#none of his choices held any meaning to me and all of it was changed and recontextualized to the point

[houseofaegon]

SKINNY DIPPING pt. 2 ✩ Wally Clark

Pairings: Wally Clark x Fem!reader

Warnings: +18 SMUT MINORS DNI. very slow burn. semi-public sex, unprotected p in v, teasing, heavy sexual tension, explicit dirty talk, praising, degradation, skinny dipping in a public pool, possesiveness/jealousy, light choking, rough gripping & mandhandling, overstimulation, wally being a cocky little shit and very possessive, kinda dom!wally, risk of getting caught, begging, breeding kink. wally whimpering???? (god have mercy)

Summary: For what feels like an eternity, Y/n and Wally have been nothing more than just friends. but that changes one reckless night when they decide to cross skinny dipping off their "100 things to do before crossing over" bucket list. Teasing and meaningless flirting turn heated, and the tension that has been simmering between them finally snaps. Under the moonlit water, boundaries blur, and their friendship is completely wrecked, in the best possible way.

Author's note: this is part 2!! Part 1 is linked below <3 And part 3 soon! I had to take a moment to breath and relax while writing this cause hello????? god jesus have mercy I'm literally gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. Also, thank you so much for the love on part 1!! it made me soooo happy to see you guys liked it <3333 it means the world to me!

Word count: 4043

Song choices: lose control - teddy swims, tear you apart - she wants revenge, closer - nine inch nails, flawless - the neighbourhood, do i wanna know? - arctic monkeys, TiO - zayn, again - noah cyrus.

masterlist. part 1. part 2. part 3

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"So...Skinny dipping?" his lips brushed against your ear, his voice now a low whisper.

"Skinny dipping," you repeated, lips curving into a playful grin. "Just don't get all excited to see me naked, Clark," you teased, pushing him lightly. "And hands to yourself," you added.

He raised an eyebrow, his eyes darkening a little. He couldn't help but smirk as well. He was excited at the thought of seeing you like that.

"I make no promises," he replied with a teasing grin, his raspy voice sending shivers down your spine.

"I mean it, Clark," you huffed, rolling your eyes, though the warmth you felt bubbling up inside you betrayed the annoyance you were trying to fake.

He leaned in again, his face mere inches from yours, his breath warm against your skin. "Can you blame me, though?" his voice dipped lower, rougher, almost a whisper. "You look so damn pretty, I can't help but flirt a little."

Your pulse quickened, but you refused to let him notice it. You pushed him back again, keeping the smirk on your lips. "Yeah, yeah," you drawled, tilting your head. "Am I the first girl you've ever said this to? Or the fourth? Or ninetieth?"

He lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. The truth was, Wally had a certain reputation, and everyone knew it. His charming smiles, teasing grins, and how he made girls feel like they were the center of his world… He never meant any of it. None of the girls he flirted with ever came close to you, to how you made him feel.

He pulled back just enough to look you in the eyes. His gaze held yours, unwavering.

"None of those girls were you," he said quietly. "And none of them meant anything to me."

With a dramatic sigh, you place your hand over your forehead, pretending to swoon. "Oh, Wally! How you make my heart race!"

His laugh was loud, unrestrained, the kind of laugh that made your stomach flip every single time you heard it. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he nudged you in the stomach. "Oh, shut up," he said, grinning. "You're such a dork, you know that?"

"And you love it," you shot back, tilting your chin up in defiance.

Wally didn't answer immediately. Instead, his smirk faded slightly, and it made your chest feel too tight. He took a step closer again.

"Yeah," he admitted, voice just above a whisper. "I do."

The teasing had completely vanished now. Your throat suddenly felt dry, your pulse hammering in your ears. Something in his eyes told you that he wasn't playing anymore.

Your mouth opened, but before you could say anything, he lifted a hand, brushing a loose strand of hair behind your ear. His fingers lingered just a second too long, his touch light, but it managed to burn right through you.

He knew exactly what he was doing. The way he spoke, the way his gaze bore into you, the slight grin on his lips—it was all too deliberate, too calculated, and it made your pulse quicken. His eyes didn't lie, it was pure desire that clouded them and his judgment too. Wally had always been a flirt with everyone, and you were no exception. There had always been playful and flirty banter between you, but it was nothing more than a game. Nothing more than playful teasing. This? This felt different, it felt real. Lines were getting blurry, and your body was reacting in a way you never thought possible.

"You're trouble, you know that?" he murmured, his thumb grazing your jaw.

Your breath hitched. "Takes one to know one," you whispered back.

His eyes darkened, and for a second, you thought he was going to close the distance between you completely. Your heart slammed against your ribs, anticipation running through every nerve in your body.

With a smooth, effortless motion, Wally pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside like it was nothing. He knew you were watching him, and you did. You watched him, you couldn't tear your eyes away, hypnotized by his every movement, by the way the moonlight caressed his skin, his body gleaming under the soft light. You had seen him shirtless plenty of times before–he loved to work out and flaunt what he'd earned. But tonight? Tonight felt so much different. 

Your heart skipped a beat as you let your gaze travel down his chest, the way his abs tightened as he took off his shorts, kicking them aside, leaving only his boxers on. "You coming?" his voice was casual. But the way his eyes roamed over you, the way his smirk depended as he noticed the way you couldn’t keep your eyes off him, it was anything but innocent. "Go ahead," he added, nodding toward the water. "Get in first. I'll be right behind you."

You folded your arms over your chest, tilting your head as you arched a brow. "Oh, I see what you're doing," you mused, propping yourself on your hip. "You want me to strip first so you can get a show, huh?"

Wally's grin became bigger, shameless, and cocky. "And if I do?" he murmured.

"Then that makes you predictable," you shot back, tilting your head trying to feign disinterest.

His smirk didn't waver. If anything, it grew bolder. "Or just a man with very good taste," he countered smoothly, stepping closer. "But, hey, if you're too shy—"

Before he could finish, you grabbed the hem of your white shirt and pulled it over your head, letting it drop carelessly onto the ground. His smirk vanished. It was only for a second, but you saw it, the way his throat bobbed, the way his gaze dropped, drinking every inch of you. Satisfaction curled in your stomach.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips. That cocky smirk? Gone. Replaced by something you couldn't quite place, something darker, deeper. Something raw.

You stepped toward the pool, your back to him, deliberately ignoring his presence, pretending you didn't feel the heat of his gaze burning into you. "You were saying?" you teased, sliding your skirt down inch by inch, slowly, letting it slip past your thighs and pool at your feet before stepping out of it. "What was that about me being too shy?"

A smirk tugged at your lips as you tilted your head just enough to catch a glimpse of him over your shoulder. Victory. He wasn't smirking anymore—his mouth slightly parted, eyes darker, stance tense like he was barely holding himself together. You had him right where you wanted him.

But you weren't done. If he wanted a show, he was gonna get one.

Keeping your gaze locked on his, you let your hands drift behind your back, fingers working the clasp of your lace bra with infuriating slowness. You could see the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his chest rising and falling faster.

The straps slid down your shoulders, the cool night air hitting your skin, making your nipples harden instantly. And still, you watched him, letting his gaze devour you. Letting the bra drop, you let yourself bask in the way his pupils dilated, the way his hands clenched, every single vein and muscle in his arms tensing like he was fighting every instinct to move towards you and touch you.

And he was. God, he was fighting it, hard. Every demon inside him was telling him to grab you, to pull you close to him, to feel your skin against his, to claim you.

With a wicked grin, you toyed with the waistband of your lace black underwear, sliding it down, teasing him slowly. "Cat got your tongue, Clark?" you chuckled. Before he could answer, you turned your head and slipped into the pool.

When you submerged in the water, disappearing from his view, he let out a sharp exhale, the sound more like a whimper. As you resurfaced, he could've sworn he stopped breathing. You were everything he had ever wanted, and to see you there, bare, wet, and exposed? It was almost too much for him to handle.

His hands clenched into fists, his entire body trembling with the effort to restrain himself. His gaze didn't waver—it never left your body, exploring every inch of you.

You looked mesmerizing, the way the moonlight made your wet skin glow underneath it. He was desperate to touch you, to run his hands over your perfectly soft skin.

You ran your hands over your wet, slicked-back hair, your gaze on him. Wally stood there, frozen, eyes dark and fixed on you.

It was intoxicating, the power you had over him.

"What happened to all that smooth talk, Clark?" you teased, tilting your head, a playful smirk on your lips. "You suddenly forgot how to speak?"

That did it.

Wally's jaw locked, his hands clenched at his sides like he was physically restraining himself. For a second, you thought he might actually fight it—might crack a joke, roll his eyes, brush it off like he always did, return to his usual cocky self.

But then, without hesitation, he shoved his boxers down and kicked them aside. His eyes never leaving yours.

Your breath caught in your throat.

He stood before you, the hard lines of his body tense with restraint, every muscle in his stomach flexing as he fought for control. And then there was the unmistakable evidence of his arousal, thick and hard, a blatant display of everything he wanted—everything he wanted from you.

A shiver went down your spine, heat pooling in your stomach as your eyes slowly flickered up to his.

He didn't say a word. He just stepped forward, smoothly, deliberately, like a predator hunting its prey, before dipping into the pool. The water rippled as he disappeared beneath the surface. And then, he surged back up, breaking through the water right in front of you, so close that droplets splashed on your face, so close that his lips nearly brushed yours as he exhaled a deep, slow breath.

You inhaled sharply, instinctively swimming back, but his hands were already on your waist, locking you in place. Holding you right there, right where he wanted.

“What happened to all that smooth talk, sweetheart?" he repeated your exact words, the term of endearment making your stomach flip. His voice low, almost teasing. "You suddenly forgot how to speak?"

Your pulse hammered against your ribs. You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to smirk even as every nerve in your body buzzed with anticipation. This was dangerous, you knew it, and he did too.

But neither of you seemed to care.

"You think you're real cute, don't you?" his voice was low and rough, every word seemed to vibrate through your chest as his lips hovered just above yours, his breath warm against your skin. His voice made your knees weak.

You grinned, hands sliding up his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. "I don't think," you whispered. "I know."

A low growl rumbled in his throat. And suddenly, you weren't smirking anymore. There wasn't a single hint of playfulness in his eyes. They were filled with pure and raw heat. Dangerous, Hungry. His grip tightened, pulling you flush against him. Beneath the water, skin met skin, heat against heat. It was undeniable now, impossible to ignore, impossible to run away from. Everything you tried to ignore, every line you'd both tried so hard not to cross.

Everything was collapsing in on itself.

This was happening.

This was real.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me." His voice was thick with frustration, like he was holding back every ounce of self-control. Every inch of him trembled beneath your hands, his chest rising and falling too fast, his fingers digging into your waist. The struggle was written all over his face. He wanted you. You could see it. Feel it. He was trying so hard to hold back.

And God, he wanted to. You could feel it in the way his body tensed against yours, in the way his jaw clenched, in the way his lips hovered right there, barely an inch away, like he was dying to close the distance. Dying to taste you.

You inhaled sharply, your heart slamming against your ribs. What the hell were you doing?

Stripping in front of him? Letting him see you like this, bare and exposed? Teasing him? Knowing exactly what it would do to him?

It wasn't like you at all.

It wasn't like either of you.

This wasn't the playful banter you'd always shared. It never got further than simple jokes and meaningless teasing. This? This was territory neither of you had ever ventured into. There was a thin, fragile line. You wanted to cross it. You needed to. But the fear... the fear of losing everything you had—the fear of losing him—kept you hanging on, just barely.

Wally swallowed hard, his fingers tracing slow, agonizing patterns against your skin. "You're dangerous," he whispered again, lower this time, rougher, as if the words were ripped straight from his chest. His hands tightened against your hips beneath the water, his eyes locked onto yours, searching for hesitation—begging for it, for a reason to stop.

But there was none.

The words slipped out of your mouth before you could even think. "Am I?"

His breath caught a subtle tremor in his jaw. "Don't tease me," he growled. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

But you did.

And so did he.

His forehead dipped to yours, his breathing uneven. Your hands slid up, curling around the back of his neck, fingers threading through his wet hair. His eyes squeezed shut like he was trying—really trying—to fight it.

But there was nothing left to fight.

You’d both lost this battle a long time ago.

"You know this changes everything," he whispered, his voice raw, breaking over the words. His thumb brushed your skin, so painfully slow, like he was memorizing you, like he was savoring this moment.

Your chest tightened. You knew he was right. You knew this was it—the point of no return.

But it was too late for second thoughts.

Your lips parted, breath shaking. His eyes darkened at the sight of your open mouth, the sounds of your shaky breath making his pulse quicken. He was undone. Completely undone. All his hesitation, his willpower, his good intentions. Gone. He was drowning in you.

"Maybe it should," you whispered.

A sharp inhale. His hands gripped you tighter, and his forehead dropped fully against yours. "You have no idea what you're saying."

You let out a soft, breathless laugh. "Oh, I think I do."

His head lifted just enough for your eyes to lock, his pupils blown wide, lips slightly parted. His mouth was right there. Just a little more...

"You don't fucking get it," he rasped, his hands sliding up, thumbs brushing the underside of your ribs. "If we do this—if I kiss you—I won’t be able to stop. I won’t be able to just pretend it didn’t happen. You know that, don’t you?”

Your pulse slammed in your throat, and you nodded, barely breathing.

His fingers traced slow, lazy circles against your skin, like he was trying to soothe himself, trying to keep his composure. But you could feel it—the tension radiating off him, the heat rolling off his body even beneath the water.

"What if I don't want you to stop?" you whispered.

His eyes darkened, the grip on your waist tightening, pressing into your skin, making you groan. You were sure he was going to leave bruises, but you didn’t care. 

His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking as he sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. "You think this is a fucking game?"

“A little," you replied, a playful smirk dancing on your lips.

Wally let out a strained, bitter chuckle, but there was no humor in his eyes. No playfulness was left in the smile that painted his face. “You wanna keep playing?” he murmured, his voice rough, teasing, but there was an edge to it now, something deeper, dangerous. “Because I can play, sweetheart. But you better be ready for what happens when I stop holding back. When I stop pretending, we can go back to how things were. When I stop fucking pretending we're just friends.”

With a growl, he pushed you through the water until your back hit the edge of the pool. The impact and the feeling of the cold tiles sent a sharp shiver down your spine, making you gasp. The way he mandhandled you with such ease, his grip so possessive, the way his body caged you in completely, it made your head spin. 

His lips brushed yours—just barely. But it was enough to make your fingers clutch at his shoulders, nails digging into his skin, like he was the only thing keeping you standing.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered against your lips, pleading. “Tell me you don’t want this.”

You should say it. You should push him away, laugh it off, pretend like this was just another game, another moment of playful teasing between best friends who had spent years toeing the line.

But you didn’t.

Because you couldn’t.

Instead, your fingers crept up his neck, nails tracing the hard line of his jaw, tightening in his wet hair, pulling him closer, your body pressing against his beneath the water. You felt the way his breath stuttered, the way his fingers dug into your ribs, his thumb caressing your breasts, like he was barely hanging on.

Your lips brushed against his as you whispered, “I dare you.”

A sharp inhale. His hands tightened. "Don't," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. "I swear, if you keep looking at me like that—"

"Like what?" you interrupted, faking innocence as your fingers trailed down his chest, nails scraping over his hard muscles.

His breath left him in a shaky exhale. "Like you want this."

Your lips curled. "Who says I don't?"

A low groan rumbled from his chest, his restraint hanging by a thread. His hands slid down slowly, gripping, teasing, like he was testing himself—testing you. “You don’t get it.”

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I do," you whispered, your mouth just barely on his, so close he could feel your words on his skin. "You're the one who doesn't."

His jaw ticked. "Don't push me," he warned, his voice a painful growl. 

You tilted your head, dragging your nose against his. "Why? Afraid you'll give in?"

"Afraid I won't be able to stop."

A wicked smile danced on your lips as you leaned in, your mouth grazing the corner of his. Not a kiss—just a taste. "You know what I think?” you murmured, your teeth just barely scraping against his lips, leaving the most devastating kiss there. “I think you’ve thought about this. A lot.”

“Tell me I’m wrong,” you taunted him, your voice nothing but a breath, a challenge, a plea. "Just tell me I'm wrong, and we'll stop, we'll forget any of this happened, we'll just—"

His patience snapped.

His hands slid down your waist, gripping your thighs before he hoisted you up, forcing your legs to wrap around him. A choked gasp escaped your lips as you felt all of him, thick and hard, pressing right against your soaked core. A groan tore from his throat, guttural and desperate, his fingers digging into the flesh of your thighs, bruising you. 

“Fuck,” he whimpered. “You keep grinding on me like that and I fucking swear–” His words cut off into a sharp inhale as you grinded against him again. 

You rolled your hips against him, dragging your slick heat over the hard ridge of his cock, and his entire body tensed.  

A sharp, wrecked groan tore from his throat, his grip turning bruising as he slammed your body harder against the cool tile. His mouth was on you in an instant—biting, licking, claiming—his teeth scraping your jaw, his tongue lapping at the spot he just marked, soothing it just to do it all over again. 

“Tell me to stop,” he rasped. 

You swallowed hard. The words were right there, on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t bring yourself to say them.

Stop.

No, you wouldn’t. You didn’t want him to stop. You wanted him to keep going, to touch you right where you needed him the most, to make you his, to claim you, to possess you. You wanted to feel his lips on yours, on your entire body. You needed this, the release–you needed him. 

“Say. It.” His groan was raw, wrecked. His hands ghosted up your thighs, slow, teasing, so agonizingly close to where you needed them. “Tell me to fucking stop.”

You stayed silent. 

His lips curled into a dark smirk. “That’s what I fucking thought.”

His hands flexed, gripping your thighs tighter, dragging your hips flush against him, grinding against your core so hard and deep it made your breath catch.

“Fuck, you feel that?" he groaned, his voice rough dripping with need. "Feel how hard you make me? You did that, sweetheart. You."

His lips brushed your jaw, teasing, before his teeth sank into your skin—not enough to hurt, but enough to make you whimper. His tongue soothed the spot, only to bite again, harder this time.

"You don't think I've noticed? The way your eyes are on me when you think I'm not watching? The way your whole body reacts to me?"

His fingers dug into your hips, hard, making you gasp, dragging your body against him once more, letting you feel every single inch of how much he wanted you.

Fuck.

"You've been playing a dangerous game, baby," he growled. "Playing dumb, acting like all those little teases, all those flirty smiles, all those times you touched me without meaning to—like they didn't mean anything."

A dark chuckle rumbled from his chest.

"But we both know that's not true, don't we?" His grip became stronger by the minute, his fingers slithering lower, teasing the edge of your stomach, dancing along your skin with agonizing precision. He knew what he was fucking doing, he wanted to drive you insane, the same way you drove him to the brink of insanty.

"You know it's not true. Deep down, you always knew exactly what you've been doing to me."

And he was right.

Every glance, every touch, every smile, every almost—you’d been testing him, taunting him. Watching, waiting, wondering how far you could push before he snapped.

And now? He was breaking apart.

His fingers inched lower, making your entire body arch against him, desperate, aching, starving for more.

Please, please, please.

A gasp tore from your throat as his fingers finally found your aching clit, pressing down in slow, agonizing cirles.

Oh, fuck.

Your head fell back against the cool tile, your breath coming out in ragged pants. This was different. He was different. This wasn't the Wally you were used to—your best friend, the sweet, flirty, cocky, Wally who loved teasing you just as much as you teased him.

