#me (laughing nervously): like. like figuratively orrr......

[debtsunpaid]

@asteritm / continued from here

party pooper. oh hey clarice, it's nice to hear from you! how are you? how's life? i'm doing really well, thanks for asking! crunch anything tasty lately? party pooper. drop the first t in texting, throw in an s actually. and he's still getting the hang of it but he can't get better without practice you know. what better time to do it when he's supposed to be paying attention? party pooper. — on a scale of one to five, how bad is it? one being distracted but functioning and five being cannot carry a conversation to save his life? i have to know, for record keeping purposes, and then yes — i might give him some breathing room. do you know how fun it is to drive a man a little insane with a picture or two? i bet you do, one way or the other. party pooper. whatcha talking about? anything fun?

[sms] handle with caution. gods, you even text the same. no wonder you two fuck like rabbits, it must be like screwing a mirror for him. not to impugn your good looks by comparison, darling — and of course, i'm delighted that you're well. how goes your training in ... whatever it is he claims to be teaching you? CS.

[sms] handle with caution. yes, yes, i'm well aware of the context. and the contents. and his password, much to his dismay. artfully posed, by the way; what i wouldn't give to have your body. CS.

[sms] handle with caution. oh please, child. it's the easiest game in the world. with men, you'll reach the madhouse long before you could ever hope to reach the truth, every time. and no, i cannot think of anything i would rather do less than rate the depths of john constantine's lust, thank you ever so much for asking. CS.

[sms] handle with caution. business of course, what else? although that particular discussion seems to have effectively stalled, at present, thank you again. as much delightful nostalgia and secondhand embarrassment as i'm finding in the ... sordid details of your extracurricular activities, need i point out, to you of all people, that it would be far more professional to get it on on your own time? rather than, for example, mine? CS.

[sms] handle with caution. [IMG ATTACHMENT] besides, your man here is already averaging a 3.5 over little more than a tasteful glimpse of cleavage and a quarter-body shot — i'm sure you can do better than that. than him, for that matter. CS.

[sms] handle with caution. i know, i know, dreadful of me. and i did say i wouldn't pry. the heart wants what it wants, i suppose, regardless of such ... trivial hurdles as simple rational thought. i can relate to that, at least, but i do wish you'd let me set you up with at least one of the more ... lucrative matches on hand. after all, even if it didn't pan out, it couldn't hurt to keep up at least an appearance of availability, in your position, hm? CS.

[unfinshedsentec]

hdidjdd hi aceee <3

saw that your requests are open … 👀

is it alright if i request a mikey x reader, orrr a ryusei x reader, where reader is suffering from burnout from school ?? like, all their work keeps pilling on top of each other, and its just too much for reader to handle. reader is literally just mentally and physically exhausted, and they havent got the energy to do anything

icl .. this is literally my life rn and many others 🧍‍♀️

but if you dont wanna do this, that’s perfectly fine !

LY <33

hi love<333 thank you so much for requesting! Ugh tbh I relate so much to this. Like school just started and I’m already so done. The senioritis is hitting HARD

Anyway, I really loved writing this and I really wanted to make this headcanon so I added shin to make it three! Hope you enjoy and I love you sm <33

WHEN YOU’RE FEELING BURNT OUT

reader is gender neutral!

characters: manjiro (mikey) sano, ryusei satou, shinichiro sano

tw: cursing, depression, being burnt out, mental exhaustion, etc.

RYUSEI

Tired. That’s all you felt. So tired. Each day a new weight always seemed to get added to your shoulders. Whether it was homework, or just the thought of school alone, it all made you feel…exhausted.

It quickly became too much. Every day lasted longer and longer. Your work built up more and more. Even talking to your friends seemed like a task. It just seemed like there was no end to any of it, it made you so tired…so stressed.

And Ryusei noticed that.

Ever since you had shown up to school, you noticed he was giving you an odd look. He kept looking at you, confused, as if he was trying to figure something out. Then, confused turned to concern, and concern turned onto questions.

“Y/n?” Ryusei asked, pulling you away from your friends. “Are you okay?”

Nervously, you laughed, barely being able to keep eye contact with Ryusei. “What?” you chocked out. “I’m fine! Just a little tired is all”

Ryusei looked at you skeptically and sighed. Sure, you were tired, but he knew there was a lot more going on than that. He knew very well there was something a lot deeper than “a little tired” going on.

“Y/nnn” he began, gently holding your shoulders. “Don’t lie to me”

“I told you, I’m just tired”

“No”, Ryusei persisted. “There’s something wrong, very wrong. What’s bugging you love?”

Silently, you looked up at him. Your mouth pressed together, and you sighed, as if you were getting ready to say something. A familiar glint appeared in your eyes, one that remined him all too much of tears. His heartbeat picked up and he was ready to whisk you away to safety. But, just as you opened your mouth to say something, someone interrupted you.

“Y/n! What’re you waiting for? We gotta go!” your friends yelled. They were waving you down, telling you it’s time to go to class…to more work. “Coming!”, you answered. And in one movement, you gave Ryusei an apologetic look and left. Ryusei just watched you leave, worried.

Throughout the day Ryusei thought about you non-stop. On the outside, he was his happy, dandy, teasing self. He spent his day with friends, teasing Chifuyu, and sleeping on the roof. He looked fine, happy even. But on the inside, worried plagued him. You looked so sad, so tired. And he hated that. It drove him crazy.

Even worse, he kept trying to talk to you, trying to comfort you—but you avoided him. Every time he’d walk by you or call your name, you’d drop your head and act like he wasn’t there. It was like he was a ghost. And that, worried him more than anything.

Eventually, Ryusei had enough. Mid-way through the school day, right before you went into your last class, Ryusei grabbed your arm and walked you up to his favorite place—the school rooftop.

“Ryusei!” you yelled, attempting to pull away. “Ryusei?! What’re you doing?!”

Ryusei said nothing. He didn’t turn to you, he didn’t look at you, and he didn’t say anything. He just kept walking you up to the roof. No matter how many times you yelled for him and asked him what was going on, he just ignored you and kept going.

It wasn’t until you reached the roof that he did something. He hugged you.

In an instant, he dropped all of his cool-boy bravado. He just stood there and hugged you. He didn’t tease you and he didn’t act like he usually did. He just let it all go and showed his soft, boyfriend-y side that he showed to no one else but you.

Silently, he pulled you closer, and hugged you as tight as he could. He cradled your head and ran his finger through your hair. His head rested on top of yours. His breath blew your hair a bit. It was a real, loving hug. You completely fell into it. You let him wrap his arms around you, cradle you, and hold you as if this was the end of the world. You stood there with your head against his chest, just listening to his heartbeat.

“Y/n...” he began, still running his fingers through your hair. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with you?”

Silent. It was completely silent for a few minutes. You said nothing, you did nothing. But Ryusei could feel you tense up. He could feel you grip onto his shirt a little more.

“I-I already told you. I’m just a little tired.” you shakily uttered. Ryusei, however, didn’t buy it one bit.

“Please don’t lie to me, Y/n” Ryusei replied, tightening his arms around you. “Please, please don’t lie”

Suddenly, you shook. You shook hard, and soon enough, Ryusei heard sobs. Tear were streaming down your face and wetting his shirt. You gripped onto him as hard as you could and just cried. And Ryusei let you.

