable way" - way. However, he's always very nice to civilians and fans etc. Buuuut he loves to fuck around and find out, lol He is the paparazzis biggest nightmare, always doing the most to confuse them. Kids absolutely love him, partly because he's genuinely good with them, and partly because he is a fun and dynamic and looks really cool while fighting. He uses special boots and gloves that helps him control the fire from his body without hurting him to fly around, like rocket shoes and little hand jetpacks lol. When Touya has been around the Pro scene for about a year, this new guy shows up out of nowhere, and it turns Touya's work on its head a little bit. His hero name is Hawks, and nobody seems to know where he came from or who he really is, and Touya is intrigued right away, especially when the guy skyrockets up the charts like nothing he's ever seen before. Touya himself didn't really care about the hero ranks or popularity polls, he just wanted to be a good hero, and he feels plenty appreciated by the public as it is, but it does intrigue him to see someone come out of nowhere and take off like that. He decides to try to get to know the guy a little, as they seem to have a similar personalities. Touya is very surprised however, when he runs into the winged man at a hero gala and realizes he's actually quite awkward and shy, proving that he's not as trained in personal relationships as he is in public relations. While Touya started out hanging around the other young hero out of curiosity, he quickly finds himself more interested in Keigo, the person, than Hawks the hero. The way he can go from confidently saving hundreds of civilians with a charming smile and give interviews to the whole country like it's nothing, to turn into an awkwardly funny, blushing mess of a 19 year old guy in a matter of minutes truly makes Touya's heart turn into mush.

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