#like. starts off angry then surprised then angrier then afraid then desperate them hes getting rocked and. you know

[toopolar]

I need hakita to show gabriels face going through emotion when he's getting beat up thanks

[maybeimamuppet]

the blood of angry (wo)men III

helloooooo happy wednesday!! 

this was requested a while ago by Aspenchokey on wattpad ! thank you for requesting this!! it’s basically exactly like the others but pre-twins and just cadnis goin through it and dragging damian behind them. 

tw for 

periods

mentioned pregnancy

and as always if i’ve missed something please let me know so i can add it :)

enjoy!

————

Damian is in the midst of his nightly singing time, using his comb as a microphone instead of on his hair like he’s meant to be doing. He continues dancing around his room to gather his pajamas.

He screams when a twirl lands him facing the door, a sudden Cady standing there looking quite upset. He rushes back to his vanity to pause his song. “What happened?” 

Cady bursts into tears, sniffling into his shoulder when he hurries to pull her into a hug. 

“What’s the matter, babe?” Damian asks sadly. His heart always breaks a little when Cady’s upset. Sue him, he cares about his friends.

“I really-really want Taco Bell but-but we don’t have any,” Cady wails into his shirt. 

Damian blinks in confusion. “Taco Bell?”

“Yeah,” Cady sobs, muffled against his shoulder. 

“Oh,” Damian says as the understanding suddenly hits. That time of the month. 

He’s been friends with both Cady and Janis long enough to learn what happens for each of them on their periods. 

Cady gets very emotional, and very hungry. The smallest thing is enough to make her cry for hours. Damian learned this years ago, during a movie night back in high school. He and Cady were splitting a pack of gummy bears, and Cady cried for a solid twenty minutes because she had accidentally eaten the last green one, Damian’s favorite flavor, instead of saving it for him. 

She can also eat an ungodly amount of food. Damian doesn’t know how, and he’s frankly too afraid to ask. He’s never sure how she can eat so much and still be so tiny. Where does it go?

Janis, on the other hand, gets angry, and very cuddly. Which makes her angrier. 

Janis introduces him to a world of new insults once a month, over things that don’t seem like such a big deal to him. Like the time she dropped a paintbrush and the neighbors filed a noise complaint. 

She also only seems to be content when someone is holding her. She says it makes the cramps better, but it infuriates her that she needs it because it ‘goes against her image’ that she tries so desperately to maintain. 

Damian tenses when he hears a clang from the kitchen followed by a flurry of impossibly loud profanities. 

Dear god, they’ve synced. 

Cady is his first priority, since she’s rapidly on her way to just becoming a sad little puddle of Caddy in his arms. 

“Shh, Little Slice. Here,” he says. Cady takes his phone in her small hands and looks up at him with a pitiful sniffle. “Look up the menu and make a list of what you want.”

“You’ll go?” Cady sniffs, her lower lip trembling again. 

“Of course,” Damian hushes. Cady starts crying again, which was the opposite of what he wanted. 

“I love you,” Cady blubbers. 

“I love you too. Do you need anything else? Hygiene stuff? Candy?” 

“Sour Patch Kids,” Cady sniffles. “And the good chocolate.” 

“Okay,” Damian chuckles. 

“Sorry,” Cady continues. “You’re an angel.” 

“Thanks,” Damian laughs as Cady squishes his cheeks between her hands and smooches his forehead. “Come on.” 

Cady squeaks as Damian hauls her up bridal style and carries her out to the kitchen. 

“Jan, come cuddle your girlfriend.”

“What?” Janis replies, aggressively washing a spoon in his direction. Cady sniffles, lip trembling and more tears threatening to spill if Janis is mad at her. Janis turns off the tap and turns around, blinking in surprise at the situation. “What happened?” 

Cady pouts and reaches out for Janis. Damian shifts to hold her under her arms, keeping her held aloft like baby Simba in The Lion King. 

“I hate this family,” Cady grumbles sarcastically as Janis grabs her, letting Cady koala around her torso and nuzzle into her shoulder. 

“Come along, children,” Damian says. Janis blinks at him again, so Damian motions her over and shoots her a look. “Chop chop.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Janis huffs. 

“I’m not, I’m telling Caddy. You just happen to be her chosen mode of transportation,” Damian replies. “Now, get your hormonal asses over here.”

“I am not hormonal!” 

“Stop yelling,” Cady whimpers against her. 

“You’re such a baby when it’s your shark week,” Janis teases.

“I’m always baby,” Cady huffs. “Don’t bully me.” 

“Oh, yeah, I’m so terrible,” Janis scoffs.

“You are. You’re a terrible mean thing.” 

“Says you,” Janis smirks, getting exactly what she wants when Cady kisses her to shut her up. “You okay, Peanut?” 

“Mmhmm,” Cady hums contently into Janis’ neck, which her girlfriend finds unfairly adorable. “Damie’s getting me Taco Bell.” 

“Is he now?” Janis says, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her friend. “Nice of him.”

“Look at her, I can’t say no,” Damian defends, gesturing to the tiny redhead wrapped around Janis. “Here, write out what you want too.” 

“Why are you being so nice?”

“Because you guys scare me when you’re on your periods.” 

“You are too?” Cady asks, pulling back a bit to look at her girlfriend. 

“No, I just yell at spoons on the regular,” Janis teases. Cady humphs and scrunches her face up. 

“You’re a meanie.”

“You knew that going in, babes. Part of my charm,” Janis sighs, relaxing back against the couch. “Are you gonna let go?”

“Nooooo.” 

“Alright, fine,” Janis huffs, getting comfy with her little monkey of a girlfriend wrapped solidly around her. 

“You love it,” Cady teases against Janis’ warm neck. “Cause you’re a big old softie and you love cuddles.”

“I am not!” Janis insists. “I just let you because you cry if I make you let go.”

“That means you careeee,” Cady continues. “Because you looooooooove me.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Janis hums, not willing to admit how nice it is to have a clingy girlfriend when her period hits. Cady’s like a heating pad and a weighted blanket all in one. 

“Alright, lesbians, here,” Damian says, firing up Gilmore Girls on Netflix and handing Cady the remote as he drapes a blanket over the two of them. “I shall return shortly with our Taco Bell bounty.” 

“I love you!” Cady calls as he leaves. “Don’t get mugged.”

“I’ll try hard,” Damian chuckles. “Love you too.”

“You’re kinda handy around this time of the month,” Janis hums. “Even Damian’s not immune to the puppy eyes.”

“Hey! He’s not our servant. I didn’t think he’d go, I just got upset,” Cady mumbles sheepishly. “You were busy and Dame gives good cuddles too.”

“But one way or another you’re getting your tacos,” Janis smirks. 

“And I’m sure Damian’s gonna make me recreate bootlegs with him for a week to make up for it,” Cady sighs.

“That’s not so bad. I was a big fan of your two-man production of Wicked,” Janis laughs. 

“Defying Gravity was just me on his shoulders while I waved the Swiffer around.”

“And it was excellent,” Janis scoffs. “I still think you would’ve made a better Galinda, but Dame did it pretty well too.”

“His Popular was pretty incredible,” Cady admits. Janis laughs and starts gently brushing her fingertips up and down part of Cady’s spine. Cady shivers contently and nuzzles somehow closer into her shoulder. “That’s nice.” 

“Is it now?”

“Mmhmm,” Cady hums. “I’m kind of glad we synced.” 

“Really?” Janis chuckles. 

“Yeah. Less laundry. And now we get to split our cravings when we have them, and we both get cuddly so it works out,” Cady says. “Probably easier on Dame to get our hormonal rage out at once, too.” 

“I do not have hormonal rage,” Janis scoffs. 

“Tell that to the spoon,” Cady giggles. “You know what this means, though.”

“What?”

“Your period came early, right?” 

“Yeah?” Janis says in confusion. “Few days early, why?” 

“Mine’s right on time,” Cady says, leaning up on her elbows with a grin. “Your body synced to mine. That makes me dominant.”

“Yeah, ri-”

“Your hormones are my bitch.” 

“Caddy!” Janis laughs in shock. 

“I’m just saying,” Cady shrugs. “I run this menstrual shitshow now. Get used to it.” 

“Your hormones may have worked mine into submission,” Janis hums, slowly shifting her hands down Cady’s back, lower and lower. “But we both know which way this goes in every other circumstance.” 

They’re both very glad Damian is out.

He doesn’t need to know what happens to their sex drives when that time comes. 

————-

An hour or so later, Damian comes parading back through the door, swallowed by various bags of snacks and their dinner. Cady leaps up to help free him, but Janis can’t get past a 45 degree angle and decides she’ll help with something else. Later.

She bristles a bit as she hears her girlfriend squeal, “You’re the best!” She knows it’s stupid to be jealous of her openly homosexual best friend’s relationship with her girlfriend, but sometimes her emotions decide to be particularly sadistic. 

“Jayjay, come on,” Cady says, carrying in about half of Damian’s treasures. “Dinner.”

“Help,” Janis groans, reaching out for her. Cady rolls her eyes lovingly and rests her bags on the table before coming to her. Janis leans along as Cady grabs her outstretched hands and hauls her up. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Cady giggles. “Come on, he got your burritos.” 

Janis groans and trudges her way over, like she’s making her way across town in a blizzard. Cady waits for her in the kitchen with some painkillers and a sip of her Baja Blast. 

“Thanks,” Janis says once the pills are down and working their magic on her cramping body. She sits at the table armed with the heating pad Damian also offers and tears into her bean burrito. 

“Thank you Damian,” Cady says happily, standing behind Damian’s chair and hugging him. Damian laughs as she rests her chin on top of his head and gently pats her arm.

“You’re welcome. Come eat,” he chuckles. 

Cady does, taking her own large bag of food as she sits down. She does a little happy dance as she finally gets to dig into her tacos. 

And dig in she does. Janis and Damian observe in a mix of awe and horror as she downs three tacos, two burritos, four quesadillas, an unholy amount of cheesy potatoes, and a whole slushee in less than fifteen minutes. 

“Maybe I should get pregnant,” Janis mumbles as she slowly chews her own burrito. Cady chokes on her slushee. 

“What?!”

“I wouldn’t have to deal with this for nine months,” Janis says. “I think that’s worth it.” 

“I think it would be exactly like this for nine months with no break in between,” Cady giggles. “And probably worse. And we definitely don’t need a baby right now.”

“Nothing says we have to keep the baby,” Janis shrugs. “I could be a surrogate.”

“But you couldn’t have sushi that whole time,” Cady replies, raising a knowing eyebrow. “Or as much coffee as you insist you need to function.”

“Never mind, I can never be pregnant,” Janis replies immediately. 

“Thank god for that,” Damian murmurs under his breath. Janis gently whacks him upside the head. “Ow! Hey, I got you dinner.” 

Janis rolls her eyes lovingly as she stands up to go throw away her dinner trash, gently kissing the spot on his head she hit. “There. All better.”

“Maybe I’ll get pregnant, then,” Cady says as she follows Janis. 

“What?!” Damian and Janis both yelp. 

“What?” Cady replies. “I could handle it, I think.”

“Cads, you’re barely five feet tall, I think a baby might kill you,” Janis replies. “It’d probably come out bigger than you.”

“Hey!” Cady pouts. “That’s mean.” 

“It’s just the facts,” Janis says, kissing Cady’s cheek. 

“There have been plenty of short people who’ve had babies throughout history and been fine. And you’re right, no periods for nine months,” Cady says. “And I don’t even like sushi or coffee in the first place, so I’d be totally fine!” 

“I dunno if I can handle nine months of Taco Bell, though,” Janis chuckles. “Or a baby.” 

“I don’t crave Taco Bell all the time,” Cady huffs. “We’d mix it up.”

“Yeah, with Chipotle, probably,” Janis replies teasingly, gently poking Cady’s belly. “You’re probably about sixty percent taco at this point in your life.” 

“I didn’t get to eat a single taco until I was sixteen, I have a lot of tacos to make up for!” Cady pouts. 

Janis grins and kisses her pout away, gently holding Cady against her. Cady hums happily and nuzzles into her chest. “Happy?”

“Mmhmm,” Cady nods. “But you’re mean.” 

“Might wanna get used to that,” Janis says. 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a horrible mean person all the time forever, I get it,” Cady chuckles. Janis suddenly freezes beneath her, her entire body tensing. “What’s the matter?” Janis takes a deep breath. Cady pulls back to see the pained look on her face. “Oh. Cramps?” Janis nods. “Poor baby.”

“Can we cuddle?” Janis whispers when the pain fades enough for her to speak. Cady smiles and kisses her nose. 

“Of course. Come on,” she says, leading Janis back to the couch. Janis lies down with a small pout. “Do you have your heating pad?” Janis shakes her head, pointing to the kitchen. Cady bends to kiss her pout away. “You’re still my tough punk.” 

Cady heads back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up after their dinner and grab Janis’ heating pad. 

“Dame, do you wanna watch movies with us?” 

“I’d love to, but I have a very involved skincare routine to finish and beauty sleep to catch up on,” Damian sighs. Cady giggles and gives him a hug. 

“Okay. Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight,” Damian replies, ruffling Cady’s hair. “‘Night, Jan.”

“Goodnight,” Janis calls from the couch, wincing as another cramp rolls over her. Cady heads over armed with her heating pad and some candy. 

“How do you want me?” Cady asks jokingly, striking a pose. Janis lays her heating pad over her tummy and reaches for her, so Cady settles in on top of her and cuddles in against her neck. “Good?”

“Mmhmm,” Janis hums. “Movie?” 

“You pick,” Cady says. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. Whatever would make your poor uterus feel better,” Cady giggles. She rolls her eyes affectionately as Janis scrolls right to The Shining. “I should have known.” 

“Yes, you should’ve.” 

—-

Cady doesn’t look at the TV once throughout the movie, staying firmly pressed against Janis’ shoulder so she doesn’t have to see any of the scary things happening. 

About halfway through she realizes this was probably Janis’ plan all along, to keep her tightly cuddled against her for more warmth and comfort. Sneaky. 

Janis does put on a Disney movie once her horror movie is over, so Cady shifts down a bit to be able to see Moana. Janis hums contently and squishes her closer when Cady starts fidgeting with the blonde ends of her hair to keep her hands busy. 

-

“You ready to go to bed?” Cady yawns once the movie is over. “I’m sleepy.” 

“Yeah,” Janis says. “I’ll clean up out here, you go get ready.” 

“Mmkay,” Cady says, yawning again. She leans in for a kiss before carefully climbing off her girlfriend and padding down the hall towards their bedroom. She can already hear Damian snoring from his room. He wasn’t kidding about needing some beauty sleep. 

She brushes her teeth and washes her face while she waits for Janis to straighten the kitchen and living room back up. Janis comes in behind her and kisses her cheek, spluttering a bit when she realizes Cady hasn’t rinsed her face yet and she gets a kiss full of cleanser. 

“Sorry, love,” Cady chuckles. Janis wipes her lips off and hastily reaches for her toothbrush. 

“You should use a cleanser that tastes better,” she says, poking her tongue out a few times. 

“Well you’re not supposed to eat it, goof. And you use yucky toothpaste, so we’ll just call it payback.” 

“My toothpaste is mint,” Janis chuckles, squeezing some out and beginning to brush her teeth. 

“Exactly. Vile,” Cady huffs. 

“Just becauthe ‘ou don’ like it,” Janis says around a mouthful of foam. 

“It’s gross! My watermelon kind is much better!” 

“Ith’s for little kids,” Janis chuckles. 

“I’m baby,” Cady pouts. “Mint is gross, I won’t hear any arguments.”

“Shuit yershelf.”

Cady giggles and goes to crawl into bed. She gets comfy under the covers, pulling them up just beneath her nose. Hopefully Janis is still up for cuddles after two movies’ worth. Cady always gets chilly on her period, and Janis is the best heater. 

She listens with a faint smile as Janis does her own bedtime routine, listening for the clunk of a mouthwash bottle being set down and the scrubbing sounds as Janis washes her face. 

Janis herself makes an appearance after a couple minutes, smiling as she sees her girlfriend all curled up and cozy in bed. 

She’s so focused on her that she misjudges her distance from their dresser. Cady winces as she smacks her foot against it, in pain by proxy just from the sound. 

Janis immediately starts yelling, cursing both the dresser for being where it is and… the universe as a whole, from what little Cady can put together. 

She was expecting a little bit of yelling, but Janis continues for longer than seems healthy. 

“Fucking dresser being in my fucking way-” she hollers at the top of her lungs, either not noticing or not caring that it’s midnight and they have neighbors. Most probably the latter. “My fucking foot!” 

“Janis,” Cady says lowly enough that Janis stops yelling and turns to look at her, having to listen intently to hear her. “Come here, my love.”

“No, I don’t-”

“Janis,” Cady insists. “Just let me hold you for a minute and see how you feel. If you’re still angry I promise you can wake the neighbors up again and keep going.”

Janis huffs crankily and stomps over like a petulant child. Cady props herself up against the headboard just a bit, somewhere between sitting and lying down. Janis lies in between her legs and rests her head on her chest. 

“One minute. All I’m asking,” Cady whispers. “Just breathe and listen to my heart. One minute.” 

Janis’ face is still screwed up in a mix of frustration and pain. Cady gently massages between her eyebrows with her thumb and scratches her scalp, both things that help calm Janis down. Sure enough, she feels some tension leave Janis’ muscles and hears her sigh just shy of contently. 

“Better?” 

Janis nods shyly, smushing her face into Cady’s tummy. Cady grins and pulls her up higher. 

“We’ll rearrange the furniture tomorrow. Save your poor feet any future strife. Okay?” she murmurs, kissing Janis’ hair. 

“Mmkay,” Janis grumbles. “Your hands are cold.” 

“Maybe you should make them warm, then,” Cady grins. Janis yelps as Cady slips her frigid little hands inside her shirt and presses them against Janis’ warm back. “Mm. So warm.” 

“You’re a gremlin.”

“I’m your gremlin,” Cady retaliates. She feels Janis smile against her. 

“Can I return you?”

“Hey,” Cady pouts. “You love me.”

“I do,” Janis chuckles. “Goodnight, baby shark.”

“Oh, you monster.” 

—————

thanks for reading!! hope you enjoyed :)

[unprofessional-bard]

Have it Your Way

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

Request: yooo you should totally do a nsfw bigby wolf x f! reader 👀 Mr. Wolf going apeshit bc of work stress is lit

Pairing: Bigby Wolf x Female!Reader

Warnings: A lil bit of tension, then pure smut with (fluffy?) after care: Rough oral (m! receiving) and unprotected vaginal sex + fingering & Bigby going beast mode, so a lot of biting and scratching~

Summary: The sheriff is more than grateful to find you in his office after a rough day at work.

Word Count: 3.521

Author's Note: I got a little carried away while writing this sjsnsjdnjss I hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it 😅

Enjoy!

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a fast approaching figure to where you were standing. You raise your head to see it's Bigby and he looks- well, pissed.

"Finally," You sigh as his steps slow down when he sees you. His knuckles are bruised and bottom lip cut, not to mention the bandages wrapped around his forearms and elbows. His frown dissolves just a little bit when you show your concern to him: "What the hell happened?"

"Woody happened," He growls and walks into the office before you can reach for his hands to take a closer look at his wounds. You follow him inside quietly and close the door. "What are you doing here, anyway? It's late."

He's right, it's around midnight and it was a little uncharacteristic of you to show up this late and at his office, instead of his apartment.

What you and Bigby have... it doesn't really have a proper name. Two people enjoying each other's company is a light term, fuckbuddies is a little vulgar for the both of you. There's sex, a healthy amount of it, but not too much romance. No romance at all, in fact. You weren't dating or anything, friends with benefits would be the closest term. People probably guessed you two had something going on, but it lacks certain emotions and behaviours to confirm their thoughts.

And you're okay with it. He's a bit of a wreck, truth be told - being this town's sheriff takes its toll on him, but by the gods he's one attractive man. Your relationship with him fit his aesthetic well, too. Surprisingly you hadn't caught feelings for him yet, but seeing him all beaten and tired like a puppy made your heart ache. You felt a strange responsibility of taking care of him, not like a wife and certainly not like a mother... but the instinct was there.

"I've been trying to reach you the whole day," You say calmly, not wanting to get on his bad side. "I got a little worried."

"I was out," He lights a cigarette and turns around to face you, leaning against the desk with crossed arms. "Nothing I can't handle... the usual stuff."

"You okay, though?" You take a step forward and take his chin in your hand gently, studying the cut on his bottom lip. "Come back to my place, I'll take care of this, hm?" You say, indicating his wounds. "If you want, of course."

His frown is still present and he senses that you're afraid: Afraid of pissing him off more and tries to calm himself for your sake, to no avail. He's confused about your sudden closeness - not physically, but because of your offer. You? Want to take care of him? We didn't agree to catch feelings, he thinks and his nose scrunches up with curiosity, trying to understand what was going on.

"Why? Are you a nurse and not telling me?" He takes a drag from the cigarette, but his tone comes off more annoyed than teasing and he notices the shift in your tone when you reply.

"Christ Bigby," You roll your eyes and turn around to leave. "If you want to be alone, just say so."

Before you can reach the door handle, he grabs your wrist to stop you, turns you around and places his hands on your waist. Your annoyance dissipates the moment his eyes lock with yours: "I didn't say I wanted to be alone..." He pulls you closer while pushing you against the door, then places a ghostly kiss on your jaw: "I need you."

"Here-?" You try to ask but when he lightly bites on that soft spot he knows so well on your neck, you interrupt yourself with a quiet gasp.

"Here..." He growls, suddenly gets impatient and kisses you deeply. His tongue is quick to find yours and you wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, which he takes it as his cue to grab your thighs and lift you up. Another gasp mixed with a soft moan leaves your lips when your core brushes against his erection - you'd worn a slip dress before going down to his office, so his hands easily sneak under it to push it up until your upper thighs reveal themselves to him. He was too busy giving all his attention to your lips that he was caught a little off guard when his growing erection met with your clothed pussy.

You're a little overwhelmed by how he's trying to hold back, because he's angry and clearly wants to blow off some steam, but doesn't want to hurt you in the process - it excites you and you want him to be rough, actually, so you bite his bottom lip when he digs his fingers into the soft flesh of where your thighs meet your ass. He pulls back suddenly and for a terrifying moment you think you bit the cut part- you didn't mean to hurt him, but luckily he doesn't seem hurt but rather bewildered.

