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evolutionsvoid · 2 years ago

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I really have to ask what people's deal with sharks are, I don't quite get it. What is it about the word "shark" that gets humans scrambling and screaming? I swear you get the same reaction from folks who don't even live near the ocean! To most people, sharks are vicious saw-toothed sea monsters that follow ships like omens of death and messily devour any who dare fall into their domain. True bloodthirsty killers! I will concede that they eat meat, can't deny that, but what else about them is so terrifying? Most I get when I push folk on the subject is them saying: "well, they eat people!" AND!? What about it!? Do you have any idea how many things in the ocean would eat you if given the opportunity?! I got at least a dozen other species out there in the open sea that eat flesh and are way more scary then a simple hungry fish! And I am not even counting the more unnatural denizens of the ocean! You guys do know that there are a bunch of ex-humans lurking down in the depths, right? You got massive sea serpents, great leviathans, and species you have literally called EVIL WHALES! With all that in mind, why give the sharks any grief?! From what I have heard, they seem way more reasonable then some other oceanic beasts. I have been at sea dozens of times, and I am not the least bit scared of a shark! To be fair, though, I guess a plant doesn't have much to fear from them, especially when I am more worried about the sea water itself...

There are plenty of shark species around the world that garner fear and superstition (still not fully sure why), but the one we shall focus on here is the Isonade. Like all sharks, they are fish with a whole lot more cartilage than bone, and plenty of pointy bits. Their scales are hardened and sharpened, forming denticles, which allow their bodies to cut through the water with ease. This reduces drag while they swim, and also makes them more stealthy in their movements. Isonades have their denticles more overtly spiny and pointy, making for very rough skin if you ever rub them wrong. Along their fins, these scales have gained a more blade-like edge, allowing them to slice into flesh as they swim by prey. It isn't just their scales, as almost every part of the Isonade's body is sharp and toothed. Their snouts are pointed like arrows, not exactly sharp enough to be a weapon but it does give them a wicked look. Their teeth are masses of inwards facing hooks, which makes their bite impossible to escape. They have even developed spurs near fins and on other parts of the body, to further ward off predators. However, the most notable feature on their spiny serpentine body are the trailing tendrils.

To some, it may look like the Isonade is throwing itself a one fish parade, and they brought along some streamers! Though fleshy and tendril looking, they aren't prehensile or used like limbs. Don't expect octopus-like movements from these growths. They simply flow behind the Isonade as it swims, but they aren't just meant to look pretty. If one can get a close enough look, or have the misfortune of grabbing one with their bare hands, they would find that these tendrils are lined with small nasty barbs. They are tiny and sharp, so they don't cause much drag, but they have quite the bite! Brushing against one of these growths will cause countless of these barbs to snag skin and hold tight. Depending on how deep they go, you may be able to tear yourself free, as long as you are willing to sacrifice some skin. This should probably give you a good idea for what they are used for!

As the Isonade swims through the ocean, it is following its keen senses to find prey. What they are looking for are squid, octopi and other soft bodied prey. When food is spotted, they pick up speed, their bladed form slicing straight towards prey like an arrow. Their mouth yawns open, revealing their many hooked teeth, and it moves in for a bite. Most of the time, though, this chomp comes up empty, as the prey zips out of the danger zone. Unfortunately, this bite was a weak attempt, as the real weapon is just about to arrive. As its food jets off to the side of the chomping jaws, the Isonade twists its body and whips its tail around. Its back end comes swinging around to the front, bringing a whole tangle of barbed tendrils with it. For animals with soft flesh and lots of long limbs, it is inevitable that these barbs will find something to snag. Prey will be hooked by this whipping tail, and further movements from both hunter and hunted will cause them to be further ensnared. With dinner properly caught, the shark will quickly loop itself around, its serpentine body letting its jaws reach the back fin. Now they will bite down on their food and tear them out of this trap, often leaving behind loose flesh and tendrils still caught in the barbs. The large chunks will be wolfed down, and then the hunt will resume. Sometimes they will clean the bigger pieces off of its hooked tendrils, but it is fine leaving a couple morsels behind. It will be food for the clouds of scavengers who will gladly clean off what scraps are left. This is why the big shark is often followed by countless fish, as they know this predator is a notoriously messy eater. Cephalopods are the main staple of their diet, but they do eat other things if need be. The hooked tendrils can catch on the gills of larger fish, slowing them enough for the Isonade to take out. Some believe that the shark may even feed on some of the scavengers if one gets too eager and gets caught up in the barbs. However, they don't just eat the things that live underwater! Research has found that Isonades will actually go after sea birds, targeting those that float on the surface. When schools of fish are driven upwards, the sea birds converge for a chance to feed. The slippery scales of small fish make them hard to hook, but a bird does not have this protection. As these flocks focus on finding the right fish to nab, the Isonade is prowling below, waiting to strike. When it sees a promising congregation of swimming birds, it launches forth and whips them with its tail. Barbs grab hold of feather and flesh, and they are pulled down below. The Isonade swallows them whole and goes back looking for seconds. While this hunting method is horrifying for the birds, it is incredible to see! They move so fast and silently, you don't see them coming! Then they pull off a tight turn and let their tail rip from the water and ensnare prey. This method means you very rarely see their front ends, rather you catch glimpses of a gnarly tail rising from the deep before vanishing below with its doomed prey. It is quite the spectacle, as foam and feathers fly! However, it is one best seen from afar, as their hunting method have made them a bit infamous.

With their larger size and barbed weaponry, they are already intimidating fish for most people. But as long as you stay out of the water you should be fine, right? Well, most of the time the answer would be "yes," but the Isonade can break this rule. This sea bird hunting means that their tails rise out of the surf and swing around like nasty whips. They are after birds, but they can't really control what they hit. Whatever they snag gets pulled down with them, and if it is food they will happily eat it. So if a person in a boat gets whipped by this tail and hooked, then they will be yanked off their feet and towed into the depths. The Isonade will note that it is an odd bird, but still give this morsel a taste. If blood and flesh is detected, then it will chow down. This is what I mean about giving these hunters a wide berth, as their tails have a wider range than you think and will totally snag clothes and skin. Sadly, sometimes avoidance is harder than one would imagine. While Isonades are infamous to fishermen, these sharks don't really target them. The sea birds, however, love fishermen and the easy meals their nets can provide. When these flocks follow boats to try and steal a meal, an Isonade may think it a good time to feed. Unfortunately, that means they hunt close to the boats, and thus their tails can catch an unwary fishermen and drag them to their doom. It is certainly a terrible situation, but you have to see why these accidents happen. The Isonade is not a malicious creature hungering for human flesh, they just find themselves hunting at the wrong place and the wrong time. With many of these incidents occurring over the years, the Isonade has become a feared beast of the sea. Some equate them to phantoms, as their silent speedy movements make them hard to spot, and their fins and victims vanish within moments. They are also a problem for fishing nets, as their sharp scales rip them to ribbons and they aren't above grabbing some free fish while they are at it. This has led to a rise in Isonade hunting, especially when people find uses for their hide. Isonade skin is valued for clothing, weapon handles and even graters! The sharper bits are often worked into more nefarious garments, creating hidden blades and ways to secretly draw blood from foes. In some darker corners, the barbed tendrils of the Isonade were used for punishment and torture, either being wielded like whips or force fed to prisoners to tear them apart from the inside. A horrific meal for sure, but Isonade can be properly prepared and served. Their meat is seen as a delicacy, though all the spiny bits need to be removed. The tendrils are not eaten, but often used to decorate fish markets and restaurants. This makes researchers worry for the future of the Isonade, as their man-eating encounters make them villains, and their edible flesh makes them targets. We have already seen Isonade fishing become more popular, so it is a wonder of how much higher it will go. I truly hope things stabilize and our shark friends remain a constant to the ocean ecosystem. Makes me think of that story I read about with the boy that helped free a trapped Isonade. There was a drawing on the cover that always stuck with me. You got the kid standing there with arms raised triumphantly, and the graceful Isonade leaping overhead in a wonderful watery arc. It really is a moving piece, though I think the artist failed to note the trailing barbed tendrils that come from the Isonade's tail. Not to be a downer, but that kid is kinda in trouble when that Isonade comes crashing back down. Last I recall, the story doesn't end with the boy being snared by thousands of barbs and dragged into a watery grave, but that picture kind of hints at that. I should probably stop pointing that out, as it kind of sours the mood for people who enjoy that story. Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian

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“Isonade”

If we are making a shark, then not just any shark will do!

#isonade #shark #fish #sea monster #art #drawing

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accidentalmistress · 1 year ago

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Accidental Mistress - This Feeling

Apologies for being a day late, but the fic is finally here. This one follows directly after the events of Broken, so it might be a good idea to read that first if you haven't.

(For more Accidental Mistress content, check out the Master Post.)

Title: This Feeling

Word Count: 8,531

Content and Warnings: snz (F, N-B, mention of male snz), illness, caretaking

In which Oraion must learn to adapt to a situation he's never experienced in his long life - being responsible for a sick human.

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Even without looking, he could feel those golden eyes boring into him. He always hated that unnerving, probing gaze that seemed to strip him bare despite the layers of his robes, so he kept his gaze ahead as they walked and he tried to process the words being spoken to him.

"I am sorry. It brings me no pleasure to bear this news. I know how much you care for her."

He took a breath and attempted, with great effort, to keep his voice calm.

"There has to be another way."

"Oraion." The man placed a firm hand on his arm, stopping him, but his tone softened a moment later. "There is not. Believe me, I have done everything within my power to find another path, but… there is none. The process has already begun; her fate cannot be changed. Not even by me. One way or another, she will die—"

He shut his own eyes. "No—!"

"Nothing can change that now. The only thing we can do is to ensure that it happens while she is still herself." He sighed and his touch vanished from Oraion’s arm. “I… would like to offer you the opportunity. I understand if you cannot do it, but it seemed wrong not to ask you first.”

At last Oraion turned to the man beside him, the absurdity of those words drawing him to seek some hint of alternate meaning in the other’s face. He shuddered when those eyes met his, unable to suppress the motion. One look told him everything he needed to know.

"You want me to…? Are you seriously asking me to kill her?!"

"I am not going to force you. We will find another to—"

"No! I do not wish for her to die!"

The other man lifted his chin, those horrible eyes growing narrow and cold.

"I believe I made it clear that you do not have a say in the matter. The only reason you and I are even having this conversation is out of respect for your aeons of faithful service. Her sacrifice will forestall disaster and spare countless lives. Surely you understand that. I do not make this decision lightly, but the needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the few. Or do you intend to oppose the will of the gods?"

Oraion awoke.

Morning. He reached a hand up to his face and traced a lingering trail of wetness with his fingers.

"... a memory?"

It had been quite some time since he had dreamed of that day, and longer still back to the time it had occurred. Ages ago, literally.

As he sat up in bed and cast about with bleary eyes, the demon realized he was not in his own room, but Noelle’s. A moment later the events of the previous evening came rushing back to him in a fresh torrent of emotion and flashes of memory. Noelle coming home bloody and bruised, her breakdown in the front hall, the bath he had given her, tucking her into bed, brewing her the tea that lulled her to sleep, and then…

He couldn’t tell her what he’d done. She didn’t want him to seek retribution for her. Yet old habits died hard, it seemed. Besides, he hadn’t killed the young men who had beaten her—he only visited upon them the same level of pain they had inflicted upon his Mistress. An eye for an eye, as they say.

His gaze fell upon her next to him in the bed, still fast asleep. She moaned a little and turned over, her expression tense. Oraion knew well that her sleep was often plagued by nightmares, but this morning her face was unusually flush. A lock of hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, and as Oraion went to gently brush the hair out of her face he was surprised at how warm her skin felt. Her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked up at him.

“Mmh… Oraion?”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Are you all right? You feel oddly warm.”

“Do I?” As she sat up, her chest spasmed with several harsh coughs. “Ugh, I hope I don't have a cold.”

“What? Are you… cold?”

Her brown eyes flicked to the side, hesitant. “Oh… Um, i-it’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

She tried to get up out of the bed, wincing, and Oraion was on his feet and by her side in an instant. She gave him a sheepish smile.

“I guess I am a bit sore in a few places.”

“Your ankle—are you certain you should be walking on it?”

“It actually feels much better today, thanks to that bath. As long as I’m careful it’ll be all right.”

“Mistress, perhaps you should stay in bed and rest…”

Noelle grimaced and shook her head. “I can’t just lie around all day; I’ll only feel like a bother, and I’ve had quite enough of that. Really, I’m fine, Oraion…”

A sort of distracted look came over her face before she suddenly put her hands over her nose and mouth as her eyes squeezed shut.

“Ishoo! Ishoo! Oh gosh…”

Despite his concern, Oraion couldn’t help but think how cute she was when she sneezed. Gods, she really was rubbing off on him, wasn’t she? Well, his only real experience with sneezing had thus far been in an almost entirely sexual context, so could anyone really blame him for the association?

“Bless you, dear. You were sneezing last night, too.”

She sniffled as her cheeks turned a bit pink. “I-I know. I, uh… It- It was so chilly out last night, y-you know? I, um, guess it got me a bit sniffly.”

Oraion pursed his lips. He had the distinct feeling that Noelle was hiding something, but what it could possibly be, he had no idea. After her ordeal last night, however, he was reluctant to press the issue. Surely she would open up to him when she was ready.