“I’m so done”, you whimpered. “The work it…never ends! It keeps coming and coming and, and—I can’t do it anymore! I just want a break!” you sobbed. “I want it to end”

Ryusei just sighed and he kept hugging you. He felt terrible that he couldn’t just take all the stress off you and put it on himself. He wished he could take all your worries away so you could be the happiest person on earth. But he couldn’t do any of that, as much as he wished he could. But he could still do one thing.

“I’m here…” Ryusei muttered, stroking your hair. “And I always will be”

Indeed, Ryusei would be. He would always be there by your side, picking you up in the worst of times. Although he wished those bad time never happened, he still stayed by you though it all. And although he didn’t see as much, it was more than enough.

He was enough, and he always would be.

 MIKEY

Life has been hard lately. Every day it seemed like just getting out of bed was a task. Going to school is practically a nightmare anymore. The work seems nonstop. It feels like the moment you get something done; 2 other things pop up. You couldn’t keep up; you can still barely keep up. You knew you needed to get up, you knew you needed to do the work, but you just couldn’t. You couldn’t bring yourself to do anything.

It had only been the beginning of the school year, yet you were already so done. You were so tired. It felt like life was moving forward quickly, so quickly you could barely keep up. You wanted, no needed nothing more than for it to slow down. But clearly that wasn’t happening. After all, thing upon thing kept piling up in your list of stuff you need to do. And it was all so exhausting.

For now, all you could do was try. Trying was really the only option you had, but even trying didn’t feel like enough. You didn’t feel like enough. Maybe that was why you showed up at your boyfriend’s house 2’oclock in the morning. Or maybe it was because you didn’t think you could keep going if you couldn’t see his face.  Either way, you were knocking on Mikey’s door in the middle of the night on a school night, praying he would answer.

You knew this probably wasn’t a good idea. After all, Mikey is a busy man. Having to deal with Toman, fights, and of course the burden of whatever goes on in his head takes a toll on him. You knew that right now he was either busy or tired, and you felt guilty plaguing him more. But you needed him. You needed him so badly right now. So, here you were pounding on his door at 2’clock in the morning, awaiting an answer.

It didn’t take Mikey longer than a couple minutes to open the door. The poor blonde looked disheveled, confused even. He still wore his Toman uniform, and his hair was up in his usual semi-up hairstyle (at least as much as it could be). Somehow, he still looked like a kid in this state. He gripped onto his towel tightly, and drool ran down his face. Unfortunately, his eyed were anything but that of a kids. They were droopy, blank, and usually dark. The dullness in his eyes was scary. It really spoke lengths as to how tired Mikey was.

“Y/n-chin?”, Mikey mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “What’re you doing here?”

Looking up at him, you felt guilty. The dark circles underneath his eyes were even darker that they were. You instantly regretted disturbing him. But you needed him. It was an uphill battle you weren’t sure would be ending anytime soon.

“Umm…” you began, eyes moving away from his. “I just needed to see you.”

Confused, he glanced at you, before opening the door wider for you to come in. Silently, you slipped in, and took off your shoes. Mikey, on the other hand, ran back into bed. He went back into a half-asleep in what seemed like an instant. Still, his eyes carefully watched you. He was skeptical already, but the way you awkwardly stood by the door unmoving only made him that much more skeptical.

“What’re you waiting for?” Mikey mumbled, lifting gup his blankets. “Get in”

You sighed, before crawling into bed next to the blonde boy. His hair was already sprawled all over the place and he looked exhausted. Yet, he still laid awake. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer. Happily, you buried your head deep into his chest, and just laid there, listening to his heartbeat. It was calm, as was his breathing. In a way, it put you to sleep. But just as you felt you conciseness begin to slip away, Mikey spoke, his voice more serious than normal.

“Y/n…what’s wrong?” he said, running his fingers through your hair. He was looking directly in your eyes, with a more serious look than you’ve seen in a while.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m fine” you retaliated, refusing to drag him down more. Unfortunately, Mikey wasn’t buying it for a second. “Uh huh”, he replied, pulling away. “That’s why you look so sad”

“What?”

“There’s clearly something wrong Y/n. I can tell from your eyes” he began, cupping your face. “You can’t lie to me, idiot”

In an instant, you felt everything in your body just…release. All the stress, overwhelm, exhaustion, in all took over. Tears began running down your face. And then, soon enough, you found yourself sobbing into Mikey’s chest while he held you.

“Shhh…it’s okay”, he mumbled into your hair. Silently, he ran his fingers through your hair as he just let you…cry. You didn’t say anything, but Mikey already knew what was wrong. He watched you from afar. He saw how you instantly looked more stressed when the teacher brought up more work. He saw how tired you looked. He watched how you struggled to even look at all homework, let alone do it. He knew what was wrong, and he understood.

He understood all too well.

“I’m so tired, Mikey!”

“I know…I know…” he mumbled, tightening his hug. “Don’t worry, I’m here…i’m here with you”

In that moment, your whole world became a whole lot lighter.

 SHINICHIRO

Shinichiro had noticed how tired you looked.

The bags under your eyes spoke more than words could say. Your unusual distance, the dullness in your eyes, your uninterest to do anything; Shinichiro had noticed it all. Hell, he had noticed more than once you been crying. After all, red, puffy eyes didn’t happen for no reason.

Even when you came to visit him at the bike shop, you looked so tired. Even when you looked at him, the light in your eyes seemed to fade away. Everything about you now worried Shinichiro to no end.

He worried about you all the time. He just couldn’t get the thought of your dull face out his head. It plagued him a way, but maybe it was just the worry any boyfriend should experience.

Either way, he worried about you—your safety and your health. Shinichiro had tried many times before to talk to you, to figure out what was wrong, but you always gave the same answer.

“I’m fine.”

He knew damn well that wasn’t true, but he didn’t want to push you. So, Shin let it go. He decided to let you come to talk to him instead of forcing something out. But, one day, when you just suddenly disappeared, he had enough.

It was a school day, in fact, it was one of your last school days. Shin had just handed off the black dragons, and he finally had a plan to work full-time at the bike shop. Shin went to school, texted you, did stuff in class, and then continued through his day like it was nothing. However, not long after 1st period began, Shin noticed immediately that you hadn’t answered any of his texts, and it worried him. But hey, maybe you’re just running late, and you haven’t checked your phone!

Oh, how wrong that was. And Shin knew exactly how wrong it was when you didn’t show up to school…at all. He texted you what seemed like hundreds of times, trying to get a hold of you, but he got nothing. All day, there was just no sign of you.

He had to admit, Shinichiro hadn’t been this panicked in a long time. He wasn’t sure what was going on, or exactly what to do about it, but he was going to get to the bottom of it. After all, you were one of the most important people in his life; he had to make sure you’re okay.

In heartbeat, he rushed to your house. He didn’t care that they were still time left in the day, or that he had a test later, Shin ran to your house. Frantically, he knocked on the door, praying you’d answer. And at first, there was nothing. But after banging on the door again and pleading for you to come out, you finally answered the door.

Exhausted. That’s what you looked and that’s what you were. The bags under your eyes were darker than ever before, and your eyes themselves were as blood shot as could be. You sniffled, looking up at Shin.

“W-what’re you doing here, Shin?” you mumbled, avoiding his gaze. Shin just looked at you, relived. “Y/n?! Oh my god, thank the lord you’re alive!!” Shin yelled, pulling you into his chest. The taller man squeezed you as tight as he could, finally letting the anxiety in his body lessen.