He holds your gaze for a torturous few seconds and you just squirm against him impatiently: He hears your heart rate pick up and it's because you're excited, so he asks: "You want it rough, sweetheart?" You nod in fast motions, expression somewhere between desperate and aching and it makes him harder, if that was even possible. "You sure? I won't be gentle-"

"Just fuck me, Bigby," You whine, to his surprise. "You're angry: Go ahead, take it all out on me."

You feel his growing nails dig into your skin, then he kisses you once more, rougher than any kiss you shared with him.

There's a moment when you're spontaneously turned on by one another: The thought of him fucking you until you forgot your name made you literally anxious (in a good way) and to see you this hungry for him drove the sheriff absolutely crazy, which made him rougher and it made you... It's like a vicious cycle.

Your hands are trembling as you devour each other against the door, a desperate need to fuck overcomes the both of you. It's as if, the seven deadly sins were demons and Lust had possessed the both of you. Bigby groans and bites your neck and for a moment you swear his fangs had grown sharper - it startles you and makes you moan.

"Lock the door," Bigby growls into the crook of your neck and drops you after you nod in his arms. You hear him clear his desk at the speed of light as you turn to lock the door, but before you can turn back around, he grabs your hips and places kisses along your shoulders. The heat radiating from your body makes him go, quite literally, feral.

"Up," He murmurs after he turns you around harshly and you don't waste a second to jump into his arms. He carries you to his desk with three steps and places you on the empty spot like a trophy. He admires you for a brief moment, admires how ruined you looked and grins to himself: It was all because of him.

You snap him back to reality when you grab his black tie and pull him towards you, placing him between your legs and kissing him. It's a lot more messy this time, all teeth and tongue as he tries to pull his erection out of his pants.

Just then, there's a knock on the door: "Bigby?"

Fuck.

"Bigby, are you alright?"

It's Snow White. The both of you go incredibly still and Bigby feels himself get soft at the sound of her voice.

"I'm busy, Snow!" He growls, angrier than before.

"Is everything okay? I heard a-"

"I'm on a call, can we talk later?" He speaks loudly and you bite your lip at how unfortunate you two are and to calm your breathing down.

"Okay, sorry," She sounds a little offended, but you could care less, because Bigby leans back and away from you after she returns to her office.

"Charming," You take a deep breath then stand up. Bigby looks a little embarrassed and you feel a little awkward, but immediately come up with a solution. Instead of speaking, you pull him back towards you, slowly, by his belt until your back hits the edge of the desk. He gives you a quizzical look, but you just smirk: "We're not done yet."

You keep eye contact when you drop onto your knees not a moment later, and he almost chokes at the sight. He lets you pull his cock out of his pants as he puts his hands on the desk to lean on for support. Your touch (and the view alone) is enough to make him go harder by the second and his knees buckle when you pump him a couple of times. If it were up to you, you wouldn't rush it and take proper care of him, make him sing for you- coax it out of him rather than rush him, but the sheriff was impatient at the moment- and so were you.

A broken moan leaves his lips when you place a kiss on the tip of his cock and take him in your mouth right after. You see him struggling to stand still and his eyes close as you start to bob your head in a steady rhythm, taking more of him with each move forward. You moan around him at how big he felt inside your mouth- not that it was a new feeling or anything, but his cock was a delight anywhere inside you; especially when he hits the back of your throat, just like he did now.

An animalistic growl escapes him, a bit louder than he likes, when he sees just how much of his length you took in your mouth and his hands find themselves in your hair. You grab the sides of his thighs and tap them, signalling him to start moving and let him fuck your mouth. You hear him groan at the feeling, which makes you moan and dip a hand into your underwear to touch yourself. His pace is rough and fast, but the doesn't go too deep for a while and enjoys the feeling without literally choking you.

"Fuck," He grunts out when he hits the back of your throat again and sees his cock completely disappear into your mouth. When you gag, he pulls out to let you breathe, a thin line of saliva connects the tip of his rock hard cock and your parted lips. There are tears at the corners of your eyes, but by god it's so worth it. You retreat your hand from your underwear and smirk at him at the best of your ability while breathing heavily.

"Up," Bigby growls and picks you up from on your knees and sits you on the edge of the desk again. He places himself between your legs, removes your underwear to the side and impatiently (but carefully) inserts a finger inside you.

A trembling gasp falls from your lips as you watch a second finger join the other not long after. You want to tell him that you didn't need him to stretch your walls, so you try: "Bigby, please, I need your-"

"Trust me, sweetheart," But he interrupts, looks into your eyes and stops his movements. "You're gonna need this."

You swear his eyes glow yellow for a moment, but before you can look deeper you throw your head back when you feel a third finger inside you: "F-Fuck!"

"Shh," Bigby smirks and kisses your neck. "You want Snow to hear what we're up to?"

Maybe, you think, but the word gets mashed up and leaves your lips as a shallow moan instead when he does come hither motions with his fingers. You tense around him and the sweet smell of your juices drives him absolutely mad.

That's when he had to pull out, because his claws are out, his fangs and yellow eyes are glowing and you whine at the contact loss. He lines himself by your entrance and whispers against your burning cheeks: "You let me know if anything hurts, okay?"

You quickly shake your head and unintentionally hold your breath, but immediately let it go as soon as he pushes into you.

He's big. Bigger.

"Fuck," You choke out and bite his shoulder through his shirt. He goes still for a moment and allows you to adjust to... a new experience.

"Shit..." He growls and immediately gets rid of his shirt. A round of teeth marks appear on his skin, he looks at it and smirks as you try desperately to not come and make it last a while. Your hands instinctively reach for his hairy chest and connect behind his back. He holds you close by your hips and pushes a little further: "You're so tight, sweetheart..."

You can only moan in his hear, the stretch bringing new forms of pleasure and pain to you, making you dizzy. Suddenly, you move yourself forward and sit yourself on the edge of his desk and completely take in his cock, letting out a cry.

"We should've gone to your place," Bigby breathes and chuckles darkly, then proceeds to fuck you.

You want to reply, but (you guessed it) you can't; you rest your head on his shoulder, ready to bite down in case you got too loud. With your hands and legs wrapped around his back, you let yourself relax in his grip and let him reach deeper into you. You could technically let yourself go completely and he'd still hold you upright, thanks to his hard grip on your shoulder and waist.

Your moans become more frequent and high pitched and his pace is a little out of rhythm, but he's absolutely ruining you.

"Oh Bigby," You whimper, letting him know that you're about to cum.

He's lost, completely, between your moans, heat and trembling legs. Neither of you realise his claws beginning to break through the skin a little, but when he does he immediately switches the place of his hands to the backs of your shoulders. He partly lays you down on the desk and bends himself over as he drives into you, the new angle making him let out a gruttal growl and you lose it. You have to bite on his shoulder again to keep you from crying out as you come undone- A sound so divine and loud (although muffled), it drives Bigby over the edge as well, making him bite you in the neck in return.

Your legs tremble as he empties his seed in you, his cock reaching the deepest parts of your insides and giving you the pleasure of your life.

"H-ah, fuck," You breathe out when he pulls back both from your neck and inside you. He immediately checks for marks and you can see a guilt ridden expression spreading across his face as he calms down.

"You... I'm sorry-"

"Bigby," You interrupt him with a snarky smile, matching with your (literally) fucked state. "I asked for it and you gave it to me. No need for apologies." He still can't help but worry and run his thumb gently across the bite mark on yout neck: "It'll heal by next day."

"Good thing we're fables, huh?" He sighs and you nod as you readjust your underwear and dress, then get off the table with shaky legs which almost makes you fall, but Bigby catches you gently.

"Let's take this back to my place now, hm?" You chuckle against his neck and place a small kiss there.

Reassured, he picks you up bridal style and offers you a small grin: "Agreed."

A second round hadn't crossed your mind while you were going up to your apartment.

He gently sat you down on your bed and asked you if you needed anything. You decided to take a look at his wounds from earlier today, so you sat there and studied the bruises on his knuckles and lips, while his seed continued to make a mess of your panties.

"You wanna stay over, or...?" You offered as he came out of the bathroom and, after taking his clothes of, joined you in bed.

"Let's get rid of this, hm?" He said and helped you out of your dress. It wasn't an intimate moment, per se, but you couldn't help but feel shy when he took your dress off- he hadn't even spared a look anywhere other than your face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing you shying away, still keeping his eyes on yours.

"Nothing," You smiled softly when you realised this and let him help you with your panties.

When he took them off, however, he couldn't help but look down at the mix of cum leaking from your pussy; it made his breath hitch and you bite your lip. He gave you a look- the look...

... and that's how you ended up face down on the bed with Bigby right above you, pounding into your pussy. Your knees were holding your lower half up, while your arms were under your pillow and your face was resting, or rather, buried in it. Bigby's claws made their presence known around your hips and waist, then one hand reaches into the back of your neck and firmly holds it, pressing you down more. He throws his head back and closes his eyes, moaning at the pleasure- pure pleasue. The sounds in your room are just a mess of skin slapping  against skin, the occasional creaking of the bed and your constant moaning mixed with his.

He's close and so are you, you've had your relationship going on for long enough to understand when he's going to cum and vice versa, his pace becomes faster than you thought possible and you clench down on him. He sneaks his arm under your chest and pulls you up against him, on all fours. You're holding yourself up by the underside of your forearm and hand, while one of his hands grabs at your breast and squeezes it as he lets out yet another growl.

"Ah- Bigby," You breathe out and hold onto his arm across your chest. He inhales your scent deeply and with sounds close to brief shouts, he finally comes, once more, inside you. He sees the stars when he does and it triggers your second orgasm.

An earth shattering experience to say the least.

You both collapse to the left in a spooning position, breathing hard. He gently pulls out of you while holding you close: "Fuck..."

"Indeed," You chuckle, mind hazy with the aftershock and eyes closed, calmly resting in his embrace. Once he manages to recollect himself, which is a few long minutes later, he immediately starts searching your body for the marks he left. "Bigby, I told you it's fine-"

He simply ignores you and continues feeling guilty as he stares at them: "I... I'm really-"

"If you say I'm sorry one more time, I'll kick your ass," You smirk, looking at him with lazy eyes. You're too content -satisfied and utterly fucked- to move, the heat making it easier for you to fall asleep: "Sheriff or not."

He smiles at you fondly and kisses your shoulder- he seems more at ease: "Okay... Let me clean you up, then."

You hum, agreeing and letting him slip off the bed. Nothing seems to be significantly important to you at that moment. Perhaps tomorrow, things will go back to being difficult, but at that moment, it was just you and Bigby.

He comes back with a warm, wet towel and proceeds to clean your inner thighs. The sight made him feel a couple of things at once: A type of warmth, not caused solely by lust but the type that painted his cheeks red with... fondness? Sincerity? Something much more?

He didn't want to think or talk about it, even though the former was a bit impossible as he was cleaning and admiring your ruined state with an unintentional sprinkle of guilt. He then starts cleaning the small amount of blood that drew and you let him, not without adding: "If you feel that bad, you can make it up to me by coming here..."

He watches you pat the empty spot he was lying on moments ago and he complies, drops the towel on your nightstand after he's finished cleaning you and crawls under the sheets.

You slowly turn around and place your half asleep form on his broad chest, spreading an arm across it and lay your head on where his arm and body meet, dozing off as soon as you felt one of his arms around your waist and the other on your hand.

Sleep quickly catches up with Bigby too and his eyelids slowly start to close, his nose against your hair and an extreme comfort surrounding him because of your presence; right before he closes his eyes, his own thoughts echo in his mind: We didn't agree to catch feelings...

Oh, no.

[sirenascales]

-> double black [part five] 18+

-> Chuuya x 1stPOV!F!Reader x Dazai

-> Who knew getting fired from work could lead to this?

-> Content: SMUT, slight angst, violence, murder, swearing

The killer is revealed! What surprises are in store? [Chuuya x 1stPOV!F!Reader x Dazai]

2,420 words

warning: mentions of domestic violence and rape, violence and straight up murder

note: here we go... this is the second to last chapter :) hope you all enjoy reading! no smut again lol

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Final || masterlist

"This place... is creepy as hell," I mumbled under my breath, glancing curiously over at Dazai as we climbed out of the car and started walking towards the large abandoned factory. "Are you sure this is where Ranpo told us to go?"

"Yep~ He's usually never wrong, so there must be something here we can find~" Dazai sang, nonchalantly walking inside the factory. I sighed deeply and quickly followed him, shivering at the creepy aura it gave off.

"Ugh, does somebody really hide out here? It's giving me the creeps," I whined, hugging myself and rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

"What if there are ghosts here?" Dazai wondered and I shuddered deeply, fear striking my heart at the mere thought.

"Don't say that!"

"Will you two shut up?" A third voice spoke up and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Chuuya? What are you doing here? And... who's that?"

In the middle of the factory, Chuuya stood before a man tied up to a single chair, a linen bag over his head. Chuuya had a deep frown on his face, obviously extremely irritated with something.

"Wh-who is that?! Please, help me!" The man begged, howling in pain when Chuuya kicked him in the stomach.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Is that the one?" Dazai asked and Chuuya nodded. I looked at them in confusion.

"The one... what?"

"This," Chuuya started. "Is the one that's been stealing from the Port Mafia for well over a year. Along with that bastard Taichi."

My jaw fell open in shock, not expecting that at all. "Wh-what do you mean stealing?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Taichi was in charge of moving product and bringing back the cash from the Northern area of the city. He's been getting his hands in the product, selling them little by little on the side to line his pockets." Chuuya seemed to grow angrier and angrier by the second as he explained. "We've been investigating that thief for three months and we finally pieced it together. Thanks to you." Chuuya's angry gaze is now on me and I feel my heart drop to the ground.

"What do you mean? Me?" I stuttered, looking over to the man as he began to struggle in his chair. He rocked from side to side, pleading loudly for his life.

"Please, let me go!"

There was a large bang! followed by a scream as Chuuya swiftly brought out a handgun, shooting the man right in the head. I was the one who screamed.

"I hate disloyalty," Chuuya spat, his voice cold. His equally icy glare narrowed on Dazai, who didn't even react to the man being killed, unlike myself. My now shaking hands were clamped over my mouth, in shock by what I've just witnessed.

"So tell me," Chuuya began, now turning to face me. "How is it that you knew that Taichi was meeting a drug dealer... the dead man at your feet specifically?" He didn't even give me a chance to answer before he continued. "How did you know that? Were you there?"

I rapidly shook my head, heart thudding in my chest. "No!" I exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Really? Taichi was killed in the South. That wasn't his area, and he wasn't even assigned to move the product. Hasn't been for months since the investigation started." Chuuya's voice was even, and it sent shivers down my spine. I took another step back. "Well? Explain yourself."

I gulped, absolute fear coursing through my body. I could feel the sweat slide down my temple and. "W-well, I overheard him talking about what he does for you. So! I just assumed..."

Chuuya scoffed, laughing dryly. "Plausible, yes." He dug into his coat's inner pocket and I gasped sharply when he held up my knife. I was stunned, thinking I had lost it, but Chuuya had it all along. Suddenly, that day I went to visit him in his office ran through my head, and I realized that was when I last saw my knife. Fuck.

I felt a sense of dread wash over me.

"I know you take excellent care of this knife, clean it regularly. Except for the blood in the hilt."

"And the bloody clothes I found under the sink in your bathroom," Dazai finally spoke up and I gasped sharply. "You probably should have thrown those clothes away before you had me sleep over. You know I like to snoop," He continued on as I clenched my shaking fists. Dazai circled around so he and Chuuya now stood before me, tall and intimidating. "You're the killer, aren't you? Actually, you don't have to answer that. We already know that you are."

I didn't say anything, my lips pulled in a thin line as I stared at the ground. I started to breathe a bit heavily, heart pounding and my blood boiling with the anger and rage I tried to keep at bay from the moments I wake up in the morning to the time I go to sleep at night.

"Well?" Chuuya yelled, growling. "Aren't you gonna say anything?! You killed him!"

I lifted my head up, and the two men looked genuinely surprised at the look in my face, eyes dark and narrow and full of anger. I was seething, but I couldn't help the sick, twisted smile that grew on my face. "And what if I did?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Hell hath no fury, right?"

Suddenly, there was an almost inhuman shriek as a figure jumped out from behind the men, knife brandished and slicing right at Dazai. Dazai luckily dodged it, the figure landing on its feet before standing tall. Dazai and Chuuya are both shocked, as they now stared at the perfect clone of myself. The clone didn't give Dazai any time to process, running towards him again and slicing almost wildly with the knife in hand.

"My, what a turn of events!" Dazai exclaimed a bit excitedly, taking in my clone's features. She looked exactly like me, except she looked more wild, her face contorted into one full of rage, anger and anguish with a seemingly endless stream of tears pouring down her face. Her movements were erratic, cries leaving her mouth as she lunged for the attack.

Meanwhile, I had engaged in a fight with Chuuya, but even I could immediately tell just how outmatched I was and that I had no hopes of beating him. Still, I threw a punch at him, able to get him right in his cheek, but he quickly retaliated with a harsh kick to my side. I cried out in pain, clutching my side.

"Are you crazy," Chuuya hissed. "Ability user or not, I'm one of the best martial artists in the Port Mafia! You're not beating me!" He dodged yet another of my punches, jumping back before he kicked me again right on my torso. I grunted in pain, falling on one knee.

"I'm afraid I don't like you," Dazai told my clone as he ducked down to dodge a wild swing. He quickly shot up, successfully headbutting the clone. She cried out in pain, covering her face with her hands as she fell back, Dazai reaching out to grab one of her wrists. As soon as he did so, she disappeared, his ability coming into effect. He let out a tired whew! dusting his hands off before turning to the fight between Chuuya and I.

Even if Chuuya did outmatch me, I tried to keep fighting him, until he suddenly grabbed me and threw me hard on the ground. I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. "Fuck!" I cursed, struggling to breathe as I tried to stand up. I am forced right back on my knees, a hand pressing on my neck. My anger disappeared, and by then, I knew that it was Dazai.

Now that all my anger, and fury was gone, all I had left was the immeasurable despair that settled in my chest, tears now freely sliding down my cheeks. I couldn't stop my sobbing, feeling the two men's wide eyes on me.

"He was beating her!" I cried out, just desperate for them to hear me out before they passed their judgements on me. "Taichi... was beating Keiko and... I never knew! She's been my best friend ever since I moved here and I never had a clue! Not one! Until that day she called me.. when I was at your place," I glanced at Dazai, lip quivering as I struggled to continue. "I went home and when she came over... I knew something was wrong I... then she took off her clothes and there wasn't an inch of her skin below her neck that wasn't covered in bruises I-" 

I choked up, covering my face as I started to sob uncontrollably, the pain of once seeing my friend who was so full of life, looking like a scared, beaten animal as she stood before me. As I cried, Dazai and Chuuya looked at each other, just stunned beyond words.

"I knew..." I spoke up after a moment. "That one of these days, he would actually kill her. That's why she was so afraid to leave him. He was already beating her, and raping her, what would stop him from killing her if she defied him?! Huh?!" Even with Dazai still holding onto the back of my neck, I started to grow angry. "So, I killed him. I killed him before he could have a chance to kill her!" I then stared at Chuuya in his blue eyes. "And I'll do it again."

"After Taichi dropped Keiko off at my apartment, I snuck out through the emergency stairwell and back exit to follow him. The building is old, so I knew there were no cameras."

I carefully kept the hood of my hoodie over my head as I followed Taichi from a distance, a determined look on my face, one that said that I will not stop.

I soon followed him into the alleyway, where I hid behind a dumpster and watched him do his drug deal. He was grinning and laughing, acting smug and it was honestly fucking disgusting.

"I waited until he was completely alone before confronting him. He didn't expect to see me at all."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Taichi demanded, glaring at me. He wasn't that nice, friendly guy he played himself to be anymore.  "What the fuck are you doing in Port Mafia business?"

"I honestly don't give a fuck about the Port Mafia. I do give a fuck about Keiko, and you're going to stay the fuck away from her."

He just stared at me, before he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Okay... okay, stupid bitch. That was kind of funny. Just go back home before--"

"And before he could finish his sentence, my clone stabbed him right in his back."

I watched Taichi fall to the ground, my clone falling on top of him, shrieking as she stabbed him over and over again in a rage filled flurry. There was blood everywhere, some even spraying on my clothes as I watched.

Then, I stepped closer, pulling out my knife and landing one more final blow right in his chest, killing him.

"And he was as good as dead."

"... was Keiko in on this?"

Keiko opened the door to my apartment, letting me rush inside before closing and locking the door. She turned to look at me, eyes wide as she took in the blood on my clothes.

"Did... did you..." she stuttered softly, and I nodded.

"He's dead."

Keiko burst into tears.

"You know the answer to that already."

I was sitting on the ground now, head hung low as I stared at my hands. "I killed someone," I said softly, eyes burning with tears as I clenched my fists. "But when it comes to the people I love... I will do it again. So," I turned to Dazai. "Turn me into the police." I then turned to Chuuya. "Or just shoot me in the fucking head. I'm not strong enough against either of you... I just ask that you keep Keiko out of this. She has suffered far too much already."

I kept my head down, Chuuya and Dazai standing above me. Chuuya had a displeased look on his face, though Dazai's expression looked a bit forlorn.

"You'd do anything to protect your friends," Dazai stated and I looked up at him, looking broken, and small. Dazai gritted his teeth, frowning deeply.

"This is so fucked up," Chuuya grumbled, his mind moving at a mile a second as he rubbed his temples. Taichi was as good as dead anyways, seeing as him stealing from the Port Mafia was punishable by death. So what the hell is he supposed to do now? Chuuya growled in frustration.

"Did you guys..." I started, voice small as a thought plagued my mind. "...know all along...?" I bit my lip, keeping my gaze on the floor. "And when we-"

"It's not what you think," Dazai spoke up, knowing exactly what I was thinking. "You were just sloppy. But I don't blame you for panicking, bella."

"I knew as soon as you brought up the drug deal," Chuuya spoke up and I scoffed, laughing at my own stupidity. "I just wanted to fuck you 'cause of that dress."

Dazai snorted while I couldn't help the short laugh that escaped my mouth despite the situation. I shook my head, sighing deeply. I just decided to accept their answer, as this wasn't the right time to dwell upon my insecurities. I glanced over to the dead body of Taichi's accomplice, thinking he was probably going to die by the Port Mafia's hand anyway.

Dazai followed my gaze, tilting his head a bit as he tapped his chin. "There is no DNA evidence," Dazai recalled and Chuuya narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yeah, so?" he replied, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

"So," Dazai started, glancing over at me still on the ground. "There is no proof of her involvement. Man, just what will I tell the Boss now?!" Dazai threw his hands up dramatically, Chuuya's eye twitching in annoyance.

