#like i have his skin bought & everything and i have like every other standard 5* so he's just being mean

[violetsareblue-selfships]

related to that last reblog, i need to work on a proposal fic for diluc. what do you mean I've been shipping with him for over 2 years and we're not engaged yet??

[angry-geese]

Alien Blues

Gojo Satoru x Reader

Warnings: none! sfw. romantic/platonic(interpretable). mainly fluff. mentions of overworking and death, but nothing graphic. gn!reader

Notes: touch-starved Gojo

Word Count: 2.3k

Gojo doesn't get a lot of downtime in his line of work.

It comes with the job. Sorcerers don't exactly work a 9 to 5. This line of work is far from a normal one. Curses don't exorcise themselves, nor do they pick convenient times to show up. He usually has his hands full; be it taking down curses, or dealing with his students. A guy like him really can't take a vacation.

Despite going to the same school—and being only a year younger than him—you didn't meet Gojo until well into your adult life. After graduating, you went off on your own. The typical way of life for sorcerers wasn’t for you. You really didn't want to work with—or under—any of the major clans. At that point, you just wanted to do your own thing. To hell with the school; you’d be fine on your own. And you were.

You spent much of your time exorcising curses across the world, traveling from place to place, not staying in a single town for very long. A lot of it was freelance work. Such jobs were typically frowned upon, or at least looked at strangely. But it really didn't bother you. On your own you were powerful, and an impressive fighter, but you were working in a world that didn't accept you.

So you said to hell with fitting in.

Doing your own thing was the best decision you’d ever made. To this day you’ll stand by that. The jujutsu world is meant for people like Gojo. It demands so much more from you, and in return gives a whole lot less. It demands perfection from you—maybe even more—while he’s the set standard for this perfection. You hold no ill will towards him for it. He didn't make things this way. But it's hard not to envy him at times.

When you came back to the school, you were first assigned a teaching job.

Although you were a talented sorcerer, it was clear from the beginning you weren't meant to be a teacher. Your teaching style was viewed as a bit harsh, as you tended to just throw your students into a situation and let them figure things out for themselves, correcting them where needed. Overall you weren't a bad teacher, but your students got sent to the infirmary often. And by often, it was nearly every day. You just wanted them to be capable. You wanted your students to be prepared. To be the best of the best. How are they supposed to improve if they don't have experience?

To be fair, your students were some of the best in their grade.

For the most part you substitute if needed.

Upon first meeting, he was too eccentric for your tastes. Really, you found him annoying. Your first impression of Gojo was that he was full of himself and out of touch with the world around him. His first impression of you was that you were stuck up and a bit of a bitch.

There wasn't one thing that changed. Maybe he wore you down to the point where you tolerated him. He likes to think it was because of his charming personality. You know otherwise. His charms rarely work on you; if ever. Over time you found yourself less and less repulsed by him. The two of you bonded over harassing Nanami. On your own you weren't much trouble, but when paired with Gojo, Nanami learned to stay out of your way. If you let him. Usually you tracked him down. Your sweet tooth was just as insatiable as his. When you first took up baking, he was always nearby, wanting a taste. You’d drag him along to see new movies or shows or anything you’d think he’d like. He likes co-existing with you. The two of you don't have to even be doing anything. He can sit for hours with you by his side, doing absolutely nothing.

You've gotten to the point in your relationship where you show up unannounced. It's payback for all the times he’s come to your apartment, claiming he has some work for you, only to stay and raid your fridge, conveniently forgetting what he had to tell you. Yes you have scared the absolute hell out of Megumi on several occasions. In Gojo’s defense, he likes your cooking.

He’s not used to having you stay in one place for so long. You’re not used to it either. It feels strange sticking around Tokyo for so long. You hate feeling trapped more than anything. Maybe that’s why you moved around so much. Maybe you’re getting sentimental the older you get. For the first time in years, you feel truly at home. Gojo is one of your closest—if not your closest—friends, and there’s not much you wouldn't do for him.

You guess this is home. The end of the line, or whatever. You don't see yourself leaving for a while.

It's well after dark by the time he gets home.

The place was empty when you got here. Megumi must be out with friends. He's a strange kid. Strange circumstances lead to strange adults—or almost adults in his case. You try not to judge him too hard. You don't have a whole lot to say on his… situation.

He notices your form curled up on the couch, your face illuminated by your phone screen. The tv plays some horror movie you’ve long stopped paying attention to. Your face lights up when you see him.

His hand briefly touches your head, messing up your hair. He looks tired. There's dark circles under his eyes. He was gone for a while this time.

“I brought takeout,” you say, gesturing to the fridge, “I wasn't sure when you’d get home so I put it in there.”

“Did you eat already?” He asks. He makes a note to pay you back for the food later.

“No, I wanted to wait for you.” You say.

A bit of guilt hits him. You really didn't have to wait for him. You know his habit of being chronically late. He says he’s fashionably late, to which you reason he is never fashionable ever. He actually seemed a bit bothered by that one, which only made you tease him more.

Momentarily he disappears into the kitchen, returning with your food. You have his order memorized. There's only a handful of things he’d get anyway. He’s not a picky eater, and usually gets what you get. Pick one of about three things and he’ll probably eat it.

The food is still good even while cold. Gojo talks about his recent job while you eat. He says it was nothing special. But he called Nanami for backup, so you know that’s a lie. He hardly touches his food. Since when doesn't he want to eat? The guy has a pretty impressive appetite at times. Seriously, he could eat you out of house and home.

“Are you done?” He asks.

You nod.

He clears away the empty takeout containers from in front of you, returning the leftovers to the fridge.

When he returns, he sits next to you, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. The leather is an ugly shade. You’re sure if it weren't for Megumi, he would have bought something much worse. His taste—in everything, really—can be tacky. You make sure he knows this. Always have to keep him on his toes. Nanami is right about some things. You never take Gojo’s side for too long.

“You were gone for a while this time.” You say.

A smug looking grin spreads across his face. It's almost enough to make you roll your eyes and groan. “Sounds like you were worried about me.”

Really, you could worry yourself sick thinking about him. It's hard not to. Everyone has their limits, and you constantly wonder when he’ll hit his. Strongest or not; he’s human after all.

“Of course I worry.” As much as you hate to admit it, you care about him. You won't say it. It feels like bad luck to say it out loud.

He knows. He feels the same way. Over time he’s grown jaded and angry with the way things are. He tries not to worry too much about you. This life isn't an easy one, but you can handle yourself. He knows that. Years on your own have proven you're not only a capable sorcerer, but a talented one. The strongest doesn't need to worry about himself, so much as the people around him.

In a weird way he’s proud of you.

You open your arms, instinctively he goes into them.

You pull his head to your chest. He does little to fight against you. Hell, he practically leans into your touch. You take his glasses, setting them on the table beside you. His eyes close when your hands move to his hair, gently pulling it out of his eyes. He’s not quite sure what to do with his arms. Eventually he settles on resting them at his sides. One snakes around your stomach, coming to rest on the fleshy part of your hip. You're awfully comfortable to lay on, he notes.

Your movements are familiar, and oddly comforting. He makes note of the way your heartbeat suddenly drops off, before picking up in pace. From the smell of your shampoo, to the sound of your breathing. He can only describe it as home.

Lots of people will die in this line of work, but he has faith you’ll always be around. You’re too stubborn to die.

Touch in a sense like this is almost foreign to him. Touch in a non fighting context is just bizarre. He never de-activates infinity long enough to get hit. He's had his fair share of one night stands. Hell, he could have anyone he wants. He’s had everything and anything in between. Men and women across the world either want to be him, or be with him. But this—intimacy like this—is strange. The others get kicked out the morning after. But you’ll always be around. He likes to think he’ll be around for you too.

Maybe he’s more touch starved than he thought.

He’s Satoru-fucking-Gojou, a man like him doesn't get touched starved. He feels a wave of shame at his reaction. His face burns. His pride won't allow him to admit how much he enjoys this.

It's the first time you’ve held him close like this. The action is so oddly intimate and it’s not even in a sexual way. Your movements are familiar. He fits so nicely against your chest, he notes.

He practically purrs in delight as your fingers brush a sensitive spot towards the back of his head—where his neck and shoulders meet—sighing softly. Goosebumps rise along his exposed flesh. You take note of his reaction, and focus on that spot more, dragging your fingers across his skin. Your nails are getting long, and feel nice against his scalp. His eyes close as he leans into the crook of your neck.

"Do you want to watch something different?" You ask.

His heart nearly stops when your hand moves to cup his cheek. His face is warm. He's a wimp when it comes to horror movies. He says they don't scare him. They do. You’ve spent plenty of night sitting next to him, watching his body tense with terror.

He wasn't paying attention to the tv until now. He shakes his head, but his eyes remain fixed on the ground and not the screen.

"This is fine." He says.

"You sure?"

He nods.

He fights sleep as long as possible, but eventually he'll have to give in to it. You’ll be there long after he’s fallen asleep. Maybe even after he wakes up. His head nods, his eyes struggling to stay open. His breaths even out, his chest rising slowly.

You're not really sure what to do once he falls asleep on you. Your position isn't the most comfortable, but you suffer through it so as to not wake him up. If he’s fallen asleep on you, then he definitely needs the rest. He’s a light sleeper anyway. Any movement would be sure to wake him up.

It’s not long after that his body heat—and the sound of his steady breathing—lulls you to sleep.

You wake up to a blanket haphazardly tossed over the two of you. The tv is off. Two glasses of water are set out on the coffee table, condensation collecting on the outside. Megumi must have come home. Gojo's drool collects in a small pool on your collarbone, which is a bit gross. You use the corner of the blanket to wipe it away. It’s a bit odd seeing him so at-peace. It's rare he even lets his guard down. You rest your chin on the top of his head. His hair is soft, and tickles your neck. The sight of him makes your chest swell with affection. The intimacy of it all is enough to overwhelm you. It's been a while since you’ve cared so much about someone.

It's nice having him home.

He stirs, stretching out a bit like a cat. You card a hand through his hair. He grumbles something in response. Probably a weak “what?” Your joints are a bit stiff from staying in the same position for so long.

“Do you want coffee?” You ask.

He sleepily mumbles an answer—one which you don't understand. It's just as legible as the first. His eyes don't even open. You take it to mean he wants to go back to sleep. You pull the blanket up around his shoulders, tucking it under his chin. The sun is still barely up. You’re not in a rush to get up. You don't have anything to do today anyway, work can wait. If Nanami calls, you’ll just ignore him. You could stay in all morning if you wanted.

And you just might.

Come hell or high water, you’re staying on this couch.

In a bit you should get up and start breakfast. Most of the food in the house is for Megumi, but there should be enough to make something small. Pancakes sound nice.

[ff15trashgoldenslumbers]

Hello, could I request Prompto reacting to finding out someone has a major crush on him and they confess to him? Thank you v much (◕ᴗ◕✿)

