#now he’s crediting him not wanting to make a commitment to that he’s hiding behind false images

[nadvs]

first prize desire (one-shot)

pairing rafe cameron x female reader

rating mature 18+

summary your brother’s friend, rafe, is good at a lot of things. hiding his infatuation with you isn’t one of them. one night, you stop teasing him and finally give him what he’s been dreaming of.

tags college au where rafe and reader are varsity volleyball players. reader is a noncommittal f-girl. rafe is down bad for her. mentions of past infidelity. lots of angst and some light smut. not a happy ending.

» masterlist

note hello, i’m back!! a little while ago, i got an ask about a f-girl reader who’s been hurt in the past and is a little mean to rafe and i’m obsessed at the thought of him pining and lowkey being a simp for her?? this one goes out to my girlies with trust issues <3 divider credit.

You have to be doing it on purpose.

Rafe’s grip on his gym bag tightens as he steps out of the men’s locker room. The door shuts behind him with a heavy thud.

The girls’ team has the court now. You’re by the end line closest to him, only a few feet away as you stretch. You’re bent over with your back arched and he slowly paces towards the gym exit, his mouth going dry at the way you look.

The sight of you in those little shorts always throws his thoughts into a frenzy. Seeing your ass perched in the air like that makes him feel even more disoriented.

The varsity volleyball schedule is simultaneously the best and worst thing that has happened to him. Twice a week, Rafe steps out into the gym, exhausted from practice, to see you warming up, always tormenting him with how good you look.

You stepped into his life a few months ago at the beginning of the school year. His friend had mentioned that his sister would be starting college and that she plays volleyball, too.

The first time you came over to the house he shares with your brother and a few other guys on the team, he knew he was going to like being around you.

Until he got to know what a tease you are.

You stand up from your stretch, placing your hands on your hips as you look over your shoulder.

“Hey, Rafe,” you sing-song, your voice sweet as sugar. His hair is wet from his post-practice shower, hanging over his forehead. “Your hair’s cute like that.”

He was right. You are doing it on purpose. You knew he was there and you purposely put yourself on display for him like that, like a treat he knows he can’t have. For fuck’s sake. He’s never wanted a girl this bad.

Rafe’s lips flatten as he nods in greeting, stopping in his tracks. You’re not sure if the rosy tint to his cheeks is a product of a rough practice or a distressed blush from having seen you in such a suggestive position.

“Are you coming to watch our game tomorrow?” you ask, just loud enough over the voices echoing through the gym.

Rafe steps closer. You adore it about him, how he always looks like he’s been hinging on a opportunity to talk to you.

“Should I?” he asks.

“Sure. I know you like any excuse to look at me,” you reply with a shrug.

He scoffs, a mix of incredulity and amusement. He’s obvious about how bad he wants you, he knows he is, and that’s why it makes it ten times worse that you toy with him like this.

“You never watch our games,” he responds.

“I’m a busy girl,” you laugh.

He knows that. And he wishes he didn’t. He wishes he didn’t have to see you jump from guy to guy, snuggled up to a different one at every other party, never staying long enough to call any of them your boyfriend.

A couple of weekends ago, Rafe had been one too many beers deep. Pressed against the wall at a house party, he gazed at you through heavy lids and asked if you were ever going to find a guy you liked enough to actually keep around. You laughed and told him, “I’m not the commitment type.”

“I’ll see if I can make it,” Rafe says, because even though he’s a goner when it comes to you, he tries to keep at least some dignity intact and feign indifference.

“Hope you can,” you respond, smirking. His eyes go a little brighter. You know that means he’ll come.

You’re a whirlwind, a storm constantly passing over him, leaving him spinning. Time and time again, he gets just close enough to the edge of thinking he has a chance with you, and then you pull back.

Your flirty looks and dirty jokes are maddening and any time he’s tried to do anything about it, you’d say you’re not going to complicate things with your brother’s friend, especially when he lives with him.

Off limits, you’d once whispered in his ear at a party, but your body was pressed up against his so tightly that it didn’t seem like you wanted a boundary between you two at all.

Rafe’s name echoes from behind him. He turns to see your brother leaving the locker room, donning a confused expression.

“You leaving without me?” he laughs, walking towards him.

Rafe would never tell him that he purposely rushed out to get a glimpse of you.

⫘⫘⫘

The minutes before the start of a game is when you feel the most pressure. More than during the actual match. You know if you don’t feel proud of your performance, you fall into a funk nobody can pull you out of.

You rub your palms together as you wait for your turn in a spiking drill. The other team just arrived, warming up on the other side of the court.

You thought you didn’t mind these opponents all that much. Their team is usually weaker than yours. But they have a new player and seeing her familiar face makes your blood boil.

Rafe makes it to the gym after class, two sets into the match. It’s 1-1 and the air is heavy with tension. The gym is quiet as he settles in the bleachers, the thumps of hands hitting the volleyball rolling across the court.

You’re panting as you hurry around, dodging your teammates while never letting the ball hit the floor.

You look more stressed than usual.

He almost gets right up again to leave, irritated at himself. This is the crap a boyfriend would do; come watch your games, worry about the anger etched on your pretty face. Yet all he gets called is a friend while you entertain other guys right in front of him.

But then he smirks a second later when he sees you frustratingly mutter something to your teammate after the opposing team wins a point.

Rafe revels in seeing your temper come out. It’s cute. And it makes him feel better about his.

A few minutes in, though, he sees anger flare up in you like never before. A girl on the opposing team blocks your spike and seems to murmur something to you.

You fight back, loud enough for him to hear. You snap at her to shut up. One of your teammates holds you back. The ref blows the whistle.

It’s a misconduct foul. Something’s up with you and he doesn’t know what.

The rest of the game has an added level of intensity. It results in a loss for the home team. You’re wearing the disappointment in your expression.

Rafe decides to leave. You always take your sweet time after a match and he’s not about to make an even bigger fool of himself by waiting outside for a girl who messes with him for wanting her so bad.

But still, because he’s so pathetically into you, he texts you later on: rough game. you good?

You don’t respond.

⫘⫘⫘

The next day, Rafe hasn’t gotten over you ignoring him. He’s not really one to let go of things all that quick.

And he’s had enough. Of the teasing and the flirting and the indifference you have towards him while all he does is long for you. You have all the power and he’s sick of it.

It’s not hard for him to find the girl you’d argued with on the court. It’s a matter of searching on her college’s athletic department website, learning her name, and finding her on social media.

He chats with her, invites her to his house party the next night, and because it’s easy for him to get any girl to agree to hang out with him, unless she’s you, she accepts.

He can’t wait for you to see him with her.

⫘⫘⫘

You make it to the house the next night, showing enough skin that makes Rafe’s stomach grow tight. You nudge your brother’s shoulder in greeting, then shuffle closer to Rafe see him nursing a beer.

“Hey,” you say over the music. He towers over you, a crease between his brows. He wears everything on his handsome face, incredibly easy to read.

“You mad at me for not texting back?” you ask playfully, squeezing his forearm. “Sorry. I was in a shitty mood after that game.”

“Why?” he asks, reluctantly softening up. You hardly ever show him this side of yourself. You’re usually a few drinks in if you do.

“Did you see that girl I yelled at?”

He nods, Adam’s apple bobbing with a nervous swallow.

“I know her,” you explain, “and she’s not very nice.”

“You’re not very nice,” Rafe jokes.

“Then imagine how bad she is if I’m the one calling her that,” you say with a soft laugh.

“What’d she do?” he asks.

As expected, you wave a dismissive hand, rolling your eyes, blocking him out.

“Nothing worth repeating,” you reply. You bring your hand up to his bicep, squeezing the hard muscle. “Did you go to the gym today?”

Rafe’s eyes dart down to his beer, the attention from you another hit to his bloodstream, a dopamine rush he’s been missing.

“Hit a PR,” he replies.

“Wow,” you flirt. “We should go to the gym together. You’d be a good personal trainer.”

“You couldn’t handle me,” he replies.

You bite your bottom lip, smiling up at him. Nobody gets your heart racing quite like Rafe does.

And it’s why you stay away from him. Getting involved with a brother’s friend is already a bad idea just because it could get messy, but really, it’s the effect he has on you that scares you away.

You’ve been burned. The summer before college started, you discovered your serious boyfriend had never really respected you. You’re pretty sure someone’s first love always leaves a wound. But finding out they were cheating on you the whole time leaves a scar that never closes back up all the way.

“I don’t know,” you reply, pushing away your thoughts. “Pretty sure you couldn’t handle me.”

Rafe’s pink lips part as he looks down again. He shuffles in place so faintly that it’s nearly imperceptible.

“Not like you’d give me a chance to try,” he mumbles with a defeated smile.

No. You wouldn’t. Because the more you get to know Rafe, a man who at first seems hard and aggressive, but really just wears his heart on his sleeve, the more you can see yourself falling for him.

His intensity is overwhelming. It’s something you don’t see in most people. He’s a beautiful rarity of a man and you stay far away from any kind of real intimacy with him, because while you can hook up with other guys with no attachments, tangling yourself up with Rafe would make you susceptible to another wound.

“You know you could get any girl you want, right?” you say to him, voice gently dropping into a serious tone you don’t often use with him.

His phone buzzes in a staccato. He pulls it out of his pocket. Damn it.

“Hey, I’m here,” she says when he answers.

“You’re here?” he blankly repeats.

“You invited someone?” you tease. “And you’re standing here flirting with me? Shameful.”

You offer him a smile to show him you’re kidding around. The dull sting you feel from knowing he’s probably talking to a girl is a good reminder of why you keep him at an arm’s length.

It may not be reasonable to be a little annoyed, considering you’re always running around with different guys right in front of him, but you can’t help it.

Rafe hangs up, a tinge of regret pinching his chest. It took a few seconds with you to realize his spitefulness just fucked things up.

“Go get your girl,” you say with raised brows, stepping aside. “I need a drink.”

“Hey, it’s…” Rafe’s face pinches with concern, leaning to be closer to you. “Don’t be pissed off at me.”

“Pissed off?” You usually do a great job feigning indifference around him. You hope he doesn’t somehow see the crack in your armor.

“It’s that girl,” he replies. “The one from…”

“The game?” you say soberly.

Rafe hates the way your smile drops. The way your eyes search his face for an explanation.

“Whatever,” you reply after a beat. “Do what you want.”

It’s kind of a sick thrill to have the upperhand for once. He’s flustered when you tease, but now, your eyes are sharp with frustration, your lips turned down in a scowl that shouldn’t be as adorable as it is.

“You sure?” he says. You nod curtly.

“Not like I’m your girlfriend or anything.”

He’s sure you say it just to twist the dagger already lodged in his heart. It works.

⫘⫘⫘

Your stomach is in a knot. You’re at the back of the living room, purposely as far away from Rafe as you can be.

And she’s there, looking up at him with a sickeningly bright smile. The same smile she used on your ex. The same smile you’re sure she wore when she texted you how it’d been ‘weighing on her soul’ that she’s been sneaking around with him.

It was all bullshit. You know she was proud to play a hand in your heartbreak. She never looked torn up about it at all. If she did, she wouldn’t have provoked you at your past match.

Missed, she’d said mockingly. It took everything in you not to hit her.

Again, you’re inches away from doing it. Every minute she stays here, you get closer. You wouldn’t normally be angry at the woman your boyfriend cheated with if she didn’t know. If she was a stranger, she wouldn’t have owed you any loyalty.

But she knew. She was your friend.

You’ve been trying not to care anymore. You started this year with the intention to leave all the high school shit behind and have fun and not give your heart to a man. Not for a long time.

But seeing her brings it all back.

“What’s up?” you hear. You look up at your brother.

He knows how your relationship ended. When he heard what your ex did to you, he offered to beat the shit out of him, but no amount of revenge ever felt like it could undo your pain.

He never met your ex-friend. He has no idea who the woman Rafe is flirting with is.

“The music sucks,” you reply, wincing as the bass reverberates through the room.

“You always had shitty taste,” he replies. You crack a smile. It falls when you remember how he’d said the same about your ex, long before the breakup.

“I need a breather,” you say.

It doesn’t happen very often, so when you see worry wash over your big brother’s face, it jolts you a little.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you lie. “Just need to spare my eardrums.”

He huffs a laugh, gently pushing you as you step away from him.

⫘⫘⫘

Come upstairs.

Rafe stares down at the text from you, sent three minutes ago. He looks up at the girl he invited as she comes back to him, arm linked with a friend she’d called to join the party.

He’s stiff as they make introductions. Then he tells them he’ll be right back.

Rafe’s bedroom is lived in, but it’s not quite messy. Clothes are strewn across an open drawer and on the back of his desk chair, but his textbooks are neat on the shelf and his bed is made.

You turned on his dim nightstand lamp. You stare ahead at the calendar on his closet door, practices and games written in black pen.

You lean against the headboard, squeezing your fingers, teetering towards crying. It’s a sick joke to like a guy again just to watch the same woman enamour him.

The door opens with a soft click, music spilling in for a moment.

Rafe has dreamed of this, coming up to see you in his bed. But in his dreams, you’re not staring at him like he just massively fucked up.

He doesn’t say a word. He only looks at you with confusion.

“I take it back,” you say, sitting up. “I don’t want her here.”

“What?” he says.

“Tell her to leave.”

Hope warms his core. Are you jealous?

“It’s my house,” he answers flippantly, giving you the same blasé attitude you’ve always given him.

You scoff. He crosses the room and sits at the foot of his bed, the mattress sinking with his weight. He’s never heard this thinness in your voice before.

“Can you just do it? Please?” you say shakily.

“What happened between you two?”

“You know what?” you scoff frustratingly, swinging your legs over the edge. “Fuck it. I’ll just go.”

“Stop,” he says sternly. “Tell me.”

He may have never seen you this vulnerable, but you’ve never seen him this mad. At least, not at you.

You thought Rafe had a soft spot for you. It hurts that it doesn’t seem to be there anymore. But then he sighs, head tilting slightly as he takes your hand.

“If you– you…” he begins, words fast and tumbling together. You’ve noticed he stammers when he’s on edge. “If you need me to kick her out, then, fine.”

“Really?” you say.

He sighs your name in exhausted resignation, looking up at the ceiling. You’re not jealous. You just really don’t like this girl. It has nothing to do with him and that hurts.

He nods in response. He knows you know he’d do anything for you.

Despite your instinct telling you to call an end to the conversation, the warmth of his hand on yours is piercing. You look down at your lap, turning his big hand over, calluses on his fingertips similar to yours from volleyball.

He gazes at you, his pulse picking up as your eyelashes stay low over your eyes, blinking quickly.

“I had a boyfriend,” you say quietly. “He cheated on me. With her.”

Rafe’s body goes cold. The irritation he was feeling has been replaced by biting guilt. He would’ve told her not to even bother coming in if you had just shared the truth.

“I didn’t know,” he murmurs. The shame is worse with every second that passes. He got what he wanted; he hurt you. And he hates himself for it.

“Yeah,” you say. You find his eyes, bottomless seas of blue. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”

“I don’t want it to be like that,” he admits. “And I make it pretty damn obvious.”

You look down again, huffing a quiet laugh.

“Yeah, you do,” you reply.

You’ve always felt a sense of control over Rafe, but it’s chipping away, pieces being taken from you and given to him. You shouldn’t have opened this wound. Because now, you just want to smother it with temporary bandages.

Rafe’s jaw tenses as he watches your hand on his. Silence settles between you, your breaths heavy, the music muffled.

He’s not sure what’s next.

“Don’t tell anyone,” you say.

“I won’t,” he rasps.

“Not about that,” you say. “Well… yeah, about that. But I meant about this.”

You shift to straddle him, the backs of your thighs resting on his lap. He meets your eyes as your noses nearly brush together.

You lean in. His breath stops when your lips meet his.

His heart-rate skyrockets. Fuck. This is really happening. His hands find your thighs, fingers pressing into your flesh.

You gently grind up against him as your kisses grow hungrier, mouths opening, breaths shortening.

You take him in, the smell of his aftershave and the taste of his tongue, as your arms link around his broad shoulders. You already feel better, feeling him hold you and kiss you like this.

He’s getting hard. It makes fire swirl in your stomach.

“Tell me,” you whisper against his mouth, desperate to feel even better, “how bad you want me.”

“You’re all I fucking think about,” he admits breathily.

“Which parts of me do you think about?”

“Everything,” he groans. “Fucking everything.”

You wish he would’ve just said something physical to solidify this as the casual hook-up it is. You can’t handle it being more.

“We’ll keep this a secret, okay?” you whisper.

“I know.” Rafe kisses you again, willing to say anything just to keep this going.

You gently push his shoulders so he lies back. Clothes are clumsily shoved off, kisses grow messy, and once you feel all of him, your head swims with euphoria, blocking out the impending regret.

You stay on top to at least hold onto some of the control you have left.

He comes with a groan, clinging onto your waist with trembling fingers as if you’ll run away from him.

But you do run away. It’s over and you sit up and scramble to put your clothes on again, the high gone, the crash on its way.

“Shit,” you whisper.

Rafe’s smile fades, his chest heaving. He sits up.

“Why are you acting like you regret it?” he asks.

He wants to give you his shirt, stay in bed with you, trace his fingers over your skin and tell you how badly he’s always wanted you.

You look at him with furrowed brows.

“We can’t tell anyone.”

“You already said that,” he mutters. “It’s not like we have to give details, but… nobody’s going to lose their shit if we’re together. Your brother isn’t like that.”

“No,” you shake your head. “This was just sex.”

It’s not a sudden break. His heart cracks slowly. It’s a fracture, spreading through his chest. He’s empty.

“So, I’m just…” He scoffs, tongue jutting under his cheek. “I’m just another one of the guys you do this to.”

“Don’t,” you say softly. “I told you I don’t date.”

You did, but he thought he was different.

You stand, smoothing your hair.

“Because of one asshole?” he murmurs, angrily picking up his t-shirt.

It hurts that something you told him in a vulnerable moment is ammo now. He’s being harsh and you know you are, too, but it’s the last thing you need right now.

“Don’t bring it up again,” you say with a strain in your voice. “Any of it. I knew I…”

Your throat starts to feel raw as you pace past him towards the door, desperate to get home and be swallowed in your blankets. Alone. Like you should be. Not chasing temporary relief in hook-ups.

“What did you know?” Rafe says to your back, tone softened. His anger is gone. It takes one glimpse into your pain to erase his own. He just wants to make you feel better.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” you murmur, staring at the door handle. “I can’t trust anyone.”

You leave. You gave him what he thought he wanted most, but he can see now that this hollow version of having you is the last thing he’d ever want.

You’ve ticked him off your list. You’re done. He’s in your rearview now, a quick hook-up that you wish you didn’t have.

⫘⫘⫘

You’ve been home for less than five minutes when your phone buzzes with a text from Rafe.

Make it home okay?

You swallow hard and respond: yes. didn’t mean to freak out. friends?

Rafe chews on his lip as he stares at his phone. He hasn’t left his bedroom.

yeah, he replies. There’s no point in pretending he doesn’t want you, even if you push him back into the role he’d been playing before.

Fine. He’ll be your fucking friend. He already lost his pride long ago. But tonight is the first time he’s truly lost the hope he had in you.