Still, the Executive kept his mouth shut, taking in the meaning of Dazai's words. Then, he looked over at me, blue eyes staring me down before his lips twitched upwards a bit.

"Oh yeah... I won the race."

-End

tags in replies!!

[ssneksnekk]

Crossmare Boobgrabbing

(NSFW, Nipple sucking, Tit squeezing, Aggressive behavior, Mentions of slut shaming)

Nightmare let out a whine, his entire body tensing before letting out a shaky sigh. “Be gentle, will you? Hell, I gave you an opportunity to touch me. Not rip me apart.” Nightmare grumbled out, averting his cyan eye. Though, the male he was sitting on didn’t seem to register his annoyance as he squeezed and pulled on the, recently inverted but now perked, nipples.

“Sorry…” Cross muttered again. He’d been having to do that every few minutes when Nightmare had to tell him or when he figured in he was in serious pain. But, stars, he couldn’t help it. Killer had really gotten to him this time. It was one thing to say dumb shit to his face but to say such inappropriate things about their Boss behind his back? It made him furious.

Nightmare was not a milf, nor was he a slut or a sex doll. He was a majestic King that had to be treated gently as to not break him for he was fragile. “Ow..! Cross!” Nightmare growled again as Cross accidently let his claws dig into Nightmare’s tits. “Fuck- I’m sorry..” Cross was growing angrier with himself by the second.

“Could you not think about what Killer may have said to you right now? Your anger is only hurting me and it’s not arousing at all. I may have to put you out and you may have to seek help from others, Cross.” Nightmare’s voice was full of annoyance and seriousness, yet still kept the matter short and simple and to the point. Not a way Cross really liked but it was better than being lied to.

“I know, I know, sorry.. I just.. he said some really nasty things and it really got my blood boiling. Especially when it’s perverted about the people I care for.” Cross muttered. Nightmare only rolled his eyes. He adjusted his sharp phalanges on Cross’ shoulders before tilting his head to the side in curiosity. “And what did he say, Cross?”

 Cross was quiet, stopping himself from painfully squeezing Nightmare’s chest and instead dramatically groaning. “He talked about you!” Nightmare was taken aback. “Me?” Cross nodded furiously. “Yeah, you! He talked about you like you were some stupid sex toy for the taking! How he wanted to have a turn with you when I was done or something.. Stars, he’s just so… gross!”

 Nightmare was quiet before he smirked. That’s what had gotten him so worked up? Oh, Cross, weren’t you a loyal soldier to his king. “How sweet..” Nightmare let his touch linger on the scar of the soldier’s cheek, gently training downwards to his chin and titling his head up slightly to look at Nightmare. “So all of this fuss has been all about me, Cross?” Nightmare felt flattered. He didn’t even care that he’d been in pain just a second ago.

 Cross face lit up a purple fury, breath hitching as his and his king’s faces were inches apart, the sweet, apple scent radiating off of Nightmare was intoxicating his senses. “I…” He didn’t even have time to finish before a deep, brooding chuckle left the king. “Fine. I suppose I can grant you at least this much, right? Do what you must.” Cross could only slightly see the faint, cyan blush on Nightmare’s face and that was enough to fuel him.

 Cross let Killer’s words flow back through his head and really let himself become aroused and angry. He’d show Killer. He’d show him how only HE could make Nightmare feel good. That only HE could treat him how he wanted. Nightmare was startled as he was picked up and gently thrown onto his bed. His eyesocket slightly widened in surprise at Cross’ sudden surge in dominance.

 Cross leaned over, his larger hands pinning Nightmare’s wrists to the bed. His sharp canines easily dug into Nightmare’s neck, bruising the dark bone which made it glow a gentle cyan. His knee pressed in between the king’s legs, stimulating the clothed entrance with ease. “Cross!” Nightmare moaned out, his eye closing tightly.

 Cross let go of Nightmare’s wrists, transferring to his large mounds where he squeezed and pulled on aggressively. His slightly, sharp fingers dug into the nipples, making sure to pinch them and rub them in between his fingers as a way of pleasure. Nightmare was into it greatly. Tears formed at his eye from the sensation of pain and pleasure mixing and he couldn’t help but feel he’d cum just from this.

 Nightmare fumbled with his pants, trying to get them off as soon as possible to discard them on the floor. Cross chuckled gently and held back a smirk, helping the king with his pants and throwing them somewhere else in his room. He finally had access to his wet core begging for him and he felt himself salivate.

 Nightmare could see the perverted look on his face and scoffed in amusement. “Gosh, you may just be worse than Killer.” Cross felt his face turn a bright purple and his brows furrowed, giving a yank on Nightmare’s tits which caused the King to let out a pleasured cry. “Don’t compare me to him.”

 Nightmare panted gently, ready for the dominance and the manhandling that he’d get though the shaky smile didn’t leave his face. “Yes sir.” Cross smiled happily at that, the dominant face leaving for a split second before it’d returned. At the sight of the bare king laying down in front of him at his mercy, Cross really couldn’t believe it.

 Like, he really couldn’t believe it. He never thought Nightmare would’ve even agreed to letting him touch his chest! It’d been pining for such a long time till only a month ago when Nightmare had spied on his dreams out of pure curiosity and realized the truth. It took a bit of insistence since Nightmare had been afraid of corrupting Cross, though Cross’ desperate attempts to be with the king finally paid off.

 “Fuck, Cross.. please, do something! Don’t just stare at me!” Nightmare growled, his face an embarrassed cyan as he adverted his eye. Cross had just been staring at him and it was embarrassing. Though, he’d never admit that. His begging had soon been accepted when Cross took ahold of his large tits, squeezing them with aggression.

 Nightmare’s back arched as he felt Cross’ thumbs dig into his perk, plump, nipples. They pressed down on the sensitive buds, making the king cry out. “FUCK! CROSS!” His legs wrapped around Cross’ waist, acting on their own. Cross pressed their teeth together, trapping Nightmare in a deep, messy kiss.

 Cross’ tongue tangled with the other’s aggressively, Nightmare barely being able to keep up with him and how fast he was. Where had this attitude even come from? Cross usually was to shy to even touch Nightmare’s hand! Let alone pin him like a wild animal and tease him. The king found it arousing to know he only was able to see this side of Cross.

 Nightmare was snapped out of his thoughts as tears blurred his vision and he almost screamed. He looked to his breasts to see Cross’ mouth trapped around one of his nipples, sucking and licking furiously at his right one while his hand was busy playing and pinching on the left nipple.

 It made small tears fall from the king’s face out of pleasure and he felt a knot build in his stomach. God, was he really going to cum like this?! “FUCK! CROSS!!” Cross felt a shiver run up his spine from hearing how he called out his name, the erection in his shorts restraining him. He grunted quietly from the restriction of his shorts and growled gently.

 Nightmare screamed out in pleasure as he came. His walls clenching around nothing and his clit throbbing. A soft liquid dripped from his entrance and down to his ass and onto his dark, lilac covers. He’d wash it later. Nightmare’s vision was blurry as he panted, sitting up on his elbows to properly look at Cross.

 Seeing sight of the hard, throbbing, purple cock that Cross had summoned, Nightmare felt himself drool. His cocky smile came back quickly. With shaky fingers, his spread his sensitive folds for Cross. Cross’ eyes trained on his tight cunt and only that alone as he swallowed wetly. A deep chuckle left the King.

 “O-oh.. Cross.” His voice was shaky, yet it still held a dominance in it. He was still in control. “D-don’t tell me you’re backing out now.” Cross scoffed in quiet amusement, lining up his cock with his entrance before roughly pushing in which earned Cross a sweet moan from the King.

 “Of course not, Boss. I always finish what I start.”

[m1d-w1nter]

Our revenge

~

SUMMARY: sometimes love isn’t meant to be, tommy shelby x fem reader

{masterlist}

~

The night was so long gone by now that a new day was already threatening to emerge. It was still late enough, however, for the world around you to be nothing but a hazy blackness, broken only by the delicate moonlight that had managed to pierce through the trees. The forest air was as silent as the dead, the gentle breeze their final and defeated breath, and beneath your bare feet the mud was thick and cool, squishing like soft clay between your toes. 

Someone was approaching from behind, the crack of the undergrowth and quiet breathing making its way towards you. You were always told to be on your guard if you strayed this far away from camp, but there was only one person that could possibly be approaching you. Even after all these years you still recognised Tommy Shelby by the sound of his footsteps. “Kushti divvus.” You murmured gently in acknowledgement of his arrival, the words so quiet they were likely to be carried away into the night. He would hear every word though. It was a talent of his- one that scared you- to always hear every word you spoke, even if they’d not yet even left your lips. “You left.” He replied bluntly, voice low and velvety, seeping through your body with power enough to make you weak at the knees. You weren’t surprised he’d noticed you leaving, and somewhere within you the girl you’d once been was even hurt that it had taken him this long to follow. You had wandered away from camp hours ago, seeking solitude within the woods and finding it in a small clearing. You hadn’t wanted to be there at all, anticipation for the evening making you sick all day, but your father had insisted that you were present at least to greet them. You’d given in to his demand, but the moment they all turned up and his eyes found yours, and years spent on burying emotions suddenly became wasted, you’d turned and fled. 