“I’d like to think that I might have had a crush on Prompto back when High School Crushes was a thing for me. I’d never act on it cause all through High School I was more focused on myself and how much I had a hatred for being awake at 5am.

~~~~~

“Really, for me?” 

Prompto was super confused when he stepped into Noctis’s apartment and found that he had mail. There were times that he would have packages delivered to Noctis’s apartment rather than his own house due to worry of it being left in the rain or picked up by someone other. But even in those times, he used the alias that Noctis would use when having mail delivered. So to find an envelope actually addressed to himself, his first and last name was kind of strange.

“Had to stop, Specs from opening it,” Noctis stated looking to the man holding the envelope towards the blonde.

“I had to ensure that it wouldn’t put you in danger Noct.” 

Prompto took the letter, it didn’t look any different than normal mail. Standard envelope, it didn’t have a return address, nor did it have a stamp. Shrugging it off he placed down his bag, before opening it.

The first thing he realized was that it was super cute! The stationary was that of a Moogle riding a Chocobo with cute little flowers all over a pale yellow background. His eyes scan the letter first, picking up the words: “Sorry” “Amazing” and “Sunshine.” The message wasn’t long and the handwriting was rather cute.

“So what is it?” Gladiolus asked.

Prompto stared at the letter again, reading it twice, and by the third time his face had become bright red.

“Prompto is everything all right?” Ignis inquired.

Prompto turned towards the others his voice a soft squeak, “It’s a love letter.”

“A love letter? Let me see.” Gladiolus called holding out his hand, only to have the blonde snatch it away.

“No!” Prompto called a little louder than he had liked. 

The others were used to getting love letters and fan mail. Hell on Valentine’s Day he nearly fell over all the letters in Noctis apartment to the Prince alone. Add Gladiolus, Ignis, and himself to the mix and he had enough candy to last him until the following Valentine’s Day.

“…to…Ompto…”

“Here let me. Hey Chocobo-butt!”

“My hair does not look like a Chocobo-butt!” Prompto called automatically, only to find the others staring at him. “What?”

“You gonna let us see?” Noctis chuckled.

Prompto looked to the letter in hand, then back to the others, “No, it’s kind of personal.”

“Personal, why they send pictures?” Gladiolus smirked.

Ignis sighed adjusting his glasses, “Only you receive those.”

“I don’t ask for them.”

Prompto stopped paying attention as he looked to the letter again, he normally didn’t have any trouble sharing these kinds of things as they all got them, but this felt so personal. Most of the ones he read were very generic, mostly store-bought. Being the Prince’s friend for so long he became quickly aware of the ones that were attempting to use him to get in good with the Prince or Royal family. This one was so thought out and personal as if this person really did know him.

He looked to the bottom of the page, “I wanted to tell you everything face to face, I’ll be waiting until 5:15 near the Chocobo topiary in the park until it’s final race.”

He blinked, topiary? Only for the flash of the large plant in the shape of the bird flashed across his mind. He jogged by it every morning for the past week when they put it up for the Flower Festival each year which lasted about two weeks.

“Hey, how long has the Flower Festival going on?”  He suddenly asked.

Ignis turned from the conversation with Gladiolus, “I believe we are in the second week, why?”

Pulling out his phone, Prompto found the time of 4:58 staring at him, it normally took about 20 minutes from Noctis’s place to get there, if he ran he’d just might make it. Without a second thought, he dashed out the apartment ignoring the calls from the others the letter clenched tightly in his hand.

He figured running through the park might have been easier, but wasn’t expecting all the people to be there. But considering that it was one of the more popular festivals. He apologized to all the shoulders he had bumped into and tried to take the more empty walkways but people just wouldn’t get out the way. If he could get to the garden where the topiaries were then maybe it would be a little more empty seeing that most people seemed to be going after the food and merchandise than actually looking at the works of art.

He had just rounded the corner, his bangs sticking to his face. He knew that his face must have gotten the annoying red that happened when he pushed himself too hard, and he was sweating. But still, he refused to give his legs a moment to rest, no matter how much they felt like jelly.

He bypassed the large flower behemoth, the smaller white moogles made some white flowers, around the cataurs of ivy. He was used to seeing the Chocobo f when he jogged, but seeing that he came from the other end of the park he founded himself a little lost.

Still, he clenched the letter tight and sprinted forwards. He got lost a few times but eventually, the large bird came into view.  He slowed into a jog, looking around for anyone, but the few people that were there were either older, or couples and they were quickly making there way back to the other parts of the Festival. He stopped underneath the bird, figuring that this might be the best place for the person to find him, but no matter which way he turned he found himself growing further and further alone.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket, 5:29. He was late, way too late. Hunching over he placed his hands to his knees giving a heavy wheeze, trying to tell himself that the tears in his eyes were from exhaustion and not frustration 

He would just head home.

He managed to catch his breath, lifting his head as he wiped his face with the palm of his hands. Hopefully, people figured that his red face was more from his run rather than his crying. He turned to head back to Noctis’s when he heard it, it was so soft that almost completely missed it.

Turning he found someone standing there. Eyes met, as a small smile came across her face only to quickly looked away embarrassed before looking back towards the blonde from beyond eyelashes.

“You…you came.”

Prompto swallowed, his mouth dry as he gave a soft nod.  Even if he could speak he wasn’t certain of what he would say he was speechless. His knees felt so weak, and the butterflies in his stomach were going nonstop. He took a step forward only to find his knees given out.

“Oh my!” 

He looked up finding her bracing himself, moving his over to a bench to sit. So lost for words, she was so beautiful up close, and her perfume smelled more wonderful that any of the flowers. Soft fingers touched his bare arms as she got him situated on the bench before dashing off.

He was certain of how long he sat there waiting for the beauty to return, only to look up as he heard heels against the cobblestone that made up the path. Find her racing back holding two bottles of water. Kneeling down before him as she unscrewed the cap before holding it towards him.

“Here.”

A shaking hand took it, his fingers lingering just a moment longer than need be just to feel that soft skin again. Before pulling the bottle to his lips.

“Are you all right?”

Prompto found himself staring as she spoke again. There was no way someone this pretty, nice, and pure had a crush on him. Would even think to write him a love note! He had to have passed out from running and this was a dream.

“Beautiful.”

He watched as she let out an embarrassed gasp, he wasn’t even aware that he had said anything until she let out that adorable squeal.

“I…I waited a little longer today, something told me to.”  She muttered weakly, as she sat down beside him on the bench. “I didn’t think that you would come, I mean why would you?”

Prompto held up the letter that had gotten a little wrinkled from how hard he had gripped it. “I got your letter.” He replied, realizing how silly he sounded the moment it came from his lips. “I just didn’t want you to feel like I was ignoring you.”

She shook her head stilling looking down at her shoes, “No, I figured I’d get lost in the sea of mail you must  get.”

Prompto chuckled, unable to stop the embarrassing words from coming out, “Your’s meant more.”

She giggled turning her head to hide her embarrassment, “I find that hard to believe.” 

“No, really.” He replied, wanting to quickly stop the strange silence that came between them. “Did I have you wait long?”

“I’ve been coming every day.” She replied, “I figured giving myself a timeframe, and then maybe I could get over it.”

“Get over what?”

She clenched her dress between her fingers, as she whispered softly, but Prompto swore he heard the word ‘Crush’.

“So there was something you wanted to tell me face to face?” He asked, only to watch as she jumped, her face flush. He immediately wished that he could have taken the words back, Ignis always said he had no tack. “I mean if…”

She stood up quickly turning to face him, “I like you! Like a lot! More than a lot!” She called, before quickly turning around her back to him, “I know it’s strange to say that to a stranger, but I’ve seen you, and your smart and handsome and I want to get to know you, the real you and not just this crush in my head or the words in a magazine. I want to know the real Prompto if you’d let me.”

Prompto stood up reached out taking her hand, before he realized what he himself was doing, “I’d like that too.”

A huge smile bloomed over her face as she opened her mouth to retort only instead they both heard a call of Prompto’s name. 

The both of them turned as they saw Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus running up to them. She when to pull her hand away, yet Prompto held it firm.

“There you are, what the hell was that about?” Noctis asked, a hat on his head supposedly hiding his identity. 

Ignis was the first to notice the person holding Prompto’s hand, hiding slightly behind the blonde.

“Gonna introduce us to your new friend?” Gladiolus chuckled. “Considering that you had us run after you.”

Prompto glanced over his shoulder as he gave a soft smile, watching as she shuffled around to the side of the blonde, “It’s fine.” He whispered with a soft squeeze of the hand, despite the fact that he wasn’t sure how to exactly answer that you were the one that had written his first love letter. “This is…”

“Y/N.” She offered, “My name is, Y/N.”

[moons-and-stars-and-shit]

hi hi! if they’re open could i have a cake w a male character if that’s okay bb? i’m 5’5, she/her with long dark brown hair with the front half of my right side dyed white, green eyes and tan skin! i’m super bubbly, loud, naturally v flirty and my love language is physical touch! i love working out and i’m a huge foodie. i’m stubborn and impulsive, love rain and storms, coffee and i’m pretty open to pda! i’m emotional, super confident (in myself and socially), bold, giggly, energetic and observant (especially of people feelings) i tend to ramble a lot especially if i’m passionate about something but i’m a super good listener and love comforting others! i’m a night owl - love late night adventures, i’m super playful and love teasing people! i’m a bit of a goof ~

i’m spontaneous, optimistic, passionate and ambitious but i have super high standards for myself so sometimes i tend to overwork! i’m sooo competitive - even just playfully, wear my heart on my sleeve but i try to hide it behind my ego but in reality i’m a HUGE SOFTIE n get easily attached! i’m self assured and super straight forward - especially about my feelings. i can be a bit of a drama queen but it’s just for fun and if i’m feeling annoying (always) my favourite seasons are autumn/winter, i LOVE boba, the outdoors and walks/hikes - i love cosy nights at home though! my ideal type is someone tall, who can make me laugh, doesn’t mind physical touch and is protective! tysm <3

Ahhhh I had so much fun writing this one!

🍰 for @hvnlydmn

Romantic Matchup...

Bokuto Koutarō 🦉

Cries in Bokuto simp

Anyways 🥲 you and this man have so much in common!!!

Y’all probably had the cliche friends to lovers troupe

He probably caught on to your unintentional flirting but didn’t want to ruin the close friendship you guys had

Which meant you were gonna have to be the one to confess

Which you didn’t mind. You really didn’t care if he knew how you felt about him

When you confessed to him Bokuto was just like “🧍‍♂️you...like me?”

After he registered what you said he could not be happier!

And once you start dating....

Mans is ALL OVER YOU

And when he finds out you like physical touch and don’t mind PDA? Oh Bokuto is ECSTATIC

You like working out? He does too!

Que in the couple workout videos

He LOVES how confident and ambitious you are

But nonetheless will absolutely hype you up at every given moment

Ngl he probably never really listens to your rambles but he adores how passionate you get!

He’s a night owl right along with you bb

Sometimes y’all be texting till 5 in the morning

He is down for ANY of your spontaneous adventures

Like you wanna eat chicken nuggets while walking on the beach at 2 am? Bet He’ll be over in 10

He really appreciates how you can keep up with his energy

And surprisingly enough you can handle all of his mood swings

Akaashi loves you for this

Y’all would definitely be that couple that makes everything a competition

“Hey y/n I bet I can eat more rice balls than you”

He was actually kind of shocked that you won that bet...

Overall he loves you and you love him and that’s all you could ask for ❤️

Friendship Matchup...

Tōru Oikawa 👽

The BADDEST bitches out there! I

You guys definitely feed into each other’s egos

One thing that drew Oikawa to you was how confident you were!

Like honey you did not give two fucks what other people thought of you

Which is good for you two cause his fan girls are all low key jealous of you and try to get under your skin

But honestly you could care less

Now unlike Bokuto Oikawa would listen to your rambles and chime in

God forbid you told him how someone pissed you off

Mans will find them and make them CRY (emotionally of course)

Speaking of... you guys bully tease people constantly!

I feel like he picked up on your flirtatious side and tries to get you to flirt with Iwa just to see him get flustered

Your best memory with him is when y’all had a full on spa day

I’m taking facials, manicures, pedicures, the whole package

Somehow you convinced him to get acrylics with you 😳

Then afterwards you guys both bought some fancy ass clothes cause y’all were feeling yourselfs!

Then just went to get fast food and boba 🧋

Y’all got some weird looks that day...

But 10/10 friendship right here

[dyke-remy]

Live And Let Die, part 4

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3   Part 5   Part 6

Description: Agent 008 and Agent 009, professional spies for the MI6 with liscense to kill. Partners in both work and love. After an agent goes missing the partners have to once more go out into the field. (It’s a James Bond AU)

You don’t need to know anything about James Bond to be able to read this fic, trust me

Note: If anyone tags this as r/mr/m I will hunt them for sport

Words: 4853

6 years ago

Remus looked out of the car window. He felt like he wasn't supposed to be here. This was the wrong place. The wrong time. Maybe he should make the car turn around.

"You still here bro?"

A hand landed on Remus' shoulder making him jump in his seat. He looked over to the driver. To Roman.

His brother sent him a smile before looking back at the road "Seriously you good? You looked like you were going to mars"

"Just kinda zoning out" Remus replied.

"You took your meds right? I don't want you nearly getting us killed because you were too busy daydreaming about Beetlejuice again"

"He's the man of my dreams Ro-bro!!!.....and yes I have taken them"

"Re-Re I gotta get you a date once we get back. I can Not let Beetlejuice be your standard of men!"  Roman playfully poked his elbow into his ribs "Hey that new Q assistant has been staring at us even since they read our files. I'm sure all it'll take is asking them out and they'll fall head over heels for you"

"They would probably only be interested 'cause of dad" Remus muttered out while crossing his arms "It's always like that. Either that or 'cause of mom"

"At least It's definitely not because of your horribly ugly monster you call a mustache" Roman got a bonk on the head for that.

"Whatever. You go and get yet anotha fling once we get home why dont you. One day you're either gonna get cannibalised or get syphilis. Or both!!!"

Roman let out a gasp "I am far too clean and princely to get syphilis you dirty heathen!!!" He smacked his brother with one arm while driving with the other.

Remus smacked him back "No-oh. Syphilis and gonorre and some weird blue stuff!!"

The smacking got more intense and the prince's gasps and shrieks of defence even louder and nasalier with every sex joke. Until he finally stood on the brakes. The car stopped so suddenly Remus had to hold himself back from flying out the windshield.

"We're here" He simply stated.

Remus let out an overly extra breathe of relief "Finally! Thought my skin was gonna rot off my bones before we got here!"

Roman leaned back and took out his usual weapons from the box sitting in the backseat while continuing to talk.

"Remember: this is a serious mission! Not just some ol' dragon we gotta arrest. Army of fire breathing dragon witches levels of serious. No unnecessary fighting and absolutely no inspecting dead bodies!!"

"You know I can't promise that" Remus replied while stuffing the biggest handgun he'd been able to get his hands (heh) on into the holster stuck onto the side of his waist.

"I know far too frick fracking well"

"PLEase just say fuck!"

"No. Fuck you!!"

They got out of the car. Their feet sank down into the sand the moment they stepped off the gravel road. For dozens of miles around them there was nothing but them, sand and a few even sandier hills.

And of course the statue. That goshdarn statue.

Enfuel, a company with ties to both energy and oil distrubution, had recently bought this random piece of land in the middle of the desert. A statue was placed in the middle of it a year or so later. It looked similar to one of the old egyptic statues and when they looked up information about it all sites said it had been around for hundreds of years. Of course MI6 had satellite pictures to show otherwise.

MI6 had been keeping check on Enfuel for a while. An anonymous worker had been selling them information for months. Even without the leaked information the vast buying of land and spikes of Enfuel employees dying in 'accidents' was enough to rise suspicion.

The agents made their way towards the statue. Guns ready in their hands. No one was around. It was a large one. Over 20 feet wide and at least 15 feet high.

Roman hunched down in the shade from the statue and took out a mechanical gadget he'd gotten from Q. It was a scanner. He placed it on the ground and activated it.

"And now we wait"

"Time to rant and or infodump?" Remus asked.

"Yes but not from you. You got to infodump the last time. It is my time to rant to kill time on a mission!"

He rolled his eyes "Yeah sure go ahead"

His brother instantly went on a long rant about the local theater production he'd landed a role in. It was the first time he'd ever acted. Aside from exercising and his special interest (disney) the theater was the first time he'd ever had a real hobby. His (now ex) boyfriend had been the one to take him to audition after introducing him to (and accidentally making him instantly hyperfixate on) musicals.

"And I just can't wait to-"

He stopped midsentence when the machine made a sound. He was still happy stimming as he checked it.

"Holy zeus" He gasped out.

He showed it to Remus. The scanner had created a blueprint of everything within a 10 feet radius. It clearly showed that there was something built under the ground. There was also an entrance built into the statue.

Remus went over and clicked on a specific point on the statue like the blueprint showed. A keypad appeared. They sent a photo of it to Q. Within minutes he'd somehow been able to come up with the correct code.

He put in the code and a hidden door nearly obscured between two pillars opened up. The brother sent each other excited smiles before entering.

There was a short staircase that led down into a corridor. The walls looked like something they'd find in a mourge and the dim lights shone a cold blue. Roman buttoned up the shirt he had on that was supposed to look like the uniform many Enfuel employees wore.

"Sure doesn't look ancient" Remus muttered.

It was practically a maze of corridors and rooms. Everywhere that cold blue light was the same. None of the rooms they passed seemed to have any important information in them. Having a secret facility wasn't enough for an investigation! It was just aesthetic as fuck!

They aimleesly stumbled around for at least half an hour as they got to the parts the blueprints hadn't showed. They probably walked in circles a few times too. Roman was about to suggest they call up Q when he saw guards, armed guards, out of the corner of his eyes.

He threw out his arm to stop Remus and dragged him back to hide behind a wall. He peeked out and saw how the 2 guards were staying outside a door.

"Bingo" He whispered. He turned to his twin "Wherever there are guards are the important things"

"The juicy secrets!" Remus agreed.

The brothers got out from their hidingspot at the same time. They tried to look casual while walking up to the guards. Right when one of the guards moved to stop them, to ask who they were, Roman took out his gun and shot them in the knee.

Remus elbowed the other guard right between his ribs before pulling his arm around the guard's neck. It didn't take long before he let the guard collapse onto the ground after choking him to unconsciousness.

The other guard feeble sat on the ground with their hands pressed to the wound on their knee. Roman held his gun to their head "Give us the key to the room"

They didn't even hesitate to throw the key over to Remus. They looked up at Roman with pleading eyes. With one swift kick they too laid on the ground knocked out.

The brothers pushed the guards to a good hiding spot in silence. The door opened reveleaing a quite small room but it was filled with computers, databases and of course at least 10 people working on those computers.

All it took was Roman holding up his gun to one of them to make the others freeze in fear. It was very clear that they were just doing their job so Remus tried to go as nice on them as possible when he knocked them out.

"Remind me to request instant sleeping pills from Q" He said after the last one laid still on the ground.

"Noted" Roman replied while barricading the door so no one could get in.

Remus glared at the computer with the biggest screen. He tried to read what was on it but only got a headache and some scattered words. Roman gently pushed him aside.

"It's probably better if I try to find what these guys are up to and you stand guard. Please try to not let me get shot"

"I'll do my worst! Maybe I'll even shoot you myself!" Remus joked.

He looked through the room while hearing Roman mumbling to Q about decoding and taking down firewalls. It didn't take long to realize there was actually a second door in the room. He wasn't sure where it lead but decided to barricade it as well.

"You're still free on Saturday right?" Roman suddenly asked while waiting for Q to hack into the database for him.

Remus rolled his eyes "Nah dude I suddenly got loads of friends and we're all gonna go raid a cemetery and create a zombie army. Supa busy that day sorry"

"Ha Ha" He let out druly "Well the new mission impossible movie is coming out so I kinda thought we could go see it. Y'know cinema caturday like we used to do"

"Oh yeah using our free time away from our spy work to watch a spy movie. Real smart decision Ro-bro"

"It can some other movie! I just wanted to do something" Roman slumped back against the desk so he was leaning on it "I know I've been kinda busy like whenever we're not on missions with the whole theater work-"

"Kinda?!" Remus let out a scratchy laugh "Bro you've been going to that theater like you'll turn to dust if you're not there all the time"

Roman plucked at the green bead bracelet on his wrist "Well it's exciting! I never really thought I could wokr with anything that didn't involve fighting or smugling. It's...nice..getting to do something else. I can't wait until it's time for the premiere and I'll actually get to hear the audience"

"Let's just hope no villain decides to try and take over the world during your perfomance nights" Remus joked. Roman's expression went from excitement to worry "Ro-bro I was kidding. I'm sure if anything happens I can just go with 0012 or something- or I mean like I'll come see you of course I just- It'll be chill!"

There came a silence. There always came a silence after talking about the theater thing. Spending an entire childhood learning about jewel smuggling, self defense and the innerworks of crime made any kind of work that didn't involve any of those shocking enough to warrant silence. Especially after it was Roman's idea to start working at the MI6 as soon as they moved away from their mom and the floating palace at 18.

He'd wanted to be a hero. Remus had just wanted to stay close with his brother.

"But yeah I guess I'm free on Saturday if you wanna go see that movie or whatever" Remus muttered while glancing over to his brother "More surprised that you're not busy honestly"

"Oh I was! Some friends from the theater heard I would get back from 'work' soon and wanted to hang out and I still got that guy who wants to go on a date with me as soon as possible and some guys from the Q branch asked me to test some gadgets for them. But I made sure to clear time in case you said yes" Roman replied with a smile.

"That's....That's....Ro-bro you're a sappy dork you know that right?"

"Of course! That's part of my everlasting and undying charm!"