“The hell are you talking about?”, you croaked out, returning the hug. Your voice, however, was raspy and dry. Shin worriedly ran his finger through your hair and asked beyond a lot of questions. But the biggest thing of all wasn’t even a question, but a demand.

“Y/n”, Shinichiro said, pulling away. He gently held your face in his hands, but his face was a serious as could be. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Wha-“

“What is wrong?” he sternly said, his stare as serious as ever. Silently you dropped your head, and finally let more tears run. Your body shook and quickly began wiping the tears away. You tried containing yourself, but the more you tried to, the worse it became. Quickly, you began sobbing. And soon enough, you were uncontrollably sobbing.

“Woah, woah, woah” Shin said, immediately pulling you back into his chest. “It’s okay, it’s okay”

“I’m so tired!” you sobbed out, though not very clearly. “I-I can’t do this anymore!”

“What can’t you do anymore?” Shin gently questioned stroking your hair. He was so gentle with you, so caring, yet so pained at the same time. This hurt more that he ever thought it would. It almost felt like his heart was cracking with each sob you let out.

God, all of this was horrible.

“I -can’t so this! I can’t do anything!” you sobbed gripping onto his shirt. “The work never stops it just keeps coming! I-I can’t take it anymore! I’m so fucking tired!”

“I can’t live like this”, you continued “I’m just not…enough”

Shin sighed, before pulling away again. Gently he cupped your face and began wiping the tears away. His eyes looked into yours the whole time. He was serious, dead serious. His tone and voice were serious too. He meant what he said completely, but more than anything, he meant what he would say next.

“You’ll always be enough for me, Y/n”

masterlist || reblogs are very appreciated <33 || so sorry for any typos too lol

[tbmaybank]

He Doesn’t Need To Know (Part 4)

Warnings: none, just fluff ❤️

Summary: the group finds out about you and JJ.

A/n: I hope you like it! I wrote it pretty quickly 😬😂

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Requests Are Open!

——————————————————————————

You wake up still entangled in JJs arms, with him slightly snoring. You snuggle in closer to him, enjoying this morning bliss. In the past, he would always have to sneak back to his room before you woke up, so waking up next to him was a new, welcomed change. You can hear John B in the kitchen digging through cabinets, and as much as you’d love to stay right here, you know you need to talk to him before everyone one inevitably shows up.

You kiss JJs jaw line before moving to get out of the bed, but his arms pull you right back to him. “No, stay.” A sleepy whisper coming from the boy who still had his eyes closed.

“I’ll be right back, J, go back to sleep” You giggle.

“Mm fine.” He pouts, but is almost instantly back to snoring.

Smiling at the cute man laying in your bed, you make your way to the kitchen where your brother is eating cereal. “Hey.” You say, plopping in the chair next to him.

“How was your date?” He asks with a mouthful of food.

“It was okay.” Hesitating before you continue, “JJ said he told you some things last night..”

He just smirks and nods at you a little.

“Look, I’m sorry for lying to you about us. I should have just talked to you about it right away, I was just scared.” You confess, while nervously playing with the ends of your hair.

“Why were you scared? I know I can be protective, but am I really that bad that you’re scared to talk to me?” He asks while pushing the cereal bowl away from him.

“It wasn’t just that. I was scared you wouldn’t approve, but I was scared in general. I didn’t know how serious it was to him, or if he felt the way I did. If I was gonna end up looking like an idiot, I didn’t want everyone seeing it.” Admitting that not only to him, but also to yourself for the first time. And it was true. Each time JJ had said something about wanting to stop hiding it, you instantly thought about what would happen if he left you, and everyone would see how dumb you were for falling for him.

“And do you know now? How he feels?” You just nod, smiling slightly. “And did you guys work out your little lovers quarrel? I’m assuming you did, as his room was empty this morning, and last I checked, you don’t snore like a man. So either he stayed somewhere else last night and you have that date in your room, orrr…” he raises his eyebrows at the end.

Blushing a little, you nod. “Yeah, we worked it out. We’re back together.”

“Good. I love you guys. I don’t want to see either of you hurting again, so no more fighting or breaking up. But if he ever doesn’t treat you right, I will kill him, just so you know.”

“I kinda figured.” You say, giggling, just happy that you could finally talk to your brother about this. You hear your bedroom door open, and JJ stumbles into the kitchen. Hair messier than normal, rubbing his eyes. John B laughs watching him almost run straight into the wall.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Your brother shouts, overly cheerful, to which JJ just grunts as he goes and gets a water bottle from the fridge, and sitting next to you, across from John B.

“It’s way to early to be awake right now.” He says, while laying his head on the table.

“Go back to sleep, J.” You say, rubbing his arm.

“No, wanna take you out to breakfast.” He says, still leaning on the table, sounding like he’s falling asleep right there.

————

An hour later, you were finally leaving to go to breakfast as JJ insisted. Even though it was his idea to go, it took him forever to get ready. But now you were finally walking into the little diner, him finally seeming alive and not like a walking zombie.

You went to sit across from him in the little booth, before he pouted and asked you to sit next to him.

“Oh, so we’re gonna be that obnoxious couple that sits on the same side of the booth?” You tease.

“Yes, absolutely.” Making you laugh. You guys order your food, talking about plans for the day, his arms draped around you. He would occasionally interrupt you to place a kiss on your lips, which you didn’t mind one bit. You were so caught up in each other, you didn’t notice Kie and Pope slide across from you, until you hear the sound of Pope clearing his throat. You guys turn and see them both resting their chins on their fists, elbows propped up on the table, eyebrows raised.

“So this is new.” Pope dramatically dragged out the word ‘new’.

You just blush, you knew you were gonna tell them today, just didn’t expect to get caught kissing at a diner by them. JJ, however, seems unfazed. He just pulls you closer, smiling big.

“Not new at all actually,” he starts explaining, “we’re just masters at deceit.”

“Well, I hope John B knows about this.” Kie says, leaning back and crossing her arms.

“Well, he does now. JJ spilled it all to him last night.” You say.

“So you guys.. you’re like, actually together? Like a proper couple?” Pope questions.

“Yeah, man, she’s my girl.” He says, running his fingers up and down your arm.

“How did this even happen?” Kie asks.

“Well,” JJ starts, “it’s a funny story. See, y/n here needed help installing a-“

“JJ!” You say, elbowing him in the ribs. “I don’t want all my secrets put out there.” Causing Kie and Pope to raise their eyebrows, and JJ to laugh.

“Okay, okay.” He says putting his hands up in defense. “It just kinda happened, and we were together in secret for a few months, then we broke up, and now we’re back together, with no secrets.” He thinks before adding “well, I guess one secret since she doesn’t want me to tell you how.”

“And now I’m just left with more questions.” Pope says.

“You guys aren’t going to be like, all over each other all the time now, are you?” Kie asks.

“No”

“Absolutely.”

“JJ…” you shake your head at the boy, and Kie rolling her eyes at him.

“Wait, are we the last to know?” Pope acts offended at this thought.

“I haven’t told Sarah, so she’ll be the last I guess. Unless John B already told her. We were gonna tell you all, when everyone was together, later. But I guess plans changed.” You laugh as you say the last part. You decide to pull out your phone and text Sarah, you really didn’t want her finding out on accident like this, as you guys have gotten really close since they started dating. She definitely felt like that sister you always wanted.