“Is there anything I can do for you, then?”

“Um… Would you make me some more tea? If you don’t mind. I think I’ll just go wash up a bit—I’m so sweaty.”

Oraion nodded, glad to have a clear task to focus on. He made his way down to the kitchen and set about preparing the tea. He was embarrassed to admit it, but it occurred that he should probably learn to make proper food. He’d never needed to, not before he was a Demon Lord, and certainly not since. It always felt beneath him, but whenever he watched Noelle do it there seemed to be a sort of simple joy in it that he’d never bothered to take notice of before. More memories of the previous night came back to him.

“You could always, um, stay here with me. We can just… live like this.”

Could he actually stay here with her? Live like a mortal with her until…

Until she died.

Death. It was what made mortals mortal. It would happen to her one day, hopefully many years from now, but it would happen all the same. So many years had already passed Oraion by; the span of a mortal life was but a fraction of his own. Was he really going to put himself through the pain of staying with her, only to lose her when her time ran out? What was he thinking? He wasn’t thinking, he was letting his emotions rule him, just as he had back then.

Oraion closed his eyes and sighed. How had he gotten in so deep in a single year? Was it this contract that bound him to her? Was it influencing his mind? Making him care for her? Or were these feelings real? Did he… love her? Gods, it had certainly felt like it the night before.

He could still feel the heat of rage that seethed just below the surface, even after giving those thugs the thrashing they deserved. He knew, though, that much of the rage that remained was self-directed. He had failed to protect her, ostensibly his most important duty as her Servant, a role he had come to accept, even enjoy. At first he only felt distaste towards the very idea of being anyone’s “servant”, but Noelle never treated him like an inferior, never enforced a typical Master/Servant relationship. She had always treated him as an equal, a partner…

How did she feel about him? Did she harbor similar feelings as he did?

The demon took both hands and rubbed them up and down his face with a groan.

“Ugh… fuck. I really need to get a grip on myself and make this damned tea instead of having an existential crisis in the kitchen.”

Once the drink was ready, he carried it carefully upstairs. Noelle wasn’t back in her room yet, so he set the tea down next to the bed. Should he check on her? Or was he being overprotective? Caring for her had felt so natural last night, but now he couldn’t help but second-guess his every move. He’d certainly done an excellent job of confusing himself, that was the only thing he was certain about at this point.

He approached the bathroom door and stood outside it for a moment, hesitating, before he steeled himself and rapped on the door.

“Mistress? Are you all right?”

No answer, only the sound of running water. He knocked again.

“… Mistress?”

When silence remained the only answer he grabbed the handle and opened the door, anxiety snaking through his stomach before it dropped as though it fell through the entire tower.

Noelle was lying on the floor, unmoving.

Oraion didn’t even remember crossing the distance before he was at her side, cradling her in his arms.

“Noelle?!”

He lifted her off the floor and carried her to the bedroom, placing her gently on the bed before checking her over. She was breathing and he could sense her heartbeat, but she remained senseless no matter how many times he called her name. Her body felt even hotter than it had before, like she was burning up.

Wait, was this what humans called a “fever”? Her odd behavior, the sneezing and coughing, it all clicked into place.

Noelle was sick.

Oraion racked his brain, trying to remember anything he knew about human illnesses. It had been so long since he’d needed to concern himself with such things, though—at least a thousand years, if not more. Sickness had not even occurred to him as a possibility. What was a simple fact of life for humans was a foreign concept to demons, who were no more familiar with getting sick than they were with growing old: it simply did not happen.

He vaguely recalled something about humans becoming ill if you left them cold and wet for too long. Noelle had been awfully cold when she’d arrived home, and her clothes were soaked through. Was that what she meant when she said she might “have a cold”? Another reason those hooligans deserved what they’d gotten. It was their fault his Mistress was now ill.

Let’s see, what do I know about fevers…? There was that one village back in Shinchuro Province, about three thousand years ago, I think. A fever swept through and they begged for a cure because so many were dying.

He looked back to Noelle with renewed alarm. Were fevers really so deadly to humans? He began to pace, his tail lashing. Had he his full power, he could cure her in an instant with but a touch, but now… His hands balled into fists, enraged at his own impotence. He was only just beginning to untangle his own feelings for her—would the gods really take her from him now? Hadn’t he suffered enough for them?

No, there had to be something he could do. She’d only just fallen ill, so perhaps there was a way to stop the disease from progressing before it was too late. How was he supposed to figure out what that was, though? Most of Oraion’s knowledge of healing herbs was related to their properties on wounds and other physical injuries, not illnesses. Was there anyone he could turn to for help?

His pacing came to an abrupt stop. There was one person he could think of…

* * *

“Hyah!”

Metal bit into wood with a thunk as sword struck training dummy, shaving a chunk off of what would have been an actual person’s shoulder. Quinns wiped a sleeve across their brow: even in the crisp air of an autumn morning they were working up quite a sweat. A number of other members of the Knights honed their skills on other wooden or straw opponents and sparred against each other. Quinns stepped back and shook their shoulders loose, lining up for another go. A shoulder shot wouldn’t take down a truly dangerous opponent. They needed to do better.

They tightened their grip on their sword, assumed a fighting stance, pushed off with their back foot, and—

“Quinns!”

“Hhhgk?!”

Their strike went wide, missing the training dummy altogether. They stumbled as their sword met nothing but empty air, their shoulder protesting as they bounced off the training dummy and fell backwards, landing on their backside.

“Whoa! You okay there, Shaw?”

They heard several snickers and felt everyone’s eyes on them as they climbed back to their feet. The guy who’d called out to them wore a grin they dearly wished they could wipe off his smug face. Instead they took a deep breath and kept their voice even as they wiped the dirt off their uniform.

“I’m fine. Just lost my footing. I’m taking a break.”

Without another word Quinns sheathed their sword and went off to the side of the training grounds before sitting on a low wall.

“What the hell was that? It almost sounded like—”

“Like Oraion? Yes, hello, it is me.”

Quinns blinked as their mouth dropped open, barely stopping themself from swearing aloud.

“What. The. Fuck. Are you seriously inside my fucking head?!”

“Mm, yes and no. I’m not in your head to the point where I can read your thoughts or anything, but I am speaking directly into your mind.”

“What?! Why? HOW?”

“With great effort, and it’s only working because you’re relatively close by. Now, I don’t have time for a lesson in psionics: I need your help.”

“... What did you do now?”

“Nothing! Why do you always—? Ugh, never mind. Listen: Noelle is sick, and… I don’t know what to do.”

“Sick? Sick how?”

“I, uh, I think she has a fever? Her body is very warm. She said it wasn’t anything serious, but then she fainted. That’s- That’s not normal, right? I mean, is she going to wake up? What if she doesn’t? I-I don’t know anything about caring for sick humans. What if I do something wrong and make things worse? Gods, I can't even cook! I—”

“Whoa, slow down. Does she have any other symptoms?”

“Er, she was sneezing and coughing a bit last night and this morning.”

“Okay. Yes, it is a little concerning that she fainted, but it might just be a cold.”

“Yes, yes, she said that as well, but I don’t know what that is!”

“Oh… Uh, a cold is a pretty minor disease that humans get. It usually affects the nose and throat—coughing, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, that kind of thing. It’s kind of like if you had an allergy attack for a week straight, and you were also tired and achy. It’s not fun, but it usually resolves itself on its own, and it’s rarely serious.”

“Then… she’s not dying?”

Quinns did not exactly trust Noelle’s pet demon, but there was no mistaking the note of hope and relief that colored his pseudo-voice in Quinns’s head. Maybe he wasn’t all bad…

“I doubt it. If she’s got a fever and she’s sweating a lot, then she might be dehydrated on top of feeling sick, so that may be why she passed out. Make sure she gets some water when she wakes up. If she doesn’t wake up after a few minutes, though…” They chewed on their bottom lip as several trains of thought fought for dominance in their mind. “Give me some time to get ready, and then I’ll come over to help. I’ll bring some medicine and food.”

They heard Oraion sigh in their mind, which was thoroughly weird.

“Thank you, Quinns. I don’t—”

“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Noelle.”

“I know, but still… Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get out of my head already, would you? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Very well.”

Quinns waited for a few seconds but didn’t hear anything else in their head. Had the demon actually gone?

“... You still there?”

When no response came, there was a moment where Quinns wondered if they had just hallucinated the entire conversation. Noelle’s tower was several miles away—was Oraion actually able to find where Quinns was and speak to them over that distance?

They shook their head in an effort to clear it. If they dismissed Oraion’s message as a trick or hallucination, and Noelle really was in trouble, then they’d be abandoning their friend when she needed them most. If they showed up at her tower and nothing was amiss, then they could figure out what was actually going on after they knew Noelle was safe. They had to assume it was real, and that Noelle needed their help.

They made a stop at their personal quarters for the medicine—a trip to the infirmary could raise too many questions about what they needed the medicine for. Unlike the Order, the Knights of the Midnight Falcon recruited on a volunteer basis, which meant that the number of healers in their ranks was never consistent. Add to that the fact that most Knights were, like Quinns, knights errant, and the chances of a healer who could prepare medicines being at headquarters were middling at best. As such, medical supplies were carefully rationed and kept track of.

Food they could procure more easily and with fewer questions, so they went to the kitchen and started loading a basket with supplies for making soup. They may not be the best cook, but they could make some simple dishes. That was leagues better than Oraion, who even went so far as to admit he couldn't cook. Besides, how hard could soup be? You just threw a bunch of stuff into boiling water and let it sit for a while, right? Quinns grabbed some fresh meat and a bunch of different vegetables. Spices they could get from Noelle’s pantry—she always kept that well-stocked since she used the herbs for both cooking and magic.

“Oh, hey Quinns! What’re you up to?”

Quinns swore internally. There could not be a worse time for this. They blew out a breath and spoke without turning around as they tucked the last of the ingredients into the basket and covered it.

“Hey Ollie. Just grabbing a few things. I’ll be out of your way in a minute.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’re not in my way. I was just gonna get something to eat.” He let out a warm chuckle. “I kinda overslept and, uh, missed breakfast with everyone.”

“I see. Well, I’ll leave you to it then. I have some things to take care of—”

Quinns picked up the basket and turned around to find Oliver standing right behind them. For being such a big klutz he sure moved as quietly as a cat sometimes. Quinns took a step back with a start.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Oliver rubbed the back of his neck with an apologetic smile and took a step back of his own. Oliver Dietrich had a fluffy, orange cat tail that swayed behind him, while the orange-furred ears that poked out of his light blonde hair flicked. “I forget you’re allergic to me sometimes.”

“N-no, it’s, uh, it’s fine… Well, I gotta go, so, uh…”

Even having taken a step back, Oliver was still blocking Quinns from leaving the kitchen. The younger Knight showed no indication of moving out of the way, either, and instead tilted his head to one side.

“What’s the basket for? Are you having a picnic?”

“What? No, I’m just… getting some ingredients for something.”

“For what?”

“Look, it’s nothing, okay? Can I please leave?”

Oliver crossed his arms and didn’t budge. “Well, is it something or nothing?”

“Nothing! It’s nothing. I don’t have time for this, Ollie!”

“If it’s nothing, then it shouldn’t be a problem for me to see, right? So show me what’s in the basket.”

“No.”

“Show me or I’ll hug you.”

Quinns physically recoiled. They were already starting to feel itchy just being this close to him.

“What?!”

“Kidding! I’m kidding! Sorry, it’s just- agh, I’m so curious! Can’t I see what you have? Or at least tell me what you’re making! Pleeease?”

With his pleading eyes and the way his tail lashed, Oliver gave Quinns the impression of an excitable golden retriever rather than a cat.

“Oh my gods, will you go away if I do?”

“Yes! On my honor as a Knight!”

Quinns sighed and opened the basket, showing Oliver the contents. “Fine. I’m making soup, okay?”

The time Oliver spent staring silently into the basket with his brow furrowed started to border on uncomfortable.

“Uh… Can I go now?”

“You said you’re making soup?”

“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”

“No, no, it’s just that…” He looked like he was struggling with some sort of internal dilemma. Or maybe he had indigestion. “Well, um, you’re not gonna be able to make a very good soup with this stuff.”

Quinns blinked. “Huh?”

“You’ve only got chicken breast meat: you should really have a whole carcass if you want to get a flavorful broth. You need the bones and stuff. And these beans should really be soaked overnight before you cook them. You’d do better with rice or pasta as a starch if you’re planning to make and serve the soup right away. You’ve got some good veggies, but if you put them all in at the same time you’re either gonna end up with half of them undercooked or half of them cooked into oblivion.”

For a few moments Quinns just stood there, stunned, but then they froze up for a different reason.

“Uh… Quinns?”

Damn it, this always happened. They couldn’t move or speak, they just had to wait until—

“Etchoo!”

“Oh no! I’m sorry! I got too close!” Oliver finally backed off to the other side of the kitchen with a guilty look. His tanned skin gained an embarrassed flush.

“Whatever. -snf- It’s fine… I, uh, I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”

“Oh, yeah. I have a bunch of younger brothers and sisters, and both my parents work a lot, so I often cooked for everybody. Soup is a great way to feed a crowd: it’s warm and comforting, and you can really stretch it with the right ingredients. And whenever somebody got sick, I always made ‘em chicken soup.”