The conversation was forcibly stopped as Q announced that the code was cracked. Roman flapped his hands in excitement to see the movie, Remus flapped back. They both turned back to what they were doing.

The duke to his surprise noticed a small crack in the wall right next to the door. He couldn't stop his curiosity from taking the better of him and looking through.

On the other side was a big room. There was a long dinner table in the middle with excessive amounts of expensive food on it. There were crystal candelabras hanging from the ceiling. The walls were white just like the floor but there were old paintings decorating the walls.

Most importantly there were 4 people in it. 3 men who looked to be at least 40. All of them were wearing suits but one of them was sitting in a chair by the luxurious table in a glistening dark purple suit. The other two were standing by the table with briefcases gripped in their shaking hands. Remus could see the sweat from nervousness dripping down their neck all the way from where he stood.

Last and least was the fourth person. A young boy, he was at the most 9 years old, sat on another chair by the table. He was holding the hand of the older man. His eyes were hidden by his hair and he had a large hoodie on.

"-So even though there has been someone selling important information about my company you two are 100% certaint that neither of you have destroyed my trust?" The man clad in purple asked.

The two men quickly shook their head. The purple clad man, who happened to be the leader of the Enfuel company, shone up into a wide grin. It was too wide. Too eerie. Not happy. Just sinister.

"How wonderful! I knew I could trust you both!" The leader took out a gun and shot one of the men in the leg.

He fell down on the ground and writhed in pain. The young boy let out a scream and flinched away. The other man bolted for the closest door which instantly made Remus take out a knife and get ready to defend Roman. But before he could get anywhere the leader had pressed a button on his chair which made all doors lock.

"I heard that the MI6 were on to us because of you fools running your mouths" The leader said while standing up. Remus nearly chuckled at how right he was.

The shot man simply cried while the other got down on his knees and begged "Please please I'll do anything. I have a family. I have 2 kids. I can- please don't kill me"

"How funny, I have a kid too" The leader held out his hand "Son come here"

The young boy quickly ran over and took his dad's hand. He was already crying. When the gun was reloaded he turned his head to look away. It resulted in the leader grabbing onto his son's head and dragging in it so he was forced to look at the helpless men, soon to be corpses. Remus could hear the boy whimper from pain.

"Do I-I h-have to see ev-every time?" He cried out.

"Until you learn to stop crying over some insect's death, Yes. These people are traitors. They're beneath us because they have hurt us. You have to see what we do to people who hurt us"

A bullet went off. One of the men collapsed dead on the floor. The other desperately crawled away until he hit the wall. The young boy's crying turned into sobs.

"You should be used to it by now" His dad said in a calm tone.

The leader forced the gun into his son's shaking hands. He held onto his hands so he couldn't let go. He moved his hands for him, reloaded the gun for him, held the gun to the living man's forehead for him. The young boy's entire body was shaking from fear. He closed his eyes. Pretended like the cold metal wasn't in his hands. Pretended like he wasn't one move of his finger away from taking a life.

"Open your eyes son" The leader commanded "You have to see. See the fear in his eyes. That is the look of a dead man. We could ask anything of him"

"I-I want him t-to live. P-Please dad w-we can send-d him to the b-bad room instead"

"The bad rooms are for those who are of use to us. This man has nothing for us"

A hand landed on Remus' shoulder. He turned around and pointed the knife at the person's neck. Thankfully it was just Roman.

"The files are all here" Ro informed while holding up an USB drive. He had on a strained expression "It's sick. Q told you they made it so Enfuel was the only company avaible for like an entire part of Latvia right?"

"I wasn't listening but probably yeah"

"They're planning to make all electricy and fuel unaviable for those cities for months. And they're going to make it look like an accident so they won't even have to take accountability. They're planning to try and completely cut them off from the rest of the world"

"People are gonna die" Remus concluded.

"Bet"

"Why the fuck would someone even do that?"

Roman shrugged "Said nothing about that. At least we can stop it if we know it will happen. All we have to do is get out of here and get it to M"

Remus was about to nod but then he heard muffled sounds from the other room. He closed his hands into fists. There was a cold lump stuck in his throat.

"There's a kid here. Like 8? 9 maybe? Being made to hold a gun" He whispered.

"Mom teached us how to use pistols at 12" Roman replied with a shrug.

"She made us shoot at targets" Their mom is a very powerful lady so they had to know how to defend themself since so many people wanted to hurt them to get to their mom "This is-"

A gunshot went off. Gutwrenching screaming followed. It sounded like it came from the boy. Soon sobbing took over.

"Don't cry like that. You weren't even the one pulling the trigger" His dad snarled out.

The brothers at looked each other. They both knew that the mission was hundreds of times more important than one kid but....with that one look they both knew they had to do something.

"Okay new mission" Remus said "Protect the kid"

They searched the room and found an entrance to the vents in the roof. They climbed in and crawled as quietly as possible until they could see down into the other room. The leader had gone back to sitting by the table, he was drinking some wine. The son was still sitting by one of the corpses. His sobs was racking his whole body as he held onto the dead body. Quiet beggings to wake up could be heard.

The brothers took out their guns in anticipation. Remus slammed his foot down into the vent panel and jumped down onto the ground. He jumped back up on his feet and held the gun to the leader's head.

Roman was just as quick with getting down. He went over to the kid and hunched down in front of him, half to comfort him and half to be a human shield.

"It's okay now kid. We won't hurt you. We'll get you out of here. I promise" He whispered to him while sending him a warm smile.

He was full on hyperventilating "No. No. Please. Get out. I don't- dad will- I don't want to have to see anyone else die- I don't want to hurt anyone- please- NoNoNoNo"

"Shhh. No one will be hurt. Just focus on my breathing okay. In and out. Deep breathes. You'll be safe soon" Roman assured. He kept one hand on the young boy's shoulder and the other hand on his gun.

Remus held the gun as still as possible against the leader's forehead. The older man didn't look away even for a second. His cold blue eyes stared at him until it felt like he was digging into him. The agent tried to glance around for a clear exit. At best he saw another entrance to the vents close to the wall on the side of the room.

"I've buried people like you before" The leader let out in a dry emotionless tone. "Even if you do get anyway it won't do much. All of the evidence will be gone except for a meek little plan I can easily manipulate away in court. You're really just delaying the inevitable"

"Not letting people die isn't doing nothing" Remus snarled back.

A smile crept up on his face "Letting people die does just a little"

He pressed down on a hidden panel on his chair. All Remus could see was that it was some sort of controller before hearing a muffled shout. He spun around in time to see Roman sitting with his arms around the kid. Blood was seeping out of his shoulder.

By the press of a button a panel on the wall had turned around and a mechanic gun had become visible, useable too via the panel. The gun head moved again, readjusting it's line of sight.

Logically Remus should have moved his gun back towards the leader's head. Logically he should have shot his brains out. Logically he shouldn't have made a single sound. Logically he shouldn't have shown any ounce of care or emotion (weakness), it'd been drilled into them during training after all.

But Remus wasn't thinking logically. His brother was hurt. His brother was in danger. He had to protect him.

A guttural sound of terror left his throat. It sounded like something close to his brother's name. He wasn't fast enough. There was nothing he could. He watched as the bullet went into Roman's chest.

Remus didn't reach him. There was a hit to the back of his head. The hit was hard enough to make it feel like his brain split apart. He was already unconscious as he fell down on the ground. He was just close enough so the blood from his brother reached him.

--

The moment Remus awakened again his heart immediately began to beat fast enough so he could hear it. He wanted to yell out for his brother before he'd even had time to open his eyes.

The fear calmed won just a bit when he did look up and saw Roman, thank god he saw Roman, laying next to him. He didn't calm down completely because his brother was visibly hurt. Hurt badly.

There were swelling on his cheeks from soon to be bruises and his right eye had closed completely from a black eye. Blood had dried around the wound on his shoulder and the one on his chest was still bleeding. Thankfully it hadn't hit his heart but it was still heavily bleeding. The kid's hoodie had been pressed against the wound. His left leg from the knee down had been mangled and turned the wrong way.

Remus had rope tied around his wrists and ankles. They hadn't even bothered to tie Roman's ankles. Even with all the injuries his twin tried to send him a weak smile.

"don't speak too loudly" He whispered out. His breathing was uneven and raspy.

Normally Remus would have screeched in defiance. Now he glanced around the room while making his every move as quiet as possible.

The leader and his son were still in the room. The leader was polishing a knife. There were multiple knives and other gratuitous tools laid out across the table. Oh god he'd only kept them alive to make them suffer until death as much as possible.

When he turned back to Roman there were tears in his brother's eyes. His smile was strained.

"I was going to resign"

Roman let out a sob as his smile disappeared. It only left an expression filled with pain.

"I-I never really wanted t-this! I just- I didn't know what else I would be. Re I was planning to make this my last mission. I don't know if I want to be an actor. But fuck at least I-I want to be an actor ten times more than I want to be an agent"

Remus tried to move closer. He wanted to reach out and hold his brother. Comfort him. Tell him half the things he said didn't make sense.

"You- What-" He let out a nervous chuckle "Ro-bro what are you talking about?"

At first there was no reply. Just a choked back sob. Roman moved closer and stared at the ropes around Remus' wrists. Anything was better than looking at his face. He moved his hands to try and untangle the ropes.

"You have to hug mom for me. And tell her I love her. And hug Lucy a-and Macey and Amita-" Roman closed his eyes, tried to force back another wave of tears "-And Everyone on the island. All of them. And the people at the theater. A-And everyone in Q branch a-and Oh god Q. Please hug Q- Logan. Hug Logan for me. Please. And Patton and M even though he will hate it. Please. I wish I'd known. I just want to be able to say goodbye at least. I just-"

"Shut up you dork. We're getting out of here. I'll just carry you. What's some old weak boned guy and some kid gonna do against us"

Roman glanced up at him, just for a moment, before going back to the ropes.

"Remus I-"

He coughed. His entire body shook and writhed in pain. He ignored it and continued with the ropes. Blood was coming down his lips. He was coughing up blood.

"Remus-"

Roman met his eyes this time. He didn't have to say anything more. They both knew it. Even if one of them didn't want to accept it. It'd taken at least an hour to drive here. He wasn't going to make it unless he got medical help within the next minutes. He wasn't going to- He wasn't-

Roman wasn't going to make it.

"You can't- I- I'm sure- I can-" Remus stuttered out.

"You need to take the information and get back to M alive" He pulled the ropes away from Remus' wrists "There's a vent right above us. The bitchass dragon witch is too busy with torture devices to look at us. If you go now you can-"

"You will-"

"Remus I'm already dead! The kid isn't being saved either! He's stuck here! We failed! The least you can do is try to stop more death!"

"But you will-"

"Please I need you to survive" Roman pressed the USB drive into his hands. His hands were shaking "I-I'm trying to stay strong to make this easier for you b-but-" He let out a shakey sob "I just want to hug mom again. I want us to-to- I- I need you to survive. I need you to stay alive. Please. If I know you survive I can attempt to die in peace. I can't- I can't-" It continued into incoherent sobbing.

They couldn't hug each other, the leader would realize they were awake if they did. All they could do was press their hands together. They held onto each other's hands so tightly it hurt. Neither wanted to let go.

"....I love you...I wish- I don't- I just want you to- I love you" Remus choked out through tears.

Somehow Roman mustered a smile "I love you too" He wiped a tear away from his twin's cheek "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay with you. Please go. Please survive"

Remus tightened his grip on his hand for one last second. He wished he could drag it out. Even Continuing to exists in this moment of misery sounded better than spending the rest of his life without him.

He forced his hands away and sat up. Heuntied the ropes around his ancles in one rushed pull. He heard a yell from behind him. He jumped up and grabbed onto the vent. A bullet went past him as he climbed in.

He continued to cry as he hurried away. He kept the USB drive in his mouth. It felt like a part of him had been ripped out. A big part. A part he needed to live.

(He wished he'd never noticed the crack in the wall. He wished he'd just left the kid to be abused. He was horrible. He just wanted his brother to be okay)

It should have been him who was left for dead. Roman had so many more people who would mourn him. He had had a future. Goals. Dreams. Relationships. Remus was replacable.

Remus pushed himself out of the vent. His lungs were burning. He was numb. There were so many emotions he'd overloaded. He couldn't even feel the cold against his skin. Only the tears against his cheeks.

He escaped the facility and ran. In the distance he could see the car. He wanted to die. He couldn't imagine a life without his brother. Roman was the one who was supposed to come back with the information to save people. Roman was the hero! It wasn't fair!

Remus wanted to stop and let the guards catch up to him. Wanted to let himself scream and sob and be killed. Wanted to hug his brother again even if the only way to hug him was if they were both dead.

Instead he forced himself survive but only because it'd been Roman's wish.

[flyfireflyfly]

Tagged: Self-Promo

Was tagged by @promisesox for a self-promotion thingy, with posting 5 of your favorite creations. Technically only 3 of mine are complete, but I wanted to include the other 2. Anyone who wants self-promote, consider this as me tagging you ♥

1. All I Want For Christmas

My first story, posted 7 years ago. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by. I used to go back and read it every so often. It amazes me how much my writing has changed, and how much is still the same.

2. Hope and Chances

I do have some regrets with certain stories. There’s about 5 of them I’ve actually come to hate. Hope and Chances is one though that I think I really got it right. There isn’t anything about it that I would change.

3. A Good Girl

1,982 subscribers on AFF. My most subscribed story, more than double my second most subscribed story. I take it to mean that it’s my most popular fic. I don’t know why that is, but I can honestly say it gave me a huge confidence boost seeing so many people enjoy it. It really made me feel like an actual writer, that I can expand in to other genres or themes, that my stuff really was worth reading. That I didn’t mess up again. 1,982 may not seem like much, especially compared to a lot of other writers on AFF, but it means everything to me.

4. This-title-keeps-changing

Blurred cause I’m too embarrassed for it to be seen >.<  They’re notes, filling up a notebook that @supastareden​ had gifted me. It’s for a book I’m writing. Well, I’m not really sure yet if it’ll be 1 or 2 books... And “writing” is a bit of a stretch since I haven’t been doing anything let alone writing... But, yeah. I’m writing a book. One day (probably in about 30 years) it’ll be published, even if I have to self-publish it.

5. Doll

Again, I’m really not writing. I work 6 days a week. My brain simply shuts off when I get home. When I do write, I get a paragraph or so down. And it’s agonizing that that is all I can manage. It feels like I lost the ability to write anything more than those book notes in a notebook while daydreaming. Yet I still keep going back every couple of weeks or so to jot down a few more sentences. I’ve been working on Doll, a smut fic with Yongguk, for a little over a year now. It’s still not finished and I’ll cry in the shower about that later, but here’s the first 2 chapters:

1)

As you woke up, you kept your eyes closed. You could feel your mat under you and the warmth that it gave off. It was odd but it was something you loved. Something about that heat that calmed you and strengthened you. Letting the moment go, you finally opened your eyes and sat up. The room was completely dark like always, save for a thin strip of light shining in from under the door that helped you make out all the other bodies around you. They each had their own mats that were crammed together, fitting as many people as possible in to the one room. Or rather, as many 'dolls' as possible. You looked at the male doll to your right. He was sitting up and picking at a loose thread on his boxers. You turned your gaze to your own clothing. A black lingerie set with lots of lace that barely hid anything. Adjusting it, you checked to make sure it wasn't falling apart anywhere. You liked it much better than the previous set you wore and you didn't want to have it replaced just yet. Suddenly the room got much brighter and you lifted your head. The door was open and a woman beckoned everyone out. "Let's go!" You stood with the rest of the group and shuffled forward. Once through the doorway, you found yourself in a brightly lit hallway. Its white walls were empty of any decoration. You kept walking, following the lady and the rest of the dolls. Another door and you entered a room that was a tiny bit more inviting. The lush carpet felt better on your bare feet than the hard linoleum of the hallway. On the light blue walls hung pictures, all of dolls in various sexual poses. The group separated with the boys lining up against one wall and the girls moving to the opposite side. Time for work. You glanced over to your left and saw the doorway that had a curtain hanging in it. Through it was a much larger room where the sales took place. Other dolls would be lined up in there, the ones that were 'new'. Dolls that haven't been with anyone and could fetch a higher price. You and the rest of the dolls in the back were technically for sale, but it was unheard of for a working doll to be bought. There were rumors of it happening in other stores though. The curtain moved and the lady from before walked in with another woman. "Here is our selection of males." The new woman slowly walked down the line, eyeing every one of the guys, before stopping in front of a large, muscular man. "I'll take this one." "Great. He is your keycard for your room. You're in room number one." The customer took the card and headed towards the stairs. The male doll followed after her, putting his arm around her waist and settling his hand on her hip. He said something quietly to her that you couldn't hear, and she responded with a flirtatious giggle. When they disappeared from view, you glanced back over at the curtained doorway. The lady was gone now, back up front where she could assist any other customers. There would be plenty more throughout the day that would pay for the backroom experience. Select a doll of their preference to be taken upstairs and have their way with. Suppressing a sigh, you leaned back against the wall and waited. It was only a few minutes later though that the curtain was pulled back again so you hurriedly straightened. The man examined the line of females before his gaze lingered on you. You subtly shifted, sticking a hip out and pulling your shoulders back to show off your curves. "This one." A coy smile formed on your face and you stepped forward. "Good choice. She's one of our newest dolls. I'm sure you'll be happy with her."

The man wrapped his arm around your waist and lead you to the stairs. The wood steps didn't feel as good on your bare feet as the carpet, and the customer's hand that moved down to grab your ass wasn't pleasant either. But you ignored all that and went up to the second floor. On this floor were several doors, each with a room number on them. The male went over to the third room and opened the door with the keycard. You swept past him through the doorway while glancing around the room. It was identical to the others, just big enough to fit a large bed with a small television in the corner. Suddenly you were shoved and you stumbled forward. Then you were pushed again, making you practically fall on to the bed. You crawled on to it and rolled your eyes at the guy's impatience. When you looked back at him though, you made sure you kept your face neutral so he wouldn't see any displeasure. The man stripped off his clothes in a hurry, his sharp gaze never leaving your body. It was a look you had seen before and mentally cursed. You started to take off your clothes, only managing to unclasp your bra, when he closed the distance to you. He yanked the bra off before grabbing your underwear with both of his hands. There was a distinct sound of cloth ripping as he wrenched them down your legs. You watched helplessly as he threw the panties aside. He dropped down on to you and without warning, he pushed in to you, filling you with his whole length. You threw your head back as you cried out, and then gritted your teeth as he started thrusting in to you. There was always the ones that only cared about their pleasure. So you simply laid there and let him have his way with you while listening to his grunting. He planted his hands onto the bed on either side of you and pushed up so he was hovering over you. Even now he stared at your bare breast, his gaze never wavering. You examined everything about him. His demeanor, his expression, and mostly the way he was ruthlessly pounding in to you. He didn't want pleasure. He wanted dominance. Shrinking in to yourself, you screwed up your face to reflect more of the pain he was giving you. Instead of moaning, you whined and whimpered. Finally he met your gaze and you hoped there was enough weakness in your eyes. You didn't have to wait long to find out as his pace faltered. He grimaced and let out a string of profanities before collapsing down on to you. His slick, sweaty skin made you wrinkle your nose in disgust, but you forced yourself to endure it until he finally rolled off of you. Panting still, he sat up and surveyed your body. He reached over and grabbed one of your boobs, squeezing it roughly and making you hiss as you arched your back. Then he let go and his hand moved between your legs, groping you. "Not bad." he nonchalantly said. He moved off of the bed and started getting dressed. You took that as a signal that he was done with and climbed off the bed as well. Instead of putting your bra and underwear back on though, you held them in your hands. It was standard protocol, though you would have stayed naked anyways. The last thing you wanted was to get his sweat and stink on them. Only after he left the room did you leave, following him to the stairwell. As he went downstairs, you hurried through a door tucked away in corner. It led to a small bathroom with an open shower area. You stepped under one of the showerheads and a stream of warm water hit you. You cleaned yourself thoroughly before moving to the shelves that held clean towels. As you were drying yourself, the male doll that had went upstairs before you entered. He didn't spare you a glance though as he went in to the showers. Dropping the towel in to a bin, you retrieved your lingerie. Holding up the underwear, you found a slight tear along the seem and pouted. Just as you feared, that asshole ruined them. You carefully dressed, being extra mindful to not tear it anymore. Hopefully they'll last till the end of the day so you could try to mend them. Once you were ready, you left the bathroom and descended the stairs. There were a few dolls still lined up but you noticed some were missing. More than likely upstairs with their own clients. You took your spot along the wall while suppressing a sigh and waited for your next customer.

2)