(the end)

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[letteremi]

a/n: so i got a little carried away, but this is meant to be a little teaser for my next idea — fwb!gojo x afab!reader, set in nyc and amongst the rich and famous (think gossip girl) - can be read like a one shot tho

wc: 3k ish 

warnings/tags: mdni, nfsw, alcohol, cunnilingus, fingering, piv, slightly sub satoru, slightly dom reader — shes gonna make him regret his words oh boy, making out, creampie, masquerade ball but deranged, light angst (but it's like nonexistent - throwaway comments), university setting

Credit goes to @/strangergraphics for the divider!

You didn’t want to be here — actually, you were this close to not coming at all. But your friends practically dragged you, arms linked, squealing about how you had to let loose for once (like you literally were not shit-faced last weekend).

And fine, maybe you also wanted to come, just a little. Call it FOMO, or call it embracing university life. 

Someone’s mixed alcohol into the lime punch, and someone else is breakdancing on the fountain — faculty yelling at them to get down right now. 

You let out a giggle, hand swiftly shielding your mouth. You scan the hall to see if anyone’s caught this ridiculousness. No one looks at them — too caught up in their own festivities. You shake your head slightly, and briefly close your eyes — for nothing but to memorise that moment — and when you look up, someone else catches your eye.

His sapphire gaze cuts through the hazy light, barely holding a laugh himself. The moment you catch that, your own laughter bursts out, untamed. 

Your hand darts to your face, embarrassing, you chide yourself. But his smirk is teasing, and he shakes his head slightly in amusement. 

He lets out a laugh of his own. But he doesn’t hide behind his gloved hands. He lets the party see his delight. He rolls his eyes, entertained, before pushing off the wall, slinging his arms around some tall dark-haired guy, and disappears into the fray. 

You raise the cup to your mouth, and the drink tingles on your tongue with a slight burn. 

Suits and ball gowns sway to the music on the floor; a twirling, glittery haze of fabric, discarded masks, and lithe movements. Feathers are scattered on the floor, sashes forgotten. The masquerade ball is quickly dissolving from formality to glorious, messy degeneracy. 

“The drink-spiker should’ve really added more vodka,” you muse, swirling the beverage and peering into its chartreuse depths like its alcohol percentage would rise if you just stared hard enough. 

Yuki readjusts your mask with a pitiful hum. “I agree,” she says. “Like, if you’re going to try to get everyone drunk, commit to it, y’know?” She pulls back with a satisfied grin, hands on her hips, before settling right beside you. 

“Where’s Shoko?”

“Outside.”

Letting out a short laugh, you bring the cup to your lips again. “That tracks.”

Suddenly, the DJ throws on some 2000s pop — something that you can’t help but grin at, a small spark of nostalgia.  

“Oh, yes.” You grip Yuki’s wrist. “You’re coming with me.” She doesn’t resist, giggling as you drag her to the dance floor. 

You slip into loose movements and easy spins, twirling Yuki. She’s throwing her head back, laughter bright and unrestrained as she pulls you back. You’re screaming lyrics into each other’s faces, hand movements sloppy and free. 

You tuck a strand of hair behind Yuki’s ear. She cackles, nuzzling her cheek in your palm before bursting into giggles. Now she’s spinning you, and you’re tossing your hair, running fingers through tangled strands. 

Someone bumps into you — a sharp elbow, knocking the breath out of you for just a second. You have half the mind to elbow him right back. Instead, you whip around — and there he is. 

Mask slightly askew, that same sapphire gaze pinning you in place.

The dancing lights stain his hair a myriad of eddying colours, his mask — a glittering white — placed squarely on the top half of his face, is dramatically feathered. His suit clings to his athletic body, though the top of his dress shirt is unbuttoned in that hot, intentionally disheveled way. 

Her eyes darting between the both of you, Yuki nudges your back — driving you into his chest. Not that you needed the help. 

A gloved hand pulls you close, and away from the dance floor. The masked man guides you to an empty hall, the sounds of the party distant. Your eyes sweep around the vast room — classical Roman columns adorn the space, while dim lightning illuminates great Renaissance paintings. 

The man pulls you to the edge of the room, a pillar to your right, glass encased artifact to your left. 

He’s got you caged to the wall, and the tips of his white hair glow as he looks down at you like he wants to kiss you.

Fuck it. 

You close the distance, throwing your arms around his neck. Like it’s instinct, his hands wrap around your waist, before falling to the small of your back, groping your ass under thick layers of tulle. 

Bodies pressed together, you lift your leg to wrap around his hip, and he ruts into you, bringing your pelvis towards his. His lips are impossibly soft, pillowy, and you wonder what chapstick he might use. The smell of his cologne, a sharp citrus, fills your senses as you fall deeper into the abyss of his touch. 

His kisses were consuming, like he was trying to coax the parts of you that you didn’t even know existed. It felt exhilarating, to be kissed like this — like you were the fruit he had been craving his whole life, and now that he had tasted you, he wasn’t going to let go. Your fingers card through his silken hair, and when you pulled at the roots, the boy let out a pretty moan that you swallowed. 

When he pulls back, he drops to his knees, leaving you gasping against the wall. 

What is this guy doing? 

You don’t have to wonder for long, because you feel his lips on your inner thigh, nipping up to your clothed core. Without a word, his smooth hands wrap around your legs — hoisting you up — and pulling your underwear down, and you jolt when his cold palms meet your heated skin, throwing your head back against the wall. 

When he begins sucking at your clit, electricity hurtles to your pussy, sending thrilling ripples through your spine. You feel his smirk under your dress, teasing against your cunt. 

“Did you seriously get so wet from a little kissing?” His voice is arrogant, and you can hear the grin within his words. “Touch-starved, aren’t we?” That brings a scowl to your face, but he’s not wrong.  

You’re about to snap back a reply when his tongue drags through your folds, and you slap your palm to your face for the second time that night. He’s messy, making out with your cunt like it’s his own personal toy. You’re glad he’s under your dress, because the sounds that he’s making are obscene. 

“I know you’ve put your hand over your lips again,” he says, with all the confidence of a man who knows he gives good head. “Why don’t you put it down for me, hm?” 

And then a pause. 

“My name is Satoru.” Because he knows you’ll be screaming it tonight. 

When he hears your arms fall to the wall with a thud, Satoru hums a ‘good girl’, into your pussy, sending vibrations that have you quivering. And then he begins his onslaught again, this time adding a few fingers to the mix, laughing when he hears you keen his name, when you clench helplessly around his long digits. 

And when you cum with a wanton moan, Satoru laps up your juices like he’s been thirsting for decades, continuing to scissor his fingers within your sex while you ride out your high. 

But Satoru doesn’t think you’re done yet. In fact, he wants to get to know this pussy just a little bit more. Afterall, it’s not everyday you come across something this good. 

Hand in hand, he leads you up spiralling stairs — to the top of the building. 

The weighted door slams shut with an echoing thunder. Wintry air meets your heat-flushed face, sending shivers down your spine and tensing your shoulders. 

Satoru’s glacial eyes note the goosebumps that prick your skin, shrugging off his jacket and slipping it over your shoulders with the ease of a gentleman who has done this before. Clad in only his crisp dress shirt, his rippling muscles are ever so more obvious. The sinew you grasped at a reality before your very eyes. 

Satoru only smirks at the way you’re undressing him before your eyes with an expression of well-earned smugness. Then, without looking back at whether you follow, he strolls to one of the many wooden benches littered amongst the rooftop garden. Satoru doesn’t need to glance back, as Orpheus might Eurydice, he knows you’ll follow. 

The sound of your heels clicking across the concrete brings a sardonic smile to his lips. 

When you reach him, no time is wasted. He wraps you in his arms like you’re a cherished lover, only to lay you down on frosty panels of timber, leaning over you, ogling your heaving breasts. Satoru’s fingers twitch, like he’s aching to rip you out of your corset, to see you bare. 

But he knows it’s freezing outside. And he knows it’d be a cruel thing to do. So he settles for sloppy kisses that trail down your neck, sucking where you’re sensitive. His teeth are sharp, lips twisting into a mean grin that you can feel on your tender skin, when you let out a pant — like the air was forced from your lungs, 

Satoru pulls back with a satisfied expression, empty delight in his eyes at the way you’re littered with red splotches, claiming your neck as his territory. 

When you reach to pull the mask from your face, fingers trembling, he interrupts — his own digits wrapped around your wrist. 

“The mask stays on,” he purrs, husky undertone and all. But you know what he means. He doesn’t care to know your face, won’t need to know it after tonight.

Fine, so be it. 

You drop your hand, though it’s not with defeat. He wants casual? You’ll give him casual. 

When Satoru leans back in, his chest is met with your spread fingers, stopping him in his tracks. The man locks eyes with your ferocious ones, and his head reels. The submissive girl, who was putty in his fingers and sweet on his tongue, is gone. 

Was it all an act? The compliant, doe-eyed seductress, just a role you slipped into for the night? His cock twitches in his tightening pants. 

Satoru is bewildered, head cocking to the side with amusement. Not once has a girl ever refused his advances, and a spark ignites itself in his chest. Just what will you do next?

You rise up, and off the bench. Satoru tracks your every move, and he won’t admit it, but disappointment is harsh and heavy in his heart when you do. 

But then you push him to sit, clambering onto his thighs like he’s your personal throne for the night. Satoru is greedy, his hands immediately grabbing at your waist and fumbling under the tulle of your billowing gown.

Your eyes sharpen at his movements, and he can’t help but feel like he’s done something wrong. Delicate, your hands reach for his wrists and pull his hands away, planting them onto the bench. 

Leaning in, you whisper into his ear, “No touching.” Your intimate areas are separated only by thin cloth, and you feel his jumping. Satoru’s blue eyes are conflicted, and he bites his lower lip, tilting his head downwards. He resembles a puppy, you think, as you place your hands on his built shoulders. 

“Oh? You like it when I tell you what to do?” You roll your hips expertly, grinding on his hardness in circular motions. “Pathetic.” Satoru only grows harder, practically straining within the confines of his expensive pants. A whimper escapes his throat, and he looks up, helpless. He is pathetic, and right now, he needs you. 

He wants nothing more than to drag your sticky panties down your thighs, maybe snap the elastic on your hips. Once, or twice. For good measure. Nothing more than to feel your heat on his aching member, feel the strings of your arousal drench him before he sheaths himself. 

Fuck. 

You look at him like you’ve read his mind, and he hopes that you fulfil his wishes. But he knows that you’re going to do the exact opposite. 

And he’d groan, if the notion wasn’t so hot. 

You release one hand from his shoulder, and trail it down his chest. Satoru’s heart thunders under your teasing touch, his breaths coming out in short, sharp gasps every time your manicured finger catches on the ridges of his pecs, his abs. It gets painfully close to where he needs you, when you instead slip the finger under your own thighs.

Satoru’s eyes bulge with betrayal, and he looks so heartbroken you almost want to take pity on him. But, you’re lying if the sight doesn’t just make you hornier. 

This close, your breaths of pleasure fan onto his face — as intangible as you are — as you press one finger pad against your clit, and then two, rolling the pearly bud between your fingers. Satoru’s fingers twitch, and you shoot him a glare. Immediately, he stills. Resigning himself to having to watch you pleasure yourself on him, and not being able to do a single thing about it. 

Your hole flutters around nothing, leaking sinful syrup onto your panties. Satoru can feel the wetness through his own pants, can sense that through your pride, you just want him. 

He chuckles, low and cocky, in your ear — though it's strained. You narrow your eyes at the sound, retracting your fingers to press onto his pants hard. Satoru winces at the sensation, and shuts his mouth, though a fresh wave of arousal rushes straight to his dick. 

“Enough teasing, alright?” He tries to sound bored, but desperation seeps through the cracks of his voice. And he can hear it. A red flush spreads through his face, burning the tips of his ears. 

You hum with consideration. “You’re right,” you say, shimmying slightly so you can reach down to unbuckle his belt. The metal drops to the side with a resounding clang. Satoru has never heard a more merciful sound.

His cock, swollen red, leaking with precum, springs up, curving towards his abdomen. Satoru knows he’s big — he’s been told this countless times — but you gaze down on his pretty length like it’s nothing. Your face betrays nothing, expressionless through and through. And he can’t help it, he’s a little disappointed. 

Inside though, you’re a swirling mess. Fuck. You cannot fit that. You have never tried to fit that. You bite your lower lip, eyebrows furrowing in trepidation. 

You just hope gravity is on your side as you ease yourself down his erection. Satoru’s hands find themselves by your sides, and this time, you don’t stop him. He coos in your ear, and you want to slap him, if not for feeling like you were literally being split apart by his dick. 

“Speechless now, aren’t we?” Satoru nips your ear when you’re half the way down, and he grunts when you clench your walls around him to shut him up. “Where’s Miss Bossy now, hm?” He grips your hips so hard you’re sure bruises will form tomorrow. He can’t help it. Satoru is trying so hard to not just slam your creamy hole down, waiting for you to adjust.

Though, if you don’t stop squeezing around his cock like that, he might just change his mind.  

Tears well in your eyes at the stretch, and he kisses them away, smirking when the salty droplets hit his taste buds. 

You give him a withering look, to which he only laughs, resuming his endless kisses down your neck. 

Satoru is getting a little too cocky for your liking. 

Your narrowing eyes are his only warning, as you drop fully onto his dick — his bulbous tip kissing your cervix, just about nudging the ring of muscle apart with his thick head. You can feel the precum seeping into your crevices, mixing with your own arousal, as you let out a debauched sigh. 

The boy in front of you chokes on his own spit. Fuck. 

Mind drunk on the feeling of your warmth around him, your gummy walls clenching and spasming around his cock, he recalls the old saying — be careful what you wish for.  The way you pulse in tandem with his throbbing length, like you’re two souls who had finally found each other. 

Okay, pause. Where did that come from? 

Satoru shakes his head slightly, banishing the traitorous thought from his mind. His hands move you up down up down, savouring how you grip his cock, how your greedy hole sucks him in. Takes what it wants from him. 

He’s relentless. The tempo he’s set is fast, way too fast for you. Overstimulation calls your name, a result of your previous orgasm. But the pain burns in the best way, and the air is no longer chilly against your skin. It’s charged with electricity and desire, and you want more. 

Want more of the way his cock bounces against your spongy walls, curving to hit your G spot deliciously. Heat coils in your core, your cunt begging for another orgasm, though you’re not sure you want this experience to end so soon. 

Want more of the way his hands are starting to traverse all over your body, his fingers plunging into the plush of your flesh. Grabbing like he can’t get enough of you, grabbing like he wants you more than just this one time, meaningless, encounter. 

You need the way he bucks his own hips, stuttering to meet your pelvis with harsh, urgent slaps. You need the way he needs you. 

Satoru cums first, his seed coming out in hot spurts of desire that swirl inside you. The sensation makes you spasm violently around his cock, but his hands don’t stop, urging you to continue to grind onto him. When it’s over, the boy leans his head against your shoulder, panting. 

But you push his head back, and he hits you with devastatingly pitiful baby blues. 

“Thank you for tonight,” you say, peeling your tacky thighs off his. 

And then, with his cashmere jacket still perched on top of your dainty little shoulders, you walk off, strutting to the door and letting it thud behind you. 

Leaving Satoru to fall back on the bench, hands covering his face. 

What the fuck just happened?

© 2025 letteremi. All rights reserved. Please do not plagiarise/copy, translate, or repost my work to any platforms

[amoreva]

A SAD SONG

—– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–

pairing: luke castellan x daughter of apollo!reader

summary: in which the gods and goddesses were hungry for something new.

warnings: not proofread! tlt/tlo spoilers! major character, death, angst

a/n: inspired by @basicrese post!! i did use some hadestown lyrics/lines from the show, so credit to anaïs mitchell & Rachel chavkin.

—– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–

The seeds of doubt sprouted: grasping at his mind, tangling itself through his hope. The Fates whispered in his ears, step after step. It was cold and dark. He never felt more alone.

Where is she?

Where is she now?

Orpheus gripped his guitar tighter. Every step he made felt like he was getting further and further from the surface. He chastised himself at every turn.

Why would he let me win?

Why would he let her go?

Why am I to think that he wouldn’t deceive me just to make me leave alone?

Where is she?

Where is she now?

Eurydice’s words fell on deaf ears. She was desperate to let Orpheus know she was here. Right behind him. She’d always been. She kept staring at the back of his head. It brought immense comfort as they walked and walked out of the Underworld.

They were so close. Eurydice could taste the surface, until she saw the contours of his face and his warm eyes filled with affection. A soft gasp fell from her lips.

“It’s you.” Relief filled his heavy heart when Orpheus saw her. His love. What had he done?

“It’s me.” She committed his face to memory, the warmth of his gaze comforting her. “Orpheus—” Helplessly she reached out, hoping to embrace her love once more. Instead of the warmth she wanted, cold hands grasped her arms, dragging her back to the Underworld.

“Eurydice.” His voice cracked. Frozen, staring at the place where she was.

Thus ended the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hermes told tales to entertain Olympus, but the gods and goddesses were growing tired of the same old tales: the same old tragedies. They craved something new.

Hermes gave a small smile and shook his head to the stars. He gave them what they wanted as a new tale formed in his head. It was a sad tale, but he was going to tell it anyway, even if it involved his own son.

Luke Castellan was a hungry young boy. A runaway from everywhere he’d been. He was no stranger to the world. No stranger to the wind.

The daughter of Apollo was a poor girl, but she had a gift to give. She could make you see how the world could be. In spite of the way that it is.

Yet, the son of Hermes had seen how the world was. When he fell, he fell in spite of himself…

In love with the daughter of Apollo.

It was the height of spring when Luke and you fell in love. He was scorned and pitied after failing his quest. Feelings of abandonment, fury and betrayal simmered below his lighthearted jokes and his composed smiles. He learned he could only fend for himself. To hell with the rest.

Until he met you, your sole being made him feel alive and when he fell—he fell hard. He was enamored your bright smile and optimistic personality. You’d caress his hair gently while singing a small tune. He learned to lean on your shoulder when nightmares passed, hoping your light was enough to shine through the darkness that overtook his head, plagued his sleep.

It wasn’t enough.

You awoke to the sound of shuffling. Blinking the sleep from your eyes, Luke was sitting on the edge of his bunk. His shoulders tensed as he held his head in his hands. “Luke…?” Your voice hoarse.

He turned his head towards you. An apologetic smile graced his lips. “Hey…” His voice low, raspy from underuse. He stretched over to give you a kiss on the forehead, keeping you from sitting up.

“You okay?” Your arms wrapped around him. He melted, burying his head in your neck, hiding his turmoil.

“Mhm.” And for a night, your light clouded the promises the deep voice in his dreams offered. It was a temporary distraction, one that wouldn’t last long—one he couldn’t keep relying on.

You should’ve known. Blinded by your ignorance and his empty reassuring words of his health, Luke disappeared from camp. Hit with the reality, you did everything in your power to find him.

But, he did not want to be found. Not by you. He knew if he saw you again, your eyes, your smile—your light would melt his purpose, his mission, leaving him putty in your arms (he missed it.)

Your original camp songs disappeared from the nightly bonfires. Your light faded ever so slightly. Regret, worry and guilt simmering beneath your smiles.

You swore you’d catch glimpses of his curls or his broad frame when you were in the city. You were chasing a ghost—holding onto the love you had for him. The restless nights plagued you, but instead of Kronos’ words, music notes coaxed you to stay up and write.