Quinns frowned. Oliver was a little naive, impulsive, clumsy, dense, and irresponsible… but he wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, Oliver was quite possibly the kindest person Quinns knew in the Knights. For all of his faults, he was also loyal and surprisingly discreet, a fact that Quinns had recently discovered after Oliver had walked in on them in the shower.

“Hey, Ollie… Can I tell you something?”

* * *

It wasn’t long after Oraion finished speaking with Quinns that Noelle stirred. In all she'd been unconscious for perhaps a couple of minutes, but to the demon it felt like centuries may well have passed.

“Oh no… I fainted didn’t I?”

Oraion sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his as he softly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Yes. I came upstairs and found you lying on the floor of the bath.”

She grimaced. “I’m sorry. I must have worried you.”

“It did give me a bit of a fright, yes.”

“I-I’m not sure what happened. I was just running some hot water to wash up, but then I, um, started to feel dizzy. Maybe- Maybe it was the steam?”

Trying to hide it, even now? Oraion shook his head with a little sigh before looking Noelle in the eye. “Why didn’t you tell me you were ill?”

She gave a guilty start and looked away, her voice going quiet.

“I… I didn’t want you to worry even more than you already have… but I suppose it’s too late for that. I’m sorry.”

“Mistress…” Oraion leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “Taking care of you is never a bother for me, all right?”

“A-all right…”

When he leaned back, it was difficult to tell if the red in her face was from blushing or fever. A slight smirk graced his lips, then he lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. A cup with water appeared on the bedside table.

“Here. Quinns said you might be dehydrated, so you should drink some water now that you’re awake.”

She took the cup from his hand and propped herself up enough to take a few sips. “Oh, thank you… Wait, Quinns is here?”

“Ah, no, not yet. But they’ll be on their way soon.”

“Then… how did you talk to them already?”

“Oh, I spoke to them telepathically. When you collapsed, I…” He looked away and swallowed something harsh in his throat. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t understand what was happening. I don’t know how to care for a sick human. I-I didn’t even realize you were sick until that point. I’m sorry, I should have asked you to explain what was wrong, but after last night… I thought it best not to press you.” He took another shaky breath and cleared his throat. “Anyway, I knew that I needed help, and Quinns was the only person I could think of, so I reached out to them through their mind. Fortunately they were close enough for me to reach.”

“Telepathy… You can do that?”

He looked back at his Mistress—even in her sickbed, her eyes were sparkling with interest at the prospect of learning something new. Another smile tugged his lips, one that held more warmth than he’d felt all day.

“Not easily and not for long. Not as I am now, anyway. It takes a lot of energy to maintain, especially in the Mortal Realm.”

“Why is that?”

“Mm, because there’s less ambient mana around, I think. In the Demon Realm, damn near everything is magic to one degree or another. So if you need power, you simply snatch it out of the air or the ground or what have you and shape it to your will. Here, there is far less of that energy around, so I need to rely mostly on my own reserves and whatever I can find to supplement that. Of course, my power is not insignificant, so it is sufficient for most workings, but truthfully the lack of mana within the Mortal Realm puts me at a fraction of my power, even without this damned collar.”

“Can you teach me how to use telepathy?”

“Heh. Maybe.” He took the cup of water from her and picked up the tea he had brought up earlier. “How about this: if you’re a good girl and drink your tea, I’ll start teaching you about it.”

“Ooh, I like this bargain.” She sat up further, wincing, and put a hand to her forehead. “Ugh…”

He leaned in, as though a magnet drew him to her. “What is it? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No, no. I’m only a bit dizzy. Just, um, give me a moment.”

Oraion reached out with his free hand and touched her arm to steady her.

“Take as much time as you need. I’m right here.”

“Thanks, Oraion. I—”

She was cut off by a series of hacking coughs, crackly and phlegmy things that made him wince to hear.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry- I- uh-oh… eh-hishoo! ehshoo! Ugh, oh gosh, I’m so sorry Oraion. -sniff- I-I don’t want to get you sick. Maybe- maybe you, um, shouldn’t stay in here.”

“Oh, nonsense. Demons don’t get sick.”

She looked doubtful. “Are you sure?”

He smiled and handed her the tea. “Mistress, I am very, very old, and I have never once in my life come down with an illness. I don’t think I’m going to start now.”

Noelle looked down into the teacup, concern still writ on her face. “But… you’d never had allergies before either. How do we know for certain that you can’t, um, can’t get s-sick now too? eh-hishiih!”

Her sneezes made her hair fall forward again, so Oraion reached out and tucked it behind her ear once more. “I think you’re worrying too much, my dear Mistress, though I appreciate your concern. I will be fine, I promise.”

“Okay…” Noelle sighed and took a sip of the tea, then made a face. “Oh, it’s so bitter!”

“Right, sorry,” Oraion chuckled, “I ought to have warned you first. This blend is a little more medicinal, I’m afraid. I may not know much about human illnesses, but I do know some herbs that fight inflammation and have astringent properties, so I thought that might help. The only thing is that they are rather bitter.”

“Blech, what is in it?”

“Well, the base is black tea, then I added witch hazel, turmeric, yarrow, and, uh, lavender.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I must have sneezed a dozen times while making it, I’ll have you know.”

Noelle’s cheeks reddened considerably as she lifted the cup to her lips like she was hiding behind it. “Oh, I, um… thank you.”

Gods, she was adorable when she blushed. Oraion leaned in towards her with a smirk.

“Bet you’re sad you missed that, eh?”

Her cheeks grew even redder. “Um, m-maybe.”

“Heh. Well, next time you’ll just have to come watch me.” He gave her another quick kiss on the forehead before sitting back up. “The black tea already has a bit of bitterness, and the witch hazel and yarrow are both bitter herbs as well. Don’t force yourself to finish it if you don’t want to.”

“But I have to! I want you to teach me about telepathy!”

Oraion barked a laugh. “I only said you had to drink it, I never said you had to finish it.”

“Oh… um, I still want to, though. You made it for me, so…” Suddenly she waved a hand in front of her face. “Uh, s-sorry, I need to- nx’kishiu! Ugh, ow…”

Concern drew his brows together. “That sounded like it hurt.”

Noelle nodded with a hand on her throat. “My throat is getting sore. Ugh, that’s always the thing I hate most about being sick.”

“Hmm. I’ll see if I can figure out a remedy that might help.”

“Thank you.” Noelle pulled the blankets closer around herself with a shiver. “My, it’s chilly, isn’t it?”

“Er, I honestly find it quite pleasant. Is this why you call it a ‘cold’? Because it makes you feel cold?”

Noelle laughed. “Ah, no, you don’t always feel cold when you have a cold. Sometimes it’s unbearably hot. Right now, though, I’m freezing…” She looked down shyly as her cheeks got red again. “Um… do you think… you could hold me?”

With a gentle smile Oraion took the teacup from her shaking hands and placed it on the bedside table, then he climbed into the bed behind her and pulled her in close. Her body still felt so warm, poor thing. She snuggled into him, her back spasming against his chest with more wet coughs followed by another painful-sounding sneeze. He rubbed her shoulder as she whimpered from the abuse to her raw throat.

Even so, before long she had fallen asleep. Being ill must be awfully tiring, Oraion surmised. Her slumber seemed more restful now, at least. The demon carefully slipped out of the bed and headed back down to the ground level to wait for Quinns.

He was not surprised that they did not knock when they arrived. Quinns was never in the habit of doing so when they visited. What did surprise Oraion, however, was that the Knight had brought a new face with them. Behind Noelle’s slim, androgynous friend came a taller, broader fellow with tanned skin and an innocent bearing, as well as the orange-furred ears and tail of a cat. Quinns knew that Noelle wanted to keep the location of her tower a secret, so why was this unknown person, who also wore the uniform of a Knight, here in the first place?

Wary indignation smoldered in Oraion’s chest as he crossed his arms and straightened to his full height. “Who is this?”

The cat boy looked at him with wide eyes, which Oraion noted were of different colors: one gold, one greenish-blue.

“Whoa. Is that the guy?”

“Yeah. Oraion, this is a friend of mine, Oliver. Oliver, this is Oraion, the demon I told you about.”

“Wow, he is really hot…”

Oraion raised an eyebrow as Quinns’s cheeks colored.

“I didn’t say—! Ugh, whatever. Look, he’s trustworthy, okay?”

“Are you saying that to me or to him?” Oraion asked, making no attempt to hide his sarcasm.

“Both. We’re all going to have to get along right now. I know it was risky to bring someone else here, but Oliver is a good guy and he knows how to keep a secret. Most importantly, he can cook.”

Oliver’s face lit up in an excited grin. “Quinns said their witch friend is sick, so I’m gonna make soup!” He strolled up to Oraion as though they were already fast friends and held out his hand. The cat boy was only shorter than he was by a few inches. “They already told me you’re not bad guys, so it’s nice to meet you! I’m Oliver Dietrich, First-Rank Knight of the Midnight Falcon.”

Oraion looked down at the young man’s hand for several seconds before slowly reaching out to take it in his own. “You do know it’s usually your job to hunt creatures like myself, right?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s not always so black and white, y’know? It’s one thing when a Devourer is terrorizing a trade route, but you’re just here trying to live your life, right? You’re not hurting anybody. Far as I’m concerned, no one back at headquarters needs to know about you guys.”

“How do you know we haven’t hurt anyone? You’ve only just met me, and you haven’t even met my Mistress.”

He beamed. “Because you’re Quinns’s friends, of course! I trust them, so I know I can trust you.”

“I see. How… refreshingly forthright.”

Despite his mistrust of the newcomer, Oraion felt a twinge of guilt. Would the young Knight still think the same if he knew what Oraion had done to those men from the village only the previous night? Even if they deserved it…

“Oh hey, you have a tail too! All right, welcome to the Tail Club! Man, yours is way bigger than mine.”

Quinns pinched the bridge of their nose, and Oraion heard them mutter. “Oh my gods…” They then raised their voice to full volume. “Okay, I think that’s enough with the pleasantries. Where’s Noelle? Did she wake up?”

“She did, fortunately. Now she's resting in her room.”

They nodded and lifted a basket they carried. “I brought some medicine, so I’ll go ahead and take that up to her.”

Oraion stepped in front of them and held out a hand. “Allow me. You can show our new friend here to the kitchen.”

“Uh, why don’t you show him the kitchen? You live here, you know where everything is.”

Oraion’s eyebrow twitched. “Oh, it’s not very difficult to figure out. Besides, I hardly touch the cooking equipment, so I can’t say I really know my way around.”

A scowl crossed Quinns’s face. “Yeah, well, I know more about administering medicine than you, since you outright admitted that you don’t know how to care for sick people, so I should be the one to take it to her.”

Oraion took a step closer to them. “You know, it occurs to me that Noelle had only just fallen asleep when I left the room. We should probably let her rest. So, why don’t you just tell me how to use the medicine and leave it with me, and I’ll make sure she gets it when she wakes up.”

Quinns stepped closer in turn. “Now listen: Oliver and I came all this way to—” They cut off suddenly mid-sentence and looked around the room with an expression of mild but increasing alarm. “Uh… Where’s Oliver?”

* * *

Elegant music swept through a pillared hall lit by glimmering crystal chandeliers. Dancers in splendid finery spun and twirled in time with the tune. Usually Noelle would feel out of place at such a lavish event, but now she was dressed in an exquisite gown of blush pink, the full skirt trailing behind her in a train embroidered with hundreds of flowers. The trailing sleeves hung off her bare shoulders, and, with the plunging neckline, created the perfect canvas for showing off her beautiful necklace of sparkling diamonds. Her hair was done up in perfect ringlets instead of her usual messy curls, set with a glittering hairpiece. She felt just like a princess, and lo: there, on the balcony that overlooked the dance floor, stood the Prince.

He gazed out over the hall of dancers with crimson eyes, his blood red hair pulled back in a high ponytail that trailed past his shoulders. He was just as she imagined him, dressed in a fine coat of burgundy and gold over a lovely silk shirt and vest in ivory. As though drawn by some unknown force, his alluring eyes turned to her, locking with her own, and widened in amazement at her beauty. His full lips turned up in a radiant smile, and he extended his hand, beckoning her to come to him.

Elation filled her breast as she lifted her skirt and crossed the hall of dancers, still spinning and twirling like so many clockwork dolls. She began to ascend the stairs to the balcony where the Prince awaited her, when her path was abruptly blocked by a large, orange cat. It regarded her with strange eyes of different colors, one a sort of teal and the other yellow, as it lashed its fluffy tail at her. The motion snared her attention. That tail looked awfully soft and fluffy…

She reached out and touched the cat’s tail, running her fingers through its fur, which to her delight was just as soft as she’d hoped. There was something she was supposed to be doing, wasn’t there? The cat was so soft and warm, though.

“Um, it’s nice to meet you and all, but could you let go of my tail?”

“Huh?”

Did the cat just talk to her?

“I-it’s just that it’s kind of, uh, sensitive…?”

Noelle blinked her sleep-gummed eyes as the vision of the ballroom faded away, to be replaced by the far more ordinary sight of her bedroom, bathed in the sunlight of early afternoon. What was not ordinary, however, was the strange young man in Knight attire standing next to her bed with a bright red blush on his cheeks. Indeed, he did have cat ears and a fluffy, orange tail attached to him as well, the latter of which was currently clutched in her hand.