The day slowly passed by with a steady stream of clients coming and going. Of course it got busier in the evenings. People getting off work and coming in for one little tryst before heading home. Sometimes there would even be clients waiting for their turn in a separate lounge, insisting on a particular doll. Stifling a yawn, you watched as the curtain was pulled back yet again. The newest customer examined both lines of dolls and you silently prayed you wouldn't be chosen, even as they neared you. Then they picked the girl standing beside you and you forced yourself not to let out a breath in relief. They barely made it halfway up the stairs though when you heard the rustle of the curtain. You glanced over at the doorway and inhaled sharply. The man shyly smiled as the storekeeper directed him over to the female dolls, causing an odd sensation to form in your stomach. "This is her." They stopped in front of you, which meant that this was a special request. You took a hesitant step forward and eyed the man curiously. There was no denying how handsome he was, even in just a simple t-shirt and jeans. And with the way the lady who ran the store was standing so close, you had a feeling you weren't the only one admiring his looks. "Here is your keycard." she said and held it up from him. When he went to take it from her, she quickly put her hand over his to stop him. "I do hope you enjoy your time. Let me know if there is anything you need." A small smile formed on your face over her behavior, and it grew larger as you noticed him blush. "Thank you." he replied as he took the keycard from her. Then he turned his attention to you. "Uh... well..." He indicated for you to walk ahead of him, much like a gentleman would with a lady. That odd feeling in your stomach intensified and you attempted to ignore it. Nodding politely at him, you started to head towards the stairs. He walked beside you, not touching you and making him stand out even more. He didn't act like every other man that entered the back room. Once you were on the second floor, he checked the number on the keycard. "Room ten." Then he examined the doors near the stairwell. "It's further down." you informed him. Taking his hand, you led him down the hallway to the right door. After unlocking it, the man opened the door and stepped aside. You moved past him to enter the room first and made your way to the end of the bed. You turned around and stood there, waiting. He  never approached you though. He simply stood there, hesitating, as if he was unsure what to do. "What's wrong?" you asked. Then a thought came to you as you recalled the shy smile he had earlier. "Oh wait, here." You went to the television and pushed the power button. Instantly a porno was shown on the screen, accompanied with the loud wailing of a woman. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the television. "Oh, uh... Actually..." He closed the distance and turned it off. Then he turned to you. He hesitated once more before he gently placed his hands on your hips and kissed you. This time you were surprised, but you hurriedly kissed him back. You set your own hands on his arms just as gently. You knew now what he was expecting. He wanted a more personal experience and you made a mental note of that in case he came back. He pulled back and licked his lips as he gaze lowered. His hands slid up your sides before going back down, moving just past your hips. Then he brought them upwards again, much higher than before. He briefly met your gaze, as if giving you a chance to protest. When you didn't, he moved his hands over your breast, fondling them. Reaching up behind you, you unclasped your bra. He licked his lips once more, this time in anticipation, and moved his hands back. You let the bra slip off of you to fall on to the floor. More hesitation, even as you noticed the growing lust in his eyes, and then he grabbed your breast. More gentleness, so when he suddenly squeezed them roughly, you gasped as your back arched. Then his fingers toyed with your nipples, pinching them and rubbing them as they hardened. The fact that he wanted it to be personal filled your mind again. "What's your name?" He looked away from your breast and raised his eyebrows. "Yongguk." You closed the distance, forcing his hands to move away. Tilting your head slightly, you began to pepper his neck with kisses. Your hands found the hem of his shirt before disappearing under it. Running you hands over his skin, you started to lightly suck as his neck as well. A sigh escaped his lips, encouraging you to continue. So when you sucked on one particular spot that made him stiffen, you gave his neck a harsh suck. You were rewarded with a tiny cry, sending tingles through your body. Then you pulled back and licked his neck upwards to his ear. You sucked on his earlobe just as your fingers ran over his nipples. "Yongguk." you quietly whimpered in to his ear. "Fuck." He swiftly stripped off his shirt before grabbing you and yanking you closer. His lips smashed in to yours, eagerly kissing you as his hands squeezed your ass.

You squirmed against him, causing you to feel the forming hardness in his pants. You attempted to wrap your leg around his but he suddenly started pushing against you. Kissing him still, you awkwardly walked backwards as he guided you. Then your legs hit the bed and you unwillingly broke off the kiss. You moved on to the bed and scooted backwards until you reached the pillows. Yongguk followed you, crawling over you. Before he could lay down, you reached downwards and rubbed your hand over his dick. He let out a moan, his mouth dropping open as his eyes unfocused. Fluttering in your chest left you breathless, and you quickly set about undoing his jeans. As soon as you felt the cloth of his boxers, you pushed your hand inside them and wrapped your fingers around his hard member. You only managed a few strokes through when he forced your hand a away. Pinning your wrists to the bed, he leaned down kissed you once more. You closed your eyes and managed to hold back a moan until you felt Yongguk's tongue moving over your lips. As soon as you gave him an opening, his tongue entered your mouth for a brief moment. Then he pulled back and gently kissed your jaw. Your neck, your shoulder, your collarbone. He shifted to the side and brought his mouth down on your left breast, sucking on it and causing your back to arch. You opened your eyes to watch him just as he nibbled on your nipple. Biting your lip, you attempted to lift your arms but he forced them to stay against the bed. Pulling back slighting, he flicked your hardened nipple with his tongue a few time. Then he met your gaze as he relinquished your arms. You no longer had any desire to move them though as he slid further down your body, leaving a trail of kisses along your stomach and to your lace panties. He hooked his fingers in to them and sat up. You lifted some of your weight so he could smoothly pull the last of your clothes off of you, leaving you completely naked for him. He looked over you body, his gaze lingering a bit more in certain places. Reaching forward, he slipped his fingers through your wet folds and a quiet moan escaped him. He circled your entrance with one finger and then moved upwards to your clit. He pushed on it a few times before rubbing it. You gasped as pleasure flowed through your body, causing your legs to stretch out and your back to arch off the bed. You closed your eyes and let yourself drown in it. Which was easy to do as you felt him quicken his pace. It wasn't long until you were squirming, your heavy panting filling the room. "Yongguk." you whined as you shuddered. The pleasure disappeared as he moved his hand away. You opened your eyes to watch him remove the rest of his clothing. Once naked, he draped his body over you, settling between your legs and rubbing his dick on you. His lips found yours again for a brief moment before he shifted and you felt him pushing in to you. A long moan escaped him and he pressed his face in to your neck. Then he began to rock his hips, swiftly pumping in to you. You gasped and quickly reached up with your hands to grab him. The pleasure from before returned with ferocity, a storm threatening to break you in to pieces. His name played on your lips over and over, turning in to a desperate chant. Which seemed to only urge him on and his pace increased. His moans growing louder and coming more frequently to drown you out. Tremors racked his body and his arms wrapped around you tightly. As if clinging on to you could help temper his own storm consuming him. Finally something inside you snapped and you cried out as your body jerked. Seconds later Yongguk cried out as well and his hips slammed in to you, pushing his dick deep in to you as he cummed. Then he collapsed on to you.

You laid there, listening to his heavy breathing, and holding on to him. His sweaty body didn't repulse you like your first client much to your surprise. And when he went to roll off of you, you were reluctant to release him. He laid on his back next to you and you rolled on to your side in order to look at him. "That was better than I expected." he stated with a small chuckle. Then his eyes met yours and a blush graced his face. You smiled and sat up before leaning towards him. You trailed a hand down the side of his face, caressing him and earning a startled look from him. You ignored it though and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Which only made him blush harder and you giggled. With a shy smile, he sat up and slipped off the bed. You watched as he rounded the bed to retrieve his clothes before climbing off the bed yourself. You gathered up your lingerie and waited for him. When he was done dressing, he glanced at you and hesitated as he eyed your still naked body. "I have to go clean up." you informed him. More blushing and another shy smile. "Oh... yeah." He indicated towards the door and you nodded your head to signal that you were ready. Then he opened it and moved aside for you to leave the room first. The two of you walked down the hallway in silence. At the staircase, he started to go but stopped when he noticed you weren't following. "I have to go in there." You pointed to the cleaning room's door and then as an afterthought, you asked, "I'll see you around?" There was a bit of surprise in his eyes but then he smiled at you. "Sure."

[thotwonu]

zion with a daughter pleaseeeeee

y’all really love this dad!much stuff. ALRIGHT! wow i missed writing for zion??? i’m in a soft && spooky mood and most my stuff for the entirety of october is probably gonna be halloween related bc it’s the only holiday i enjoy. - rei

zion’s head was spinning as he was dragged through the aisles of party city. the place was packed with screaming children and irritated parents. that paired with the obnoxious halloween decorations everywhere and the amount of options in front of him was giving him a headache. in true zion fashion, he was wearing all of his emotions on his face.

while anyone who knew zion would be able to just ignore the pout and furrowed eyebrows, in the store full of strangers, people were becoming intimidated by the tall, harsh looking man. zion felt a pat on his hand and ceased his generalized glaring to look down at his daughter. 5 years old and already a little grown up she motioned for him to come down to her level. he squatted down and waited for her to say what she needed to. she took his face between her little hands and made him look her dead in the eyes. “daddy, you’re making angry eyebrows. stop it. you’re scaring the other daddies.” her little face matched the one he’d had on earlier. her full lips pouting dramatically and her little eyebrows scrunched together.

zion let his head fall back with a laugh and picked his little girl up causing her to squeal and giggle. “you know you’re too damn smart for your own good li’l mamas,” he pressed kisses all over her cheeks causing her giggles to escalate to full on belly laughs. after a minute he hitched her up on his hip and got in line to look at the wall full of pictures that was standard part of halloween. 

for the next 15 minutes zion stood discussing the different options he and evie had for costumes. “i think we’ve made the decision,” he said to the worker before turning to evie who nodded. “you wanna ask for them?” she turned to the worker who was listening intently. she blinked her long lashes that he got from her mami and smiled at the guy waiting for her to speak, “batgirl in a 4T please.” her ‘please’ came out more like ‘pleathe’ since she was missing a couple of teeth. zion was smiling at her like a proud father as the guy nodded and called it to the person working in the back and pointed them in the direction to pick up the costume.

on the way home from party city evie couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to be batgirl just like mami. the for the last few halloweens you and zion had always dressed up like batman and batgirl because you had bought rather expensive costumes and each year you added something on to it since you knew you’d probably be relatively the same size every year. zion couldn’t stop grinning the whole way home, constantly glancing back to look at his daughter’s eyes sparkling with excitement. every time zion thought he couldn’t possibly love her more than he already did, she did something that made him realize how blessed he was. 

about halfway home he heard evie yawn and knew she’d be knocked out before they reached home. he was right. he carried evie inside the house only to find you also asleep on the couch. clearly you had been waiting up for them to get home and fallen asleep. normally zion wouldn’t have taken evie out so late, but he’d been in the studio a little later than expected that day so they got a later start than planned. after he put her in her bed he came back out to the living room and decided to wake you up nicely.

“mamas, wake up,” he whispered placing kisses on any exposed skin he could find. your cheek, your hand, your neck. eventually you smiled and rolled over opening your eyes and peering up at him, “i’m sorry i fell asleep.” you yawned and stretched out. “what outfit did she pick?” you asked settling back into the couch and watching zion smile a soft little smile that he reserved for when he talked about evie. “batgirl, so she can be just like mami.” the noise that came out of you at how adorable your daughter was, was barely human. “i want another one,” zion said laying on top of you and kissing on your belly tickling you. you laughed lightly and pulled zion’s lips up to your own and kissed him and held him close to you. “well good. because i have some news.” the grin that broke out on your face made zion’s jaw drop. “don’t fuckin’ play with me y/n,” he said pushing himself up off you in a push up position. you laughed and put your hands on your belly, “i’m not playin’, i’m deadass. there’s another little baby in here.” zion moved back down your body again and started talking to your belly.

you smiled fondly at your husband, the love of your fucking life, as he talked to your not even showing belly. this had been your favorite part of your first pregnancy. zion constantly talking to your baby bump about anything and everything. it hadn’t stopped once evie was born either. you were pretty sure it was why she had started talking so earlier, but zion constantly talked to her like a she was a person who could fully understand him even when all she did was blink at him like he was an alien. you couldn’t wait to do it all over again, even the sleepless nights and diapers.

“you know, i really wanted to start trying to have a baby like we did last time,” zion grinning up at you. you rolled your eyes. the sweet moment was over and you remembered how you ended up pregnant to begin with. “you didn’t even have to try this time. got enough practice the first time around that you did it without even trying this time,” you laughed.

[fuwafuwamedb]

Dodging Death Pt 13 (CasGil, Hans, Hakuno, )

Previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

___

If this could just end, that would be great.

The world hadn’t been this complicated before. She would go to school, study hard, get some good grades, go to work, harass Hans, and then go home to lay down and relax. There’d be a little wine here and there, usually accompanied by a large, liberal amount of ice cream or chocolate cake.

When Gilgamesh had come along, she’d imagined doing the old cat lady maneuver. She would lay down at night and have her large, fluffy cat join her. They would enjoy the late night television that she wasn’t really supposed to watch since she had to head to school early in the mornings. They would sneak to the kitchen for bits of turkey or some other treat. In the end, she would enjoy the life of solitude and peace.

That was it.

Sitting on the cold marble floor of a hotel suite high up in one of the largest hotels in Fuyuki, staring at a test she sincerely hoped would be flunked was not in her plans. She hadn’t pictured some random blond throwing himself into her life, showing her magic and claiming her for himself.

At most, she’d imagined being with Emiya.

Embarrassing as it was, she’d had a lot of late nights with him. There’d been a lot of take out menus and bad cooking jobs done on her part. She’d made memories painting her house some subdued colors, escaping the exotic and poor paint colors she’d bought her house with. There’d been times where she’d ended up calling Emiya and coasting over to his and Cu’s place to crash on their couch and shower while her own was being repaired.

Who could forget the classic toilet repair attempt, where Emiya had opened the tank of the toilet and had been plunging with a great gush had come up.

The pure look of disgust and agony on his face…

He liked Sakura.

That was well and good. Sakura was an angel of a person and there was probably no one that would treat him with as much kindness and respect as she would. She was a bit dependent too, which was something that Emiya was used to accommodating. The two would get along well.

Plus, she’d already agreed to give Gilgamesh a chance.

The king was tall and handsome. He was clearly intelligent. He had a pride that saw no shame or reservation.

If there was something he wanted, he was going for it. If there was something he didn’t like, it was dropped and abandoned fully. There was no halfways with him. There was no second chances or regrets. The man lived his life like so many wished to live their life.

If she had told Emiya that he was having a child, there would have been fear.

She had no doubt that the man would have been panicking and going through a long list of reasons why that would be a bad plan. His fear would feed her fear, the two of them would have been sending one another into pure panic attacks with all of the things that they would be risking, if there were things that could be risked.

Gilgamesh, meanwhile, was thanking her.

You’d have thought he was receiving some kind of special award with the way he had wrapped his arms around her and thanked her for doing this. In the car, her hand on the shift had been stroked for ages by the man. He’d tried to even follow her to go into the store, earning himself a good warning that she was going to just get a couple things and come straight back out.

One minute.

Just one minute left on this test and then she was going to shower and talk to Gilgamesh again.  

This was going to be a good talk.

The first thing they needed to do was talk about her house.

Going back was an option, but the axe killer getting into her home made that very uncomfortable. The person had slipped right in, almost killed them, and then left. She hadn’t heard a word from the police. No one had mentioned the killer being caught. Her home was even on the newspaper she’d seen at the store.

Sure, she could return, but there was no point.

Hakuno leaned back against the wall in the bathroom and stared up at the ornate ceiling.

Another option was to sell the house.

Being that Fuyuki was a clean and well off city, there was no doubt that the place would sell pretty easily. It wasn’t even the best neighborhood either, but it was close enough to the bus and the subway and to a few decent food places. Someone would take it.

That meant she’d have some money on her hands.

Gilgamesh was also handling this bill for the hotel. As questionable as it was to use him like that, it meant she could save some money. Hell, if things didn’t work out, she could probably just have him return to Uruk and she could be in charge of that wealth remaining.

First thing she’d do was travel.

Maybe she would move to the countryside somewhere and have a flock of sheep. She could sew her own clothes and wear furs in the deep winters, looking over the mountainside and calling out to the wolves in the distance.

Or, she could open a little shop.

She could be the owner of her own sweets shop, making them for the pure pleasure of making confections that would amaze and excite shoppers. She’d pick her own hours, opting to close early to go out into the great summer sun and lounge while a group of kids played in the grass or some elders played croquet or something.

That was if things didn’t work out though.

If they did…

If she found that she liked being with Gilgamesh…

The gods themselves only knew what then.

She would be sharing her life with someone. They would work together to make plans and chart a course towards the rest of eternity together. There was no doubt now that she would have a child. It was only a matter of how soon and to what situation.

Hopefully Gilgamesh knew a lot about families because she didn’t know a thing.

Her three tests on the counter blinked.

She didn’t move.

Right now, she was both pregnant and not pregnant.

She could go drinking and perhaps there would be consequences. She could take a fall or a hit to the gut and perhaps she would be risking lives.

Maybe…

Maybe she wouldn’t look.

Hakuno stood up, moving to the door to tell Gilgamesh no and to continue this talk about how their lives would continue. She had the knob half turned when she looked back.

The three tests gleamed on the counter.

It was best to look though…

She should have a look, see the negative, and carry on. It would only take a minute and then she would be back to the task of avoiding an axe killer and living life. There was nothing that was dire about those three white sticks on the counter. Nothing said she needed to fret that much. Her tests had been more terrifying.

Right. She could just-

Hakuno closed her eyes again, turning away at the last minute.

She was not brave enough for this.

“Gilgamesh!”

The door opened. The man himself glancing in to find her hovering near the counter.

“I-I can’t look.”

“You can’t look?”

She shook her head.

Looking meant finding out. Looking meant that she would have to face the consequences of whatever was said. While she thought that, looking up at Gilgamesh while thinking that felt entirely ridiculous.

The man glanced at the three tests, picking one up to look at the information.

“Gilgamesh…”

A small kiss was pressed to her shoulder.

She was, wasn’t she?

Hakuno wrapped her arms around the man, holding him tightly to herself. Her eyes closed, her hands holding onto his shirt.

He needed to say something.

Don’t worry about things, you’re not pregnant.

Congratulations, you’ll make quite a mother.

Something would work.

Anything at all would work.

The silence was building. The need to run was combined with the deep need to hide against him until the end of time.

He just needed to say something. Anything.

The man was constantly talking. He had been more than happy to go on and on for ages in his Epic and in her class. He enjoyed talking about anything and everything. He was insistent upon filling the air… So why was he quiet?

“Gilgamesh?”

He captured her lips, pulling her up into his arms. She didn’t get the chance to look now. He was carrying her over to the bed and draping her across the sheets. His lips were pressing to her cheek, her jawline, her neck; he kissed lower and lower down her person. The zipper of her dress was sliding down, the undergarments snapped faintly before she found herself laying exposed on the sheets.

Where did the time go?

Unbuttoning the man’s suit, tossing his clothes to the wayside, once more finding that strong chest with her hands as she met those lips and lost herself once more to the waves of their great chemistry; Hakuno found herself distracted once again.

Being at this during the middle of the day was not helpful either.

She could see the sun pour in from the windows, making the man’s sunkissed skin and golden hair simply gleam. She could see every single inch of him, built to perfect and looking up at her as she shoved him onto the mattress and straddled his waist.

The time simply went out the window.

She learned how to drape her leg over his chest, using the other to help her movements up and down his person. She learned how to hold his bent leg with her arms, glancing over at him as she rode him hard and fast. He rolled them over as she came, resuming a more standardized position.

The sun was far off over the horizon as Hakuno found herself stirring at his side finally. The bed was a mess, their clothes abandoned to the wind. She was pretty sure the marks on Gil’s person were going to be there for a while.

4:15 in the evening.

“Gil.” Hakuno moved to the edge of the bed, tentatively standing up on wobbly legs. “Gil?”

He didn’t move.

Maybe it was best to leave him to rest while she went to work.

That didn’t sound like a bad idea. She could focus on getting some alone time in and getting her head on straight. Maybe get some homework done too. Rin and Rani would be able to give her some notes.

That sounded like a great plan.

A new dress would work for work. It wasn’t like she was going to be going too many places for a few days. She could have both dresses in the wash in the morning.

A quick trip to the bathroom showed her that she’d be wearing her hair down. The faint signs of redness on her neck were definitely going to be noted by patrons otherwise. She washed her face a bit and tried to think as she glanced in the mirror.

Her eyes drifted to the tests still chilling on the counter.

…

Hakuno turned and walked out, finding Gilgamesh sitting up and frowning.

“We spent too much time in bed, didn’t we?”

“I’ll head out. You can rest a bit-“

“I’ll come. You will just need to give me a minute.” He yawned, pulling her close to kiss before heading for the bathroom.

“Gil! I have to get moving!”

“I’ll only be a moment.”

A moment had the shower turning on.

Hakuno groaned at the sound, opening the door and glancing over at him checking the temperature.

“I have to leave now, Gil. I work at 5. That means I have,” she checked her phone, “thirty minutes to get in my car, over to the library, park, run in, and clock in.”

“Hakuno, you will be fine-“

“If you take a shower, then I won’t be on time.”