The sheets of music hidden beneath your bunk. The song for your and Luke’s hearts only. You were holding onto something you should’ve let go.

But, like the tragedy tale of Orpheus and Eurydice you met once again, but not under joyous circumstances.

The Battle of Olympus was treacherous. You kept catching glimpse of Luke—but instead golden eyes replaced the ones filled with affection you used to know.

You saw how the world could be, no longer naive to the truth. Your siblings perished in the battle. Cabin Seven went from being the largest cabin to the third smallest in the span of—gods knew how long. In spite of it all, you saw the beauty after it ended.

A bright light flashed. Exhausted from fighting hellhounds, empousas, telkhines, etc, you trudged your body to the Hall of Gods. Bone collided with the marble floor.

After all these years, you saw your love. Without the golden eyes or scorned look in his face, albeit bleeding, it was him. Your eyes filled with relief and warmth when you saw him, finally.

A soft gasp fell from his lips. He expected hatred, frustration—but found nothing but affection from you.

“It’s you.” You whispered, cupping his face with your battle-worn hands.

Luke leaned in, knowing it was the last time he would feel your touch, your light, your love. He committed your face to memory, so that when he goes—he goes remembering your face forever.

“It’s me.” He reassured, turning his head to kiss the palm of your hand.

So many words were on the tip of your tongue, but they kept themselves from forming properly. All you could do was stare at Luke, at last, after so long. Tears blurred your vision. Luke reached up to caressed your cheeks. Remembering your face with his eyes wasn’t enough.

“My love.” His voice so soft, gentle like he was admiring your light again: getting lost in your songs, melting in your arms and loving like the Underworld was shining.

Luke knew you had a lot to say. Words laced with frustration, concern, confusion, but all meant to be said with love.

“Luke.” You whispered as if your heart wasn’t breaking into a million pieces. Communicating in a silent stare, he felt your words, taking them to heart.

You couldn’t leave him with that and so you hummed.

The familiar notes that plagued your nights emitted from your lips. Luke’s hand dropped form your face with a thud. He shut his eyes and smiled as he listened. And for a moment, just for a moment, it felt like you and him were back at Camp. His head in your lap as you caressed his hair. The sounds of the forest accompanying your singing.

His breath stilled. The cold hands of the Fates grabbed him after you said your goodbyes, but his dead body held your warmth, your light. He remembered your face long after he made it to River Styx.

And you?

You sang your private song again for the world to hear. To keep him alive and you were going to sing it again with your love so full for the runaway.

Thus ended the tragedy of the son of Hermes and the daughter of Apollo. The gods were throughly entertained asking to hear it again and again. Until, it was an old song and they craved something new.

Hermes shook his head up to the stars. Heart stricken with grief and sympathy. It was a sad tale. A tragedy. And he was going to tell it again. The gods and goddesses of Olympus knew how it ended, but they were going to listen again and again as if it might turn out this time.

See, the daughter of Apollo was a poor girl, but she had a gift to give. She could make you see how the world could be. In spite of the way it is.

And the son of Hermes was a hungry young boy. A runaway from everywhere he’d been. He was no stranger to the world. No stranger to the wind.

Yet, the son of Hermes had seen how the world was. When he fell, he fell in spite of himself…

In love with the daughter of Apollo.

It was the height of spring when Luke and you fell in love.

—– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–

[fuctacles]

<< ok fine i give up i lost track of the cat emojis. this is part 8 | 9 >>

Eddie wakes up late the next day but isn't surprised to find his uncle sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee and a crossword puzzle in front of him. Tormenting his nephew has been his favorite pastime now that he is stuck at home, so of course he would wait for him to emerge from his room.

"Didn't catch you coming back last night. Must have left Stephanie's awfully late, huh?" he asks nonchalantly, tapping his pen against the paper without looking up. 

"Mhm," Eddie hums, reaching for his favorite mug. 

"Did Miss Stephanie arrive late?"

"She did." He tries to focus on making coffee, and not on his uncle's prying questions. 

"Did she hold you back?" the man presses, unrelenting.

"We talked for a bit," Eddie eventually admits.

"How long?"

He fills up his mug with a frown before turning towards his uncle. 

"What is this? A crime interrogation?" he raises his eyebrow with annoyance. 

"I don't know." Wayne shrugs, finally looking up from his crossword to study his face. "Has a crime been committed?"

"I'm not banging your neighbor," Eddie hisses at his father figure with disdain. "Stop asking about it!"

His uncle sighs but seems to accept his defeat, at least for now. 

"All I ask is that you keep an open mind. I don't think she'd be against the idea," he gives his last two cents before hiding behind the newspaper like a coward. "I know you're not," he adds under his breath.

Eddie barely catches it, but it makes his skin crawl with heat. He's beyond denying it at this point but he won't admit it either. If Stephanie ever makes a move, he won't say no, but he doesn't want to presume anything. Or worse, make her uncomfortable.

"I'm going to my room," he declares, carrying his coffee away.

A couple of days later, Eddie is standing in front of a hair salon, staring at the handwritten note on the door. 

We close at 4 PM today, sorry for the inconvenience!

The opening times above declare that on weekdays, the shop should be open an hour longer, and Eddie worries that he misunderstood Stephanie's words. She told him to come in around 4 PM and she'll give him a haircut. But through the glass door, he can see her swiping the floor while talking to another hairdresser, a tiny woman who's cleaning up her station. It looks like they're closing up.

Then Stephanie looks up and spots him standing there like a dumbass, and she smiles, motioning him inside. So he pushes the door, moving the tiny bell above as he walks in. 

"Hi," he says, nodding to the unfamiliar woman. "Am I too late? Or too early?" 

Stephanie shakes her head, quickly putting the broom away. 

"You're perfectly on time," she assures him. "You can leave your jacket there and pick whichever chair you like. Do you want something to drink? Tea, coffee, water?" she asks, already halfway to what he assumes is the backroom.

"Coffee would be great," he says a little stunned, shaking his heavy leather jacket off his arms. He feels extremely out of place in a space usually frequented by gossiping ladies. In the waiting area, there's a stack of fashion magazines on top a tiny round table, and two huge colorful armchairs. He throws his things on one of them before sauntering to the station that's furthest away from the street, wary of the peering eyes.

There are some in the salon with him, though. 

"So you're Steph's special guest, huh?" the other co-worker asks conversationally. 

"Uh, I'm just her neighbor," he corrects, not sure what the woman has been told.

She hums, giving her station a thorough wipe.

"She wouldn't close early for just any neighbor," she counters. "Give yourself some credit." She smiles at him through the mirror and disappears into the backroom before he can react or even process her words.

"Sorry for the wait!" Stephanie joins him soon after. "I hope Joyce didn't grill you much," she says, putting a mug of coffee in front of him.

"Well," Eddie wraps his hand around the hot ceramic. "She just called me your special guest." He wants to pry much more than that, but he knows the other woman, Joyce, can be within hearing distance. 

"You kind of are." Stephanie tilts her head thoughtfully, before turning his chair around, so they can only look at each other through the mirror. "All my friends get special treatment."

"Of course," Eddie nods, torn between being happy and devastated by being called a friend. 

"Unless you don't want to be friends with an old lady," she pouts.

What he wants is to suck on that bottom lip. 

"You're not old!"

He startles when his voice is echoed, but it's just Joyce emerging from the back. She moves the jacket and bag she's holding to free one of her hands and smacks Stephanie on the shoulder. 

"Listen to the boy if you're not gonna listen to me," she says heatedly. "If you're old then I should be dead. Now come here."

With an exasperated sigh, Stephanie leans down so Joyce can press a kiss on her cheek. 

"I'm leaving, you kids don't do anything unsanitary, okay?"

"Joyce!" 

She moves like a hurricane of energy and despite her teasing, Eddie can't help but smile. Joyce seems like the kind of person who treats everyone like her kids. 

"What are you doing?" Stephanie asks suspiciously when Joyce hesitates by the door. 

"I'm just gonna..." she trails off before starting to pull down the blinds on both the door and the windows. "So nobody bothers you two," she explains with a charming smile. "Okay, bye!" the bell finally chimes as she heads out. "I'll see you tomorrow!" 

"See you!" 

Eddie barely lifts his hand for a wave before there's just the two of them. 

Stephanie breathes out and walks up to the door to lock it. The fact that they are now alone and hidden in a public space makes him hot under the collar. She could do to him anything she wanted right now. 

Like cutting his split ends and conditioning his hair, of course. 

"So." A radio buzzes to life, though it gets immediately turned to a lower volume. "As the one forced to sit there and endure my treatment, you get to pick the station," Stephanie smiles at him and he instructs her to his and Wayne's favorite frequency. The soft that starts playing is very quiet, and with the closed-off space he's found himself in, he feels like he's tripping. 

"Do you have anything in mind?"

So many things but nothing appropriate to say out loud. 

"Didn't you have a plan for me?" he raises an eyebrow at her reflection while she's thoughtfully tugging on his hair. 

"Yes, but mostly haircare. And I don't know what's popular in the metalhead hair fashion right now."

He chuckles at that.

"Just keeping them long and adding some tease now and then. Nothing as extreme as punk's liberty spikes," he assures. 

"Gotcha. But if you think of anything, let me know."

"You got it," he smiles. 

i feel weird tagging only one person here but: @wheneverfeasible

[loudstan]

(67) Days of Whatever the Fuck that Was (PART 2.)

Summary: Chenle wasn't interested in committed relationships until he met the one. The problem is that now she is the one who doesn't want to commit to him.

Pairing: Werewolf! Chenle x Siren! Female reader

Warnings: OOff where do I start. Things get dubious, and even a bit non-conish sometimes so do not read if that's not something you're into. A lot of mind games, manipulation, gaslighting, and all the red flags you can think of. Y/N is MEAN. Also, this is super long so i had to make two separate posts. Read both if you want to know how it started! SMUT.

(PART 2)

“Why’s Jisung crying?” Kun asked when he saw the youngest member of the pack trying to hide how glossy his eyes were a few days later.

“I’m not,” Jisung replied stubbornly, but the words came out broken.

“He watched (500) Days of Summer,” Renjun deadpanned. 

“You watched–,” Kun burst out laughing. “It’s a romantic comedy! How did you end up crying?”

“It’s not romantic, nor funny,” Jisung disagreed.

Renjun sighed. “He’s worried about Chenle.”

“Oh…” Kun frowned. “Is he still hiding in his room?”

Renjun and Jisung nodded.

Kun sighed and hesitantly walked to Chenle’s room, knocking on the door and letting himself in when he heard a monotonous ‘come in’ from the other side.

“Hey, Lele…,” he greeted awkwardly. “How are you feeling?”

Chenle was sprawling in bed, with dark circles under a pair of eyes stuck to the laptop screen.

“Hm,” he replied, without elaborating.

“What are you up to?” Kun asked casually, walking closer to take a look at the screen. “Oh…You’re watching that movie too…”

Chenle barely nodded. “I’ve watched it  6 times. Each time it becomes more obvious that they would never end up together. Funny, isn’t it?” his dull voice said.

“Lele, I’m so sorry,” Kun said sincerely. Not only for what happened to the younger werewolf,  but also for even mentioning that stupid movie.

“It was gonna happen sooner or later,” Chenle closed his laptop and finally looked at the oldest. “She didn’t want me. Not the way I want her, at least.”

Kun looked at him sadly.

“Maybe I could make my own movie,” Chenle joked unenthusiastically. “The title would be (67) Days of Whatever the Fuck that Was.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” the older offered.

“Sure, you could convince her to take me back,” Chenle chuckled humorlessly. “Forget it, gege. There’s nothing anyone could do,” he said, before putting his laptop away and pulling the covers all the way up until they covered his head. “Can you close the door when you leave, please?”

“I…sure,” Kun murmured, walking out and closing the door quietly.  He stood in the corridor for an entire minute as he considered his options. “Fuck it,” he murmured, for once not caring about his manners.

He went back to the living room where Jisung and Renjun were waiting expectantly. “Get up, you two,” Kun told them. “We’re going to the bar.”

“Yeosang, I’m fine,” you insisted after he begged you to go rest for the 5th time.

“ You haven’t seen your mate in a week, and you know that can affect your health. You shouldn’t abuse your body.”

“It’s almost time to close. There are like 5 people here. It can’t be that hard, ” you laughed.

“I can handle it for the last half of an hour,” he offered. “You haven’t been looking too good lately–”

“It’s getting better,” you lied before turning to the customer to take his order. “Hi! What can I get you?”

“Three glasses of Eternal Dusk, please,” a handsome man with a charming smile said, handing you his credit card. 

“Right away,” you replied with a smile, scanning the card and handing it back to him before preparing the drinks skillfully and handing them to him.

 He thanked you and took the drinks to the table where his friends were waiting for him. You thought you recognized one of them, but he quickly looked away, suddenly being very interested in the wall behind him. Over the course of the night, they kept stealing glances at you, quickly looking away and talking secretly in their tiny group. Eventually, the same guy who had ordered the drinks earlier approached the bar again.

“Another round?” you offered.

“Uh, actually–” he stopped mid-sentence with a wince and hesitantly grabbed a pendant that was hanging from a chain, tucked under his shirt. He inspected the relic suspiciously like it wasn’t his own.

“Everything okay?” you asked.

He looked at you and then back at the pendant, which he quickly hid back under his shirt. “Y-yeah sorry,” he smiled politely. “I was wondering–... you’re not from around here, are you?”

“No, I–uh, I’m from the Scarlet Islands,” you disclosed. “Why?”

“Figures. Your beauty is…definitely not something you see in this town,” he said cheekily, looking at you like he had found out your biggest secret.

“Are you going to order something or not?” Yeosang interrupted the conversation, standing in between you and the customer. 

The man smiled at Yeosang before shaking his head and waving goodbye. “I think we’re done for tonight,” he said, going to his table and hurrying his friends out of the bar.

“What a creep,” Yeosang said. 

“Y-yeah,” you chuckled nervously and started cleaning up now that the last customers were gone.

“Heeey, Sangie,” Wooyoung greeted cheerfully approaching the bar. “Can I steal Y/N away for a little bit?”

Yeosang glared at Wooyoung suspiciously. 

“It won’t be anything stupid, I promise,” Wooyung said, trying to look as innocent as possible.

“I’ll be okay, Sangie,” you chuckled, walking away with Wooyoung when Yeosang finally nodded hesitantly.

Wooyoung guided you out of the ship, to the dock that connected it to land. It was late at night and the place was deserted. The only sound you could hear was the water splashing the wooden ship and the distant voices of the crew members coming from inside the ship.

When you looked at Wooyoung you were surprised to see him taking his shirt off.

“What are you doing?” you asked, astonished.

“I’m getting undressed,” he said, unbuckling his belt.

“I can see that. Why?”

“We’re going swimming!” he exclaimed, stepping out of his pants to present himself in front of you in his underwear. “Why are you just standing there? Do you need me to take your clothes off for you?” he asked suggestively.

“Woo, it’s late…” you tried to reason.

“I’ll push you. Don’t test me.”

You saw a mischievous glint in his eyes and you couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine, I guess it won’t hurt to swim a little bit,” you said, undressing yourself until you were only wearing your bra and panties. The crew had seen you in a swimming suit before, so this was basically the same. And it was dark, so you weren’t worried about him seeing through the fabric once it got wet

You followed Wooyoung into the water and sighed at the feeling surrounding you.

“Feel good?” Wooyoung asked, apprehensively.

“Really good,” you admitted, surprised. Your body had felt heavy and ached for the last few days, but you were suddenly feeling so relieved.

“Seawater restores sirens’ vitality,” Wooyoung commented, very proud of himself. “I read about it.”

“Aaw, were you worried about me?” you teased.

He splashed water on your face as a response. You gasped and splashed him back, starting a childish battle that ended with him holding you tightly against his own body to prevent your attacks.

You were laughing brightly when you felt the soft presence of his lips on yours. It barely lasted a second, but it made all laughter stop.

Your confused eyes met Wooyoung’s untamed ones. He wasn’t laughing, nor did he seem embarrassed or regretful.

“Did that feel good too?” he asked. His voice was thick with implication.

You stared back at him, speechless.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t a love confession,” he said, gently pushing a strand of wet hair from your face. “This is just me saying that I know you’re going through a hard time, and that your body isn’t taking it well. You’re tired, in pain, and so sensitive…” he trailed off.

You blushed. “Woo–”

“I know it’s someone else that you want,” he continued. “But I can help you forget, even if it’s just for a little bit.”

“You don’t have to–”

“You think I get nothing out of it? You may not know this but I have a thing for sirens. I dated one, actually…but things didn’t end up well. I recently found out through Yeosang that she met someone knew,” he chuckled but his laugh sounded empty, hurt. “I should be happy for her. But I can’t bring myself to. Childish, huh?”

“It was you?!” you asked, astonished. “The friend Yeosang told me about–”

“She’s my ex,” Wooyoung confessed. “Well…if you could call that a relationship. We barely held hands or kissed. She was afraid if we…consummated, she would follow me wherever I went. That was smart of her; following a pirate around isn’t anyone’s dream life.”

“Woo…I’m so sorry,” you whispered sympathetically.

“You’re in no position to be sorry about someone else’s love life,” he laughed, earning a playful punch on the shoulder. “What I’m trying to say here is that none of us is with who we want to be, but we have each other…”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” you hesitated.

“Isn’t it tiring to have to pleasure yourself?” he taunted, caressing your waist with intent and making you shiver, suddenly very aware of the proximity and nakedness of you both. “You can’t let the man you love make you cum, and I couldn’t make the woman I loved cum…” he murmured, moving his hands skillfully to give you goosebumps. “Wouldn’t it be poetic if we cum together?”

“The mental gymnastics to get to that conclusion are out of this world,” you joked.

“Y/N,” he groaned. “We’re both lonely and horny, and we’re stuck in a lifestyle that won’t let us have a stable relationship with anyone outside this damn ship. Is it really that crazy to propose we help each other out?”

You considered it for a second. He was making sense; you couldn’t be with Chenle if you wanted to continue your current lifestyle…but Wooyoung would always be there. 

“Captain said no relationships within crew members,” you murmured, holding onto the last argument against this reckless idea.

“Captain doesn’t need to know,” he assured you, closing the distance between your lips and kissing you. You kissed him back, focusing on Wooyoung and trying to forget all about Chenle. Without knowing that you would see him sooner than expected.

“CHENLE!” Kun yelled, bursting into the depressed wolf’s room and yanking the covers away from his limp body. “YOU STUPID BOY!”

After getting over the initial shock, Chenle gave him an unamused glare. “We already established that. No need to yell,” he murmured, reaching for the cover again.

Kun took the cover from his hand and threw it on the floor. He then unclasped from around his neck a golden chain with a doubloon hanging from it and waved it in front of Chenle’s face. “Do you know what this is?” 

“No,” deadpanned Chenle.

“It’s a siren detector,” he replied proudly.

“Why do you even have one of those?” Chenle asked, still uninterested.

“I got it from my time in the navy, of course. All sailors get one for safety.”

“Pff, you were not in the navy,” Chenle scoffed.

“Yes, I was? I sent you postcards?” Kun reminded him offendedly. “Whatever, that’s not the point. The point is we went to the bar where your mate works—“

“You did WHAT?!” Chenle asked outrageously. 

“We were going to convince her to take you back,” Kun continued.