This was someone else, a completely different version of him you'd never seen before. Dangerous.

"I think you know how much I fucking want you," he groaned, his forehead pressed against yours, his eyes dark, desperate, completely feral with need. "And you've been pretending you don't feel it, too."

You swallowed hard, but no words would come out. What could you say? That he was wrong? That this was just another game?

It wasn't. Not anymore.

You'd crossed every line, and there was no going back.

Your entire body trembled as his fingers moved harder, faster, making your entire world narrow to the feeling of his fingers against your aching core.

Your nails dug into his shoulders, your breath coming in gasps, but you didn’t answer.

You couldn’t. Not when you were falling apart in his hands.

Not when you felt so good pressed against him.

So fucking good.

"And now, baby?" His tongue brushed over your lips, slowly. "Now you're gonna find out exactly what happens when you push me too fucking far."

[shegatsby]

Love Thy Enemy

Summary; Y/N Atreides had always been a stranger to the entire galaxy, her bed wasn’t her bed, her home wasn’t her home due to the fact that she was sent to accompany and be sisters with Irulan. She had limited access to her actual family and over the years they grew distant. She thought she would be like Reverend Mother, alone, yet powerful, and soon she would realize that there was no need of being alone when a wild creature had his eyes on her for a long time.

A/N; Couldn't wait, I had to post it lol. I hope you'll like it. Sorry for any typos. TAG LIST IS OPEN!!!!!! (Reader has a lover and Feyd's going to find out lol 😉😉😉) Don't forget to leave a comment.

Warnings; None. Female Bene Gesserit Reader x Feyd-Rautha, enemies to lovers! reader is reffered to as she/her.

Words; 2.417K

Chapter 3

Chapter Two ‘’Forcibles’’

The boy with pure eyes had grown into a tall muscular man with menace in his orbits. ‘’May I?’’ he asked not leaving his gaze from Pyramus, it wasn’t a request, it was an order and Pyramus who was coming from a small house couldn’t say no. Without a word he let go of Y/N, she felt empty. She was about to object, maybe excuse herself to rest but Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen acted quickly, like a snake he placed his hand on the small of her back and held her hand, she had no choice but to place her hand on his tense shoulder. His eyes so blue, ‘’How long has it been?’’ he asked, his boy voice was gone and classical Harkonnen tone made its home. Manly. ‘’I truly don’t remember.’’ She replied with a flat tone, couldn’t do anything but let him lead the dance. It had been only a minute and Y/N had every information she needed;

Predator

Dominant

Show off

His grip was strong, maybe he was sending a clear message to other houses. Y/N didn’t want to care but her Bene Gesserit training made it impossible not to care. ‘’You wound me.’’ He mocked. He was much taller than Pyramus. She had to look up to meet his icy blue gaze. Y/N noticed the looks they got, a Harkonnen is dancing with an Atreides…. Outrageous.

‘’I see you become a witch like your mother.’’ His tongue was a whip, was he trying to get a reaction out of her?

‘’I’ve heard you become a beast.’’ She was quick to answer, she felt the grip on her back tightened. Did she stroke a nerve? Good.

‘’If we were in Giedi Prime I would have your tongue.’’ He was amused and it made her more angry, ‘’Proves my point.’’

She noticed Irulan and Paul’s questioning look, they seemed shocked and concerned for Y/N. She gave them a small smile.

She felt like a black cobra snake swallowing her whole, Feyd-Rautha made sure to press her close to him, he wasn’t gentle like Pyramus, she looked but couldn’t see him, ‘’Looking for someone?’’ he sounded annoyed, Y/N heard how his mood changes quickly and she didn’t have time for an ugly scene. ‘’My friends. I assume you’re not familiar with the concept.’’ She thought maybe detesting Harkonnens were genetic. Feyd laughed hard which attracted stares around them, they were mostly concerned for Y/N Atreides. Up close, for a split second she saw that innocent boy but he disappeared.

The music ended and she excused herself, before she left Na-Baron grabbed her wrist, she turned in shock, what was he doing? He leaned and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand, the kiss felt so soft she couldn’t believe it was coming from Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. She bowed in courtesy and got away from his grip, she could feel his icy blue orbits on her back, stabbing her.

Irulan came to chat with her, ‘’What was that about?’’ Irulan didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention but she wasn’t the only one who witnessed that. ‘’What do you mean?’’ Y/N asked drinking her champagne, cold liquid made her more relaxed, ‘’Feyd-Rautha ate you with his eyes.’’ Irulan signed with her hands, didn’t want pointy ears to hear. ‘’He is an intense man. That’s all.’’ She signed back.

The night was too long for Y/N’s liking. Since she was a lady she had to stand by her family and talk to other houses about spice, politics, etc. She needed some air.

Y/N chose a balcony at the back, front ones were occupied, she inhaled deeply, her hands on the stone railings, ‘’Here you are.’’ Pyramus’s soft voice made her calm. They hugged, he immediately tried to kiss her but Y/N had to be careful, she moved her head and Pyramus’s thin lips landed on her cheek. He huffed in annoyance, ‘’How long we have to hide in the shadows?’’ he loved to whine. ‘’Soon I shall tell my family.’’ Y/N kept mustering up her courage and loosing it the last minute. It wasn’t going to be easy. Pyramus held her hands, ‘’Be mine, they can’t say anything then.’’

‘’I’m already yours.’’ She was confused,

‘’Be mine… fully.’’ His dark eyes looking for answers. ‘’Oh,’’ Y/N understood. ‘’I don’t know. We should head back.’’ She changed the topic. Before she could leave Pyramus didn’t let go of her hands, ‘’Think about it, please.’’

Y/N Atreides could hear the whispers; ‘’Did you see?’’

‘’Poor girl.’’

‘’They seemed a perfect match, how odd.’’

‘’Na-Baron seems interested…’’

She only held her head high, pretended like she was deaf. Long night came to an end, she felt so tired running from unwanted company, the Harkonnen boy. Her father had to talk to them, Y/N managed to ignore them.

Tossing and turning in her bed with questions in her busy mind she bolted to her feet. The palace was quiet, guests were fast asleep. Y/N wanted to talk to someone, someone who would understand.. she wore her white satin robe and left her bed chamber. Her family were staying at the guest wing, she knew Paul would be awake. Her footsteps echoed in the empty halls, glowglobes were on the walls, giving a dim light to the corridors, her Bene Gesserit training made her stop, someone was following her, she calmed her mind.

‘’Why so hasty?’’ a rough voice echoed behind her back. She turned to face the owner of the voice. Feyd-Rautha.

‘’I could ask you the same thing, my Na-Baron.’’ Her heart beat got faster as he approached hands in his back. His manner was predatory, observing his prey. His tunic was thin and loose, ‘’Why are you wandering so late at night, little dove?’’ pet name made her blood rise but she had to keep her calm. ‘’I don’t see why it is-‘’ he was circling her now, ‘’your business.’’ Feyd came to stop in front of her which made her look up to meet his eyes. He liked having the height advantage, he could sense her fear, so delicious. ‘’Witches and their secrets…’’ he leaned and whispered to her face, his breath hot. Y/N wanted to run away and hide from him but something in her told her that no matter what he would find her.

‘’I’m good at revealing secrets.’’ His left hand rose, his forefinger tracing her arm covered in satin, both of them felt the electricity. His eyes travelled on her chest and find their place on her eyes again. ‘’How is Pyramus?’’

Y/N had to be extremely careful, or her house’s honor could be at stake. ‘’I don’t know what you’re talking about Na-baron.’’ Her tone flat yet Feyd noticed her posture change. As if she was going into a trial by combat. Deep down he wondered how would it feel to be loved like this, he could feel the rise of jealousy… a member of an insignificant house could achieve her love so easily? No. he would not allow it. A sinister plan ran in his dark mind.

She wanted to wipe that arrogant smile on his face, ‘’I shall bid you good night.’’ With that she headed back to her room. Whenever she wanted to open up about Pyramus something would stop her…

When the morning came with its shiny sun and fresh smell of flowers she was having breakfast with her family. Padishah Emperor Shaddam made majority of the house leave and announced that after breakfast he would announce his decision.

‘’You seem upset my love, is everything all right?’’ Duke Leto asked gently, she hadn’t touched the food on her golden plate, she looked around, no one but her family. ‘’I’m in love with someone.’’ She unraveled, feeling the years of burden leaving her delicate shoulders. Leto and Paul were smiling but her mother’s face didn’t move a muscle. ‘’Who is the lucky gentleman?’’ Leto asked, ‘’Pyramus, from house-‘’

Jessica cut her short, ‘’That house?! Have you lost your mind?’’ Jessica knew that Reverend Mother had something else planned for Y/N. Bene Gesserit has been working for this union for years. ‘’Let’s not lose our temper.’’ Leto warned Jessica with a calm tone. ‘’They are a small house, it is true. If he is good enough for my daughter he is good enough for us.’’ He finished. ‘’Excuse me.’’ Everyone thought Jessica was leaving in anger but she was about to send a message to Reverend Mother an change the whole course of Y/N’s future.

Harkonnens were having breakfast together, Feyd-Rautha was so fed up with his obese uncle’s eating that he lost his appetite. Rabban was in his normal self, quiet and tense. ‘’I wonder who will be the princess’s husband.’’ Rabban said curiously, was he hoping? Feyd-Rautha was seated away from them, watching them like a hawk. He knew well that Shaddam would never take that risk, to send his one and only daughter to the hellhole called Giedi Prime? Not in a million years. ‘’One way or another he has to satisfy us.’’ Their uncle spoke with full mouth, Feyd had to look away, he could feel his bile coming up to his throat. He drank his wine to suppress. ‘’What do you think uncle?’’ Rabban asked, he kept trying to impress their uncle and failed miserably. Baron’s fat fingers were shiny with the bacon’s juice he was eating, ‘’I believe we won’t leave until we get something.’’

Their Mentat Piter de Vrives knocked on the door and walked in, ‘’My Baron, Emperor is expecting you and your nephews to the throne room.’’

Baron laughed, ‘’We shall be there.’’

The throne room was packed with lords and ladies that remained, including Reverend Mother Helen. Y/N didn’t remember seeing her last night’s ball. Strange. Y/N Atreides and her family arrived early, Padishah Emperor Shaddam spoke with her father Duke Leto in private. Behind the golden throne there was a door which opened to a small room where Shaddam’s office took place. When Duke Leto came back his face held grim, he refused to look at anyone but the Emperor, was that resentment? Emperor was seated on his golden throne which had colorful ornaments, on his right much smaller and silver throne was placed and Irulan was sitting on it. Looking like a statue, she was a strong woman. Reverend Mother was at Shaddam’s left, whispering into his ear. She was covered in black, just like Harkonnens.

Y/N noticed how old Shaddam got, every child at one point in their lives come to the realization of their parents’ old age. Emperor was a second father to her, a sudden whip to her heart she focused her eyes on the floor to prevent herself from crying. In order to keep her racing mind busy she looked around to see the remained houses. Pyramus was right there, she waved at her and Y/N waved back. He had a colorful suit, just like his personality. Pyramus and other low class houses were on the left side of the room, other old and powerful houses were on the right. Everyone watched the way Harkonnens entered, they were the last one to arrive. Baron Vladimir was a man of show off, he loved to show his power given any chance. Baron was at the front, Rabban and Feyd following behind, when Y/N saw Feyd-Rautha, her mind immediately went to last night’s events.

‘’Does he know me and Pyramus?’’ to be the first one to reveal the secret she had to tell it to her family this morning but she wasn’t sure anymore. All day Pyramus was after her asking how they reacted, she felt overwhelmed.

She wanted to be brave so Y/N watched them stand close to Atreides, Feyd-Rautha wasn’t shy of eye contact, as usual he was wearing his black suit, with his boots he looked much taller. Y/N watched him eye her up and down, she was wearing a dark blue dress, her arms and neck covered in dark blue laces, her head was tightly rounded like a ball on her head, a thin silver tiara was placed. She kept her posture high, she wasn’t going to shrink because of a Harkonnen, even though Feyd looked as if he could disintegrate her with his shiny blue eyes.

Shaddam rose to his feet, his regal robe sweeping the floor, ‘’Thank you for waiting so patiently,’’ everyone were focused, eager to hear his decision. ‘’I have decided that it was due time to choose a life partner for my one and only daughter. After last night I have consulted my daughter Irulan and the young gentleman that I choose is,’’ Y/N could feel the tension in the room, she slightly observed the room and Shaddam’s subjects were focused on him but one person. Feyd-Rautha, his snake eyes kept finding Y/N. Why did he look like he knew something that Y/N didn’t?

‘’Paul Atreides, from house Atreides.’’ Applauses could be heard, Y/N got positive energy from them last night so she wasn’t wrong. Irulan was her sister and Paul her brother, she knew that they would make each other happy. Paul walked to princes Irulan to kiss her hand. ‘’The wedding shall happen tomorrow.’’ The applauses died down, ‘’If you have no objections or requests you may be dismissed.’’ Shaddam announced, Y/N couldn’t wait to be left alone with Irulan and listen every detail.

‘’Emperor!’’ a man’s strong voice echoed in the throne room, ‘’I have a request.’’ Y/N turned to see Feyd-Rautha leaving his spot and slowly approaching to stand in the middle of the room, ‘’Come forth young Harkonnen.’’

Y/N had a bad feeling, this whole thing look staged, she turned to see her family’s reaction. Duke Leto, again, trying so hard to avoid her, Lady Jessica smiled at her. Y/N was puzzled, ‘’This is for the best.’’ She signed to her daughter.

Feyd-Rautha did what Shaddam said, before he knelt in front of the Emperor he gave a last look to her.

‘’What is it that you request?’’ Shaddam’s calmness irritated Y/N.

‘’Since you raised her as one of your own it is best to ask your permission,’’ Feyd paused to get more reaction from his spectators, his head was down but after that pause he tilted his head and look into Shaddam’s eyes. Shaddam had never seen such power in a young boy before. Baron did a great job.

‘’I demand Lady Y/N Atreides’s hand in marriage.’’

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Thank you for reading. :)

[kikyoupdates]

Indebted ⭑˚🥀⭑ 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟

yandere!ocs x f!reader

yandere, reverse harem, yandere reverse harem, original characters x fem!reader, slowburn, isekai

Following your mother’s recent passing, you are visited by a group of men claiming that your father abandoned all his debt and obligations, leaving you to take his place.

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The office reeked of cigarettes, printer ink, and burnt coffee. It was your first time you’d come in over the past few days, and needless to say, the atmosphere had not been missed.

With the exception of Yuki and Hikaru, the rest of the members still didn’t like you. Well, perhaps Masahi could be excluded from that group, but for the most part, your statement held true. It was already stifling enough being the only woman in a building full of criminal men, what with the way they eyed you down as if you were a fawn ready to be preyed on. You’d been expecting that much. But the constant loathing in their expressions was easily a hundred times worse. 

You were aware that the yakuza has some sort of code of honor that they adhered to, among many other strict traditions and customs, though they were also subject to modernization, like most things in society. So, you could only imagine how frustrated they must feel to have to share their space with some common civilian, not even part of the yakuza, who was a woman on top of everything else. It probably felt like a big slap to the face. Like you were making a mockery of their whole organization.

But it wasn’t your fucking choice. Surely they realized that? You didn’t want to be here. You wanted to be as far away from here as humanly possible.

None of this was your fault. You really wished they would stop glaring at you in a way that suggested otherwise.

“None of them can stand me,” you muttered out in a defeated tone. Yuki heard you and peered over from his desk, brows pulled together.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s pretty obvious. They aren’t exactly trying to hide how they feel about me. If Ryu hadn’t ordered them to keep their hands off me, I’m sure they would have killed me by now.”

“They’re not as bad as you might think,” he said, offering a sympathetic smile. “Most of them work hard to provide for their families, or have stuck around out of respect for the previous boss, like I mentioned before. It’s not as if all of them are here because they enjoy violence or crime in general. It’s more of a learned lifestyle for them, if you can call it that.”

You chewed on your bottom lip. Even now, they kept stealing glances your way and occasionally muttering something under their breaths. If you had to take a guess, it probably wasn’t anything pleasant.

“Call it whatever you want,” you sighed. “Still doesn’t change what they think of me. I’m sure they like you because you’re a proper member. Plus, you’re nice and friendly. As for me… it seems like I’ve got a bit of an unpopular streak.”

Yuki grinned, a bit too eagerly, in your opinion. “Do you really think that about me?”

“About you being nice? Yeah. You’re pleasant to be around. If I’d met you anywhere else, there’s no way I would’ve guessed that you were involved in something like this. No offense,” you quickly added.

“Everyone has their own circumstances. What one person chooses to do with their life might seem completely absurd to the next.”

“I guess so.”

You agreed with him, to some extent, but you personally didn’t think there was ever any excuse for committing crimes. Unless the person was being forced to do something under duress. Like you.

Would what I’m doing technically count as a crime? I’m basically a prisoner, but I’m still running their books and helping their business along. Am I… already a criminal?

You hung your head. Great. Yet another thing to feel endlessly shitty about.

“Hey,” Yuki said, motioning towards the door. “Do you want to go outside to get some fresh air for a bit?”

“Won’t I get in trouble?”

“It seems like Ryu’s in a meeting right now. He won’t notice if we slip out for a few minutes. Besides, everyone else takes breaks from time to time.”

“Well… okay,” you nodded.

Funneling your energy into work was usually the best way to distract yourself from all the problems you had, but questioning your current involvement in society had left you feeling understandably drained. You knew that being here wasn’t your choice, but you didn’t want to ever be responsible for something that would end up ruining another person’s life. At the very least, you hoped a situation like that could be avoided.

It was starting to warm up outside. You were well through spring, but it felt like the temperatures were only just now lifting substantially. Seeing some sunlight every now and then was nice. Even just right now, even if you would only end up being out here for a few minutes, the sensation of the warm rays falling across your cheeks was a sweet, momentary bliss that wouldn’t be forgotten soon. 

“It’s a nice day,” Yuki beamed. He reached into the inner pocket of his blazer, casting you an inquisitive look. “You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?”

“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

“Thanks,” he hummed, flicking his lighter on and positioning the flame at the end of his cigarette. He inhaled sharply, held it there for a moment, deep within his chest, then blew out a long plume of smoke that quickly dissolved in the air.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” you remarked.

“Only sometimes. It’s a bad habit I picked up recently,” he admitted with a chuckle. “You know, from most of the guys in the group.”

“It’s dangerous. I don’t want to be that person that always nags, but just be careful. You’re a good guy, you deserve to live a full life.”

His deep emerald eyes went completely still for a moment. After another drag of his cigarette, he exhaled softly.

“You really think I’m a good guy?”

“Well, relatively speaking,” you said, laughing a bit. “I mean, you are still part of the yakuza. So maybe your morals aren’t exactly perfect, but from what I’ve seen so far, I would say that you are a good guy, yes.”

The smile he gave you was kind, but somehow, different than before.

“I was just teasing,” he assured. “I know what you meant, and I appreciate you saying it. Considering everything you’ve been through, it means a lot that you’d be willing to still think highly of me.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re the one who brought me here.”

“Yeah. Guess not.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence that followed. For a while, he just went on silently smoking, but you felt a reason to fill in the gap somehow. Or maybe you just enjoyed talking to Yuki more than you realized.

“Uh, that friend of yours from high school,” you began.

Shit. I don’t know if I should even be bringing this up.

Thankfully, Yuki didn’t look offended. “Yes? What about him?”