He sighed, turning off the shower.

“You will owe me,” he pointed out.

“I owe you too much already.” But one more thing wasn’t going to make much of a difference. She moved from the doorway so he could grab his clothes, watching him fix everything once more back into place. His tired little yawn in the midst of buttoning his shirt was almost enough to call in, but Hakuno turned away.

The wood grain on the door became of interest, all the way up until Gilgamesh was moving to her side and clearing his throat.

She nodded to him at seeing him ready.

“We will go there and back. You need rest as well, Hakuno.”

“Straight to the library and back,” she agreed.

The elevator ride was a quiet one. The trip to the car was no more exciting. Hakuno made record time in navigating the roads, pulling in and clocking in without issue. Gilgamesh settled himself near some of the art on display, deciding to look at one of the pieces with great interest as Hakuno went to clock in.

“You’re dressed up weird,” Hans noted, barely looking away from the books that he was scanning back into the system.

“I ah… I got engaged.”

“What a waste. White hair wasn’t worth your time. He has a stick so far up his ass that it’s a wonder it hasn’t messed with his brain. I don’t doubt he hates his younger self.”

“Emiya is not that bad,” she argued. “You’re um… You’re not still mad about his age comment, are you?”

Those sharp eyes glanced her way, narrowing dangerously.

So… he was mad.

“That… friend of yours, lacking any brains at all, uses poor humor and dry remarks to cover up the fact that he is a depressed, selfish asshole with an axe to grind against the world for no other reason than-“

She wasn’t listening.

It was hard to listen when there was a cute little blong woman coming into the library this evening. She looked a lot like Rin for some reason. Her blond hair bounced as she walked, her small smile was so nervous, especially as she murmured into her phone.

The girl was probably here for her boyfriend. She somehow didn’t seem comfortable with this kind of place.

Poor girl.

“-And furthermore, if you’re going to get engaged to that kind of man, then you really need to look at your own life decisions and think about where you see your future heading.”

“I’m engaged to the blond guy in the art area,” Hakuno told him simply, watching the blonde woman head up the stairs.

She seemed so sad for some reason. Sad and frustrated.

Maybe she could take a few minutes to help cheer her up a little. There were still some cupcakes in the back probably. Rani was typically bribing her for doing her work.

“…You married him?”

“I’m going to.”

Blonde Girl was going into the archives. She must really be suffering. Whoever was making her do this work was definitely paying her. The spotlights in the room left a bit to be desired. It could get creepy in there after a while.

Hans moved into her range of vision.

“You’re marrying that guy?”

Hakuno followed his gaze, nodding at the sight of Gilgamesh.

“Yes.”

“Blondie in a suit?”

“If he had his way, I have no doubt that I’d be married and with at least one kid right now.”

Gilgamesh glanced her way, earning a small smile from her.

The proud smirk and nod had Hans turning away.

“He looks like some kinky minded, sex addict. You be smart and sign a prenup. Maybe make sure he pays you for any divorce. I’d write a will too. Guy like that looks like he’d put the hit out on someone for looking at another wrong.”

“He’s fine, Hans.”

The blonde woman was back on the stairs again. She was moving to search the next area of rooms.

Hans followed her gaze, frowning as well as the woman moved into and back out of the room.

“Hakuno, go check-“

“I’m on it.”

It was the duty of a librarian to help those find whatever they were looking for.

[lady-in-aquamarine]

A moral compass for a vampire

It was quite a long line at the local drugstore yesterday I had to wait in for buying a box of plasters. I put the blame on autumn, so like every first catching a cold in these days. However, that doesn’t really matter in the present context. Next to me, there was a small four-or-so-year-old girl. She was begging her mum to buy her a bar of Hematogen. She hasn't stopped till she was called a vampire. (For someone who doesn’t know, Hematogen is a kinda weird type of nutrition bars made of defibrinated cow's blood.) This phrase just got stuck in my brain. Hence I did some quick research.

According to the state standard, Hematogen has to include 5% of black albumin. If I did the maths based on black pudding recipes right, 250 grams of black albumin, in its turn, is an equivalent of 9-12 liters of fresh blood. Writer David Mark said that 500 milliliters of blood clocks in at 425–460 calories. An average adult, depending on his or her weight and physical activity, needs from 2500 to 3000 calories per day.

Telling the long story short, a vampire would need to eat about 25 fifty-gram bars per day, while a human eats 1,5 kilos of food (as 25*50=1250, it’s even less!). Such a diet, for sure, looks strange, but not worrying enough, especially in a big city that has lots of drugstores. I can easily imagine a man buying a box of them here or there, without being suspected of anything. In that case, we have three types of vampires: normal vampires, vegetarians, who drink animal blood, and those who are eating “instant noodles” that are Hematogen.

Everything below is a sketchy beginning of a Fright Night and Twilight crossover fic based on this headcanon. I just couldn’t help myself. Nevertheless, what I’ve said, would work in other settings too, especially, in those, that have not-burning-under-the-sunlight vampires.

Some legends are just stories to frighten children with. Some are true to the very end. But most of them are a good mixture of both possibilities. It’s always the hard way to find out which part is which. The legend said that if you kill a vampire with a stake blessed by Saint Michael, vampire’s victims turn back into humans. It was a lie. Not a complete one, but that made the reality even worse. He and Amy (and most certainly a dozen of others, but they were out of contact to be checked) got stuck in some Limbo. The more time was passing since that awful night, the more obvious this was becoming.

The aftereffects started in a couple of weeks as a sore throat and nausea. Neither lemon mixed with honey nor spray did help. Looking for something that will ease symptoms, even unorthodox, Peter wandered into the Russian quarter. It turned out that they had the medicine. The fact he didn’t want to know was that those nutrition bars looking like a lovechild of a bar of cheap chocolate and soya sweets were made of actual blood. On the other hand, miss Peterson found them helpful too. Thus he returned the next day and bought everything they had in that small shop.

Some months after, silver glitter hadn't washed off Amy’s skin after the prom.   She was doing her best, but all she got were bloody scratchings on her cheeks and forehead. In three or four days, without any logical reason, Peter himself started to sparkle like a drag queen too. About that time, Charlie became suspicious of them, but they were lucky enough that he jumped into the wrong conclusions.

“Screw him, Bamby...” - Peter passed Amy a glass with the same amount of whiskey as he poured to himself. The girl was crying her eyes out after her now ex-boyfriend accused her of cheating with a not-so-fake vampire hunter. Therefore, Midori was not hard enough alcohol for this situation. And yes, probably he was making things worse by letting Amy spend the night on the couch. But what kind of man he would be if he let her drive in such condition?

A year and a half passed since Jerry’s death before Peter noticed that his brown eyes became color of amber. All blue also did vanish away from Amy’s irises by that time.  Even after a brainstorm, none of them was sure whether there are other hunters in Vegas or not.  The next day, with a heavy heart, he asked her to move in just in case.  Telling the truth, it was strange that her parents didn’t even say a word against this invitation. But as Scarlett O'Hara, Peter told himself to think of it all tomorrow, and then again and again.

Two years later, he almost fell off his chair and got choke on his drink when Amy called him daddy. She said that she was trying word out, in a non-sexual way, thank God. It fitted in after some time. By that time, she wrote the whole script for a new illusion show when the “Fright night” he was performing with for ages became not so popular as it was.  “Bloody sunrise” consisted of every fucking cliche about vampires, but it was ending with an unexpected plot twist. This mixture was enough for bringing great success in Vegas. As a result, they were giving ten shows every week, but still, all the tickets were sold out for half of the year in advance.

He and Amy (she was playing a thousand-year-old vegetarian vampire) were sitting on the very edge of the stage representing the roof of some block building. There was just a double vanishing trick to perform, and then they were going to be done for today.  The fake sun was rising to flood the stage and the auditorium with a reddish light.

"You need both an impenitent and sensitive heart to be one of us. Otherwise, immortality sucks... "- Amy, well, Mary-the-vampire as she was in the role, took a draw at the cigarette that was still between his shaking fingers.

- I quite remember the village I was born in as well as thousands of hundreds of faces I’ve met thought the millennia. They're all dead now, not a single grave left, and here I am. I can speak every language. I’ve met Shakespeare and danced with Casanova in Paris. And so what? The older I get, the more it feels like I’m trapped in a phenakistiscope. Everything changes, but stays the same. Sometimes I think that I don’t have enough stamina to live anymore.

“Phenakistiscope? Is that thingamajig that was before the cinema?” Peter waved his hand standing up.

“Yes, “ she laughed in an awfully unnatural way, “Oh God, yes.”

“We should go now... You know... The sun,” the ray of light was coming closer and closer, but it was still not blocking the way to the door.

“You’re right... we should,” - Mary stood up too. She turned around, peering into the void to the place where the sun would be in reality. Then she breathed out and pushed the man she was seriously considering to spend the rest of eternity with, out of the shadow. There was a loud scream. He was burning, it took less than a minute for nothing but clothes and half-burned bones to be left on the stage. A couple of moments later, the sun was up, and Mary had burned in the same way with a relieved smile on her face.

"Have you seen that freak in the first row?" asked Peter during the fifteen-second break between the end of the play and the curtain call. He already got dressed and was helping Amy with magnets on her clothes. No one should have found out that some of the feats we based on vampiric (they were quite honest to themselves) abilities.

- Snow White with albino eyes? Yes.

- I couldn’t focus on his heartbeat.

- There wasn’t one.

When the curtain was raised, they were greeted by a squall of applause. Usually, it was the most pleasing part of the show, but now Peter was feeling nothing except shiver going down his sweaty spine. That man he noticed before, wasn’t only clapping, but he was standing on his feet with a broad grin sharp enough to get someone killed. Running across him in the hotel’s bar full of people wasn’t even surprising but not welcomed.

Madlen, the manager, said that there was a European asking for an appointment. He wanted to discuss the possibilities of a tour of Bloody surprise.   So, after putting the grease-paint off and putting another on, they had to look for a random man. The main problem with the task was that people in the bar were always packed like sardines. And if eight years ago crowdy places were adored by Peter and most likely by Amy too, as she was a teenager, nowadays they weren’t.

First of all, the crowd stunk. Secondly, when you are an observer of a neverending weekend, once it starts to look like a madhouse of figures and faces that are hopelessly unintelligible.  But those ghosts were laughing and boozing all night through, not quite aware of all the dangers around them. Vegas’s spirit stayed the same.  Nobody will even notice if someone mysteriously disappears. Knowing that firsthand was awfull. And the last, but not least, they were tired as hell. Weariness was a constant companion, as well as vomming. Changed stomachs rejected everything, that wasn’t Hematogen or alcohol.

"Mister Vincent, and, as far as I could get from this," - man showed a neatly folded playbill, - "miss Peterson, I appreciate your taking the time today."

The stranger in a fine-tailored suit had some sort of accent, not a thick one, just some sharpness to the consonants. As Madlen told - a European, but why it had to be him? Why out of all people in the bar it had to be some pervert?  Amy’s grip on his palm became quite painful, but yet Peter returned his best fake smile.  He wished she could read his thoughts and find out that he also had found their’s company frightening,

“My pleasure, mister... ” he put the stress on the last word waiting for a meaningful response.

- I’m terribly sorry, I’ve got a little bit distracted.  Those who are in the theme do usually know my name, as well as some others. I’m Aro Volturi.

“No fucking way!” - exclaimed Peter in sync with Amy’s “You’ve got to be kidding!” The ancient vampire gave them a look that was simultaneously amused and offended, but before Aro was able to say anything in his defense, former vampire hunter kept going.

- Listen, buddy. I'm ok with fake names, but don't bring that adolescent bullshit up.

- To my great regret, I have to admit that those books are sufficiently accurate, the first one, especially. Missis Meyer has a great gift of clairvoyance. Unfortunately, when our community found that out, the leak has already been publicized. On the other hand, her work helped us to hide in plain sight.

Amy rolled her eyes in a way she took after her mentor and sighed.

- It still doesn’t answer why you are here. The show is just an excuse.

Aro nodded more to his own thoughts then to her words.

- It’s rather avant-garde. Vampires who pretend to be humans pretending to be vampires.  But you are right, it’s just an excuse.  As you both are law-abiding, most of us voted for leaving you alone till you would be morally ready. But after some time, I heard rumors that you have problems with hunting. You know, eating instant noodles instead of blood is rather unhealthy.  So, since you are turncoats, not catechumens, I’m here to provide some help and teach you ...

Peter couldn't help himself and busted in nervous laughter.

"Teach what?" he asked, "How to kill people?".

Suddenly, the other man's face cracked, broadened, and spread to a somehow both cold and paternal smile.

- If you say so.

“Bamby, we’re leaving! And you, ” In anger, Peer pointed his finger at the vampire. The inner corner of his left eye started to twitch, but he tried to play it cool, even though Amy almost broke some of his metacarpal bones by holding on his hand too tight. “And your broken moral compass can go and fuck yourself with the biggest dildo you would be able to find! ”

Сorners of Aro’s mouth immediately turned down, and his face started to look waxy.

- Oh, smile bastard, you’re lucky with not getting a stake in your heart today.

Peter grabbed still aghast co-something by her wrist and led her to the exit. They both didn’t feel safe enough, till the door of the penthouse closed behind their backs, and all seven locks were activated.

“You did it again... His eyes went glassy,” laughed Amy, slipping to the floor. “I saw it!”

- So what? I didn’t tell him to jump off the roof after all.

- I wish I would be able to see his face when he’ll realize that he can’t disobey you.  

- and all that will happen next.

- It’s gross!

- It’s like porn... I’ve met dozen of porn actors in Vegas. Speaking about watching, I’m pretty sure we haven’t finished Good Omens yet.

Peter offered Amy his hand.

- Yep... You bring Margarita... I’ll turn it on.

Both of them were not aware that after an unmercifully forced orgasm, Aro Volturi started to frame another plan. Once he came to Vegas, he expected to see desperate and apprehensive young vampires, but they weren’t.  It turned out that Vincents (as he called them to himself) were even more moral-driven then Callens, and it was all. He could just return to Volterra, considering his mission as accomplished, but it would be such a shame if he lets a vampire with such a gift simply slip away from his fingers. He needed a full backstory of their turning at first, then he would decide how to win them over.

[radioactive-park]

Dogpoo Petuski Application

IN CHARACTER:

Name: Devin “Dogpoo/Dogtooth/Dev” Petuski - I am fully aware that it isn’t his name, but I can’t take Dogpoo as a name seriously (There will be something in ‘bio’ about that)  Age: 24 years old Gender (pronouns): Cis male, he/him Sexuality: Pansexual? Bisexual? Who knows! Occupation/Role: Owns a butchery type deal. Does alright taxidermy on the side. Goes out hunting regularly.  Location/Faction: Centennial City Personality:  - Devin is at first glance, quiet and introverted. Deciding that, since he lives in the ’big,scary city’, he would rather be a loner and not speak to many people outside work circumstances. This, combined with trust issues is not a fun combo. While he does hate it sometimes, he knows that is what keeps him safe. When he does speak to people however, he does it with the utmost respect and manners. Having manners might just make someone’s day, after all. He always tries to have a very positive outlook, or well, as positive as one could be in the wasteland. Always walking with a smile on his face, but don’t be fooled into thinking that he is naïve or gullible. He is very quick to realize when he’s been lied to. - He can get very protective of who and what he cares about, to the extent that he’d rather die trying than give up what’s being protected. - He keeps his promises and stays loyal to those who stay loyal to him, until given reason not to be. - He has literally no patience for snobby/bitchy types. It is the only time he doesn’t stick to being friendly. If a snobby type enters the butchery, don’t be surprised if he tells you to fuck off.  - Unless you’ve personally hurt him a lot, he will not hold a grudge. He will shrug it off and, you guessed it, not care.  - A brave bastard. He will not even flinch if you pull a gun or knife on him (Unless you’re, as an example, a CC military type). Stupid brave, to put it simply.  - Has slight abandonment issues, but hey, can’t be abandoned if there’s nobody to abandon you. Bio (It’s not up to Gregory’s app’s standard I apologise x-x): Born and raised in Centennial city, where he still lives to this day.

At the time of his birth, Devin was nameless. His parents, back then, were completely clueless on what to name their baby boy. Like most wasteland parents they feared that he wouldn’t manage to live long. That, even when they were living inside the safe walls of the city, danger would still swoop in and take him from them. So, he was simply referred to as ’son’ and ’boy’ to start with.

His parents ran a butchery in the city, a surprisingly successful one at that. One night, when Devin was barely a year old still, his father offered to watch him while his mother was out buying a few things for the house. His father, somewhat careless, left him to crawl around and play with some things while he was busy preparing what would be sold the next day. Devin took interest in the family’s dog, who often stood by in case he could possibly get meat scraps. When the dog walked off to go outside for…business, Dev followed close by. By the time his father realized he was missing, he was just…sitting outside, playing with, you guessed it, the dog’s poop. Can’t really blame him for it, he was just a little kid. A baby. That earned him the nickname ’Dogpoo’. Originally his mother was against it, it was a very silly nickname to go by, but she was reasoned with to accept it. Said that it was only a temporary nickname. They were still unsure whether he would live past the age of 5. Nothing personal or against him, they loved him very much, but with the amount of dangers in the wasteland it was a possibility that he would die young.

That was not the case.

Through the years, to his parents’ surprise, he managed to stay alive. From a young age, he showed interest in following in his parents’ footsteps. So, they taught him everything they knew. Proper hunting, skinning, knowing what cuts are used for what, what to dispose of and watch out for, even things like sewing, reading and a hint of writing. He also learned how to cook a variety of foods from a variety of items, not only meat. He avoided joining the CC’s ranks as a guard or mercenary, rather slowly started helping more and more around the butchery. 

It took him until the age of about 11 or 12 to realize what he is called, and what it was. At 16, he also figured out that his parents weren’t sure that he would live as long as he did, which is why he didn’t really have a proper name. He hated being known only by a dumb nickname purely for his mistake as a baby. He was being mocked for it behind his back, he was sure of it. So he slowly began reading up and figuring out what he would name himself. He asked for suggestions. Wrote down possible names. Anything. If people asked about his name, about ’Dogpoo’, he would say that it was misheard. That it was actually ’Dogtooth’. He stuck with that every time he was asked. While out hunting on his own for the first time, he had his first run in with something that would not die easily by a few shots from a hunting rifle. He wasn’t afraid of it, rather cautious and curious. It wasn’t until he was pinned down, blood streaming down his face from being clawed that he realized he made a mistake getting close to it. He barely made it out alive, and if it wasn’t for the beast seeing other humans messing with it’s nest, he probably would have died right then and there. He still has the scars.  Another time, not too soon after that, he experienced radiation for the first time ever. He could feel it damaging him almost, but he would not be defeated by it. He didn’t want to become a ghoul either from making stupid decisions. This was where he started putting together gasmasks of his own design from old, broken ones he had bought, traded for or found. One was based of a dog, similar to the family dog years back. The other was based off what he called a ’tusk-beast’, a weird animal he saw in form of a broken, ruined statue in the city. Those would protect him to an extent, and hide his face.

Fast forward to 2279, almost 2280. One day, Dogpoo was left in charge of the butchery for the day, while his parents went out for their weekly hunting trip. It was a quiet day, not too much going on in terms of sales. He spent his time removing the guts from the baby gecko who would become the taxidermized mascot of sorts for the place, Steven. It started getting later and later, but rather than fearing the worst, Dogpoo accepted that his parents had possibly gotten lost, or had decided to camp out for the night. He made a promise to himself that he would keep running the family business, rather than closing it for the time being. He knew that they would be proud of him for it. Only recently, a few months back to be exact, he took the day to make it official, that he was named Devin, that nobody could argue. Not even his parents.

Up until this day, though, he is still waiting for their return. Not as Dogpoo Petuski, but as Devin Petuski.

Headcanons: - This boy has never learned to shoot anything other than a variety of hunting rifles.  - Fairly skilled with knives, cleavers and saws, only because of the butchery.  - Has a huge claw scar across his face from getting attacked by some creature while out hunting. Very self-conscious about it.  - He tends to pay others for meat, just in case it runs out or he couldn’t find anything on his own. He doesn’t care what type of meat it is, as long as it’s still semi-edible and not completely toxic it’s fine.  - Strong distaste for human flesh, but will sell it under names such as ’Squirrel-on-a-stick’ or ’Iguana bits’. What you don’t know won’t hurt you. - The uses of the gasmasks: The dog one is worn when working. The elephant one is worn when out and about, either hunting, scavenging, or whatever the case might be. It is very rare to see him in public without the masks. He wears them for various reasons - Protection against radiation, to hide his scar and to hide his embarrassment for being called and known as ’Dogpoo’ for most of his life.  - He goes by ’Dogtooth’ around strangers, such as butchery customers and traders. Only once he feels he could trust the person, or the person knows his name, he’s okay with going by ’Devin’.  - It is unknown how he keeps the place cold. He doesn’t even know. Wouldn’t catch him complaining, though. - He literally has no idea about anything or anyone outside of the CC and the small radius around it where he hunts.  - He has been trying to perfect his taxidermy technique. His only successful one so far has been a baby gecko. He stands in the corner next to the door of the butchery. Dev calls him ’Steven’. - Dev can read numbers and do basic equations (add, subtract, multiply, divide). He keeps a small notebook in which he writes down things such as expenses, money made for the day, how much he has to pay people and so on.  - No, the money made is not kept at the butchery, nor does he keep it on him. So don’t even try to rob him. - Will try to befriend anyone and everyone. Very friendly, even to those who are not friendly towards him…. In most cases.  - Seems to speak with a slight Canadian accent.  - Not afraid to get dirty - No matter if it’s mud, blood, or anything else. - This boy hasn’t had a decent haircut since he was born. When it gets too long, he cuts it himself. Send help. - He sticks to the laws, rules and regulations of the city to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.  - He is a pretty decent wasteland chef and yes, he will make you food if you ask him to. (Once again, if something needs to be changed, I have no problem with doing so)