-Has John B told you anything about me today?

-no, why? Is everything okay??

-yes everything’s fine! I just kinda started seeing someone, and didn’t want him telling you before I got the chance.

-wait what?! You have a boyfriend now? Do I know him??

-ha, yeah.. it’s JJ.

You nervously wait for her response, as you only half listen to the conversation JJ is having with Kie and Pope, who have now ordered their own food. It feels like an eternity before your phone finally buzzed.

-what!! Omg, I could tell you liked him, but I didn’t know anything was actually going on. I’m so happy for you!!

Smiling, your put your phone away. You look at him as he steals pieces of what was left on your plate, everything feeling more real now that everyone knows. “What?” He asks as he swallows the bacon he stole from you.

“Nothing, I’m just happy.” You say, causing a big grin to appear on his face. He pulls you into a kiss, mumbling “me too.” Against your lips.

“Oh this is gonna get old fast.” Pope says, making all four of you laugh.

[kpopluvrsblog]

Im sorry professor

Requested: Hi can I request a dom teacher kevin moon fic? Also love your work!

Genre: smut

Pairing: prof!kevin moon x fem!student reader

Summary: you accidentally fell asleep in your art class....your teacher wasn’t happy.

Warnings: unprotected sex( be safe!!), dom!professor kevin and sub!student reader(student is 18), um paint play?? Rough sex, idek what else

A/n: should i make a fluff part two orrr✨ also not proofread so im sorry for mistakes

You woke up startled nearly falling off of your chair after hearing a loud bang. You had a night art class but you must’ve fallen asleep. Last night you had a long essay that was due and thanks to your procrastination you barely got it done on time.

With your heart beating fast you spun around to see that your professor had slammed the door to his classroom shut locking it in the process. Your professer was a young man named kevin moon and he was the only reason so many people took art this year. However you were in here because you like art.

“Miss y/n, would you mind telling me what we went over in class today?” He questioned as he slowly walked over to where u were sitting. “Im so sorry professor i stayed up late last night and I must’ve fallen asleep”you stated while standing up and gethering your supplies laying around the table. He cut you off by saying “no, i asked you to tell me what we went over. I didn’t ask for some lame excuse”

By the tone he was using you could guess he was angry since we were learning new material today. You turned your head to look at him as he stopped right in front of your desk. “Im sorry im not sure of what we learned today professor but i can teach myself to save you the trouble if you would like to tell me what we went over? It wont happen again.” You said hoping he would at least tell you the basics.

“Y/n you missed a whole lesson. Today we learned on how to paint ones body. Naked. Instead of telling you though i would say it is easier to show you. Just to make sure you really understand.” He stated with a teasing tone while coming around the table to stand beside you. He grabbed your arm and pushed you lightly against the desk. Trapping you between his hips and the desk, pushing his bulge against you.

“Professor i dont think-“ you started but he covered your mouth and put his lips to your ear “its kevin” his whisperd which gave you chills throughout your spine. “Kevin. I dont think we should be doing this your the teacher and i-“

“Shhh baby your only a few years younger than me. Tell me you dont want this and i will stop.” He said while rubbing his hands down your sides. You can’t deny that you have imagined yourself in the scenario more times than you would like to admit. He IS really hot. “I want this” you said breathlessly.

“Mmm i knew it” he said as he started to pull your shirt off of you. “I should punish you for being disobedient shouldn’t I?” He then turned you around and pushed your head down to the table, holding your hands behind your back with one of his. He then unclasped your bra while kissing your shoulder. “Yes i deserve to be punished” You replied.

He lifted up your skirt to see your lace panties already soaked. “Damn y/n you’re already so wet for me. This is whats going to happen. Im going to fuck you raw and use your tight little pussy to get myself off. You will not cum unless i decide i want you too. Got it?” He ended with a harsh spank to your ass.

“But thats not fair!! I should be able to-“ he ended your rant by pulling you up by your neck, pressing your back to his naked chest. ‘When did he get undressed??’ You thought. “ do not fucking question me brat. This is a punishment and you will take what i give you.” Kevin then started to rub his tip against your throbbing pussy. Keeping you up by your neck, he thrusted his whole length into you, causing you to scream.

“Your lucky school has ended early. Im going to make your throat sore from screaming my name.” He then started to pound rapidly into your tight pussy which made your knees buckle as you screamed some more. He wrapped the other hand around your waist to make sure you stayed put. It hurt but felt so good at the same time. You loved the way he was manhandling you.

“Your pussy is so tight for me baby. Mmm have you never been stretched this far huh?” He questioned. “N- no your thick cock is stretching me out so much, i love it” you mumbled while trying to hold back your tears. “Thats right baby, now let me demonstrate what we went over in class hmm?” He stopped his thrusting and stilled deep inside of you making you sigh loudly. He leaned over you to reach the paintbrush you had yet to put away. He dipped it into the red glittery paint that was set up as well.

“Lean down on the desk” kevin demanded you. As soon as you layed your stomach flat on the table, he put one hand besides your head to hold himself up. Not even a second later you felt a cold substance coat the skin on your lower back, making you gasp and moan loudly. He started to slowly thrust inside of you again as he used you as a canvas.

“Kevin oh my god please I’ve been so good. I really need to cum i wont be able to hold it” you whined as you couldn’t help but push your hips back onto his now harder thrusts.

“Fucking hold it brat. I said i would let you cum if i felt like it.” He gritted his teeth as he put the brush down and grabbed both sides of you hips, now slamming into you so hard that you couldn’t breathe properly. He was so deep inside of you, you thought you could feel him in your stomach.

“Shit im cumming baby” he growled as you desperately clenched around him, trying not to release. He quickly pulled out of you and jerked his dick until he was cumming all over your back, where he had painted not long before. He moaned loudly as he came while you whined because you no longer had him inside of you.

You started sobbing because it hurt so bad, you needed to cum. You started thrashing your hips around until kevin stopped you. “Sh sh its okay baby ill make you cum now alright?” He said softly while rubbing your hips.

“You’re so mean kevin it hurts so bad” you said still crying. He turned you around gently and placed you on top of the table. “ i know i know. Can you handle my dick or do you want me to eat you out baby?” He asked while still rubbing soothing circles into your hips. “I want your dick please.” You contined as you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer to you. His sweet scent calmed you down as he inserted himself again, thrusting slowly a few times before gaining speed to make you cum fast. He didn’t want to go too hard since he knew you were in pain. He removed one hand from your hip and lightly began to rub figure eights on your wet clit.

This geture made you cum with a scream locking his dick inside of you with your tight clenches. As you were coming down from your high he placed light kisses along your neck and pulled out of you making you wince. He held you tightly as he started a slow make out session that last for a few minutes. “ are you alright?” He asked after pulling away. He wanted you to learn your lesson but he didnt want to hurt you in the process.

“Yes im okay kevin thank you” you replied with a reassuring smile. “You know” he said shyly “ you should come back to my place y/n, that way i can run you a nice bath and we can talk about us okay?” He finished and bit his lip out of nervousness.

“I would love to do that, lets try not to get caught walking out of here though... i look like a hot mess” you said, making you both laugh as he started to pack everything and get you guys dressed to leave to his house.

[autisticbee]

What, no ring?