She shrieked and dropped the man’s tail before crawling as far back as she could in the bed without falling on the floor.

“Wh-who are you?! Wh-what– What are you doing in my bedroom?!”

“Oliver!”

Quinns came bursting into the room with Oraion fast at their heels. The demon grabbed the cat-eared man by the shoulder and wrenched him away from the side of Noelle’s bed with a snarl before placing himself between them. He even went so far as to spread his wings.

“What the Hell do you think you’re doing, coming in here?”

“I-I’m sorry! I just- I wanted to- to check on her! That’s all, I swear!”

“Damn it, Ollie! Why did you go off on your own?” Quinns stepped in front of him, Oliver apparently, and guided him back another step a bit more gently than Oraion had. Their voice, though quieter, was no less irate, however. “I took a big risk bringing you here, and I vouched for you. Do you know how this makes me look?”

“I said I’m sorry! I-I promise I wasn’t gonna do anything bad! I was just…” He sighed. “I was really, really curious. I’ve never met a witch before, and… Well, then you two started arguing about who was gonna come up with the medicine, and I figured, y’know, somebody should go check on her. Besides, I… I didn’t wanna lose my chance.”

Quinns made an exasperated sound. “Lose your chance? What are you– Wait, do you mean to meet Noelle? Why would that even happen?”

“I-I don’t know… If you didn’t get to bring the medicine up, I guess I thought… maybe I wouldn’t get to come up either.” He looked down at the floor and scuffed it with the toe of his boot, cat ears drooping. “I’m so, so sorry. I know it was a stupid thing to do.”

“You certainly have the right of it there, Cat Boy,” Oraion snapped as his wings folded and vanished once more, “Now get out, before I throw you out.”

Quinns held up a hand. “All right, calm down. He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Oh, really? And how do you know he isn’t simply playing dumb? How do you know he hasn’t been planning all along to sneak up here for the chance to take out a witch?”

Oliver looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. Noelle recalled his appearance when she had first woken up, with his blushing face and the way he had politely asked her to let go of his tail.

“It’s all right, Oraion. I don’t think he was going to hurt me.”

Her Servant turned to her with an incredulous look.

“You can’t be serious. You’re all right with a man barging into your bedroom like that?”

“Well, n-no, but he apologized, and, um, I believe he’s sincere. I would appreciate it, though, if someone could explain to me what he’s doing here.”

“I brought him, Noelle.” Quinns took a step towards her with an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry—I know you don’t want people to know where you live, but I swear, all of this nonsense aside, Oliver really is a good guy. He’s just… a little naive and impulsive sometimes. I brought him along because, um, I really wanted to bring you some soup, but… I-I don’t know how to make it, and… he does.”

With all of them crowded in her bedroom, and between Quinns looking chagrined, Oraion’s incensed protectiveness, and Oliver’s crestfallen, drooping cat ears and tail, Noelle couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Of course that just led her to start coughing again.

“Oh, right, the medicine.” Quinns shoved the basket they were holding into Oliver’s arms. “Take this down to the ground floor and into the kitchen, okay? And wait for me there—don’t wander off again, please.”

The other Knight nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you down there. And, um, I’m sorry again, Miss Noelle. It was nice to meet you.”

“Er, likewise?” She gave him a little wave as Oliver left the room.

Quinns reached into their belt pouch and produced a little bundle wrapped in cloth, which they then handed to Oraion. The demon looked at the bundle in his hands as though he was not expecting to receive it.

“Here: these are the medicines. They were prepared by our own healers in the Knights, so they should be pretty effective. Go ahead and open it, and I’ll explain what each one is.”

“Ah. Right…”

As Oraion unwound the tie that held the wrappings in place, Quinns turned to Noelle.

“Noelle, you’ll probably want to listen to this too…” They squinted. “What happened to your lip?”

“Huh? Oh…” Her hand went to the split on her lip, which had scabbed over but was still rather swollen. “Um, I must have hurt it when I fell earlier.”

“Huh. I see…” They did not seem convinced, but they didn’t press the issue, to Noelle’s relief. They didn't need to know about the men who attacked her.

They instructed Oraion and Noelle on when and how each medicine was to be administered. There was a pill for fever that should be taken twice a day, morning and night; a tincture that would speed the healing process that could only be taken once per day or else it could cause unpleasant side effects as the body tried to heal itself too rapidly (the worst of which, Quinns explained with their usual grim decorum, was coughing up blood because your body produced too much). Lastly, there was an oil that could be applied to the neck and chest, which contained a number of pungent-smelling botanicals that worked to clear a stuffy head. One whiff immediately set Oraion sneezing, of course.

Once they had finished going over the medicines and ensured Noelle got her first doses, Quinns and Oraion both left her room and headed back down towards the first floor to meet up with Oliver.

“So…” Quinns spoke up from behind Oraion as they passed the library. “Do you want to tell me what happened to Noelle’s lip?”

Oraion’s hands briefly formed fists at his sides, the knuckles popping.

“Some loathsome bullies in town happened to her.”

Quinns voice rose in alarm. “What?”

Oraion sighed. “She went to town on her own. I know I should have accompanied her, but… I had something I needed to take care of here. When she returned, it was clear she’d been beaten, and she confirmed as much.”

“Did she say who it was? What they looked like?”

“No, but I…”

A moment of tense silence passed before Quinns spoke, their voice already turning accusatory. “You what?”

“I found them later.”

Quinns grabbed Oraion by the arm, stopping him.

“What do you mean you ‘found them’? What did you do?”

Oraion lifted his chin. “I didn’t kill them, if that’s what you’re asking. But I did ensure they would regret their actions.”

Quinns pressed their lips together and took a deep breath. “Look: I understand, and I don’t necessarily disagree with what you did, but please tell me that you did it in your human form and not looking like, well, a demon.”

Oraion wrenched his arm away. “I felt the message would be more effective if I used my true form. “

“Shit… Oraion, you…” They sighed. “I really, really hope that doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass, man. I truly do, because if the Inquisition gets wind of a demon around here, then there won’t be anything I, or anyone else, can do to stop them from coming looking for you.”

Oraion scoffed. “I think I can handle a few humans coming after us. Besides, you know how well-hidden this place is. They’ll be lucky to even find us here.”

“Yeah… Well. Let’s hope that’s true.”

They shook their head once and pushed past him on the stairs. With great effort, Oraion managed not to roll his eyes as he followed them down. Quinns worried overmuch at the best of times, and this was no exception. No mortal could stand against a Demon Lord. Let anyone try to harm his mistress again; they would be shown the error of their ways with swift and terrible judgment.

Once the soup had been prepared, Quinns had the good sense to escort themself and Oliver out, to the latter’s obvious disappointment. He was calling back to Oraion even as Quinns was pushing him out the door.

“Um, it was really nice to meet you! Thanks for having me over! A-and I really hope Miss Noelle feels better soon!”

The door closed behind them both with a heavy thud, and Oraion shook his head. Something was not right with that boy.

When he arrived back upstairs with a steaming bowl of soup, he found Noelle nodding off while sitting up in bed. Her head popped up with a start when she heard him enter, and Oraion couldn’t help but chuckle. She was too cute, with her flushed cheeks and slow, sleepy blinking.

“Oh, um, is that the soup?”

“It is.” Oraion placed the bowl down on the bedside table and flashed Noelle a smirk. “Shall I feed it to you?”

The deepening of her blush drew his smirk into a grin as she frantically waved her hands in front of her.

“Ah, n-no! No, no, no! That’s- that’s quite all right. I can, um, feed myself. Thank you.”

“Heh. As you wish.”

She must have been hungry, for though she started eating the soup slowly, she soon made short work of the rest. Oraion sat on the edge of the bed and watched her silently, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand. He must make time to study mortal diseases. Humans were such fragile creatures. This time it was a minor ailment, but what if one day she contracted a more serious affliction?

She finally noticed him looking and gave an awkward laugh.

“What, do I have something on my face?”

“No. I’m simply admiring how lovely you are.”

“Oh, stop it. I’m certain I look awful.”

“Never. You’re always lovely to me.”

She hid her face behind her hands with a sound that was part groan, part giggle.

“Stop! You’re making me blush!”

“I know. It’s delightful.”

“Ugh, you!”

Noelle gave him a little shove with another peal of laughter, which quickly turned into a fit of coughing. Oraion’s smug grin faltered, and he reached out to rub her back with an anxious touch.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No- no, I- hh’kchiuh! htshhiuh! Ooh… I-I think I just need to rest.”

“Then… allow me to keep you company, at least.”

He climbed into bed next to her, enfolding her in his embrace and holding her tight against his chest. He buried his face in her hair and basked in her scent, in her closeness. Noelle Violette. His Mistress. He cared about her. He could admit that much. To himself, anyway. But whether that feeling was a result of their contract or genuine affection… He wasn’t certain, and he didn’t care. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that the woman in his arms made him happy, and he wanted to do everything in his power to do the same for her.

If that was love, well… perhaps that wouldn’t be so terrible, after all.

#accidental mistress #oraion the allergic incubus #noelle the awkward witch #knight errant quinns #cat boy ollie #snzblr #snz #snz kink #snz ocs #sneeze kink #snzfic #sickfic #snzfucker #snezblr

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tokiro07 · 1 year ago

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Undead Unluck ch.175 thoughts

[It's Hard to Look Good in a Hairnet]

...Did Tozuka give Rip a mole under his eye specifically so we'd be able to identify him while he's doing surgery? Cus he is nigh unrecognizable otherwise

I think of everything said in this chapter, the thing that stuck out the most to me was Emily feeling guilty about eating candy when she's been unable to eat anything else; she thinks that she's being selfish and only eating what she likes instead of taking care of herself properly, and that in doing so, she deserves whatever punishment God will give her

Rip denies this, as Emily isn't doing anything wrong. She's not eating food because her condition makes it difficult to (she's unable to eat, as it were), but any kid will eat candy given the opportunity because it makes them feel good to do so. Rip gave her the candy specifically as a way to counteract her inability to eat, circumventing her inability to ingest food by disguising nutrients as what would otherwise be empty calories (just like how Negator abilities work)

"If there's a God who'd make such good kids suffer, I'd fillet that jerk up good"

As it happens, Rip, there quite literally is. This world's God, Sun, has been doing exactly that this entire time

Kids who run fast but hold themselves back so others can win? They lose their ability to stop

Kids who are afraid to move forward with their life and allow themselves to stay stuck in place? They lose their ability to move

Kids who are anxious about whether or not they have the same feelings as everyone else? They lose their ability to feel at all

Most if not every Negator is saddled with their Rule because God is punishing them for just living their lives; the choices they make, the choices they don't, the fears that they feel, whatever ironic punishment God can give them to make them suffer, he will

Interesting then, that Rip never decided to fight God in the previous loop. For all of the altruistic bravado Rip put up to save the lives of everyone suddenly dying around him in the hospital, Rip's inability to save one specific life was enough to cause him to eschew every life. He never even seemed to blame God for Leila's death, for cursing him with Unrepair at that very moment, he only ever blamed himself for being the one to inflict the wound that killed her

Perhaps it was because he knew that defeating God wouldn't bring her back, that changing the world wouldn't mean anything without the love of his life in it, so instead of focusing on revenge, he wanted to focus on regaining what he'd lost - both his lover and his status as a hero

Sure, Rip played the part of the villain in Loop 100, but if time was going to be reset anyway, what did it truly matter? Every life he took in Loop 100 was going to come back in Loop 101; their deaths were meaningless in the sense that they would be erased, that they would one day come back to continue on without any knowledge that they had died. Their sacrifices would one day pile up to revive not only Leila, but themselves as well, so perhaps to Rip, he was never truly taking their lives, only borrowing them. At least, if we want to be charitable to the Rip of yesteryear

By saving Leila, Rip not only gets back his fiancee, but also the knowledge that he is capable of saving lives, a part of himself that he thought he'd lost and buried with Leila

But of course, that's not how it works, is it? Even if no one else remembers, Rip certainly would. Even if everyone came back, that wouldn't change the fact that Rip personally allowed not only the people he fought to die, but the entirety of human history to end simply so he could come back to let it all happen again. Saving Leila wouldn't end the cycle, God would still enforce countless cruel Rules on the world, and sooner or later, Leila would only die again because of some horrible celestial machination beyond Rip's understanding or ability to stop. All he would have done is created a mountain of corpses for Leila to sit upon until she inevitably added to it

I wonder if perhaps this is part of what Akira thought his mother would like about reading a story surrounding Rip. "He's kind, but he's suppressed it since losing someone dear to him." That really is the most fascinating part of Rip's character, that he deliberately abandoned his own principles for the sake of fixing one single mistake, and a brief glimpse of that shone through back when Anno Un sacrificed himself to bring Rip back to normal. And now, today, we get to see what Akira saw in him, the kindness and righteous fury that had always been hiding beneath the surface

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews

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forgedroyalseal · 1 year ago

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My Reputation’s Never Been Worse

Chapter 10

A/N: I just reread this entire work and I think I forgot just how much I love this story. Your support of it means the world and I am determined to not let other projects with large fan bases (and therefore gain more traffic) get in the way of this one. This is one of my favorite chapters and I hope you enjoyed. I literally wrote it in a matter of hours today.

Halt was waiting for Will outside of the suite. “You should have told me she was sick.” Will said cooly.