“What was his name? I was just thinking you hadn’t really mentioned all that much about him. I-I mean, as long as you feel comfortable talking about it, of course.”

Yuki angled his gaze away from you. Ah. There it was again. That same expression from before.

“Sure, I can tell you more about him,” he mumbled. “His name was Sora. He kind of gave off the impression of being really distant and aloof, but he was surprisingly emotional. I guess it kind of goes without saying, but he got in a lot of fights. He was good at beating people up, and that’s why he helped me out when I was in a tough place.”

“He saved you, right?”

“Yeah. Those bullies never bothered me again after that whole incident. It was a really weird thing for him to do, considering we barely knew each other from class, but… he wanted to help, I guess. Some people are just like that.”

It really was interesting. According to what Yuki had said, Sora had also been a part of the yakuza at the time, and even well into the future. He was already involved in crime, but he still looked out for others when he wouldn't benefit from doing so. Even people like that had their own brand of kindness. Perhaps they had always been good to begin with, but life simply led them there. Everyone had their own circumstances, just like Yuki had said.

You wished you could say the same for your father. That he was a kind, loving person deep down, corrupted by alcohol and promises of wealth. But he’d never been like that, not for as long as you’d known him. Perhaps he was a better man when your mother had met him.

“I’m sure Sora is still watching over you, even now,” you said.

You’d been hoping to comfort him, to maybe even bring a muted smile to his face, but neither of those things happened.

Yuki stared up at the sky with a vacant expression.

“If he really is… I wonder what he would say to me.”

The office reeked of cigarettes, printer ink, and burnt coffee. It was your first time you’d come in over the past few days, and needless to say, the atmosphere had not been missed.

With the exception of Yuki and Hikaru, the rest of the members still didn’t like you. Well, perhaps Masahi could be excluded from that group, but for the most part, your statement held true. It was already stifling enough being the only woman in a building full of criminal men, what with the way they eyed you down as if you were a fawn ready to be preyed on. You’d been expecting that much. But the constant loathing in their expressions was easily a hundred times worse. 

You were aware that the yakuza has some sort of code of honor that they adhered to, among many other strict traditions and customs, though they were also subject to modernization, like most things in society. So, you could only imagine how frustrated they must feel to have to share their space with some common civilian, not even part of the yakuza, who was a woman on top of everything else. It probably felt like a big slap to the face. Like you were making a mockery of their whole organization.

But it wasn’t your fucking choice. Surely they realized that? You didn’t want to be here. You wanted to be as far away from here as humanly possible.

None of this was your fault. You really wished they would stop glaring at you in a way that suggested otherwise.

“None of them can stand me,” you muttered out in a defeated tone. Yuki heard you and peered over from his desk, brows pulled together.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s pretty obvious. They aren’t exactly trying to hide how they feel about me. If Ryu hadn’t ordered them to keep their hands off me, I’m sure they would have killed me by now.”

“They’re not as bad as you might think,” he said, offering a sympathetic smile. “Most of them work hard to provide for their families, or have stuck around out of respect for the previous boss, like I mentioned before. It’s not as if all of them are here because they enjoy violence or crime in general. It’s more of a learned lifestyle for them, if you can call it that.”

You chewed on your bottom lip. Even now, they kept stealing glances your way and occasionally muttering something under their breaths. If you had to take a guess, it probably wasn’t anything pleasant.

“Call it whatever you want,” you sighed. “Still doesn’t change what they think of me. I’m sure they like you because you’re a proper member. Plus, you’re nice and friendly. As for me… it seems like I’ve got a bit of an unpopular streak.”

Yuki grinned, a bit too eagerly, in your opinion. “Do you really think that about me?”

“About you being nice? Yeah. You’re pleasant to be around. If I’d met you anywhere else, there’s no way I would’ve guessed that you were involved in something like this. No offense,” you quickly added.

“Everyone has their own circumstances. What one person chooses to do with their life might seem completely absurd to the next.”

“I guess so.”

You agreed with him, to some extent, but you personally didn’t think there was ever any excuse for committing crimes. Unless the person was being forced to do something under duress. Like you.

Would what I’m doing technically count as a crime? I’m basically a prisoner, but I’m still running their books and helping their business along. Am I… already a criminal?

You hung your head. Great. Yet another thing to feel endlessly shitty about.

“Hey,” Yuki said, motioning towards the door. “Do you want to go outside to get some fresh air for a bit?”

“Won’t I get in trouble?”

“It seems like Ryu’s in a meeting right now. He won’t notice if we slip out for a few minutes. Besides, everyone else takes breaks from time to time.”

“Well… okay,” you nodded.

Funneling your energy into work was usually the best way to distract yourself from all the problems you had, but questioning your current involvement in society had left you feeling understandably drained. You knew that being here wasn’t your choice, but you didn’t want to ever be responsible for something that would end up ruining another person’s life. At the very least, you hoped a situation like that could be avoided.

It was starting to warm up outside. You were well through spring, but it felt like the temperatures were only just now lifting substantially. Seeing some sunlight every now and then was nice. Even just right now, even if you would only end up being out here for a few minutes, the sensation of the warm rays falling across your cheeks was a sweet, momentary bliss that wouldn’t be forgotten soon. 

“It’s a nice day,” Yuki beamed. He reached into the inner pocket of his blazer, casting you an inquisitive look. “You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?”

“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

“Thanks,” he hummed, flicking his lighter on and positioning the flame at the end of his cigarette. He inhaled sharply, held it there for a moment, deep within his chest, then blew out a long plume of smoke that quickly dissolved in the air.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” you remarked.

“Only sometimes. It’s a bad habit I picked up recently,” he admitted with a chuckle. “You know, from most of the guys in the group.”

“It’s dangerous. I don’t want to be that person that always nags, but just be careful. You’re a good guy, you deserve to live a full life.”

His deep emerald eyes went completely still for a moment. After another drag of his cigarette, he exhaled softly.

“You really think I’m a good guy?”

“Well, relatively speaking,” you said, laughing a bit. “I mean, you are still part of the yakuza. So maybe your morals aren’t exactly perfect, but from what I’ve seen so far, I would say that you are a good guy, yes.”

The smile he gave you was kind, but somehow, different than before.

“I was just teasing,” he assured. “I know what you meant, and I appreciate you saying it. Considering everything you’ve been through, it means a lot that you’d be willing to still think highly of me.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re the one who brought me here.”

“Yeah. Guess not.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence that followed. For a while, he just went on silently smoking, but you felt a reason to fill in the gap somehow. Or maybe you just enjoyed talking to Yuki more than you realized.

“Uh, that friend of yours from high school,” you began.

Shit. I don’t know if I should even be bringing this up.

Thankfully, Yuki didn’t look offended. “Yes? What about him?”

“What was his name? I was just thinking you hadn’t really mentioned all that much about him. I-I mean, as long as you feel comfortable talking about it, of course.”

Yuki angled his gaze away from you. Ah. There it was again. That same expression from before.

“Sure, I can tell you more about him,” he mumbled. “His name was Sora. He kind of gave off the impression of being really distant and aloof, but he was surprisingly emotional. I guess it kind of goes without saying, but he got in a lot of fights. He was good at beating people up, and that’s why he helped me out when I was in a tough place.”

“He saved you, right?”

“Yeah. Those bullies never bothered me again after that whole incident. It was a really weird thing for him to do, considering we barely knew each other from class, but… he wanted to help, I guess. Some people are just like that.”

It really was interesting. According to what Yuki had said, Sora had also been a part of the yakuza at the time, and even well into the future. He was already involved in crime, but he still looked out for others when he wouldn't benefit from doing so. Even people like that had their own brand of kindness. Perhaps they had always been good to begin with, but life simply led them there. Everyone had their own circumstances, just like Yuki had said.

You wished you could say the same for your father. That he was a kind, loving person deep down, corrupted by alcohol and promises of wealth. But he’d never been like that, not for as long as you’d known him. Perhaps he was a better man when your mother had met him.

“I’m sure Sora is still watching over you, even now,” you said.

You’d been hoping to comfort him, to maybe even bring a muted smile to his face, but neither of those things happened.

Yuki stared up at the sky with a vacant expression.

“If he really is… I wonder what he would say to me.”

For the most part, you could say that the night had gone well.

Other than the offhand comment Ryu had made earlier, he was being much less degrading than usual. You still weren’t exactly sure what his angle was, but it was better than being yelled at or threatened, in any case. The food had been good, the atmosphere had gradually grown less stifling, and perhaps it was the alcohol in your system, but your mood was fairly high.

“Oops,” you giggled, stumbling a bit in your heels. You wished you hadn’t worn them, but Ryu had been adamant that you dress your best tonight. Still. Considering how tipsy you were right now, it was making it a bit of a pain to walk straight.

Ryu chucked softly. “You look like you’re struggling. Here,” he said, offering you his arm. “Hold on to me so that you don’t trip.”

Normally you would have politely refused and insisted you were fine on your own, but the alcohol was impairing your judgment a bit. You carefully interlinked your arm with his, a bit taken aback by just how firm his muscles felt, then took a moment to steady yourself.

You looked up at him with dazed, glassy eyes. “Thank you, Ryu. This is much better.”

“Ah,” he breathed out. He pursed his lips, gently smoothing down your hair. “You have a beautiful smile. Especially when you smile without holding anything back, like right now. I would like to see it more often.”

Were you smiling? If so, it was probably because of the alcohol. No, definitely because of the alcohol.

“Okay,” you nodded. “I’m glad you think I’m beautiful.”

“Pfft,” Ryu chortled. “I think you might be a bit drunk. Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon and you can get some sleep.”

“Okay. Thank you, Ryu.”

“No need to thank me for that.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He outright laughed this time, and your head was feeling more fuzzy by the second. He was right, you’d had too much to drink. You couldn’t wait to get into bed.

Ryu made sure to help you along up until you got into the car. The second your head fell against the back of the seat, you closed your eyes and began slipping into a state of unconsciousness.

At the same time, several men parked close nearby in their own vehicle were, without your knowledge, spying in on the two of you. The man in the driver’s seat glanced over towards his side, fingers curled around the steering wheel.

“That’s definitely him, boss. What do we do now?”

Tatsumi leaned forward and chuckled darkly. “Nothing for now. But… it looks as though Ryu is rather close to that young lady. I wonder how he’d react if she were to go missing.”

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[keithisbae1]

Mission Gone Wrong Part 2/2

Another commissioned art by @sorceressmyr for another snippet. I really can't thank her enough for accepting all my commissions 🥹🥹🥹 Again I hope you enjoy the snippet