Master Frown twirls spaghetti around his fork, the only joy (ha.) being watching the strands break. He's known to be a complainer but this is without exaggeration the worst spaghetti he's ever had, it doesn't even slightly compare to what he and Brock can make at home.

"Dude, are you not gonna eat that?" Brock eyes his plate like it's not too much of an abomination to even call food.

Frown's brow creases even more. "Nope." Without any further words he shoves the detested plate to Brock's side of the table.

Brock shrugs. "It's not that bad, not that good either but not that bad." He shoves a fork full of the discarded meal into his mouth and Frown isn't sure what to make of the fact he keeps thinking about how that fork was in his own mouth a few minutes ago.

Stop being weird, brain. He thinks to himself.

"I dunno why we even had to come here, their food is shi-" Frown cuts himself off realising there are kids at a table nearby and then internally scolds himself for being soft and to stop letting Unikitty, or Brock for that matter, rub off on him. "-Garbage."

Brock stifles a laugh. "C'mon, eating out once in a while is cool, I don't wanna cook alllll the time."

"Well, maybe I do." Frown crosses his arms in petulance. "We don't even have the money for desert, which is the only good part about eating in a stuffy place full of too many happy-dappy people." He glares indiscriminately around the room.

Brock rolls his eyes. "Whatever man, just, stick it out for a little while longer, Okay?" He asks, pleadingly.

Frown keeps his glare for 3 seconds, before heaving a heavy sigh. "Fine. But we are getting dessert."

"What? You just said we don't have the money-"

Frown waves an arm wildly. "Gimme a second, I'll think of something." He has like 2 cents so yeah, he's broke. Could order something then not pay but then they'd get banned and maybe he'd do that on his own but Brock would be pretty peeved off because for some reason he actually likes this place sooooo-

He leaps up from the table, a slightly maniacal smile on his face. "Ha! I got it."

"Got...what?"

"The perfect plan to score free dessert."

"Oooh, fake a birthday?"

"What? No! no one falls for that anymore." Yeah he had kinda used that one to death.

"Then....? Can you kinda hurry up I need to pee."

"Wait, you're part of the plan you can't go yet." Frown reaches across the table and grabs Brock's hands in a vice grip. "Fake. Proposal." He whispers.

"Um, I don't know...how about we just go home now and I can make cookies, my treat!"

"Dude, we could get like the most expensive dessert on the menu! People love all that sappy stuff, especially people who work at restaurants." He leans back into his seat and sticks out his tongue in (faux, not that he'd admit) disgust.

Brock glances at the menu nervously. "It does sound really good. Aren't you worried something like that could get back to the doom lords though, pretty sure that'd damage your image."

"Pffft. It won't, even it did I'd just tell them the truth and we could have a good laugh about it. Look I've been really good with minimal complaining today, can't I do a little something to tip the balance to the other side?"

"Okay, but I'm not taking the blame if they figure us out, this is the only good place we're still allowed into."

"Yeah, sure." Frown loudly screeches his chair back, drawing the attention of various patrons. "Play along." He whispers to Brock before standing up on the chair. "Brock, baby," He pitches his voice a bit louder. "Will you marry me?"

Brock feels unexpected heat in his cheeks and wills it to go away. "What, no ring?"

"Uhhhhhh." Frown rubs the back of his head. "It's...taking longer than expected to get it engraved...?"

"Then maybe you should have thought about that before proposing? Kind of a let down."

"The ring isn't important!" 

"Oh wow, if that's how you feel about it I'm not sure I should say yes." 

Frown face-palms, willing Brock to remember the plan. "Can we not argue before we've even had dessert." He says pointedly.

"Oh. Oooh, yeah you know what you're right it doesn't matter, so yes, I guess."

"You guess?" This was not working out well, why the heck did Brock have to get so into it?

"I think I'm just still kinda hungry, also I still need to pee and it's making me cranky, heh that rhymed." Brock smiles to himself. "Uh-Anyway, 'course I'll marry you, who else is gonna be by my side." 

Frown tries to ignore how that almost sounded genuine, and plasters on a fake smile. "That's great, go to the bathroom and I'll order us something special."

He notices a waiter approaching as Brock gets up and practically runs to the closest toilet. "Hey can we have Ultimate Desse-....oh nooooo, I seem to be out of cash." Frown says in a dramatic tone.

The waiter rolls their eyes. "It's on the house, for the sake of your poor fiance."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Frown sulks back into his chair.

By the time the order arrives, which makes Frown cringe at how it must have been prepared for quite a while to come so quick, Brock has come back to the table.

In theory every dessert on the menu mixed together sounds great but in actuality it's a monstrous mix of ice cream and chocolate and cheesecake and bananas and...gingerbread? And jelly and sprinkles and it just...

"Wait, you don't even like sweet stuff." Brock points out, the 'except for my cookies' is left unsaid.

Realisation hits Frown like a brick. 

Brock just looks uncomfortable. "I don't think I can eat all this, why did we want this again?"

"I don't know." Frown bangs his head against the table top.

______________

"That was pretty impressive I've got to admit." 

"I made myself eat half of it and then I threw up." Brock clutches his stomach as they enter their apartment. "All that mess..."

"Uh yeah! That's why it was so impressive, think of how much longer the person who has to clean that up will have stay after work." Frown tries his attempt at evil laughter, which in the past has earned mocking from his fellow doom lords.

Brock collapses on the sofa. "I can't think about it anymore, I just wanna sleep for like ten thousand years."

Frown fits himself in the gap at the free end of the sofa. "Does that mean I can have the TV to myself?"

"Go for it man, just not too loud." 

But Brock starts shifting about on the sofa, which Irritates Frown too much to let him watch tv. "What's wrong with you?"

"I can't get comfy, and my tummy hurts." Brock whines. 

Frown rolls his eyes. "Come here, dork."

Brock does as told and Frown motions for him to rest his head on his lap. "Hey that's no way to talk to your fiance." He giggles then regrets it as his stomach jolts.

Frown starts rubbing his stomach, it's not really something entirely out of the usual for them both but for some reason things this have started seeming more and more intense. "...You're never gonna let that go, are you."

"Nah." Brock grins lazily, the motion making him want to sleep even more. Frown's rarely soft with anyone but him and he'd be lying if he said he didn't sorta revel in it. Brock wonders for a moment what would change between them if earlier hadn't been a ploy for free food, what it'd be like if they actually got married. They basically bicker like a old married couple already and they even kiss every night.

Just not, you know, in a romantic way.

They just kiss on the lips every night in a totally platonic bro way. Yep. 

Brock leaps up, startled by a sudden revelation. 

"Hey what the heck, you need to puke again or something?" 

"No! Just decided I'mma head to bed, haha." 

"Oookay." Frown stares at him strangely. "Want me to tuck you in and-"

"Nope! I'm good!"

"Thought you couldn't sleep without your nighty-"

"I'm good! Goodnight!" Brock rushes off to his room and slams the door.

"That was weird." Frown stares at the closed door for a minute, feeling oddly disappointed, then he shrugs and turns up the TV. 

________________

"Whoa, look at that." Brock points to poster on a nearby building. "Free vacation."

Frown raises an eyebrow, and reads it closely. "Yeah, for couples. And it's a competition in the unikingdom, ew."

"Well...what if we...pretended again?"

"What?" Frown baulks. He did consider the idea himself but wouldn't have imagined Brock being the one to bring it up. "Why?"