“Nooo,” Chenle groaned, mortified. “How did you even know which bar it was?”

“Jisung led the way,” Kun informed.

Chenle glared at Jisung who was standing awkwardly next to Renjun.

“Sorry,” Jisung mumbled. “Didn’t want you to be sad…”

Chenle sighed. “You should have asked me— did you steal that glass?”

Jisung looked at the glass he was holding, still half full of alcohol. “We left in a hurry and I kinda panicked.”

“As I was saying,” Kun demanded everyone’s attention. “Whenever I got near your mate the detector started burning my skin. I asked her where she was from and she named an island that is located in the Forbidden Sea, which is where you can find  the biggest population of merpeople.”

Chenle stared at him dumbly.

“You imprinted on a siren!” Kun exclaimed exasperatedly. “Well, probably a half-siren…she seems to be able to spend long periods of time on land.”

“…That’s ridiculous. I would have noticed if my mate had a fishtail.”

“I guess they don’t teach you guys anatomy in school anymore,” Kun said. “That’s a myth. Sirens look like any other human. Some historical jerk assumed they had tails because the lower part of their bodies often remained hidden under the water. They have legs just like us, and they sometimes come to land, but they need sea water to survive. My guess is Y/N gets easy access to the water by traveling with pirates.”

“But… it can’t be…”

“It makes perfect sense,” Renjun interjected. “Sirens are famous for their mind control. Think about it: isn’t it weird that you always agreed to everything she said?”

Again, Chenle glared at Jisung, who must have spilled the beans about that too.

 “I don’t know, man,” he sighed tiredly. “Maybe I’m just a simp.”

“No but—“ Jisung spoke nervously. “That night when you met her you were so out of it. All you kept saying was that you didn’t want to mark her. Isn’t that weird?”

Chenke knitted his brows. It was kind of weird. “Maybe it was the fever.”

“Just try to remember,” Renjun insisted. “Did you ever have any disagreement that ended with you saying something out of character? Something that you didn’t understand why you were saying?”

Chenle froze. Every encounter with you had ended like that. Suddenly it all made sense.

Holy fuck. He had been played.

 He groaned and pulled his hair. “So Y/N is a master manipulator. Why does it matter? She doesn’t want to see me.”

”That’s the weird part,” Kun says hurriedly. “I heard her speaking with the other bartender, saying something about not seeing her mate for a week. Your relationship,” he said that word making air quotes with his hands, “ended a week ago. So that has to be referring to you, right? That means she imprinted on you too. But if that’s really the case then she wouldn’t be able to stand being away from you after you guys slept together,” he ranted nonsensically. 

Chenle wasn’t really following. He was still trying to process that he imprinted on a siren, and now Kun was saying that you probably imprinted on him too. He didn’t even know sirens imprinted.

“Maybe sexual relationships aren’t that important for her,” Renjun said, trying to make sense of the situation. 

“Sex is a sacred ritual between siren mates,” Kun contradicted Renjun’s theory. “When a siren is brought to their climax by the one they imprinted on it’s game over. The bond is sealed for eternity. Seriously, guys, what are they teaching you in school?”

“Not how to mate with sirens, clearly,” Renjun replied sarcastically, making Jisung choke on his drink.

“Orgasms seal the bond…” Chenle mumbled, sitting up as he pieced together everything he heard. “Game over…”

“Exactly,” Kun said, excited that at least one of them was paying attention and learning from him. “But then she probably wasn’t talking about you when she mentioned a mate because she shouldn’t be able to live without you after two months of–” 

“I didn’t make her cum,” Chenle admitted.

The room was silent.

“You mean– last time you were together?” Renjun offered.

“Ever,” Chenle deadpanned.

Jisung gasped. “You never told me that!” he accused.

“Yeah, thank god, or you would have told everyone!” Chenle rolled his eyes.

“I get nervous when interrogated!” Jisung defended himself.

“Chenle!” Kun shrieked. “Are you saying that in two months of being fuckbuddies,” he stressed, “ you didn’t make her cum once?!”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Chenle replied.

“Right,” Renjun said sarcastically.

“She kept telling me that I wasn’t good enough. That I didn’t deserve to touch her!” Chenle huffed, incredulous at what he was learning. “Whenever she was about to cum she would stop me with that sickeningly sweet voice of hers–”

“The siren voice,” Kun nodded, starting to understand what was happening.

“And I would always end up doing as she said and–I don’t know I thought it was like a weird kink of hers, or that I really was that bad in bed,” Chenle groaned. 

“She was stopping you from consummating the bond,” Renjun breathed out, catching up.

“Wait what?” Jisung asked.

“She imprinted on Chenle and she knew if he made her orgasm  she would be bonding with him forever,” Kun explained. “She literally hypnotized him to make sure he never made her cum.”

“That’s a whole new level of commitment issues…” Jisung said incredulously. “And gaslighting,” he added,  not believing that someone would go that far. 

But Chenle didn’t doubt you would do all that and more to get what you wanted. You were literally insane.  

“Fucking bitch,” he grunted, getting out of bed and exiting the room.

“Where are you going?” Jisung asked.

“Where do you think?!” Chenle yelled back.

“That’s a terrible idea,” Renjun warned, running after him, followed by Jisung and Kun.

“You either wait here or you come with, but you’re not stopping me,” Chenle grunted, opening the front door and walking out of the house in his pajamas.

The three werewolves exchanged worried looks before following Chenle to his car. Kun ended up driving because Chenle’s hands were shaking with rage, and the car was barely parked near the port when Chenle sprinted toward the imposing ship. 

The bar was closed, and everyone was probably asleep, but Chenle didn’t give a damn. He was going to wake up the entire town if he had to.

But he didn’t have to, because he heard you.

It was distant and weak. You were giggling and whimpering, and at some point, he even thought he heard his name. But where–?

He almost tripped when he stepped on…pants? And there were other pieces of clothing too– Was that your top?!

“You okay?” asked an unfamiliar male voice.

“F-fine,” you croaked.

“That good, huh?” the stranger asked.

“Shut up,” you replied playfully.

The voices were getting closer and Chenle’s enhanced vision could see you swimming toward the dock…with a man. 

“It must have been good,” the man insisted. “You were so out of it that you called me a totally different name.”

“Woo,” you whined, ashamed. “I’m sorry–” 

He pecked your lips. “It’s fine,” he assured you with a smile, reaching for the wooden surface. “You’ll get it right next time–,” his sentence was interrupted when out of nowhere someone grabbed him and pulled him out of the water aggressively. 

Your eyes widened in fear when you saw Chenle, manhandling Wooyoung with murderous intent. The pirate landed on his back on the dock with a loud thud and winced, but that was only the beginning of the pain Chenle had planned for him. 

“C-chenle!” you shrieked, getting out of the water. “Chenle, stop!”

“I’ll deal with you later,” he growled at you, getting back to beating the shit out of the man who had dared to kiss you.

Desperately, you yelled at him to stop, tried to pull him away from Wooyoung, and finally screamed for help, hoping at least one of your crew members would hear you.

Luckily, Yunho came running out of the ship, closely followed by Mingi, who looked half-asleep. They quickly assessed the situation and charged in to separate the two men. San and Yeosang joined the scene right after, helping Wooyoung get up and trying to get him away from the threat.

“I’ll teach you not to touch what isn’t yours,” Chenle growled, breaking free from Yunho and Mingi’s grasp, but thankfully Kun, Renjun and a terrified Jisung stepped in, not letting him reach the poor man. 

“Leave right now or I’ll call the police,” Seongwha spoke authoritatively, standing between his crew and the werewolves.

“Call the police then!” Chenle challenged petulantly. “See if I care. One of my pack is fucking a police officer so they can’t do shit to us–” he suddenly fell on the floor completely unconscious. Behind him, there was Jongho.

“I hit a pressure point so he’ll be asleep for a bit,” Jongho explained calmly. “Not for long though, so you should get him out of here fast.”

The three werewolves nodded quickly, and mumbled a thousand apologies while they grabbed his unconscious pack member and dragged him away. 

Seungwha quickly instructed the crew to take Wooyoung inside and tend to his wounds before turning to you. “Y/N, Captain wants to see you.”

The crew turned to look at you, failing to mask the fear in their eyes. They knew that if the Captain asked you to go to his cabin, it meant you were in huge trouble.

You lowered your head and nodded obediently, grabbing your clothes and boarding the ship. You quickly dried your body and put on some clothes before walking to the Captain’s cabin with trembling legs.

“Come in,” he said before you could even knock.

The antique door opened with a quiet squeak.

Captain Hongjoong was standing by a small window while playfully tossing his spyglass from one hand to the other.

“Did you ask to see me?” you asked nervously.

“I did,” he hummed calmly. “Had fun with Wooyoung?”

Your blood ran cold. There was no way he could have found out this fast, could he?

He chuckled. “Come here, Y/N.”

You took hesitant steps toward him until you were face to face.

“Look outside” he instructed,positioning so you were looking out the window. “What do you see?”

You saw the dock where the fight had happened and if you moved a bit to the right you could see the exact spot where you and Wooyoung had been fooling around. Could he have seen–?

“Saw it all,” he purred next to your ear, answering your unvoiced question. “Can’t say I’m surprised. If someone was going to break that rule it was Wooyoung.”

“It wasn’t his fault–”

“Please,” Hongjoong laughed, sitting on a chair made out of a barrel. “You want me to believe that Wooyoung wasn’t the one who started this? I know my crew,” he said, gesturing at the chair in front of him for you to take a seat too.

“He was only trying to help,” you explained, sitting down.

“Yeah, because you broke up with rich boy, right? Maybe if you hadn’t used your siren voice on him things wouldn’t have ended like that.”

You gasped in surprise. He knew about that?! 

He gasped too, mocking you. “Told you, Y/N. I know my crew,” he informed you, changing his tone to a more serious one. “Relationships within the crew are a rule that could be bent if necessary… but I strictly forbade you from bewitching people.”

“I–I know…”

“Wooyoung and you hooked up, alright, no problem. You’re both adults. But what you did to that man,” he said pointing at the window, “was take away his autonomy for your benefit.”

You nodded slowly, ashamed. 

“I’ve been waiting to see if you would solve things on your own, but now one of my men is hurt. You did that,” he accused.

You winced. “I understand. I’ll pack my things,” you said.

Hongjoong frowned.“Why would you do that?”

“I broke the rules and I put the crew in danger. So I gotta leave, right?”

“That would be the easy way out,” he said sternly. “You can’t abandon people whenever you fail them.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Apologize.”

“I’m sorry,” you said immediately.

“Not to me. To Chenle Zhong.”

Wow. He even knew his full name.

“I ended things with him,” you explained.

“But did you apologize?”

“He’ll move on and find someone better.”

“Did.you.apologize?”

You sighed in defeat. “...No.”

“Do it,” he commanded. “In person.”

You nodded right when someone knocked on the door softly.

“Come in,” Hongjoong said.

Seongwha walked in. “Wooyoung will be fine. Only a few bruises, but no broken bones.”

“Good,” Hongjoong sighed. “Tell him he’s grounded.”

“Of course,”  Seongwha said, but shot you a worried look. “What about Y/N?”

“She has her own task to complete, isn’t that right?” he said, looking at you solemnly.

And that’s how you found yourself unblocking Chenle and texting him, asking him if you could meet. The message showed as read for hours until he finally replied setting a time and date.

He picked you up like he often did in the past, before shit hit the fan. At first you refused to get in the car.

“I’ll be quick,” you said.

“I won’t,” he countered angrily. “I have a lot to say, and you’re gonna listen. Get in.”

His voice left no room for disobedience, so you nervously got in the car. This time he drove in a totally different direction. 

“Where are we going?” you asked.

He didn’t reply. He remained silent even when the car stopped in front of a huge modern building, taking you into the elevator and, once again, pressing the button to go to the highest floor. 

You were in awe when you entered a place as luxurious as the presidential suite, but more homelike. It was a spacious penthouse, with minimum decoration, like it had been recently purchased, with enormous windows that allowed you to see the ocean.

“I’m listening,” Chenle said dryly, standing in front of the window and watching the striking view.

You stood behind him, taking a deep breath in to brace yourself. “There’s something you must know,” you started saying.

He kept his eyes on the view, waiting for you to continue.

“I’m part siren. Sirens can control people’s minds with their voices…and I did that to you.”

He clenched his jaw but remained silent, 

“Everytime you came too close I made you believe that you didn’t actually want that. I treated you like shit to keep you under control, but the truth was that I was afraid of what would happen if we went further. I’m sorry,” you finally said. 

He turned around, glaring at you. “You’re sorry? Do you think you can use and humiliate someone repeatedly and then just say you’re sorry?”

You shook your head. “I know what I did was awful. That’s why I ended things; so you can forget about me and move on.”

“That’s your way of fixing things?” He laughed humorlessly. “Imagine someone broke your leg and then they put a fucking sticker on it, telling you to forget about it. Can you go run a marathon?”

“...That’s not the same–”

“That’s what it felt like to me,” he insisted. “You broke me every time you told me I didn’t deserve you. Everytime you made me say what we had wasn’t special. You don’t get to step on me like that and then tell me to move on.”

“I’m trying to do what’s right.”

“No. You’re doing what’s easier.” 

“Chenle I–,” you sighed. “I’m leaving in three days. There’s nothing I can do for you at this point.”

He met your gaze with eyes that reflected a storm of emotions. 

“There’s something,” he said firmly. “Kiss me.”

A shiver ran down your spine. There was nothing you would like more than to kiss him. “Wouldn’t that make things worse?” you asked apprehensive.

“The person I imprinted on used me for months and is leaving in 3 days. Things can’t possibly get worse for me,” Chenle deadpanned. He stared at your lips and took one of your hands tenderly. “Can you let me have just one moment with you that feels real? Without the lies and the mind games?”

You breathed out against his lips. “O-okay…”

Chenle’s lips were on yours, slow and hot. You felt like you were floating. It had been so long since the last time you were this close to him, you had forgotten how well his lips fit into yours, how gratifying his body felt against yours, how easily he could turn you on with his fingertips barely grazing your skin.

You couldn’t remember why you turned down his touch in the past when it was clearly what you needed the most–even the body ache you had woken up with was subsiding thanks to his ministrations.

It was the little moan that escaped you what brought you back to reality by the time he had taken your shirt off and was kissing your chest while playing with the strap of your bra.

“Chenle,” you moaned when he unclasped your bra and attached his lips to your tits. “I t-think we should stop now–”

He ignored your concerns, sucking on your nipple languidly. 

“Ooh– Chenle I’m serious,” you started to panic at how dangerously good you were starting to feel. With how sensitive you were since you imprinted on him and how much you had been craving for him it wouldn’t take long for you to climax…and that’s a luxury you couldn’t afford if you were to leave with the crew in a couple of days.

“Don’t be like that,” he cooed, unbuttoning your jeans. “You hardly ever allowed me to touch you during our encounters. You can’t expect me to be satisfied with just a kiss when this could be the last time I see you.”

“T-then how about I make y-you feel good instead?” you offered nervously, trying to pull his hands away from you, but he quickly slapped your hands away.

“I don’t think so. We did things your way many times already. It’s my turn to make you cum,” he declared, pulling your pants down hastily.

“NO! WAIT!” you shrieked, grabbing his hands with all your strength.

Chenle stared into your eyes intently. “There’s that terrified expression again,” he uttered. “It’s almost like you don’t want to cum. But that would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?” he taunted. “Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me…”

You gulped.You indeed hadn’t told him you imprinted on him and what the consequences of an orgasm would be. “I…I just–That’s n-not why I came here–”

“What’s so terrifying about me making you cum, hmm?” he inquired darkly, like he already knew the answer, cornering you against the window glass. “If you don’t give me a good reason I won’t stop.”

You couldn’t tell him, because if you did then you were 100% sure he wouldn’t stop. You didn’t want to do this again, but you didn’t see any other way out right now.

“Pup, listen to me–” you spoke sweetly but he clasped his hand on your mouth firmly.

“No, you won’t,” he spoke through gritted teeth. “You apologize for bewitching me, but you try to do it again the second things don’t go as you planned?” he asked incredulously. 

You squirmed but he didn't budge.

Chenle hummed, placing his free hand on the front of your neck and tracing his fingers over your throat, drawing what felt like random figures. “What a shame. That was your last chance.” 

You gasped for air when he finally uncovered your mouth, but when you tried to speak again no words came out.

You cleared your throat and opened your mouth again, but even though you were saying words, they didn’t materialize into sounds.

You looked at Chenle in shock, and he smirked back at you.

“It’s not nice, huh? Not being able to say what you want,” he asked rhetorically.

‘What did you do?!’ you tried to ask, but of course once again nothing came out of your mouth. 

Chenle understood your voiceless question though and he chuckled. “Here goes my first confession: I found out about what you were a few days ago. I’ve been thinking of ways to stop you from using that voice on me since then. At first I thought about choking you, but I was so fucking mad at you I was afraid I would end up breaking your neck, so I learned how to cast this little spell on your vocal chords.”

Your eyes widened, remembering how you thought that he was just caressing your neck seconds ago.

“I also know you imprinted on me,” he continued speaking, caressing your face. “And I know what will happen if I make you cum so, naturally, I will make it happen.”

Your instinct kicked in and you pushed him, trying to get away as fast as you could, but he quickly caught you and turned you around, pushing you against the window glass with him hugging you from behind. You shivered when the cold material made contact with your bare chest, and the beautiful city view reminded you of how embarrassingly exposed you were.

Chenle’s hand had already found its way into your panties, and he was pleasuring you skillfully and fast, with only one objective in mind.

“Here goes my second confession: I regret not killing that friend of yours,” he whispered next to your ear, while two of his fingers were buried inside of you. “Can’t believe you let him have you like this before me. It drove me mad to find out what you sound like when you’re cumming while in another man’s arms. But what made me even more furious was that you moaned my name. How fucking shameless can you be?”

You wanted to dig a hole and hide in it forever, but first you needed to run away.

He clicked his tongue when you kicked your leg back aimlessly trying to get him off you. “You’re being so rude when I’m making you feel so good you’re dripping down my hand?” He asked, adding a third finger and making you tighten around him.

You shook your head and tried to look at him over your shoulder, giving him your best puppy eyes.

“Do you really want me to stop?” he asked, stilling his fingers inside of you.

You nodded promptly.

He sighed. “I guess I should respect your wishes just like you respected mine–Oh, right,” he pretended to suddenly remember something important. “You didn’t,” he concluded, fucking his fingers into you fast and hard.

You would have screamed if you could. You were so close and it was both marvelous and horrifying. If you gave in it would change your life forever, so you tried to even your breath and will yourself to think of something else.

“Would you look at that?” Chenle taunted. “I can see your ship from here…It’s a shame they’re too far to see how much of an obedient girl you’re being for me, taking my fingers so well, about to give yourself to me completely.”

You did not want anyone to see you like this, but you tried to remind yourself that this penthouse was on the highest floor in an exclusive neighborhood. Surely no one could see you.

“Mm…should I bite you before or after I get you off?” Chenle asked, placing a wet kiss on your neck.

You squirmed helplessly. At this point you knew you wouldn’t break free, and that your efforts were in vain, but you were too stubborn to accept your fate.

“I’m tired of waiting,” he said, abusing that spot that had you rolling your eyes while using his other hand to rub your clit roughly. “Give it to me now.”