Twigs began crackling again as he approached, the long shadow that he cast across the ground slowly coming to rest beside yours. You refused to look at him, but you could still make out his face in the corner of your eye, startling blue eyes gazing over you, lips pressed into a cold line. Tommy’s hand came up suddenly to your face, the pad of his thumb brushing beneath your eye and up onto your cheekbone in one long stroke. You snapped your head to the side to glare at him. “You’ve been crying,” he muttered, thumb still pressed against your face, “why?” “Xoxamno.” “I’m not lying,” Tommy said, moving his hand to let run it down the side of your head, smoothing your hair and capturing the base of your neck. “You have been crying.” You moved instinctively towards him, leaning into the touch of his hand and bringing your face closer to his, though managing to stop just before your foreheads could touch. You had longed for him for so long that the feeling had become a part of you, but it didn’t mean you wanted any of this. You were supposed to have forgotten him, to have let go and moved on. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. But Tommy Shelby never gave up on what was his, and you had always belonged to him; heart, soul and body held tightly in the palm of his hand. Let me go, Tom, you tried to plead, though those weren’t words that left your mouth. “I’ve missed you.” You breathed instead, one of your hands finding the fabric of his shirt and balling it within your fist. You clung to the fabric and pulled at it aggressively, angrier at him than you’d ever been in your life. It wasn’t fair that he could do this- that he could undo all that you’d worked at so desperately with just the brush of one thumb. You knew this was like a game for him, that he found pleasure in how easy it was for him to make you weak. To anyone else the pair of you were like stone, unbreakable and unmovable, but to each other you were nothing but soft words and gentle caresses. As you pulled at him, his body came closer, until you were pressed so close you might as well have been one. You face moved to the side to avoid any accidental collision, temple pressed to his cheek and the sound of his breathing in your ear. He took calm breaths, deep and slow, as though every step of this dance had been exactly to his planning. And it likely had been. Tommy’d had years to craft this moment, and with such a cruel possession over you it was as simple to make you follow in his movements as it was to make your heart beat only for him. You knew you wouldn’t sound so calm to him, that your breathing was scattered and pained- as if when you’d drawn him close he’d sent a knife through your stomach. You wouldn’t put it past him. Your mother had warned of the changes war would create, the scars it would leave, and that he was rumoured to be even deadlier than before. You’d shrugged her off, however, because it made no difference to you. Tommy had been your poison since the day you first met him, and if his method of murder was only more brutal than before- well, you welcomed it with open arms. It was only what you deserved. “Is this your revenge?” You whispered to him, hand releasing his shirt fabric and sliding up to play with his open collar. “‘Cause this is how you’ll kill me, Tom.” Whilst he kept one hand firmly on your neck, the other- previously stashed in his trouser pocket- now brushed over your waist and came to rest on your lower back, gripping firmly. You were painfully aware that you wore nothing but cotton combinations and a shawl half-draped over your shoulders, legs and arms bare and prickled with goosebumps. It didn’t really matter though- he’d seen you in much less. “I don’t want to fucking kill you,” he mumbled back, angry at your words, “I just want to hold you.” “You don’t get to do that anymore.” You spat with unexpected venom, slipping from his grasp and pushing him back. You’d always possessed a talent to read people’s faces with ease. From the emotions they revealed, to the ones they buried deep inside them, nothing was a secret from you. But standing in the dark, where it was impossible to fully make out Tommy’s face, you couldn’t decipher how he felt, and that made you nervous. You were at his mercy, whether or not he would choose to be merciful at all.   Tommy took a step forward to approach you, but you took one back in response, your hand rising towards him in warning. “Why are you doing this?” He all but pleaded, the reflection of the night sky sparkling in his eyes like tears. “Why are you doing this?” You countered, “this isn’t supposed to happen again.” “Bullshit!” His voice rose up suddenly, but like a wave crashing on the beach he drew back in just as quickly, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment. It had never been that short before, you noticed, glancing at the sides that were shaven thin. His hair had been thick the last time you’d seen him, when you’d run your hands through it and pulled him towards you to kiss him, tears running down your face and between your lips. He’d changed just as much as you had, you realised, and it was a painful thought. You knew things could never have been as they once were, but this seemed to confirm it. “What happened then means nothing now,” Tommy continued more softly, “I kept my promise, I came back-“ “And I told you not to.” You cut in, with a tone harsh enough to cut skin. The words stung you both as much as they had when they’d first been spoken, unforgivable and unforgettable- and yet Tommy seemed perfectly content in living an existence where you’d never hoped for his death. In this he had become the definition of naivety, though perhaps a romantic might describe it simply as love. He strode forwards in a few steps, seizing you before you had a chance to retreat again. One hand took grip of your bicep roughly, the other effortlessly capturing your flailing hands by the wrists, leaving you trapped before him. It was a terrifying display of power, proving that Tommy had the strength and the ability to do whatever he pleased. If he wanted, as he did now, it took only the slightest effort to have you pinned helplessly before him. But you knew not to be afraid. You’d learnt to never fear Tommy long ago, when he’d sworn he would let you kill him before he ever really hurt you. His standing here now gave enough proof to how religiously he kept his promises. He’d made his way through hell to be come back to you and heaven help whoever came between. “I told you I never wanted to see you again.” You continued, hoping scorned words might be enough to chase him off. “And yet I’m here anyway.” “To spite me?” You questioned. “To forgive you.” He replied. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, save it for someone who’ll take it.” Tommy shook his head and kissed your knuckles with the tenderness of a couple ten years married. “You deserve everything.” He said, staring into your eyes, “I’ll give you everything if you let me.” You recognised those words. He’d said them once before, in a lifetime long gone, on a cold afternoon when he’d ridden into camp on a black horse with the look of death in his eyes. They have no right to your life Tom, you had pleaded with him, they started this war, let them die in it. Begging, crying, kissing him until your lips were swollen and holding him with the threat of never letting go- it made no difference. And when that didn’t work you turned to hatred instead. You had hissed words made to frighten him- that you hoped he’d never come back and prayed the choice he was making was worth loosing you. But still he held you close, cradling you, kissing you and telling you he’d never loved anyone more in his life. Then he’d ruined everything by asking you to marry him. I’d rather burn in hell than be the widow of a man who dies a meaningless death, were the last words you’d ever spoken to him, walking away and never looking back. The silence as you both relived the memory was thunderous, and riddled with the pain of two broken hearts. You knew it was down to you to break the quiet- and to break his heart again. “We’ll be leaving for Ireland at the start of the month,” you explained to him, “Da wants us to leave before the snow sets in ‘cause we’re travelling all the way to Trawbreaga Bay. We’re going home.” “No.” Tommy said, and though you imagined it was supposed to be a demand, his voice broke in pain and it sounded more like him begging. “We’ll be gone for at least two winters, Tom. And Da wants me married by summer, so I might not even come back.” Tommy closed his eyes, dropping his head against your chest and his grip on you tightened furiously. You twisted one of your hands from his grasp, running your fingers through his hair and brushing your fingernails down to the nape of his neck. “I can’t loose you again.” His voice cracked under pressure as he mumbled into your shawl. “You choose to let me go once, you can do it again.” He shook his head and then lifted it slightly from against you, moving his hand from your bicep to part your shawl and expose the top of your chest. He pressed a kiss against your collarbone, and then to the side of your neck, before moving your hair to the side to kiss beneath your ear. His lips were warm and tender, and as he drew nearer to your mouth, kissing your cheek, you could smell the whiskey and tobacco that he always tasted of. Before he could reach your mouth, though, you put your fingers on his lips to stop him, pushing his head away. “I need you.” He spoke, bottom lip brushing against your skin. “You can’t belong to someone else.” “I belong to nobody but God,” you ran a thumb along his lip, “and you are no God, Tommy Shelby.” He pushed your hand away and pressed his forehead against yours, both of your eyes shutting so as to allow you to drink each other’s touch in. Tommy took grasp of both sides of your face, holding you tight against him. “I am more than a God.” He challenged with a low and forceful voice. “Not to me.” You whispered, apologetic. “I don’t worship you any more.” You took hold of his chin and drew his lips against yours, placing the softest kiss upon them. He knew better than to try for more, so stood limply as you untangled yourself and stepped away from him. You turned to walk away, but something within you made you stop and twist back around. You closed the distance between the two of you once again and kissed him tenderly against his cheekbone, one final time. He took hold of your hand, linking your fingers together in a desperate last attempt, but you simply slipped from his grasp with a sad smile, disappearing into the forest like a ghost in the night. You were dead to each other after all. Some things were just never meant to be.

~~~~~

(02/03/2021)

[hauntedflamingo]

Suprise?!

Eggsy x Reader

A/N: Thank you @primaba11erina​ for helping me.  I have another one with Eggsy! So far, the other one is going to have three parts if I ever finish the first part. I give up trying to fix this, with my need of trying to make all these fics perfect. Sorry for any mistakes. Oh. And I feel like this one needed cuss words even though I never cuss. So that was weird for me to write.

 As a secret agent, you thought Eggsy would be well equipped to handle anything. You never meant for this to be that big of a surprise. Not that you wanted it to be one in the first place. You were going to tell him, eventually. The timing wasn’t right. Especially when he was on a mission. One that lasted four months. How could you tell him?  This mission was the most time you had ever spent apart. Today he was back! You were so excited to see him, yet nervous at the same time. You didn’t know how he would take the news.

All morning, you bothered Merlin asking him to let you sit in on the debriefing because you couldn’t wait one more minute. You were shocked when Merlin said yes. He could probably sense your desperation. One of the other agents watches the recruits while you and Merlin head to the briefing room to wait for Eggsy.

 Every time you turned around you needed a new suit, even though you weren’t going on any missions you still needed to wear a uniform that fit. You were going to need a new one soon. Eggsy knew every part of your body, he was bound to notice this. 

 Your heart was racing as you waited for Eggsy to walk through the door. Finally, you hear the door knob turning and look up to see him. “Y/N!” He yells, as soon as he discovers that you are also in the room. Scooting your chair back, you stand up and turn to face Eggsy. He stops mid stride when he notices your baby bump, making your smile fall and you almost bursting into tears. His face. His face says it all. He switches from horrified to confused in a matter of seconds. Once he snaps out of it, he walks the rest of the way towards you, leaning in to give what you think is going to be a hug. Instead, he wraps his hands around your arms, holding you close. “What. The. Fuck.” Eggsy hisses into your ear, sending chills down your spine.

 The shock of his response terrifies you. Yeah. You and Eggsy fought sometimes but this already feels different. He releases your arms, stepping back and carefully looks at you. Averting your eyes from his death glare, you sit back in your seat.  Eggsy also takes a seat, leaving a chair empty between you and him. Merlin clears his throat to get Eggsy’s attention. You stay focused on Merlin as he starts the debriefing.

 The only reason you went to the debriefing was to see Eggsy. So, it was probably okay that you stopped listening to Merlin and zoned out. Ok. That was not the reaction you were going for. You knew he would be surprised. You thought he was blowing it out of proportion. Although, he did have a right to be angry. He probably thinks you cheated on him. Was this going to be the end of your relationship? Would he leave you to raise the child on your own? The last question was probably an exaggeration. When the debriefing is over, Eggsy gets up and leaves the room without even acknowledging you. “Merlin...” You whisper, too afraid to say anything else since you are already on the verge of tears.

 “Listen. Eggsy just returned from a long mission to find out your pregnant. You need to give him some space to sort everything out.” The rest of the day is a fog. The scene keeps replaying in your head even though you are supposed to be concentrating on work. At least it was only training with the new recruits so nobody got hurt. Ok. Maybe a few of them got hurt but nothing serious.

 You arrive home expecting the house to be empty and Eggsy to be out with his friends, not for him to be at home.  A pit forms in your stomach as you walk up to the front door and see lights on in the house. Taking a few breathes to calm yourself before you turn the key and open the door. Hanging up your purse and coat, you turn to see Eggsy on the couch watching tv. Heading into the kitchen to get a drink of water before the fighting starts. Filling up your cup, you take it over to the door to peak at Eggsy. He was still sitting down. You thought he might follow you into the kitchen. With a sigh of relief, you drink you water and place the cup in the sink. Leaving the kitchen, you walk into the living room to the stairs. He hasn’t even turned to look at you since you stepped foot inside the house.

You can’t take the silence anymore. “So, you are just going to ignore me forever?” You ask him, holding onto the banister, not expecting him to reply.

The faint whisper of Eggsy muttering under his breath hits your ears. “It’s probably not even mine. I can’t even leave you alone for a few months.” His words stung but you didn’t want to fight. You are too tired from dealing with the recruits and being on your feet all day. What you thought would be a nice welcome home turned into a disaster. You head up the stairs into the bedroom without saying another word.

 Walking into the bathroom, you turn on the shower before you head back into the bedroom. Removing your clothes, you drop them in the hamper on your way into the bathroom. You decide to lock the bathroom door to take a shower in peace. After THAT accusation, you didn’t want to talk to him. You knew it was wrong and it would make him angrier but you didn’t care that you were being childish. You were a mad at him.

 Suddenly, you hear Eggsy trying to get into bathroom “Why did you lock the door?” He demands, banging on the door. The banging stops and you continue your shower. A few minutes later, he is back, finding a way to unlock the door. He finally unlocks the door, swinging it open, sending a rush of cool air into the room.   “To keep you out.” You answer, letting the warm water run through your hair and body before turning off the water. When you open the curtain, Eggsy is standing in the bathroom, his mouth agape and eyes wide seeing bare belly for the first time.

 “Please stop.” You request. Quickly, you grab your towel using it to cover your body.  His prolonged staring was starting to make you feel uncomfortable. “Eggsy! Get out now!” Your yell finally gets his attention.   “Go!” You cry out, spilling tears and pointing at the door. He exits the bathroom, leaving you alone.

 Stepping out of the tub, you finish drying off and twist the towel in your hair. He is nowhere in sight when you walk into the bedroom. You didn’t even know if he was still in the house. You grab your pajamas and put them on. Then you brush out your hair before you get into bed.

 Laying on the bed, you stare at the wall, eventually falling asleep. When you wake up, Eggsy’s side of the bed is undisturbed. Walking down stairs, you see him asleep on the couch. You knew he would have at least a few days off so you left him alone. You didn’t want to talk to him anyway. Hopefully, you could eat and be gone before he woke up. You look at him one last time before leaving for work. The recruits probably hated you today, you yelled at them nonstop, taking your anger out on them. It was easier to do that than to deal with your problems at home. You knew that eventually, you and Eggsy were going to have to talk. He was still your husband.

This time when you get home, the house is dark. Walking inside, you turn on the living room light. He didn’t leave a note and you didn’t have any calls or messages from him either. You weren’t really expecting any but it would have been nice for him to tell you what he was up to.

After the second day of returning to an empty house, you were starting to get worried. You decide to text his mom to see if he has heard from him. She texts you back, telling you Eggsy comes around but is staying with his friends and doing fine. But he is still pissed off.

For the rest of the week, you still don’t see or hear from Eggsy. You assumed he stops by the house while you were at work so,he wouldn’t have to interact with you. Another week passes and still nothing from him. Sitting down at the kitchen table, you stare at your phone deciding whether to call him. Standing up, you walk over to the fridge. Opening the fridge, you stare inside, trying to find what to cook for dinner. Closing the door, you jump once you see Eggsy standing in the kitchen holding take out. You almost start crying right there. You didn’t know if he was ever going to come back home or if he was still angry. You sit back down in the chair. Eggsy places the bag of food on the table, taking a seat across from you. “We need to talk.”

 “Oh. You finally figured that out?” You snap at him. “I have been worried sick.”

 “Could have fooled me.”

 His remark makes your jaw drop. “You know what? If you don’t want to be with me then you can just leave.” You stand up from the table to walk out of the kitchen, wanting to head upstairs but Eggsy is faster. He blocks your escape.

Since you couldn’t exit the kitchen, you decide to back away from him. While you are backing up, you look up at his face. He has dark circles under his eyes. Was he really that stressed out? “What do you want?”  You ask as you continue to retreat until you are against the counter. “A paternity test? Would that make you feel better?”

 “I want an explanation.” He stands under the doorway with his arms crossed.

 “You want an explanation? Is that all?” You ask, sarcastically, placing your hands on your hips. “Then why did it take you two weeks to come back home?”

 “This is what I was trying to avoid. A big blow out.”  He walks back over to the kitchen table. “I knew that if I didn’t go somewhere to calm down, we would end up saying something we both would regret.”

 “That already happened. Or did you forget?”

 “What?” He looks startled, holding onto the back of the chair.

 “Don’t play dumb with me, Gary!” You yell, pointing at the living room. “You sat there on that couch and mumbled ‘It’s not even mine’.”

 He flinches at the use of his first name. “You heard that?”  His eyes go wide in shock. He takes a good look at you, registers your distressed state. “Y/N, you need to calm down. The stress isn’t good for the baby. Come here.” He motions for you to sit down in the chair again.

 When you don’t move, Eggsy walks toward you.

 “Get away from me!” You scream, holding your ground and the edge of the counter. He walks to the other side of the kitchen, giving you space. You by pass the kitchen table, walking into the living room and sit down on the couch. Your hormones were already out of whack and Eggsy wasn’t making it any easier. Tears finally fall from your eyes. Lifting up your feet, you lay down on the couch, turning onto your side.

 Eggsy sits down in the chair adjacent to the couch, which also happens to be next to your face. He moves to the edge of the chair, placing a hand on your shoulder, rubbing your arm.

“I’m sorry.” He murmurs, leaning closer to you. “I didn’t know you heard me.”

When you finally stop crying, you state your disagreement. “You shouldn’t have said that in the first place. How do you think I feel when you accuse me of cheating?” Your voice is starting to warble, so you take a deep breath before defending yourself.  “I would never do that to you. Especially when you were gone on a mission. How can you not trust me?”

“How do you think I feel? Coming home to find you pregnant.” He slides off the chair, sitting next to couch on the floor.

 “Just so you know I am six months pregnant. And how long have you been gone? Four months.” Turning over to lay on your back, you stare at the ceiling. “Do the math, asshole!” You grab a pillow and put it over your head.

 After about a minute of silence, Eggsy finally figures it out. “Oh.” You hear him say. “Well, I was in shock and I wasn’t thinking straight.”

 “That still doesn’t let you off the hook.” Removing the pillow, you turn you head to face him.

 “Why didn’t you tell me?” He stands up from the floor, walking to the over to the couch, lifting up your legs, so he can sit down.

  “When was I supposed to tell you?”

  “Right... Merlin could have told me.” He suggests.

 “And blow your whole mission. You would have been distracted. I need you alive.”

 Eggsy hesitantly places his hand on your belly. “Do you know the gender?”

 “No. I wanted to wait until you were home so we can find out together.” You turn to look towards the kitchen. “What are we eating for dinner?”

[first-and-last-neocount]

Whumptober Day 3

Now we’re really kicking into high gear on the AUs. This is one of the two AUs for which I’ve written multiple Whumptober fills; this one I’ve been referring to in my head as the Happy Families AU, which is only barely sarcastic, because most of my headcanons for this AU are sickeningly sweet domestic fluff. There’s a few darker bits, though, and that’s what ended up in these fills. 

A couple of notes on this AU setting: Jenseny survived her attempted martyrdom, she ended up leaving the Eastern Continent with Damien and Gerald due to the extreme social unrest there and the lingering prejudice against adepts, and after dealing with Calesta the two of them adopted her. Similar to another AU I’ll be showcasing among these fills, the fae is still Workable and Gerald still has some of his Hunter traits; I’ll go into more detail on my headcanons surrounding that whole topic on a later day, when my head isn’t splitting open from a migraine, which it is currently giving its best shot at. 

Day 3 - Theme Chosen: “Who did this to you?”

“Jen? What's wrong?”

Damien was no adept, but he didn't need to be. He knew something was wrong the moment he walked in the yard. On any other day, his adopted daughter would have been bolting out the front door the moment she heard him reining in his unhorse at the gate; her school let out an hour before he got home from work, and she was invariably waiting, bubbling over with stories about her day. Today, however, the yard had been empty except for the dozing form of their pet weiler, a massive brown-and-black beast named Marchosias that Gerald had picked out – and named – as a puppy two years ago. When Damien unlatched the gate, the dog lifted his blocky head and whuffed once, before rolling over and going back to sleep; reassured that nothing was too terribly awry, Damien had stabled his tired horse, then gone in search of his daughter.

He found her in the sitting room, curled up on the window bench with her homework spread in front of her. She was still wearing the sky blue blouse and ruffled indigo skirt she'd had on when he dropped her off at school that morning, but she'd taken her hair out of its thick braid and let it spill over her shoulders; bent forward over a heavy textbook in her lap, it hung like a curtain, partially shielding her face. Her legs were tucked up alongside her on the cushion, and the position of the door relative to the window meant that Damien was seeing her in profile, limned by the watery autumn sunlight outside. She only barely looked up at him, a sideways flash of her dark brown eyes before her gaze returned to the book in front of her, but her expression was calm and her voice steady when she replied.

“Nothing's wrong, Dad. I just had a long day at school.”

Damien frowned, leaning against the door frame for a moment. Jenseny still didn't look up at him, strangely avoidant; she seemed to only be focusing very hard on whatever she was reading, but the lack of a smile combined with her studiedly level demeanour made a hard knot of anxiety start to form in his gut. He waited a moment, picking his words carefully, before he spoke.

“If something's bothering you, Jen, I'd like to talk about it... but I understand if you don't want to, and you don't have to give me any details if you'd rather not. I'd prefer you to be honest with me, though, so I know it's not something serious.”

Halfway through turning a page, Jenseny's hand froze in midair. The knot in his belly tightening, Damien waited silently. After a moment, Jenseny let go of the page and allowed it to flutter back into place, dropping her hand to rest on her leg where it was tucked up beside her. Damien could see her gnawing on her lip, just a little, her internal war more than obvious; he held himself still, wanting desperately to cross the room and pull her into a hug, but resolved not to pressure her while she made her decision.

Then, hesitantly, she finally turned to face him. She swung her legs off the cushion to do so, sitting upright properly – and as the far side of her face came into view, Damien gasped.

“Jen.”

There was a large, misshapen bruise blooming over her left cheekbone, dark and damning against her warm ochre skin. The facade of calm finally cracked, and Jenseny's lower lip began to tremble, her eyes welling up with a glossy sheen of tears. His heart breaking, Damien was across the room in a few strides, sinking onto the window bench next to her and putting his arm around her; instantly, she sank into him, burying the uninjured side of her face against his shoulder as she muffled a sob. Damien smoothed a hand over her dark curls, the first sparks of fury warring with the sorrow coursing through him.

“Sweetheart, who did this to you?”

For a moment, Jenseny was quiet, though Damien could feel the damp heat of her tears soaking his shirt. When she started to speak, her words were soft and muffled.

“Some of the other kids in my class... don't like me because I'm an adept. They say I shouldn't be in Sheva, because the Forest makes people like me go crazy. The boys mostly just avoid me, and that's fine. I don't need them all to be my friends. Some of the girls, though...”

Of course. Damien felt those sparks of fury start to catch, growing and brightening in his chest. The prejudice of mankind knew no bounds, after all, and even living on a world where the planet's very lifeblood seemed determined to kill them hadn't changed that. He and Gerald had known, when they debated where they were going to live, that there were risks in every answer; Gerald was more than capable of Working a protection that would keep Jenseny shielded from any of the Forest's influence, he was its master after all, but any adept living so close to Jahanna's borders was bound to draw a curious eye or two. They had decided it was worth it, for the distance it afforded from the cities where the Church kept a closer watch, but they had recognized even then that it was far from a perfect solution.

Perhaps more surprising, that the first outright aggression had come from a girl – but it sounded as if it had been more than one, and maybe it wasn't that surprising after all, given how vicious teenage girls could be when emboldened by numbers.

“What did they do?” Damien murmured.

Jenseny pulled in a deep breath and straightened up, wiping at her wet eyes as she choked out the words.

“They cornered me after class. There were five of them – they're the most popular girls in class, they always hang out together. They were making fun of me, saying that I'm going to go crazy too, that I'll probably wind up jumping into the river like that poor man last year... but then, one of them said that I might take somebody else with me.” Jenseny paused for a moment, drawing in a shuddering breath. “The whole mood shifted, I could See them all getting angrier – and they were scared, too. I could feel it pouring off them, and I was so afraid, because it felt – it felt like it used to, in the cities, on the nights when they...”