You can read part 1 here

~~~

“We’re home,” Tsunade called as she and Sakura walked through the door. “Welcome home, you two seem exhausted.” Dan walked over to greet them. Sakura was in awe of how quickly he managed to get home and even changed as if he wasn’t out stopping bad guys and rescuing her a few hours beforehand. “You have no idea, I’ll explain later.” She then looked down to Sakura eyes softening. “Why don’t you put on your favourite tv show.” 

“Okay!” Sakura grinned running over to turn on the TV. Her eyes brightened as an episode of her favourite cartoon started and she began singing the tune. Dan looked over towards Tsunade who nudged her head towards the kitchen so they could get some privacy. 

He could see how on uneasy she was and seemed to be thinking leaning on the counter in thought. “Something wrong?” “Sakura was used as a hostage.” Dan pretended to be shocked, eyes widening taking the information in. “Is she alright? Was she scared?” Of course she was, that was to be expected of any child. “That’s the thing, I tried talking to her about it, but she brushed it off and is acting like nothing happened. She seems fine… too fine.” “Perhaps she’s too young to fully understand what happened.” He was used to it in his line of work, he had seen far many kids in dangerous situations, but they were none the wiser on what was happening. In some cases, their parents were there and were playing along with it being a game. “Hmm hopefully, it’s not good to keep your emotions bottled up. Especially at this age.” Tsunade knew she probably sounded hypocritical, being a spy you had no choice but to hide your emotions if you wanted your mission to go well. Still, something about Sakura being held hostage and the way she was acting didn’t add up. 

Maybe she was overthinking, and Dan was right on her not being able to fully grasp on the situation. “Why don’t you let me talk to her.” “You?” “Sure, I’m done with work for today. I’ll let her watch her cartoons for now to calm down and see if I can find out anything.” The plan didn’t seem too bad, it was worth a shot at least. “Okay, I need to go out later for some work. You two can talk then.” “Sure.” ~~~~ 

“La la la,” Sakura sang spinning around singing the ending theme. Dan was sitting on the sofa smiling away reading the newspaper. “Papa, come dance with me.” Sakura tried to pull him up, but he declined. “I’ll pass, actually Sakura I need to speak to you.” He patted the spot next to him for her to sit, she nodded still humming away taking a seat. “Mama told me what happened.” “Oh, you mean with the bad guy?” “Yeah… the bad guy. Were you afraid?” A part of him felt guilty for leaving her behind but he knew he had to treat her like any other stranger to protect his own identity and her safety. If they knew she was linked to him Sakura and even Tsunade would be put in danger. “I was.” “Was?” “Yeah, but this mystery hero came in and saved me.” Sakura smiled beaming away. “I couldn’t see his face, but he went chasing after them like in my cartoon. He told me to go and get Mama and made sure I wasn’t hurt.” “And you weren’t afraid after that?” “Hmm, I was a little. But if I stick with Mama then next time it won’t happen. And if good guys like him are about, I’ve got nothing to be afraid of.” Sakura stated as a matter of fact. ‘I wouldn’t exactly call myself a good guy.’ She was a bit confused on what he meant by that but didn’t let it show on her face. 

“Besides, Mama said she’ll teach me self-defence.” Sakura said jumping off the couch in a stance and making little punches with her fist like she saw in her shows. “Oh, did she now?” ‘Somehow I’m not surprised.’ 

“You know I know a few moves myself.” Sakura looked at Dan up and down as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. “Sakura doesn’t believe Papa.” Ouch, Dan thought still he was happy to know she felt safe with ‘heroes like him’ as she would put it. 

“I’m glad you feel safe but it’s fine to be afraid sometimes.” “I know Papa.” The little girl merely giggled, she knew her Papa would rescue her in a heartbeat. He didn’t have to know that though. And with Mama as well, Sakura felt twice as safe. 

“But I will get strong too!” Again, Sakura made little punches ready for the next bad guy ready to mess with her. “I think you need to punch like this.” Dan made an ‘attempt’ to punch in the air acting like he had no idea what he was doing. 

“No Papa, you have to do it like this.” “Like this?” “No, this.” ~~~ 

“I’m back, oh?” Tsunade smiled seeing the two sleeping on the couch. After their little ‘play fighting’ Sakura showed Dan more of her cartoons and then the two had fallen asleep after a long hard day. 

In Dan’s case with his work and Sakura with all this excitement. Tsunade decided to ask Dan about their talk later and left the two to sleep.

[wrr000]

"Can you be quiet for five minutes?"

AN: hello! i wrote this for fun, it's nothing serious or special, i just needed to do something with myself. hope y'all will enjoy it anyway lol (also, i had that one scene from shrek 2 in mind)

»»————-　♡　————-««

Summary: the night wasn't peaceful for the ghoul because reader talks too much

Warnings: english is not my first language; reader is female; it was supposed to be more of a comedic oneshot; a lot of inner thoughts

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

The night was getting cold. Chilly air mixed with the pleasant warmth emanating from the fire, touching your red cheeks. It was a nice feeling, especially after a whole day of walking in the brutal heat. The sun was killing you and the night was a nice change.

'I fucking hate wasteland', you thought to yourself every day.

Burning sun, disgusting monsters, crazy raiders or even that ghoul, literally everything could kill you any minute. It was hard to survive out there alone ans you knew that. Maybe that was a reason why you didn't ran away from him yet.

"So...", you couldn't stand the silnce anymore, "are you gonna finally untie me?"

You sat by the bonfire with your legs pressed to your chest, staring into the sparkling flames. Hands still tightly tied, of course. The other end of the lasso held the ghoul whom you met a few days ago.

He was sitting on the other side of the fire, leaning against a huge piece of something wooden. He looked like he was sleeping with a cowboy hat covering his face. The ghoul wasn't like anyone you've met before, but you weren't sure if it was a blessing or a curse. He did tied you up after all and have gave you no choice, but to travel with him to God-knows-where. On the positive side - he didn't killed you. And that was something unexpected.

"Hellooo..? Did you hear me, Mr. Ghoul?", you never called him like that before, but you wanted any interaction.

No response. Was he really sleeping or just pretending that he didn't hear you?

It was in his style, to be honest. Ever since you met him, he seemed cold, selfish, like he doesn't care about anything else in the world but him. Sometimes straight up annoying, sometimes kinda funny and nice in a twisted way. These mixed feelings made you somewhat intrigued.

"Listen lady" , he didn't looked at you. "I need some peace and quiet so no stupid questions or talkin', got it?"

"Oh, come on! We have been travelling for days! I'm not gonna do anything stupid", it was this time when he was just annoying as hell.

"I bet you won't, sweetheart", you knew he smirked under that stupid hat.

"So what, are you gonna keep me like this to what? Sell me for chems? Or eat me one day?", you spoke once again. "You know, both options are pretty problematic for you because, I mean, you are really planning to sell skinny, dehydrated girl and hoping for decent payment?", fake scoff escaped your mouth. "Keep dreaming. I am way more useful as a compa-"

By anything stupid you meant something like killing him or running away. First of all, he was very skilled and you knew that attacking him was suicidal mission. Second of all, you could try to escape, but you didn't know if it was even possible with this man and did you really wanted to?

On one hand, there were plenty ways for him to hurt you. Shooting, beating, selling, starving you to death or worse - eating you alive. It was something... common on the wasteland. People were doing everything to survive and as crazy as it sounded, you understood it, the ghoul knew it as well. But on the other hand, after raiders killed your parents, life became harder than before. You hated it and what you hated more was loneliness. You had none, no friend and no family left. Maybe it was delusional, but you hoped for befriending the ghoul and travel with him for a little longer. Or maybe he could help you made it to town where you could stay. In that situation you didn't have many options (it didn't work by force anyway) to consider or anything to lose, to be honest.

"Oh, for fu-", he straightened up, finally looking at you.

You didn't have many opportunities to meet him face to face and take a closer look. Beautiful eyes spoke more than thousand words, that's for sure. The most noticeable thing was the lack of a nose, but aside that the face was handsome. You could imagine how he looked like before the ghoulification. In fact, you always thought that people were exaggerating with their disgust towards non-feral ghouls. They were still humans, right?

"You asked me a milion questions already, while I couldn't ask you one", you heard the irritation in his voice. "You better don't cross the line"

That silence was overhelming. Sure, the sound of camfire was nice, but your thoughts were getting weirder and weirder. You needed something to occupy your mind and because you weren't the best at small talk (or starting a conversation at all) you came up with the stupidest idea.

Classic threating. You rised your tided hands, palms facing him in surrender. It wasn't the right time to ask about the future and you didn't wanna cross the line, at least not that night. He was looking at you for a moment, making sure you wouldn't ask anything else and returned to his previous position.

You stared at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking about and you couldn't read him. Not before, not now and probably not in the near future. He seemed like he could always read your mind while being completely unpredictable to you. What he thought about you? What was his plan? You should be very scared or just scared? Many questions were running in your head, but you couldn't find answer for none.

"What it's like to be a ghoul?", you mentally slapped yourself, but there was no turning back now. "I mean, how did you become a ghoul? It was quick or it was a long process? My parents never told me much about ghouls"

Deep, long sigh escaped his mouth. He looked at you again, not bothering to move his body. Even someone like him lacked words and strength for you.

"Did someone ever told that you talk so much?", a ghost of a smile crept across his face.

"Actually, yes, my father told me that once", you smiled proudly.

"No lesson learned", you quite enjoyed his harsh voice with strange accent. He definitely didn't talk enough. "Can you be quiet for five minutes?"

"Hm, I'm afriad no, Mister", then it striked you. "I don't know your name! I won't shut up until you will told me your name. Wait, you do have a name, right?"

"Yes", you felt annoyed again by his lack of cooperation.

"Well..? You know my name, even you don't use it, may I know yours?"

"Cooper", the ghoul hide his face under the hat again. "Now, let me rest for a while, will ya?"

Bright smile appeared on your face. That was what you called a progress. It was genuinely a cool name and suddenly you started to wonder if he liked yours.

"But...", you heard a growl from under the hat, "we will talk about what to do next? I know how things works out here, but... We don't have to be enemies. I know you want to survive and I don't wanna be your prisoner forever"

You were on thin ice and for the first (and not last) time in your life you couldn't gather your thoughts. You wanted to tell him a lot of things in one go.

"I'm not your enemy, sweetheart, you don't have to worry. Now sleep or I'll have to shoot that pretty face"

You noded quietly. You knew that tomorrow you would try to talk to him again, still hoping for some sort of cooperation or agreement. Your life was on the line, after all. Not to mention that he called you pretty and even another threat couldn't take it away from you. Maybe that was the sign that he doesn't mean no harm to you, there was a hope, at least.

[wangxianficrecs]

Rewind 2023 - Follower Recs

WangxianFicRecs - Rewind 2023

For our Rewind 2023, our dear followers were also able to submit Follower Recs of their favourite stories published in 2023 for you to enjoy! Thank you to everyone who shared their recs and make sure to give the authors some love!

~*~

Lovely fic, the worldbuilding really got me hook, it is background but absolutely fascinating. -Anon

The Lines of your Soul

by athena_crikey

M, 24k, Wangxian & Nielan

Summary: At this point he just wants to get Lan Zhan horizontal so he can sleep off the drugs that are making him make little confused snuffling noises and ask questions like “How soft is purple?” and “Where did the moon go?” and “Why does Wei Ying smile all the time?” Lan Zhan under the influence is cute, and it makes Wei Wuxian genuinely angry because he cannot appreciate it. This is not something Lan Zhan chose, this is not even an accident, this is an intentional violation and none of the sounds or questions or wide-eyed glances Lan Zhan is giving him are his choice.

~*~

Not an easy read, there is a lot of hurt there, but how lwj and wwx behaved in such an awful situation really got to me. -Anon

swallowing rocks, swallowing peach skins

by AvoOwO

M, 24k, Wangxian

Summary: There is an indescribable rage boiling within Lan Wangji's chest. Lan Wangji has often heard stories of unsuspecting travelers being taken from their camp within the night, held against their wills only to be somehow found weeks later, dead and in the most horrid of states. Stories are hard enough to read about. It is worse, he thinks, when it is Wei Ying he is here with, gagged and bound in the same way. They walk, and walk, and walk, and they do not stop.

~*~

Lwj and wwx are just. such disasters. and I loved their jobs, especially lwj. it was a very enjoyable read. -Anon

To See You (Again)

by FrameofMind (@frameofmind6), Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle)

E, 84k, Wangxian

Part of Bottomji Big Bang 2023

Summary: A new job brings Wei Ying to London, and back into Lan Zhan's life. Many things have changed since their time in boarding school (Lan Zhan is out of the closet, arranges charcuterie boards, stocks a fine bar…), but their friendship slots right back into place like no time has passed. Wei Ying is a little perplexed by the fact that Lan Zhan apparently doesn't have any interest in dating anyone despite being an obvious catch—but hey, at least that means he doesn't have to fight anyone for Lan Zhan's time and attention. And besides, it's not like Wei Ying is in any big rush to find himself a girlfriend either. It’s all working out great!

~*~

This story is a ton of fun and such a different and interesting concept. @danegen

Pairfire

by PaidSubscription

E, 65k, Wangxian

Part of Bottomji Big Bang 2023

Summary: Welcome, young cultivators, to the most important event of your lives: your Coming of Age Symposium. At dawn tomorrow, you will be assigned to your pairmate. You will then complete the following courses together. Week 1: Love Languages (core course) Week 2: Conflict Resolution (core course) Week 3: Guided Gender Selection (core course, ongoing) Week 4: Caring for Your Pairmate in Distress (elective) Week 5: Heat Week (elective) On your final day you will choose which permanent A/B/O gender is right for you. We will provide guidance as you try each of them in the coming weeks. Good luck. OR: WangXian are unexpectedly paired for a relationship course. Shenanigans, pining, gender feels and horniness ensues. With art by Beanie.

~*~

This series was so much fun, especially watching Lan Wangji's lust for Wei Wuxian from Su She's POV. And I'm grateful the author included a second part so we can see all the bits we missed and how wangxian got together. Also lwj's competency kink for wwx's brilliance was gold. @gentil-minou

💙 The epic college romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan

by KizuKatana (@kizukatana)

E, WIP, Series, 57k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec

Summary part one: The (bitter) third party pov of the epic college romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, as told from the pettiest NPC to ever exist. - - - - - A new student transferred into the university in their second year, and Su She was gleeful to see how much Lan Zhan was irritated by him from the very first day that the student (Wei something) showed up late for class with a ratty hoodie pulled up over his head and proceeded to sleep through lecture. Finally, someone else would be the butt of everyone’s jokes as they watched Wei Ying constantly try and fail to get Lan Zhan’s attention. When midterm grades came out, Su She was expecting the guy to be humiliated. That was… not what happened. Worse still, Lan Zhan was now actually turning his head to look at the guy when he spoke. And... wait, was Lan Zhan… putting his hand on the guy’s ass?! No. Su She does not accept this.

~*~

I love historical aus and Greaser!WWX with GoldenBoy!LWJ is one we know well, butI love this fic for all the heart it has and the way it covers setting-typical homophobia. Wangxian get a happy ending and then the epilogue at the end really just made me feel all kinds of feelings about being queer. @gentil-minou

Mad about the Boy

by TriviasFolly (@triviasfolly)

M, 62k, Wangxian

Summary: It's 1954, and Lan Zhan's life would be going well if it wasn't for the charming Wei Ying. Did he say charming? He meant annyoing. If it wasn't for that smile Lan Zhan could accept the future planned for him, the job as Cheif Surgeon who returned home to a demure wife who'd cook him dinner and asking him about his day. Instead, he finds himself dreaming about something more. So when Wei Ying offers him a deal, one that would get him out of Lan Zhan's life he took it. When the evening goes wrong, Lan Zhan expects his life to be over. Instead, he finds it's just the start of a new chapter.

~*~

The way this author made the story of the Scarlet Pumpenel fit in mdzs is, in my opinion, masterful. The arranged marriage is built on devastating misunderstanding after devastating misunderstanding, but the identity shenanigans are so fun! Other highlights include Jiang sect love and wangxian adopting not only A-Yuan but MXY as well. So much fun and an epic adventure! @gentil-minou

The Scarlet Lotus

by rainbowninja167 (@rainbowtitania)

M, 137k, Wangxian

Summary: In the years following the Sunshot Campaign, the mysterious, masked cultivator who’d defeated Wen Ruohan took on many identities: the Yiling Patriarch, leader of the Wen rebels, enemy of the Jin Sect, practitioner of wicked tricks. His true name was shrouded in mystery. He always wore a mask. He carried no sword; wore no clan colors or insignia. Clouds of resentful energy clung to him as he walked. But there was one thing that absolutely everyone agreed on: the Yiling Patriarch could not possibly be from the Jiang Sect. Or: a Scarlet Pimpernel-inspired fix-it featuring Wei Wuxian in disguise, Lan Wangji determined to bring the nefarious Yiling Patriarch to justice, and the hijinks that ensue when you accidentally marry your greatest enemy/love of your life.

~*~

Another fun and sexy fic built on misunderstandings but I love the tone of this one! There's a lot of heart in this fic along with some real world issues along with just lots of wwx love, which makes this fic something i reread again and again! @gentil-minou

With No Particular Affection

by Chrononautical (@chrononautintraining)

E, 92k, Wangxian

Summary: A prominent physicist and professor, Wei Ying has built a life for himself in Chicago. He's safe, he's happy, and he has plans for his future. Unfortunately, those plans are derailed the moment he finds out his brother is in trouble. To save the family business, it will have to be Wei Ying's life on the line. He has to marry his old high school crush, Lan Zhan.

~*~

wangxian exploring their sexuality while getting to act their age in cloud recesses is such a wonderful premise, and I love the way this fic lets them not being good at it. Also the little excerpts from the book throughout were such fun and always made me giggle! @gentil-minou

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures

by occultings (microcomets) (@microcomets)

E, 31k, Wangxian

Part of the good place server exchange 2023

Summary: Lan Wangji says, “I am also looking to . . . gain practical experience. It seemed mutually advantageous.” “Mutually advantageous,” Wei Wuxian echoes. “Wait. Do you mean I’d get to . . . ?” Lan Wangji stares at him. “Practice — on you?” Wei Wuxian finishes, his eyes round with disbelief. — During a shared summer studying in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian diligently pursue an informed sexual education. What could possibly be the harm in some mutual learning?

~*~

the most heartbreaking, angsty, canon setting arranged marriage au i've read so far, in the best way. We get to see things from LWJ's pov and while his actions make sense, it's still so devastating as we watch WWX be affected by it all. The happy ending makes the hurt all the better too! @gentil-minou

💙 Concord

by Deastar (@youhideastar)

T, 41k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec

Summary: Lan Wangji hopes, somewhat frivolously, that his betrothed might find him an acceptable companion. Neither he nor Wei Wuxian are able to bear children, so there will be no need to share a marital bed; that should make it easier for the two of them to reach a natural, comfortable equilibrium. Two strings played in harmony: this is Lan Wangji’s quiet hope, as he arranges the Jingshi to accommodate a second inhabitant. Perhaps, he thinks, they might even become friends.

~*~

MothXian and WitchJi!!!!! The art for this au is always so lovely, and this fic fits it perfectly! The author has this gorgeous, dreamy prose that really enhances the setting and the sweetness of wangxian in this is so beautiful. @gentil-minou

light a lantern (and guide me home)

by xuanxuanwo (ostentatiouslyrealistic) (@xuanxuanwo)

T, 63k, Wangxian

Summary: At first, he thinks he’s caught a bird; it’s the size of one of his palms and wrapped fully in damp feathers. As he shuffles toward the beam of light that streams through the open window, he wonders how it managed to fly into his lantern, shut the door, and latch it against the wild gales of the wind. Then, he takes a closer look, thumbing across its feathers, and realizes that they’re not feathers at all. They’re leaves. Startled, Lan Zhan shifts as gently as possible and, using the tip of his finger, parts them to reveal a body, complete with tiny limbs and a small face, all of it wrapped in the dress made from peony petals. “Oh,” Lan Zhan breathes softly, heart clenching. “Oh, what are you?” -- A thunderstorm brings tea master and herbalist Lan Zhan a companion he never knew he needed. A tale of love, loss, and letting go.

~*~

Rockstar!WWX and Bookseller!LWJ and they are just the cutest. Notting Hill is a classic romcom and this fic fits the romcom vibe perfectly. @gentil-minou

When the Lights Come Up

by brooklinegirl

E, 50k, Wangxian

Summary: Lan Zhan's brother draws to a halt next to him, staring at the man on the other side of the counter. "Oh, it is you, isn't it?" The man, still propped against the counter on his elbow, gives Lan Huan a grin, then directs it at Lan Zhan again. "I don't know," he says. "Is it? Am I?" "You are." Lan Huan is hurrying around to the other side of the counter, a wide smile on his face, while Lan Zhan looks on, feeling more and more perplexed, like he's stepped into some alternate universe where absolutely nobody is making any sense at all. "Wei Wuxian! Lan Zhan, do you know who this is? It's Wei Wuxian!" Lan Huan is reaching for the man's hand, and he pushes himself lazily to standing, shaking Lan Huan's hand warmly. "In the flesh," he says. "You caught me." "My goodness." Lan Huan is staring at him like he's never seen a human being before in his life. "What on earth are you doing here, of all places?

~*~

magical wangxian who adopt mo xuanyu in a setting that's written so vividly, the whole place comes alive! it's part of a larger series but it can be read alone, but most importantly the characters are so patient and kind with such great moments between them all @gentil-minou

quiet, blooming hours

by Sanguis (@bel-ennui)

T, 13k, Wangxian

Summary: Fingers push through the earth, and a long lost boy takes the first gasping breath of his second life. The house of buried things has a new surprise for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)