“And when did you give me the opportunity to do so?” Halt replied evenly.

“You should have told me.” He repeated.

“I don’t think you understand how much of a shook it was to see you this morning Will. My mind hasn’t strung two thoughts together since I saw you.”

Will frowned, he didn’t know how to respond to that. Pauline had told him to make peace with Halt, and he would, he had to now. He knew he’d never be able to live with himself if he didn’t honor her wishes. But every time he saw Halt, all he could picture was his face at the trial. The brutal hate and angry directed at him. That face had haunted more of his dreams than he’d like to admit. How did he just let that go? How did he forgive and move on?

Instead of dwelling any longer on his internal debate, he switched the topic. “I should find Nyah and Miles. We need to figure out where we are going to sleep.”

Halt undoubtedly recognized Will’s sudden change of subject, but he went along with it. “There are more than enough rooms for you all here.”

“The last time I spent the night here I woke up to my execution. I won’t sleep within these wall’s tonight.”

“Fine, then stay at the inn.”

Will swallowed awkwardly. “I’m not sure that’s an option for the three of us at the moment. It’s fine, we can camp outside, it should be a clear night.”

“Why don’t you just stay at the inn? I’m sure they have at least two rooms available, it’s not as if there is a special occasion drawing people to the town.”

“It’s not a question of if the room are open, we just, well, Miles and I worked for room and board in Eisel. And Nyah hasn’t had spare coin for as long as I’ve known her.” Will admitted, trying his best to not feel ashamed. He was a hard worker and responsible with money, but any money he had managed to save in the past few years had been stolen when he first came to Eisel. After that, he had to make do with what he was given.

“I see. Well I’d be more than happy to-“

“I won’t take your money Halt.” Will interrupted.

“Why not? What am I going to do with it?”

“Save it for your golden years, they aren’t far off.”

_________________________________

That night, Will, Miles, and Nyah set up camp just outside of the palace’s walls. Miles crashed the moment he hit the ground, the stress of being in such a wildly different environment than what he was used to catching up with him. Nyah stayed awake for a while. She wordlessly studied Will’s face in the flickering light of the campfire. Finally she softly said, “They all love you so much. They, they are your family. There are a lot of people who would kill for what you have here. Don’t let your anger throw it all away.” Before Will could respond, she rolled over, facing away from him, and fell asleep.

Left in silence with his thoughts, Will looked up to the stars. Over the past five years, he had spent countless nights gazing at the heavens. The constellations had become his faithful companions, keeping him company whether he was hiding deep in the forest sick with fever, or being lulled to sleep on the deck of a ship. When he was a child Baron Arald had spent many nights pointing constellations out to the ward children. Horace and the girls had little interest in the evening walks, always complaining that they wanted to go to bed and while George appreciated the time to study the sky, he couldn’t care less about the stories that the Baron attached to each patter of stars. But Will treasured those nights. He’d give Arald his undivided attention, eagerly listening to the tales of heroes and monsters. His favorite was the story of Perseus. Will wanted desperately to grow up to be just like the legend. To protect his loved ones, slay the monster, and save the princess. Staring up at the twinkling constellation, Will felt a tear roll down his face. He had fallen so far from the heroes of his childhood. Now all he saw in the mirror was a wicked monster with black eyes and a blacker soul staring back at him. Seeing Pauline had dug up shame and guilt that he thought he had buried years ago. But her gentle, undying love had melted the ice that had hardened his conscious. She loved him, even when he didn’t love himself. Horace and Cassandra had seen him in Elisel, had seen the darkness that surrounded him like a cloak, and yet they were still holding him close. And Halt seemed desperate to mend the broken bond between them. Nyah’s words echoed in his head all night. Maybe it was possible to come back for good. Maybe their love would be enough. Or maybe, once the novelty of his presence wore off, they’d all realize he had fallen too far from grace for them to drag back to the pedestal they had once placed him on.

Will spent the night tossing and turning, dreaming of running through an endless black forest, skeletal hands reaching out for him. When dawn finally broke, he woke with a searing pain in his hip. His gasp woke Nyah, who hurried over to his side. He was taut with pain and his palms were dug into his eyes.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Hip.” He said through gritted teeth. “Malcolm’s salve. Satchel.” Nyah rummaged through his bag until she found the jar of pain reliving cream Malcom had gifted Will after learning of how severe his pain could be from the old injury. “Hurry up.” He groaned.

Nyah rolled her eyes, “Always so bossy.” Her tone was teasing, but her eyes gave her worry away. She knew that he wasn’t in any danger, just pain, but it still stressed her to see him suffer.

_______________________________

Alyss, Cassandra, and Horace all met at the castle gate just as the sun was beginning to rise.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Cassandra asked them.

Alyss shook her head and Horace said, “I spent the entire night wondering if he’d still be here in the morning. I’m on my way to check.”

The three friends made their way to Will’s campsite. As they approached, they heard a low groan. Hurrying closer they saw Will laying on the ground, arms pressed over his head. His pants were unbuckled and pulled down to his hipbones. Nyah leaned over him, hand disappearing somewhere below his pants.

“I guess they are a little more than friends.” Horace remarked, unsure how to proceed. He glanced over to Alyss, who’s face was bright red and her eyes were cast down to the ground. Cassandra on the other hand had zero hesitation as she marched right up to the pair.

“Good morning to you both.“ She announced loudly.

Nyah’s head whipped up. “Your Highness! We were just, um…” She looked down the Will for support, but he just threw his arm over his eyes.

“It looks like he’s having a great morning already Cassie.” Horace smirked as he walked up besides Cassandra, Alyss staying slightly behind.

“Get your head out of the gutter Horace, it’s not what you think.” Will grumbled. He stood slowly and Nyah pulled her hand back, but kept it hovering by his side as she rose with him. Now that he was standing, Horace, Cassandra, and Alyss could clearly see the angry, knotted scar tissue on his hip, just above where his pants were resting dangerously low on his hips.

“I woke up in some really bad pain, must have slept on my hip.” He gestured to the injury. “Nyah was putting some ointment on it. Nothing so salacious as what you had in mind.” Will’s eyes fell on Alyss, noticing her presence for the first time that morning. A faint blush cast itself on his checks and he cleared his throat. “Anyway, what are you three doing here? Making sure I didn’t make a run for it in the middle of the night?”

“Exactly.” Cassandra affirmed without a trace of guilt.

Will scratched at his brow, “Well I guess I can’t blame you. But I promise, until I know that everything is settled in Eisel, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Except to the breakfast table, I’m starving.” Horace said.

Will pulled a shirt on and readjusted his pants, securing them over his scar with his discarded belt. “We just need to pack up. Nyah, you mind waking Miles up?” Will started to roll up his blanket and Nyah gently kicked Miles’ in the ribs.

“Let’s go find out what royalty eats for breakfast sleepyhead.” She says as Miles rubs sleep out of his eyes.

“Huh?” He blinked up to see Horace, Alyss, and Cassandra hovering around the campsite. His eyes fly open and he scrambles to his feet.

“Oh um, your royalnesses. I mean, majesties, or, something…”

“Horace and Cassandra is fine, that goes for the both of you.” Horace smiles.

Nyah grins at him. “Wow, I’m on a first name basis with royalty? Who would’ve thought?”

“Yeah it’s a pretty big deal.” Horace teased.

Cassandra looks between them. She knew that Horace would never imagine being unfaithful, but they had just walked in on Nyah having her hand shoved down his best friend’s pants, which apparently got Horace’s mind thinking things it, in Cassandra’s opinion, has no right thinking. She laced her arm with Horace’s, an action she saw Nyah clock and take note of the intention. Smiling Nyah took a step back and threw her pack over her shoulder. She offered Cassandra a slight, but meaningful nod of acknowledgement. The interaction surprised Cassandra. She frankly hadn’t expected the girl to be so aware and respectful of Cassandra’s feelings. It made her feel guilty for how she’s been thinking about Nyah, and she determined that she would be better at not reading into Nyah’s intentions.

#rangers apprentice #ranger's apprentice #will treaty #ranger’s apprentice fanfiction #rangers apprentice fanfiction #guilty until proven innocent #my reputations never been worse #reputation

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bubble-popping · 8 months ago

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wow c!drunz posting? from me? who woulda guessed...

what I wrote turned into A LOT more than it was supposed to so I cross-posted it on ao3 :)

BUT I feel like I didn't do the prompt justice (even tho it's literally five words lol) SO I wrote more utterly insane thoughts :) all under read more because they are all VERY smutty and kinda rough (all consensual, just rough)

there are actually so many good objectification ideas like while they're researching the revive book Punz cockwarms dream, trying to stay still and be a good toy but they can feel dream twitch and throb inside them and they just wanna be bent over the table and fucked until they can't feel their legs.

Or there's a few days where they don't see each other and dream comes back tired but also kinda horny and Punz, very excited for his return, is wearing lingerie under a crop top and skirt with stockings. Dream is now MUCH more than a little aroused. Punz had tried to cook a nice dinner but he's 'such a klutz' and 'can't understand the recipes' dream left him so nothing came out right but he's happy to make it up by doing whatever dream wants. And what Dream wants is him on his knees to fuck his face in the middle of the kitchen, he holds his head in place by his pretty blond hair, demands he looks up at him with those pretty blue eyes while he ravages their throat. Drool pours down their chin, tears stinging at his eyes to form a wet sheen. They suck and swallow the best they can but soon they need to breathe yet Dream seems adamant on choking them with his perfect cock. Punz gags and convulses, trying to pull away, but it just makes Dream push him down harder and move his hips faster. Moments before he's about to pass out, Dream yanks him off and he gasps for air, coughing and wheezing. Dream holds his face, they hear him say how cute they look through the haze in their mind, a perfect cocksleeve for his dick. He's dazed and uncoordinated, cock-drunk dream calls him, and happily takes it as he repeats the process of fucking his throat to near unconsciousness. Finally, the next time dream pulls out he jerks his dick until he's painting Punz's face with cum, calling them a good toy and his little cumslut. Then he helps him make dinner and they eat :>

Or dream's just in a mood to make them cum over and over again, watch them fall apart on his fingers as he strokes their sweet spot to near numbness and jerks their cute little cock, smirking at how utterly ruined they look with tears and drool running down their face, their whole body flushed red and trembling as they writhe in their restraints, babbling almost incoherently about how it's too much and they can't take it anymore until dream grabs their chin and tells them to shut up, toys don't talk, they take what they're given and appreciate that anyone even cares enough to use them.

Or maybe he even rides their desperate cock for his own pleasure, just grinding and bouncing on the glorified dildo until he cums, painting Punz's stomach with his cream, but they're not allowed to cum. Toys don't cum, not today, they lay still and thank their owner for the opportunity to be used, and Punz tries, they try so hard to be a good toy, dream just feels so warm and tight around him, he can't help it, of course he cums too. Dream was waiting for this, he knew they couldn't resist, not for long, if he really wanted to make sure they didn't cum he would've used a cock ring. The hot fluid fills him, it makes him cum for the countless time, and there's so, so much from such a delayed orgasm. His punishment is twenty spankings and every time he cries out dream adds another five. Punz cries a lot.

But THE AFTERCARE UGHHH dream would be so gentle in cleaning them up, making sure his precious toy is spotless inside and out, rubbing soothing oils over where they got the worst of the treatment, kissing any bruising, dressing them in the comfiest outfits, and then cuddling with them until they fall asleep on his chest. Like, rough sex just how they like it but then tooth-rotting fluff that makes Punz eager for next time, they're both just so cute and sweet ;^;

c!punz with objectification and worshipping kick. Parther can be whatever but c!dream it's a good suitor

#drunz #dreblr #dsmp fanfic #still feel like i didn't do the worshipping enough but just pretend the entire time punz is thinking abt how great dream is lol #the drunzogie demons are so strong this spawned like three other ideas i need to write down asdfghj #U HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD I FOUGHT TO NOT WRITE PUNZ AS A WOLF HYBRID RAHHHHH #HE JUST DESERVES TO BE PAT ON THE HEAD AND CALLED A GOOD BOY WHILE HIS TAIL WAGS #i could not escape the collar and leash unfortunately #but honestly that's practically canon <- is completely insane and should not be trusted for accurate lore takes

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2edge4u · 5 years ago

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Do y'all remember that south park episode where the boys get their cable company to block all the informative muder porn channels with a minecraft password so their parents couldn't watch and wouldn't all kill each other? Can we figure out how to do that with fox news? So our parents can't watch it and pull up with some dumbass shit to say? Please? I'm tired and my crops are dying.

#dont get me wrong #my mom is everything #i love her dearly #but if i make the mistake of saying anything remotely political concerning the virus #she has to prove me wrong #i give up so quick just because i refuse to debate politics with her #she honestly thinks trump is handling everything well and all the governors are out to kill us all and make him look bad #she cant see shes been brainwashed #it makes me so fucking upset #ive devoted my life to taking care of her disabled ass #literally given up countless opportunities to make sure i can #and yet no matter how i explain it #she cant unserstand #she always says like #oh well they bring the experts and actual peolle to discuss the facts!#OPINIONS ARE NOT FACTS DAMN

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softieteez · 3 years ago

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Hii, can i request a super fluff reaction of ateez taking care of their s/o while she's pregnant, pls?

ateez taking care of pregnant s/o

note: OMG YES. these are always so cute. thank you for the req🥺

pairing: dad!ateez x fem!reader

warning: pregnancy, swearing, body image

tags : @skzfairies @hyuncore

hongjoong

omg omg omg

he’s lowkey kinda nervous, but he doesn’t want you to feel nervous so he hides it.

if you need literally anything ANYTHING he will give it to you

he would have the boys come over and help set up the nursery

he 100% talks to the baby when you’re asleep

buys you so much food, even if you refuse

if anything is hurting, he. will. massage. it.

he’s so excited to meet his little one🥺

“baby, you feeling alright?”