"We could never afford something like that, plus you could always like, tell Unikitty it was fake after the holiday and that would make her pretty sad maybe?"

"...I'm listening." Frown pauses in thought. "We'd have to play it up more."

"By play it up more do you mean holding hands orrr french kissing?" 

"I don't know! just whatever it takes." The blush on Frown's cheeks could in fact ruin his reputation and he needed it stop like right now, There's no reason to blush about the idea of kissing your best friend on a more...intimate...level like a teenager with a crush. 

Because obviously he doesn't have one. "When does this thing happen anyway?"

"In about, twenty minutes." Brock squints at the poster. "How long has this been here?"

______________

"Where the heck is everyone?" Frown glances around the empty gymnasium that was supposed to be the setting for the vacation competition.

"I hear crying behind that curtain on the podium." Said crying abruptly stops.

Frown rubs a hand down his face. "Oh boy."

There's a quiet like the lull before a storm before a pink and glittery blur flies out from behind the curtain. "OHMYGOSH THERE'S ANOTHER COUPLE HERE PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT FAKE-" Unikitty cuts herself off and glances down at Frown and Brock. "Oh it's you two...Master Frown if you're here to ruin this you're too late! Everyone was a bunch of fakers." Unikitty bursts into tears.

Frown groans. "No, we're here to enter your stupid competition, buuuut since no once is here I guess we win by default." 

Unikitty's tears stop again. "Whaaa? You guys are TOGETHER? LIKE REALLY TOGETHER?! SO THAT PROPOSAL RUMOUR WAS TRUE!"

Frown scowls. "How do you know about that." Great, now they really needed to put on a ruse.

"I have my sources." Unikitty says mysteriously. "I am sO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS OH MY GOSH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME HELP YOU WITH THE WEDDING OH! WE COULD THROW IT IN THE UNIKINGDOM MY PEOPLE LOVE A WEDDING-"

"Uh, Unikitty, the competition?" Brock prompts kindly.

"Sorry, sorry! I can't help it I just looooOve weddings, ahem, I can't just let you guys win, Hawkodile needs to make sure you're the real deal because everyone who else who came earlier were just pretending to be a couple, can you believe it! It's so sad." Unikitty pauses to suck in a deep breath. "But I'm sure you're not lying, I always knew there was a thing between you two." She winks.

"Since when-Ow!" Frown glares at Brock after getting jabbed in the ribs.

"Dude, you'll blow our cover." Brock tries to subtly whisper, despite being a bit taken back too. Sure they're close but did they really give off that vibe? Or was that just because of Unikitty's rose coloured glasses?

"Princess, do I really need to test them? They're obviously faking! I mean, it's Master Frown." Hawkodile gestures exaggeratedly at Frown.

Frown creases his brow. "When did you get here." 

"Yeah but it's also Brock! We can trust him." Unikitty looks pleadingly at Hawkodile.

Brock winces.

"Ugh, fine. But they're gonna have to pass the quiz of true love to convince me." Hawkodile crosses his arms.

"That's a ridiculous quiz name." Frown tries to ignore the fact he's started sweating.

"You're ridiculous!" Hawkodile turns his gaze to Brock and points a finger at him. "You!"

"Yeah...?" Brock tries to keep a neutral face.

"What's Master Frown's favourite colour?" 

Frown bursts out laughing. "Oh come on that's an easy one-"

"Black?" Brock speaks tentatively.

"WHAT THE HECK DUDE YOU KNOW IT'S BLUE." Frown shouts. 

"Wait it is? I just thought black would be your thing because darkness and all that sort of stuff."

"Blue is the colour of sadness and tears!" Frown pouts, aghast that that they had failed on the very first question.

"Hmmm." Hawkodile strokes his chin. "Okay, Frown you're up."

"Huh?" 

"What's Brock's favourite video game?"

"Uhhhhh, the dead one 7?" 

"Are you serious?! Don't you remember me saying how I had to wait out in the rain to get a hold of dawn-breaker 3 and that it was all worth it because it was the greatest game ever?" 

We are not getting that trip. Frown thought, as Brock looked ready to cry.

"Guess I was wrong about you two." Hawkodile speaks.

"You were? I mean, uh yeah you were." Frown fakes confidence.

"Yeah, anyone actually faking would have memorised each other's favourite things too well, like they had only just found out that day, and tried to look like the perfect couple but clearly you guys have some issues." 

"No kidding." Brock turns away from Frown with a 'Hmph.'

Unikitty, who had been unusually quiet for the last few minutes, flies around and groups up Frown and Brock into a hug. "Yaaaay, I'm so happy you guys didn't let me down, HEY! If you get married at the beginning of next year you could use this holiday as your honeymoon!!! WOULDN'T THAT BE AMAZING."

"Get off." Frown struggles out of her grip, leading to a short fall to the ground. "Ugh."

"Wait, why did you say next year?" Brock asks in befuddlement. 

"Didn't you read the poster? The vacation is for next year! This competition was kindaaaa a last minute idea what with valentine's day coming up and all and it turns out that everything was already booked up for this year...sooo..." Unikitty sets Brock on the ground gently.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Frown screams, face down on the floor. 

"It's still better than never, right?" Brock laughs nervously. "Sorry bro, I must have missed that part..."

"She did write it in really small print." Hawkodile points out.

"Shhhhhh, thanks for your help Hawkodile! But I need to discuss something with Master Frown and Brock in private please." 

Hawkodile squints, turning to leave. "Uh, okay. I'm watching you, Frown."

Frown gets up, dusting himself off. "Can we leave now." 

"Hang on." Unikitty pulls out a piece of folded up paper. "While you two were busy with Hawkodile I decided to write down some wedding planning ideas!" The folded piece of paper unfolds into a very, very long list.

"Well, I would really like to hear your ideas, Unikitty." Brock smirks at Frown.

"I should have just stayed on the floor." 

_______________

"Did you seriously have to listen to every single one of her hare-brained ideas in excruciating detail?" Frown gestures wildly, standing in front of the TV.

Brock moves his head to the side, trying to see and continue playing his game. "You really hurt my feelings, you know how important gaming is to me." Brock exits the game in frustration as Frown moves to block him even more. "I thought we had gotten better at this communication stuff since...you know..."

"And you know how important misery is to me! You couldn't even remember my favourite colour." Frown glances down at the ground. He knows he's being childish...but he's naturally defensive.

"That's not the same thing, this is a huge part of my life! One day I could be one of those gamers that wins those like huge tournaments and bringing in the big money! And then we could live in a huge awesome house and wouldn't have to worry about landlords, or the rat infestation we can't afford to deal with or-"

"Hang on, you still see us living together even if you became a big shot gamer?" 

"Duh! Look we've been faking a lot of stuff but I meant it when I said 'Who else is gonna be by my side', you're always gonna be a part of my future no matter what happens. I just wish you'd support me more..."

The guilt Frown had been pushing down for this entire conversation pushes it's way out at the sight of Brock's sad eyes. "Look...I'm sorry, okay? You're right, I just expect you to go along with my schemes and then I don't support you enough with what you wanna do, I'll...work on that." Frown rubs his arm.

"I mean, you did support with that holiday thing, and there was cheerleading thing..."

"...Maybe, you should do the cheerleading thing again sometime, you were pretty good at it and it could be a back up plan in case the gaming falls through."

A small smile appears on Brock's face. "You really thought I was good at it?"