She trailed off, unable or unwilling to complete the thought, but she didn't have to. Damien felt as if an iron band was squeezing his chest. He knew exactly what she was referring to; those horrific nights, on the Eastern Continent, when the governors of the cities had staked adepts outside in the forest to act as bait for demons. He could only imagine the atmosphere of mingled terror and bloodlust that must have accompanied that practice, and for Jenseny's classmates to be in that same state...

After a few steadying breaths, Jenseny went on. “One of them, the girl that always bosses the others around, said I should leave. That I need to get out of Sheva, and never come back, so I won't make any trouble for normal people.” She shut her eyes, pain flickering over her expression, and Damien felt the first true flames of fury igniting in his heart. “Then they were all shoving me, and one of them tripped me – I didn't see which one – and I hit my face on the side of the flowerbed when I fell.”

When she opened her eyes again, they shone with fresh tears. “I ran straight home, but I didn't – I didn't want to make you and Papa worry. I know it hasn't been easy adjusting to living here, especially for Papa, not having his books or his workrooms anymore... we're all just finally starting to settle in. I don't want us to have to move. I don't want you to be worried every time I'm at school, either. They were all so angry at me, though... I don't know if I can just go back and pretend nothing happened.”

Damien had to close his own eyes for a moment, overcome. God. She's been through so much, and still, her first thoughts are for others. Was I ever that selfless? If I was, I've forgotten what that felt like. Age and loss have made me selfish.

And then. Selfish enough to be willing to do almost anything, to protect my family.

Drawing in a deep breath, Damien opened his eyes and met his daughter's worried gaze steadily. “We're not going to have to move, Jen. And those girls aren't going to hurt you again. I need you to give me their names, though.”

Jenseny's eyes widened, and Damien wondered what she saw, as her eyes flickered over the air around him; he knew she was reading the currents, Seeing the reflection of his emotions in the fae. At last, she whispered the question he'd known was coming.

“What are you going to do?”

“They won't get hurt,” he said quietly, answering the question that she really meant but hadn't quite asked. “But they also won't ever hurt you again.”

Jenseny considered that for a moment. Then, quietly, she gave him the names of the five girls.

“Thank you.” Damien opened his arms for a hug that Jenseny gladly leaned into, then pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her curls. “Why don't you go call Marc in for dinner, and then you can help me make our famous family spaghetti, how does that sound?”

Jenseny's eyes lit up. “That sounds great!” she exclaimed, her natural cheer finally breaking through the melancholy that had gripped her. She kissed his cheek, then bounded off the window bench and headed out of the room. At the doorway, she paused with one hand on the frame and glanced back, her smile falling into something smaller, warmer, and profoundly meaningful.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Then she was gone, around the corner and out the front door, calling enthusiastically for Marchosias. Hearing the dog's booming bark in response, Damien smiled and closed his eyes, reaching for the link that lay between his own soul and his husband's. Currently quiescent, but always present, and only ever a thought away.

Gerald?

A moment later, he felt a warm thrum of acknowledgement, mixed with a thread of concern; Gerald's hours at the city's Historical Archives weren't much different from Damien's hours at the hospital, and it was rare for them to communicate through the link during the work day unless something fairly urgent had happened.

I'm just finishing my last lecture of the day. What's wrong?

Damien opened his eyes in time to see Marchosias go bounding by the sitting room door, an entirely too-large blur of black and brown fur skidding across the polished wood floor as his own enthusiasm exceeded the friction of his paws, Jenseny following after him in a burst of laughter. Damien smiled more widely, and directed another thought down the link.

Tonight, after dinner, we're going... out.

He felt a burst of surprise from his husband, shifting into anticipation and curiosity; Gerald's focus on the link grew, and Damien felt his husband's mind slide against his own, picking through his recent thoughts for an explanation. He offered up the memories of his conversation with their daughter, and felt a flicker of understanding and recognition.

I see. Yes. I couldn't agree more.

As the thoughts intertwined with his own grew dark and hungry, Damien stood and headed for the kitchen to start dinner. He and Gerald might still have their ideological differences, but there was one thing they agreed perfectly on.

No one was ever going to hurt their daughter. Not without answering to them.

[asavt]

Cold Desert Night

By Notebook

Nestled between the frigid deserts sands and smooth sandstones, lies a city that never sleeps. Underneath the starry night sky, it shines its bright lights that pierce the darkness. Drawing those who wish to find an oasis in the harsh dryness of Sandpaper Desert.

Near the edge of this bustling city lies a quaint little nightclub, known to draw in a crowd, despite its small size. Those who maintain the club consist of the owner, an old toad who bought the club when he was young, and five employees. Two of these employees were Djei and Lyrik. Both who work during the night shift, when the club was at its busiest.

It was at this nightclub where the former Legion of Stationary,Hole Punch, got a job as a cook the owner desperately needed during the night. Even though the old toad did not want to hire the former Legion as the club’s cook, Djei, and Lyrik pleaded with their boss. Begging the old toad to give Hole Punch a chance. To let them prove that they turned over a new leaf and are ready to start over.

After begging many times, the owner finally relented and gave Hole Punch the job but under a few conditions.

They must report to the owner at the beginning and end of their shift, including breaks.

They must be visible at all times, except when they are working in the kitchen.

They must not talk back, fight back, or do anything to the owner, no matter what.

And

They must not complain or ask for anything.

The owner told Hole Punch that if they broke any of these conditions, they will be fired without a second thought. The owner even warned Hole Punch that if they anger the old toad too much, their two boyfriends will get fired as well.  

Desperate to earn money for rent and utilities for the three of them, Hole Punch agreed to the terms. Thus began their journey as a cook at the “Sunburst,”night club near the edge of the newly named Shnroomfit City.

————————————

“Remember. The only reason I hired you is because your two boyfriends beg me to. So you better not slack off or else I will fire you without a second thought. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Good. Now good out my face and get back to work. Before I throw my chair at you again.“

“Yes, sir.”

Hole Punch clenches their fists as they rush out of their boss’s office and into the kitchen. In the three months they’ve been working here they have been screamed at, scolded, punched, kicked, and hit by randomly thrown objects from their boss.

Even though Hole punch could easily defend themselves from the former bouncer, they’re afraid that if they do the owner will fire all three of them without hesitation. What’s worse is that the owner could also simply fire and ban Hole Punch from the club and take out all their anger on Djei and Lyrik.

Despite their old age, the owner was more than capable of dealing massive damage to even hardened patrons from the roughest parts of the city. Hole Punch could only imagine just how badly injured Djei and Lyrik could get if the owner treated them just as badly as he treated Punch.

No, Hole Punch won’t allow that to happen to the ones who showed them kindness and love. As long as they follow the conditions and not anger the boss, everything should be just fine.

While Hole Punch was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables and peeling up fruits for that night’s meal orders, Lyrik came into the kitchen with a first aid kit. Noticing the new face, Hole Punch turned towards the snifit and smiled warmly.

“Is there something you need?” Hole Punch said in a quiet tone.

Lyrik merely looked at them behind his mask, before pointing towards the chair at the end of the kitchen. Hole Punch shook their head.

“No, really. I’m fine. I just have a few bruises. That’s all,” Lyrik looked unconvinced at Hole Punch’s excuses for not getting treatment. Once again pointing towards the chair at the end of the kitchen. Hole Punch relents and walks over towards the chair and sits down. Lyrik takes out a few wipes to clean the scratches on Punch’s face and neck before applying the ointment on said scratches.

When Lyrik was done with Hole Punch’s treatment, the former Legion thanked them and got up from their seat. Before they could get back to work, Lyrik stopped them at their tracks. He looked at Hole Punch in the eye before finally speaking.

“Do you want to quit?”

“Huh?”

“It’s ok to quit if you want. Djei and I could work overtime, while you could find another job away from here.”

“What?! Why would I quit? It was a miracle that I got a job in the first place, and that’s because you two conceived the owner to hire me. Plus we need the money and I don’t want to leech off of you two anymore. I already did that for far too long.”

“So you won’t quit?”

“No, I won’t quit.”

Lyrik stared at Hole Punch before wrapping his arms around the cook, hugging them. The little snifit didn’t have to say anything for Hole Punch to understand why he wanted them to quit.

“Does it hurt?” Lyrik asked. Referring to the bruises and cuts Hole Punch received from the chair the owner threw at them from across the dance floor earlier that night. Hole Punch shook their head.

“No, not anymore,” they answered before returning the hug to their tiny boyfriend.

At the DJ turntables, near to the corner dance floor of the club, Djei grumpily checks the cables for any loose wiring before setting up equipment for the night. Even though Hole Punch apologized to their boss multiple times for what they have done to them, the old toad never forgave Hole Punch for stealing his face and turning them into a dancing zombie for Hole Punch’s entertainment.

Djei, at first, somewhat understood why the owner was angry and suspicious towards Hole Punch. However, after three months of the owner refusing to forgive the former Legion, as well as severely mistreating them at any given chance angered the toad like no tomorrow.

Hole Punch was really trying their best to keep the owner happy, as well as trying to prove that they have become a better person. Yet, the owner could not forget what happened to them and took this opportunity to take revenge on Hole Punch.

Even though Djei, in addition to Lyrik, really wanted to tell the owner off and defend Hole Punch, they had little money saved up and little chance to find such a high paying job in this city. As a result, the two had no choice but to stand aside and let the owner mistreat their tall boyfriend like they "deserved” it.

The guilt ate at Djei from the inside out but there was nothing he could do to change their situation. It was either ignoring what’s happening at work or risk becoming homeless and hungry.

Something that all three of them knew all too well.

———————————————————–

“Alrighty, folks. This is the last call for music requests. Anyone who wants a specific song to play, this is your last chance,” Djei said in a forced chirpy tone.

A few toads managed to force themselves through the crowd, up the stairs, and towards the turntables to input their request. Once everyone got their request in, Djei began to play their songs in descending order. As a result, it didn’t take long for the dance floor to fill with dancing toads and woozy snifits.

“Three orders of hummus, two orders of flatbreads, and seven glasses of limonana all ready to go!” screamed Hole Punch so that their voice can be heard against the loud music. Lyrik sets down the empty plates and cups on the metal counter and grabs the orders to serve them to their tables. When Lyrik left, Hole Punch grabbed the dirty cups and dishes and washed them as fast as they could.

Luckily, there were no orders when Hole Punch left to clean the dish, but they knew that could change very quickly, so it was a surprise that when they finished the dishes there was not a mountain of orders waiting for them. Instead, it was just two orders of carob juice and a note from the owner saying to clean the kitchen for the night.

Not wanting to stay overtime cleaning the kitchen, Hole Punch made the carob juice and quickly left to clean the kitchen as soon as Lyrik took the drinks to their tables.

Back at the dance floor, Djei took a glance at the kitchen and saw a tired Hole Punch sitting down on a chair in a thoroughly clean kitchen. Staring into space as they sat down to rest for the first time in 7 hours.

Deciding to treat their tall boyfriend, Djei took his mic and made an announcement.

“Alrighty folk, in a few minutes a new DJ will be coming up to bust out some groovy music and retro beats. They’re a bit shy so make sure you give them a warm welcome.”

This announcement got the attention of the toads and some snifits while Djei walked into the kitchen. Djei gave Hole Punch a smirk while the tired cook looked at them with confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“Well… I was wondering if you would like to DJ for the rest of the shift, while Lyrik and I do the setting up for the day shift.”

Hole Punch’s eyes grew wide as they took a glance towards the owner’s office then back to Djei.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make the owner angrier than he already is.”

“I’m sure Hole Punch,” Djei said as he put his hand on Hole Punch’s shoulder.

“You’ve been working so hard for the past 3 months, and I’m sure you miss grooving to the music. Right?”

Hole Punch nodded in agreement.

“So that settles it. In a few minutes the turntables will be ready, so you can DJ till your heart’s content! Or at least till it hits 5 am. Hehehe.”

“Hahaha. Yeah,” replied Hole Punch. “Thank you for letting me DJ for the next few hours.”

“You’re Welcome. Now, make sure those toads and snifits dance like there’s no tomorrow.”

Hole Punch gives Djeis a big hug and exits the kitchen with a goofy grin on their face. Djei smiles back as he begins to set up for the morning shift’s cook.

‘This is more nerve-wracking than I remember,’ Hole punch thought when they made it to the turntables at the corner of the dance floor. They haven’t DJed in a long time and don’t know any songs the toads might like so, when push comes to shove, Hole Punch decided to try something they have been working on for a while. It was worth a shot.

Back in the office, the owner was just finishing the last of the club’s taxes when he heard cheers and shouts coming from the dance floor. Curious at what the ruckus was about, the owner got up from his seat and slightly opened the door for a quick peak.

What he saw and heard is not what he expected. The music was a unique combination of old and new which meshed surprisingly well, and from what he could tell the other toads liked it as well. The dance floor was full to the breaking point and from what the owner could hear a few toads nearby, they wanted to recommend the club to their buddies.

Liking what he was seeing, the owner closed the door and went back to work. Looks like today was gonna be another good day.

As the toads danced and stomped all around the dance floor, Hole Punch took out the microphone and spoke to the crowd.

“Now then, is there anyone in the audience who wants to request some so…ngs.”

The entire floor went dead silent as the toads realized who just spoke to them. Frozen in place as memories began to flood into their minds. Then, not a moment too soon, everyone screamed in terror and tried to run out of the nightclub. The toads trampled over each other and broke all the windows in order to escape from the Legion of Stationery.

“Wait! It’s Ok! I’m not here to harm you! I’m sorry! Please come back! I mean no harm!”but Hole Punch’s pleads fell on deaf ears as the entire clubbed emptied out in less than a minute. All the toads running out of the nightclub and into the cold night.

Hole Punch could only stare as Djei, Lyrik and the owner ran into the main room to see what was going. What they saw was an empty club with shattered glass and broken tables scattered around the floor and a quiet Hole Punch who stood near the turntables. It didn’t take long for the owner to connect the dots.

He threw a death glare at Hole Punch before throwing a glass cup towards the weary cook, missing them by only a few centimeters.

“What have you done?! Do you realize how much it will cost to fix this place! Do you know how much money we lost because of you?! Why were you even at the turntables, when you should be cleaning the kitchen?! What is wrong with you?!”

The owner screamed and scolded at Hole Punch, whose eyes grew a bit watery. Djei and Lyrik tried their best to hold their tongues, but the more the owner spitted venom towards Hole Punch. The more and more the two DJ’s wish to teach the owner a lesson.

Their anger reached a boiling point when the owner took a piece of a broken chair, with a nail sticking out of it and swung the broken chair towards Hole Punch. Whom merely braced for impact.

“Take this you stupid- huh?!”

Out of nowhere, Djei and Lyrik grabbed the owner’s tree-trunk arms, causing the toad to drop the broken chair leg.

In response, the owner grabbed Djei and threw him against the wall and then threw Lyrik on the floor. Both of their breaths were taken out of their lungs.

The owners then shouted at the top of his lungs, “Fired! All three of you are fired! Never come back here again! Or else I will-”

“Or else what?” (Clank)

A cold shiver ran down the owner’s spine as an ominous presence grew behind them. The old toad slowly turned their heads only to find a livid Hole Punch with his metal punchers out.

The owner stumbled away from Hole Punch, while the latter was approaching their former boss.

“Aw, What’s wrong? Not cussing me out or pelting me with glassware, anymore. Where’s your rage? Where’s your bravado? Where is that sickening glee when you terrorized me for 3 months?"

"Oi! Y-you think I’m afraid… o-of you? Cuz think… again!"The owner shouted, while trying to stand up.

Hole Punch merely walked up to the owner and stood face to face. Their eyes boiling over with rage towards him.

It was at this point the owner knew, he messed up.

Hole Punch grabbed the owner by the shirt and lifted him up a few centimeters from the ground.

"The only reason I let you do all things to me, is because you were the boss. You had power over my boyfriends’ livelihoods, and you knew it. Now that you fired us,” A small grin plastered on Hole Punch’s face, while the owner desperately tried to free himself.

“I don’t have anything to worry about. Do I?”

The owner begins to shake in Hole Punch’s grasp.

“Want to see how strong we Legion’s really are?"

—————————————————-

"Hey. Hey! DJ! Are you ok? Answer me! Please…"

"Hey…wake up. I know you can do it.

Lyrik finally opens his eyes to see himself surrounded by Djei, Hole Punch and a paramedic treating his wounds, just outside the club. There were a few police officers and medics here and there but nothing major.

"Oh, thank goodness you’re awake. You really scared us you know,” a relieved Hole Punch said with an equally relieved, and patched up, Djei next to them.

When the paramedic finished treating DJ wounds, she got up from her knees and told the snifit to stay laying down until he has the strength to sit back up.

The paramedic left while Lyrik lifted his arms and saw several bandages on them. He lays back down and turns towards his two boyfriends.

“What happened?"

Hole Punch scratches the back of their neck, while looking away from Lyrik’s maskless face.

"Uhhh…I snapped.”

“Huh?”

“Hole Punch finally snapped and attacked the owner while you and I were out cold,” Djei explained.

“The owner attacking us was the final straw for Punch and well… Let’s just say the owner has seen better days.”

“Ah… I’m guessing we’re fired then, huh.”

“Yes.”

“Eh, whatever. I hated working there anyway.”

“Me, too. Only stayed there for the money we needed.”

“Big time.”

Lyrik and Djei laughed together for a bit before they heard:

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?"

"What?”

“I’m so sorry,” Hole Punch said as they looked down at the ground.

“If I hadn’t opened my mouth when I was at the turntables. None of this would have happened. I’m so sorry,” tears fell down of Hole Punches, while Djei and Lyrik wiped them away with their hands.

“This isn’t your fault,” Lyrik said to Hole Punch.

“Yeah. You couldn’t have known that the toads would have reacted like that,” Djei added.

“Yes, I should have known!”

“………”

“…….What?”

“Do you know how many toads I terrorized, when I was stationed here? Do you know how many toads I scared with my abilities? Do you know how badly I want forgiveness? To say ‘I’m sorry’ to all those I’ve harmed. I just want to make up for what I have done… but…I…I… I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve forgiveness.”

Lyrik slowly sat up and hugged Hole Punch, with Djei following suit.

They each kept comforting the tired former cook. Explaining that they do deserve forgiveness. They do deserve redemption and they do deserve love. They will always be there for them, just as they were for the two of them.

“We love you,” both Djei and Lyrik whispered as they warmed up the cold Punch with their hugs.

“I love you too,” Hole Punch said, before returning the hug.

Although in their minds, they still believe they don’t deserve forgiveness nor love

===================

UPDATE [03/08/21]: Nice dude~

Holy Shit

I like this scenario, a lot, I am sucker for this kinda scenarios tbh (let it be AU or canon, it’s just one of those things I like). You just left me wordless again dude, you got a way with words, love it.

Now I wanna draw Hole Punch DJ-ing because I can see that happening. Screw that owner no one can should treat a person like that for 3 months specially after that person has been behaving themselfs.

Keep on your good work dude!! and to you readers, I hope you enjoyed this nice fic from our mistery writter Notebook!

[moon-stars01]

Riches Or Ruins

S.Coups x Reader

Author:igotstarlight

Summary: Half a year for any relationship is tough, let alone if yours is a secret. A controversey arises between you and Seungcheol, how will your relationship play out?

Pairing:Seungcheol(Svt) x Reader

Gene:Angst,fluff,Little maturity

-Riches Or Ruins-

You paced around your apartment waiting to hear the reassuring jingle of keys unlocking the front door, time seeming to stand still. You’ve been waiting for over an hour for Seungcheol to arrive at your home since you last hung up on him. He kept sending messages, mostly sweet and worried texts, but you could tell he was getting angrier. You went to check the time once again when you heard the doorknob turn. You spun to face an upset Seungcheol, and it took all your power to contain your emotions.

“Why didn’t you answer my messages? I was worried something had happened to you!” He half shouted, realizing this is not the subject the both of you should be discussing at the moment. “Please don’t ignore me if I’m asking where you are. I get nervous, you know this.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think about it,” you answered coldly. You crossed your arms across your chest not knowing where to begin. So you started with food, “There’s dinner on the table. It’s probably cold by now, but I’m sure you know how to use a microwave.”

Seungcheol’s mouth fell open, unused to the tone in your voice. Defeatedly running his fingers through his hair and dropping his bag to the floor, he went towards the kitchen. You stood in the living room, the sounds of dishes clinking together pushing you closer to anger. Knowing that blowing up was just going to make you and the situation worse, you went to your office and started to work on choreography ideas for an upcoming comeback. The time seemed to pass slowly, as it usually did with work, but a glance at the clock told you an hour had passed.

A heavy sigh escaping your chest, you rose to face Seungcheol.

You found him sitting on the couch, face contorted in sadness and frustration, and writing in his journal he kept. Hearing your footsteps he looked up to you, his face filling with hope.

“Y/n, can we talk ab-“

“We’re going to be arguing Seungcheol. Talking is long overdue,” you cut him off, the anger in your voice surprising yourself. You and Seungcheol had been dating for half a year now, and it was going strong until this moment. Your friends reminded you that half a year was the point in relationships where they either broke or prospered. You were fearing for your relationship now. The other guys of Seventeen didn’t seem to think there were any issues or things to make you nervous or worry, but what actions took place at the release party last night told you otherwise.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” you ask, voice cold as ice.

“What? What are you even talking about? Of course I don’t think you’re stupid,” he pleaded, face contorted in confusion. He stood up quickly to get closer to you even though you shied away. “Can you please explain to me what is happening? I’m lost and getting seriously frustrated.”

“How was your release party last night? So much fun you didn’t even want to come home to me?” You knew you sounded clingy and possessive, but you also knew that he went home with someone other than you. He cringed at your accusation, but let you calm down for a minute.

“Y/n, I was a little drunk and the staff wanted me at the dorm with the others. It was a comeback album release party, not out clubbing all over Seoul. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I didn’t do anything wrong. I went to the party, drank a bit too much, mingled, and went to the dorm with the rest of the guys,” He sighed heavily, trying to contain his emotions. “What did you hear?”

“I heard about Eun Ha, Seungcheol,” you stated. You saw recognition and, what seemed to be regret, flash across his expression. “I know you guys dated before you debuted, but I heard you went back to her hotel with her. I saw photos of you two getting very close. I only know what I heard and what pictures show me, obviously, but the guys haven’t even spoken to me much today. They’re usually raving about the parties or events I don’t go to. Just tell me the truth, Cheol,” your voice cracked in desperation for answers. Your heart felt like it would burst from your chest in anticipation of figuring out where your relationship was going.

He stepped away from you slightly, seeming to register everything you just told him. The only thing you could hear through the silence is the crashing sound of your heart beating in your chest as you waited. After processing what you’ve said, he just looked more frustrated- that gave you hope.

“Well, Eun Ha was at the party last night. She and I did talk for awhile and it was loud, and I’m sure someone snapped a picture of me talking into her ears once or twice. That isn’t a fair accusation, y/n. You know that I have to have that type of close vicinity at those parties; I do it to everyone.,” he stated, totally ignoring to address going back to her hotel room. You tried to focus on what he said rather on what he didn’t say, even if you were anxious.

“Okay, I understand that. That makes sense,” you sighed, feeling some of the weight lift from your heart. Maybe you both would be okay after all. Though you still wanted to know why people honed in on the two to begin with, the photos you saw were sent to you by a caring Seokmin and Seungkwan.

“Well, why weren’t there ever photos taken of us that close and posted online as a rumor of you dating?” you heart sped up again. You did see the article on a popular kpop insider website you followed for other group updates.

“We never acted flirty, babe. Our relationship is literally a secret from everyone except for the other Seventeen members. We were always so conscious about not seeming obvious or giving anyone at the company a hint that we’re an item. So whenever we talked like that at the parties, there was never any flirty body language from either of us. She was definitely flirting with me while we talked, but it was one sided. I swear to you on everything that’s important to me, sweetheart,” he had moved towards you and grabbed your hands while explaining the situation. He was being sincere and honest about that, you saw it in his brown eyes. He kissed you on the forehead and looked back into your eyes. “I promise nothing happened between Eun Ha and I.”

“Did you go back to her room with her?” you asked the blatantly ignored portion of the argument.

“What?” he was taken aback by your question, considering he just told you what happened at the party itself.

“Did you or did you not go to Eun Ha’s room last night after the party?” you choked out nervously, dropping his hands.

“Y/n, she was really drunk… I was worried she wouldn’t make it safely to her room-“