Your ears rang and the city lights in front of you became blurry. You felt like the world was spinning around you while the tingly feeling that sometimes you experienced in your fingertips expanded through your body. 

‘Chenle, Chenle, Chenle’ was the only thought in your mind. His firm hands on your body, his warm respiration on your neck, his expensive cologne invading your nostrils, his luscious voice murmuring words you couldn’t comprehend right now–he was everywhere. The feeling was so overwhelming, unlike any orgasm any man had ever given you before. There was no way back now. You were–

“All mine,” Chenle chuckled, removing his hands from your underwear and placing one of them on your throat to remove the spell. “Was that really so bad?” he asked, turning you around to face him.

You glared at him. “Y-you–,” you coughed and spoke shakily, still riding the neverending aftershoks of your orgasm. “Do you k-know what you just d-did?!”

“I’m fully aware,” he replied nonchalantly.

“I won’t be able to leave, you asshole!” you yelled at him as tears started forming in your eyes. “You ruined my life!”

The hand that was on your neck squeezed your throat.

“Like I said, I know what I did. That’s why I did it,” he grunted. “And just for your information, I only reversed the spell to hear you moan. Not for you to get bratty and annoying, so if you try to bewitch me or yell at me one more time you won’t be speaking until the end of my rut.”

You paled. “Y-your rut?!” you choked out.

“Third confession,” Chenle whispered against your lips. “I chose this night to meet because my rut is scheduled to start anytime soon. And you’re gonna help me through it.”

You kicked his leg just out of pettiness. You knew it probably didn’t hurt much and it wouldn’t get you out of this predicament, but you didn’t know how else to voice your anger.

He gave you an unamused look. “That’s it,” he growled, lifting you in his arms and throwing you over his shoulder unceremoniously. You squirmed, kicked, and hit whatever part of him you could reach but it only seemed to add to the punishment that was coming. 

He opened the door to a bedroom, which was also surrounded by wide windows. Like the living room, it wasn’t fully furnished or decorated, but there was a king size bed in the middle and a nightstand, which was all that Chenle needed right now. 

He sat on the bed and manhandled you so you were lying on your belly on his lap, and before you had the chance to ask anything or complain you felt a sharp pain on your ass.

“You’re going to behave,” he guaranteed, landing another slap that made you gasp. “Even if I have to force you to.”

You tried to keep your mouth shut. If he had reversed the spell because he wanted to hear you moan then you wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing a single sound from you.

After spanking you a couple more times he noticed what you were trying to pull.

“Really?” he asked, giving you a particularly hard smack that almost made you give in. “We’ll see about that,” he murmured.

He moved you onto the bed, removed your panties hastily and positioned you so your legs were hanging off the bed while still on your belly. You turned your head around suspiciously but you didn’t see him. You were going to sit up when you felt a pair of firm hands gripping your asscheeks and something warm and wet grazing your inner labia. 

You yelped and Chenle chuckled against your center before diving in.

It had been a long time since someone ate you out from behind; usually you were the one in charge, so being in such a compromising position was humiliating yet he was making you feel so good…

No. You couldn’t let him know you were enjoying this. You bit your lip and grasped onto the bed sheets desperately.

His tongue slid inside of you and he landed another slap on your ass, feeling you clench around the wet muscle. He pulled away for a second to say some cheeky comment, but a malicious kick almost landed on his face.

Furiously, he stood up and climbed on the bed, grabbing you as you were crawling away and forcing you to turn around to face him.

“What the fuck was that?” he growled. 

“Fuck you!” you hissed in response.

“Fucking brat,” he spat, unbuckling his belt and straddling you. “After all you’ve done you think you have the right to be angry?”

“Oh and you’re any better?” you asked indignantly. “You forced an orgasm out of me even though you knew what that implied–”

“Agreed,” he conceded, unbuttoning his pants. “We’re both terrible people and now we’re stuck together, so you might as well get used to it–”

“I may be bonded to you but you don’t own me! I’m sure Yeosang can help me find a way to undo this–Hhmp!” your ranting was interrupted by Chenle grabbing your jaw firmly and  shoving his cock in your mouth, absolutely not in the mood to listen anymore.

“Mm, yeah that’s better,” he hummed, thrusting the head of his cock in and out slowly. “Such a beautiful voice but all that comes out of your mouth is poisonous.”

You tried to complain, but the vibrations only pleased Chenle even more. 

“Yeah, go on, princess,” he encouraged you mockingly, sinking some more of his length into your mouth. 

You shot him a dirty look and hollowed your cheeks to give a hard suck, tasting the salty liquid that the tip oozed.

He moaned and his body bent in pleasure. “Oh yeah?” he sneered, pulling out slightly to thrust back in. “Do your worst, princess, fuck–”

“Hmm,” you moaned around him, stretching your lips and straining your neck to bob your head. 

Chenle felt like his head was spinning. You had pleasured him with your mouth before, but this was different. He had never had so much power over you. It made him feel euphoric. He placed his hands on your head to keep you in place, pulling your hair unintentionally. His mouth hung slack and he fucked your mouth rhythmically.

It took you choking when his cock hit the back of your throat for him to cum in your mouth with a guttural moan, trapping your head between his pelvis and the mattress until you drank every single drop.

With a jaded sigh, he climbed off your chest to start going lower, kissing every corner of your body on the way until he positioned himself with his face between your legs to continue what he had started.

You let out a broken moan when he captured your clit with his mouth and sucked insistently. 

Your legs kicked his back and you pulled his hair angrily but you couldn’t refrain from moaning, much to his delight.  He sucked, and sucked until the stimulation was painful, and almost wished he moved his mouth somewhere else but he was suctioning your clit with obsessive intent, wanting it to feel so good it hurt, wanting to break you.

He alternated between flattening his tongue against you while shaking his head and going back to harsh sucking until your stomach contorts and your mind goes blank, making your legs shake in pleasure.

…Except he doesn’t stop. 

It was the first time he had you cum in his mouth and now he was captivated. He wished you had let him do this sooner. How dare you keep this away from him all this time?! 

“Do it again,” he grumbled against your core  between sloppy licks.

“Are y-haa…are you insane?!” you whined, trying to push him away.

He looked up at you with reddened eyes and growled, slapping your inner thigh.

“I said,” he spoke roughly. “Do it again,” he commanded, getting back to work.

This time he was all over the place, licking and slurping every drop of your release and making you shriek in pleasure and embarrassment. He wouldn’t let any of it go to waste. This belonged to him. You belonged to him. And he would take it as many times as he wanted.

You trembled when he once again focused your clit, like it was his new favorite toy, and circled it with his tongue going clockwise and then counterclockwise, and then flicking it barely with the tip of his tongue.

You whined and the death grip you had on his hair to push him away ended up pushing his head closer to your center.

He moaned appreciatively and let you fuck his face until he heard you gasp brokenly, so he sucked hard, bringing you to yet another orgasm. 

Your body relaxed on the bed while he cleaned you up with his tongue languidly, making you wince and convulse sporadically. 

Once he finally licked all he could find, he climbed back up so he was face to face with you.

“I hate you,” you croaked.

“Yeah?” he purred, kissing you, letting you taste yourself on his lips. “I don’t think you do…And even if you did, that’s too bad, because I’m obsessed with you,” he concluded, diving in for another kiss.

He was right, you didn’t hate him. You were just mad, and scared, but you loved his lips on yours, and the way his body rocked against yours, and his hard cock pushing against your entrance–

“Ah–haaa, fuck–Chenle!” you moaned loudly when he pushed in slowly, stretching you out delightfully. 

He swallowed your moans with his kisses, between hushed praises for taking him so well. 

“My pretty princess…” he breathed out once he bottomed up completely. He grabbed one of your thighs and pushed it up and outwards before rolling his hips experimentally. He starts very slowly, allowing you to feel every vein of his cock dragging against your inner walls and you have no words to describe how good it feels.

His eyes lit up when he hit a spot that made you arch your back, aiming to hit it harder.

“What happened to that fierce attitude?” he teased when you let out a strangled moan.

You only looked at him with wide eyes, grabbing onto his shoulders clumsily without knowing what to do with yourself. Having him inside of you after having consummated the bond made everything feel 10 times more intense. There was nothing you could possibly say to express how good it felt to have your mate’s cock kissing your cervix so divinely. 

“Poor Y/N,” Chenle spoke condescendingly, using his thumb to wipe some drool off the corner of your mouth. “Cock so good you can’t speak?”

You try to think of a comeback. You really do, but how could you when he was filling you all the way up and hitting all the right places–at the same time?

He chuckled darkly, snapping his hips hard once, twice and then building up a steady rhythm that had you screaming like he always wanted you to.

“Oh g-god…” was the first coherent sentence you said, throwing your head back.

 “That’s my princess,” he praised, pressing his face into the crook of your neck. “Submitting for her mate–haa…,” he moaned as he nosed along your neck, looking for the right spot to leave his mark.

“C-chenle–” you whined, feeling yourself getting closer the more his pelvis grinded against your clit.

He sank his teeth into your skin and you felt that white pleasure consume you again, making you cum with a silent scream and your legs shake around Chenle’s waist.

He winced when you contracted around his cock, murmuring nonsense about how tight and perfect you were for him while licking the fresh wound on your neck.

You were shaking like a leaf, whispering his name like it was the only thing you knew and he just didn’t stop.

“Fuck! P-please!” you cried out when he pressed his hips against yours harshly and moved them in a circular way before resuming his unrelenting assault. 

You didn’t think you could take any more so you tried to push him away weakly, but he pinned you down by your wrists. 

Both of you knew you weren’t actually trying to rebel anymore, but his wolf loved to show off his strength, making you submit. He had wanted to dominate you the moment he met you, but his rut had turned that want into a need. 

“C-can’t,” you sobbed, but the more you squirmed, the harder he fucked you.

“You’re g-gonna take it,” he grunted, squeezing your wrists and thrusting fast enough to make you see stars. 

Tears slid down your face but you nodded obediently and that sent Chenle into a frenzy. He let go of your wrists to grab onto your waist, sitting up and ramming into you at a speed he didn’t know he was capable of.

“Aah…Haa, fuck, Y/N–my obedient little mate, yeah…” he moaned.

You whined at the praise, letting him fuck every coherent thought out of your head.

“All you have t-to do is take it,” he spoke with slurred words as he impaled you into his cock like a ragdoll. “Let me have you like this,” he emphasized the last word with a hard thrust. “Let me m-make you feel good mm…”

You nodded dumbly while he pounded you on the bed.

“Look this pretty–oh fuck, so pretty for me,” he sounded strained, and his movements were haltering. “Let me g-give you anything you could…oooh anything y-you could possibly want,” he was getting desperate, feeling his knot starting to form was pushing him over the edge. “L-let me…,” he gulped, forcing his knot into you and making you scream. “Oooh Y/N, fuuuck–”

You couldn’t breathe. It was too much. He was too deep, and he was trying to pull you impossibly closer as his cock throbbed inside of you and he finally came with a shaky sigh, shooting endless spurts of cum inside of you.

Your eyes rolled back as he convulsed on top of you, once again pinning your wrists just for show, to remind you he was in charge.

Once both of you came down from your high, Chenle took in the view and beamed with pride. 

You were sprawled out on your back, with his mark on your neck, fucked dumb, submissive, completely overstimulated, impaled on his cock, and full of what soon would be his pups. 

This was what he would wake up to everyday, in this very apartment he had bought for both of you.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Captain Hongjoong put his spyglass down and walked away from the window, letting out an impressed whistle.

“Seongwha, make preparations for a farewell party,” he requested, sitting on his chair and putting his feet on the table. “Looks like Y/N’s staying in this town.”

“You’re so mean,” Seongwha replied, unimpressed. “You knew this would happen when you sent her to speak with him.”

“She’ll thank me one day,” Hongjoong assured him, winking playfully.

[tehloserprince]

The "pocket pets" room was more like a closet space with small cages stacked inside. I winced when I saw the cedar shavings and lack of hay in each small cage. To their credit, each cage had a litter box, and one employee cared enough to make a hay-and-paper-towel-tube enrichment toy for each rabbit. Still, I had to wonder how any of these rabbits survived long enough to find homes unless they were lucky enough to be fostered. One rabbit kept trying to drink water from an empty bottle; I located a volunteer and informed them that it needed to be refilled. The shelter was hot, stuffy, smelly, and LOUD. I couldn't imagine being a prey animal stuck in this environment; my nerves would have been shot.

As I entered the tiny space, this little guy tried desperately to get my attention, standing on his hind legs and leaning against the bars of his cage. When I (slowly) offered to pet him, he froze - almost like he wanted it so badly, but he was afraid at the same time. But he leaned in to my touch and even allowed me to stroke his ears and back. I asked the employee if she knew anything about him. Apparently, he'd been at the shelter since early April. He had a home at some point, but when his family moved out of their apartment, they decided to leave him behind with their trash. The landlord found him and contacted animal control. As long as I live, I'll never understand how sick and cruel a person must be to simply abandon a creature they made a commitment to.

He watched me as I interacted with the other rabbits, including a tiny girl who couldn't possibly have been two years old as her info sheet claimed. The employee and I agreed that the vet should give her another look; it's possible her paperwork hadn't been updated. I kept returning absentmindedly to pet this little guy while I mulled things over. After a few moments, I decided that I couldn't leave him there another minute; I scooped him up and placed him in a carrier I'd brought "just in case," along with a good amount of hay. Like most rabbits, he wasn't thrilled to be picked up, but he also didn't fight it. Once inside the carrier, he perked up at the sight of the hay and started munching on it. He stayed that way during the entire ride home, completely unbothered, just relaxing and eating hay.

When I showed him his new room, I think he couldn't believe it. A room just for him to run around in? Toys and enrichment? Places to hide? A two-story rabbit hutch for his litter box, water, and food, complete with a cozy nest box for hiding and snoozing? After exploring the room, licking my leg, and eating a small victory carrot (as he twitched happily), he stretched out on the floor of his new condo. It had been well-loved by its previous inhabitant, and now it was all his. Time to decompress from the shelter and soak up the good life. I have a few soda-themed names in mind. I might write them on scraps of paper and let him pick. 🐇🧡 First, we'll let him decompress. Little buck's been so excited just to have access to hay.

Animals absolutely feel things. This little buck did his first binky last night; after being in a tiny cage for two months, he was loving all the space. Today, he performed zoomies and binkies; he ate his first greens; and he circled me before nudging his head underneath my hand. At least I was able to change one little life for the better. 🧡

[strongheartneteyam]

[ credits of the Neteyam pic go to @cinetrix ]

Champagne Problems 

Part 3

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x female!human!reader

CW: reader overthinking way too much, trust issues all around, a bunch of angst, interspecies relationship, sexual tension, sexual content, past relationship trauma, commitment issues, reader feeling unlovable, unprotected sex, cowgirl position, exophilia, size kink, creampie, dominant reader, sub neteyam, use of "good boy", slight degradation kink, sex under rain (don't ask lol), territorial and possessive neteyam, neteyam wants to make reader his mate

Hi, my cute readers <3 I haven't posted an actual full smut in a good while lol Took me some time to write this chapter, ngl, but I kinda like the result. I always fantasized about dominating Neteyam so, today I HAD to finally write my fantasies down lol if y'all like the way I write dominant reader x sub neteyam, I can maybe write more smuts like this in the future. Lemme know what you think in the comments. It always makes me happy to read your words of love and encouragement. I love every single one of you. I don't have much to say now because I'm feeling pretty sad and idk... I just wanted to thank y'all for all the support you give me. You guys are truly precious to me. You'll never know how much. Here's a virtual hug to y'all 🥰

Slightly proofread.

Part 2: I know you're dying to meet me

𓇼

I know you wanna slip under my armor

See, everywhere I go I got a million different people trynna hit it

But I'm still alone in my mind

I know you're dying to meet me

But I can just tell you this

Baby, as soon as you meet me

You'll wish that you never did

Alone (Halsey)

𓇼

Your heart was beating dangerously fast and you could not speak. Neteyam had a power over you, whether you liked admitting it or not. He had you weak in the knees for him as he kept you imprisoned between his tall, broad body and the big tree behind you.

How was he making you so vulnerable? You hadn't felt like that when it came to guys in so long. You feared what that feeling could mean.

Neteyam knelt on the ground so you could look at him without hurting your neck.

"Sevin tawtute…" (pretty human) "I want you so bad. All of you, syulang…" (flower) "I know you want me too. You came and you're here with me. There's no need to play hard to get anymore." 

Fighting against the rational part of your brain, you let your desire for him take over and moved your hand until it touched his chest, your fingers tracing his mesmerizing stripes that were a shade of blue darker than the rest of his skin.

"That's right, tawtute" Neteyam cooed, his breath faltering, your delicate touch giving him a rush of adrenaline, making him want you even more than he already did "Surrender to me."

You kept your hand on his warm chest and looked up at his face with eyes that were obviously bewitched by him as your mouth hanged slighty open. You could not hide what you felt anymore. Neteyam could tell how much you wanted that too, how much your body was calling for him as much as his body called for yours.

Neteyam looked deep inside your eyes with his big golden ones and grabbed you roughly by the waist, his huge hands squeezing you tight. His gaze never left yours. Neteyam kept your bodies together by holding you firmly against him. You felt like the air in your lungs was slipping away. You got even more breathless when he rubbed his hard cock against your pussy, making you give out a breathy, low moan.

His cock was still covered by his loincloth but you could feel it really well as he pressed it over your entrance. The thin fabric didn't do much to conceal his need. God, was he big…. Big is not even the word for it. And thick too. Your juices were leaving you all sticky between the legs.

It started raining. You had always loved when it rained while you were at the beach back on Earth and it was not different here on Pandora. You loved to go inside the Metkayina sea and feel water all around you, coming from below and above. 

It was cold now. You wanted Neteyam's warmth but didn't wanna ask for it. You were cold and his huge na'vi body would help you get warm.

Maybe it wouldn't be that bad if you gave in to him. You were already there, in front of his hammock. You came to meet him, right? So you might as well give him what he wants. Sex. Isn't that what all guys want? The only thing they want? To fuck you and then leave you alone crying, if you're foolish enough to fall for them? At least that's how it had been for you all your life. You weren't even sure if you still believed somebody could ever fall in love with you. Or fall in love and stay. You didn't know. You were shivering with the cool water falling over your skin, giving you goosebumps and it was hard to think straight.

"You're cold, yawntutsyìp." Neteyam looked worried "Come. Let's lay on my hammock together and I'll keep you warm."

You thought twice before accepting it. But you ended up giving in and letting him take you by the hand and lead you to his huge hammock. You looked at it and realized how humongous it was compared to the hammocks that were made for humans. There were some back in the laboratory. 

When the both of you stopped in front of his hammock, you took a good look at Neteyam's body. It was now even sexier with the drops of rain rolling down his toned chest and abdomen. You watched as the droplets fell through his thick thighs too. You had to admit he was fucking hot and you truly understood why he was so popular with girls. But that could also mean he was full of himself. You didn't know him well, you two had seen each other many times before but only from some distance. Neteyam had never talked to you before that night, even though you had noticed him looking at you many times when you had to go do some scientific researches on his tribe and he was around with his siblings. You never paid that much attention to it, though. You were used to guys looking at you. Not to be cocky or anything but you had been called "pretty" all your life and you knew you were attractive to many guys out there. Neteyam was just one of them, even if he stood out among the other na'vi for his uncommon beauty and you did, yes, feel drawn to him.