[movedto-tsotc]

Ah personal project because i don’t draw hands enough, these are the hands of everyone in class 3-1 in my oc school (don’t. concern yourself with it it’s just ocs) - i started this after waking up at like 11pm and it’s 11 am now it’s not been a productive day but! tadah! I’ll be talking about each hand more under the cut

Ageishi Terumi -  - chipped nail polish (she tries to be in tune with her femininity but is practicality over presentation meaning she usually forgets to apply it again after it gets damaged) - scars and burns from combat (Terumi has very little regard for her own safety so ends up with a lot of wounds) - misaligned fingers from being broken in the past (see above!)

Ageishi Tokurou -  - That’s a standard hand honestly - He’s Terumi’s twin brother, they’re almost identical honestly but he isn’t as reckless so his hands aren’t as marked up and broken - His skin’s rather rough and calloused, much as his sister’s is Hattori Zenjirou - - Zen takes good care of his skin so it’s rather. clear.  - His hands are rather long too, surprisingly so. They’re also slender.  - He values his nails a lot as a form of self expression, Zen usually dresses in all black (like a stupid emo eboy) so it’s a much needed pop of colour, they tend to be well maintained as a result

Hitotose Ryousei -  - The gems on his hand show that this was drawn in winter. ask me about it if you want i just like the blue.  - His fingers are calloused from pushing himself to his limits every day training, he’s very much a hard worker and keeps his nails maintained to show professionality and control despite this - Ryousei’s hands are delicate but not soft, dainty but not fragile. 

Ikko Endou -  - I’m in love with him, firstly. Endou has large hands to keep u safe and hold urs and make u happy he’s fucking perfect okay - his hands kinda just do that gradient, it’s a result of his blessing, no his nails are not painted though his girlfriend (bi rights) and younger sister (and sometimes his like 10 younger brothers) ask him if they can.  - Endou is STUPIDLY strong yet despite this he’s incredibly gentle and FUCKING MOISTURISES UNLIKE EVERYONE ELSE HERE OH MY GOD YOU GUYS.

Inokuma Ayaka - - she’s pink - she paints her nails because it’s nice - her hands are rather small! unsurprising because she’s 4 foot eleven

Kanematsu Koichiro - - VERY skinny and VERY long. he’s baby - he paints his nails as tribute to his late mother (or rather is made to by his father, sorry buddy), he’d be in his usual lace gloves but I Cannot Draw Those Sorry Chiro - He’s 6′5 and a giant twig it makes sense why his hands are so stupidly long actually but i respect him and his stupidly soft skin

Kanya Lamai -  - She’s usually in long gloves but unlike yuushi and tou they have NO detail so i didn’t think they’d be worth including - Yes, Kanya’s an e-girl. Yes, she gets french manicures shut the fuck up her girlfriend likes them - Again, her hands are soft for her girlfriend, got told that rough housing with her apeshit snake brother makes them uncomfy to hold and she bought 5 bottles of hand lotion to make sure that it didn’t happen again.  Kobayashi Sakura -  - Sakura is a dainty son of a bitch and she WILL make sure her nails are beautiful under her armour. she has armour by the way don’t you think she’s perfect.  - With these claws she makes sure no man is safe when she’s around - The nail polish pattern is the same on the other hand but reversed!!

Lothaire Ludenburg Junior - - Lothaire burnt their middle finger when they were a child but also REALLY likes their nails so went “fuck it let’s cut all my gloves”, it’s high fashion baby! - they are. so fucking pale. im sick of this bitch someone get them some sunlight - yes, their nails are gemstones. yes they’re rich. yes i’m robbing them. also TINEY BABEY HANDS

Narumi Nekomaru -  - you know how ryousei went apeshit training? yeah narumi did that but like ten times harder so tends not to have time to maintain his hands much - his nails are either cut when they get too long or trimmed in combat n shit, he’s not got rough rough hands and they’re always (always) clean but they’re not exactly soft either - that marking? the same as his forehead, it’s a part of his blessing. Also he’s got. small hands bro.  Sasaki Yasu - - that’s not my oc - I’d link you to the page of the person whose oc it is but she won’t give me her tumblr account (and her twt’s private so im not fucking pseuo doxxing her again like i did on rp twt dont ask) - Nikki if you’re out there seeing this or if i sent it to you, suck my dick and also enjoy your con and ALSO ask me about this i miss yasu so much :(

Sawamura Yuushi -  - UNDER THOSE GLOVES ARE TALONS THE ONLY REASON YOU CAN’T SEE THEM IS BECAUSE HE TURNS THEM TO SMOKE BEFORE PUTTING ON THE GLOVES - Yuushi’s a gigantic germaphobe and hates human contact so isn’t ever seen without some form of gloves on whether they’re his leather, everyday gloves, the white cotton ones he uses when maintaining his collection of “fake” “glass” eyes or the other white cotton gloves he uses when obsessively cleaning EVERYTHING  - Yuushi bites at his hands a lot, another reason for the gloves. also he’s 7′4 his hands are so fucking LONG he’s like koichiro but again Shishiuichi Takamitsu - - there’s a moth there - mitsu doesn’t paint his nails - medium hands mcgee over here oo please appreciate my perfect boy i love him so so much okay Tou Fuyuhiko -  - GLOVES MEAN NO FINGERPRINTS - the wings are a reference to the birds that represent Hideki family (which he is essentially a bodyguard for, even at such a young age)  - VERY SMALL HANDS, he’s like 5′2

[crazytxgradstudent]

If I Was Your Vampire (pt 5)

The years came and went, with Vlad being as absent a ‘father’ figure as he could manage. Sarah never complained about it, and when she did see him, it was as cordial as could be. She was polite, he was polite. They were polite to each other. Neither ever mentioned the conversation – or the kiss – by the pool, and it was easy at some point to pretend that maybe it never happened. Maybe, easier for her than for him, because for his part, that night was seared into his brain. As if he’d gotten a taste of something that he wanted more of but knew he could never, ever have. That fact didn’t ease the desire. Not one bit, and probably made it the more worse. It was why he insisted on staying away, of making sure he had as little contact with her as possible.

On the night of Sarah’s graduation from high school, Vlad was there to congratulate his ward. She had been accepted to Louisiana State University, where she would be attending in the summer, and therefore only had a short time left here on the island before she had to leave. Now, with less than a week left, Vlad was unsure of how he felt about that. About truly letting her go. Never to see her again. Something had changed in the time they’d been together, as much as he tried to hold himself apart from her. He had changed. His feelings had changed as he’d watched her grow into this beautiful young woman that resided in his home. Gone were the days when she came to him looking like a lost fawn, all legs and elbows and knobby knees, fast on the heels of late puberty. At the time, he’d seen her as a pet.  Something cute that he needed to take care of. To nurture, as best as he could and allow it to grow.

Now, Sarah was a striking young woman. Dark, naturally curly hair that she let dry in the sun, only tamed when she felt the desire to do so. Her skin was tanned by the beach, and her figure could only be described as voluptuous. And her eyes, heaven above him, but he could spend all day staring into those hazel eyes of hers. The way the brown almost became translucent in the sun, and the way the flecks of green were enhanced when she was wearing certain clothes. The way they glittered when she laughed, and how they swam with tears when she was sad. Just like her, her eyes changed with every emotion.

He swallowed as he made his way upstairs to her room to say good night. He rapped on the door.

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

I opened the door, and there he was. I’d only seen him a handful of times since that night, and absolutely everything about him was the same. I had changed, though. I had grown up. Learned many hard life lessons on the way and had matured. Far beyond my years, it seemed. Physically, I was also very different from when I’d first come here. My hair, it was all natural now. No longer did I try to fight my natural curls with a flatiron. My weight had fluctuated, and while I wasn’t necessarily fat, I was curvier than I liked. My breasts had miraculously appeared overnight from my Junior to senior year, and my hips were too wide. Maybe I was an inch taller. But he, he was the same.  So sure of himself and who he was, and still as devastatingly handsome as I remembered. I smiled, opening my door wider and he stepped in. His hands were in his pockets as usual.

“Hello!” I smiled, stepping closer to give him a hug. He wrapped his long arms around me, and pulled me in, enveloping me in his cologne. I sniffed. “You smell good. What is that?”

Vlad pulled back and smiled down at me. “Something Angie picked up for me. You know I have no idea what I should be wearing as far as scent goes. Do you like it?”

I smoothed down his collar where my head had messed it up, patting it against his chest, and gave another smile. “Yes, it’s very you.”

“Very me?” Vlad cocked an eyebrow, and my smile grew to a grin.

“Very dark and mysterious, but still manly and rugged. And soothing. Calming. Warm.”

“Me? Soothing and calming?” Vlad snorted. “Well, clearly I’m wearing the wrong stuff, because I am hardly soothing.” He seemed properly offended, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I watched as he walked around my room, always stopping at my desk, and looking at my drawings. He picked one up, smiling when he saw it was a picture of a pelican sat upon a pilon. “You always loved pelicans, didn’t you?”

“Still do.” I replied as I walked over to him and crossed my arms at my chest. He picked up another picture, and in the process, revealed one I may not have wanted him to see. It was him, his back to the artist, suited up and looking as proper as ever, his hands in his pockets as he stared out the window. The sun was setting in the background, casting shadows on the whole of the picture. I reached over and plucked it from his hands, embarrassed, and tucked it away under another pile.  

“It’s a lovey picture, little one.”

“Yeah, well, that was from a long time ago.”

Vlad turned to me, an easy smile on his face, as he pulled something from his pocket. A card. He handed it to me.

“This is from your grandmother. I was instructed to give it to you upon your graduation from high school, and not a moment before.” Vlad walked away, pacing as he did so. “She wanted you to know some things, about you and your father, and your mother, and her.” He turned around seeing that I was stood there, looking down at the card with tears in my eyes. “I have no idea what’s in that card, so you will be just as surprised as I will be.” He chuckled. “Leave it to your grandmother to pull off such a feat as a secret letter.”

I looked up at him, my eyes glossy, and asked the question I had been dying to ask for so very long. “Did you love my grandmother?”

“No,” Vlad answered plainly. “Not in the way you see on television, or in your books, but I cared for her. As she cared for me.” He walked over to me, and gave a sweet smile. “We cared for each other in the only way possible.”

I looked back down at the card, and felt a tear trickle down my cheek. I quickly dashed it away with my hand. I had nothing from my family. I hadn’t seen my grandmother but a handful of times, though she always wrote me letters of encouragement. Many times as a kid, I would lie awake at night, pretending that one day, my grandmother would come from overseas and take me away, and I’d be happy and loved and taken care of. That I’d have a house and food and clothes that didn’t smell like urine and alcohol. That I wouldn’t get beaten for things I’d never done, and blamed for things out of my control. I sniffled, realizing that that very thing had happened, in some manner. Although it was not the way in which I wanted, was it not still the same concept?

“I also have this for you, little one. It’s my gift. My…congratulations on having come so far and through so much.” Vlad produced a small box. He pushed it forward, and I accepted. A smile broke out on my face.

“Tiffany’s?”

“I hear all the girls love it, so I thought you might as well.” He winked at me, then nodded at the box. “Open it.”

I opened it, and found a silver chain, with a charm on it, and then a bracelet, set in the same fashion. On the necklace, there was an anchor charm.  And on the bracelet, a charm in the shape of a pelican. I started giggling between my tears. Vlad smiled.

“The anchor, so you remember us. And the pelican, well, because you are so fond of them.” His eyes met mine. “Do you like them?”

I smiled, nodding my head, because my words had escaped me. Sure, he had bought me so many things over the years, but I had never been given something of such significance. I held the box out to him. “Will you help me put them on?”

“Love to.” Vlad took the box from me, and I turned around and lifted my hair off my neck. A moment later, I felt his cool fingers touch the back of my neck as he adjusted the clasp. I shivered as his fingers lingered on my skin, the sensation sending a chill through my entire body. His voice was at my ear when he silkily whispered, “Turn around.”

I turned around, heart beating wildly, and came face to face with him. His eyes had grown dark, and something warm unfurled in the pit of my stomach.

His eyes never left mine. “Give me your hand.”

Never looking away from his eyes, I offered my hand and he took it in his, enveloping me with his coolness. Another shiver. Another frantic pitter-patter of my heart against my sternum. And did his eyes darken even further? I swallowed.

He placed the bracelet on my wrist, and again, I felt like his fingers lingered against my skin for longer than was necessary, but I didn’t complain. I wanted his touch. I had craved his touch for as long as I’d known him, though I knew he’d never reciprocate. He’d always said as much, and even now that I was old enough by today’s standards, I was still naïve and stupid in his eyes. He pulled my hand up and pressed a sweet kiss on the back of it.

“Beautiful.”

“Thank you, Vlad,” I whispered. “I love them. And I’ll never take them off.” I reached up on my tip-toes and pressed a sweet kiss at his cheek, and I also lingered longer than I should have. I wanted to feel the roughness of his cheek against mine, to commit to memory how he felt and how he smelled, because I was sure I’d never see him after I left this home. After a few moments, I stepped back and again, smoothed his collar down at his chest. My throat felt so tight, and I found it hard to find words pitched higher than a whisper.

“I’m gonna miss you.”

“And I you,” Vlad rejoined. “But, the school is not far away. It’s not as if you’re moving to another country.” He smiled, and when I looked at him, it seemed a sad smile. Not quite reaching his eyes, and inside my chest, I felt a painful clench.  

“No, it’s not, but I’ll be busy.” I ducked my head and turned away from him, lest he see how sad I was. “Vlad, look, I know I’ve been a royal pain in the ass to you, and I nothing I can say will ever make you understand how much you’ve done for me, but thank you. For everything.” I wiped at the corner of my eyes. “Thank you for taking care of me. And for giving me everything you did.” I turned around, and faced him, my spine steeled for my next words.

“And I know without you, and your money, I’m poor. But I need to do this on my own. Away from you and this place and all of you. I want to go to school on my own. If I have to take out student loans, I will. If I have to work three jobs, I will. I just want to have something that’s my own, and that I did myself.”

Vlad frowned, his head canted, and brows drawn. “I have more than enough money than I know what to do with, little one. Why on earth would you want to accumulate debt when you don’t need to? You’re being silly.”

“No, I’m being an adult. Remember when you told me to grow up? Well, that’s what I’ve been trying to do. And I need you to let me grow up. In my own way. And in my own time.”

“Ahh…the conversation by the pool on your 16th birthday.” Vlad tapped at his lips with his finger. “You are twisting my words to suit your narrative. You know exactly what I was talking about that night, and it had nothing to do with funding your education.”

“Vlad, listen to me. I’m an adult.”

“You are still a child! 18 is hardly an adult!” He spat, his anger obvious now. I huffed out a humorless laugh.

“And that’s exactly why I need to do this on my own. You still see me as some little kid that you have to take care of.” I started shoving things in my purse, and then my backpack. I just wanted to leave. Him, and here, and everything. Leave it all behind and start over.

“I will always feel the need to take care of you.”

“Because you made a promise to my grandmother. Yes, yes, yes. I know.” I grabbed a folder and tucked my drawings away. I didn’t hear him approach me from behind, but when he was inches away, I felt the coolness of his frame. I stood up, the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention in his presence.

“Is this all because of some perceived slight on my part, in regard to your… advances?” Vlad asked, his words thick with meaning.

I forced myself to not be ashamed, to not let him see the blush. What’s done was done, and there was no undoing that. “That was me being stupid and immature, and like a hundred years ago, so just let it go already.”

“Hardly a hundred years, and believe me, I know what a century feels like.”

“Your point?” I muttered, annoyed with his stupid logic.

“My point, sweet Sarah, is that you are a liar. I can hear your heart from a mile away. I can see the hairs on your neck stood on end.” His voice at my ear, drawing me in. I closed my eyes, and leaned back, allowing him to clasp my upper arms with his hands.  A slight tilt of my head and then my neck was bared to him. “You pretend to be unaffected, but it is a lie. You would give yourself to me, wouldn’t you, little one? If I but asked, you would fall at my feet?”

“I would,” I whispered.

“Stupid child. You have this delusion in your head since the day you arrived.” His grasp tightened on my arms, his sharp nails digging into my skin with a pinch.  “What do you think would happen? That you’d come of age and we’d fall in love? That we’d settle down and have a normal life?” He nipped at the edge of my ear with his lips. “You’re insane.”

“Yes, I am, and it’s why I need to leave here. And leave you.” I turned around in his arms, and met his gaze head on. His eyes, so dark they were nearly black, peered down at me. His nostrils had flared, and I knew he was smelling me. He was fighting his urge to take me. I knew this, and the reckless part of me didn’t care. I reached out, dared to, and cupped his jaw with my hand. One finger trailed over the fullness of his bottom lip, tugging it loose so that it parted from the top. White teeth revealed.

“Do you want me, Vlad?” I asked, my eyes never leaving his lips as I toyed with his flesh.

“With every fiber of my being,” he breathed out against my fingers.

“Then why don’t you just do it?” My eyes met his, pleading, filled with want and repressed desire. My own personal truth.

He tugged me close to him, crushing me against his chest, and held me tight. He was shaking, just as much as I was. His words rumbled through his chest and into mine. “I would destroy you. And I cannot do that to you. Not to you.”

“Then you have to let me go,” I whispered at his chest. “And don’t bother me. Let me forget you, so that I can move on. Please.” I pushed away from him, and stepped back.

“Is this what you want?” His voice was so very low. I shook my head.

“No, but you’ll never give me what I want, so I have to go. I can’t stay here and be around you and pretend like I’m a little kid any longer.”

“You are 18 years old!”

“Almost 19, but who’s counting?” I shrugged again. “And it wouldn’t matter if I was 85, you would still deny me.”

“Stupid, idiotic child!” He spat again as he paced. I tried not to let his words affect me, though they stung the deepest part of my heart. My reality, smacking me in the face again. He would never see me as anything more than a child, someone to be taken care of. I simply couldn’t stay here any longer, not in that context.

“Yes, and you’re a stupid, old vampire. Seems like we’re at an impasse, aren’t we?”

Vlad stopped, his jaw tense and eyes dark as sin as he pinned me to the spot I was stood on. He stalked toward me, his fists clenched, and for the first time in a long time, I felt real, genuine fear crawl up my spine. He backed me up into the wall, caging me in with his arms. He ran his nose along my jawline, inhaling deeply as if he were trying to breathe in my very essence.

“You think it clever, provoking me?” He growled against my ear, and took another sniff.

“I’m not provoking you,” I whispered, doing my best to not reach out and clutch at his waist, to drag him to me, just to see what would happen.

“Oh, but you are, my sweet Sarah.” He reached up, and grasped my chin and part of my cheek with his hand and turned my face to the side, and then his mouth was pressed against the skin of my neck. His tongue slipped out and pressed at the throbbing in my vein, and I moaned with him. “I can hear the truth in your heartbeat, little one. Fear. Beat after precious beat, rife with fear.”

“That’s not fear,” I whimpered, and then I could stand it no longer, and grasped at the back of his head, and pressed his mouth against my skin. I felt the openness of his mouth, the sharpness of rows of teeth. “Please, Vlad. Just do it, please!”

With a snarl, he tore himself away from me, his breathing ragged and eyes gone red around the black of his iris’s. His shoulders rose and fell with the effort, and his face was etched in equal parts pain and lust. I shook as I saw the sharpness of his incisors grown into points, and I knew immediately that I’d pushed him too far. Much too far. I cowered in the corner, sliding down until I was on my haunches, and hugged myself.

“You would turn me into this beast, and be happy for it,” his voice, a low snarl. “You would reduce me to this, and think it a prize.”

“I’m sorry,” I cried, over and over. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, hoping and praying for forgiveness, for something, but nothing came.  After some time, I realized that I was alone, and that he had gone. I warily looked up to find my room empty, and my door closed, and I fell down on my bottom, and started crying again.

I don't know how long I stayed in my corner, scared half to death and more sorry and ashamed than I'd ever been. Eventually I realized I needed to get up and I needed to go. Finally, I managed to collect the rest of my things, and without saying goodbye to anyone else, I left his home and headed east to my new home. There was nothing left for me here. I never looked back as I pulled away. And it was good that I didn't look back and search, for if I had, I might have seen the dark figure staring down at me from his room, his nails scratching the panes of glass and leaving deep etches on the surface, his eyes dark and sorrowful.

If I had seen that, I might have not left at all.

[darkpetal16]

Apologies if these are out of order! For the Anon with 5+ questions about Bleach!Lilly. 

Anon your excitement really put a smile on my face and some of your ideas were pretty funny so I wanted to share. 

To show my gratitude for your excitement, here’s some pieces of the Bleach story I am still working on: 

Lilly’s zanpakuto: 

I placed the sword in the white sand and took a seat in front of it. It was a black blade--it had darkened to this morbid color the moment I touched it--and it gleamed with an almost malicious aura.

This almost made me want to pout because I liked to think of myself as someone who was not morbid or malicious. Most of the lives I lived I was a relatively good guy! 

Run the genocide route just a few times and you’re marked for life, I thought ruefully, shaking my head.

What else was there to do when cursed with immortality, though? It was bound to happen, I wasn’t that self-disciplined. I thought, perhaps, if I played the role of the villain that maybe my punishment--my karma--would be permanent death.

Nope.

The sinister looking sword remained stock still--not like I expected it to move, really--while I continued to give it a stink eye for its appearance.

I better not have an evil spirit inside, I thought. I’m a happy, bubbly, hero! Not a damn villain.

Only one way to find out, though.

I reached forward with my spiritual energy and forced my consciousness inside the spiritual energy that resided inside the sword.

<cut out> 

“This is a really morbid mindscape,” I observed with narrowed eyes, walking through the black gunk. “Ugh… don’t give me villainous powers, please.”

Then red eyes gleamed beneath the sea of black, and a wicked smile stretched underneath it.

“Damn it,” I cursed, now realizing I did indeed have the evil sword.

<LOT of cut out> 

Lilly requesting new minions. 

“You’ll be happy to know I’ve picked out a new lieutenant,” I chirped, folding my hands together behind me. 

Genryūsai looked up from his caligraphy, dark eyes assessing me. “It’s good to know a hundred years of nagging pays off.”

“I told you I was waiting,” I dismissively returned, taking a seat across from his floor table. “He won’t be with me for very long, though.”

“Hm?” Genryūsai’s attention returned to whatever he was writing. As always, my oldest student was pristine and meticulous in everything he did. His back was kept perfectly straight, and his captain sleeves were tied up to prevent them from dipping into the traditional ink slabs on his desk. He only ever sat on seat cushions—he hated chairs with backs, as he believed they were handicaps for those who couldn’t maintain a proper posture. 