“So, you were in your ex-girlfriends hotel room, both of you drunk, and you want me to believe that nothing happened? Seungcheol, you were in love with her for the longest time, the only reason you broke up is cause of your training and debut. I watched that breakup destroy you, I helped you through that breakup. I can’t believe you think-“ he cut you off angrily.

“I walked her back to her room, she asked me in, I said yes. I gave her water and medicine, told her to go to sleep. We kissed, yes. We kissed a few times. Nothing else happened,” he quickly turned himself in. Your chest felt as if someone had punched the air out of you. You backed away from him, and turned to go to your room.

“You can see yourself out, thank you,” you said quietly. You didn’t want him to see you cry. Didn’t want him to know how badly he ruined all the trust you had built. How much it hurt to know that you worked so hard to hide your relationship from everyone, just to be caught wondering if there were other times this had happened. How many times you were left hanging, and alone, plans ruined because he was either way too busy or too tired. Were those lies too?

“Y/n! Please, can we talk about this. Please… She kissed me!”

“I’m sure she did, and I’m sure as hell you kissed her back too, or did your tongue just happen to fall into her throat?” you spat at him. You were livid now. You spun to face him. “I’m sure she initiated it, she had no idea you were in a relationship. No one could know! But any other kisses after the initial one are on you, Seungcheol! Drunk is not an excuse. Lonely is not an excuse when you fucking had me waiting at home for you! Did you stay with her?” you didn’t care what you sounded like, you wanted answers.

“No, I went to the dorm with the guys. You can call any of them and ask. Call whoever you had babysit me and tell them they aren’t getting paid cause they let me make one fucking mistake in 6 months. I didn’t kiss her back, my tongue was never in her throat. She was really drunk and kept throwing herself at me. I was afraid upsetting her or making her angry would turn her attitude around and make her violent or too upset to even function. There were three quick kisses. She did it once, I said don’t do that. The second I said, ‘Seriously, stop. I’m not interested.’ The third? Well, I said, ‘I’m in a loving relationship right now, and you’re not going to ruin this for me too.’ I left water on the nightstand and left the room and immediately went to Jeonghan. Call him or text him if you want proof,” Seungcheol’s anger faded. He just looked like a sad, beaten-down puppy. “I’ll head out now, I’m sorry I hurt you. That this situation happened. Just know I didn’t cheat on you, please believe that. I don’t give you the attention you deserve to begin with, how could I ever think of doing that to you?” With a final sigh, he grabbed his backpack and left the apartment.

You hoped he didn’t think you were over, that he knew you just needed time to process this all. You needed to call Jeonghan, you needed to calm down.

You grabbed your phone and dialed a reliable friend, Jeonghan. He picked up, thankfully, on the second ring.

“I was expecting a phone call this morning… Hey Y/n,” he said softly.

“Jeonghan, what happened last night? What did Seungcheol go to you about?” you asked quietly, trying not to cry until you knew exactly how to feel.

“Nothing happened, y/n. That’s the weird thing- Seungcheol was just being a nice guy, as he would for anyone, and she thought it was something different. She was really drunk, Y/n. Understand Eun Ha was viciously flirting with Seungcheol, probably for the paparazzi attention, and then when he offered to safely escort her to her room, she must have thought they were going to be something again. You know how he is in a relationship, how he treats his girlfriends, she wanted him back. No one knows about your relationship; Seungcheol was trying to tell her he wasn’t interested, she didn’t care until he told her he was in a relationship. When he came to me after the situation happened, he was in a complete panic,Y/n. He was hyperventilating, near tears, he never wants to hurt you. And remember, he didn’t hurt you, she just didn’t respect him. She’s the issue, not Seungcheol’s loyalty. He didn’t lie to me last night about the incident, I can promise you that,” Jeonghan relayed the information to you. He knew Seungcheol just as well as you did, and if he also could tell Cheol wasn’t lying than you really had nothing to fear.

“Jeonghan, he left my apartment. What if he thinks we’re actually over? What if he won’t let me come back after I blew up at him? He told me he knows he doesn’t always give me what I truly deserve, how he doesn’t always have time to spend with me as a couple rather than a work associate. That sometimes, I’m neglected in that aspect. What if he decides that he doesn’t want this due to that?” You confide in Jeonghan. You really loved that you had the other boys to support you and be there for you. You knew Seokmin and Seungkwan’s intentions with the photos weren’t aggressive or angsty, they were out of worry for you. To warn you what the media was most likely going to post. You had left out that they had defended Seungcheol when they sent the pictures, saying it was Eun Ha’s behavior that was flirty. You had a family here, people you could always rely on no matter what. And you silently thanked whatever heaven’s above for having the in your life.

“Really? You think Cheol automatically thinks it’s over?” Jeonghan asked sarcastically.

“No, but what if it ruins anything?”

“It’s not going to. The second you tell him to come over, he will be there in a second. The second you make up, he will hug you and say how sorry he is. He’s in love with you, Y/n. I know he’s never said it to you before, but we’ve asked him. He’s not walking away that easy, he’s just giving you space. Call him back, he’s probably hanging out in the area waiting to hear from you,” Jeonghan reassured you.

“Thank you Jeonghan, I love you. I’m so happy I have all you boys. I will see you at work tomorrow, be on time this time! Wake up two hours early!” You heard Jeonghan’s rounded laugh through the receiver and then said goodbyes and hung up. You went to your living room’s big window and just stared out of it. It was starting to get cooler; winter was on it’s way. Your heart was happy that maybe your relationship wasn’t doomed, you just had to apologize to Seungcheol. You stole a glance at the kitchen, noting how he had cleaned up everything and put it back where it all belonged, respecting your obsessive-compulsive ways. You dialed his cell phone number, hesitating to press call. Hesitating to find out if this was the end for your relationship.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Seungcheol said softly when he answered.

“Please, come home, Cheol,” your voice broke, tears were threatening to spill from your eyes.

“Open the door, y/n,” he softly instructed. You went to your front door, ear still to your phone as you opened it to a relieved Seungcheol. “Baby,” he whispered softly as you hung up the phone and wrapped your arms around his neck, making you go on your tippy toes.

“I’m so sorry for jumping to conclusions; for yelling. I’m so sorry,” you cried softly. He ran his fingers through your hair, softly consoling you with sweet nothings. He picked you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist and you could hug him more tightly.

“Don’t apologize. I understand what the situation looked like, I don’t blame you for feeling the way you did or for getting upset. I do regret and I’m really fucking sorry for hurting you by saying her and I kissed when it was a one sided thing. I was really angry and upset that you were so upset and not letting me speak. I didn’t anticipate you to assume the worst in me, and it hurt. I tried to get back at you, and it was fucked up. I’m so sorry, I will be better from now on. I will be better for you,” seungkwan confessed. Leaving light kisses on your lips and face as he spoke.

“I’m sorry I assumed the worst, I was hurt and panicked. I love you, Seungcheol. I’ll be better for you, too. I do trust you, I hope you know that. It was just, I was worried that we’ve been together for half a year already, and my friend this is the mark of either a relationship’s end or where it will prosper from. I had that in my head too, and it was a lot of factors. I’m sorry,” You kissed him softly. He returned the kiss with a little more vigor and emphasis.

“As long as you really don’t want to leave me, then I think we’re going to ‘Live long and Prosper’!”

“…Did you just use Star Trek to make up with me?” I asked incredulously.

“Maybe. Did it work?” to answer him, you kissed him roughly.

“Yep, it did. Will you stay with me Cheol?” You smile softly at him in your sincere question. In response to your question, he playfully squeezed your ass since his hands were already there to support your weight.

“Of course I will. You know it is our anniversary tomorrow… Wanna go celebrate early?” He winked at you, kissing you again. You lightly pulled at the hair that was tangled in your fingers.

“For the mature one in this relationship, you sure are dirty,” you smiled, your tone of voice getting flirty. “I guess we can celebrate before we even spend the day together or dinner,” you smile coyly, tugging his shirt to indicate to go to the bedroom.

“Oh, babe, don’t think we aren’t celebrating more than once. There will be a few more celebrations after dinner, too. Maybe even one during?” his voice husky at the suggestion, he still managed to laugh at your shocked expression. He closed your bedroom door behind him and laid you down on the bed, falling on top of you.

“I like multiple celebrations,” you laughed and kissed him.

“I love you,” he kissed you again, deepening it. He stopped his flirty demeanor, sitting up. His face turned serious,” Actually, I’m in love with you. And you need to know that, and know that everything I do, I do for us. For you. I’m not leaving our giving up on us that easy.”

“ I was wondering when you’d say that to me,” you jested lightly. “Choi Seungcheol, I’m in love with you too. I was a mess thinking this might be it for us, but I’m confident in us that we have a long future together,” you kissed him lightly, and started to tease at his mouth. “Now, can I have my first celebration of the night with you?”

He gave you a wicked smile, “You mean the first two celebrations, I’m greedy today.”

You both tumbled into the sheets, bodies becoming one in love.

[curious-menace]

Have I really ever requested one thing of you (the pegging telltale Riddler h/c)? Time to change that; let's see how the Eddies would respond to being told by their partner that they're a "bad boy" and "need to be punishment" (sexually, of course) - Pegging Anon.

I really enjoy these kinds of asks. honestly just give me a blank check for mayhem, unleash me upon the riddlers like a plague of locusts 

nsfw below the cut

Arkham! Riddler

please be careful with this riddler. He has problems reading peoples tone and if he thinks youre angry at him you're liable to send him into a panic.

he really doesn't like dirty talk. dont call him a slut or a whore or anything like that. Not only is it demeaning and humiliating( 2 things this riddler doesnt deal well with) its just a terrible way to get him to do what you want.

again, the idea of punishment in a sexy setting is a turn off for him. He’s afraid of being strangled or choked and he doesn't find being hit sexy.

to put it simply, this riddler reacts better to the carrot than the stick. if you want a good reaction out of him, praise and affection work better. call him a good boy, give him pets and rewards. 

IF you were to coax him into it, safeword, soft restraints and reassuring from you that everything will be ok, he’ll still probably cry. he might enjoy himself but the emotional stress will still leave him in an utter state.

i know some people use BDSM to cope with trauma but maybe dont try this on him. pitch the idea and let him mull it over. dont bring it up more than once or twice and let him decide

he always needs a lot of aftercare. he needs to be constantly reassured, not just after sex, that you love him , that he’s done well. lots of kisses and soft words and let him rest from the heavy stuff for a little while. 

Blacklight riddler

another riddler you need to tread carefully with. he’s a kinky shit but like...a soft kinky shit who bruises easily.

He wont need coaxing. its either a hell yes or a hell no and you shouldn't push that. He likes sex games but he’s got trauma, sometimes something that was fine yesterday is triggering today so please be gentle and respectful with him.

He doesnt mind being called a bad boy, just not too often. mix it up and don't patronise him all the time . you can tell him off without treating him like a kid. 

he likes edging and orgasm denial as a punishment. just dont ruin his orgasm or he wont let you do it again. 

please don't ever hit him during sex. a playful thump on the arm when he’s telling a bad joke is one thing but if you touch him roughly during the act, even if he knows its coming, he finds it triggering. 

He’s pretty exclusively a sub but don't think that means he’s into punishment all the time. mostly he just likes his dominant to take care of him.

BTAS Riddler

i feel like it would throw him for a loop. he’d be confused as all hell, even if you said it in a sexy voice he might not get the message.

 he’d probably scoff at the idea. the notion that he’s anything other than perfect is laughable. he’s certainly not some sort of bad boy. you should sit on his lap and get him on the same page as you. watch his mouth go dry and his eyes go wide as you explain all the things you're going to do to him for being bad. he’ll do his best to stay composed but we both know its you who’d be wearing the pants by the end of the conversation. 

he’d want to be tied up. he’ll be gibbering and rambling the entire time, desperately trying to stay in control of the situation.  He’ll try to do things for you but a gentle reminder that you’re in control and if he doesn't anything he’ll be punished more will have him biting his tongue. 

I think humiliation works best on this one. im imagining something with rope or his suits since he’s so fond of them. maybe try and make him cum while still clothed? maybe some shibari under his suit jacket? i’ll let you decide. 

he doesnt have a safeword bc he thinks its strictly a bdsm thing and refuses to admit he’s into that. he prefers to use the traffic light system. although you probably had to teach him that. before hand he was using some nonsense riddler made system involving humming different songs. ode to joy for fun/keep going and  vivaldi winter for slow down.  you will have to gently explain what a batshit insane idea that was. 

Original Riddler

I imagine he’d be into it, moreso initially than the others. He doesnt have so much emotional baggage and he’s game to try anything once. 

I dont know if he’d find the idea of punishment sexy but he’ll try it for you. he’d probably just prefer you to frame it as impact play or degradation or whatever “just because” you wanna try it. something about it being a meant as a punishment just seems weird to him 

he does like being called names but in a cute playful way. he’s not liable to take offence at anything you say, inside or outside the bedroom but digs at his appearance do sting a little. even if youre “in character” so to speak when you say them. just reassure him after that you dont really think those things.

He’s one of the tallest riddlers and also has zero shame so you’ll need to be inventive when thinking of punishments. tying him up could actually hurt him with his circulation, he runs around in glittery spandex all day anyway so good luck trying to humiliate him. 

Because he is so tall and strong, its hard to hurt him. you could try spanking him, ask him to count out the spanks and listen as his voice gets higher and more unsteady with each one. 

actually in that note and given his penchant for dress up maybe you could try sub/dom roleplay? pretend you're a doctor/nurse or something and you're punishing him for his bad diet? if the punishment thing doesn't work out at least you’ll both get a giggle out of it. 

Telltale Riddler

Oh he is absolutely going to fight you on this one “i think YOU'RE the one who needs punishing , love.” . if you want to punish him you’ll have to fight for that right

he’s never really subbed before he met you. He’s happy to show you how to punish a sub but he really needs practice letting someone else hold the reins.

he pretends he doesn't like dirty talk. if you get him riled up and start whispering filthy things in his ear he’s going to melt a little. 

I cant think of a specific he’d like or something he’d find egregiously offensive, so i think you've got a blank cheque for mayhem here. do what you like and he’ll tell you then and there if he’s into it or not.  

but no blinders or restraints though. he’s claustrophobic after being in that icebox. He IS an escapartist mind you. even if you put him in something he’ll have wiggled out of it before you can blink . he MIGHT tolerate something just there for aesthetics or because the fabric feels nice, like maybe his tie or your hair bow tied loosely around his arms.

in the same vein, he’s sensitive so maybe you could lightly torture him with some sensory stuff. ice cubes or wax play?

Zero year Riddler

i Cannot stress to you enough what a horny fuck this one is. at the mere MENTION of sexy punishment he’s like “oh yes punish me ive been bad “ wiggling his ass in the air like a target. will call you Daddy regardless of your gender because we all know he has  issues. 

He’s 100 percent going to lean into it, goad you and taunt you to punish him more, get angrier or hit him harder. he gets off on the pain, yes but he also just really enjoys being an insufferable shit. 

“EDWARD THIS IS PUNISHMENT YOU ARENT SUPPOSED TO ENJOY IT” - you, probably. 

i dont think the traditional sexy punishment things will work on this one. youre going to have to get creative. like tell him you are in charge of his wardrobe and death traps for the week. 

something that MIGHT work would be forcing him to wear a toy or even just some lingerie under his suit. He’s going to be embarrassed as all hell because this riddler is a big buff cheeto puff who takes his appearance seriously. BUT he cant deny the thrill of maybe the lace poking out over his waist band when he bends or the outline of a bralette being seen under his shirt, isnt a little arousing.

please dont be surprised when he turns around a week later and pulls this exact same shit on you. 

there you go nonnie !  this one was quite a lot of fun! i have a rule of trying not to write more than 6 points for each but it was hard to compress down this time around. so much variety in personality and temperament in the one character there's a lot to write about 

got something you wana talk about? send me an ask or a dm! im always game to talk about our favorite curious menace 💚💜

[chuchiotaku]

[Preview] TBA Chapter 15: Erised Straeh Ruoy

The trial is finally over, but Ron’s first year is only halfway done and the holidays are not yet over.  What other surprises are in store for our little time traveller?  Certainly more than Ron expected!   Because somebody forgot about a certain mirror...

[Target release date: Early January]

"You're doing it again."

"Huh?" Ron blinked when Ginny called out to him with a frown.

"Like you've seen another gnome coming in from the fence. But...angrier. A lot angrier."

The time traveller sighed lowly. He hadn't meant for anyone to notice it. How long had his sister been watching him? "Sorry, Ginny. Didn't mean to worry you."

"Of course I'm worried, Ron. We all are," said Ginny. "You've been out of sorts since you came back from the trial. Even Dad and Bill looked pissed! I never thought I’d see them THAT angry!”

It was a huge shock to Percy, Fred, George and Ginny to see their parents, Bill, Charlie and Ron looking far from happy at their victory over the trial. Molly, pale and shaking, had kept such a strong grip on Ron’s shoulders that the boy was worried his arms would fall off at any given moment. Charlie, on the other hand, had a deep scowl etched on his face, his ears bright red and his tightly clenched fists near bone white. Arthur and Bill may have looked all right to an outsider, but any Weasley could tell by their rigid postures, their strained gestures and the frigid storms rumbling in their eyes that they too were as enraged as Charlie obviously had been.

The remaining Weasley children were naturally quick to ask for more information, being already antsy over the fact that they weren’t allowed to attend the trial because they were minors.  Molly had given them a very watered-down version of the trial’s events: the Professors and Ron telling their accounts, the Court asking follow-up questions, the obvious guilty verdict and Sirius’ name being cleared.  

Which was fine and good, but didn’t really explain what provoked such rage from most of the Weasleys who attended the trial, much to Ron’s other siblings’ chagrin. But even Arthur had put his foot down that that was that, and Bill and Charlie weren’t forthcoming either.  

I’m actually surprised it took Ginny this long to ask me about it.  Ron thought. I’m even more surprised that she’s the first to do it. I was expecting Percy to crack earlier since he was more involved.

Then again, the way Bill and Charlie had all but monopolized Ron’s time yesterday could be another reason. Bloody hell, he had expected a bit of coddling from Bill (who had always been a bit of a mother hen, to be honest), but Charlie? Seriously, the way his second oldest brother behaved yesterday, one would have thought Pettigrew would shoot out of a rat hole any second to take Ron away with him to Azkaban.

The only reason he hadn’t displayed his exasperation outright was that he was more afraid of Charlie’s legendary temper blowing up on him.  And between that and a Hungarian Horntail guarding its egg, he’d choose the latter in a heartbeat.

But back to the matter at hand: what should he tell Ginny? And, by extension, the twins and Percy? He honestly didn’t know why his parents and oldest brothers didn’t tell them of Pettigrew’s meltdown at the trial. Ron honestly found it to be unnecessary drama, the last ditch effort to be considered a threat by a doomed coward. But he really didn’t see the point of lying to his other siblings about it either.

Why not a half-truth?

“It was because of Pettigrew.” Ron finally answered. “The trial went pretty well, even though some of the Lords were being ar—err, difficult.  But then, after the verdict, the rat suddenly had this epic breakdown. Downright horrible sight, Ginny. Would have made anyone pissed, really.”

Ginny’s nose wrinkled.  “Because he was scared he was going to Azkaban?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why it made Mum, Dad, Bill and Charlie so—”  Suddenly, Ginny’s expression turned hard.  “He didn’t threaten you, did he?”

Shite. On second thought, maybe this was why he shouldn’t have said anything, after all.

SNAP!

Ron nearly jumped off his bed when his curtains were quickly parted, revealing his white-faced but smiling best mate.

“Harry?” Ron began groggily. “What’s going—? OI!”

With a whispered “no time to explain, you have to see this,” over his shoulder, Harry dragged Ron from the bed so quickly that the redhead barely had time to grab his outer robe.

“Harry! Wait, Harry!” Ron squawked in confusion when the other boy draped a cloak over both of them. The invisibility cloak?! “Harry, mind explaining why we’re rushing around, under the invisibility cloak far past curfew?!”

“Sorry, Ron, but I just...I had to get you to see.” Harry said breathlessly while looking frantically around in his hurry. “I thought that maybe I could get to show you tomorrow, but we’re meeting Mr. Black, and I already met your family…”

“What’s that got to do with—?”

“Keep it down! We’re almost there.”

Almost where? Ron asked in his head but he didn’t dare voice it out loud. Not when Harry was gripping his arm so tight it was starting to hurt. Not when the look in Harry’s eyes was a worrying mix of excitement, disbelief and desperation. 

It was...he had seen that look on his best mate before. Where had he seen it? When?

It felt like hours since they got down from the Gryffindor Tower, and since Ron didn’t have time to put on his slippers, his feet were freezing against the stone-cold floors of the castle. But again, Ron didn’t voice a complaint, because he was trying to remember just what Harry’s strange behaviour was all about.

Judging by how Harry’s looking around like he’s searching and watching out for Filch, it’s obvious he doesn’t really remember the way to...wherever he wanted to go. And if it’s something that he had to wake me up for--not that I was asleep to begin with--must be something really important. But what could it be? Come on, Ron, think. The time traveller’s brows furrowed. Christmas. What else important happened back then during the first life? We found out that Flamel was involved with the stone, but didn’t know who he was. Hermione went home for Christmas. Harry got the cloak. We still didn’t find out anything about Flamel after the holidays. What else am I missing? Why can’t I remember? Come on, stupid brain. Help me remember. My best friend is acting weird and it’s your job to ���

A familiar warmth came from his pocket, next to his wand, and for the first time, Ron welcomed the vision.

“You could have woken me up!”

“You can go tonight. I’m going back. Want to show you…”

“Are you all right? You look...odd.”

FLASH!

The cold stone was hurting his feet. “—and I’m freezing, Harry! Let’s just forget it and go back before—”

“NO! We can’t. It’s here. I know it’s here somewhere!”

FLASH!

A huge golden mirror, lined with runes and a single sentence in English lettering.

“Look! Look at all of them! There are loads!”

“...No, I’m alone, but I’m different! I look older and—and I’m Head Boy!”

FLASH!

The sight of a despondent Harry sending a chill through his chest.

“I know what you’re thinking, Harry. Don’t go back tonight. That mirror is bad news. ”

“...All right, all right. You’re really starting to sound like Hermione.”

“I’m serious, Harry! Don’t go.”

“We’re here!”

Ron was startled out of his vision just in time to see it: the tall gold leafed mirror, its entire frame and glass faded by age, but the words etched on the old gold.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

The Mirror of Erised. The same chill that entered Ron’s chest in his vision returned with a vengeance. Shite. We shouldn’t be anywhere near this thing. I need to get Harry out of here!

“Harry, we’re not supposed to—”

“I know, I know. But look, Ron, there! See?” Harry tugged at Ron’s sleeve, eagerly pointing. “Right over there! There’s my family! My mum and dad! My grandparents, even! And..and..!”

“I don’t see anything.” Ron snapped, taking Harry by the arm. “Come on, Harry. Filch will skin us alive if he finds us!”

“You’re just not standing close enough!” The next thing Ron knew, Harry had pushed him forward, bracing him so he was dead center at the mirror. 

The Ron in the past had seen himself, alone, with a Head Boy badge and the Quidditch Cup, the best among his siblings, only because that Ron had been a selfish and shallow-minded boy who didn’t know any better.

But the Ron now, what he saw drove him to his knees.

[courtofjurdan]

One chance part 3

Jurdan college au - masterlist

*If you would like to be tagged, let me know. I hope you enjoy!!*

They walk silently to his sleek, black mustang, which he adores more than his own life. He opens the door for her and she hesitantly gets in with a questioning look on her face. Cardan knows she’s questioning him, but he is stubborn and wants to hear her ask it with words, not expressions.   

Once they have been in the car for a few silent minutes, they arrive at the Underseas’s Diner. They get out and Cardan opens the door for the diner like a gentleman, which really makes Jude worry. Maybe he feels pity for me over what happened at the university. They sit down, and Mrs. Orlagh comes to take their order. After she is gone, Jude raises her eyebrows at Cardan and asks,”So, why did you bring me here for?” 

    “Well Jude, to start off with, I am so very sorry what happened at school. I promise I didn't know anything about it. If I did, I would have stopped immediately.”

Jude replied hesitantly,”Ok, is that it? You could have told me that at class instead of bringing me here and wasting your money on me.” 

Cardan ran a hand through his hair,”No no, I wanted to ask, Jude, if you would give me a chance to start over. I know I have hurt you in more ways than I care to admit, but I really want to start over. Be friends. I know it’s the last thing I deserve, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

Jude was speechless. She didn’t know what to say so when the only thing her tenacious mind thought about was to leave, she said while starting to stand up,”Ok, well. If that was it, I’m going to leav-”

“Please. Please give me the chance to be the person I never was.”

He said the word again. Please. She could hear the desperation in his voice. And so, she pitied him and said,keeping her voice firm,”Fine, I’ll give you a chance. A chance. I advise you not to mess it up.”

Cardan nodded and then their food arrived. They ate in sweet silence until Cardan spoke up,”So I’m having a party this weekend, if you want to come? It could be a good start. If you don’t want to, you know, in front of everybody then I understand.”

Jude wasn’t going to let Cardan know what happened hurt her like it did in high school. So with that, she said,”No I’ll come. Remind me to give you my number and text me details.” 