You watched Neteyam laying down on his hammock, his thick, fleshy thighs spreading over its surface. The stripes all over his thighs caught your attention again. You didn't understand why but you felt extremely attracted to his stripes. They made him exotic, different from what you're used to, unique… Looking at his beautiful dark blue stripes made you wanna bite his thighs.

You looked at him, still nervous but soon enough you gave in and laid next to him, by his side, your body pressing against his. Neteyam rapidly put his arm around your shoulders and, as his arms were huge compared to the ones of a human, his arm covered all of your torso too. You felt a little less cold now.

"You're so tense, tawtute. Relax, hm? Here, lemme make it better." 

Neteyam took your face inside his huge hand, its warmth spreading all over your cheek as he got his mouth close to yours and softly kissed your lips. He took your lips inside his mouth slowly but eagerly and you felt pleasure creeping in all over your pussy. You finally started relaxing and a moan escaped your lips when his tongue touched yours and massaged it softly, over and over. Neteyam took that as a green flag that meant he could be bolder now.

He started to hike up your light violet dress that was soaked by the rain, exposing your thighs to him. Neteyam ran his hand up and down your left thigh "Hmm, tawtute… You're so fucking perfect. Damn, I can't believe you're here in my arms."

"Neteyam?" You said, out of breath

"Yeah?" His eyes were still fixated on your thighs 

"Can I try something?"

"What do you mean?" Neteyam questioned

"I wanna dominate you, Neteyam. I wanna ride your cock." Your eyes were now seductive as you stared at him, your expression serious but alluring

Neteyam was caught by surprise. He did not expect you to say those words. But it did not mean he didn't like hearing them.

"Ah, baby… That's how I wanna see you. I wanna see you showing me your wild side. Wanna see my tawtute let go of her worries and just enjoy this night with me." a smile full of satisfaction adorned his beautiful full lips

You knew that meant he wanted to be dominated by you. 

As you started taking your dress off, Neteyam's eyes were glued on your body. He wanted to feel every inch of you. He was in love with every single part of your body.

Neteyam watched you slid your panties down your legs and sit on top of him. You started rubbing your soaking wet pussy on his hard cock, still covered by his loincloth, and he whimpered at the friction. You didn't care about your worries anymore. All you wanted was to feel that huge, delicious cock inside of you.

"You're gonna have to take this off for me. I have no idea how to take your loincloth off. Seems complicated to put on." Your fingers grabbed the string of his loincloth and you were smiling and looking at him

He smiled widely, a dirty look on his face "That shouldn't be a problem. Give me a second, syulang."

Neteyam took his loincloth off with ease as he was more than used to putting it on and taking it off every single day. You thought the way he did that was so fucking enticing. Damn, every single thing that alien boy did was attractive in your eyes.

Once his cock was out and it moved back, towards his abdomen, you felt something primal coming over you. You wasted no time. In a second you were already on top of him, taking his big blue cock inside your small hand and burying it inside of you. Neteyam groaned when he felt your gummy, wet walls squeezing his girthy cock.

"Hmmghh…" You couldn't help but moan because of his size

"I know, tawtute… You feel so fucking good too…" He mewled

Neteyam's cock was so big it reached the tip of your womb every time you rode him. It hurt you but it felt so insanely good at the same time. You knew your pussy would feel bruised and used the next morning but you wanted that. You wanted to spend the whole day being reminded of how Neteyam's huge cock had been deep inside of you.

You could not stop grinding on him. You loved knowing he was so desired by so many girls but tonight he was only yours. That made you feel hot since you knew you were pretty enough to not only get his attention but to make him spend all that time back in the party trying to get you. And he did. He got you good.

Neteyam cupped both your breasts and squeezed them gently

"So fucking soft, oeyä tawtute…" (my human) "Just like I thought they would be."

You put your hands over his four finger hands and kept them there while you kept moving your hips, riding him like that cock was all you ever needed in your life. Your eyes were closed, as your chin was up and your mouth hanged open, pleasure driving you crazy.

"You don't know how hot you look riding me like this with the rain falling over your skin, your hair all wet… Eywa… I'll make you mine, tawtute. I won't let you be with anyone else ever again."

Neteyam's territorial side was showing itself, he felt possessive over you just like you were his mate already. And that's exactly what he wanted you to be. Neteyam wanted to make you his forever. He wanted to own your body and your soul, to own all of you.

Neteyam's desire for you drove him wild. You could see his animalistic side taking over him. And you loved it. You fucking loved it so much. It made your pussy clench around his cock.

"Yeah? You like how I ride this big cock, Neteyam? Did any na'vi girl ever ride you as well as I do?" You kept moving your hips and rubbing your pussy on him simultaneously. It gave you an enormous amount of pleasure since you were stimulating your clit at the same time you were feeling his cock inside of you.

"No, tawtute. You're better than any na'vi girl." He cried in pleasure "I only want your ‘ekxin little pussy from now on." (tight) "Only want you."

You grinned, devilish, and put your hand on his large neck "Who's my good boy?"

Neteyam's eyes were closed and his lips were parted as he was completely taken over by the way you were dominating him. Nobody had ever done that before, it was a new territory to him. He was used to dominating all the na'vi girls he had ever had sex with.

"I am. I am your good boy, yawne."

Damn, you got Neteyam calling you "yawne".

You chuckled "Yeah, you are, pretty boy. You're so good for me."

Riding his huge, thick cock felt like fucking Paradise. You were overcome with sheer lust. Neteyam wasn't the only one who was feeling animalistic. Humans were animals just like the na'vi and at that moment you were following your deepest instincts. You felt like a bitch in heat, all for him.

"Oh, oeyä tawtute… I'm gonna cum. Wanna cum inside your pretty, ‘ekxin pussy."

"Then cum for me, my needy, cocky boy. You're so fucking cocky but you're nothing when you're vulnerable like this under me." You laughed lowly, feeling proud of yourself for making such a mess out of that pretty alien boy

Neteyam came hard inside your pussy, a big load of his thick, warm seed painting your inner walls. It felt so good. Having his cum inside your pussy, feeling a little bit of it leaking out of your entrance because of how much he came… Fuck... your pussy started clenching around him again.

You watched as Neteyam breathed heavily under you, his chest quickly going up and down.

You didn't notice when it had happened but the rain had stopped falling.

•

Taglist:

@iman-lu

@leaveitbythewave

@neteluvr (you still haven't answered my comment asking if you wanted to be tagged but since u seemed to love the first chapter... teehee 💕)

@layla2-49 (you left a comment on the first chapter 💗)

@jakesullyfatjuicypeen (you left lovely comments on the first chapter haha 💖)

@yeosxxx

[kittiwrites]

Dating Headcanons for Dio's Minions

Characters: Hol Horse, Mariah, Steely Dan, Vanilla Ice

I'm rewatching jjba and was thinking how so many of dio's minions just appear for like 2 episodes (if they aren't just hiding while their stand gets all the attention) then vanish. I can't help but think what else are these guys like besides the quick glimpses we see of them. So i picked a few of my fav part 3 villains to write about...though I think it's kinda obvious my fav is Hol Horse. Anyways here are some headcanons on what it would be like to be in a relationship with these goofballs + some general headcanons.

Hol Horse 🐎

He can be very flirty, and gives lots of compliments. He does this to a lot to other women, but that doesn't mean what he says isn't genuine, he means it.

He has issues with committing to one relationship. If he were to be in a long term committed relationship, he'd want them to be a drifter like him.

Being in a relationship with him involves lots of traveling and action. You travel with him by many means, in a car, on a horse, on an elephant, or even on a motorcycle (thanks 90s jojo ova for giving us the image of hol horse riding a bike)

He likes it when the two of you are riding horseback and you hold onto him from behind...he misses it when he rides alone.

He keeps a picture of you in his wallet

He can get very protective of you and even somewhat jealous. You have to stop him from shooting random dudes who stare at you for too long or try to flirt with you.

Isn't interested in getting married or settling down with you, at least for now. He just wants you by his side as he travels the world.

His petnames for you: Baby, Darling, Sugar, Sweetheart

Misc. Headcanons:

He has somewhat of an oral fixation...not necessarily as a sexual thing, he just likes having something to chew on or stick out of his mouth. It's partially why he started smoking

He eventually stops smoking but still gets cravings.

Mariah 🧲

Very flirty, likes to tease you a lot.

Can be kind of touchy at times, likes to see you blush.

Likes to go on nice dates with you, likes it even more when you pay the bill.

Will hold your hand a lot, makes it very obvious to others that the two of you are a thing.

Secretly thinks about using her stand on you to mess with you and have the two of you get stuck together (or more like have you get stuck to her)

Might eventually be interested in settling down and marrying you, especially after Dio is defeated.

Her petnames for you: Darling, Sweet Thing, Dear, Handsome/Beautiful

Misc. Headcanons:

so uh...remember how she keeps metallic things in her bra as a means to attack...well she doesn't just keep weapons in there. Yep, sometimes she might just pull out money, credit card, and even a phone out of there 0_0

She has a specific routine she follows at night before bed. She also takes a long time to get ready in the morning...she has to look her best after all.

Steely Dan 😈

He can be very cruel to others, but he's sweet towards you.

He likes to take you on nice fancy dates...just don't ask how he gets the money to take you on all these nice dates

Related to the above point, he likes to give you nice jewelry he "finds".

Similarly to Hol Horse, he can get protective/jealous of any man who looks at you too long. He uses his stand to inflict severe pain on guys who get the wrong idea.

I think he might be interested in settling down. He likes to tell people he's just a poor guy struggling to make ends meet for his wife and kids...maybe the wife and kids part doesn't need to be a lie 😏

His petnames for you: Babe, Baby, Precious, Cutie

Misc Headcanons:

He does actually have a job as a kebab salesman, but that's just a distraction from his main source of income: stealing and extorting others.

I don't think he'd be bad towards his own kids if he were to have any, but he's not a good role model at all. He probably teaches them how to steal and intimidate the other kids.

Vanilla Ice 🧊

No matter what, he's still devoted to Dio. He'd probably only be with someone just as loyal as he is. Dio is his #1, but you can be his #2.

Dates with him are rare, as he's usually busy with whatever Dio commands him to do. It's more common to just spend short amounts of time together enjoying each others company while not doing anything in particular.

A good listener. Likes to listen to you talk. He's very quiet and rarely talks about himself.

Is willing to die for you and to kill for you

He thinks about settling down with you in the event that Dio wins and the Joestars are defeated. Until then, he's too busy for marriage.

In the event that Dio dies but Vanilla Ice somehow still lives...then he will marry you. You will become his new devotion.

His petnames for you: Dear, My love, My light, Loved one

Misc Headcanons:

He secretly loves sweets. And yes, he does love vanilla ice cream (may or may not be how he named Cream).

[respectthepetty]

Jack & Joker - Wild Ass Theories

Yin and War are hot. I wanted to start with a fact.

Also, Jennie is in the next episode, so our girl is living her best life!

Theory #1 - The heist happens soon

Random: The two guys Hope sends to go after Joke are the same men who end up tied up by this woman and her people.

Hope seems to be from Jack's neighborhood in the opening scenes, so did Jack teach him how to fight and become an enforcer?

I only have a thirty image limit, but this is vision from the trailer:

Jack goes to collect money from Tattoo and Hoy, but lets them off easy

Later, Hope hits Tattoo with a pan because he feels Jack took it too easy on him

Hoy and Tattoo try to ambush Joke because they think he is the only one who can get Jack out of this business

Joke flips the tables and ties up Hoy while asking more questions

They plan the heist because they need money and to get Jack's attention

Hoy and Tattoo are seen doing something to Aran's bag,

And Joke apparently takes the necklace right off of Aran's neck when the model passes out on the runway with the bag and Tattoo right there, so wouldn't Hope realize who is involved?

So is this why Joke goes to hide out at Jack's house after he gets away from the fight with him? And Hoy and Tattoo spill the beans about where Joke is and this is this why Hope and Jack are fighting outside of Jack's house? I think so!

Theory #2 - Rosé is going to fund Jack's school

The sweet rich girl wants to eliminate debt and help the poor. Plus Jack, at some point, stands in as her bodyguard. That's all I got. *shrugs* It's a vibe.

Theory #3 - Joke's hand tattoo is Jack

Not really a theory but more of an observation because Jack's best skill is sleight of hand. He was able to steal Carbon's wallet without Carbon noticing which is why Carbon couldn't find it to pay.

And Joke switched the tests by distracting the boy when he took his wallet, only two snatch the answer keys when the boy starting arguing with the other one.

Joke has been at this for a bit because he had several aliases.

And the reporter said previous to the most recent store robbery, Joke had committed five other robberies.

And every time, he left behind his signature frowning face symbol, but five years later, he has as smiling face tattooed on his hand, which, once again, is his biggest asset, so does he have it to remind him to do better whenever he wants to use his skills again?

Because he once ruined the happy boy's life who is the basis for the tattoo?

But on his other wrist he has both the frowning face and the smiling face depending on how it is viewed, so is it both of them?

Not related, Joke has a tattoo on his chest. Zoom in.

Theory #4 - Jack will give Joke the ring

Jack gave the boss this ring as collateral, and it has sentimental value since the opening credits show it has two names on the inside (his parents) and Jack's on the outside. In the final scene of the trailer when Joke kisses Jack (after opening his martial arts studio?), there is a glimmer on Joke's hand that has the smiling face tattoo. I think it's the ring!

Theory #5 - Colors

The boys aren't really a Black Brooder and a Red Rascal.

Like they are now, but they aren't. *squints*

Jack was a Cyan Cutie.

He was loyal.

He was chill and happy. (shirt reads "happy place, happy place" over his heart)

Joke was a "standard" blue boy who was intelligent in overlooked ways.

But Joke's red shows up when he is Joker because his braces were red in the exam con.

And his tie was red in the bank con.

So I think even though times have changed, and they have absorbed their current colors, the blue will still be shared between them.

Because it will show up again.

Theory #6 - Aran is Tattoo's boyfriend

I want Mark and Prom to kiss so badly in this show that I'm going to single-handedly sail this ship, so I think when Hoy and Tattoo surprise Jack and Joke, Aran is standing next to Tattoo. It doesn't make sense if they robbed him, but he is the only extra boy with an earring in his left ear, the hair lines up, and he would wear a shirt like that.

Give them to me!

[haikyu-mp4]

I would like to listen to One Thing with Futakuchi 🫶🏻

(This is such an adorable event!!!)

Now playing... One Thing

word count; 715 – f!reader, for my 1D x Haikyu event

“Have a great day!” you told the old lady who just bought a few peonies, appreciating her smile because you knew she would return when they wilted.

“You too, dear!”

A young man held the door open for her on his way inside, nodding politely before walking up to where you were arranging some flowers by the register.

“Hello, how can I help you today?” you asked, finally getting a good look at him. He was handsome, no doubt, quite tall and sporting a boyish charm.

“I need to get flowers for my grandmother. Probably roses or something is fine,” he said, so you pointed him towards the corner where you had a wide selection of roses.

“Roses are a classic,” you answered, a practised response by now, but then you sighed before adding another flower to the arrangement in your hands. “-but quite boring.”

The man stopped and turned back around to you, now having lifted one eyebrow that you mirrored as a challenge. “They’re for my grandma,” he said.

“Guess you’re not her favourite, then.”

He huffed and shook his head, but the grin told you he enjoyed this. Walking back over, he leaned both hands on the counter and tilted his head slightly. “Okay, flower genius. What would you suggest?”

You held eye contact and lifted the finished bouquet you had been preparing, which included a beautiful mix of some of your personal favourites. “This right here is a real winner, I’m telling you.”

“Is this what the grandmas like nowadays? Didn’t know they were so picky.”

“Anyone can buy flowers. The real winners are those who put a little heart into it.”

“Just saying she would be thankful for anything.”

“Probably, if that’s all she’s used to getting.”

While people rushed by outside on their way to wherever life was taking them, the two of you were completely caught up in this moment, eyeing each other like you were committing each detail of each others’ faces to memory without the other one noticing.

“You’re good.” He finally rolled his eyes and held up his credit card and you could just make out his last name on it before typing in the price with a little teasing cheer of victory. Futakuchi.

“I know.” Futakuchi took the opportunity to stare at you more pointedly. Obviously, you’re gorgeous, but even more attractive was how you kept up with the banter. Your last name was on your name tag and he almost accidentally said it out loud while repeating it in his head.

It was still repeating on a loop when he returned a week later, storming into your little flower shop. “Could you make another one of those bouquets?”

“Futakuchi,” you exclaimed in surprise at how suddenly he appeared while you were reorganising pots by the door. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice that you knew and remembered his name. “The same as last time? What for?”

As he answered, you brushed past him to gather all the flowers you needed to make what he wanted. “A girl I like.”

You wiggled your eyebrows, carrying everything to the register and beginning right away. “Oo, a special lady.”

Futakuchi huffed sharply, reminding you of the last time he was here as you glanced up for a glimpse of his charming smile. “She’s special, all right. Can’t figure out why, but she’s been on my mind.”

He asked what your name was and told you his in return, making time fly by telling you how his grandma loved the flowers he bought last time. Your hands worked with ease, threading the flowers together in a perfect balance to ensure whoever he gave this to would feel their heart quicken the same way yours did right now.

After he paid, your lips formed a straight line, assuming he would leave with the finished bouquet, but instead, he held it out to you over the counter with a sheepish smile. “Would you let me take you out for dinner?”

You grinned widely and accepted the flowers, hiding behind them as your cheeks burned. The stuff he said earlier was about you. “I’ll allow it.”

Futakuchi initiated his mission to make her get out of my head and fall into my arms instead.

And we all know it worked.

masterlist

[noyasaur]

hi! Can you talk a bit about you jjba dr? (If youre comfy ofc!) ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

an introduction to my jjba dr! ✩₊˚.⋆

cw: spoilers for jojo's bizaare adventure!

-> hihi! and yes omg ofcc!! i haven't shifted to my jjba dr yet but i would LOVEE to just ramble all about it if you don't mind 😌 gonna make it all aesthetic and cute too cuz hell yea😍

-> all images used (except the dividers) are from pinterest and full credit goes to the authors of these images :)

★ . about my jjba desired reality!

right now, i only have one jjba desired reality which the whole thing about is me going on all the adventures from part three to five!

i think in the future i want to have a few more desired realities like one experiencing part two and part six and maybe even more of the parts if i end up finishing the other mangas! i also want to have a jjba dr set in modern times and also a jjba-based reality with kpop idols!

the timeline: in my main jjba reality, i've changed the timeline of some things so i can experience all the adventures in the different parts with the jojo boys in succession one after the other.

for example, when i first shift to this reality, i start with going on the adventures of part three with jotaro and the other stardust crusaders. the events of part four happen a year after the events of the stardust crusaders adventures when me, and jotaro are ordered to go to morioh by the speedwagon foundation to investigate well, jotaro's 'cousin'😭

in this reality, there was no affair 😙 joseph has a daughter and a son: holly and hugo. hugo is holly's younger brother and when he graduates high school, he goes off to japan for university. however, he meets tomoko there and they become a couple. long story short, he gets her pregnant and he never told any of his family, in fear of what they might say about him having a child so young. so that's how there is no affair that makes everyone go crazy, how josuke exists and how i can experience adventures when i'm not an old lady and i don't have to wait like twenty years between each adventure! (lmao)

obviously i can't live without kakyoin being dead and everyone else, so they live in this version 🤗 also, i made dio sort of less? evil? he doesn't actually commit any crimes against other humans (except blood-sucking ew but he doesn't kill anyone and just keeps people hostage as slaves and maids while he does his evil bidding eek) but is just hellbent on 'destroying' the joestar bloodline.

thinking about adding some other people into this reality too? for example, i was really contemplating adding sunghoon into this reality and making him one of dio's sons or something but during part three, he turns on his father and helps us defeat him 😜 this is a possible addition but i'm not sure if i'll go through with this or not!

i also have some generational pact with the brandos (i didn't do it, my grandpa did smh), though i fight with the joestars. long story short, my grandpas was in love with dio and made a pact that he would swear to protect the brando bloodline (my grandpa = speedwagon but dio's version) /hj might explain this later but im still in the works with figuring out how it's going to work and the backstory behind it!