I pouted at this blatant show of disinterest. I knew I still had his attention—he’s been hounding on me to get more people in my squad for over a century since the last of my members switched to different divisions.

Not everyone had the stomach to work with me, apparently. Although Mayuri only left because he wanted to focus more on research, and not at all because I bothered him.

What a fun fella..

Genryūsai knew me better than most, though, and he knew the best way to get under my skin was to not give me the attention and reactions I so craved.

Cheeky trolling bastard.

I was so proud of him.

Some kind of showing of interest would be nice, I thought, reluctantly handing Genryūsai the file of my future lieutenant, and squad members.

Genryūsai silently accepted the folder, setting it in his lap as he opened it and began to peruse through my choices. 

I finally got my anticlimactic reaction when he quirked an eyebrow at my choice of lieutenant. “Sōsuke Aizen? He graduates next month, but his grades aren’t particularly impressive.”

“I want him as my lieutenant,” I stubborn said. “He’s going to become the fifth division captain.”

“You’re third division,” Genryūsai idly pointed out. “You have no say over who rules over fifth division.”

“Shinji has been keeping an eye on Sōsuke for a while,” I said. “Shinji will try to take Sōsuke soon enough.”

Although Shinji’s watching Sōsuke because his instincts are tellin’ him that Sōsuke’s ba-a-ad news. He’s not wrong, but I’d be damned if I let this chance pass up.

Sōsuke Aizen was inevitably going to become a captain. Shinji’s division was the most likely one out of the bunch, since Shinji wants to keep an eye on Sōsuke and by consequences, he’ll get caught by Sōsuke’s trap. 

Which sounded like a hell of a lot of fun. 

For over a thousand years I was waiting for Sōsuke to hurry up and appear!

He tricks and outplays everyone, catching everyone by surprise.

For an old troll like myself I live for shocking people, and getting shocked. Sadly, very few have been able to get the drop on me since coming to Soul Society, though.

With Sōsuke as my lieutenant, though, I had a good chance of falling for one of his traps!

Super~!

“Not very nice of you to swoop in, then,” Genryūsai mused. “Certainly unorthodox to choose a lieutenant as a student instead of someone with proper experience.”

“I’m unorthodox.”

“Very true,” he agreed. “And these members of your squad… Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tōsen, and Sajin Komamura. Komamura? Ah, are you taking him under your wing, then?”

Sajin Komamura was our resident werewolf. Genryūsai took a special interest in him when the two first met, and offered to sponsor him into the academy. Sajin, humbled and grateful for the opportunity, accepted it.

Unfortunately, the poor baby felt so horribly self conscious about his wolf-like appearance. He refused to go anywhere in public without wearing gloves, a helmet, and every inch of his fur covered. 

Which was such a shame! He was our resident furry, after all, and with all that fur he easily ranked top three as Best Cuddler, and top five for Best Boi. 

Poor pupp—er—poor fella.

Gin and Kaname were obvious choices. Sōsuke was already working hard at trying to recruit Kaname to his side, undoubtedly, and Gin wanted to stay close to Sōsuke to extract his Ultimate Revenge on Sōsuke for attacking his waifu, Rangiku.

Who unfortunately wasn’t graduating, yet, but I already put her in the file as wanting her the moment she did graduate.

Genryūsai hummed and tapped his fingers, needlessly drawing out verbalizing his decision to try and needle me. 

To combat this obvious attempt to annoy me, I started to whistle. 

Off-key.

“Fine,” Genryūsai immediately cut in. He knew if the whistling didn’t work I’d start belting out renditions of I Like Big Butts.

Quick as can be, he stamped his approval and I took my leave after blowing him a kiss.

<Cut out> 

Lilly monologuing and reflecting before meeting her minions. 

The barracks for the fifth division was one of the prettiest, and most feminine.

This was because I literally made it with my own two hands and decided to practice my woodworking skills.

Hey, I had thousands of years to kill before the story finally rolled around. Picking up odd hobies were a necesssity to keep myself from starting wars out of sheer fucking boredom.

Unsurprisingly after a while I used my skills on my division barracks. 

Every single post and wooden wall had some kind of woodworking design hammered into it. Most of it was flowers, or feminine-esque designs because it was so not want Genryūsai would want one of his bad ass military divisions to look like.

To this day, over a thousand years since I made the change, Genryūsai would still wrinkle his brow as he glared at the flowers every time he had to visit the barracks.

He even had the audacity to swap out all my pretty artwork for standard, uncultured, plain ol’ wood when I went out on a mission.

In retaliation, I gave the first division a fabulous hot-pink make over.

What followed next over the next century could only be described as an incredibly petty war between student and teacher.

It was hard to claim that I won just because I got my flowery barracks because my cunning student got me to promise not to decorate the other barracks without their captain’s permission.

So many wasted opportunities to make people misery went out the window because of that.

But I got my pretty barracks.

And inside my pretty barracks I eagerly awaited my new minions. 

The barracks had a main greeting room where meetings were intended to be held. It was a decently sized room fashioned like a traditional japanese main room. The floorings were made up of tatami mats, the doors were shoji (room dividers). On its walls hung artwork I had collected over my many, many years in the Soul Society. Some painted by myself, others by friends. A few were prizes I had stolen off the corpses of our enemies, and a couple were actually bought legally. All of them centered around tranquil environments—snowy mountains with a red sunset behind them, a stormy ocean, a field of flowers, and so forth. 

At the center of the room was a long rowan wood table—all the wood in the barracks were cut and carved from rowan trees—and some soft seat cushions. One seat cushion was placed on one side, and there were four opposite of it.

I prepared some ikebana, and a lovely tea party to greet my new squad members. The red tea was kindly provided by Unohana when she went out to forage for medicinal herbs, and I baked a rich chocolate pound cake, alongside orange scones, and lavender cookies. 

As I took my seat at one side of the table, I hummed a merry little song to myself. 

Soon, they would arrive.

While waiting for them to arrive I did another check over of myself. My captain’s jacket was kept neat—Genryūsai would throw such a temper tantrum (and not the funny kind) if it was anything less. I kept the sleeves cut off for better maneuverability, though. My pink hair was long, shiny, and well-groomed.

Not a speck of dirty was to be found on me, nor anything to give me a less than completely awesome first impression. Even my Evil™ sword looked spick and span in its black tabard. 

Although it still gave off a rather malicious aura if someone looked at it long enough. Even though I tied a cute little pink ribbon around it and everything! 

Stupid Evil™ sword.

Ah.

I felt their presence the moment they entered the barracks. One of them, likely Sajin, felt distinctly unsettled and nervous. 

It didn’t come as any bit of surprise that Sōsuke took the lead in entering first, uttering a polite, “Excuse me.”

The shogi doors slid open and I finally got my first good look at the future captains. 

Sōsuke Aizen, currently only in his fifties had the appearance of a young man in his early twenties. His scholarly chestnut brown hair was carefully styled to give the impression of soft and innocent. He had a pair of thick black rimmed glasses that helped convey the same tone. Even his expression went on to underline this!

What a smoother fucker. Honestly impressed. If I didn’t know better, I would have immediately categorized him in the moe-bishie section.

This only heightened my excitement at being tricked by him later on. What surprise would he have in store with my addition to the story? The fact that I couldn’t accurately predict what would come with his interference put a big smile in my heart.

It was that same feeling you get when you watch a fantastic movie and it reveals a plot twist you never expected, but made it all the better.

Next to Sōsuke came Gin, who was actively working on coming across as a little creepy and malicious. Or maybe not actively. Maybe he hated being next to Sōsuke so much a little bloodlust leaked out. 

Gin had a strained—and very clearly fake—smile on his face. 

Made me want to pinch his cheeks and stretch out his smile until it didn’t look so painful to look at.

Standing a bit further away from Gin and Sōsuke were Kaname and Sajin. Kaname instantly struck me as absurdly focused. He had an aura of: Don’t approach me, bitch. He definitely didn’t become a shinigami for the fun of it. 

He was either going to hate me more than he has ever hated anyone in his life, or he was going to adapt to my insanity and relax. Dare I say it, he might even have fun if he did so.

Standing the furthest away was our fwuffy boy, Sajin. He was the tallest of the bunch, and bulkiest. Every inch of his appearance was covered in either cloth or armor, and he reflexively kept a glove hand on the hilt of his sword. His appearance and stature might have been intimidating to some, but his spiritual energy was twitching in a clearly nervous fashion. 

I put a big grin on my face. “Welcome home, minions!”

<Cut out>

Lilly training her new minions. 

“Come on now, minions! Surely you guys can kill hollows faster than that,” I encouraged, sitting in the air as I watched the four of them struggle against a few dozen hollows. 

To be fair, this was before any of them had reached bankai, and none of them had worked together before. 

Which was why I (secretly) snuck them into Hueco Mundo for some good ol’ fashion hollow purging. 

Not a lot of people knew I could open portals between the three (four if we count Riddlefucker’s palace) worlds. Genryūsai would prefer if I kept that information on the need-to-know basis. He would rather the research team found their own way into Los Noches without having to rely on me.

Apparently he said I was too fickle. 

Me!

What a silly student I had.

Still, I tried not to get on his bad side too often, so I respected his request for the most part. Hence why I had to sneak these fellas here and lie to them about it being a random spot I found in the Soul Society. 

Although I don’t think Sōsuke believed my lie, he didn’t question it (yet). 

And now they were fighting off hordes of hollows with the teamwork of bickering teenagers. More than once they nearly bumped into one another, or another was accidentally caught in the crossfire. None of them were hot headed, so it didn’t lead to some hilarious shouting matches, but damn were they petty. Especially Sōsuke and Gin. 

Poor fluffy boy accidentally used a hado on Sōsuke, and Sōsuke “accidentally” returned the favor.

I wish I had brought popcorn, I thought, watching Kaname accidentally(?) kick Gin and use him as a launching pad.

Oof.

Sajin, poor baby, coincidently leapt up as Kaname was leaping up and collided into him. Since Sajin used a lot more force in his life off, Kaname was sent flying into Sōsuke who then collided hard enough in the ground to leave a crater.

And—yep, that’s definitely a glare Sōsuke tossed the apologetic werewolf.

“I know I said that we’d only be here until it was time for dinner,” I casually put in, “but change of plans. We’re camping out here until ya’ll can fight for at least a five hours without killing each other.”

A moment of stunned disbelief flickered over their faces as they all turned to look at me. There was even a touch of resentment in Sōsuke’s eyes that made me want to cackle.

I folded my legs together and blew them a cheeky kiss. “Have fun, minions.”

<OH SO MUCH Cut out>

Lilly meeting Orihime as a child.

“You see, Hime-chan, I have a ship,” I said. 

“A ship?” the small girl repeatedly cutely, big eyes looking up at me in wonderment. 

“Yes, dear. A ship I intend to make sure sets sail. And you, my dear, are on board this ship,” I went on. “Do you understand?”

“I’m going to help you sail a ship?” the child tried to guess.

“Yes,” I told her with a smile. “Yes, you are.”

<Cut out> 

Lilly advising how misbehaving captains should be punished.

“You know if you really wanted to punish these two boys you could just make them strip, and do a dance on a pole for their fans to see,” I wisely pointed out.

“Sensei,” he sighed. “No.”

[didsomeonesayventus]

ESSAY TIME I love a ship please come hang out w/ me on this dinghy or like. dont because fates is awful and I can’t blame u for dodging that bullet but i just wanna scream because i love them and they’re the fixation rn so 321 GO

i cant blame anyone for not really seeing this because their support is. Ok. Its alright. Not amazing, it’s serviceable, better options are out there in fates I'll concede. Corrin has like. At least 3 other love interests who feel more canon LMAO but this isn’t about them

It's more from elsewhere in their characterization that really made me adore them and, as I mentioned in tags, a lot of this comes from how I write them which. Is largely filed under rp stuff right now but more ramble time on how i write them i guess dont forget to mark your free bingo space for throwing out large swaths of fates canon and writing.  Also we're scooting their canon support gently to the side because it’s ok it’s not the most offensive writing this nightmare scrap heap of canon has to offer but a massive missed opportunity.

PART 1- One (1) Corn, With a Side of Emotional Neglect

*makes vague gesture at Disney's Rapunzel* Corrin would have been so much better recieved if the devs just took some notes from you instead of writing such a flat character i swear.

Corrin in particular with how I write her is getting a pretty massive rework in the emotionally stable department because honestly I don’t believe she would be. like. She's not dumb, but she is naive, important distinction, and it ends up coloring her views a lot and I have a ramble on that over here on the inverse graph that is Corrin’s confidence but to dissect where her attitudes came from:

Her family was limited to visits, and she has been directly/implicitly blamed for this for roughly a decade and a half, at least a decade, by not being an insane king's definition of strong enough to be with them. Bad memory makes her frail, swordsmanship isn’t up to par, doesn’t seem to offer much else in terms of skills unlike Xander, a Certified Badass(tm), Magic-oriented Leo and Elise, and Magically gifted but just plain ruthless Camilla. She’s held at arm’s length from her family, and while her siblings may have always loved her and expressed that love as often as they could, they’re not always there or a good yardstick to measure her progress with, and she had to always watch them go and likely wonder when they would come back, or if they even would.

As for our beloved butler and maids, being surrounded by servants was probably her most constant and consistent source of contact, and she does love them, but it can be very easy to wonder if they love her because they do or because it's their job to.

Corrin's faith in everyone around her and unwavering trust is there because any sort of doubt is basically redirected to. her. Because she is the dumbass who's still figuring the world out. She's hyper aware she's still learning and making naive decisions and she overcompensates that with "well what do I know" and not feeling really all that worthy to be Special Protagonist. She doubts herself before almost everything else.

Brief mention of Dragon arc because fates was dumb and neglected an entire arc for dragon feelings beyond chapter 5 and foreshadowing for Dad(tm) but I also write in an arc of the Dragon Is A Metaphor For Loving Yourself Faults And Trauma And All Love Yourself And You Can Control Yourself Dammit.

*Corrin hurt herself in her confusion!*

The way I write Corrin is not nearly as put together and confident as Canon™️ Corrin is, at least for a good chunk of the plot. She fakes it till she makes it because she is a leader and being mopey will not get things done but she’s also very self critical and mopey on the inside and quite paranoid that people don’t actually like being around her and just. ball of stress and anxious hidden under Many a uwu that she doesn’t want to talk about because why should she complain her childhood wasn’t That Bad and if she’s mopey how can she set a good example and people don’t like debbie downers and look its fine its fine lmao

PART 2- Mr. Perfect

As for Mr. Subaki he puts a lot of time and effort into looking perfect. I emphasize that because he may very well have natural talent, but honestly it feels like a large amount of his perfection is just. Stressing himself out by planning for and rehearsing everything possible! God this anxious idiot I love him!!! He's sociable and agreeable, but I think with basically everyone it’s. Skin deep. He’s charismatic Enough, and he digs a bit into the other’s history and personality if he’s interested, but he never really lets the other reciprocate like a magician never revealing his fraudulent secrets.

Biggest problem with that is he can't open up and vent because that is to admit a flaw and no no cant have that we cannot have that so he's just. Not sure who to turn to and has trouble being emotionally honest- even to himself. He just! Doesnt let himself have fun or relax; all perfect all the time baby. There’s basically no one who he could consider a close and trusted friend who can love him flaws and all. The closest would be Sakura and Hana and welp. gotta keep things professional and it’s not like Hana really expresses a sense of understanding and patience when they’re fiercely competitive with each other.

There’s probably a lot of muttering to his pegasus while he’s cleaning her hooves or braiding her mane, or staying up late thinking about how narrowly disaster was and wasn’t avoided that day but he. Also doesn’t really vent and also feels that imposter syndrome of “I’m honestly awful how did I even make it here.”

and it stinks because I think at his core he is a very sweet and caring guy and a massive dork, but he just plops himself on the edge of a pedestal and gives himself no room to be himself or anything less than perfect and is likely on the cusp of impending burnout.

you dumb anxious idiot i have S-Ranked you every fucking time I open this godforsaken game I didn’t even fucking plan for this

PART 3- (Patrick Warburton impression) “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”

So our characters and stage are set. We got FE Fates (I’ll default to Rev), we got my views when writing these two, so what next? What is the general plot I imagine since we’ve gently scooted aside the canon support chain?

The dumbasses-to-be think they’re out of each other’s league.

For Subaki, it is plot-irrelevant background character falling in love with the protagonist, which yields the exact sort of pining you’d imagine: man you are super cool and hit all my standards but I’d be dreaming if you felt the same about me. She’s sweet, she takes charge, she can fight for herself well enough, has he mentioned she’s sweet? He can actually relax a bit around her which is really odd but I guess that’s what happens when your personal skill is literally called “Supportive”. Oh yeah and also his Lady’s older sister which oof. Sakura? In law???? Hinoka in law???? Takumi in law?????????? ryoma in law oh gods.

For Corrin, it’s Mr. Prince Charming right there and he’s very nice and Sakura is saying so many nice things about him but wow she’s. a princess from a country that has consistently terrorized his and on top of that might a well have been raised under a rock!!! And she picks up details and nuances in people remarkably well, but she overthinks them. She can pick up that Subaki- while very polite and friendly -isn’t being entirely forthcoming about what he’s thinking or feeling, but she can’t pin down exactly what it is, and makes the educated guess that he's just being nice because she’s Sakura’s sister or something.

And they’re friendly. They help each other out a bit. There’s tension, sure, but no one really comments on it (except for everyone making bets in the bg). They don’t really yield on their internal messes because Corrin knows she’s a leader and can’t really do that and distracts herself with believing in everyone around her, Subaki just flat out would rather do literally anything besides admit he’s messed up anywhere or open up. So feeling are put on a low simmer for awhile.

Of course they fall in love, and it almost gets messed up because when Subaki requests to talk with her in private to confess, she immediately assumes he’s going to tell her that he’s not interested. Her simmer roars into a boil because she’s been under Protagonist Stress ON TOP OF having a crush she’s confident won’t be reciprocated, so she snaps quite a bit because that has all been shoved in a bottle and she just wants to get the mess over with if he’s just going to tell her very nicely that her company is lovely but hes not interested it hurts a lot to think that but its fine you don’t have to settle.

But the thing is being emotionally vulnerable like that, pointing out she’s scared too of always not being enough and living up to expectations, to finally get that off her chest, spurs him into it, too. Because she gets it. She honest to god gets it even if she bought into the lie he’s perfect she understands. Oh, yeah, she also reciprocates feelings that’s really excellent too. Like Subaki probably makes a lot of fuss about a bunch of ultimately meaningless details and having “standards” and yadda yadda gods help whatever poor soul asks him to pull out the list of traits of his ideal partner, but I think at the end of the day if he’s looking for love most of all, like a lot of people he just wants someone who he can just. be himself around. Who likes it when he’s being himself!

And they both learn that yeah maybe they’re more flawed than they’ve been lead to believe, but it starts to not matter at all because they still try really hard and everyone makes mistakes. They’re both here to say it’s ok your best is enough, YOU are enough. They both think they’re amazing regardless of their mistakes and love to see each other smiling and succeeding and just make. a nice little bubble of comfort. They’re stubborn and supportive, they learn how to poke and prod the bad moods away be it making a nice cup of matcha and talking it out or laughing at a tiny, meaningless mistake and repeating it to keep that feeling of dread away. Also they both spoil their partners regardless of who they end up with you can’t @ me on that they both do it which means guess what mega spoil time. And long hair on both just means they can braid each other’s hair no problem... waaaaaa.... Also early rise Subaki and late rise Corrin so there’s always a sleepy fight in the morning because UGH this is early you keep saying i’ll get used to it but im not i need a kiss first if you want me to be up this early. Subaki is better at logic and planning than Corrin, and Corrin keeps things optimistic and has a good gut for when to take an improvised risk. They’re always swapping places on who’s holding the other back from a fight that isn’t worth it because some asshole insulted the other, they mediate each other and will fight anyone who even harms a hair on the other’s head. They give and they give back and they work together perfectly.

And when it comes to the kids that bubble expands and they make sure they all have the tools to just take a deep breath and remember it’s okay Mama and Papa love you so much and you’re going to be amazing no matter what you do. Corrin’s got the best stories to tell and Subaki tucks the blankets in just right. They’re good parents with a lot of patience and plenty of mental health wisdom which is good because, as my mom would say, “bad brain chemistry is my bad”.

Like UGH I love them. I love them a lot. A good chunk of this is me making canon better thank me fates devs

Part 4- Katie All of This is Out of Your Noggin What About Canon

(DBZ abridged vc) WHAT ABOUT CANON but ok here have some canon quotes

“The two spent the rest of their lives together. Corrin ruling as the wise Queen of Valla. Subaki adapted quickly to royal leadership and became a great source of support for his wife. “ - Revelation route ending

“I feel like the pressure's off when I'm with you. I don't have to be perfect.” “You'll never be lonely as long as I'm around. Just call me and I'll come running.” - Friendship bonding quotes but also consider waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

“This might sound corny, but I think you're my soulmate.” - What he says when he is married to you and yes that is corny and its perfect

hot spring is dumb fanservice BUT if you can get the good RNG to get them both in there   “A shared bath warms not just my bones, but my heart as well.” “I-I suppose so...I just wonder if it's right to be so happy...” (emphasis mine) IT ABSOLUTELY IS BE HAPPY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

also one of his quotes when u stop by your quarters is  "Ah, welcome home, dear. Kick off those shoes and relax. You're with me now!" and you absolute himbo your wife doesn’t fucking wear shoes!!!!!!!!!

Part 5- I’m done I’ve yelled into the void good night enjoy a ship please be excited for the fic I have on the backburner that I will get out there one of these days but I want it to be perfect so RIP me I guess

[stylesluxx]

harry styles – h.styles

[warnings: none]

summary: in which y/n is not a singer but she wrote a song about harry – inspired by pete davidson by ariana grande