[romanarose]

You'd Love Me If I Was a Worm, Would You Love Me If I Was A Man?

Santiago Garcia x transman!reader

Masterlist : Triple Frontier Masterlist

Made for the Oscar/Pedro Pride Event

Summary: You're Santi's wife or so he thinks, he loves you very, very much... You're scared to ruin it with honesty.

Or

You come out as trans to Santi

Warnings: Pretty mild, Santi is perfect. Gender dysphoria, body dysphoria, mentions of conversion therapy.

AN: This is just based on my feelings right now. IDK exactly how I identify, but doing things like cutting my hair and dressing more masculine has helped me a lot. No one needs to cut their hair short to be a man, trans or otherwise, nor does a trans person NEED surgery or any changes. This is simply based on my experience. People feel this differently.

1k words

“How’s my favorite girl?”

Santi greeted you as he came home, finding you in your bathroom staring at your face and your body in your underwear, cringing at him calling you a girl but trying to hide the visceral reaction. You hated your hair, you hated how feminine it made you look, but you knew Santi loved it, so you kept it long and usually in a ponytail.No matter how hard you tried, no matter the body positivity, no matter how good you objectively looked and how Santiago worshiped it, none of it felt right to you. You’d been considering telling him how you’d been feeling for some time, but it felt selfish. How could you tell him you thought you might be a man when he fell in love with a woman?

He clocked your cringe, as he always did your discomfort. “What’s wrong, bebita?”

You shake your head. “Nothing, just tired.”

“I don’t believe you for a second, c’mon.” taking your hand, Santi pulls you into the bedroom and sits you down with him, his eyes pleading with you for honesty. “You can talk to me, it’s okay.”

Your eyes fill up with tears, stressing out and over thinking it all so much. “It’s not fair to you.” You begin to cry, and it isn’t. This isn't what Santi signed up for when he married you. He married his wife, not whatever was happening to you right now. You should’ve told him, you should’ve been honest with from the start. “I thought this would go away, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I lied to you!”

Horrified at the tears, Santiago pulls you into his arms. “Oh honey… whatever it is, you can tell me, please. Nothing is too much, you’re my wife, and I’m gonna take care of you, always.” 

It couldn’t be hidden anymore. You had to be honest before you wasted more of his time. Pulling back, you look him in the eyes, your own still watering. “I don’t… I don’t think I’m your wife…” You watch his eye widen and you realize your choice of words was poor. “Nonono! Not like that!” You’re quick to reassure him you aren’t leaving him. He’ll probably leave you, however. “I just mean…” Big breath. “I feel… like I’m a man.”

He looked confused for a second before recognition registered on his face.

“Oh… how long have you felt this way?” You couldn’t get a read on his reaction yet, but he still held your hands.

“I really, really long time, Santi. I thought I’d grow out of it…”

He nods. “Since you were a kid?”

“Yeah.” You sniffle. “I tried to tell my parents but… they… They sent me away.”

Santiago’s face hardened at that. “Conversion therapy?”

Memories flooded back to what you suffered there, creating a fresh bout of tears down your face. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I tried to put it away but nothing worked! I know you probably don’t want me any more but please, please I’m gonna try, I can go to therapy again-”

You try to tell him that you can change, to give you a chance and you’ll fix it, trying to walk yourself back into the closet after being out less than 5 minutes, but he cuts you off with a kiss.

“Baby,” He stresses, pain on his face as cups your cheek with his hands, thumbing away a tear. “I’m not leaving you, and you are not going to conversion therapy, you hear me? That is not happening. We’re gonna do whatever we need to do to make you feel comfortable with yourself, okay? If that means transitioning, then we’ll make it happen.”

In shock, you blink. “But… Santi, you’re not gay…”

Santiago chuckles a little. “I don’t really know how this works, to be honest. I didn’t think I was either but… I love you. I’m attracted to you. That’s what I know.” When you didn’t look convinced, he continued. “Remember all the times you asked me if I’d love you if you were a worm?”

You giggle a little at the memory, beginning to feel better. “Yeah, you were confused.”

He nods with a smile. “Yeah, so were most of the guys. But Will told me it’s not about if I’d actually love you if you were a worm, because you’d never actually be a worm. It’s about being reassured that no matter what, I’d still be yours and you’d still be mine. So I told you I’d make you a little garden like Oscar the grouch has for wormy.”

You’re smiling now too. “And read me worm versions of fairy tales before bed.”

“And kiss your little worm head, because I love you. So, if you feel like you are a man, and you want to live life as man and if that makes me gay then yeah. I’m gay. I don’t really care about that. I care about you.”

"And... maybe, maybe its not even that I'm a man... just maybe not fully a woman?"

"Like, one of those in between things?"

You laugh at his wording. He may not have the best terminology, but he tries.

He sighs softly, holding your face. "If you feel like you're non... binary?" He asks questioningly, and you nod so he continues. "Or half and half or non at all... that's okay too. Whatever you are, i's what you are, and you're still you to me. But, baby." He kisses the tip of your nose. "Don't try and lessen it for me, okay? If you want to live and be fully as man, then that's what it is."

Letting his words sink in, your heart fills with love at his unconditional affection. “So… what next? What do I even do now?”

“Well,” Santi considers next steps. “I think we try to get you in with a doctor. I don’t think it goes straight to surgery,” He says with a tease. “But maybe hormones? I don’t know. I can talk to Ben whenever you’re ready for me to, I know he knows more of this than I do.”

“Can we maybe…” Your reach for a tissue, blowing it as you calm down more and more. “Can I maybe start with a haircut.”

This makes Santi laugh, standing up and taking you with him to capture you in a full body hug. “Of course we can! You don’t need my permission to get a haircut, mi cielo!” You notice how he immediately changed to masculine gendered terms of endearment. “Santi peppered kisses all over your face. “Wanna go today?”

You’re so excited at the idea, you readily agree.

An hour later, the kind stylist is chopping off your hair. As she gives you a moment to sit with the cut, Santi comes up behind the chair, wrapping his arms around you. “How do you feel, mi amor.” He says with a kiss to your neck.

You take in this first step, the start of a journey that you knew wouldn’t be easy but you had the best person ever by your side.

“I think… I actually feel like myself.”

shout out to @hee-blee-art for these cute ass dividers that were wierdly specific to this story lol

Most unrealistic thing about this fic is reader saying Santi isn't gay. Did we see the same movie? homosexual activity was hapeing on those mountains

HAPPY PRIDE!!! I can't wait to see what everyone did for this event <3

[lilithwii]

{ 𝒲𝒽𝓎 𝓃ℴ𝓉．．．？

❦/ Hanako// W/C: forgot// G: angst, fluff// Warn: none, ✧ enjoy!//

❥ A/N: this is super shyt but i wanted to post before the week started, since i knowww i will be busy with schoolwork…

You didnt know whether it was the way he always clung to you.

Or maybe it was the way that he would look to you with such curiosity when you spoke, patiently waiting for your next word.

It mighve been the way he always found himself protecting you when another spirit decided to make you its pray.

Maybe it was the way he made things reserved for you and you only, like little gifts or your nickname.

Or possibly, by a very slim chance, it was because of the way he treated you so differently from any other human he had to grant a wish to.

You didnt really know. But you did know that you liked all of his odd ways. Hanako was a mystery, but a mystery that you would patiently take years to solve, figuring out every clue with a smile on your face, no matter how long it took you.

Look over to him on your left, you found Hanako sat on the railing of the roof beside you. The clocks changed, meaning that now the sun set a lot faster. The orange sunlight look quite nice against his skin. You held onto the railing behind you as you stood on its outside with your hair blowing in the wind. You admired his pale skin, his see through body and his amber eyes. He looked oddly nice today.

You waddled over to stand closer to him, almost touching shoulders this time. The very moment you faltered, he looked over at you with a certain sparkle in his eyes. You noticed how much bigger his pupils got when he looked at you.

“What are you doing?”

He turned his full head to face you this time whilst tilting in slightly to the side simultaneously. You smiled up at him a smile full of mischief.

“Nothing at all, dear friend!”

You jumped up to sit on the railing as he did, but yelled an over exaggerated scream when you started leaning back while trying to stable yourself. Hanako quickly put his hand on your back to stop you from harshly hitting the concrete, and helped you get steady on the thin metal railing next to him. He giggled at you, entirely amused at your lack of balance. You furrowed your brows at him,

“What are you laughing at, ghost boy?”

You raised your hand and flicked his forehead, making him swat your hand away when you did and smile a bit wider.

“You.”

You frowned at him and looked away when you noticed he stopped laughing. You couldve busted your head open if he didnt catch you, so whats so funny? Hanako was so weird in your eyes, however, he was a lot less weirder in your eyes than everyone elses for some reason. That was a mystery that you didnt care to solve.

You looked down at your hands wrapped around the railing and saw your knuckles turning white from how tightly you held it. Hanakos hand, right next to you, faltered and twitched in the direction of yours, as if he wanted to rest his hand upon yours. His pinky reached out and he raised his shaking hand, but quickly put it back down and looked away from you. You frowned. Was it because you werent pretty enough that he never reached out to be something more? you knew how he felt. You knew how you felt. What was holding him back? was it because ones touch was still warm and the others was as cold as ice?

You were growing tired of the waiting. Without a care in the world, you clasped your hand over his and squeezed it tight, making him look at you with a flustered face. You intertwined your fingers from the top, and looked at him with a frown.

“Would you love me if i was like you?”

His reddened face and ears turned back to pale when understanding your question. He couldnt ever answer such a thing. You had a life to live, and if he was going to be the reason that would ruin your future, even if it was your choice in the end, he wouldnt be able to wander the school halls without the guilt on his shoulders pulling him down to the earths core.

It wasnt that simple, for you to just die and then live happily ever after.

“…no.”

And he lied. Deep down, he would love you no matter what the situation was. You were still you, right?

LILITHWII © 2025

[heartofroses112]

Our Own Choices Deleted Scenes — finding Ahsoka and Rex, pt. 1

The ship groaned, metal shifting around her. She tensed, recognizing the change for what it was: someone was forcing their way into the freighter. Beneath her, Rex moaned, his signature flaring brightly for a moment before returning once more to the hazy darkness of unconsciousness. For a moment, she was two decades in the past, sabers ignited as she stood above Rex, arms burning as she held back the strength of Grievous’s attacks.

Ahsoka snarled, crouching in front of Rex with his blasters raised. A quick push of the Force ensured that his prone form was hidden from sight by her cloak. She longed to draw her sabers, longed to find comfort in their harsh white glow. But giving herself away as a Jedi right away was not the smartest move, especially since she had no idea who she was about to face.

She felt three presences outside of the wreck. Something about their signatures drew Ahsoka in, and she very nearly opened herself to the Force to get more information. She tightened her control of the Force, raising mental shields as thick as the day she’d fought Maul. She wouldn’t put it past the Inquisitors or other Darksiders to trick her into a false sense of security before springing some mental trap or another.

No, Master Obi-Wan had trained her too well against the ploys and manipulations of the dark side. Ahsoka would not walk off of this ship in any other state besides free.

Ahsoka took a deep breath, calming the inner turmoil of her thoughts. She had survived this long by keeping a level-head and not acting until all of the facts were known (Again, something she’d learned from Master Obi-Wan). This confrontation would be nothing in comparison to everything she had done up until now.

For a moment, the only sound was her own ragged breathing. The signatures were coming closer, the freighter creaking as they progressed through the wreck and toward the cockpit. Ahsoka adjusted her grip on Rex’s blasters, aiming them at the doorway.

The doors clanged and shuddered, and then they were being forced open. Light poured into the cockpit, both natural and artificial from the suns outside and the flashlights the strangers had. Ahsoka hissed, eyes squinting as her vision adjusted to the change in brightness.

“Who are you?” she asked, dropping her voice an octave. She couldn’t risk being recognized, not before she had a solid understanding of the situation.

“Are you Fulcrum?” came the response.

“I asked you first.”

One of the strangers sighed, clicking off their flashlight so she was no longer blinded by the brilliant beam of light. It was hard to see them with her hood pulled low enough to conceal her face, but Ahsoka was able to make out three armored figures, their armor dark and their bodies on guard. They each had a blaster trained on her, waiting for any unwanted movement.

Ahsoka remained crouched, guns raised and senses stretched to the limit. Her position was one she found herself in often, although usually her hands were wrapped around the hilts of her lightsabers. Wielding blasters was something she had not done in a while.

When the four of them continued to stare at each other for several long moments, Ahsoka found her patience growing thin. “I said, who are you?”

One of the figures, the one in the middle, moved slowly. They crouched down, letting their blaster slide to the ground with a soft clatter. They kept their hands raised as they rose back to their full height. “We don’t mean you any harm.”

“My ship just got shot out of the sky, so I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“We weren’t the ones who shot you.” The stranger spoke in soothing tones as if calming a panicked animal. Ahsoka didn’t appreciate it. It reminded her too strongly of Master Obi-Wan trying to diffuse a situation that Anakin had assuredly created. “We were here to meet Fulcrum. We saw your ship go down and wanted to check for survivors.”

“None of what you’re saying is assuring me of your intentions.” Ahsoka adjusted her grip on the blasters again, palms beginning to sweat. “If you’re going to kill me, let’s get this over with before I get bored, hm?”

The stranger sighed again, motioning at their companions to lower their weapons. “Senator Organa set up this meeting. He wanted the leader of his armed forces and the head of his underground network to start working together. I don’t know what else I can do to make you understand that we are allies.”

“For all I know, you captured my actual associate and learned all of this information from them.” She let the blasters sink inch, trusting in her abilities to fire before the disarmed figures. “I’d suggest you all leave. If you really are working with my informant, he can set up another meeting for us.”

The figure shook their head as if aggravated. “Have you always been this distrusting?”

“Have you always been this shady?” She shot back. “Is it really so surprising that I refuse to believe the first people I meet after getting shot out of the sky?”

The figure on the left turned toward the leader of their group. “Commander, we’re running out of time. I’m tracking a group approaching from the west; they must be coming to confirm the death of Fulcrum.”

Ahsoka snorted, eyes flitting between the three figures. She felt Rex shift behind her, his arm now resting against the back of her calves. She prayed he remained silent and unnoticed. “Yeah, real convincing.”

Seeing no other option, she waved her right hand slightly, drawing on the Force as much as she could with her steel shields. “You will be on your way.”

The lead figure shook his head as if clearing it. Their shoulders tensed, but they made no move for their blaster still laying on the floor. Their helmet tilted. “You’re a Jedi.”

Ahsoka tried again, ignoring the waver in her voice. “You will be on your way.”

“Mind tricks don’t work on us.” The figure continued to examine her, and she fought the urge to shift uncomfortably beneath their gaze. She cursed mentally, drawing her shields even tighter. It was always a gamble, attempting to change a being’s mind with the Force. But all it had gotten her was more trouble now that these strangers knew what she once was.

Even with all of her efforts to remain as shrouded as possible—with the cloak and the dropped voice and the blasters—something must have slipped beyond her last-ditch use of the Force. The center figure stiffened, and their head dipped, as if trying to find her face beneath her cowl. She tensed, prepared for the worst. The Imperial forces had confirmed her existence, now the Inquisitors would be on their way. A lone Jedi was one thing; Ahsoka Tano was another. There was no way Imperials would let her out of their sight without at least one attempt to bring her down. 

She was prepared for blaster fire and death. She was not prepared for what the stranger said.

“Commander Tano?”

Ahsoka froze. Her heart stuttered in her chest, breath catching in her throat. It’s impossible. Only one group of men had ever referred to her as such, even with all of her efforts to get them to call her by her name. But as far as she knew, all but three were gone, either still enslaved to the Empire or killed far too early.

She raised the blasters in a second, hands trembling ever so slightly as she trained both weapons on the center figure. “Who the hell are you?”

“I think you know, Commander.” Despite the tense situation, the stranger almost sounded… fond.

Ahsoka swallowed, unable to calm the shaking of her muscles. “Remove your helmets, then.”

“Can’t do that, Commander,” he said. “We’ve survived this long because of our anonymity. I’m sure you understand.”

She grunted. Oh, she completely knew the need for secrecy. Didn’t mean she had to like it, especially when her brain told her she could not trust them for as long as they continued to hide their identities from her.

“Commander.” The figure on the left called for her attention. He appeared much softer than he had just moments before. He crouched down so he was on her level, elbows resting on armored thighs. She vaguely noticed that his right arm ended in a scomp link. “Commander, hey, remember that game you would play with the General?” She sucked in a breath. “He was always telling you about Force signatures or whatever, and you would always give him a hard time back and claim you knew more about that then he did.”

Her eyes burned at the reminder.

The figure continued, nonchalant despite his earlier worries of approaching enemies. “So, the two of you would go to the mess, close your eyes, and try to name the most amount of brothers by feel alone.”

“He always accused me of being a sore loser,” she murmured, blasters slowly drifting down once more. “But I know he had Jesse help him cheat.”

The figure snorted. “Jesse was a terrible liar. I’m not surprised you figured it out.”

A lump had lodged in her throat as the clone in front of her spoke. But now she swallowed past it, raising the blasters yet again. “What’s your point?”

“Use the Force,” he said simply. “You know my Force signature. Reach out, see who I am, and then you’ll know you can trust us.”

“And if this is a trap by the dark side?”

The clone shrugged. “You’ll just have to trust me, Commander.” She got the strangest sense that he was grinning. “’Sides, you’ve always been strong. Even if we were Darksiders, you’d probably be able to overwhelm us.”

Ahsoka choked on a laugh. She had let her guard down far too easily; she knew better than to be swayed by a compliment and a story that anyone aboard the Resolute would know. But something about this stranger… well, he wasn’t a stranger, was he? Ahsoka wasn’t sure who he was, but he was familiar. All three of them were.

So, she decided to trust them. Or, at least, trust she could defend herself against them if she needed to.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, stretching out with the Force to brush against the three presences in front of her. One, the leader, she assumed, had shields nearly as strong as hers, and she had no idea who he might be. But the other two…

The one on the right. The one who had not yet spoken. She’d not met him many times, and it took her a while to understand whose signature she was feeling. But then it clicked, and a mental image of Master Secura filled her mind. Bly.That was Commander Bly. Her mind wheeled with the implications of that.

“Bly,” she said. His head dipped in acknowledgment.

Almost fervently, she reached toward the other one, the clone who knew her, who knew Jesse and Anakin and the rest of the 501st. A name came to the forefront of her mind immediately. Ahsoka pushed it away, searching for a different one. It wasn’t the right name, not the right man. She had watched him die months before the Order had ever gone through. It couldn’t be, it wasn’t, it was, it was, it was.

“Echo?” she breathed, eyes flying open. Rex’s blasters clattered to the ground as she hastened to throw back the cowl of her cloak.

“It’s me, Commander. I promise, it’s not a trick.” He paused for a moment. “But while we’re out here, it’s just Corporal, okay?” Even with the vocoder that seemed to be a part of all of their helmets, she recognized the cadence of Echo’s voice, the grumpiness that had always been stronger after dealing with Fives. When she learned of Fives’s death, she thought Domino squad was gone forever. But what terrible things must Echo have lived through in order to still be standing before her? Did he know his twin had saved her life? Saved Rex’s life?

Although she longed to embrace the lost soldier, she held her position, still covering Rex. She trained her attention on the clone in the middle, the one that Echo had only referred to as ‘Commander.’ There was something familiar in his mental shields, something she recognized in the foundation and the construction. “And who are you?”

He was saved from answering by a loud ping from the datapad hanging off of Echo’s belt. Echo cursed, scanning the screen for information.

“How much time?” Bly asked, his voice rougher than even Echo’s. He raised his blaster again, but turned to aim it at the door while still looking at his brother.

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes at most. They’re getting slowed down by the terrain.”

“Commander Tano, come with us,” the leader said, as serious as she had heard him this entire time. “If you’re Fulcrum, then we can have this discussion on our ship. But we need to get you out of here, and this freighter isn’t flying.”

“I…” Ahsoka didn’t know what to say. She knew it was the only valid option, but with Rex the way he was… and so much of her role in the rebellion came from remaining separate from the larger forces, especially with the Inquisitors constantly on her tail. Could she join them, her friends, in good conscious, knowing she may be putting them in danger simply by her presence? She shifted, wincing as she accidently put weight on Rex’s hand, the limb still limp against her legs.

Echo was on high alert. “You’re injured.”

“No. No, I’m fine.”

“This crash wasn’t one of Skywalker’s.” The Commander crossed his arms, examining her again. “You’re not fine. But…”

“Ahsoka.”

She turned in an instant, falling to her knees at Rex’s side as he groaned her name. His eyes remained closed, and she sensed him fading once more. She grabbed his hand, placing her free one against his cheek. “I’m here.”