★ . about me!

background: i was born in australia on the (??\??\???? - not sure on the dates and whether i want it to be set in the 80's or the 00's). i was born with a faint, butterfly-shaped marking on my back. none of my parents knew what it meant but as i grew older, it continued to grow darker, and darker. self-conscious of the odd mark etched into my back, i bandaged it up to hide it. i lived a pretty peaceful childhood. however, the after i turned thirteen years of age, very strange occurrences kept happening to me.

there were some instances where things would become heavier or lighter, or where my parents felt as if they were moving in slow-motion or faster than usual. i would get weird dreams, some of the past, and some of the very, far future.

little did i know, this was all the work of my stand manifesting.

not knowing what was happening, i was shipped off to japan to live with my uncle, in tokyo in hopes that my uncle would be able to fix whatever was going on with me. you see, my uncle is a very spiritual man. while he works as an astronomer and a psychologist, he is very knowledgeable in the likes of tarot cards, magic, and otherworldly forces (etc). he did everything he could and that was in his power to try and figure out what was happening to me, since that was his forte and all.

and thus, after years of dealing with these strange incidents, at the age of 15, my stand manifested before me. i was crossing the street, on the way back to my uncle's apartment from visiting a convenience store. however, i didn't notice a car zooming towards me until it was too late. i shut my eyes, assuming it was all over. this was my fate: i was going to die a horrible and painful death. and there was nothing i could to about it.

i shut my eyes, bracing myself for the impact and my inevitable doom.

i waited.

and waited.

and yet, i felt nothing.

the impact never came. the excruciating pain and blast i expected to feel, never hit my body.

i was alive. and completely unscathed. but. . . how?

i wearily opened my eyes and to me confusion and horror, i saw her. i saw a strikingly beautiful but eerie human-like creature floating in front of me. it had it's arms extended out toward the car, which was now moving at an impeccably slow snail's pace.

after standing there in shock for a few seconds, i shook my head and scurried away.

around a few times after this incident, the frequency at which i had those 'weird' dreams dramatically increased. they turned from being a fortnightly, even monthly occurrence, to having those dreams many nights in a row, back to back.

oddly enough, with every dream i was having, i couldn't help but feel they were starting to feel a lot less like dreams but a lot more like visions.

after two weeks of more odd visions and happenings, i finally told my uncle. he was deeply puzzled as he tried to make sense of what was happening to me. and after a few minutes of pondering, something washed over his face.

was it relief? or more confusion?

did he finally work out what was happening to me?

but in the end, all he told me what that if i were to ever run into a man with the name 'Joseph Joestar' he made me promise i were to stick with him if i ever met him.

i asked him who he was, and all he replied with was: "Joseph? oh why, he's just a very good old friend of mine."

and so, i continue my life as usual, trying to deal and overpower these strange incidents and even became familiar with my beautiful and endearing new creature. luckily for me, i was enrolled in an online school so any incidents i would have would hardly leave a scratch on my grades and records.

although, this completely changed in the last year of my high school.

you see, my uncle wanted me to have a 'fun' and 'memorable' high school experience, especially considering it was my last year. and so, he enrolled me into an actual high school, which would change the course of my fate forever.

and what a 'fun' and memorable year it was. . .

(i am so sorry if this is so corny omg this feels so corny sdsdjs)

★ . my stand!

my stand name: Ancient Dreams (In a Modern Land)

statistics: power: B Rank speed: A Rank range: B Rank durability: A rank precision: B Rank potential: A Rank

abilities: weight drop! (weight change): the ability to change the weight of anything. can make objects or people light, or make objects or people heavier. the stand user cannot use this ability on themselves. the ability can be activated by shooting small orbs or energy at the opposing object or person, where they will have a butterfly emblem on them, shaded corresponding to a highlighted moon phase on my stand, which corresponds to the 'levels' of weight taken off the person. flash! (speed manipulation): the ability to change the speed of any object or person. however, this can only be done when the stand makes contact with the object of person. dream telepathy/communication/travelling: has the ability to communicate with others during their dreams, or enter one's dream through a meditative trance, with the help of their stand. the stand user can appear in one's dreams and communicate with the person, and also manipulate their dreams. however, the stand user cannot physically harm their target's through their dreams. rather, it is a soothing and positive technique that puts the target in a state of comfort. dream energy: the stand has the ability to shoot out energy orbs as a way of fighting. the orbs are made of 'dream energy' and can easily damage and slice through objects, depending on the manipulation of the orb. the orbs can be thrown in their pure form, or even me manipulated into whatever the stand user desires. for example, i could turn dream orb into a 'dream sword,' made from the cosmic energy of dreams and fantasy.

appearance: has a slim and feminine appearance. it's body is a gradient and mix of light baby blue, lilac purple and cotton candy pink, with the phases of the moon imprinted on it's chest. it wears a majestic headpiece of a butterfly on it's head, which is coloured a shimmering mix of pastel gold, purple and pink. it's eyes are a deep blur colour, and has transparent blue 'butterfly' wings.

🪐 saturn's note:

-> um this was a little more than just 'talking a bit about it' but i hope you found this interesting and enjoyed! kinda scared to post this because i've never really talked about my drs like this so it's new to me but also fun 😍 i might update this here and there and i def swill reblog if i do or just make another post for anything else you're interested in!

-> oh and when i shift there? hell yeah am i going to be writing and sharing my experiences omg 😩

[itsjuststardust]

Heaven In Hiding - Chapter 1: The Bounty

Story Synopsis: Five years before the Mandalorian even met the Child, Mando took what he thought was going to be the easiest bounty with the highest payout of his career thus far. Capturing a runaway dancer—a ballerina versus a Mandalorian—was laughable.

Until it wasn’t.

The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter. His job is to collect a quarry and then return it for a profit. It doesn’t matter what happens to said quarry once he has returned it and collected the credits. So, then, why can he not forget about a sad pair of emerald green eyes after he turned her in? And when their paths cross again five years later, and he sees the condition his former quarry is in, how can he justify returning the Child to them? He is a bounty hunter. It doesn’t matter what happens to them… right?

Word Count: 5,814

Author's Note/Chapter Warnings: Long time Tumblr lurker. First time Tumblr poster. This is a multi-chapter fic that is also posted on AO3. Din Djarin/OFC. Slooooowwwwwwww buuuuurrrrrrnnnnnn. Rated Mature for Mature themes (PTSD, slight sexual content, descriptions of torture), but will eventually become explicit (Officially 🌶️explicit🌶️ Chapter 8 and beyond)... So - 18+ only. Minors DNI. Welcome interaction with others and constructive criticism. Bear with me while I figure out this whole Tumblr thing 🩶

Chapter 1: The Bounty

“Alaina! What have you done?”

Alaina frowned as she pried the pointe shoes off her aching feet. Only the third time she’d worn this pair, she shook her head as she examined the flimsy pair of shoes. They were already fraying and splitting. It looked like she’d need to start breaking in a new pair. She dropped the shoes to the floor and brought her hands to the right foot, which she had propped on her knee, and rubbed at her sore foot. It was her third performance in a row, and she found herself greatly looking forward to a few days off to rest and soak her feet.

“What are you talking about?” she asked the young dancer who barged into her dressing room at the end of her performance.

“There’s a Mandalorian here," she said with a pleading look. "A Mandalorian is here looking for you,” the girl finished, looking nervously behind her as if she expected this person to appear magically behind her.

“What’s a Mandalorian?” she asked, wiggling her toes before she slipped back into comfortable slip-on shoes.

The younger ballerina stared at her as if she’d committed an unforgivable sin.

“Use your words,” Alaina prodded as she rose from her seat to stretch. “What is a Mandalorian, and why do you look so terrified?”

Thunder could be heard as it rumbled loudly outside, and Alaina smiled. She had already changed out of her costume and was wearing her typical outfit of tights and a baggy green sweater, but she had forgotten a jacket. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get too wet on the walk home.

“Alaina, there is a bounty hunter here for you,” her younger protege explained.

She frowned. A bounty hunter? What would a bounty hunter want with a ballerina…

Her eyes fluttered closed when she connected the dots inside her mind. Surely, that insufferable man wouldn’t be so bold as to send a bounty hunter after her.

“You’ll come with me one way or another.”

Her former friend’s words from their last meeting rang clear in her mind. Months had passed since their argument, and she had put it all behind her. Unfortunately, it appeared as if he had not been able to put it behind him.

“I need to leave,” Alaina whispered, gathering whatever belongings she could to hastily throw them into a bag. There wasn’t much here: her pointe shoes, a small purse of credits, a dagger she carried on her for protection, and a protein bar. She would just have to make do with what she had. She couldn’t risk going to her home, at least right now.

She slung her black canvas bag of belongings over her shoulder as the young dancer she’d been mentoring ducked into the hall and returned with a dark green velvet cloak that was from her dance troupe’s wardrobe. It would have to do for now.

“What did you do?” her protege asked her nervously as she helped her put on the overly large green cloak. She pulled the hood up to cover her blonde hair, which was still pinned back into a tight bun from her earlier performance.

“Would you believe me if I told you an evil scientist wants to perform experiments on me?”

The younger girl looked at her skeptically, and Alaina shrugged her shoulders. Honestly, she even had a hard time believing that herself, but here she was, getting ready to run for the second time in a year - all because of what her mind could do.

She sidestepped the shocked girl and darted into the hall. Alaina looked in both directions, and her eyes locked on an intimidating-looking silver helmet, staring her down from the end of the hall to the right. Other dancers and crew members seemed just as shocked to see the armored man. People seemed to part, allowing her a clear view down the hall.

So, that’s a Mandalorian, she thought as she took in the gleaming silver helmet and dull brown armor that adorned the very large man.

She schooled her features and squared her shoulders, preparing for the race of her life. If she could make it through the forest, she could make it to the river, which bordered a mountain with a chain of caves that would be perfect to hide in. Hopefully, she’d find a good enough hiding spot to wait out the man until he gave up. In the worst-case scenario, she could follow the river to the ship docks and try to score herself a spot with a cargo vessel or something and go with them to their next destination. Starting over on a new planet was hard, but she’d done it once when she came here. She could do it again.

Mind decided, Alaina turned to her left and sprinted out of the backstage door, not giving another look behind her.

The weather had turned atrocious during her performance, and her shoes slipped in the mud as she ran from the auditorium. Rain poured from the sky, and lightning cracked overhead, followed by loud, rumbling thunder. When Alaina had overheard the predictions of a storm this evening, she found herself looking forward to enjoying the springtime storm from her home with a cup of warm tea, watching the weather roll through from her bedroom window. 

Her evening plans had not included running for her life from a bounty hunter in the middle of a storm.

But she had no other choice. She needed to run. If this Mandalorian caught her and turned her in… 

Warm tears tracked down her face, mingling with the cold rain that pelted her despite the cloak’s hood. She couldn’t allow herself to be captured. That was that. If she ended up in his hands, Alaina shuddered at the thought. She’d never see her life again.

She’d never dance again.

She’d never be able to enjoy a springtime storm again.

There was no telling the things she’d never get to experience if her deranged former friend got his hands on her.

So she ran.

The tree line of the dense forest came into view, and Alaina tried to push herself faster. Adrenaline coursed through her, allowing her to ignore the pain in her feet or the way her lungs burned with every inhale. She just needed to make it to the forest, and then she could work on hiding her tracks by weaving through the trees.

She broke through the tree line, and the forest’s canopy slightly shielded the downpour of rain, which meant the forest floor was not as muddy, allowing her slightly better traction. 

She risked a look behind her, and her heart sank when she saw the foreboding outline of the Mandalorian standing at the treeline. Lightning cracked, illuminating the landscape around the broad-shouldered man and making him appear to be made of shadow and darkness.

“Please,” she begged the bounty hunter. “Please don’t do this.”

The only response she received was the rumbling of thunder as the bounty hunter took a single step toward her.

Alaina’s chest constricted, and she turned to run further into the forest. She did her best to make her tracks as erratic as possible as she wove through the dense trees. A root snagged her foot, and she stumbled but caught herself just before she fell to the ground. All those years of dancing suddenly seemed to come in handy for an entirely different reason.

The sound of water could be heard in the distance. Alaina smiled. That was not just the sound of rain. That was the sound of the river roaring. Which meant that the cave system that followed the river would be nearby.

Just a little further.

There would be a stretch of nothing when the forest would end, as the terrain changed from dirt to stone, as the scenery transitioned from forest to mountain and its caves that lined the river. That expanse would leave her exposed. Alaina slightly slowed her pace to conserve some of her energy. She would need to sprint to make it there once she no longer had the dense forest to use to her advantage.

She looked behind her just as lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the forest behind her. She slowed when she saw nothing there behind her. Good. Hopefully, she lost the man. Or, at least, she had given herself enough leeway to sprint across the vacant stretch of land between the forest and the rocky, cavernous mountain by the river.

She stopped at the forest’s edge, hugging a particularly large, red tree trunk. The river roared to her left, and Alaina watched the rapids crash into the grey stone banks. She gulped at the powerful sight. The river was normally full on a good day, but with the rain from the storm, it was almost overflowing the banks. If the river rose any higher, it could possibly flood the caves she was counting on hiding in. Or worse, one wrong step or slip, and she could fall into the rushing waters. Although, she’d rather meet the Maker in the river than she would at the hands of…

A branch snapped behind her, and she spun, expecting to find the armored man stalking behind her out of the darkened forest, but no one was there. She let out a shaky breath. She couldn’t waste any more time. It was time to run again.

Alaina turned to push off the tree to begin her mad sprint to the caves in the distance, briefly closing her eyes to say a prayer to anyone who was listening to give her the speed to make it to her destination. Only when she pushed off the tree did she come to an abrupt stop when she ran into something.

Lightning cracked across the sky, and Alaina’s heart caught in her chest when she realized it wasn’t something she ran into but rather someone.

The Mandalorian.

The man’s larger, gloved hands reached out and latched onto her shoulders, trapping her in his powerful grip. 

“Please, sir, I know you don’t know me, but you can’t send me to him,” she begged, tears welling in her eyes as she stared up into the helmet in sheer terror.

The helmet stayed unmoving, and Alaina felt the slightest spark of hope. Maybe she’d be able to talk herself out of this. Surely, the man wouldn’t turn her in if he knew what would happen to her.

“My—my name is Alaina,” she stuttered. “I’m a dancer. I just want to be a dancer. I’ve never stolen from anyone or hurt anyone,” she tried to plead her case. “If you turn me in, he’s just going to experiment on me. He’s obsessed with me and what I’m capable of.”

“Sorry, kid,” he said. The digitized voice was flat and uncaring as he spoke. 

Alaina watched in slow motion as one of his hands dropped from her shoulder to grab a pair of shackles from his waist. With all the strength she could muster, she dropped and twisted her body in an attempt to escape his grasp. And then— 

She was free.

Alaina blinked in shock when she realized she was just out of arm’s length of the Mandalorian. The helmet gave nothing away, but judging how the bounty hunter looked from his empty hand to her, she assumed he was just as shocked to see that Alaina had managed to escape him. 

With another blink, Alaina remembered where she was.

And then she remembered who she was.

Alaina knew that people usually looked over her. She had a dancer’s typical slender build, but people usually assumed that she was weak and underestimated the lithe muscles she’d built over the years from hours and hours of daily training she’d done. She was the awkward height of being shorter than most women and missed out on parts because she didn’t fit what some directors pictured for their leading dancer. She knew she was pretty but not beautiful. Her looks were plain, and men’s gazes never stayed on her pale face for long. Alaina could go on for days. Her green eyes were too large for her face. She found herself wishing her blonde hair would be brighter and would just make a decision to be either curly or straight and not whatever unmanageable wavy thing her locks dried to. People looked at her, and they underestimated her.

The Mandalorian underestimated her, and she escaped from his grasp.

She had a gift - a gift that not many knew of. Her mother had the gift and did her best to teach Alaina how to manage it. Her former best friend turned evil scientist, knew of her gift. It had torn their relationship apart when he discovered the things Alaina could do. Her mother had warned her that people would use her, but Alaina had trusted her closest friend with her secret.

And he sent a bounty hunter after her.

After how everything ended between her and her former best friend, she vowed she’d never reveal her gift to anyone again.

However, as she stared down the bounty hunter who had been sent to capture her, Alaina decided it was time to use her gift to save her life.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. When she opened them, the Mandalorian was taking a step closer to her, and she brought her hands up between them and watched as the man froze.

“What the hell?” came a modified voice under the silver helmet.

Alaina held her ground and raised her hands, letting her powers flow through her to freeze the Mandalorian in place.

“What are you doing to me?” he asked, and his body could only flinch as he struggled to regain control of his body from her.

Alaina smirked in response before her face hardened, and she flung her hands off to the right, sending the armored man airborne. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she doubled over, resting her hands on her knees as she panted. Using her powers took a lot out of her, but she couldn’t rest. Not yet. She’d only bought herself a little time.

She looked back, and when the Mandalorian’s body crashed against the ground, she took in a deep breath. Lightning lit up the sky, lighting up the bank of caves in the distance.

“Run,” she whispered and nodded to psych herself up.

“Shit!” the Mandalorian spat as he tried to get up after she had tossed him.

That was all the encouragement she needed. 

She sprinted as fast as she could against the slick stone that lined the expanse between the forest behind her and the caves before her. The sound of the river roared in her ears, and she tried to use it as a meditative sound. A sound to encourage her. She used the sound of the rushing water to drown out the sound of the Mandalorian’s boots pounding against the stone as he chased her down.

Alaina gritted her teeth as she pushed herself further, asking more from her body than she ever had before. She was so close. Just a little more, and she could jump to a ledge that had an entrance to one of the caves. Once she was in there, she could get lost—so lost that it would take her days to find her way out of the intricate caverns. Surely, the Mandalorian couldn’t find her if she didn’t even know where she was herself.

A gloved hand grabbed her cloak, knocking the hood down, and yanked her back.

Alaina screamed in rage and twisted until she freed herself from the velvet garment. Unfortunately, her dancer’s grace did not hold a second time. A combination of the slick stone, her speed, and the twist it took to escape the cloak caused her feet to trip over themselves, and the stone was too wet to correct herself. She tumbled forward. Hard.

The ledge she had been aiming for rushed at her, and she crashed into it.

The last thing she saw was a bolt of lightning strike the ground in the distance before her head collided with the mountain’s ledge, and her world went dark. 