Cardan put a small grin on his face. Jude could tell that he was happy with her right now. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him. Well, that was until Nicasia and Valerian walked into the diner. Jude forgot, Mrs. Orlagh was Nicasia’s mom. How could she forget. They walk up to the table, ready to talk their talk. 

Nicasia opens her mouth first,”So what did the cat drag in?”

Valerian laughs with a wicked smile plastered on his face.

 For a small moment, Jude thought Cardan may have just tricked her. That he purposely brought her here to get humiliated again.  For a moment, her heart quickened even faster than it already was until Cardan opened his mouth.

“Stop it, guys.”

“Awe, afraid she’ll get mad and kiss you again. Oh wait, maybe you want that.” She looks at Jude,”I would be taking some pointers, Jude.”

If Cardan’s face could get any angrier, Jude would be surprised,”I told you guys to stop. She hasn’t even done anything to you. She has been minding her own business so how about you go mind yours.” Cardan was half-shouting this through gritted teeth.

“Cardan, it’s ok. I’m used to it.” Jude tried to say, but Cardan snapped back.

“No it’s not ok. You shouldn’t be used to it.” He said in the same angry tone which made Jude flinch under his gaze so he calmed down and quietly said “sorry.”

Jude nodded. 

She really didn’t know what to say. Cardan Greenbriar was taking up for her in front of his own friends. Nicasia and Valerian looked just as surprised as she did. They thought it would please Cardan but it only made him mad. 

Cardan gets up from the booth and says, “Ok, well, if that’s it, me and Jude will be going on our way.” He held a hand out for Jude to take and she hesitantly took it to stand and Cardan led the way out to his car. His friends just stood there in total shock.   

They get into the car and Jude is the first one to speak, “You didn’t have to, you know.”

He replied in confusion while starting the car, “Have to what?”

“You didn’t have to take up for me.”

Cardan was about to put the car in drive, but then he put his hands in his lap with a grin on his face and said, “But that’s what friends do, right?”

Jude thought about that for a second and he just watched her. Then she looked up with the same identical grin and said, “Yeah, I suppose so.” 

He puts the car in drive and keeps that giddy grin on his face.

“Would you like me to drop you off at your dorm?” 

Jude replied, “umm yeah, that’s fine.”

Jude gave him her dorm address, and while she was giving things out, she gave him her number. Jude was happy. But Jude was nervous. He’s tricked her before, what won’t make him do it again? 

He pulled up to her dorm building, and she got out of the car. Before she closed the door, she looked up with a genuine smile and said, “Thank you, Cardan. I enjoyed our outing.” 

He looked up at her with the same grin and nodded as if to say he enjoyed it too. 

She walked all the way back to her dorm to find a worried Bomb on her bed.

“Oh my gosh, Jude, where have you been? I have been worried sick about you. You didn’t answer your phone. I thought you might have been kidnapped or something.”

“Well, I kinda was kidnapped, but I was someones willing victim.”

“What happened?” The Bomb asked questionably. She was quite nervous to know the answer because, to be honest, Jude would do anything. 

Jude went on to tell her about everything that happened. Bomb was just as surprised as Jude was. They spent the rest of the evening together talking and watching movies. 

Friday night rolls around and it’s time to go to Cardan’s party. He texted her to be at Insmoor dormitory at 8pm. That’s exactly what she did. She came in her tight mini dress, paired with some black high heels. This wasn’t her style, per se, but Cardan said to dress fancy and be ready to drink. She looks in through the door and sees that his dorm is packed to the rim. He has a big dorm room though. Because he’s Cardan Greenbriar, he has the money for the big room. 

Jude starts to think that maybe she should just turn around and go back. And she almost does, but then Cardan Greenbriar, in his black dress shoes, black dress pants, white button up shirt with black suspenders (that is just for look because his pants fit heavenly on him) to top it off he has a cute black bow tie, and his curly black hair all kinky, comes out with his hands behind his back. It is almost like he already knew Jude would leave before entering. 

He says with a smirk on his face, “You coming in?” 

He holds out his hand for her to take, but she just stands there with wide eyes and parted lips. She couldn’t believe how sexy he looks. He couldn’t believe how she looks either but he didn’t show it because he knew Jude would look hot. Jude just didn’t know Cardan could get anymore sexier. 

When she doesn’t take his hand, he says, “You just going to stand there, and look at my ethereal beauty?”

This seems to snap her out of it, “Umm yeah… I mean no.” She starts to blush and puts her head down. “I just didn’t know you could clean up that nice.”

He smiles wider and says, “You look good too.”

He holds out his hand again and she takes it. He leads her to the drink table. She denies it at first, but then she gives attention to the thought that she only lives once so one night of drinking is not going to make a difference, or so she thought. 

They have the lights dimmed down, and almost like disco ball lights going in circles. Music is playing so loud that it makes it hard to hear anyone. People are dancing and singing, some people are high and drunk, and some people are in corners by themselves. Jude decides she is going to make this night the funnest night she’s ever had.

Jude drinks her cup, but then decides to go back for more and more. Cardan notices that she is drinking a lot so he goes and takes her cup away. She complains, slurred a bit, “Hey, that’s mine.”

“Jude, darling, I think you’ve had enough.”

“Well, I think you're not having enough fun.” 

Cardan automatically took that as a challenge and said, “Ok, I’ll have fun. Let me go get just as drunk as you are.” 

Jude giggled and sat down on one of his couches and started talking to people.

 Later that night, Nicasia turned the music down and called for everyone who was left, which wasn’t that many people, just more of the popular people than anything. She had them come sit at the couches and chairs. She said, “Ok, so now we are going to play a game. It’s called the boy and his toy. Each boy is going to pick a girl's name out of this bucket and whoever you get is your toy. Then you get to pick whatever room. Simple.”

Cardan didn't know anything about this but at this point, he was drunk, he just let it continue.. 

Nicasia blurts out, “Since this is Cardan’s party, I’ll let him go first. 

Cardan picked a name and it said Jude.

He gave a nod to Nicasia, and he was actually relieved that it was him who got her so he could make sure she wasn’t touched in any way that he knew she wouldn’t feel comfortable in. Jude was even more drunk as Cardan so she just willingly went with Cardan when he showed her who’s name he got. 

What Cardan didn’t know was that all the names were Judes. He wouldn’t have got anyone else. Nicasia was mad at him for taking up for Jude so she did this so she could have something to taunt them with. Little did Cardan know, Nicasia spiked one of Cardan’s and one of Jude’s drinks. Cardan was only a bit fazed by it only because she accidently put more in Jude’s than Cardan’s. Jude was as relaxed as she's ever been. 

Cardan helps Jude walk to the room and he sits her down on his bed. He then goes to sit in the chair across from her. Jude then gets bored rather quickly and asks, “Are we just suppose to sit here?”

“Well, no, but I’m not going to do what they are trying to insinuate me doing.”

Both of their speeches were quite slow and slurred.

Jude gets up and walks to Cardan, unsteadily, “Why?”

Jude pulls his hand and he gets up and follows her to the bed. “You have given me a chance to be your friend. One chance. I would hate to blow it in one night.”

She kissed the corners of his mouth and said, “Don’t worry about it tonight. I have waited to long to do this.” She kissed Cardan's mouth hard and desperate. At first, his eyes went wide, and shocked, but then he realized he wanted it more than anything too. They were too high and drunk to care. 

Cardan kissed her with the same intensity. He grabbed her waist and laid her down on the bed, hard, never breaking the kiss until she gasped as her head hit the mattress. But that didn’t last long, they were on top of each other in a matter of seconds. Clothes were starting to be thrown off one by one. Jude remembers kissing him and then falling into oblivion. 

[farmhandler]

for your sake

Fandom: Demon Slayer

Pairing: Rengoku/Tanjiro

Rating: T

Chapter: 1/6

Word count: 2.4 K

Summary: Rengoku is dying, but Zenitsu has an unorthodox idea that might be just what they need.

Warnings: Omegaverse, alpha!Tanjiro, omega!Rengoku

A/N: I watched the Demon Slayer movie and I fell even more in love with all these characters than I already was. Rengoku my beloved!!!! Please enjoy this unorthodox omegaverse!

Read on AO3

---

Rengoku. Rengoku. Rengoku. Rengoku.

Tanjiro couldn’t see through his tears. Every time he brushed them away, they overflowed and spilled past his fingers, unerring and constant. Tears were smeared messily across his cheeks and under his eyes, too, but none of that really mattered.

Rengoku was dying.

He was dying, and nothing any of them could do could change that.

Tanjiro was familiar with death. He had seen so much death already that the sight of dead bodies didn’t fill him with the horror and dread it used to. He still prayed for the dead, and it saddened him to see so much suffering, but it had become a familiar sight.

Sometimes the guilt from the mere fact he was getting used to people dying clawed at him, digging into his chest until he thought he might never recover.

But he could never, ever get used to something like this.

“Rengoku,” he rasped, shaking his head. He kept shaking it, as if denying his death might keep it from happening. “Rengoku!”

He heard Rengoku chuckle quietly to himself, and then cough wetly. He tried to speak, but it came out garbled, which made Tanjiro’s tears fall faster.

I’m so useless. I can’t do anything, he thought. Why can’t I do something?

The tears kept flowing. Inosuke and Zenitsu didn’t fare any better. As they waited for Rengoku to pass peacefully—as peacefully as his painful death would allow—they all wept.

If Tanjiro was a different person, he would congratulate Rengoku for holding his composure despite the intense and agonizing pain he must have been in. But he wasn’t that kind of person. His throat felt like he had been lodged with large rock, and all he could manage were whispered mentions of Rengoku’s name.

“Hey, Tanjiro,” Zenitsu said. He waited a beat, and then moved around Rengoku to sit at Tanjiro’s side. When Tanjiro didn’t respond, he repeated the phrase. “Tanjiro, hey.”

“What?” Tanjiro lifted his head, tears still flowing free. “What else could be the matter?”

He didn’t mean it unkindly. Tanjiro was begging. Begging him not to say anything else was wrong, or that anyone else would die just then.

Zenitsu glanced down, squeezed his hands into fists in his lap, and then lifted his head again. His eyes were bright. Tanjiro noticed that he had Nezuko on his back. He wanted to thank him, but couldn’t find the words.

“You’re an alpha, aren’t you?”

Tanjiro sniffled. What…?

“Yes, that’s right.” He tried wiping at his eyes again in vain. “What about it?”

“If…if you’re an alpha…” Zenitsu’s mouth hung open, uncertain. He took a deep breath. “If you’re an alpha, isn’t there another way we can save Rengoku?”

Tanjiro blinked at Zenitsu. “Zenitsu, what are you talking about?”

“Well—Rengoku is an omega. There are—at some point you must’ve heard the stories!” Zenitsu said, his voice rising in pitch. “About alphas and omegas.”

“Zenitsu…” Tanjiro gentled his voice and laid his hand on Zenitsu’s knee. “This isn’t the time for stories. Rengoku is—he’s dying.”

“I know!” Zenitsu snapped. “I know that! You really haven’t heard?”

“Heard what? What are you saying?”

Zenitsu shrugged Nezuko’s box off his shoulders and then pointed at Rengoku.

“He’s an omega! You’re an alpha. I’ve heard that when alphas mate omega, it can sometimes do something to their body. They become stronger and they heal faster. I’ve heard of alphas recovering from fatal wounds after bonding! If you bond with Rengoku, there’s a chance it can heal him!”

Tanjiro could hardly believe what he was hearing. Bonding—no, forcing a bond on Rengoku? Tanjiro had thought he was going to suggest they try and patch up his wound in some way, and he was prepared to explain how futile their efforts would be, but this was so much worse.

“Zenitsu, those are just stories.” Tanjiro’s voice broke, trembling while he spoke. “There’s nothing we can do. He was stronger than all of us, and we couldn’t do anything.”

He looked over at Rengoku, who was listing forward. His eyes had slipped closed, and that small smile that had been playing on his face for a while now was still there. Tanjiro’s heart ached just looking at him, and there was a tiny part of himself that wanted to consider what Zenitsu was saying. Rengoku was attractive, and he had a wonderful scent, but forcing a bond was out of the question.

“Can’t we try?!” Zenitsu exclaimed. He rose onto his feet and gestured to Rengoku. “You’re right: he’s dying. And that’s exactly why we should try to do everything we can to save him! He saved us from a demon; it’s the least we can do to repay him for being so useless!”

By the end of it, Zenitsu was shouting. He had even caught the attention of Inosuke, who’d wandered back over after walking away to cry alone.

“What is all this talk about alphas and omegas? Why are you talking nonsense?!”

“I don’t care if it’s nonsense!” Zenitsu spat. It was the most passionately animated Tanjiro had seen him in a long while, and he was almost transfixed by it. Zenitsu turned to him, eyes shining with tears and rare determination. “Tanjiro, if there’s even a small chance that you could help Rengoku, then let’s try it! What do you have to lose? Your pride?! Well don’t worry, because we don’t have any of that left! In fact, I have so little pride I’ll negatively balance yours!”

Zenitsu grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards Rengoku.

“So come on!”

Tanjiro let himself be pulled. He was so surprised by the turn of events that he hadn’t even realized his tears had dried up. He could see Rengoku a little clearer, and framed by the morning sunlight, he looked beautiful.

Tanjiro’s lips pressed into a thin line. He pulled himself free of Zenitsu’s grasp, and then hurried to Rengoku’s side on his own. With Zenitsu’s help, they steadied him on both sides, pulling aside his haori and cutting through his gakuran to reveal the base of his throat.

Can I really do this? he wondered, eyeing the patch of skin. I’ve never seen anything like what Zenitsu mentioned.

“What are you doing?” Inosuke shouted, sounding both angry and confused. “What are you two idiots doing? Are you trying to kill him faster?!”

“We’re trying to help!” Zenitsu yelled back.

“Zenitsu…” Tanjiro squeezed his eyes shut briefly. “This may not work. And even if it does, he might be too far gone! He’s already unconscious, which is a bad sign.”

“He has a hole in his stomach!” Inosuke yelled, even angrier. Tanjiro wanted to comfort him, to let him know that it was okay to be angry and afraid when they were riding on what could very well be false hope, but he had to focus.

“Both of you shut up! Don’t you think I know that? I don’t care about our chances, I just want to try!” Zenitsu met Tanjiro’s eyes. Rengoku slumped forward in their hands, so Tanjiro hurried into position. “It’s life or death!”

Life or death. Tanjiro hated himself in part for attempting this. It was stupid and not guaranteed to work.

But he had to try.

He pressed his mouth to the still warm crook of Rengoku’s neck. Almost immediately, nausea began to claw at his insides, rising up inside him. It took immense effort to work the disgust. He felt like he was seriously going to vomit.

Calm down, he told himself. Focus!

If this didn’t work, it would look like Tanjiro done something truly, horrifyingly awful to someone who had just saved all their lives and the lives of hundreds of others. Explanations wouldn’t matter; they rarely did, for alphas.

Fighting against every impulse that screamed at him, Tanjiro sank his teeth into Rengoku’s skin. Even though he’d never done it before, instinct urged him to bite down until he felt blood rise up onto his tongue. It mingled with his saliva, and then he pulled back and began licking at the wound to cement the process further.

For a while, Tanjiro continued what he was doing. He felt sick and he was openly crying again, but he kept going, lapping at the wound and inhaling his scent to detect any changes. His hand slipped to the front of Rengoku’s chest and over his heart. It was barely beating, thrumming weakly against his fingertips.

Please. Please. Please!

More time passed, and that was when the reality of their situation began to sink in. Rengoku hadn’t miraculously healed, and the heartbeat fluttering against Tanjiro’s hand was getting weaker by the second. He met Zenitsu’s eyes and saw a desperation there he knew must have been mirrored in his own.

Bile rose up hot in his throat. Tanjiro let go of Rengoku and turned around to retch into the dirt.

“What have I done?” he croaked. His chest heaved with each new, desperate sob. He dry-heaved, then vomited a second time. He was so disgusted with himself. What had he done? What had he done?

“Tanjiro?” Zenitsu said, his voice small.

“What have I done?” Tanjiro whispered. “Rokuta, Takeo, Hanako.” He cried out in anguish. “Shigeru, Mom. Everyone…! Please forgive me!”

“Hey, Tanjiro.”

This time Zenitsu sounded more frantic, but Tanjiro couldn’t make himself look.

“Tanjiro!”

He had desecrated the dead, acting under his own selfish desires.

“Oi, Tanjiro, for real!”

It was no one’s fault but his own. He was trash—no, worse than trash. He was—

“Tanjiro!”

Inosuke’s use of his actual given name jolted him out of it. Hands ripped him away from the ground and forced him to look at what he’d been avoiding.

Rengoku was… he was trembling. Shaking. No longer was he slumped in a heap, close to death. His face, which seconds ago had been deathly pale, was flushed red. He shook, seized, and gasped—all the while something was happening to his abdomen that Tanjiro couldn’t believe.

It was healing.

“Oh my god.”

Right before their eyes, Rengoku’s fatal wound was beginning to close. It didn’t close all the way, but as they watched, it went from an impossibly wide wound to something that he could come back from, with the right care.

In a matter of minutes, an impossible situation had changed completely.

“Oh my god,” Tanjiro repeated. He brought his shaking hands to his mouth and didn’t even care that they were covered in blood. He curled forward, a fresh wave of tears flowing down his cheeks. “My god! Rengoku!”

“Wh-what the is happening,” Inosuke said. “He’s really…? How did you—?”

“It worked,” Zenitsu breathed. “It actually worked. You and him are—” He shook his head. “Never mind that. Tanjiro, we have to get him help, fast!”

“You’re right. He’s lost too much blood,” Tanjiro agreed. He wiped his tears away and spat in the dirt to get rid of the taste of bile. “If we don’t get him help, he’ll actually die!”

Tanjiro stood on unsteady legs. At this point, with what he'd been through, and the whiplash this was giving him, the determination to make sure Rengoku lived was the only thing keeping him upright.

“Zenitsu! Inosuke! There are probably emergency supplies on the train behind us. We need to find a stretcher, or we’ll have to make one. I’m going to stay here with Rengoku while you two find those supplies. Inosuke—you get the stretcher. Zenitsu, bring all the bandages you can find!”

The two of them went off like a shot. They didn’t wait to discuss their options or talk about risks and chances of survival anymore. All that mattered was finding necessary supplies that would help Rengoku heal.

“Nezuko, it goes without saying, but you stay in your box.” Tanjiro slipped his arms out of his haori and began tearing it into strips. “I need to try to stop the blood. If it was still nighttime, I’d ask you to cauterize the wound, but this will have to do.”

Tanjiro made quick work of tearing into Rengoku’s gakuran. Fully exposed, his abdominal wound looked even worse. And with a fresh, new bond thrown into play, the sight elicited an even stronger reaction than before. He had to turn away, so angry at Akaza for a moment that he thought he might puke.

Focus, Tanjiro. Focus.

At first, Tanjiro didn’t know what to make of Rengoku. In particular since he had viciously opposed Nezuko’s existence and then later acknowledged it. But after fighting alongside him, being saved by him, he understood.

He’s a good person. And now he’s my…

Tanjiro licked his lips. He could still taste the blood.

Pushing the thought aside, Tanjiro did his best to stop the bleeding with what clothing he had. He used the cleanest parts of his haori as a makeshift bandages until Zenitsu returned with better ones.

“I wish I had you with me right now, Nezuko,” Tanjiro mused, as a means to distract himself. “You were always better at dealing with our siblings’ aches and pains. I’m trying to treat the wound, but I'm no doctor. When Inosuke and Zenitsu come back, we’ll also need to move Rengoku onto the stretcher.”

As if on cue, Rengoku gasped. He started coughing. It was the most alive he had seemed since the initial spasms, and Tanjiro tried not to weep openly at the sight. He was focused on the task at hand, but so many new emotions were swirling inside him that it was getting harder and harder to do so. He’d never bonded, and romance had been the last thing on his mind for most of his life, so this was completely unfamiliar territory.

That doesn’t matter. Stop thinking about it.

Warmth hit his back. The ground beneath them sparkled with morning dew. Tanjiro turned towards the rising sun, and for the briefest moment he closed his eyes and basked in the heat blooming across his face.

It felt so warm. It felt like hope.

He was about to turn his head back towards Rengoku when he saw figures in the distance coming their way. As they drew close, Tanjiro realized it was the Kakushi: the cleanup crew.

“Hey!” Tanjiro bellowed, rising to a stand. Relief slammed into him like a tsunami. He waved his arms to get their attention. “Over here!! Rengoku is still alive and he needs medical attention now! Please! Please!!”

Tanjiro was tired of crying, but just then, he couldn’t help it. Everything that had just happened caught up with him, and he fell to his knees, exhausted and relieved in a single breath.

“Please! Please save him! He’s my—”

He couldn’t force the words past his lips. But he knew; he could feel it forming inside him like a heavy weight.

He’s my mate.

[miracul0us-multishipper]

Welcome to the back (Part 8)

First Chapter  Previous Chapter  Next Chapter

- - -

Ooooooh, the sweet smell of Angst in the evening.

- - -

“Adrien, look, about this-“, she started, guilt settling in her stomach, but Adrien shook his head and she fell silent.

“I didn’t call you out here because I wanted to interrupt you, just then.”

She looked up, surprised.

“Really? Then... What’s the matter?”

Adrien fidgeted.

“It’s... more general than what you were about to say. Actually, I’m a little worried.”

He stilled, crossing his arms but still not meeting her eyes.

“I thought we were in this together, you and I.”

Marinette blushed at his words, not really realizing their meaning yet.

“You and I? O-of course we are! Wait, I mean... wait. What do you mean?”

He relaxed a little, finally looking at her.

“I mean Lila’s... situation. I thought we had agreed that we wouldn’t expose her.”

“I didn’t-“

“Not only that Ladybug thing, Marinette. Her general situation shouldn’t be discussed with anyone, not even in private.”

Her blood ran cold all of a sudden, and so did her voice.

“If ‘situation’ refers to her compulsive lying and manipulating of others, you can be relieved. I didn’t say anything, just like you wanted.”

She didn’t know she could sound this icy, and from the looks of it, neither did Adrien. Maybe Felix was rubbing off on her.

“Then how does Felix know? He’s been mean to her since the moment he joined our class.” Adrien challenged her answer and she scoffed, surprised at her sudden attitude towards him.

“Maybe because Lila isn’t as slick as she thinks and Felix, unlike others, actually makes use of his brain!” she snapped back. Adrien took a step backwards, startled by her sudden outburst. She tried to reign her emotions in a little, while he decided to switch tactics.

“Look, I didn’t mean to blame you for anything. I’m sorry if I came off as rude.”

She breathed deeply and nodded. Of course he didn’t. He was Adrien! He was the kindest person in the world.

“I know, it’s... fine.” She had to force the last word out. “You’re not rude.”

He rubbed his neck, emerald eyes glinting with uncertainty.

“It’s just that... I’m worried. Felix has a habit of getting others into trouble, and you’ve been around him all the time recently. I fear that if you keep this up, he might try to set you against Lila.”

“Actually, Lila’s pretty good at that on her o-“

“Think about it! You’ve been doing a lot less with Alya too. He’s alienating you from your friends, and as long as you are so close with him, you let him.”

“I’m sorry, what-“

“No, no! You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, really.” Adrien quickly interrupted her, completely misinterpreted what she’d been about to say. He was only getting started. “He’s got a way of getting under one’s skin. But you’re, well, you! Our everyday Ladybug. I’m sure you can fix this in no time, and everything’s going to be like before again.

He smiled.

“When he wasn’t here yet.”

She blinked. Twice. A sharp pain in her palms alarmed her that she was clenching her fists, nails digging into her skin, but she couldn’t look away from the self-satisfied look on Adriens face. Doubtlessly patting himself on the shoulder for being such a good friend, protecting her like this. A small voice tried to remind her that this was Adrien, that he always only wanted to help, that she loved him, but this voice was getting smaller and smaller. Drowned out by the rush of blood in her ears, the outrage over his words because how dare he, how dare he talk like this to her, over her friend! Adrien wasn’t acting like a friend at all, she realized, and he hadn’t been for weeks. He was only supportive when it suited him, only concerned when his version of “peace” was at stake, only speaking up when it came to upholding the status quo.

“I don’t want things to be like before.”, she pressed out slowly, just to silence her own thoughts. Adrien’s face fell.

“What? Why?”

She looked him straight into his obliviously shocked eyes.

“Because I wasn’t happy before. Because Felix is my friend, and unlike you, he’s not afraid to act like one. Because if I don’t have a single person left to vent to about Lila, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

“But... you have me, don’t you?”

He was so painfully convinced of his righteousness. For the first time, she found it annoying instead of admirable.

“No, I don’t! You’re saying one thing and doing the other! You’re so scared of conflict you’d rather let Lila walk all over me then stand up to her!”

“She isn’t hurting any-“

“She is, Adrien, why don’t you see that? She’s hurting me! She’s hurting Felix! She’s using our friends for petty ego boosts, stealing from Felix, threatening me, lying about me a-and you sit there and do nothing! That’s not what a friend does!”

He looked at her, flabbergasted. Something like realization flashed in his eyes and his shoulders dropped. Marinette almost sighed in relief. He was listening. Thinking about it. Surely he understood now. Things would finally change, they could finally tell the truth. Everything could be alright again; different, sure, but alright.

So when Adrien looked up again, his words were like a punch in the face.

“He’s already got you wrapped around his finger, doesn’t he?”

He looked like a kicked puppy. She felt like one.

(The window opened, flooding his lair with daylight.)

Her fingers clenched around the strap of her bag, just to keep them from shaking.

“What did you say?!”

(Disappointment, disillusionment. Heartbreak as well. More than powerful enough for his akuma.)

“Marinette, please don’t-“

“What is wrong with you? Is it so hard for you to believe that Felix might just want to be my friend? Do you hate him that much or do you just think I’m too boring to be friends with?”

(The butterfly’s wings darkened, heavy with a young girl’s sorrow.)

“I’m the only one who saw through Lila from day one, yet you think I am the one being manipulated? By Felix of all people?!”

(“Go, my little akuma, and spread the darkness you carry.”)

She took a step back and turned away. Her shoulders were shaking and she pressed her hand to her mouth, just to silence her erratic breathing. She wouldn’t cry now. She wouldn’t.

“You’re such a hypocrite, Adrien!”, she spat out. She felt like her chest was wrapped in chains, constricting painfully and shattering the feelings she had cared for so deeply. It hurt! It hurt so much, and every look at Adrien would only amplify that. She had to leave.

Before he could say another word, she stormed off, leaving him utterly shocked.

Marinette had never talked to him like that. She’d never looked at him like that, and she certainly never fought with him like that. He had never seen her this furious, not with Chloé and not even with Lila. If she was this angry... maybe he really had done something wrong?