“you shouldn’t be up! go lay back down!”

scenario

you were exhausted, you were seven months pregnant and you didn’t know how tiring this would be. sure, you liked being pregnant, it had its perks. but god did you hate it sometimes. constantly hungry, hurting, and cranky.

you honestly felt a little bad for hongjoong, knowing he’s been hard at work trying to make sure you’re comfortable 24/7. he’s been on hiatus since you were 4 month’s pregnant, things were starting to get even harder around there. you didn’t want him to honesty, because if he did so did the whole group. but he and the other members insisted.

“you alright, love?” he came up to, hands automatically going to your belly, like they held some magnetic force. he kiss your forehead before looking back into your eyes. hongjoong can be really romantic sometimes, but he’s even more romantic and sweet now than he was when you weren’t pregnant. it’s kind of a cute little thing you caught onto.

“mhm, just tired” you said, sending him a soft smile and placing your hands on his.

“why don’t you go lie down?” he tilted his head, returning the smile that you had given him.

you put on a pout and tilted your head back “come lay with me”

he chuckles and nods, leading you to your shared bed. you cuddle up as best as you can and very quickly fall asleep. hongjoong hand running through your hair helped with that.

once he notices you’re asleep, he sees the opportunity to talk to your unborn baby and snatches it. he scoots down just a bit closer to your belly, placing a small kiss on it.

“hi, beautiful. i’m sorry we don’t have a name ready for you just yet, but we will soon, okay?” he whispers “you’re mommy is such a hard worker, i can’t wait for you to meet her, little one”

seonghwa

definitely excited, definitely nervous.

he’s also anxious about not having a name

everyday he makes sure you’re right beside him at all costs

he helps you with EVERYTHING

your lucky even you get to feed yourself✋🏼

he’s just so cautious, at times it’s amusing but sometimes you have to assure him that nothing bad is gonna happen.

although, you do love when he prepares a bath for you 🥺

“my love, do you want me to start up a bath for you?”

“ah! don’t carry that”

scenario

you’re so excited to meet your little girl. you and seonghwa have been looking through every website and baby book you could lay your hands on for the perfect name. you still have plenty of time, you’re five months pregnant now.

your mom had told you countless time that you will know the babies name once she’s born. it’s just a natural thing. so you and seonghwa are trying to not let it get to you.

“hey baby, how are you feeling?” your husband flashes his million-dollar-smile as he sits next to you. he kisses your cheek, then your belly.

“could be better, everything’s really achy today” you pout and lay your head on his shoulder. you can’t see, but you just know he’s pouting as well.

“do you want me to start you a bath?” he chuckles when you shoot up and smile widely. you immediately nod before he gets up off the couch telling you to ‘c’mon’

you two walk to the bathroom, hand in hand, and he starts the bath water while you get undressed and tie your hair up. you have no intention on washing it today. once the tub is filled with perfectly warm water, seonghwa helps you carefully step in and sit down.

he sits on the outside of the tub, watching as your body relaxes. “good?” he laughs a little, seeing you literally sigh out of pure bliss.

“perfect” you hum.

after a little while he washes you body for you, even though you already had a shower in the morning. he makes sure to give you baby bump some extra love while talking to you about something hongjoong has planned for when you give birth.

once you’re out of the tub, he’ll dry you, put lotion on you, cloth you. everything. he even cooks some food for you both before watching a movie.

“i love you” he whispers, putting his hand on your bump “both of you”

yunho

holy fuck is he excited

ever day, he has a smile on his face, even on the super hard days.

he just can’t wait to meet his little babies :(((

yes. twins. one boy, one girl. congrats :)

anyway. he’s just so loving toward you. especially because it’s your first pregnancy and you’re having FUCKING TWINS.

just imagine alllll the belly rubs.

and back massages 😫

he’s really good with keeping up with your cravings

he’s constantly looking at names, even taking suggestions from atiny, the members, his family, he’s wants the name to be PERFECT.

“what about this name for the boy! don’t you think that’s pretty?”

“seonghwa hyung is on his way to help with the cribs, you sit down!”

scenario

you get absolutely humongous, but you were fine with it, knowing your two little babies would be here in four months. you were so excited, and so was yunho.

he and mingi have been painting the nursery all day while seonghwa was building the cribs and helping keep you company. everyone was really happy when they heard you were pregnant, they were thrilled when they heard it was twins.

“see ya guys, thank you for the help” you smile and hug mingi and then seonghwa

“it’s no problem, now go get rest!” seonghwa scolded, making you roll your eyes but laugh nonetheless.

the two leave and yunho comes out of the bedroom covered in paint. you laugh out a little, grabbing his attention “they leave?” he smiles

“yeah they just left. did you paint the room or yourself, yun”

“yes” he nodded, making you laugh hard before you send him off to shower. you kept yourself content by scrolling through comments on your recent instagram picture of you. so many nice comments about how good pregnancy makes you look. ‘omg you’re glowing!’ and ‘i wish i looked like that when i was pregnant’

“you wanna go lay down with me?” yunho asked, walking into the living room where you were. you shook your head no however, which isn’t usually something you do.

“i’m hungry” you pout, causing him to smile, again.

“okay baby, i’ll be right back” he says, pecking your lips and then running into the kitchen

“i want chips!” you yell

“okay!” and within seconds he comes into the living room with every chip you guys have. “i didn’t know what flavor. so i brought them all. you usually change your mind half way through eating anyway”

by the time you were full, you ate five different chips flavors, and yunho read through maybe 500 names.

“i’m so excited for you guys to get here” he speaks to your belly and kisses it. “i hope you’re both tall”

yeosang

ohhhhhh my gooodddddd

100% a nervous wreck.

i’m sorry yeo😭

but he handles your pregnancy fairly well, even though he’s always on his toes.

he’s really good at comforting you when you feel ‘fat’ or ‘too big to be pretty’ because kang yeosang does not stand for that !!!!

takes advice from his members

he definitely sings to your baby girl

like, once it’s big enough, he’ll cuddle your bump and just sing.

it’s the sweetest thing in the world

“hongjoong hyung said we should get one of those pregnancy balls soon”

“Looking for star Looking for love 그대는 나만의 별 언제나 그댈 빛나게 해줄게요 Forever you're my heart”

scenarios

this baby will not stop kicking your stomach. usually you would be thrilled to have her be so active in there, but she kept kicking your bladder. and when she wasn’t kicking the literal piss out of you, she was just straight up hurting you.

“your child is a fucking bully” you groan and lay next to him on the bed. she already had similarities to yeosang, example one, taunting you.

“why do you say that?” he chuckles, turning to facing you, allow on pillow and his head resting on his hand as his other hair moves strands of hair out of your face.

“she won’t stop kicking. it’s starting to hurt” you pout, making him frown a little. he rubs you belly, hoping to relieve a little pain. “can you try singing to her? maybe it’ll calm her down”

he instantly nods and moves positions so that he’s cuddling you bump. he places a kiss on it before singing star 1117, so softly that you could probably fall asleep just from listening to him.

you smile when you realize that it’s working, her movements were becoming less harsh, and barely even there. you run your hand through his hair as he finishes the song. he chuckles a little in disbelief. he’s never sung to calm her down like that before, he honestly didn’t think it would work.

“i think she likes your voice” you tease. but it honestly makes sense as to why she would, his voice is deep and soothing. it could probably put anyone to sleep.

“i’m glad” he smiles “you think she’ll be a singer in the future?” he looks up at you with sparkling eyes

san

sooooo protective

no one touches the belly unless it’s family or the members.

he’s over the moon excited, you should’ve seen him when he found out it was a boy.

he talks about all the things he’s gonna teach him when he’s old enough

he brags about how his son is going to be so amazing allll the time

and also brags about how strong you are and how much of an amazing mom you are even before you give birth.

takes tips from both of your guys’ parents.

“you’re such a good mommy, my love”

“did someone try to touch my baby?”

scenario

being pregnant made things like shopping so difficult, you could barely be in the store for 20 minutes before getting tired anymore. so that meant san had to go by himself. which he was NOT doing. so he sent seonghwa to.

“baby, i can go shopping with you if you want” you pout, feeling bad that seonghwa had to run and do your errands.

“it’s fine really, pregnancy is hard. i’ll go” seonghwa insisted and left with the grocery list before you could even respond. you pout even more, with a huff this time, before san walks up from behind and wraps his arms around you, placing his hands on the bump.

“it’s okay, he wants to help. i promise” san kisses your cheek and sat you down on the couch. “your mom said it’s good to elevate your feet” he swore and raised your feet onto the coffee table, putting a throw pillow under them.

you laugh, knowing damn well he probably texts you mom daily for tips on pregnancy. you really got so lucky with san. everything about him is just so perfect, you couldn’t wait to see how he is around your son.

“how often do you talk to my mom sannie?” you question

“i don’t know, once a day maybe” he says casually, making you laugh more, which makes him laugh too. the two of you laugh and giggle when suddenly, you feel movement.

“oh my god…” you say, shocked. which only scares your husband

“what? what? is everything okay”

“yes, give me your hand” he does as you say, and you place the hand on your bump “talk”

“about?”

“i don’t know, tips my mom gave you” you tease just a little, knowing it’ll get him to rant

“we’ll she told me that certain foods should be avoided, even if your doctor didn’t mention them. so li-“ he pauses when the baby begins to move around. “oh my god” he repeats

you smile, looking into his eyes. your babies first movement. “oh my god” he whispers this time, crouching down by your legs and holding your belly. “hi, hi baby” he whispers.

the baby moves as you two talk to him, he seems to really like it when you guys have a conversation. “i can’t wait you see you little guy”

mingi

oh he can’t fucking waitttttt

though he gets more nervous as time passes. he also get impatient.

he’s so ready to meet his baby girl

like with yeosang, he’s very reassuring about your appearance, and also how well you’re doing.

he always feels bad when it’s a bad pain day, or mental day for you

you work so hard and he hates to see you hurting 🥺

the baby lovesssss his voice

“she’s gonna be so beautiful, i mean, you are her mother obviously”

“you think she’ll like the color yellow? maybe green?”

scenario

today was absolutely horrible. your cravings and emotions were everywhere today, not to mention the baby’s kicking was beginning to get exhausting. mingi was at the store, you forced him to leave the house but now you were regretting that.

you step into your shared bedroom, looking at yourself in the body length mirror. you liked huge in your mind. but in mingi’s mind, you’re gorgeous.

“baby, i got your fruit you wanted” he announced as he walked into the bedroom. you didn’t even notice that he got home, usually you would hear the car pull up of the door shutting. all you do is nod and continue looking at yourself “what’s wrong?” he asks

“don’t you think i look huge?” you say, making him frown.

“what?” he asked, coming up to you slowly. he raps his arms around you from behind, forcing his hands to rest on you baby bump.

“i feel ginormous. i’m into five months in, i shouldn’t be this big” you insisted, but mingi wanting having it. he spun you away from the mirror so that you’re looking at him.

“my love, you’re caring a person inside of you. you’re caring our daughter. the person that we will love together for the rest of our lives. so yes, pregnancy obviously makes you gain weight, but you look absolutely gorgeous” he looks into your eyes the whole time he speaks, and by the time he’s done talking you’re sitting there getting emotional.

you let a couple tears fall before wiping them away. mingi coos a little and kisses your cheeks “you’re perfect, baby” he promises, though it doesn’t help with your emotions any

“stop or i’m gonna keep crying” you scold your husband, who only chuckles and gives you more kisses.

“okay, c’mon on got you fruit” he says, pulling you out of the bedroom

“i don’t want fruit anymore, i’m kind of craving your moms dip” you think out loud, though his smile doesn’t alter any as he takes you to the kitchen and takes his moms oh-so-famous chip dip from the fridge “i love you” you say as he hands you to you

mingi laughs once again “i love you too” he says before leaning down and uncovering your belly from your shirt “and i love you as well princess”

wooyoung

ohh boyyy

woo is so pumped to meet his son

wooyoung is kinda known to be a bit of a tease, but he kind of halts that during your pregnancy

he doesn’t wanna accidentally hurt your feelings :(((

he likes to kiss your baby bump every morning and every night

he started clearing space for the nursery the second you told him you were pregnant

always cooking for you

he’s the goofy type. he’s the type to dance with you in the middle of the living room with his hands on your belly and waist

“c’mon dance with me, baby”

“if we’re having a baby the nursery will not be gendered.”

scenario

you were sitting in the middle of your unfinished nursery as wooyoung finished up painting one of the walls. he didn’t want the baby to have a gendered bedroom. so walls are painted a soft gray and will later have wall stickers of little clouds and animals plastered on them.

you were looking through baby websites, searching for things like clothes, dressers, basically everything. because as of right now the only thing you have is a crib and a baby carrier. then again, you’re still only four months or pregnant, you just found out the gender. so you don’t feel any rush yet.