He squeezed her hand ever so lightly. “Ahsoka,” he breathed out again, and then he was gone, mind dragged under as his subconscious forced his body to rest and heal. She watched him for another long moment, searching his bare face for any sign of discomfort or pain.

“Rex.” The Commander nearly choked on the name, voice so full of feeling and pain. With her mind still open to the Force as it was, she felt as his shields buckled before collapsing, emotions bursting out as his presence spilled and swirled in the cockpit.

Ahsoka gasped, nearly overcome with the power of the Commander’s thoughts and feelings. Before she knew it, he was crashing to his knees beside her, reaching out with trembling hands to brush against the top of Rex’s head, almost as if he didn’t really believe the old captain was really there. She could barely breathe; the Commander’s signature was so strong, so powerful, so overwhelming.

It was so completely and undeniably Cody.

A broken laugh pushed out of her mouth, and she stared at the side of his helmet, imagining the face beneath, curling scar and harsh features undercut by soft eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, attention fully locked on the injured brother at his feet. His hand now rest gently on Rex’s head, gloved thumb rubbing against the faint, silvery scar on Rex’s forehead.

“What happened?” She’d never heard him show emotion so plainly, not even after Kadavo when Master Obi-Wan and Rex had been in bad shape. Ahsoka tried to imagine how it must feel, thinking Rex had been dead for the past seventeen years. She shuddered. It was too terrible. How had he managed?

She forced herself to focus. “His side of the ship got hit. He was thrown before we even crashed.” Ahsoka squeezed Rex’s hand tightly, hating the lack of a response. “He wasn’t wearing his helmet when we went down. He might have a concussion, I’m not sure.” She swallowed hard. “He hasn’t woken up yet. That was the most responsive he’s been.”

The Commander continued to kneel at her side, and they stared down at Rex for another long moment.

“Commanders.” Bly coughed, drawing their attention. Ahsoka turned, lekku thrown over her shoulder with the motion. She felt the pain in his mind as he watched her. “Rex is gonna be fine, he always is. But we have only a few minutes before we have company, and in your condition, sir, I don’t know if the three of us can fight them all off.”

“I can still fight,” Ahsoka argued, letting go of Rex’s hand as she rose to her feet. “I’m a little bruised, sure, but—”

“I was talking more about the Commander, sir.” Ahsoka got the sense that Bly was embarrassed.

It took the Commander a long moment before he turned to address Bly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Marshal. I’ve sustained no injury.”

Bly shook his head. “No, but your concentration isn’t here.”

“I know how to compartmentalize.”

Despite the serious nature of their conversation, Ahsoka couldn’t help the snort. The Commander looked at her, and she could picture an affronted look on his face that almost made her giggle more. Instead, she offered a smile. “You sound just like he did.” She did not need to explain. He knew who she spoke of. The grief and regret spilling out of his broken shields proved that. The Commander turned away, staring at the damaged wall instead of any of the living souls in the cockpit.

Ahsoka swallowed, reaching out to lay a hand against the upper part of his arm. He stiffened under her touch, but made no move to pull away. “Look, we’ll have time to discuss everything later. But Bly’s right.”

She got the sense he was about to interrupt her, so she pushed forward. “Commander, you’re the only person in the world I trust to protect Rex as well as I would. So how about you and the Corporal carry him, and me and the Marshal can keep watch?”

“No offense, Commander,” Echo drawled, “but if you’re going to keep using the Captain’s blasters, maybe we should switch places.”

She scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him, and feeling for all the world like she was fifteen again. “Why, Corporal, I have no idea what you mean.”

Echo laughed. It was the best sound she had ever heard.

Ahsoka grinned in response. “No, don’t worry. I have a few other tricks up my sleeves.”

“At least you’re wearing sleeves now,” he shot back. She shook her head with a chuckle. She’d not felt this happy, this light, in years.

“It’s a good plan, Commander,” Bly said. He leaned down, grabbing the Commander’s blaster before jerking his head toward the door. “Now, let’s get Rex on his feet and out of here before we find ourselves in the middle of a firefight.”

The Commander’s helmet moved in a slow arc, starting with Bly, and ending at Rex. Finally, he nodded slowly. “All right. Corporal, help me out.”

Echo shoved his blaster into its holster before crouching on Rex’s other side. With Ahsoka using the Force to make their job easier, both men got one of Rex’s arms around their shoulders. The Commander held him tightly against his side, right arm tucked around Rex’s waist and less hand holding onto Rex’s arm. Echo was in a similar position on the opposite side, albeit less secure as his scomp link didn’t provide much support.

Ahsoka met Bly’s gaze. “Front or back?” she asked.

“Front,” he answered immediately. “If we’re going to run into anyone, they’ll be coming up behind us. You’ll be more of a help if you’re able to shield us from behind.”

She nodded once. Bly copied the gesture. Then he led the way out of the cockpit, both his and the Commander’s blasters held at the ready. Somewhat awkwardly, Echo and the Commander managed to maneuver Rex out of the doorway, and Ahsoka began to follow them. She paused, turning to look around the broken ship. They were forgetting something. But what?

A small exclamation left her lips as she spotted Rex’s discarded helmet in the corner. She ducked to grab it, the old plastoid dusty and weathered beneath her fingertips. Ahsoka stared down into the face of the helmet for a moment longer, seeing in it the faces of all of the men she had loved, the brothers who had died because she had not been enough to save them.

Jesse.

Kix.

Fives.

Echo.

Hardcase.

Tup.

Vaughn.

Appo.

Denal.

Coric.

Dogma.

There were so many more. So many she had failed. So many she would never see again. Ahsoka brought Rex’s helmet up to rest against her forehead, eyes falling shut as she remembered. For the first time in many years, her eyes burned as tears threatened to fall.

She remained that way for another long moment. Then she heard Echo quietly calling her name. She returned to the present, but the weight of those she had lost continued to press down against her chest.I’ll have time later for grief, she reminded herself. Ahsoka squared her shoulders, clipping Rex’s helmet to the side of her belt. For now, I must push forward. Besides, she smiled softly to herself, leaving the cockpit with assured steps, how can I grieve when I’ve just gotten back my friends?

pt 1 | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4

[avengersfantasies]

Anymore - Chapter 5

Summary: You and Bucky take a big step, but there's still doubt in your mind.

What to expect: fluff, angst, smut

taglist: @kandis-mom @missvelvetsstuff @mavrellover91 @natashasilverfox @vicmc624 @blackhawkfanatic @haruvalentine4321 @felicitylemon @vonalyn @aboobie @stinkerbelle007 @crist1216 @je-suis-prest-rachel @buckysforeverprincess @bathwater101 @frickin-bats @lovely-geek @winterslove1917

After talking with Steve, you and Bucky headed to his room. You had decided to stay at the tower for the night instead of having him take you all the way back to your apartment.

            “You should move in,” Bucky suggested. “It’d be safer for you here.”

            You shrugged. “I like having my own space.”

“Well, you could have your own room on this floor,” he told you. “You’d have me and Steve right here if you needed anything.” As if it were second nature, Bucky began to change into his sweats and a t-shirt. He pulled his shirt off over his head with his back facing you. His back muscles were something else. You thought Steve had been ripped and fit, but just based off Bucky’s back, you could tell he was a bit bigger. He turned around to face you and started to speak, but his words were cut off when he noticed you were practically drooling over him. He had a perfect six pack, his chest broad, and his waist making a v-shape at the top of his pants. “Sweetheart?” he chuckled, causing you to come back to reality.

“I’m so sorry,” you quickly apologized. “I just—”

“You were staring,” he chuckled and walked closer to you. “See something you like?”

You blushed hard and giggled. “I see about a hundred things I like.”

Bucky stalked towards you like you were his prey. “Listen to me,” he spoke softly – his hands cupping your face carefully. “You and me…whatever happens between us…I want you to be comfortable.”

You nuzzled into his large hands and kissed his metal palm. “I am comfortable, Buck.” He smiled widely at you. “I want you to be comfortable too.”

His thumbs stroked your cheeks. “I am, sweetheart,” he started, “but you’re pregnant…there’s a lot of emotions and hormones that might affect how you’re feeling.”

“Buck,” you started to argue back, “can I confess something to you?” He nodded. “Before I got with Steve, I wanted you…I was too scared to say anything to you, and then you were with what’s-her-face for those few months, and I was with Steve, and well…here we are.”

His eyes were filled with adoration. He hadn’t been expecting those words to come from you, but they did. They pierced his heart, and acting almost on instinct, he gently pulled your lips to his – capturing them in a deep and passionate kiss. Your hands trailed up to his hair – tangling the dark brown strands around your fingers. You tugged on them gently – wanting to get some sort of reaction out of the man you had fantasized about many time while Steve was inside you, though you’d never let him know that. God, it’d break his heart to know he was your second choice. None of that mattered now, however. Bucky slipped his tongue into your mouth and guided you over to his bed – laying you down gently and hovering above you. The kiss deepened, and the two of you explored the other’s mouth – never wanting to break apart.

“Fuck,” you moaned against his lips.

“You okay?” Bucky asked – his eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort.

You nodded. “I just…don’t want to go too far.”

Bucky flipped you over so that you were on top of him, your hands rubbing his chest. “What’s too far?”

“Whatever you think is too far,” you told him.

His hands gently held your face to look at him. “Baby,” he began softly. “I asked you what’s too far…that means I wanna know your limits.”

You gulped, nervous about pushing him too far. “I don’t have any,” you confessed, “but…if you do—”

He cut you off with a deep kiss, his hands resting on your hips. You could feel him growing hard beneath you even through his jeans. He felt huge…much bigger than Steve. Steve was big, and he knew how to pleasure you, but you couldn’t deny that you had always wondered what Bucky would be like.

“Does it make me a bad person?” you managed to say through panted breaths.

“Does what?”

You leaned down to kiss his chest. “That I thought about you while Steve was inside me most times.”

Bucky chuckled. “Makes you human, baby girl.” That pet name did something to you – sent shivers through your body. You felt yourself soak through your panties, and this didn’t go unnoticed by the super solider underneath you. “Can I?” he asked, his flesh hand making its way to the hem of your leggings.

“Yes, Sergeant,” you moaned out, not realizing that you called him the name you had reserved for your fantasies when you were alone.

“Ooo,” he hummed – making you realize that you had called him what you did. “I like that, baby girl.”

You blushed harder than you ever had before and hid your face in his hair. “Oh my God, that’s so embarrassing!”

He chuckled and pulled your head back to look at him. “It’s hot, baby.” His lips were back on yours before you could say anything – his hand sliding into your leggings and petting your clothed pussy. “Goddamn, babydoll…you’re soaked.”

“All for you, Sarge,” you moaned – taking your shirt off and throwing it to the floor followed by your bra.

Your breasts were beautiful – something he’d never thought he’d get to see. His metal hand gentle grabbed one of them. “They sensitive?”

“A little,” you told him. “Just don’t be too rough.”

“You got it, doll,” he assured you – capturing one of your nipples in his mouth. His hands began sliding your leggings off. He made sure to move slowly so that you always had time to stop him if you needed to. You didn’t, however, and you lifted your hips up so he could take them all the way off – taking your panties with them. “Can your Sergeant have a taste of your beautiful pussy?”

You bit your bottom lip. His words were dirty…much dirtier than Steve’s ever were. You had begged for Steve to be dirtier with you in bed, but he never seemed to try. With Bucky, though, you were scared about what he would do if you did start to beg him to be dirtier. “Go for it, Sarge.”

Bucky leaned you back on the bed and hovered over you – making sure he didn’t put his weight on you. His flesh hand rested on your lower belly as he looked you in the eyes. “If you start to feel uncomfortable…physically or not…just tell me to stop, and I’ll stop immediately.” You nodded in understanding. The last thing Bucky wanted to do was somehow hurt you or the little life growing inside you. He kissed down your body softly – making love to every inch of your skin. Before he dove in, he took in your scent – wanting to memorize the delectable smell. “Smell so damn sweet, baby girl,” he praised you before gently wrapping his lips around your swollen and throbbing clit. You gasped at the sensation – your hand immediately going for his hair to pull him closer to your aching core. The soldier licked up your folds – dipping his tongue inside before holding them apart so he could properly feast. The sound of Bucky’s voice moaning into you send vibrations through your entire body, and your hips began to instinctually grind against his face for more friction. “Ride my face, doll,” he ordered you through his panting breaths. “That’s it.”

The sound of his eating out of your soaked pussy were sinful, to say the least. It was a sound that filled the air, and you could only imagine what it would sound like once his cock was inside you. Could Steve hear what was going on? He was only next door, after all. You knew that if he did hear, he’d be heartbroken, but you didn’t want to hide how amazing Bucky was making you feel. You bit your hand to keep your sounds from escaping your mouth, and this caught Bucky’s attention.

“Babydoll,” he said – looking up at you. “Let me hear your sounds.”

You almost had tears in your eyes. You wanted to scream out his name…God knows you did…but you couldn’t help but still feel bad about what you were doing. Was it considered cheating?

“What if he hears?” you managed to whisper to the man in between your legs.

“Then he should’ve thought about that before he broke your heart.”

Bucky was right. You knew he was. But Steve was still a person with a heart, and you never wanted to be the reason someone’s heart was broken.

“I can’t…,” was all you managed to whisper out before tears came flooding.

[lilacmingi]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AU ♤ PART 3: YOONGI

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT read/interact with me or my works

Pairing: Cheshire cat!Yoongi x fem reader

Word count: 2,530

You continued to dart down the uneven stone pathway, running relentlessly even when you felt you were far enough away to stop and walk for a bit. Eventually, your legs started to ache as the adrenaline wore off and fear no longer fueled you. You knew you had to slow down sooner or later, but you feared if you did, it would run the risk of the bandersnatch catching up somehow-that is if Jungkook and Jimin couldn't defeat it.

It didn't take very long for you to realize your surroundings were changing. The cobblestone path was becoming more worn down, the rocks more sparse, and the odd, yet lively plants that surrounded the trail were now replaced with dead tree limbs that resembled long, spindly fingers, and dried up flowers that had lost their color, not to mention the eerie fog covering the ground. Your running slowed to a walk as you scanned the area.

You hadn't the slightest idea where you were. You were lost and alone with no one around to guide you through this unfamiliar land that was so different from home. At that point, you started thinking that staying with Jungkook and Jimin was a better choice, even if you risked getting yourself killed by doing so.

Peering ahead, you saw what looked like a sign with multiple arrows in various sizes pointing in multiple directions. You released a sigh of relief, glad to have found some sort of means to point you in the right direction.

"Thank goodness."

You made your way down the fog-covered path until you reached the sign. Your hopes were immediately crushed when you didn't see Hatter anywhere on it. As a matter of fact, the signs didn't even make sense. All the arrows were pointing in different directions and were labeled: here, there, this way, that way, yonder, turn around, wrong way.

"This doesn't even make any sense." You mumbled under your breath.

Where's there? And what's this way? Better yet, what's that way?

Tears began to well in your eyes. None of the signs were helpful and you didn't know which way would lead you out. It seemed silly to cry over something like this, but your worry and frustration had built up so much that it was being released in the form of crying and there was no way to stop it. You collapsed on the ground, feeling utterly defeated.

"I'll never get out of here." You sobbed hopelessly to yourself, sniffling softly.

"You're a long way from where you need to be, aren't you, little one?"

You lifted your head at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, scanning your surroundings for the source, not seeing a single person anywhere in the vicinity.

"Who said that?"

A deep chuckle came from somewhere up in the trees, your eyes darting frantically about the area trying to find the source of the voice.

"Stop playing around!" You stood up and wiped your eyes. "Where are you?"

"Over here." He tittered lowly.

Your head snapped in the direction of the voice, but again, you didn't see anyone. Spinning on your heel, you whirled around and saw a man stretched out on a thick tree limb, except this person wasn't fully a man. He had grey cat ears that stuck out of his long, black hair and a tail with turquoise stripes that swished back and forth lazily behind him.

He sported a leather jacket with a ripped up white t-shirt underneath and black jeans with tears in the knees paired with a pair of chunky leather boots.

His sudden presence made you startle. He chuckled at you, finding your reaction amusing.

"Stop laughing at me." You snapped.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of you, leaving gray wisps of smoke in his wake.

"I wouldn't be talking like that to someone I just met." His turquoise cat eyes held a threatening glow. "Who do you think you are?" He inquired pointedly, running his hand down your arm, his eyes examining you from top to bottom sending a shiver down your spine.

"I'm Y/n."

His cat ears perked up at the sound of your name and his sharp eyes widened in interest.

"Y/n?" He echoed.

You gave a single nod of confirmation.

"Hm." He smirked. "What an attractive young woman you've become." His tail flicked side to side as his eyes stayed glued to you.

"Stop that." You backed away.

"Oh, Y/n, don't you remember? We had a lot of fun last time you were here."

"W-what?" You stuttered out.

His shoulders shook as he let out raspy chortles. "I'm kidding." He pinched your cheek affectionately. "You're far too easy to fool. So naive."

"Who are you anyway?" You prodded, pretending not to be offended by his comment.

"I'm Yoongi. You don't remember me?"

"No." You sighed. "I don't remember anything."

His amused expression morphed into one that showed perplexmxent and perhaps even slight disappointment.

"Ah." He murmured, disappearing in a swirl of smoke.

"Hey! Where'd you go?" You asked the air around you, spinning in a circle to try and locate him again.

"Up here."

You looked up but didn't see him anywhere in sight. Then, just as quickly as it had happened the first time, he reappeared on the tree limb he was lounging across moments earlier.

"How are you doing that?" The question spilled from your lips before your brain had a chance to catch up and stop it.

"Magic." He responded while doing jazz hands, though his tone was less than enthusiastic.

His reply left you unimpressed.

"So, what brings you back to Wonderland, little one?" He questioned, swinging his leg back and forth off the side of the tree limb.

"I'm not a child." You retorted in reference to the name little one.

"I didn't say you were." He shot you a brief glance. "You didn't answer my question."

"Jungkook."

"Bunny boy?"

"Yeah. Him."

"What did he do?"

"For starters, he was hiding in my rose garden. I got suspicious and chased after him, thus resulting in me falling down the rabbit hole."

"How did you end up all the way out here?"

"Jungkook and I ran into Jimin and we got attacked by the bandersnatch. They both stayed behind to fight it." You cast your eyes on the ground. "I hope they're okay."

"Despite both of them being complete idiots sometimes, they're really strong and don't back down easily." Yoongi assured you.

You nodded, hoping that was true, though your mind kept flashing horrifying images of their lifeless bodies lying in the middle of the path covered in bloody gashes. You shivered.

"Why were you crying earlier?"

Yoongi's question distracted you from the gruesome images your brain had decided to put on a mental slideshow unwarranted.

"You saw that?" You questioned meekly.

"I see everything, sweetheart. I may lie around and nap in the trees all day, but I know what's going on around me. So, why were you crying? Tell me."

"I'm lost. After I ran away from the bandersnatch I followed the path but I ended up here."

"Where exactly are you headed?"

"Well, Jungkook and Jimin were trying to get me to the Hatter."

"The Hatter?" Yoongi sat up. "That psycho?"

"Yes?" The statement came out like a question and you furrowed your brows.

"Right. You don't remember."

"Why call him a psycho? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, I suppose." He sighed. "That's just my opinion. He's completely off his rocker, that guy."

"Well, do you know how I can get to him? These signs aren't very helpful."

"I can take you." Yoongi volunteered, disappearing from the tree limb and reappearing at your side.

You flinched a little and he chuckled.

"Follow me, sweetheart." He grinned and disappeared, popping back up a few feet ahead. "You coming or not?"

"You have got to stop disappearing and reappearing like that. It's making me nervous."

"Whatever you say, pretty." He tittered.

He waited for you to catch up before the two of you proceeded down the dirt path, headed in the direction of hopefully the Hatter.

You hadn't known Yoongi for very long, but one thing you learned was that he was confident and incredibly flirtatious. He was undeniably attractive, there was no doubt about that, and had this air about him that made him even more attractive if that was even possible. You weren't exactly sure how to describe it other than nonchalant, maybe even a little cocky, or perhaps that was the confidence. Either way, he knew he was hot.

"What's got you so distracted?" Yoongi asked, pulling you from your thoughts.

"Nothing." You lied.

"Don't pretend like you aren't attracted to me."

"I beg your pardon?" You barely managed to get the question out without stuttering.

"You heard me, darling."

Your heart fluttered at the nickname.

He could see the way his suave nature effected you, the way you avoided eye contact with him and pulled your bottom lip between your teeth. He could see right through you.

Turning away, you trained your eyes on the scraggly trees, trying to calm the heat that rose to your cheeks.

Yoongi's footsteps stopped which caused you to stop as well. He placed his finger underneath your chin and turned your face towards his, his bright turquoise irises dropping down to your lips.

"Yoongi?" You uttered, your voice sounding meek.

"Y/n." He ran his thumb over your bottom lip, dark strands of hair falling into his face. "I had no idea you'd grow up to be so irresistibly attractive."

Your mouth opened only to snap shut. You were unable to formulate a response.

"Look at you getting all flustered again. You're completely speechless." He tilted his head, more lengthy strands of his raven locks falling over his eyes as he smirked in amusement.