“Marinette, where are- Agreste?”

Felix had opened the door, looking around for Marinette. When he only found Adrien, his face darkened.

“Where is Marinette? What did you do?”

What... had he done?

Anger rose up in his chest. This wasn’t his fault! It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be that he had made Marinette this upset! No, he realized. Someone else was to blame.

“This is your fault!”, he snarled at Felix. “You always do this!”

“I do what?!”

“You wreck havoc everywhere you go! You can never forgive people! You do everything to set others against them! You don’t care for good intentions and you warp situations until you are the victim! Marinette is my friend, and you are taking that from me!”

He gestured after Marinette.

“Do you have any idea what friendship means to me? What going to a normal and peaceful school means to me? And you- you’re just ruining that! For what? A petty grudge that I tried to help you with your dad?! General hate on every living person?! Why are you smearing Marinette against- Where are you going?”

Felix had stopped listening halfway through and instead followed Adrien’s gesture, in the direction Marinette had run off to. Now he was already on the stairs to the yard, ignoring Adrien’s rant as if he were a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“I’m trying to talk to you!”, Adrien shouted after him, angrier than he had ever been before. “Where are you going?!”

“Trying to be a better friend than you are.”, was the brisk reply. “And the way it looks, that won’t be a challenge at all.”

-

Felix found Marinette in a janitor’s closet. How she had fit in there was beyond him, for as soon as he opened the door, she fell out and against him. For a moment he thought he saw something red dash into her purse, but the tears in her eyes captured his attention before he could think more about it.

“S-sorry!”, she stammered and took a step back, cheeks red and glistening with tears. “I was just- I wanted- You shouldn’t-“

“Stop it.” he mumbled. He had followed her with the vague need to offer comfort for whatever Agreste had said, but now that he was here...

She looked devastated. Utterly heartbroken. And he had no idea how to fix that.

“What happened?”, he asked helplessly. Wrong question. Immediately, more tears began to run down her face and she let out a sob.

“No, no, no, you don’t have to answer!”, he desperately tried to save his attempt. “I’ll just... It will be alright, okay? It’s going to be better.”

He patted her back with one hand, at a loss for what else he was supposed to do, and hectically rummaged through his briefcase. He had handkerchiefs somewhere, hadn’t he?

There was one full of black stains from when his pen had spilled ink this morning, there was his thermos, his favorite pen... he let everything drop on the ground when he finally found a new pack of tissues. He’d made a mess, and he hated disorder, but right now he hated the sight of Marinette’s tears even more.

“Here”, he offered her the tissue, which she promptly accepted. Her breathing calmed down a bit.

“Thank... Thank you.”

Bluebell eyes trained on the ground, her hands fidgeted with the tissue as she tried to erase all evidence of her breakdown.

He only nodded. Formalities felt out of place now.

“Whatever it was that he said,” he started carefully, “it’s not true. And you don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

You deserve the world and more.

“If I can do something,”

Anything.

“To make it better, please tell me.”

I don’t know to help.

She sniffled, still looking at the ground. But her hand was moving, towards him and between his torso and arm, until she painstakingly lead her arm to his back, pulling him closer. Her other hand mirrored the movement and came to rest at the back of his neck, freezing him on the spot. When she buried her face in his shoulder, he wondered briefly if he should be breathing now, before brushing the thought aside. He didn’t have the time to worry about oxygen when he had to figure out what to do with his hands. How did hugs work, why couldn’t he remember, why was her hair so soft and oh, if the scent of baked goods that always clung to her didn’t make him all too happy to start breathing again.

“Just... just hold me, okay?”

Her voice was so thin, stifled by sadness and heartbreak. It made his brain short circuit, his hands moved on their own accord to pull her closer. Stroking her back and burying his face in her hair were the most natural thing in the world, all of a sudden.

They stayed like that for a while. The bell rang and neither of them moved. Marinette was calmer now, her obvious desperation fading into a quiet sadness.

“Talk to me.”, Felix all but begged her after some time. “Please. Tell me what’s wrong.”

What was going on inside her head?

Her grip around him tightened.

“He... I thought I knew... him. But I don’t. A-and it hurts.”

She inhaled sharply.

“I did so much, all the time. And now... it feels so wasted.”

She coughed, probably meaning to let out a bitter laugh.

“Isn’t that horrible of me?”

“No.”, he emphasized. “No, Marinette.”

He knew her well enough to say she wouldn’t feel this way if Adrien had simply rejected her. Then she would have moved on, though it might have taken some time.

But Adrien hadn’t rejected her. No, he had disappointed her. Whatever he had said had made Marinette second-guess everything she’d done for him – which was a lot. So much time and effort she had given, so many opportunities she had sacrificed... only to realize he hadn’t deserved it, didn’t appreciate anything of it.

“Adrien thinks I’m breaking my promise.”

Felix thought he should break Adrien’s jaw.

“He doesn’t care if that promise is breaking me.”, she murmured into his shirt and he shook his head.

“You don’t owe him anything, especially not if it’s hurting you.”

His eyes closed and he sighed.

“Marinette, you are...”, he struggled to find the right word, “... miraculous.”

She stiffened, but he wasn’t finished yet.

“You give more than you need to, even to people like Chloé. And with her, it actually kind of worked. But not every one will be appreciative of your efforts, no matter how much of your... your light you want to share. They’ll just keep on taking, maybe just because they don’t know any better. But it’s not your responsibility to fix them.”

He grasped her shoulders and cautiously separated them, even though part of him wanted to never let go. Her eyes were too... dispirited for someone who was usually sparking with energy. He kept eye contact anyway, needing her to understand.

“You’re the most generous person I know, just because you enjoy caring so much. It’s what I... what I adore about you. But Marinette, listen.”

He took her hands between his.

“It’s okay if you want to care for yourself, too. Don’t let yourself be used.”

She cast her eyes down, as if he had reminded her of something.

“He...”, she started. “He said you are using me.”

He watched her expression, fearing what he might find.

“Do you believe him?”

“No”

The answer was so swift, so confident he didn’t doubt it for second. His heart missed a few beats, before starting to race at doubled speed.

“Then... why are you so sad?”, he tried to drown his far too fast pulse out. She looked up again.

“Because he believes it. He doesn’t trust me. And the worst thing is, I can see how he treats our other friends. Why would I be any different? He wouldn’t care if you truly were manipulating me, as long as you were polite about it.”

She was right, but he doubted she wanted him to confirm it.

“It’s pathetic.”, she whispered. “I hate feeling like this. I hate it.”

He understood. God knew, the first fourteen years of his life had made him feel just like this.

“I know.”, he said honestly. “It’s going to-“

He froze. The hairs at his neck rose and a fluttering sound reached his ears. Was that...?

“Watch out!”, he shouted and pulled Marinette away, just when a purple glowing butterfly went for her earrings. It missed her by centimeters at most, and immediately followed her.

“Don’t touch it!”, Marinette yelled, letting go of his hand to dodge another attempt of the akuma.

“I can handle this!”

He jumped backwards when it came closer to him by accident, having missed Marinette once again. He’d never seen an akuma, only read about attacks on the Internet. And now one was targeting Marinette. One of the most dangerous creatures in the world was targeting Marinette.

Only because of Adrien.

“No!”

He got back to his feet and grabbed Marinette’s hand, pulling her behind him. He wouldn’t let this happen!

But just when the Akuma tried again, she managed to escape his arm and jump in front of him.

“Marinette!”

“I can hold it off!”, she declared with fervor. Her face was still tear-stained, but her posture was proud and her eyes determined. She planted herself between him and the butterfly, spreading her arms like a physical barrier.

“Trust me!”, she pleaded when he moved to pull her away, and he stopped mid-movement. She wasn’t looking at him, eyes fixed on the threat that was suspended above them. It had stopped its advance, even started to retreat.

“I can do this.”

“What are you doing?”, he hissed, scrambling for something - anything - he could throw at the corrupted insect. His fingers closed around the pen he’d dropped when he’d searched for tissues, his favorite. The one Cordelia had bought him for his birthday, the one Rossi had stolen, the one Marinette had helped him repair the last weekend. The one he’d gladly sacrifice if it meant she was safe.

But... whatever Marinette was doing, it worked.

“Hawkmoth only has power over me if I yield it to him.”, Marinette said calmly, her eyes following the akuma. In this moment she was no clumsy, funny student. No. As fierce and concentrated as she was, she could have been Ladybug herself right now.

“His power needs me to lose control of my emotions.”

Her glare alone could keep every villain at a safe distance, he learned.

“He needs people at their lowest.”, she breathed in. “But I can always find a solution.”

She breathed out.

“He can only use the openings I give him.”

Maybe he’d imagined it, but for a moment she looked as if she were smiling.

“And I’ll give him nothing.”

Finally, the akuma changed its course, flying over the yard in search of a new victim. Felix noticed his hands were shaking.

“How did you do that?”, he whispered. He didn’t know if she could hear the awe in his voice.

Her hands lowered to her sides and she turned to him.

“I... stay positive, I guess. No matter what life throws at me. I already did this a few times now, after all.”

His face fell, shocked.

A few times...? She’d had to fight off a creature that no one else had resisted yet, and this wasn’t even the first time?!

His hands clenched to fists when he remembered how she had looked just a few seconds ago. Tears on her face, eyes ablaze with pain and holding onto him as if her life depended on it. What if she’d felt like this before? Maybe it hadn’t even been Adrien that had torn her down, maybe Césaire had simply pushed her a bit too far, or Lila had lied about her one time to often.

And he hadn’t been here yet. Had she faced the other akumas alone? Had she hid away like now, abandoned by those she gave everything for?

“Felix?”

He didn’t hear her, only clenched his fists until the cap of his pen dug into his skin.

“Felix, d-don’t get upset now, you hear me? It’s alright, I swear it’s- Felix!”

A sudden heat in his palm made him look down, just as purple lights clouded his vision. The pen in his hand had turned black, he noticed, before his perception was torn into every direction at once.

“Sentiquill,” a voice called him, the word resonating in his mind, “I am Hawkmoth.”

He couldn’t hear properly; his attention was split between the darkness spreading through his head and the girl that clung to him. Saying words he didn’t understand, in a voice that was caught between soothing and panicking.

“I will allow you to use the darkness other’s hide inside, concealed from view.”, the other voice continued and he blinked, trying to remember what he was doing. Marinette. Why was she crying?

“If you bring me Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculous,’ I will grant you the power to stand sentinel over those you love,” new words seeped into his consciousness, “and to punish those who hurt them.”

He didn’t understand, only knew that Marinette was here, she was in pain, and he didn’t know how to help.

“Do you accept my offer?”

His arms closed around Marinette, trying to shield her from what had made her cry. It wasn’t enough, was never enough, he couldn’t help her because he needed more power, more strength and she would do everything for him as well, wouldn’t she?

His lips formed “yes” on their own, and the darkness in his head took over.

With a last, scared glance at Marinette, Felix faded into black.

And Sentiquill opened his eyes.

- - -

Mwahahaha!

@crazycookie13o @a-6-yearold-inside @sinfulfoxbeast @kuroko26 @sternsneeze @zeyheartstaylor @elliecake5 @kristycocopop @yamadochie @sofmimis @enigmaticagitator @offically-over-it @earth-demon @juhavs @omgelisahagemanuniverse @owllover132 @kaydenth3gayden @janaikam @mewwitch @bluerosette23 @fanboy7794 @slytherin-batbitch @fanatic-kay @shadowberrybinch @angstyrastuff @loosescrewslefty @im-here-for-the-content @lexysama @anonymouse-thoughts @chxtons @ilseofskadi @fafik7 @bloody-no-kissu @himevampirechan @goldenmoonbeam @chrismarium @akiyukiko @heaven428 @magnitude101999 @jazzybabycakes @edith-of-the-moon @ayuchan07 @orrabbit @karin-ochibi-chan @queersnake @maddrag @theonemagic @clumsy-owl-4178 @viverse @sizzling-fairy-oil @a-marlene-s @hanabiri @shine-brightandbeautiful @sleepyconspirator @wonderbreadnicoinwonderland @cxndy-stxrs @ginamariepotterhead 

[ericsonclan]

You Done Tattooing That Piano?

Summary: After missing her chance to tell Louis how she really feels, Clementine comes up with another way to reveal her affections.

Read on A03:

Notes: Wrote this after playing Louis' friendship route and being convinced the entire time that those two were just fooling themselves by labelling what they have as "friendship". Those crazy kids... <3

Clementine was in trouble. Here she was, nearly two months into meeting Louis, and all she seemed to be able to think about in every spare moment was him. This shouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, she’d never expected she’d even get a chance to feel like this again. The last time anything even approaching these feelings hit her, she’d been young, alone and too focused on her mission to pursue anything further. Now she had a home, a family, a boy who made her spine tingle every time he smiled at her from across the picnic table... she was finally in a place where she could start a relationship. The only problem? She was pretty sure she’d already turned Louis down.

She hadn’t known what to expect that night she decided to accompany Louis to the piano room. Hearing the music fill the room as Louis sat alone in the candlelight had stirred something within Clementine, a feeling that at that time she couldn’t quite place. Sitting beside Louis at his beloved piano in the dead of night had driven one truth home for Clementine: she cared for this boy, deeply. But when the knife was placed in her hand and she’d finished carving her initial next to Louis’, Clementine had frozen. Everything was happening too quickly. She’d only known Louis a little over two weeks. Were these emotions bubbling up inside her something permanent or a side effect of the nerves she had from waiting for the raiders to attack. Could she really take a leap like this when any second the Delta could tear down their gates and all this could be taken away from her.

She’d handed the knife back to Louis. Then Louis had opened up to her, thanking her for the times she’d listened when no one else had, how she understood him as someone beyond the jokes he told. Clementine hadn’t known what to say to that. How could she encapsulate the admiration she held for Louis, the gratefulness she felt that he’d forgiven her and A.J. after everything had gone so wrong? She went with what she knew. “Friends are all we’ve got, and I’m glad we’ve got each other,” Louis had offered her a fist bump which she’d returned with a bit too much force, the song Louis composed was named “Super Fun Times Friend Song” and they’d shared a few more laughs before Clementine was called away to watch duty. It had been nice, but something in the back of Clementine’s mind left her feeling that things could have gone in a different direction.

The weeks following the attack on the Delta had confirmed this for Clementine. Every step of the way, Louis had been there for her. During the battle to rescue their friends, when he’d circled back to help her and A.J. find their way to the school, and when he’d run breathlessly through the forest with Clementine cradled in his arms, desperate to get her to Ruby before it was too late. He’d sat by her bed for weeks as she recuperated, playing music on the gramophone since he couldn’t bring the piano to her. He’d helped her navigate the school with her crutches, saved her from many a spill, and was always there to cheer her up when she was feeling down.

Every time her eyes met his, Clementine saw something in them, a look that no one else gave her, one that sent her heart tumbling within her in an instant. She knew there was something between them. But Louis went no further than those looks. He never took the next step, never asked or said anything that did more than proclaim their undying friendship for each other. Three weeks out of bed and on her crutches, Clementine was forced to face an uncomfortable fact: that night at the piano room had been Louis’ move. If she ever wanted anything more to happen between them, the ball was in her court.

Considering how spectacularly she’d flubbed a verbal confession to Louis, Clementine doubted she’d have much more luck with a second attempt. Should she write a letter? No, her writings skills and penmanship had basically dried up at a third-grade level. She wouldn’t be able to express all that she wanted to say on paper. Perhaps a gesture then: taking on his chores, offering him some of her stew at dinner, picking flower from the greenhouse. Clementine quickly decided none of those would work. Louis wouldn’t accept her taking on any extra chores or giving up her food so soon after losing her leg and as for the flowers, Clementine could just hear Louis’ voice in her head as he told everyone at the school about the lovely “friendship flowers” Clementine had gotten him. No, it had to be something undeniably romantic.

Clementine was lying on her bed one morning when inspiration finally struck. Of course. She didn’t need to come up with something new at all. What she should do to prove her feelings was the very thing she’d been too afraid to do that night. Grabbing her crutches, Clementine snuck down the hall as quietly as she could, making her way to the music room. On her way there, she spotted Louis standing on watch duty. Good. She didn’t want to risk him walking in on her. She wanted to keep it a surprise. As soon as Clementine reached the piano, she plopped down on the bench, casting her crutches to the side. Pulling out her own knife, she tattooed the piano once more, adding a heart around her and Louis’ initials. Next time Louis sat down to play, he would see the heart and know what it meant: that Clementine was willing to give something beyond friendship a try if he was. Her work done, Clementine pocketed the knife and picked up her crutches, making her way out of the room before anybody could spot her there. Her heart beat excitedly within her. She wondered how long it would be until Louis visited his piano again.

That evening, things seemed to be going normally at Ericson. Omar had ladled out the stew and almost everyone had sat down to eat. Ruby and Aasim were sitting by each other with Willy to their right, Violet sitting across from him. A.J. sat to Clementine’s left while her right side, the spot normally taken by Louis, remained open. Clementine wondered where he was. It wasn’t like him to miss out on their biggest meal of the day.

Suddenly the doors to the admin building burst open. Louis strode out looking angrier than any of them had seen in some time. Making his way over to the picnic table, he stood at the head of it, his hand on his hips. “Alright, whoever thought it would be funny to graffiti my piano better own up right now,���

“What are you talking about, Lou?” Violet asked, placing down her spoon and squinting at him with her good eye. “That piano’s already been graffitied more times than I can count and you never cared before,”

“I’m not talking about the old graffiti. I’m talking about the new addition somebody made today. Now who thought it would be funny to draw a heart around Clem and I’s initials?”

Clementine’s heart dropped into her gut. He’s angry about it? Maybe she’d been misreading things this whole time.

“Louis, this is silly,” Aasim stated dismissively. “Why in the world would any of us want to do that?”

“Bold words from one of my primary suspects!” Louis declared, jabbing a finger in Aasim’s direction. “If you feel the need to get back at me for all the times I’ve teased you, leave Clem out of it. Our friendship isn’t a joking matter. It’s something I take very seriously, and I thought you of all people with all your talk of “privacy” would respect that!"

“It wasn’t me!” Aasim’s eyes narrowed at the accusation.

Ruby tried to place a comforting hand over her boyfriend’s arm. “Now let’s not fight about something so silly-”

“Silly? Don’t act as if you’re not a potential culprit too, Ruby,” Louis interjected.

“Now why in the world would I be a suspect?” Ruby challenged, her lower lip jutting out as she frowned.

Clementine wished she could disappear into the ground right about now. This wasn’t how she’d expected things to go at all.

Louis rolled his eyes. “You’re always complaining about how everyone’s teasing you and Aasim for being so lovey-dovey around each other. Did you think pretending Clementine and I were a thing would get some of the heat off of you two? Clementine is my best friend, that’s all! You can’t go spreading lies to make yourself feel better,”

Ruby gasped, clearly insulted. “You think you can just go around making claims like that? Well, let me tell you-”

“This is all fucking stupid,” Violet grumbled. “Someone just ‘fess up,”

“Was that a deflection, Vi?” Louis challenged, his eyebrow raised. “Did you-”

“Alright, enough!” Clementine shouted, her volume bringing everyone to a standstill. “I was the one who left the heart, OK? It was me,”

“You?” Louis asked, looking utterly lost.

“Yeah,” Clementine looked down at the table, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. “It wasn’t a joke or anything. I thought it’d be an easier way to let you know. Guess I was wrong,”

Everyone at the table was silent. Willy and A.J. were watching in confusion, their faces still covered in leftover stew. All eyes were on either Louis or Clementine, waiting for either of them to speak. Neither did.

Louis was the first to do something. Without a word, he turned around, heading straight back to the admin building.

Shit. I fucked up. Clementine didn’t have to raise her head to feel the heat of the stares upon her. Silently, she picked up her spoon and resumed eating her stew. I don’t get it. Would it be that bad to be with me? There’s not a single other available girl his age anywhere near here. Everything I thought I saw though... I must have made it all up myself.

“Clementine…” Ruby’s voice was soft, almost sad.

She couldn’t stick around for this. Grabbing her crutches, Clementine rose to her feet. “I’m gonna call it a night,” With that she made her way back toward the dorms, unwilling to look back and see the pitying gazes following her. I can’t believe it went down like this. Here I was so confident it was a sure thing, and then…

Clementine paused in her journey, looking toward the admin building. Louis was in there right now, probably trying to figure out a way to scratch out that stupid heart from his piano. Did he hate her now? Clementine couldn’t bear the thought of that. Did she owe him an apology for what she’d done, humiliating him in front of all their friends when he could have turned her down in private if she’d just had the guts to confess? Maybe there wasn’t anyone to blame here. It was all a misunderstanding. Still, she didn’t want to go to bed thinking Louis was angry at her. Steeling her resolve, Clementine switched course and set out for the admin building.

Everything was completely silent as Clementine entered, slowly turning down the hall to the music room. She tried to keep as quiet as possible, her crutches softly tapping the floor and her foot lightly scuffing it each time she took a step. She could feel her gut twisting in dread. She didn’t know what she would say to Louis when she got there. Perhaps he wasn’t even in the music room after all. No sound came from it now. As she neared the ajar doors, Clementine peered through the crack, trying to get an idea of what was happening inside.

Louis was in there after all, sitting at the piano. He wasn’t playing though. Instead he was staring at the carved heart. He reached out to touch it, his other hand coming up to cover his mouth. What was going on? After a minute of reflection, Louis reached inside his coat pocket, pulling out his dagger. He’d decided to scratch the heart out after all. As he dug his knife into the wood of the piano, Clementine looked away. It was a mistake coming here. She should go.

When she turned her crutches to leave though, one ran into one of the empty cans scattered throughout the hallway. Clementine winced as the sound echoed down the hall.

“Who’s there?”

No escaping now. Clementine pressed open the doors, too ashamed to meet Louis’ eyes. “Louis, I just came by to apologize. I never meant to embarrass you like that. Whatever you want to do to get rid of that stupid heart is fine with me,”

Louis looked confused for a moment before a soft smile crossed his face. He patted the spot beside him on the piano bench. “Care to sit with me for a minute, Clemster?”

Clementine was puzzled but complied. Sitting down beside Louis, she leaned her crutches against the piano before turning to face him.

“Guess I shouldn’t have run off like that,” Louis scratched the back of his neck, not making eye contact. “I wasn’t really thinking that clearly after I heard you say you were the one who left the heart. I had to visit again to make sure it was actually real. And it is,” He looked back to where the heart with their initials lay. “Then I wanted to add something of my own,”

Clementine glanced up in surprise, her eyes locking on the carving. It wasn’t scratched out after all. The heart was still there, and their initials, but something new lay between them. Where before there was simply a C and an L, now there was a plus sign connecting the two. Clementine’s eyes shot over to Louis. She saw that same look there that had been making her heart flutter these past few weeks.

“It’s complete now,” A small grin formed on Louis’ face.

“I can see that,” Clementine felt a smile tugging at her own lips, a giddiness bubbling up inside her. “So I guess that means… we’re more than friends now,”

“Definitely,” The grin had widened, covering Louis’ entire face now. “More than best friends too! Man, who would’ve thought after that card game where you denied having feelings for anyone that you were in fact lying. You do have feelings for someone, someone named Louis. Which just so happens to be my name!”

Before Louis could say anything more, Clementine leaned upwards, capturing his lips in a quick kiss. Screw caution, she was going for what she wanted.

Louis met the kiss eagerly, his own lips pressing against hers, causing a small moan to escape Clementine’s lips.

Clementine immediately drew back, her face overheating as she realized the sound she’d just made. She glanced up to see how Louis was taking it, but he seemed to be in some sort of blissful haze, giggling excitedly as he looked over at her.

“God, how lucky am I? I’ve got the coolest best friend in the world and now it turns out she likes me too? That’s the dream,”

Clementine smiled up at Louis, basking in the moment. This was what she’d wanted all along. She’d just been too scared to let herself admit it until now. Thinking of the others, she turned her head to look back, hoping that none of them had thought to come check on them. “Do you think we ought to head back? We did stir up a lot of drama back there,”

“Ah, it can wait till tomorrow,” Louis waved his hand dismissively. “A moment like this calls for celebration. I’ll have you know I did not plan to call the song I played for you that night “Super Fun Times Friend Song”. I hereby retract that title so I can assign it one more befitting,”

“And what exactly did you have in mind?” Clementine asked, her eyes crinkling in amusement at Louis’ excitement.

“’Clementine’. Y’know, because I like fruit. And I like you even more so… there,”

That had Clementine blushing. She felt her face heating up as Louis began to play the song, the beautiful melody filling the room and dancing around them. Clementine let the music seep into her bones, taking in how much this song meant to Louis. It was the first thing he’d ever composed and he’d named it after her. That was the greatest gift she could ever imagine.

Slowly Clementine let her head rest upon Louis’ shoulder. She felt him flinch for an instant, but he didn’t miss a beat, continuing on with his music without dropping a single note. Clementine closed her eyes. She could see why Louis had gone to double check the piano. She didn’t quite believe this was real herself. But it was. She was home, she was happy, and her best friend was now something so much more to her. She felt complete.