“kiss” wooyoung demands, crouching dow beside you, being careful not to touch you with his paint covered hands and clothes. you giggle as he puckers his lips, waiting for yours to meet his. and why on earth would you say no to a wooyoung kiss?

you peck his lips before he runs off to shower. you stay in the nursery, scrolling through your laptop. you want to get a rocking chair early on so that you can sit in the nursery comfortably while doing things like this.

you were at that stage where it was getting hard to do anything. standing up, tying your shoes, everything. you weren’t even gonna attempt to get off the floor until wooyoung can help you up.

“why are you still in here, baby?” you hear your husband ask as he enters the room. you sigh and close your laptop

“i need help” you pout and lift your arms toward him, he chuckles slight and walks over to help you up. “my butt’s numb” you sigh, rubbing your butt and wooyoung figures it would help to rub the other cheek, because he’s wooyoung.

“come on, my lovely, i’ll make you food and you can watch that show you like” he holds out his hand, waiting for you to put your own hand in his. you smile and collide your hands together. he grabs your laptop from the floor and walks out of there with you following. “craving?”

“chicken, mac and cheese, pickles” you sigh, listing only a couple of your cravings, the one that seemed most logical for a lunch.

“yes ma’am” he chirps and runs to the kitchen to make some food. you smile to yourself, sitting on the couch and turning on your favorite show.

he came in and out of the kitchen a few times to check on you until he finally came out with food. you sat up a bit straighter and held your hands out for one of the plates “here you are, beautiful” he smiles

“thank you”

“you’re welcome, now eat up you two” he kisses your cheek and rubs your belly

jongho

okay, he’s a nervous wreck. like he tries to hide it, but sometimes it just…

anyway.

definitely sings to you both

he will do anything for you and your unborn son

after some time he starts getting my easy going and playful

he often talks to your belly

does everything for you

he gets so excited when the baby boy starts kicking 🥺

“awe, hi little guy” *baby kicking*

“no, babe, seriously i got it, go sit down”

scenario

you aren’t really a morning person, and it doesn’t help when you were up and down all night because the baby kept kicking your bladder. but waking up to jongho softly humming a tune and rubbing your baby bump made it easier.

as your eyes flutter open, you see jongho facing you but his eyes remain on the bump. that is, until he notices you’re awake. “good morning” he smiles sweetly, speaking in a hushed voice.

“mornin” you grumble and close your eyes again, making your husband giggle a little. he kisses your forehead and continues singing.

“do you think he’ll like sports?” jongho mumbled. you can’t help but chuckle and place your hand on his jaw.

“if he’s anything like, most likely” you answer with your eyes still shut. he hums contently, pondering about what his baby boy will be like in the future. maybe playing basketball? or wrestling? what if he decides to be a singer too?

“i hope he has your eyes” your husband said, making you scoff and open your eyes.

“you have such pretty eyes, what’re you talking about” you giggle lightly as he gives you a disapproving glance. he looks back down at your belly, just admiring it “two more months to go” you remind him

“i can’t wait to meet him” he says before singing again. this time, he’s actually singing, and dear god did this baby love his dads singing. he gets all excited and starts kicking your belly “good morning little one” he laughs

“mmh, he kept me up all night” you grumble, feeling the familiar kicking praying he doesn’t hit your bladder.

“tell your momma your just ready to get out of there, huh?”

you laugh at jongho’s baby voice, though you find it quite endearing and sweet. definitely your favorite thing “i can’t wait to see what your like when he’s actually here”

“hmm, i’m gonna spoil the heck out of him” he promises that. and you know he’s not bluffing “you’re gonna be a spoiled little thing” he leans down, kissing your belly

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wkandaforever · 2 years ago

Note

but now for my actual question: what do you think about the notion that all of namor’s interactions with shuri were planned/strategic and there wasn’t really anything special with their dynamic? also, if nakia’s infiltration went differently or didn’t happen at all, do you think namor and shuri would have been able to come to a consensus over riri? what would a talokan and wakanda partnership even look like?

for the record i also love how interested you are in talokan because same!!! what i would do for someone to write something centered on them and their day to day lives, what politics look down there, their military, their technology, and so forth.

oh god. oh my god. be steady my heart. okay i will try to organise my thoughts and attempt to answer this coherently

honestly, i don't disagree with you about namor's interactions being strategic/planned. i think being vulnerable with shuri was his strategy. even if you don't see their interactions as romantic, i still think they are literal mirror images of each other, and that fact in and of itself makes their dynamic so interesting and complex

you see, namor's primary motive is the protection of his people. he was living peacefully and quietly with his kingdom all these years, and only revealed himself when his people were under attack, because their resources were exposed. now namor is the kind of king who'll do anything to save his people, be it expose themselves to the surface people, attack and kill the surface people, or even form an alliance with the most powerful nation on the planet to defend his people and resources from the surface people

now there were so many ways he could've gone about forming the alliance. why kidnap shuri? why introduce her very closely to the people he's trying to protect, putting their safety on the line? why not take the easy route and form an alliance with queen ramonda, the current ruler of wakanda, when she literally comes to him personally, and alone, and asks him what he would like in return for her daughter? why does he reply with "nothing"? why lose that perfect opportunity? why go through so much hard work to get shuri, and only shuri, on his side? i think it's because he recognises something in her that all this time he only saw in himself. i think he feels a spiritual connection to her right there on the beach (which parallels so well with the whole science v/s tradition/spirituality theme going on in this movie) that allows him to trust her and open up to her later on. sure, maybe he planned the whole thing, he's a really smart guy after all, didn't manage to stay hidden for half a millennium if he wasn't a planner. but the fact that he chose to plan it this way...

with regards to nakia's infiltration... see the whole situation was so tragic. it's just one tragedy after another. i can't say namor is wrong for wanting an alliance to protect his kingdom and is doing everything he can to get it, and wages war when he fails to protect one of his people. i can't say queen ramonda is wrong for wanting her kidnapped daughter back when she's already lost so much. i can't say okoye was wrong for wanting to help shuri get outta her lab and and distract herself from her brother's loss, but lost shuri in the process. i can't even say shuri was wrong for not building the synthetic heart-shaped herb on time to save her brother. but they all blame themselves don't they? sometimes in life we try so hard, give our everything, but it's just not good enough. we're not good enough. but there are external forces at play, a grander plan that we aren't even aware of. we just have to try our best and trust the process. namor had to trust shuri, to give shuri his mother's bracelet, and shuri had to keep trying after countless failures to learn that the key to her becoming black panther is that very gift given to her through so much trust, and she had to fight namor to learn what it feels like for your vengeance to consume you, and then to give it up. i think all of this, the grief the loss the pain, it was all meant to happen, in one way or another, because the challenges they faced made them who they are. if things went differently... i still think they'd be tragic but in a different way. i don't think easy resolutions exist to complex problems

and to your last question "what would a talokan and partnership even look like?" yeah. wow. i don't know. i would like to know, though. both nations protect their land and their people fiercely. queen ramonda challenges the UN when they're under attack at the beginning of the movie, declaring that just because they don't attack first, doesn't mean that they aren't capable. that if they're provoked or threatened again, it would mean war. and we all know who would win if wakanda launches war against the world. i think namor's beliefs about his land and people are very similar. and alliance between wakanda and talokan, the two most powerful nations in the world? france and america would be quaking in their seats just Thinking about it. and shuri has offered an alliance to namor, technically they are on the same side now. i'm excited to see what they're capable of together

#wakanda forever #black panther 2 #wakanda forever spoilers #bpwf spoilers #comradekarin #shiny message ✨️#thank you for this!!!!#this gave me so much to think about wwoooowww #im sorry its so long i just!!! have so much to say #and yes omg i cant write for shit but if you find any talokan fics!!!!#pls send them my way!!!! <3333 #i would rlly appreciate it!!!!

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co-captens · 2 years ago

Text

Alright y'all, let's think about Jim in canon and some interpretations we can draw from them:

As I said, Jim doesn't like killing people. They make like they're going to kill Lucius so he doesn't reveal to anyone that they aren't a cis man, but given ample opportunity to do so, they don't. In their confrontation with Spanish Jackie, they name that they have the ability to kill her if they want while she loads her gun, but they don't. When they meet up with Nana, they say they got oodles of revenge -- an answer they hope will please Nana and, potentially, free them from their obligations of vengeance. And while one could argue that we can't really know what Jim was trying to say to Stede about getting over murder, I would like to trust Olu's interpretation: when you kill someone else, a part of you dies as well. Does that really sound like someone who loves killing?

(Sure, Buttons thought that Jim loves a good bit a blood, but Buttons also thought Jim was dead, so maybe he shouldn't trusted for Jim intel.)

Jim's complex relationship with gender stretches far beyond being nonbinary. Based on their interactions with Spanish Jackie, their Nana, and the crew, I would hazard an interpretation that they're much more trusting of women than men, probably stemming from, I don't know, that time a group of men killed their family. Olu has to pull their favorite color out of them; they open up to Spanish Jackie about the pain of their traumatic past pretty quickly. This gives us so much to work with as we consider their disidentification from womanhood and manhood, and their relationship with Olu as perhaps the first man they've trusted in some time.

What, then, does it mean for Jim to pretend to be a man? Do they think that they'll have an easier time killing as a man, because they've spent their life thinking primarily about men in the context of murders?

Jim is literate, at least in Spanish, and keeps a log. Lucius does not seem to know this; I would assume no one else does. I don't have much to say about this, I just haven't seen it noted much.

They joke(?) to Olu about returning to a nonspeaking state. Honestly, I don't ever know what to make about this comment or the look they have on their face when and after they say it, but I know they aren't just a nonbinary person on a plot for revenge, they're a much deeper character battling external and internal pressures to act as--to be--a legendary avenger of their family and countless more like theirs, while their own identity quietly plays out underneath. And what do they ask for, even as a joke? To live quietly aboard the Revenge, unbothered by its various idiots.

Please please please feel free to add onto this post or create others digging a bit deeper into Jim Jimenez.

We need to read Jim's character a bit more deeply. They're so much more complex than the little 'nonbinary and violent' box fandom puts them in. They don't even like killing.

#jim jimenez #jim ofmd #feel free to tag me if you do #maybe i'm just missing all the good jim content?

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captaincryolicious · 3 years ago

Text

A game of Pirate

➳ Kazuha x gn!reader

➳ Oneshot ; 3.5k

➳ Fluff ; No warnings

You and Kazuha run into your three young friends at the harbor and join them for a game of pirate. [14.O7.2O21]

Zep's Note ; Yep, shamelessly inspired by the daily commission ✨

content under the cut | masterlist

It was one of those blissful moments of the year where the main flagship of The Crux had moored in Liyue Harbor, taking a break from the vast outstretched oceans for thorough maintenance and the necessary restocking. Not just that, it was also a given opportunity for the crew members to reunite and spend time with their loved ones on the mainland, and to be out of reach of the perpetually simmering dangers that lay dormant underneath the glistening yet treacherous surface of the sea. A little summer vacation, one might jokingly call it.

The often seaborne ship would stay for at least a couple of days – maybe even a couple of weeks, depending on whether or not Beidou would feel comfortable enough to stay on dry land a little longer. That was a matter for later, though. For now it was tied securely to multiple bollards on the dock, not going anywhere anytime soon.

You loved it; glancing over at the wharf and seeing the mighty ship you grew to love so much so nearby instead of far out of reach, gone for so long that even the details of its exterior would slip from your mind slowly. With the absence of Beidou's ship also came the absence of the crew members, and one in particular had your heart and being separated from him for so long was hard. But he too came to the mainland of Liyue, and you were happily reunited.

You had him right next to you, one of his hands securely in yours and the other holding a chicken-mushroom skewer he had bought from a street vendor moments earlier.

Kazuha was taking in his surroundings with a gleeful smile, clearly happy to finally be able to spend some leisure time on the mainland again, together with you.

It had been quite some time since you last saw each other, so you naturally refused to leave each other's side ever since the ship had arrived in Liyue Harbor and you had almost knocked him off the gangway when you flung your arms around him. But that was yesterday, and after finally having spent a night falling asleep in his arms, you two had set out early this morning to roam around the streets of the lively harbor city.

There were so many things you wanted to do now that he was there. Take him to your favorite spots, go on countless little dates, enjoy the various beautiful sceneries the mainland had to offer you, and maybe even introduce the samurai to the ones close to you so they could finally meet the boy you literally refused to shut up about.

For now, however, you seemed to have naturally gravitated towards the docks again. Was it the horizon that pulled him there? The idea of having the wide ocean close to him? You wouldn't be surprised, since the vast water was where the samurai spent most of his days. Even now, with the bustling city decor around him, his gaze still wandered to the sea every now and then.

"How does it feel to see the horizon from this perspective for once?" you asked, following Kazuha's line of sight – which was again solely focused on the ocean.

"You make it sound like I have never been on dry land before," he remarked, an amused twinkle in his eyes as he turned to look at you.

The thought of the male feeling ill at ease had briefly set your mind to worry a little, but you could clearly see that his mood was elated and the concern quickly slipped away.

"It sure does feel like it," you pouted, perfectly able to recall the feeling of emptiness you experienced as you waited for Kazuha for what felt like multiple centuries. "I can hardly comprehend the fact that you're truly here."