Your eyes widened at his close proximity and you tried to back away, but his arm snaked around your waist and pulled you to him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked lowly as he started to lean in.

There was no way to stop or avoid it as Yoongi's lips collided with yours, unexpectedly soft and delicate when they touched your own. Part of you wanted to push him away while another part was enjoying it and wanted it to continue. Choosing to abandon all rationality, your eyelids closed and you allowed yourself to melt in his arms and indulge. One of Yoongi's hands moved to cradle your jaw while his lips massaged yours, gliding fluidly against them like they were made for each other.

The kiss ended almost as quickly as it began and next thing you knew, Yoongi was pulling away, straightening his shoulders.

"Alright. I'd best be getting you to the Hatter." He announced and continued walking.

"What was that for?" You asked, breaking into a brief speed walk so you could catch up.

"What was what for?"

"Stop acting like you didn't just kiss me."

"Stop acting like you didn't like it." He grinned.

You didn't respond.

"I knew it." He chuckled. "Tell me something, Y/n. Jungkook or Jimin didn't beat me to it, did they?"

Your cheeks got hot at the thought of Jungkook ravishing your neck with kisses. Not to mention Jimin kissing your forehead and cheek.

"No."

"Good." He smirked proudly.

"Not my lips at least." You muttered under your breath, barely audible.

"What do you mean by that? Did they kiss you?"

You didn't respond, internally scolding yourself for letting that little tidbit slip.

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Well, judging by that pink spot on your neck I'm guessing one of them kissed you there."

"Hey!" Your entire face was set ablaze while you moved your hair around to cover the spot.

"So where'd the other one kiss you?"

You crossed your arms defiantly. That was information you refused to disclose with him.

"That's fine." He shrugged. "As long as I'm the first to kiss you on the lips, I'm satisfied."

Your jaw nearly fell to the ground. This guy was absolutely shameless.

"My legs are getting tired." Yoongi griped aloud.

Immediately after the complaint left his mouth, his feet lifted off the ground and he started floating in the air, lying on his back with his hands behind his head.

The expression on your face was one of complete and utter shock.

Yoongi merely responded with a sardonic, "I told you. Magic."

"You can't possibly be tired already."

"I am. I'm not used to walking so much. My poor legs can't handle it." He pouted.

"Oh boohoo."

"You know, Y/n, if your legs get tired you're welcome to come up here with me." He gleamed, his Cheshire grin looking more foxlike rather than catlike.

"You're audacious."

"Ah, but you like my audaciousness, don't you, little one?"

He could see right through you and it was embarrassing.

"Forget it, cat boy."

A clear look of offense flashed across his features, his brows twitching.

"That's right. I've got nicknames too." You remarked snarkily.

"Don't call me that."

"You seem to be calling me whatever you want, so why can't I do the same? Hm?"

"I don't like it. It sounds soft." He grumbled.

"I don't know, you seem pretty soft. Especially with those cute ears and that tail."

"I-it's not cute." A faint blush blossomed on his cheeks and you found yourself feeling proud that he stumbled his words.

It felt good to have the upper hand.

"Aw I got the tough guy all flustered now." You teased.

"I'm not flustered—and I prefer the term bad boy."

He was back to his cocky self once again.

An unknown amount of time passed before you started noticing the familiar mushrooms and mix of unique-looking plants showing up amongst the twiggy vines and trees.

"We're getting close." Yoongi stated.

You hummed in acknowledgment.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course."

"I'm upset that you don't remember me, or any of this for that matter." He gestured. "I don't understand how you could possibly forget this place and all of the people you met."

"Trust me, I'm upset too. I've felt like nothing but a disappointment since I got here. Everyone I've met so far expected me to remember my supposed last visit here and I've let them down. Or maybe my mind has let me down. I've asked myself why I forgot so many times." You heaved a sigh. "Jungkook and Jimin said it might come back to me, but I'm starting to think that's impossible. If my memory hasn't been jogged already, I doubt my memories will return."

"Don't be like that. You went through a lot last time you were here. I'm sure your memories of this place are still tucked away somewhere in that pretty little head of yours."

You nodded, choosing to look past the not-so-smooth pretty he threw in there.

The sound of laughter coupled with the clanking of glass and tableware in the distance reached your ears, putting an abrupt end to your conversation.

"We're here." Yoongi announced.

➯ Part 4: Taehyung

Masterlist ᝰ

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg

[bvnnyjo]

an angel’s fall | geto suguru

pairing: demon!geto x angel!reader

warnings: i think reader is gender neutral, geto referred to as reader’s brother but they are not siblings at all, wings and stuff cos angels, geto’s wings are icky, geto's ideals are similar as the anime kind of, a little angsty?, kind of corruption?? who knows. open ended!!!!!!!!!!!!

wc: 2.6k

“your task is to hunt your fallen brother, geto suguru, and dispose of him.”

you wanted to protest when you heard the voice echo in your head, but you knew it would mean nothing to do so. no matter what you said or how hard you denied you couldn’t go against the elders’ decisions.

it should’ve been gojo. you knew that, he knew that, even the elders knew that. he had stronger will than you, never flinched when hunting your fallen brethren.

the two of you never really spoke before, but recent events had brought you together. geto had been the only reason you ever interacted in the past, but after his falling from grace you two found a comfort in one another you couldn’t find anywhere else.

“you’ll be fine,” gojo patted you on the shoulder, “you know they wouldn’t assign you something you couldn’t do. you’re strong.”

“not strong like you, gojo,” you chewed your lip, worried. “we don’t even know the reasoning for his fall, he could be corrupt, or poisoned, or sick.” you listed off more things, the paranoia getting to you. “he’ll kill me, gojo. you know that.”

“suguru would never kill someone he cares about,” gojo’s voice held firm. fallen or not, geto was still his best friend. and gojo would defend him until death. “you should know that. you were close to him, too.”

you wanted to tell gojo that it was different between you and geto. the two of them were close, childhood friends. they had a bond beyond comprehension, you were always in awe as you watched the communicate with close to no words at all, just shared looks and sometimes a facial expression.

you and geto had a more intimate relationship. sure you couldn’t communicate borderline telepathically, but you two spent plenty of your free time laying together, hands interlocked and kisses shared. you two had your lives planned out together, knowing how you’d spend your future with one another.

before his fall, of course.

finding out about geto’s fall had sent you into a spiral, wondering if you had missed any signs or misread anything he had said to you. everyone (aside gojo) told you that it was inevitable, angels fall from grace all the time. some just aren’t meant for it the way others are.

this answer was never good enough for you.

to you, it was a choice. normally you could see it before it happened, it wasn’t hard to spot if you knew what to look for. change in behavior or tone, often a change in appearance (whether that be taking less care of themself or a change to their physical appearance depended on the person), hell even the way they spoke would often change. you saw none of this within geto, you were sure of it.

word of your assignment spread fast. other angels whispering and giving you pitiful looks. geto had been a strong angel, meaning he would make an even stronger demon. even the best of angels had been lost in fights against demons, that’s what all the sad looks and hushed tones were saying. they were all saying how you stood no chance against someone like him.

and you tried not to let it get to you, wanting to go out there with hope that maybe you did stand a chance. but with everyone aside gojo against you, that was hard. 

“good luck out there,” gojo rubbed your shoulder, taking a second to adjust the collar of your button down and knot of your tie. “gotta make sure you’re looking your best.” he gave you one last pat before walking behind you, probably to prepare for his own assignment.

“here is his last known location,” one of the elders spoke to you in your mind, “if his grace is sensed someone else between now and when you find him, word will be sent to you.” you bowed to no one, silently sending them thanks before making your way out of the dressing room. would this be it for you?

even if you managed to succeed in terminating geto, you were sure you’d feel lost forever. how often is it that you’re responsible for the death of the man you thought you’d be with forever? you weren’t aware of another angel above that knew the way you were feeling. if there were others, you were sure their fall came quickly after the completion of their assignment.

you hated being down here. it always felt so crowded, like humans didn’t know personal space. your wings felt cramped, being held tightly against your body to avoid them being touched. humans couldn’t see them, which allowed you to blend in with them. but it also meant if they were to accidentally touch it they’d be very confused. it would be easier to just make sure that doesn’t happen.

an old building with a nasty looking door. the coordinates of geto’s grace led you here. it didn’t seem like the place geto would hang out, rather the type of place he would sneer at if gojo had ever mentioned stepping foot inside of. which is exactly why he would be hiding out in a place like this. clear of unwanted visitors (angels and humans alike), somewhere quiet and secluded for him to finish the transformation in peace.

there were several stages of falling from grace. from what you were told in school it was a long, grueling process. painful and sickening. though that could be completely wrong, that knowledge had been passed down through angels, not fallen angels (demons).

it only made sense that geto would want to be alone during one of the hardest times in his life.

the metal door made a loud squeak as you pushed it open. the inside looked exactly as you imagined it, dark and damp. debris scattered around the floors and shattered glass near every window. but at least you got to spread your wings finally.

you couldn’t feel geto anywhere. his grace, at least. you couldn’t feel a demon, either. but who knew what stage of in-between he was in, maybe he no longer put off the aura of an angel but hadn’t yet turned to a demon.

“geto,” you called out, softly at first as to not disturb any of the potential creatures living in the space. “geto, if you’re in here you need to show yourself.” the silence that followed felt overwhelming. the scuttling of little creatures and dripping from the holes in the ceiling being the only sounds present. “suguru.” you called again, voice more stern now, “i know you’re here.”

a shuffle and the creak of a door from behind you caught your attention. you had turned just in time to see a door slowly swinging open toward you. you couldn’t see into the room much, but you could see a stairwell leading down.

were you really going to do this? to walk down those steps would be to risk your life, but to not go down there meant potentially failing your mission.

neither of those had good outcomes.

you could feel the temperature drop as you descended the stairs. a shiver went up your spine, wings sputtering in response as you tried to comfort yourself. the stairwell was dark, but once you made it into the mildew smelling room there had been a single bulb lighting up the whole room.

“i suppose if i were to be murdered this would be the place,” you mutter to yourself, trying to stay close to the walls as to not leave your back exposed. “suguru, are you down here?”

“what are you doing here, y/n?” geto’s voice came from a dark closet on the other side of the room. you nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of his voice, “you’re not supposed to be here.”

“i’m sure you know what i’m doing here.” you tried pulling yourself together, folding your hands together in front of you. he stood up, standing just within sight. “come out here, please.”

geto let out a dry laugh, “so you can kill me? do you think i’m dumb?” he found himself rolling his eyes at you. “they couldn’t even wait until i had fully fallen, then. of course not.”

silence fell between the two of you.

he hadn’t been gone long. a few days, maybe a week at most. yet he already looked so…different. his cheeks hollow and eyes dull. the transformation had been hard on him, clearly. you guessed what the angels taught about falling had been true.

“stop looking at me like that,” geto turned his face away from you, trying to hide in the darkness again.

“looking at you like what?” you furrowed your brows, unaware you had been giving him a look. it wasn’t your intention, you didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be. giving him a “look” certainly wouldn’t make things any easier.

“like you feel bad for me or something. like you care about the way i feel right now.” there was a hiss in his tone that you had never heard directed toward you. toward gojo numerous times, sure, but never you.

“i do feel bad for you. of course i care about how you feel right now.” you told him as if it were obvious, “this…isn’t what i wanted, geto. you should know that. gojo, either. we want you back.”

“i can’t go back.” geto shook his head, “even if i wanted to, you know a fallen angel cannot regain grace.” he was right. it was next to impossible, unless he were to steal (or be given) the grace of another angel. “but i wouldn’t want to, even if i could. i don’t understand how you can do it, y/n. how can you love them more than yourself? more than me?”

“it’s what we were made for, how could i do anything else?” you ask, confused about where he was going with this. of all reasons for his fall, you’d never expect it to be because he felt he couldn’t love humans more than anything. “don’t you remember the excitement of being assigned your human to look over? how could you abandon them?”

“how could they abandon us? i’m meant to give my life to look after a being that doesn’t believe in me? in what world is that any good for us, y/n? don’t you think we’re meant for something more?” geto stepped out of the closet, allowing you to take all of him in. it wasn’t until now that his wings came into view, though they didn’t look normal.

geto’s wings were always large. from the time he could fully extend them, they seemed to be twice as big as the other kids’ his age. the trend continued into adulthood, him frequently swallowing you whole by hugging you in his wings. and they were still large now, even as the feathers had almost completely fallen off and they were nothing more than flesh covered bone.

“your wings…” you stared in shock. you had no idea this was apart of the process (you knew demons would lose their wings, though didn’t know it looked like this). “this must be so painful.”

“they ache,” he looked down, not wanting to meet your eyes, “and they’re cold, without the feathers. my understanding is that the next step would be for them to rot off. and then my fall is complete.”

“then make this easy. please let me complete my mission without a fight.” you love geto, truly, wholly. without bounds or conditions. even now, as his wings were dying and he looked scrawny and unkempt. he may no longer look like the man you fell in love with, but it was still him.

“you really expect me to do that?” geto scoffed, rolling his eyes. his bare wings (could you even call them that anymore?) flexed behind him. if he still had feathers they would’ve ruffled, for sure. “i won’t let you kill me for standing up for what i believe in.”

you stiffened as he took a step toward you, “i have no other choice, geto. i can’t go back until i complete my mission, you know that. and my mission is to dispose of you.” you tried to remain professional, not reacting to his words. if you gave him a reaction. that would mean he had won. “i don’t want to fight you, geto.”

“would you quit calling me that? since when do you call me anything other than suguru?” he was right in front of you now, staring down at you with a combination of anger and confusion. “do you not love me simply because i fell?”

“it would be impossible for me to not love you.” you answered immediately, wanting to kick yourself for even giving him that much. “but i have a job to do. and you have not been suguru for awhile. not since before you fell, i think.”

one hand softly reached forward to separate yours, allowing him to hold it. “what have they done to you, y/n? where did you go?” he sounded hurt, “you’re…different.”

“i’m different?” you almost laugh, “you’re the one that turned his back to humanity, the very reason we were created. you’re the one that fell from grace. i am the same, i’ve remained the same since we met. you have changed.”

despite your words being cold and borderline cruel, a smile found it’s way to geto’s face. “always so stuck in your ways. can’t even stop to consider maybe the way we’re taught isn’t always the right way.”

he was just trying to get to your head, you knew that. and knowing should make you less susceptible to his manipulation. but still, you found that you were considering his words. debating whether or not he was right about at least some of the things he had been saying.

how could you turn your back to humanity? the very beings you were created to guide and protect.

but how could you turn your back to geto? the only man you were sure you’d ever love.

“but…if we aren’t right, then what is?”

“the ability to do whatever we want. think for ourselves.” geto held both of your hands in his now, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. “that’s what this is about, y/n. being a demon isn’t about being evil or truly betraying humanity. it’s about being free; making your own decisions.”

you do make your own choices. at least, you were pretty sure that’s what you were doing. “we have free will, geto. we’re not that different from them.”

“we have the illusion of free will. if we really had free will, you wouldn’t be so afraid to return empty handed.” he dropped your hands, clearly feeling slightly disappointed in you, “you would’ve had the ability to say no instead of risking your life down here to hunt me.” 

he’s right. you know he is. he knows he is. but now the air feels thick and you felt like you were questioning more than just his motives for falling. but what was the point of making you feel free if you really weren’t? what did the elders gain from having such control over you that they don’t already have on their own?

“you probably have a lot of questions.” geto gave a weak smile, “take my hand, y/n. i’ll answer everything i can. you just…” he paused for a second, looking between your eyes and your wings, “you just have to fall with me.”

reblogs, comments, and likes appreciated!

[bodegacowboy]

A matter of distance (part 1?)

In my humble opinion when looking through the Naruto-verse through a NaruSaku lens it makes all kinds of interactions or incidents with other character so much better. The NaruSaku paradigm, the NaruSaku worldview you can cheekily say just makes things better. This brief idea /short fic, is about NaruSaku but also the world around it. I don't know if there's more to this story but it's all I got for now. If you like it let me know.

The council meeting had ended. Most of the cabinet members filed out. The heavy doors shut behind them.

Hokage Naruto sat still. Four remained.

Shikamaru, Chief Advisor and Head of Strategy, stood by the conference table, arms crossed. Kakashi, the elder advisor and former Hokage, glanced up at the ceiling, sighing heavily. Ino, Head of Intelligence and Communications, sat back in her chair, foot tapping. And then there was Sai, Head of Internal Security, standing near the wall, silent as always during such meetings.

Ino was the first to speak. “You’ve been acting like an idiot.”

Naruto looked at her. “Is that your summation of the meeting?”

She smirked. “It’s my official report, yes.”

Kakashi chuckled, low and tired. “She’s right.”

Shikamaru exhaled. “Not that it is any way relevant to the meeting or national security but....You were cold to Sakura.”

Naruto turned to the window. The courtyard below was empty now.

“I treated her as I did the others.”

“No,” Kakashi said. “You treated her like she wasn’t there. Like she wasn't important.”

Shikamaru nodded. “Which is worse.”

Silence.

Ino leaned forward. “She was hurt.”

“Sakura is Head of Medical Affairs & Hospital Director,” Naruto said. “She’s capable of handling a tough meeting”

“Of course, she’s capable,” Shikamaru cut in. “That doesn’t mean you should push her away.”

“Are we really doing this right now?!” Naruto exclaimed. “Are we really having this conversation?!” 

Sai finally spoke, his voice low. “I think you've made her an enemy.”

Everyone turned to him.

Naruto frowned. “She’s not my enemy.”

Sai’s expression didn’t change. “That’s how you made her feel.”

A pause. Then Kakashi sighed once again. “Even Sai can see it. That should tell you something.”

Naruto ran his palms across his face. “You know guys, I can have you fired and or arrested, have you all forgotten that?"

Silence settled.

Then the door slid open.

Sakura.

She stepped in, her face calm, her posture straight. “I forgot my documents.”

Nobody spoke.

Naruto gestured to the table. “They’re there.”

She walked past him, collected them. Moved slow. Purposeful.

She didn’t turn to face him when she spoke. “If there’s a problem, say it.”

The room was still.

She looked at him now. Her gaze was sharp.

He held it.

“Ok, I've-I want to put some distance between us,” he admitted.

She said nothing.

A beat passed. Then another.

Finally, she tilted her head. “Why?”

Naruto’s hands curled slightly at his sides. “Because it's the right thing to do.”

Her expression didn’t change. “For who?”

Silence.

His throat felt tight. He had fought in a war, faced chakra monsters, and fulfilled his dream. None of it had ever felt this difficult.

Her voice softened, but it did not lose its edge. “Did I do something?”

“No.” The word left his lips before he could think. “You did nothing wrong.”

Her brow furrowed. “Then why are you treating me like this?”

“Because I am an idiot.”

“That's what I said!” Ino exclaimed.  

Sakura didn’t look at Ino. She was still watching Naruto. “I get it,  that can happen to the best of us.”

He met her eyes again.

“I thought distance was the right choice,” he said. “I was wrong.”

She studied him, searching.

Finally, she nodded once. “Prove it.”

She left.

The door shut.

Silence lingered.

Then Kakashi said, “That was intense.”

Shikamaru unfolded his arms. “What will you do now?”

Naruto exhaled, rolling his shoulders.”I still might have you all arrested. But first I’ve got to fix this.”

Sai said nothing, until Naruto met his eyes, he then gave his friend a single, slow nod.

They began filing out.

When Shikamaru was at the door, he turned to Ino. “Coming?”

She didn’t move from her seat. “In a moment.”

Shikamaru frowned. “He needs to process this, not be badgered.”

She chuckled. “Shikamaru, unlike you, I know when to push and when to pull.”

Shikamaru hesitated, then sighed. “Don’t be long.”

The doors shut.

Naruto sat behind his desk, watching Ino. “And?”

Ino stretched, cracking her knuckles. “My wise, noble and powerful Hokage. You’re lucky I like you. Otherwise, I’d leave you to rot in your own stubbornness.”

“I already admitted I was wrong Ino.”

“Unfortunately that was the easy part,” she said. “Now you have to figure out what you actually want.”

“I know what I want,” he said, his voice quieter.

She raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”

He didn’t answer.

She leaned forward. “Propriety is a virtue, Naruto. But foolishness is a vice. Don't be a virtuous fool.”

Naruto looked up at the ceiling, sighing as his teacher had done earlier.

She tapped her knuckles against the conference table bringing his attention back to her. “I get it, the whole Sasuke thing is still a sore spot...”

Naruto groaned. “Mother...father....anyone please help me”

She shrugged. “Does it still matter?”

Naruto stared at her stone faced and professional. “You tell me."

Ino smiled. "Should I?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "Do you know something I don’t know?”

“Maybe.”

He drew in a breath and straightened in his seat. 