Frown rolls his eyes. "Uh, yeah. You were awesome. Uniform suited you too-I mean, yeah, pretty good." 

Brock contemplates on if he should risk saying something, to test the waters for a whole other kind of thing I wants to ask. "I thought you looked pretty cute in the uniform too." 

Frown splutters. "I-I'm not cute! What are you even-Cool and handsome maybe, but cute? Seriously?!" 

Despite his protests, Brock notes how Frown's face is turning incredibly red. "Nah, you're definitely really cute."

"Yeah?! Well, you're really handsome, so there." Frown's head screams a chorus of WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING. 

Brock stifles a laugh. "Was that supposed to be a comeback? You think I'm handsome? Oh no I'm so hurt." This time he can't stop the laughter and doesn't even mind the pink on his own face. 

Frown scrunches his face up. "Whatever! You realise Unikitty is never gonna leave us alone now, it's my worst nightmare." He walks over to the couch and sits down next to Brock, quietly fuming.

Brock coughs to clear his throat. "I mean...there is a way we could stop that happening in the long term."

"Like what?"

"She just wants to help us plan our 'wedding' right? As soon as that's over it'll be back to the usual."

"Which is never going to happen since a wedding is not actually going to happen, how does that help." 

"What if it did?" 

"What if...what did?" 

Brock taps his hands together, focusing on them. "What if we got married, like, for real."

"...You've lost me."

"Think about it, we kiss every night-"

"That's just to get you to sleep."

"-We have baths together-"

"It saves time!"

"-We've even shared a bed before-"

"Look sometimes I just get really cold, and it saves on heating in the winter."

"What I'm saying is, it's already like we're married, and if we were actually married we could get the benefits that come with that too. It makes sense, right?"

"Like one of those platonic marriages? Between bros?" 

Brock sighs. "Is that how you feel? I just thought-Never mind."

It dawns on Frown that all the confusing thoughts and feelings he's had for a while now, proved that was in fact not how he felt at all. He'd been trying to deny it the whole time but truth is... "No. I kinda...enjoyed pretending we were together, we didn't do much but just knowing people thought that-" Thrilled him, didn't seem like the right words. "I might be...in love with you or something." He refuses to look at Brock.

"Phew, that's a relief. Pretty sure I'm in love with you too, dude."

"Oh." Still stubbornly not looking. 

"C'mon, look at me." Brock reaches out and cups Frown's face, turning him to face him. "I love you."

"Oh." Frown repeats, in a much softer tone. He's not really good with words, more so with actions, he leans in without thinking. 

They've kissed many times before, but they were always brief pecks and without overt romantic intentions. Because of that, it's still a fairly light kiss but with more passion, more feeling given into it. 

"Mmm." Frown finds himself moaning as Brock pulls away. "That was embarrassing." He mumbles.

"Nuh uh, that was great. I like kissing you."

"Stop, this is already too mushy. Hey, is that why you ask for one every night?" 

"Huh? You don't remember?" Brock asks, clearly perplexed.

"Remember what?"

"When were kids, and I had my first sleepover at your house but I couldn't sleep because Mama used to kiss me on the cheek every night, so you offered to do it-"

"Ugh, yeah. You never specified where so I kissed you on the mouth and you said I did it wrong." 

"And youuuu said you weren't my mom so 'Of course I'll kiss you different, silly'." Brock mimics the high pitch child's voice he can still hear in his mind. 

Frown groans. "Don't remind me, I was a weird kid."

Brock snorts. "Weird adult too. Also really sweet, I mean you're still willing to give me a nighty-night kiss so you're not as bad as you like to make out."

Frown gasps. "You take that back! I'm a menace!" 

"Oh yeah, sure. A real menace who gives his best friend tummy rubs when he's sick, kisses him before bed, and who just said he's in love with me."

"Yeah...but you're different, yanno? There's no one I like as much as you, I wouldn't do that stuff for just anyone." Frown recoils at his own words. "Gross, I'm being sappy again." 

"Aw, I don't know dude, I like it." 

"Can we just go back to the kissing?" Frown pouts.

"Not until you answer my question."

"What questi--Ohhhh." It's Frown's turn to look nervous. "I'm not opposed to it, as long as we have a loooong engagement period, there's no way we're actually gonna have our honeymoon early next year."

"Wait, so that's a yes? You're really okay to jump straight from a blooming relationship to engaged?"

"I'm saying, yes, I will probably marry you at some not yet set date in the future. Thought you'd be thrilled."

"I am! I totally am! Just, if you don't want to you don't have to...I know it's kinda rushing things."

"I know I don't have to, I want to. Is it that hard to believe that I wanna marry your dorky butt and grow old together or whatever." 

"We gotta do this right then, and go ring shopping."

"...I don't think you're supposed to do that together."

"I thought you were a bad boy." 

"You better believe I am, baby! In fact, maybe we should go steal rings."

"Okay, not that far. What was that you said about going back to the kissing?"

Frown grins as he draws closer. "Now that's a better idea."

[k-ini-t]

Ch.2[The Trade][short story]

"Hey! You... got me out of my cage, thank you!" He tried, offering a shy smile upward as he came alongside the other male.  "... ... ..." They did not seem happy.  The dark glower he was giving Setli actually gave him the impression that he hated him for even existing let alone speaking to him, but again, he wasn't telling him not to walk with him, so maybe that was just the way his face was.  Rogues! "My name is - Is now a good time?" Or was the other being so quiet because he was trying to listen for the raiders while they walked?

Setli clamped his lips shut with the thought, looking widely around, and then back to the other as they walked, lower lids raising slowly as he waited for some sort of signal.  Maybe the other would just tell him when it was safe to talk.  Maybe there were secret hand signals - he'd heard thieves used a language all their own; he'd watch for them...

"...."

"...."

... Setli was beginning to think there was no danger and that the other couldn't actually speak.  Because it was sundown now, and the other hadn't spoken once, but seemed to get very angry behind the eyes when Setli looked at him.  Had he offended him?  Maybe because the other couldn't speak, and couldn't say his name to reciprocate Setli's attempts to introduce himself.  That had to be it.  Gods, he felt terrible! He was trying to figure out what he could do or say to make up for his insensitivity while the thief began to make camp in a small rock clearing, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out how to break the ice without a verbal greeting of some sort and if he couldn't break the ice how would he apologize for --

"What town did you come from"

"My name is Cimesetli?!!" The smaller male cried, startling at the break in silence.

"No" the other said in exasperation, straightening from the small fire he'd built and turning to the nearby brush to begin collecting twigs.  "What town did you come from, I said" he repeated with the slightest growl.

“O-Oh, um” Setli ducked his face with a hint of embarrassment, absently brushing some dirt from his tunic.  “Vales.  I’m from Vales.”

“Great.  Nowhere near where I need to be.”  Whether it was sarcasm or genuine relief, Setli couldn’t tell from their tone, but either way, it was the slightest bit hurtful! -

“I’m leaving the road tomorrow, so stop following me or you’ll never find your way back.”

“Oh?” Setli frowned with confusion, silent for a moment as the other built the fire up.  “... Where are you going then? Surely you must be headed to a village.  Or your dungeon.  Are you going to some sort of thieves dungeon? Oh no, that would be called a hideout right??”

“I’m not going to a hideout.  It’s not your business where I’m going.”