"Don't worry, I'll keep reminding you that I'm right here next to you in Liyue Harbor as long as it takes for you to believe me," the ronin grinned, pulling you towards him with a gentle tug on your connected hands to place a quick kiss on your lips.

"See?" he said when he pulled back, eyes wrinkling in joy as he smiled at you. "Almost as close as you as I can get."

You couldn't help the slight blush that climbed your cheeks. The time spent together aboard the Alcor where you were surrounded by crewmembers who went wild with teasing remarks and cat calls every time you and Kazuha did as much as looking at each other definitely taught him to grow a bit bolder, and you had yet to get used to it.

"I don't believe it," you shook your head playfully. "Are you really here, Kazu, or am I living a dream?"

He grasped your intentions – you could tell from the look he gave you– but he chose not to give in and merely squeezed your hand instead.

"If your dream is having me by your side, you are very much living a dream that came true," he gently told you.

Before you can even do as much as formulate an answer that describes the warmth that swelled in your chest, a small gasp from behind you prevented you from speaking up anyway.

"Ooh, are they married?" a hushed voice spoke, followed by a quiet giggle.

"Maybe," another voice replied softly, before they raised their voice. "Y/N, Y/N! Are you married?"

Eyes wide, you whirled around, only to find three children staring at you –either excited or smugly. You instantly recognized the trio. After all, you got to know them quite well over time.

Lulu, Fei, and Meng; three kids that hung out around the docks to play as often as you were there to look out over the sea. After the children saw you aimlessly wandering around the wharf for the nth time, curiosity got the best of them and they had asked you who you were and what it was that always brought you to the docks.

You had told them you were waiting for your lover.

Apparently that was a valid reason for them to pull you into their little club, and suddenly you were surrounded by three young children wanting to play games with you every time you visited the docks. It wasn't all that bad, and you found yourself having fun more and more often.

But now they were looking at you like that. Who even taught these kids how to grin so smugly?

"Married?" Kazuha repeated, quite confused as he looked at you. He had no idea who these kids were, nor did he know you befriended a few kids in Liyue Harbor during his absence, so he couldn't make the connection.

"Yep!" Lulu said, smiling knowingly. "Y/N always moped about missing their lover, and now you are here and they are smiling. You must be their lover."

"And lovers get married," Meng added, nodding wisely.

"We're not married," the samurai explained, the warm smile on his face giving away that the childrens' words had touched him. Then he glanced at you, and added, "but who knows what life has in store for us when I abandon the wide oceans and settle on the mainland?"

Oh.

"Are you a pirate?" Fei asked, finally speaking up after being quiet during the talk about love and marriage. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at Kazuha.

"Not really," the male replied. "I sail the seas with Beidou and her crew, but I'm not sure if I deem myself or anyone there a pirate."

"Beidou says she's a pirate," Lulu stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, so you must be a pirate as well," Meng agreed.

These kids truly had a fascination regarding pirates, and you hoped it wouldn't make Kazuha uncomfortable to be called one, or even offended. After all, pirates had the reputation of being naught but seaborne criminals, so these kids just called your boyfriend a bad guy, basically.

"Ah, if Captain Beidou claims she's a pirate, then I can do nothing but to accept that I am one too, hm?" Kazuha gave in, patiently playing along with the kids.

"Okay!" Fei grinned, obviously satisfied.

"Guys, we can play Pirates with a real pirate now," Lulu marvelled, clapping her hands excitedly. "Y/N, please play with us? And mr. Pirate too?"

"You can call me Kazuha," your lover grinned. "And if Y/N wants to play, I will gladly join as well."

You hadn't been sure what he thought of this sudden intervention, but he seemed all but opposed to the idea of playing a game with your young friends.

"Sure," you nodded. After all, it's been a good while since you last played a game of pirates with the trio, and you were sure it would be fun now that Kazuha would join. On top of that, the children seemed elated, and who were you to refuse their offer and dampen their mood?

"Yay!" Lulu cheered. "This is gonna be fun!"

"Kazuha, Y/N, follow me!" Meng said, before he ran off towards one of the boats that was moored to the docks and had become their favorite playground.

"Friends of yours?" Kazuha asked, still smiling.

"Yep, I guess you can say that," you nodded. "It's quite a long story, I'll tell you later."

The two of you approached the boat to meet the children there, and they were already busy discussing the roles everyone would take while they were seated on the deck.

"Kazuha is a pirate," Fei reasoned earnestly. "So I think he should be a pirate."

You sat down on the boardwalk floor of the deck too, joining their little discussion circle. The ronin sat down next to you, and you could tell he was enjoying this from the everlasting smile on his lips.

"Then, Y/N should be a good person," Meng suggested, but Lulu shook her head agitatedly.

"No, no," she protested, folding her arms. "Y/N is gonna be a pirate too. Don't separate them. Mommy says she always misses Daddy when he's out on the sea and she doesn't want to get separated when he comes back."

She shot you and Kazuha a smile, as if she wanted to say, I got you! It was adorable, and you felt a wave of appreciation towards the thoughtful little girl. Somehow, you always ended up being the pirate in their little game, but now you got to be a pirate with your lover so it was a bit more special.

"I want to be a crew member so I can protect the good guy ship," Fei decided, his hands balled into fists determinedly. "We have two pirates now, so we need a strong man to defend our ship!"

Meng snorted at that, and Fei shot him a glare.

"You're pirate bait, Meng," he snapped.

"Then I'll be the captain!" Lulu declared, taking her chance before anyone else could.

"H-Hey, I don't wanna–" Meng protested, but the young girl bounced up and down and cheered before anyone could take her role away from her.

"Let's start!" she gushed, until a sudden thought struck her mind and she spun around to grin at Kazuha. She dug her hand in the pocket of her dress and took out a familiar eyepatch. "Beidou gave this to me when I told her I wanted to be as cool as her when I'm a big girl," she explained, offering the eyepatch to the male. "You should wear it."

"Thank you," Kazuha spoke sweetly as he took the item from the young girl. He carefully pulled the string over his head and adjusted the patch so it covered his left eye, and glanced over at you for your opinion.

You couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from your throat as you gave him a thumbs-up. Not to mock him, but because the situation you were in genuinely brought you joy. He was here with you, adorably playing along with your little friends. It was just so wholesome.

"You would make a handsome pirate, Kazu," you complimented him, and he accepted your words with a smile.

"Guys, look!" Fei announced, proudly presenting you two little bamboo swords he had just taken out from a small bag. "Pirates need swords."

"They're so cool," you smiled at the little boy, taking one and swinging it around. "Where'd you get them? They're new, right? I haven't seen them before."

"Master Zhang made them for us when we asked for pirate swords," Meng explained, still pouting because he wasn't happy with his role at all.

"That's really nice of him," Kazuha smiled, inspecting the wooden sword closely. It was literally half the size of the sword he usually wielded, and you chuckled softly at the sight.

"Are we settled?" Lulu asked, and she grinned cheerfully when everyone nodded. "Let's play!"

"Ahoy, we be here to steal yer loot!" you announced, pointing your bamboo kiddy sword at Meng, who stood in the middle of the deck of the small ship you were on.

"Eeee, pirates!" Lulu cried out, hiding behind the young guy – who instantly took a protective stance.

"W-We have no loot for you, bad pirates," he uttered out, glaring at the other pirate who popped up next to you. "It would be best to leave our ship, we have a very dangerous crew member! Right, captain Lulu?"

"Yes!" the young girl nodded eagerly. "Pirates are no match for him!"

"Seein' be believin'," Kazuha spoke, one corner of his mouth curled up in a lopsided smirk as he twirled his sword. "Bring out yer warrior, we shall fight 'em."

You fought a smile, trying your best not to fall out of character for the sake of the game, but it was endearing and funny to see Kazuha so immersed in his role, obviously enjoying the play he put on. Not only that, he was pretty good at it too.

"You called?" Fei asked, lowering his voice as he entered the soon-to-be battlefield, the tip of his sword dragging over the wooden floor of the deck. "What do I have to fight?"

"Pirates," Meng replied, pointing at where you and Kazuha were standing. "Fend them off, I'll bring our captain to safety."

He grabbed Lulu's hand and dragged her to the other side of the ship, where they sat down. Their legs wiggled excitedly as they anticipated the upcoming 'fight'.

"Leave our ship or face the consequences!" Fei commanded, pointing the bamboo sword at you threateningly. "I have no mercy."

"Show me wha' ye got," you grinned, and the playful fight begun.

It was a harmless brawl, with jabs that weren't meant to hit, wooden swords clashing against each other gently, and even an occasional laugh slipping past someone's lips. It was a game of chase, and no one was particularly on the winning hand, until Kazuha stumbled after dodging a soft jab from Fei's bamboo sword and lost his balance.

"Ha! Pirate down!" Lulu cheered from her position on the quarterdeck, and the ronin took that as his cue that this meant defeat in their little game. He remained on the floor, silently regarding the ongoing battle with a smile.

"You're on your own now, pirate," Fei spoke smugly. "Time for you to surrender! No one attacks my crew."

"Surrender be no option," you declared, but you still allowed the young boy to force you backwards with small steps, until your back hit the mast in the center of the boat.

"Meng!" Fei called, and the other boy came running.

You let it happen, silently enjoying the gleeful smiles of victory that washed over the childrens' faces as you were tied to the mast with an imaginary rope. It always ended like this, but you couldn't find it in you not to let the kids have their win.

"I fair winds 't ye tied down me comrade," a voice spoke from behind the dancing children, and you watched how Kazuha got to his feet and picked up his kiddy sword. "But ye forgot about me."

"Oh no!" Fei shouted. "Lulu, run!"

"I can fight too!" the girl protested, grabbing the sword you had dropped while you were being tied down. "Look!"

Together, the kids attacked Kazuha, Fei and Lulu using their swords while Meng aimlessly bounced around without a weapon, energetically encouraging his friends instead.

But your lover wasn't planning to be defeated again, and you swore he almost sounded like a real pirate when he laughed upon dodging the kids' attacks. Then he took his turn to 'attack', gently poking Fei's shoulder with the tip of his wooden sword. The young boy clutched his shoulder dramatically, slowly sinking to his knees.

"Nooo!" Lulu cried out, but she still stuck out her tongue at her defeated friend before she turned her attention to the samurai again. "You'll regret that, pirate!"

It was the most fun you've had in a while, and you smiled fondly as you watched the playful sparring between Kazuha and the two children. The game remained gentle, swords not touching anyone except for when your lover softly poked Meng's tummy, defeating him too. Only Lulu remained, and she wore a determined face as she fought Kazuha with all she had, all without actually touching him.

But the samurai had his mind set on winning, and it wasn't long before Lulu too sat on the ground with a small pout.

"I believe ye stole me treasure, dear sailors," the winning pirate stated calmly. "I plan on takin' it back."

Lowering his bamboo sword, Kazuha turned to face you in all his pirateous glory, complete with the lopsided grin and Beidou's eyepatch. But it merged into a smile as soft as ever as he approached the mast, crouching down in front of you.

"Nooo, he's freeing the other pirate!" Fei yelled.

Still playing along, Kazuha pretended to untie the imaginary rope that bound you to the mast and he pulled you to your feet swiftly.

"But pirates always find their way back to their treasure, hm?" he whispered as he caught you in his arms, enjoying the blush that found its way to your cheeks as you smiled at him.

Then he turned around, one arm around you as he held you close, and the other pointing his swords at the kids.

"Strike yer colors, victory be ours!"

That was the call of the end of the game, and the kids got to their feet with a mixture of excitement and disappointment on their faces.

"Aww man, you're good at this," Fei admitted.

"I can't believe the pirates won," Meng sighed, picking up one of the dropped swords. "That never happened before."

"But it was fun," Lulu concluded, giving Meng a light shove as if to scold him. "That is what it's all about, isn't it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the young girl scurried off to collect the fallen swords. Still with one arm around your waist, Kazuha pulled the eyepatch off of his face, handing the item back to Lulu and fixing his hair a bit.

"Can we play again sometimes?" Fei asked eagerly.

"But then we get to be pirates," Meng quickly decided.

You glanced over at Kazuha to see his thoughts on the offer, and the male smiled to let you know that he was fine with it.

"Sure, let's play again," you nodded, smiling at the kids in front of you. "And then you can be the pirates, it's a deal."

"Ahoy! I be lookin' forward to it!" Fei cheered, pumping his fist in the air excitedly, causing the other kids to laugh.

And with that, you exited the boat and separated ways from the kids. The smile on your face didn't falter, for you had genuinely enjoyed the time you spent playing a game of pirate. It was quite an unexpected turn of the day you were meant to spend together, but you were happy it happened.

"Kazuha, you are adorable with kids, you know that?" you told him as soon as you were further away from the docks, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Hm? Really?" he asked, with mild surprise in his eyes as he looked at you. "I… I never really interacted with kids before, but it was fun to do."

"You're a natural, then. They immediately liked you," you told him, and after a moment of silence you added, "but then again, it's pretty impossible to not like you."

Your words made him smile, almost bashfully so, and now it was his turn for his cheeks to flush a subtle pink. It made you feel all warm and happy on the inside; today had been so wholesome so far, and it was still early on his first day on the mainland. Having Kazuha with you was great in so many ways, and you thought back to the words he had spoken earlier.

What did the future have in store for you?

You couldn't wait to find out.

252 notes · View notes