She grinned. “Ah. That got quite the reaction.”

Naruto exhaled through his nose. “Ino, I might have you exiled.”

Ino stood, brushing imaginary dust from her sleeve. “I can predict the future, y'know. I see you staring at your desk, brooding over something that can be solved with one conversation.”

She moved to the door. “Let me tell you something you already know. The past already happened. The future? Well that’s up to you.”

She left, the door sliding shut behind her.

Naruto sat there, staring at the desk.

Then he stood up.

He had work to do.

The End or To be continued.

[cifer-ulqui]

Chapter 1: Heartless Naïf

TW: Minor Violence Word Count: ~2400

Masterlist / Chapter 2: Tithes / Ao3 Link

Ulquiorra Cifer has died hundreds of times. Every mouthful brought new memories, new anguish from his victims, new pieces of his being. He is an amalgamation of all the souls he consumed. After all of his experiences, he thought it was over.

That monster struck the killing blow. He held his palm outstretched to the woman, saying something that would hold meaning in his death. Her outstretched hand, reaching for him; her heart. His life came to its inevitable end. He reached back, hoping to find what she wanted him to see. She never reached him, but his hand is warm.

 That last thought brings about new information. The rest of him is cold, and he’s lying on hard stone.

  He is dead. He must be. His organs were crushed. He disintegrated. It’s impossible for him to be alive. Unless this is Hell. It makes sense. He’s here to atone for all the agony he caused. This is fine. He can simply lay here until something consumes him. His reason for fighting is over. He vaguely wonders what happened after the battle. Did Kurosaki win against Lord Aizen? He thought it was a ridiculous notion, but Kurosaki’s power only increased during their battle.

None of it matters anyway. Nothing does.

He waits for some time, he isn’t sure how long, before he hears whispers. Something is coming to absorb his power. Why would Hell be any different from Hueco Mundo?

“Is he awake yet?” A voice grows louder. Masculine and hearty, a few feet away. “Lucifer, go shake him.”

A sigh replies. “Barbatos said he should awaken naturally, or we could startle him.” This voice is smoother, darker. At least two men. That’s fine. Either he will be able to defend himself, or they will consume him. Should he even bother fighting?

Yes, the only logical explanation is this is Hell.

He flinches.

“Oh, he’s awake!” A more feminine voice is way too close. It’s clear this is the one who touched his cheek.

“Asmodeus.” 

“Eek! I was just curious.”

Ulquiorra opens his eyes, glaring at the one who touched him. He gets a smile back, one with white teeth shown from pink lips. “Hello, darling! My, what a lovely glare you have. Did I wake you?” He’s crouched down next to where Ulquiorra lays. “Of course, waking up to someone as lovely as I--”

It only takes a second.

There’s a clack of teeth and a squeal as Ulquiorra’s palm bashes against the man’s chin, elbow coming back down to smash his nose. Ulquiorra darts to his feet, moving behind him to turn and look at the others as the man who touched him hunches over, grabbing his face.

It takes a moment for him to be able to see in the light. His eyes should be used to the darkness, and adjust easily. What is happening? Has he been drugged? No, he can still think clearly.

There are five men in the room, including the one Ulquiorra injured. Two close, two others sitting at a table further away. If they go down as easy as the first, he should be able to kill them, even without his zanpakuto. He shakes out his wrist, a stinging sensation shooting up the tendon. That’s not right. He shouldn’t be injured so easily. It’s no matter, there is no choice if he wants to survive. The rules of Hell must simply be different.

Except.

None of them move.

A redheaded man, not as tall as Yammy but considerable, laughs in a boisterous voice. He stands in the middle of the room near Ulquiorra. “Ah, Asmodeus, are you alright? That looked painful.”

“Ignore my brother,” the black-haired man beside him sighs, crossing his arms. “It’s his fault for getting so close. Though--,” red eyes fix on Ulquiorra. It makes him want to bare his fangs; those eyes pin him like a moth. “--it seems this one is quite different from Solomon.”

A resonant growl echoes in the chamber, demanding Ulquiorra’s attention, and that’s when Asmodeus’s appearance changes. Horns sprout from strawberry blond hair, wings unfurl, fangs and claws bare themselves. “How dare you hit me! And on my perfect face!”

They’re not hollows. There are no masks or holes. No zanpakuto. This immense pressure he’s letting out is similar to spiritual pressure, but has a different touch on one’s skin. Black and pink energy crackle through the air. This must be his resurreccion. 

“Asmodeus.”

A more frustrated growl answers Lucifer’s warning, before Asmodeus rises. Ulquiorra tenses, tracking each movement, but Asmodeus walks past him up the stairs to the table where two others sit, his face sifting between glaring and ignoring him. His face is red, but not bleeding. Why did the others stop Asmodeus from killing him?

The foremost man is still smiling. His hair is nearly as red as his jacket, and his skin is a tan color. The leader must either be him or the man next to him with red eyes and black hair. “What an eventful beginning already.” He clears his throat. “Welcome to the Devildom! You're Ulquiorra Cifer, right?”

“Why am I here?”

“Right to the point, how refreshing! It’s understandable that you have questions, as you’ve only arrived. As a human, it’ll take some time to get used to things here in the Devildom.”

As a human. Me? What notion is this? He presses his lips together, but remains silent.

“... I suppose I should start with introducing myself.” The silence gives way to a rather long-winded introduction of this demon prince, Lord Diavolo. Devildom? He’s never heard of such a place. Is it akin to Hell? And a prince? From one lord to another. He thought he would be spared from bureaucracy in death. Demons… how are they different from hollows?

 His question remains unanswered.

 The black haired man beside the prince seems to sense Ulquiorra’s disgruntlement and says, “I will explain everything to you in due time.”

 Diavolo introduces the man next. Lucifer. His face is polite but not kind. Avatar of Pride. Ulquiorra glosses over this information, but stores it for later. Lucifer greets him, the words sounding practiced and empty. The cold quality is a familiarity Ulquiorra appreciates.

 He looks expectantly at Ulquiorra for an answer he cannot fathom. “Answer my question.”

 The smile in reply bares no teeth, but is clearly a threat. “You’re rather straightforward.” Lucifer talks about realms and humans and angels. An exchange program. All words, certainly, but Ulquiorra’s limited context leaves some room for interpretation.

 “And you’re our newest exchange student,” Lucifer finishes, with Ulquiorra none the wiser as to what his purpose here is. They intend no threat to him? A mistake. And, referring to him as a human? Ridiculous nonsense. He should kill this trash for the insult.

 And this Lucifer reminds him of Aizen in all the wrong ways. “Why should I participate in any of this?” He’d like to refute being human, but what happens if he reveals their error? He could become expendable. He should bide his time. The physical evidence of him being a hollow must be hidden somehow.

 “It has already been decided, there is no other option for you.” Lucifer rolls his eyes. He begins to talk about his brother, Mammon, who will supposedly watch over Ulquiorra. The thought of Ulquiorra needing protection or guidance is preposterous. The mention of the man furrows Lucifer’s eyebrows, clearly annoyed.

“Here, take this device. It’s called a DDD.” Lucifer hands Ulquiorra something. It’s a small rectangle that fits in his hand, which lights up. “It’s yours to use for the rest of your stay here. Now, go ahead and try calling Mammon with it.” The symbols on the face of the screen are unhelpful to Ulquiorra, and Lucifer points to the buttons, a disappointed look on his face. How would Ulquiorra know what symbols these supposed demons use?

Otherwise, it seems close to any other screen Szayelaporro or the shinigami can create.

An odd incessant noise fills the space, like the buzzing of insect wings, coming from this DDD, before it stops and a masculine voice begins to speak. Mammon, presumably. Lucifer guides the DDD up close to Ulquiorra’s ear.

“Yoooo,” the voice draws out. Ulquiorra doesn’t grace this with a response. A second passes before the voice questions, “Uh, hello?”

“Mammon, I assume.”

“Huh? Who the hell are you? You ain’t Lucifer.”

“I am Ulquiorra Cifer. Lucifer tasked me with calling you.”

“Ul.. what? Whatever, geez! I was getting all chilly thinking it was Lucifer again. You should have told me earlier. Anyway, what business do you have with me?”

“I’m told you’ll be looking after me during my stay here.” As much as he loathes the idea.

“Huh? You must be that human exchange student. No way! There’s nothing in it for me. G’luck with that, and see ya.”

Ulquiorra slides his gaze to Lucifer’s. “You refuse?”

Lucifer takes the DDD, and this smile is undoubtedly cruel. “Mammon. You’ve got ten seconds. Nine. Eight.” He hands it back before the rest of the countdown. The screen is black now, and no sounds come from it. “Seems you two had a nice chat.”

“I would not say that.” When he lowers his arm, he notices something he should have noticed far sooner. He’s not wearing his clothes given to him by Lord Aizen. These are western-style clothes, a white shirt with long sleeves and soft black pants. His other clothes were destroyed, that’s right. Who dressed him? How long was he asleep? Where is his zanpakuto?

A snicker draws his attention to the three other men sitting at the table. The one to laugh is a golden blond. “That’s Mammon for you.”

“Don’t worry too much,” The prince pipes up in Ulquiorra’s unnecessary defense. “Mammon’s not the only one to help you out. Now’s a good time to introduce the rest of your brothers, Lucifer. It’s probably best if you do it, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes… As much as I dread the idea,” Lucifer grumbles. He seems to be perpetually annoyed. Perhaps that makes him more bearable than Aizen’s smug grin.

The other three are introduced. Asmodeus, the one who woke him, is still holding his face. Satan, the one who laughed, is blond and wears a polite but serious expression. Beelzebub, who is upset he cannot eat, sports bright orange hair and is the second tallest besides Diavolo. None of them have surnames, which is strange, but Ulquiorra doesn’t question it.

It’s when Satan is introduced that something familiar piques Ulquiorra’s senses. The pressure in the room increases with Satan’s anger when he scowls at Lucifer. Lime green and black energy crackles in the air around him, stronger than Asmodeus’s but fleeting. The moment dissipates far too quickly for him to gauge the full extent of the power.

Lucifer speaks a little more about his brothers, things Ulquiorra files away as less important, before Diavolo begins again.

“You’ll be staying with Lucifer and his brothers in the House of Lamentation for the duration of your stay, to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe,” Ulquiorra tilts his head. “From what?”

“Most demons agree with Lord Diavolo, but there are still demons intent on harming humans. It’s our responsibility if anything were to happen to you.” Lucifer goes on to explain the DDD once more, and how all of their contacts are in it. The prince sends a message, which Ulquiorra accesses without much trouble. It’s a small bubble icon, and there's a list of names in kanji and what seems to be their latin spelling, something close enough for him to understand.

Once Mammon arrives, he once again calls him a human. It’s a disturbing notion. It’s growing tiresome.

Does he look human? He can tell there is no mask on his face, but--

There’s no space. He feigns rubbing his chest, over where his hollow hole should be, only to find skin and bone where there should be nothing.

For the time being, he will pretend to be a human. Even if he despises it.

Mammon is still loud. Useless trash. Threatening to eat Ulquiorra. The thought is ridiculous. Lucifer punches him near the diaphragm, akin to when Ulquiorra reprimanded Yammy, but with far less malice. Or blood.

They reiterate much of what they’ve already said, with details about Mammon that don’t seem relevant, putting Ulquiorra’s assimilation into the demon’s hands.

“Good fucking luck,” Asmodeus seethes. “Brute.” Trash.

Mammon complains. Ulquiorra doesn’t listen, until Lucifer begins to threaten Mammon, the pressure in the room rising once more. His reiatsu is a dark blue, but clearly only a threat; it’s crushing, but not fully released. It succinctly defeats Mammon’s objections.

“--Ya better not cause me any trouble, got it?” Mammon is addressing him now.

Ulquiorra fixes him with cold eyes.

“Hah? You listening? Seriously, is there something wrong with this one?”

Lucifer ignores him, and Ulquiorra decides to as well. “On to the next subject: your tasks. Your task is to polish up your soul nicely and to acquire the power to resist demons. You have one semester here, so try to keep up.”

Polish his soul? Resist demons? “What does this mean?” And what’s a semester?

“Demons like humans with nice souls. Let me put it this way. Nice souls shine like jewels. Do you understand now?”

The certainty and smugness Lucifer displays is clear. Ulquiorra doesn’t answer. Him, have a nice soul? “Nice” has never been used to describe him, or anything less than cold and cruel.

“You could say it’s an experiment of who will win-- either humans will be tempted by demons, or demons will lose against the shiny and noble soul of a human and make a run for it.”

Shiny. Noble.

“What happens if I lose?” Will he be consumed? His soul is a collective of all the hollows he consumed, and he has their memories. Death is not something he fears.

“There’s no penalty set. Would you like me to think of one?” His tone grows teasing, but Ulquiorra is no soft human who will cede these sentiments. “There, there, don’t give me that look.” He goes on to explain the tasks.

“Ready?”

This work is the result of a year's time and effort, and it is my first successful long-form work. Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible, and to my readers.

Interested in beta reading other chapters? Comment or contact me through Discord, ulquiavnas

Masterlist / Chapter 2: Tithes

Happy birthday, Ulquiorra!!!! 💚

[smoked-salmon-official]

tarmac & victory & djd on the peaceful tyranny II

-takes place in the DJD ending

-victory and the djd become mercenaries (thank you to cliff note anon for the idea). they are killers, there is no changing that, so may as well use their talent to keep a livelihood. fuel, energon, and other miscellaneous expenses cost money afte rall

-they quicky develop a reputation for being willing to take on any job, no matter how dangerous or questionable. combined with their already existing reputation as the literal fucking djd and the child of megatron and optimus, business is big and money is flowing

-victory avoids being too brutal if the job doesnt require but if it does they kinda let the djd go crazy. they don't really care for it themself but hey, dismembering some poor sod is easier than therapy

-when soundblaster dumps tarmac on victory, she is left with no choice but to stay. victory is not forcing tarmac to stay here or even do anything, but shes kinda being held hostage. she has no ship, no connections, not even a map, and shes pretty sure that if she disobeys victory the djd is literally going to kill her. keep in mind, this is also tarmac's literal first time outside the four walls of delphi

-victory tries to get tarmac to join them on jobs but the first time the djd walked back covered in blood tarmac purged her tanks. she does that several more times. clearly, she is NOT suited for this. victory thinks shes pathetic and needs to grow up, needs to be tough and strong like they are (never mind the fact that extreme trauma is the reason that they are the way they are)

-tarmac wants none of this. she just wanted to know more about the father she never met. and if this is his legacy... maybe they would have been better off never meeting.

-tarmac is a well adjusted person with a normal moral compass. she also knows none of the context behind how the djd and victory ended up this way. so of course she is disgusted, horrified, and scared for her own life. she is just a kid who wants a normal life, wants to see first aid and ambulon again, have friends, maybe start dating someone, go to medical school - just a normal life!! not this stuff...

-victory accidentally traumatizes tarmac by telling her exactly what pharma created her to do and also how tarn's actions necessitated that. and then tarmac understands why pharma never loved her - to him she was a physical embodiment of the torment tarn put him through (and very much enjoyed)

-victory doesn't mean to threaten, hurt, or scare tarmac at all. actually, they have quite good intentions (good by victory standards anyways), but they have such a warepd view of the world, relationships, and social cues that it all comes out so damn wrong

-thus tarmac spends most of her time in the med bay w nickel who is actually a good teacher and probably the most approachable out of anyone the ship (the djd literally does not care, and victory is well victory). also, tarmac would still like to become a medic and later a doctor, so better get the training in now. and ya if she can say that she was a medic on a ship the size of peaceful tyranny II that'll look great on the resume..?

-the way things go is that the peaceful tyranny II goes to the ship/planet it wants, starts blaring the empyrean suite, go do their business, and then nickel & tarmac come n patch em up. tarmac is very, very squeamish about blood despite growing up on delphi around pharma (because pharma was determined to hide the fucked up kid he made, from everyone but especially from tarn) and yeah shes throwing up a lot. also she hates classical music now

-victory tries, very poorly, to bond with tarmac. what the fuck do you kids even like. do you want to uhhhhhhh go kill someone with me. do you want some of tarn's engex (tarmac is not old enough to drink).

-all in all, tarmac is kind of miserable but no ones really hurting them much. she is amazed by how desensitized victory is to this all - she understands with the djd, this is literally their job, but what even happened to victory? how did they become this way?

-tarmac & the peaceful tyranny II somehow run into the lost light. tarmac either runs away w them, or she tells her shitty situation to someone like rodimus. rodimus is like, victory cmon. in exchange for letting you go and not calling cybertron command PLEASE give us tarmac you are not cut out for this.

-also ambulon and first aid are aboard the LL!! yay!!!

-victory is probably honestly gonna let tarmac go. its not even wroth it shes kinda pathetic

-this is even better/funnier if you imagine it w @mistermalaprop (im so sorrry to bother you sorry for tag!!) 's OC vagabond and the storyline he made

-vagabonds also just kinda there and he and tarmac just kind of bond over being absolutely miserable and not wanting to be on this fucking ship with these fucking scary people at all

-and hopefully the reunion w the LL for vagabond goes well bro needs a break

[midnightshard06]

Fictober Day 9: "Don't listen to me, listen to them"

You can check it out on ao3 here if you prefer.

Summary: Shadow meets an interesting member of the Black Arms while looking for the chaos emeralds and makes a rather questionable choice. He just hopes it all works out.

Set in my Lost and Found AU and is set in the same plotline from this and this (though with several scenes skipped in between)

Warnings: None

Word Count: ~900 words

Shadow tried to focus enough to pinpoint the emerald he knew was nearby but was having a hard time focusing. Between the invading Black Arms and returning to the Ark for the first time since he woke back up he wasn’t feeling on top of his game. They needed to get the emeralds though if they were going to use the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the comet. Just the thought had him feeling uncomfortable all over again. Sure he could tell himself it was the only way to stop all this but it didn’t mean that he had to like it. Despite all the damage the Black Arms were doing and would do to earth and the people here, he still had a connection to them. One that had started to feel stronger since them arriving.

“There you are.” A voice Shadow didn’t recognize was there and he whipped around to see who it was, his quills bristling. “Calm down.” The person held up their hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not here to hurt you.” His eyes focused and Shadow could feel the mental connection. “Brother.”

“You’re a Black Arms?” Shadow answered back through the hivemind connection. At least there didn’t seem to be any other Black Arms nearby as the hivemind seemed relatively quiet.

“Course. Eclipse the Darkling.” The newly identified Eclipse bowed. “It’s nice to finally meet you Shadow.”

“You know about me?” Shadow frowned. He didn’t remember ever meeting Eclipse on his few trips to the Black Comet.

“Of course.” There was an excitement in Eclipse’s eyes. It seemed oddly genuine and Shadow wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I’ve heard a lot about you and have been practically counting the days until we came back here so I could meet you.” He took a few steps closer and Shadow found he was alright with the approach. For now anyway.

“Why are you here?” Shadow narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to entirely give Eclipse the impression he was cooperating. Especially not when he had no idea what Eclipse wanted.

“For you.” Eclipse folded his hands behind his back before sighing. “Black Doom sent me to get you after you ran off before.”

Shadow allowed a cold look to slip onto his face. Of course. Of course Black Doom was still trying to get him back. Eclipse blinked in confusion at the sudden change in expression. “I will not be going back to Black Doom. I believe I made that quite clear.”

“Well he doesn’t seem to think so.” Eclipse sounded almost bored as he inspected his claws. “Says you were ‘acting irrationally dude to the sudden reconnection’.” He made air quotes.

Shadow growled and Eclipse actually took a step back in surprise. “I was not acting irrationally. I’ve made my choice and clearly he doesn’t respect it.”

Eclipse had a thoughtful frown on his face before he slowly started to approach. Shadow flicked his tail and gave Eclipse several warnings but he still slowly approached. His body language relaxed. Once he was close enough he put a hand on either side of Shadow’s head. Shadow wasn’t sure why he allowed the other to do that. “You’re just confused right now brother. I can help. We all can help.” Eclipse had a sad look on his face. “You’ve been stuck here alone for so long it’s no wonder you’re acting out like this.”

Somehow Shadow felt oddly calm. Maybe Eclipse was right. Maybe he really was acting like this because of all the time he’d spent without the Black Arms. Maybe it would be better to not be alone- Awareness came back to him sharply as he pulled away. He wasn’t alone. At least not since waking up. Though even the Ark he had Maria. “I’m not alone.” Shadow growled, this time out loud.

“Fine.” Eclipse huffed. “Don’t listen to me then. Listen to them.” He gestured widely. Four odd creatures approached. They seemed hesitant but looked happy to see Shadow. The four seemed to tap into the hivemind and began happily speaking at him, but Shadow couldn’t make out all they were saying because of the overlapping of voices. Most of what he picked up were things like “happy to meet you” “come home with us” and “we’ve got you”. “They’re not the only ones who wanna help you ya know.” Eclipse tilted his head as the creatures started to happily circle around Shadow. “Some of the older Black Arms that met you years ago have been eager to see you again too. I’m sure if you just came back with me to the Black Comet they’d help you out too.” He held out a hand. An offer.

Should he accept? Despite him being set to defend the earth he was still tempted to take Eclipse’s outstretched hand. Maybe… maybe there was another way to solve this. One that didn’t involve the genocide of the entire Black Arms race. Perhaps he could… convince the other Black Arms to turn on Black Doom. Maybe… and if not well. Sonic and the others were collecting the emeralds for the cannon. One way or another this would be solved. He took Eclipse’s hand and the darkling’s face lit up in a massive smile. “You made the right choice. Let’s go home.” Shadow hoped it really was the right choice.