“Oh well - I just was a little curious, is all, because, really all there is outside Grovenhorde are the desert and the Cursed places - I thought a hideout made most sense; If you just don’t want to tell me you’re going to a hideout because you don’t want anyone to find out about your thief-family’s secret base, I understand! Really! I don’t intend to tell anyone about you or where you go or what adventure you were on when you saved me, no one listens to me for that long--”

“I’m not -- Stop” She lifted a hand, now looking concerned with a knit of her brows as she stared Setli down.  “You’re getting excited.  I’m not doing an adventure.  I’m not going to a secret base.  If you fucking follow me tomorrow you will die, stay on the road and forget you saw me.”  Had the little bastard been smiling a second ago? He’d gone far-away in the eyes.

“I’m sorry - I don’t meet many rogues” Setli gushed with a drop to his knees, hands lifting to fold over his chest as he watched the other with an enraptured stare.  

“I’m not a rogue” She argued -- pausing, seeming to consider it for a moment and then looking exasperated again.  “It doesn’t matter what I am.  You’re staying on the road? Correct? In the morning?”

“I don’t have anywhere I need to be; do you need help on your adventure?”

“I am not on an adventure”

“I’m a tailor’s apprentice, if that helps”

“That’s absolutely useless to me”

“I owe you for saving me from the raiders!”

“This is why I should have left you in that cage, this is the exact reason why I should have known better” he mumbled with a shake of his head and a turn back to his fire, one hand lifting to run down his face and up over his hair with an aggravated ruffle.  Setli frowned, head tilting a bit before he let his gaze drift downward to stare into the flames with a relenting sigh.

“I don’t mean to be a pain - I’ll walk myself back on the road in the morning, I’m sure I can make it if I’m fast - so, since we aren’t leaving until morning anyway, can I know your name?”  Truly, it wasn’t that much to ask.  It wasn’t even like Setli knew the names of any wanted criminals, if bounty hunting was what the other was afraid of.  He offered a reassuring smile with the thought while the other looked back to him, not shying away from the other’s cold stare.  

“... Fine it’s Elle.”

“Elle! That’s a really nice name for a boy!” The other rolled their eyes again, and Selti leaned forward earnestly.  “No, I like it! You give it, what’s the word I’m looking for - a masculine edge to it~” He’d only met female Elles before, but Elle made him feel like he was just - maybe saying the sound of it, which gave it some mystery! Like he could carve a symbol in a wall to show he’d robbed a house, and people would see it and know, ‘Gods above, Elle was here...!’

The other seemed to give the slightest shrug, their expression relaxing a bit, so Setli let a bit more enthusiasm break onto his face.  “You could use that letter that sounds like your name as your marker; I think it’s one of the ones that’s easy to draw, though I’m not too familiar with most of them --”

“What the hell do you mean by ‘marker’” Elle asked, brows knitting with growing concern.  That distant look, it was coming back to Setli’s eyes.

“To show you’ve robbed a house, or slain a villainous Lord, or --”

“What is wrong with you? That sounds like a terrible practice, doesn’t it?? Leaving your name on your crimes??”

“But it would be so mysterious!”

“No, writing your name on the evidence of your crime, that takes the mystery completely out of the crime, you understand that don’t you?”

“Well it’s interesting! In stories” Setli explained, and Elle’s gaze dimmed with understanding.

“- I’m going to sleep.” He dropped and rolled to face away from Setli, the other giving a bob of his brows and a little pout.  

“Before you do that! I was curious, are you definitely not going on any adventures tomorrow, orrr...?”

“No adventures.  Be quiet.”

“I have, I have, to know, where you’re going now~ I won’t be able to sleep Elle~ I’ve already imagined so many things-!”

“Seriously what is wrong with you”

“Are you meeting a friend?! Are you fighting a monster?! Are you searching for hidden treasure tomorrow?!--”

“I am going to the Mouth!!”

Spetli fell silent, eyes wide and brows raising.  And... Elle sort of expected that silence.  Because most people... understood what that meant.  

At least that would give her the peace she wanted for the rest of the night.  She closed her eyes...

“What’s the Mouth?”

“What” Her eyes opened again, brows lowering.  

“What’s the Mouth? The mouth of what? A big monster” Spetli guessed, now sitting close to the fire and close to Elle’s back.  

“You’ve never heard of the Mouth” Elle deadpanned, sitting up and staring at the young man beside them.  

“No! Is it adventurous? Sounds ominous.”

“It is” Elle said with further disbelief, head shaking as they sat up.  “No - I mean, it isn’t adventurous, but it is ominous.  It’s... the Mouth! How have you not heard stories of it?”

“I mostly stick to bard songs? They’re generally less stressful” At least the ones they played in the square, though he’d overheard some of the darker stories sung in the taverns once or twice.  

“Gods above.  Look.”  Elle crossed his legs, leaning with his hands raised with an enthusiasm for storytelling Setli recognized and immediately felt invigorated by as he leaned in to hear it.  “The Mouth is a cavern.  It’s on the edge of the Cursed Range.  Legend says a thousand year old Lich lives within, and will grant anyone who finds it one wish - if there is something of value they’re willing to trade.”  Setli’s eyes glittered with wonder, and Elle lifted a cautionary finger.  “But it has to be something that’s equal in value.  See, you can’t go and ask to be made rich and not trade something worth a life’s riches.  Most people don’t realize that what a lich wants... it’s going to be something you don’t want to give, generally.”  

That made sense... But Setli had to wonder then: “So - wait, then what do you plan to trade for your wish??”

“You.”

“--Hhha haaa...”

“Nah, it’s something I don’t really care about.”  Elle sat back, shifting to recline again.  “Not that I give a shit about you, you’re worthless to me and all, I just already worked out what I’m going to be okay parting with.”

“Ohh good” Setli laughed nervously, watching the other lay back down.  Well... it seemed like... that was the end of the story.  He stretched a bit, legs still a little sore even after the walk.  He tilted his head back, looking up at the stars against the swirling blues and blacks of the night sky... seeing if he could strain his gaze enough to pick up any arcane energy.  Sometimes it shimmered through the air in purples or greens... like light off of fish scales... It was really easy to miss it... ...

He startled as a twig broke somewhere in the trees, and then again as Elle began to snore softly.  “-- Oh, don’t be asleep already!” He dove forward - earning the slightest jolt and a weary grunt of confusion as he shifted to hide against the other’s chest.  “The dark frightens me, I really don’t want to fall asleep last, can you tell me more about the cave story?? Or another story, please, the fire’s going to burn out and when it’s gone I’m -- I’m --”

“You are the worst” Elle responded, face twisting into a deepening scowl at the creature burrowing against their front.  “You are the worst mistake.  This is my biggest mistake.”

“Come on, you must know stories, please, there’s sounds all around us, please, just one more short story, I’ll fall asleep really fast-”

“Shut up, shut up, shut your mouth, let me think, okay, alright, one time, there was a gross, loud monster in an Inn, who was drunk and was knocking things all over the place, and a - and a fucking rogue knight burst out of a closet and stabbed it a bunch of times with a broken broom handle - and the Inn was saved, are you sleeping yet?”

“What was the rogue knight doing in the closet of the Inn when the monster attacked--”

“You said you would be asleep not asking questions!--”

“That wasn’t a long enough story though! I-I need enough time to let my mind drift away from me!”

“For fuck’s saaaaake...”