word count: 1,470

masterlist

You were never good at love. Correction: You were never good at picking the right guys. In each and every relationship you were in, disappointment seemed to be the main and only component. After many years of disappointment you gave up looking for love; you decided to let love come to you and be patient. At this point in your life you were a deep believer in "do you and you'll attract what's healthy." You knew exactly what you wanted in a partner; someone kind, giving, loyal, independent but gave you their attention. You wanted someone that was smart and serious but knew when it was appropriate to be silly. Someone that would love you for all your faults. After all the trials and errors, you began to believe that you were asking for too much and your standards were far too high. But when you decided to focus on yourself and your career, it was as if the stars were aligning.

You met Harry at some fancy event. You attended with your friend, but she was nowhere to be found. Harry had seen you were alone and walked over to you with two drinks in his hands.

"Usually, I don't take drinks from strangers, but I just saw you pick them up, so I guess I'll accept," You teased him and held a smirk on your face.

"So, you were watching me?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I... was just looking around the room and spotted you," You hummed. And you weren't lying; you were just glancing around the room when you spotted the handsome man walk over and pick up the drinks before making his way over to you.

After that night and small interaction, you and Harry couldn't stay away from each other. He insisted on getting your number and talked to you whenever he could. You guys joked around about how you'd marry each other; this started after Harry said he fell almost instantly in love with you and you expressed the mutual feeling. You guys went on dates often, slept over each others' houses, met friends and family members all within the first two months. Everything was going by so quick but you both were 110 percent on board; it wasn't like your other relationships where you were the only one putting in effort. You hadn't been this happy in a long time and you definitely haven't been this satisfied with a relationship.

What you didn't expect was for Harry to propose through text. You originally thought he was joking when he sent pictures of three rings and told you to "pick your engagement ring." You giggled at the random text and told him to "go away and focus on making new music."

Harry: I'm being serious, choose

Y/N: the first one 🤔🤔

Y/N: you're absolutely ridiculous, H, and I refuse to marry you 😂

Harry: yeah yeah, we'll see about that

Harry hadn't brought up the topic of marriage in two weeks (since the texts) which you thought was weird because you guys always cracked jokes about it, but other than that, everything was normal.

One day while Harry was at the studio, you went to check the mail. In the pile of bills you felt something bulging from the envelope, something that obviously wasn't just paper. The front of the envelope had your name in Harry's handwriting on it which immediately made you smile. You opened the envelope and saw a pink post it note that read: "Meet me in the park by your house at 5 pm today and bring the treat."

Inside the tiny envelope was a dog treat, the thing you felt bulging through. You were confused because neither you or Harry had a dog but you decided to just go with it. You looked over at the clock and saw it was 3 o'clock, which gave you enough time to get ready.

You put on something super simple after washing up and grabbing a snack to eat along the way. You walked over to the park and got there 10 minutes and saw Harry waiting anxiously.

"Sorry, I'm late, Bubby. I decided to walk and eat at the same time and you know I can't multitask," You explained and walked over to him, kissing his cheek.

"It's alright, Bug," He smiled forgivingly. "Just thought you didn't check your mail. Anyway, let's walk."

He took your hand in his and you walked along. You walked silently just enjoying each other's company, but you kept catching Harry sneaks looks at you, making you suspicious.

"Whaaat?" You whined and looked up at him. "Why're you looking at me?"

"I can't look at the beauty standing beside me? Is that a crime now? Someone call the police!" Harry questioned and shouted.

"H, keep your voice down before people actually call," You giggled and quickly covered his mouth.

"Then don't question me," He laughed once you moved your hands away. You laughed with him and you two kept walking, hand in hand, and your head on his shoulder.

"Oh my, Harry. Look at the cute little puppy," You squealed and pointed to the small Husky that wasn't too far from its owner.

"You think he's cute, eh?"

"So cute," You nodded.

"Well, he's all yours," He smiled and did jazz hands, making you gasp.

"How, he's with someone?"

"That's just Gem. I bought him for us. Just wanted to show you how serious I was about marrying you and starting a life together; and a dog is the best way to show someone how committed you are, if I say so myself," Harry grinned before pulling a velvet box out of his back pocket.

"Since when was that there?" You asked, confused because you didn't notice it this whole time.

"It took me a while to do this because I had to get the ring made to fit you; it's not the same exact one from the picture. I even got in engraved to say the date we first started dating. I'm honestly rambling because I'm so nervous and you look so disgusted," Harry raved on before looking at your face.

"Oh, no, I was just trying to understand what you were saying. You've never talked that fast before," You chuckled. "And no, you don't even have to ask because yes, I'll marry you."

"You didn't even let me get on one knee and ask."

"I'm just so excited," You smiled and took his face in your hands before kissing him passionately. You broke away once you needed to breathe and felt the puppy scratching at your legs.

"He found his mumma," Harry smiled and crouched down to pet the puppy. You followed suit and reached over to gently reach your new pet.

"What's his name?" You asked.

"I was thinking Alex, but whatever you want."

"Alex is cute," You agreed and picked up the pup and kissing the top of his head. "Our little baby," You cooed

-

It wasn't a surprise that that night you and Harry could be found in your bedroom, panting, sweaty, and skin on skin. Once finished, Harry immediately knocked out but you couldn't even think about sleep. You kept thinking about the day's events and couldn't stop staring at the beautiful diamond on your finger. It was white gold ring that held a huge square shaped diamond on it. If you were to slip it off it would read the date Harry asked you to be his (7/9/18). And then you started thinking about the small pup that you would hear making his way to the bedroom. All of the happiness started to hit you at once and you opened up the notes app on your phone, describing the elation you felt.

The next morning, you awoke and found Harry still asleep, making you smile at how peaceful and calm he looked.

You arose from the bed and went to the en suite, to make yourself just a little bit more presentable. You walked downstairs, fed Alex, and started making breakfast for you and Harry. You found yourself, singing the words you wrote down last night.

"What are you singing, Bub? Never heard that tune before," You heard him question behind you, making you jump and immediately stop singing. His voice was raspy, still sounding like morning, if that makes sense.

"Scared me, H," You chuckled and held your chest.

"Sorry m' love," He smiled. "What song were you singing?"

"I wrote it," You mumbled, before you started blushing brightly.

"When'd you have the time to do that?"

"Last night," You smiled shyly before turning back to the food you were cooking.

"Beautiful," He complimented before kissing your cheek softly. "You've gotta sing it to me everyday, yeah?"

You nodded eagerly and leaned into your fiancé, happily.

[AN: I know I haven’t been here for a while but here I am. leave suggestions, maybe?]

[seeaddywrite]

stars, hide your fires: chapter five

this chapter is a lot more schmoop than plot, but still important to the overall story. as usual, thanks to @soberqueerinthewild for motivation & listening to me whine & stopping me from repeating myself every other sentence.  

chapter warnings: this doesn’t quite hit explicit territory, i don’t think, but it does come close, so please proceed with caution.

AO3 LINK

chapter index: 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 

Michael’s up to his shoulders in the guts of an ancient Volkswagen when Alex pulls into the gravel drive of the junkyard. He’s either so engrossed in his repairs that he doesn’t hear Alex’s approach, or he’s just ignoring it  under the assumption that Alex is just another customer trying to get repairs done even though business hours are over. Guerin’s the best mechanic in town, and though the people of Roswell are quick to dismiss him as the town drunk, they’re just as fast to forget that when their cars start acting up. It’s the sort of double standard Roswell loves: those people will beat a man until he bleeds and come back for a second round, but as soon as they need something, they’ll still expect their victim to bend over backwards for them.

It’s easier to relax now that Alex has Michael in his line of sight, and he exhales slowly as he slides out of the driver’s side of his of his SUV. His eyes linger for a moment on the way Michael’s body fills out the worn denim of his oil-streaked jeans, because he’d have to be dead before he stopped appreciating Guerin’s physique, but he’s not only looking for that, tonight. Sex is fucking fantastic, but he needs to fill a need more basic than that. He needs to feel settled in his skin, to be reminded of the man that he is now, rather than the kid he used to be.

Guerin can’t give him those things; Alex needs to do it himself, and he knows that. But for ten years, Michael’s arms have been the only place Alex has felt safe. While enlisted, he’d been afraid to replay those memories too often for fear he’d wear them out and forget completely, so he’d only allowed himself to think of Michael on the worst days, when he couldn’t pull himself together on his own, and even Michael’s imaginary presence was better the inescapable sense of isolation that came from being the only one who seemed to realize that military action was just another name for evil.

“Alex?” Michael’s in front of him, frowning in a way that suggests he’s been trying to get Alex’s attention for a while. “What’s wrong?” He wipes his palms on the bottom of his t-shirt, and for a moment, it looks like he’s going to reach out, but his hands find their way into the pockets of his jeans instead. “The meeting with your brother go bad?” The question is calm, but Alex is too good at reading the other man to miss the way his eyes immediately scan the horizon, as if expecting an army of MPs to descend upon them at any moment.

Alex shakes his head quickly, not wanting to cause any unnecessary fear. “No, no. It went --” He grapples for the right word, and gives up. “Charlie bought the story. He’s reaching out to Flint and Hunter as we speak, so I should have access to the Project within a week, as long as Hunter’s on base and not off comms.” The information comes quick and succinct, a post-op briefing, and Alex looks away afterward. Michael’s not his commanding officer, and Alex knows that, but asking for what he actually wants is harder than it should be now that he’s standing so close to it.

“Okay,” Guerin drawls, batting a rogue curl away from his forehead. “You wanna come inside? I need to change. And probably shower.” He glances down at himself, as if just noticing the mess of oil and sweat masquerading as clothing. “Or you can head to Max’s, and I’ll meet you in an hour -- Isobel’s staying there until all this blows over, and Liz has basically been living there since we brought him back, so dinner’s pretty much an open invitation for a while. You can fill us in, and we can keep planning, maybe come up with some contingencies in case shit goes sideways.”

Normally, the promise of sitting down to dinner with their friends would be a good way to end a shitty day, but right now, Alex wants to have Michael to himself for a while. “Do you think we could go over later?” he asks, squinting into the sun in an effort to meet the other man’s eyes. “I want to go, I just -”

Guerin looks at Alex for a long moment after the sentence trails off, then takes a slow, uncertain step forward. “It seems like you’re asking me for something,” he says finally, his voice quiet and eyes searching. Beneath his gaze, Alex feels like his every insecurity and anxiety is written on his face; no one’s ever seen him like Guerin has, and it used to terrify him that someone could look at him and see the man he is beneath the surface. It’s taken Alex a long, long time to accept himself for the man he is, rather than constantly judging himself against others -- in fact, it’s still a work in progress. But he knows he’s made some, because now, Alex looks at Michael and revels in the fact that someone can know him like that and want to stick around anyway.

“But I don’t know what it is, Alex. You gotta tell me what you want. I’m not the mind-reader, remember?”  

It’s fair. Alex is pretty sure Michael has a pretty good idea of what he wants, or at least a reasonable guess, but they said that they’d talk about the two of them after the mission was complete. Right now, the mission’s barely started, no one is really safe, and they haven’t talked about anything. It’s probably wrong for Alex to do this, to show up here looking for refuge without any explanation or attempt to ask permission, but he can’t bring himself to leave, either. So instead, he swallows, and closes the short distance remaining between their bodies.

His palms land on either side of Michael’s face, and Alex tilts his head to rest their foreheads together. Guerin’s skin is tacky against his own, damp with sweat, but Alex barely notices. He just holds Michael there for a minute, wishing, for once, that he could just reach into Alex’s mind and take the explanation from his thoughts. Michael turns to granite against him, still and rigid, but he doesn’t pull away. That’s all the permission Alex needs.

“I spent all day pretending to be someone I’m not,” Alex says with Michael’s breath against his cheek. “And Charlie -- I think he was trying to protect me, and I was manipulating him. And I have to work out how I feel about that, and what comes next, and I just wanted to be somewhere safe to figure all of that out.” The explanation is disjointed, and the emotions connected to it are too, even for Alex; he can feel, but everything is separate, confusing, like images twisted in a kaleidoscope.

“You wanted to be somewhere safe,” Michael repeats, a strange vulnerability in the words that Alex doesn’t understand. “And you came to me?”

Alex blinks, and steps back enough that he can see Michael’s face, but his hands linger on broad shoulders that have suddenly gone tense beneath his touch. “Should I -- not have?” he asks warily, trying to figure out what he’d said to cause this reaction. He’s fairly sure it wasn’t the touching. Guerin seemed fine with that. But how is admitting that he’s always been Alex’s safe place to land a bad thing? Surely he already knew that? “Do you want me to leave?”

“What? No! No, I --” Alex watches as Guerin’s throat works, trying to ignore the way his stomach twists in uncertainty. “I just meant that I haven’t given you any reason to feel safe around me, lately,” Michael says finally, the words blunt and forceful. Again, Alex is left floundering, trying to figure out how the hell they got here when only moments ago, Michael had seemed calm. But now, his expression is shuttered, closing Alex out of his thoughts and leaving him guessing. This isn’t what he’d been expecting when he came here, and part of him wants to shove his fingers in his ears and tell Guerin to stop talking, to leave it until after the mission like they’d agreed, but he knows he can’t. Not unless he’s prepared to turn around and leave, and Alex knows he won’t be able to do that. Walking away from Michael has always been too damn hard, and now, with no good reason, Alex knows it’ll be all but impossible.

“Fuck, Alex, the last time you wanted to talk, I stood you up and went to Maria,” Michael continues, his voice a raw strain of vocal cords. “I lost my shit after Caulfield, and what happened to Max, and you kept bailing me out, and got dragged into all of it -- and now you’re lying to your brother and feeling shitty about it because of me. Don’t you ever think about how much easier your life would be if you just told me to fuck off for good?”

Alex can’t look at Michael anymore, not when he’s talking like that. This day has already worn on him more than he wants to think about, and this conversation is fraught with pitfalls and potential missteps, and Alex knows that he’s not going to be able to navigate it safely. But there’s no way to avoid it now, not without allowing Michael to believe the things he’s saying, and he’s literally sick to his stomach at the thought of it.

“No,” he says bluntly, his fingers digging into Guerin’s shoulders in a pathetic effort to keep the other man close. They’ve talked about Maria and the thought processes that led to Michael in her bed, and Alex doesn’t think they need to discuss it further -- certainly not today, when the thought of the other man with someone would sound far too much like another rejection. So he skips over that, choosing to focus instead on the rest of it.

“I don’t, because easy doesn’t mean shit to me, Michael. Nothing in my life has ever been easy. So if I have to fight for the things that make me happy, then fine. I’ve been fighting other people’s wars for what feels like my entire life. At least I chose to fight for you. And I’m going to keep choosing this fight, whether it makes me feel like I’m losing myself or not, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Alex’s hands slide down Michael’s shoulders to his hands, and he squeezes tightly as he tries to explain himself.  “With them, with Charlie and Flint and everyone on base, I have to play a part. I have to act like a Manes, take orders, and keep my head down, and I’m going to have to do things that I hate. That’s what I signed up for. No one made me do that, and I’m not changing my mind.” He forces a fierce decisiveness into that statement, though it’s not clear whether he’s directing it toward himself or Michael. “I was just really hoping you’d be willing to help remind me who I really am, afterward.”

Allowing himself to be vulnerable isn’t something Alex is particularly good at, but there’s a waver in his voice that he can’t hide, and there’s no uniform or mission talk to hide behind, now. All of his cards are on the table -- what he wants, what he’s going to have to do, why he’s here -- and it’s up to Michael to call or draw.

There’s an achingly long moment in which Alex is sure Michael’s going to brush him off, to pull that damned devil-may-care smirk out of his back pocket and secure it over the naked longing on his face, but he doesn’t. Alex’s eyes slide closed in relief as Michael just nods, and curls a possessive hand around the back of his neck to pull him in. “Sorry,” he mutters, as Alex presses his face into the damp skin of his neck, relief like a cool breeze down his spine. “Max kicked me out of his place earlier because I couldn’t relax and was putting everyone else on edge. I kept thinking about you alone with someone who might hurt you, and --” he shrugs, trailing off with a bitter twist of his lips.

Alex sighs, and presses an open-mouthed kiss to the warm skin beneath his lips. “I’m okay,” he promises quietly.

Michael’s explanation puts his earlier reaction into new perspective, and Alex feels guilty for not understanding sooner. The other man had been against the plan from the beginning, and had only ever agreed because Alex made it clear that no one could stop him. He’s been worried for Alex’s well-being from the start; Max and Liz and the others might know that his family was messed up and hurt him, but Michael knows the details. He understands exactly what this mission could do to Alex, and he wasn’t even allowed to come provide back-up from a distance for the meeting this morning, though he’d lobbied to do so. Of course he’s anxious today, just as Alex would be in his place.

“If we can go inside, I’ll let you check for yourself, if you want,” Alex offers, and wonders how long they’ll last before their clothes are scattered across the small floor of the trailer and their bodies are tangled together. They’ve never been good at spending time alone together in confined spaces without something escalating; the electricity between them is hard to ignore in a room full of people, but once the only eyes on them are that of the walls surrounding them, it’s all but impossible. Sometimes that energy manifests in wandering hands and slick skin-on-skin,  and sometimes, on bad days, it turns into shouting matches and barbed words aimed where they hurt most.

Michael huffs an amused sound against the top of Alex’s head and pulls back, just to join their hands and lead them back toward the trailer. Alex follows easily, and as soon as the door has closed behind them, allows himself to be drawn back into a heated kiss. He gasps into Michael’s mouth in surprise, then finds himself shoved back against the door with hands rucking his shirt up past his stomach before he can get his hands on the other man at all. When he catches up, they land in Michael’s hair, using the grip to angle his mouth better against his own.

Warm, calloused palms move from his abdomen up his chest, and when Alex’s shirt disappears over his head, he tries to follow suit with Michael’s -- but he stops him with a gentle grip on his wrists. It takes him a moment to realize in the fever of the moment that Michael is taking him at his word, checking every inch of exposed skin with his free hand for injury. Alex tips his head back against the wall with a hollow thud and gives himself over to the inspection, trying to catch his breath.

“I told you,” he manages, biting back a moan when Michael’s searching touch slips below the waistband of his pants. “He didn't hurt me, Guerin. I’m okay. I’m here with you, and I’m okay.” Alex’s eyelids slam shut as the fly of his pants is undone, and despite his best effort to calm himself down, he knows exactly what Michael looks like on his knees, and he can’t help but picture it when he hears limbs hit the tin floor. The low-lidded, heavy look in his eyes, the flush that spreads across his cheeks when Alex is naked in front of him, the enthusiasm with which he leans in--

“You’re not gonna stop me?” Michael asks roughly, his breath hot and humid against Alex’s skin.

Alex draws a shuddering breath and opens his eyes, then dips his chin to look at Michael. The image is exactly like he’d pictured it, and lust hits him hard in the stomach. He tamps down on it immediately, and forces himself to ask, “Do you want me to?”  

Guerin shakes his head forcefully enough that his curls fall in his eyes, fingers curling into Alex’s thighs for balance. “I want this,” he says raggedly, pressing a kiss against one exposed hipbone. “I want you, and I’m tired of waiting.”

This isn’t what they had planned, but Alex doesn’t give a shit anymore. Maria and all of the reasons they hadn’t managed to make this work before seem small and far away in comparison to the threat of what they face now -- Alex wants things solidified with Michael, wants to move them from the amorphous something they’d been for the last year to partners in every sense of the word, and if it’s selfish, he’s not sure he cares anymore. If he’s going to survive running with his brothers for any length of time and involving himself in their dirty work with his soul intact, then he needs Michael’s anchoring presence. And maybe it’s hubris, but he’d like to think that need goes both ways.

“No more waiting,” Alex promises, and they lose themselves in the refuge of one another.

It’s hours later, as they’re getting dressed to head to Max’s for dinner, that Alex has to destroy the contented silence between them with painful, gory reality. “Charlie told me I needed to think of a way to prove myself to Flint and Hunter,” he says quietly, pausing in the middle of securing his prosthetic over the stump of his leg. “It’s going to have to be something big, if I want to convince Flint. He told Charlie about Caulfield, that I blew it up on purpose to fuck Dad over or something.”

Michael’s foggy, post-sex look disappears as soon Alex starts talking, and the sharp, intelligent expression that replaces it reminds Alex that while Guerin is usually happy to let others talk over him and consider him the town drunk, there isn’t anyone in Roswell that can match his IQ. “Sounds like you already have a plan,” he says, sliding a clean button-up shirt on over his bare chest. As usual, Michael leaves way too many of the buttons undone, revealing a wide swath of skin.

Alex bites at his lower lip and finishes with his leg before answering. “You’re not going to like it, and Isobel is probably really going to hate me for suggesting it, but I can’t see any other way. Obviously I’m not giving them any of you, and I have to be careful what information I let on that I have, in case it leads back to you.”

A calloused hand cups his chin, forcing Alex to look up at Michael. “Alex. Just tell me what you’re thinking, and we’ll figure it out,” he says firmly, and there’s not an inch of give in the words. Like it’s just that easy. Like it isn’t going to dredge up all sorts of painful memories for everyone involved, like it isn’t disgusting and disrespectful and in direct conflict with every moral that Alex has left.

But Alex has already committed to moving forward with this operation, and unless Michael or one of the others has a better idea, this is all they’ve got. So he drags in a deep breath, rests his palm over the back of Michael’s hand, and asks, “Do you remember where you buried Noah’s body?”