 Five years later...

Stormtroopers.

Of course, Karga led him into the belly of an Imp snake pit.

The Mandalorian squared his shoulders at the sight of the white armored imperial remnants staring him down. The payout better be as impressive as Karga implied it would be, he thought as the door slid closed behind him.

“This way,” the trooper closest to him said, pointing to a door on the left side toward the end of the hallway.

Mando stepped forward, keeping his eyes open for even a hint of trouble.

“Stop her!” a voice yelled from somewhere further down the hall, and Mando tensed, grabbing his blaster.

The other troopers in the hall all swiveled their heads just as a blur of yellow and white came barreling out of a door on the right side.

A frail-looking girl with honey-blonde hair, wearing what appeared to be a white hospital gown, elegantly twisted and outmaneuvered each of the troopers, who looked too stunned to stop her. Unfortunately, the woman was so occupied with looking behind her that she didn’t notice him in front of her.

She collided with his breastplate, and Mando instinctively grabbed her arms to prevent her from falling over. Brilliant emerald green eyes stared up at her, wide with fear. 

But he knew those green eyes. Those large emerald orbs had haunted his dreams for the last five years.

“Tin Man?” Alaina whispered, her eyes blowing wide in disbelief. 

Mando took her in. Her eyes hadn’t changed in five years. They were still that brilliant shade of emerald that had followed him all these years later.

“Save me,” she pleaded, grabbing onto the top of his chestpiece. “Please,” she begged again.

“Don’t move!” one of the troopers ordered.

He was frozen in shock, not expecting ever to see the emerald-eyed woman again. 

Tears welled in her green eyes, and she surprisingly slipped from his grasp. Again. 

Mando watched as she spun and twisted around him. Her movements captivated him. If this were his first time meeting her, he never would have pegged her to be a classically trained dancer. It was clear she lacked the muscle of a trained fighter, but the way she could maneuver out of his grasp spoke of someone highly skilled.

His former bounty didn’t make it far. Mando watched, too stunned to do anything, as electricity wrapped around her. He watched on helplessly as she screamed and writhed in pain, falling to her knees while she was being electrocuted. When the electricity seemed to stop, she turned back to him with pleading eyes before another wave washed over her.

“Stop!” 

Mando turned to see a small, weasel of a looking man with glasses come running out of the same room as the woman had.

“Stop!” he ordered again, and Mando watched as one of the Stormtroopers released a remote that he hadn’t noticed before.

When he let the button up, the girl stopped convulsing and collapsed to the floor.

The smaller man, who appeared to be an officer of some kind, gave Mando a quick glance but sidestepped him to go to the woman. He pressed his fingers to her neck and nodded, apparently relieved to find a pulse there. He forced Alaina’s eyes open, shining a light into them. Alaina’s face scrunched in pain at the light, and she weakly shoved the doctor away.

“You have to be careful,” he scolded the trooper with the remote. “All of this will be for nothing if you fry her brain. Come, Lainey,” he whispered, helping the woman up off the ground.

“Don’t call me that,” she growled, shoving the doctor away from her. She swiped at her face and frowned when she discovered a slow trickle of blood that came from her nose.

“I'm sorry you had to see that,” the nervous officer apologized, keeping his eye on the blonde woman as she tried to stop bleeding from her nose. “We were expecting you.”

The past came back to him as he was finally able to place the man in front of him.

This was the man who had come to him about the bounty on Alaina all those years ago.

“Doctor Pershing,” the man greeted him with an outstretched hand.

Mando looked at the doctor’s hand without taking it before looking back at the nervous man’s face.

“Right, straight to business. Just like last time,” the doctor nodded and dropped his hand.

Alaina’s eyes moved to his helmet, and her emerald green eyes sparked with rage as she looked at him. Pershing moved to stand next to her and forcefully clamped a hand around her elbow. Alaina tried to yank her arm out of his grasp, but the man clung to her tightly.

Pershing gave him a tight smile. “Follow me,” he directed, turning to move down the hall. When Alaina dug her feet in, the doctor aggressively pulled her to his side, almost causing her to stumble again. “You will be punished for your escape attempt, Lainey,” Pershing whispered into her ear.

It was still loud enough for Mando to hear the man, and he felt his hands subconsciously clench into tight fists at his sides.

It’d been five years since the first time he saw her. She’d been a bounty. 

She was the last puck of four he’d taken off Karga. The Guild leader tempted him with the high payout that was attached to the girl. He’d been told that the woman had fled from her husband with his fortune. There was an odd list of specifications for her return—no brute force, no head trauma, no carbonite. He just shrugged, not caring about the list of demands. It would be an easy job. A ballerina versus a Mandalorian… It was laughable to even think about.

Until it wasn’t.

He learned quickly that the story he’d gotten from Karga didn’t quite add up. Then, he was stuck with her for the three days it took to get back to Nevarro. She’d pleaded and begged him, called him a karking Imp, and told him he was working for the Empire. He held firm. She was the job. Bounties lied. It wasn’t his job to be the judge and jury…

“But you are my executioner,” she’d accused him. “If you’re going to deliver me to my death, I want to know your name. Or is your heart also made of tin, Tin Man? ”

He hadn’t forgotten her emerald green eyes in five years.

Pershing motioned for him to take a seat across from an older man in dark robes as he pulled Alaina to stand by the back wall. Alaina ripped her arm from the doctor’s hold and went to stand a couple of steps away from the man.

Now, those green eyes were staring back at him. Instead of tears or terror engulfing her wide green eyes, tears of hate, complete ire, and disgust swam in them. 

It seemed the girl had been right. He’d practically gift-wrapped her for the Empire. The outcome wasn’t supposed to matter. She was his bounty. He had turned her in. That was that. She had done something to deserve to be where she was. Well, maybe she did not deserve to be with the Empire, but that had been out of his control. He’d been hired to return her to her husband… so that’s what he did… Or so he thought.

So, why did the girl’s green eyes still find a way to haunt his dreams? Not every night. Not even every month. Usually, after a difficult bounty or something that was more emotionally taxing than usual. Her green eyes and long honey-blonde hair would show up in his dreams. Which only made him feel worse.

He could still remember her name after all these years—Alaina. And here she was, on Nevarro, right where he had left her, in the possession of her new owner, the Empire. 

She was thinner than he remembered. Her cheekbones were more prominent than he remembered, and her face had a hallowed, sunken look. She had a scar on her left temple from when she tripped and crashed head-first into that mountain when he chased her down. Her blonde hair was duller than he remembered it being. It was done in a single braid and fell to her lower back, but her hair had lost some of that sheen it had. Now, it looked more like straw—dull, frizzy, and dirty. She was wearing what was basically a white hospital gown that fell to her knees and looked more like a sack hanging off her frail form. The last accessory of note was the thick collar that clung tightly around her neck. A slave's collar. It was what they had used to electrocute her in the hallway earlier.

Mando felt a wave of guilt swell in his chest. Her green, emerald eyes still held that spark he remembered, though. At least the Empire hadn’t taken that from her.

Not yet, his treacherous mind whispered.

Now, he sat across from the Client in the middle of his clandestine meeting Karga had offered. Karga had said this was a client with deep pockets; he just wasn’t expecting to deal with Imps. Mando had half a mind to walk out of the meeting, that was until his former bounty with emerald eyes crashed into him in the hallway. He didn’t know what came over him to make him stay. He rarely ran into quarries after turning them in. In fact, he’d only ever stumbled upon one one other time before now. Maybe it was intrigue. Maybe it was guilt. Either way, she was the only reason he decided to stay and hear the Client out.

Mando’s helmet was directed at the Client, but he kept his eyes on the girl, Alaina, while the Imp spoke.

The Client snapped his fingers, and Mando’s former bounty stepped to the table to stand next to the older Imp. The Client reached under the table, and when he brought his hand back up, he dropped a silver, molded object on the table.

“Beskar?” Mando asked, surprised to see the rare metal brick with the Imperial stamp prominent on it.

“Go ahead, it’s real,” the Client encouraged him with a smug smile. Mando picked up the brick to inspect it closer. “This is only a down payment,” the man continued. “I have a whole camtono of beskar waiting for you upon delivery of the asset.”

Kriff, an entire camtono…

“Alive!” Dr. Pershing spoke up anxiously from behind the table.

“Yes, alive,” the Client confirmed. The man took a deep, annoyed breath before continuing, “Although I acknowledge that bounty hunting is a complicated profession. This being the case, proof of termination is also acceptable at a lower fee.”

“That is not what we agreed upon!” Pershing argued, obviously upset by the suggestion.

Mando glanced up from the beskar and observed the client and Pershing for a moment before turning his gaze to the woman on the other side of the Client. Her green eyes gave nothing away other than obvious disgust directed at him.

Mando should have left, should have walked out. He already had a bad feeling about whatever bounty they had, and besides, a deal with the Imps was not what he had planned. In fact, Mando had made it a point to avoid them at all costs. 

However… the camtono of beskar was too good a deal to turn down. The covert needed supplies and Mando had a duty to provide for his people.

“Let’s see the puck,” Mando said in agreement to take the job.

The Client raised his hand, and the emerald-eyed woman took a step forward to stand next to him at the table. She looked back at the client, who nodded to her. The woman, Alaina, turned her gaze back to his helmet and stared at him so deeply that Mando felt as if she could see past the beskar and view his face.

Mando held his breath while she continued her silent examination, not exactly sure what was happening.

“I sense no ill will,” she finally spoke, breaking the strained silence. “He is…” she faded off, and her face became sorrowful, pained even, before she finished with, “he is a man of his word.”

Mando clenched his fists on top of the table. So, that’s why the Imps had wanted her. Hadn’t Alaina called herself gifted? Her words from years ago rang through his head. Mando had even been on the receiving end of her powers a couple of times. It was one of the many offers she had begged him to take her up on instead of basically gift-wrapping her for the Empire. She'd warned him about this, but he hadn't wanted to believe her. Who knew the kinds of things someone like her could help them achieve? What other powers did she possess that the Empire was using her for?

The Client nodded and flicked his hand back, dismissing Alaina to the back of the room again.

The woman didn’t move, though. Curiously, he watched as a subtle change took over the blonde woman. A blank, unseeing look washed over her face. The woman brought a finger up to trace the transparisteel T of his helmet, and Mando sat there frozen as he watched her fingertip glide down the front of his helmet. “He’s drowning in seas of green,” she murmured, tilting her head curiously to the side. It was almost as if she could see something that the rest of them in the room could not.

The Client sighed. “You’ll have to forgive her,” he told Mando as a way of apologizing. “She’s useful, but sometimes not all there,” he finished, tapping his finger to his temple, silently suggesting that Alaina was crazy. 

Then, without warning, the Client pressed something under the table, sending a shock through the collar that was secured around her neck, bringing the girl crashing to the ground with a scream.

Mando was out of his chair in an instant, ignoring the troopers who snapped their weapons back to him. He shook his head and knelt down to offer the woman a hand. She looked around, disoriented, before her gaze landed on his outstretched hand. Cautiously, the woman slid her hand into his palm and allowed him to help her back up.

The girl had been right after all...

“I am surprised to see a Mandalorian such as yourself so upset over a little electrical stimulation. Surely, you’ve done worse to a bounty to receive the desired outcome.”

At the Client’s words, the woman’s face changed from curiosity back to fury, directed entirely at him. She ripped her hand from his with a snarl.

The girl had been right, and now her blood was on his hands.

The Client snapped again, and he watched her walk back to her spot on the back wall.

He needed to fix his mistake. He needed to make it right.

“It’s not the method you used,” Mando told the client, bringing his helmet back to glare at the older man. He hoped he sounded halfway menacing so he didn’t blow his… Blow whatever inkling of a plan that was beginning to take shape in his head. “It’s the collar.”

The Client nodded and motioned for him to retake his seat. “Sometimes, things must be done to ensure the safety of others,” he explained with a smile.

Mando crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. “The safety of others?” he questioned, trying to use the opportunity to pry information from the man. “What is a waif of a girl like her gonna do?”

He didn’t miss how Dr. Pershing’s demeanor became even more uncomfortable than it already was or how the Client’s smile turned from passive to dark.

“Things you couldn’t even imagine, Mandalorian,” the Client answered ominously. “But, we aren’t here to discuss the girl. We’re here to discuss your next bounty,” he reminded Mando.

Mando gave a single nod, “Right, you were about to show me the puck.” He didn’t care about the next bounty. He cared about the one standing in front of him from five years ago.

It was time to right his wrongs from all those years ago.

“I’m afraid discretion dictates a less traditional agreement,” the Client began, leveling a look at his helmet. “We can only offer you a tracking fob.”

Mando sighed and raised his vambrace to enter the code. “What’s the chain code?” he asked.

“We can only provide you with the last four digits,” the client informed him.

Mando dropped his arm and tilted his helmet at the information—or, more accurately, the lack of information. “Their age? That’s all you can give me?” he asked, putting out with the answer.

“Yes,” the old man nodded. “They’re fifty years old. We can also give you last positional data. Between that and the fob, a man of your skill should make quick work of this.”

Mando stayed quiet, contemplating the bounty, weighing how he was going to pull off the bounty, the beskar, and the girl. Part of him wanted to go back to the original plan of killing them all and taking the girl. Chances were the beskar was hiding here somewhere, too. His eyes flicked back to the girl standing against the wall at the back of the room. Mando ground his teeth. No, if he needed a chance at freeing her, he needed to play into their game. At least for now.

“The beskar belongs back into the hands of the Mandalorians,” the client continued when he didn’t get an immediate response from Mando. “It is good to restore the natural order of things after a period of such disarray, don’t you agree?”

Mando’s helmet moved on its own toward the green-eyed woman clinging to the wall in the back, staring at him with large, mournful eyes. He let out a huff but nodded his head, agreeing to take the job.

I’m sorry, Mando thought, looking back at his former bounty. Alaina’s eyes widened even further, almost as if she had heard him apologize. The look of surprise only lasted a moment before the hard exterior returned to the green orbs. Had she somehow heard his apology? Did her gifts allow her to somehow communicate telepathically?

Mando rose from the table, turning his back to the Imps and Alaina. The job would give him time to come up with a plan for getting the beskar and the girl.

Everything had already turned upside down on him once. What else could go wrong?

Heaven in Hiding Masterlist

Next chapter in series: Chapter 2: Judge, Jury, and...

[silverwings22]

In Your Shadow: Chapter 4: Dreams of Your Own

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Shadow normally liked to be alone with his thoughts. In Green Hill, he mostly kept to himself. Sure, he interacted with the others there with varying degrees of enjoyment… Rouge could pull him out of his hiding places with ease, and Amy often came to visit him whether he wanted her to or not. Big was quiet company if he ever felt like going fishing. Knuckle’s abrasive personality tended to collide with his own, and Tails had the annoying habit of believing Sonic could do no wrong. Still, his self-imposed isolation back home was just that. Self imposed. 

Now that he had no choice but to sit by himself and wait for Sonic to rectify this mess, he was going stir-crazy. He needed to be doing something other than trying to see through the blur of the portals to make sure Sonic wasn’t fucking around. He couldn’t help but hope Star got back soon… she’d been pleasant company. And another Ultimate Lifeform, a connection to Maria-

It was hard to draw that line for himself, that her Maria wasn’t his. Just like Nine wasn’t Tails, and he was sure Sonic was making a mistake trusting him like he was… but Star was someone different, not a fragment of someone he knew back home. It was easier to differentiate with her. And she’d been interesting, eager to please and happy to help. It was almost a pity that when the world was set to rights she’d probably disappear for good. 

There was a pulse from the red gate and he looked around, getting to his feet when he spotted a figure floating over. “Sonic?” 

“I’m a little offended.” Star’s voice laughed, coming into better view once she wasn’t so brightly backlighted by the gate she’d come out of. She landed on the rock he was on, face to face, and smiled. “There’s no way I’m that annoying.”

Shadow huffed out a laugh and looked her over. “New clothes?”

“Maria insisted I wear armor.” She nodded, holding her arms out for his inspection. She was wearing a white bodysuit that fit her trim little figure quite nicely, overtop which sat a red bulletproof vest with a gold star on it. She had red guards on her legs from the knees down and over the top of her feet. Her forearm and hand guards matched, and when she turned he could see the cutouts for her back spines and tail. “It’s light enough to move around in, so I can still learn how to fight.” 

Shadow nodded, walking around her in a circle. “Good, you haven’t forgotten. Fists up.”

“I don’t forget anything.” Immediately, she followed instructions. Badly, but she followed them. Her form was awful, she’d be knocked off her feet with a single swing, and her thumbs were tucked into her fists. “Like this?”

“Absolutely not.” Shadow snorted, walking up behind her. One of his feet pushed hers further apart. “Weight on your back leg. That’s better, lower center of gravity. Otherwise, you’ll get knocked down. Don’t hold your hands like that, you’ll break your thumbs the first time you hit something solid. There you go.” He nudged her elbows up, guarding her sides, adjusted her hands for her, and got her where she could passably protect herself. “There. That’s better.” 

Star nodded, expression set as she committed the position she was in to memory. “Got it.” 

Shadow stepped back up in front of her. “Now, let’s try a spar. You remember what I did when Sonic was here last time.”

She nodded again, bracing herself. “I’m ready.”

And she hit the ground. 

Again. 

And again.

Shadow wasn’t showing her any mercy, but to her credit she didn’t ask for it either. She just got up every time he sent her flying, wiping her face on her arm before getting back into the guard position no matter how many times he put her on the ground. And they went at it for hours. She’s brave, I’ll give her that. Shadow was a little proud of her, especially once she started being able to read his moves. She ducked, swinging back as his foot went over her head, and managed to catch him in the ribs. This time he went down hard. “Not bad.” He sat up with a groan. “You hit hard enough, at least.” 

Star smiled, sinking to her knees. “Oh good.” 

“We’ll take a break.” He scooted over next to her and leaned back, arms crossed behind his head. “You did pretty well.”

Star flopped over beside him. “Thank you.” She looked up at the floating rocks around them, expression softening. “I know it’s terrible being trapped here… but it’s kind of pretty.” 

“Hmm. You should see the sky from the beach in Green Hills. The moon’s broken, so it sort of glows.” 

“The moon’s broken?” Star blinked. “Why?”

“I broke it, technically.” He sighed. “I spent 50 years in stasis, after the ARK raid. When I woke up, I went for revenge. It was only because Amy reminded me of Maria’s wish that I didn’t destroy the entire Earth.” 

“Oh…” Star’s voice trailed off for a moment, turning her head to look at him. “Maria got revenge too.” She said softly. “Only… nobody stopped her. She wiped out all of GUN… with a weapon she made from the shard. I did more research into it when I was grounded, after she told me.” 

Shadow turned his head towards her, their noses only a few inches apart. “Even her friend Abe Tower?”

“Every single one of them.” Star just nodded. “I guess… there wasn’t anyone to remind her of you. Maybe that’s why she made me… she doesn’t really listen to me, though.” 

“Is that why you’re trying so hard?” He raised an eyebrow. 

She squirmed. “... maybe. I’ve had so many ideas over the years of things I thought would make her happy. I followed her every instruction, excelled in the lessons she taught me, learned every skill she’d allow… but her smile never reached her eyes. She never looked at me like she looked at you in the recordings… like she was really happy. So I thought, if I could make the planet beautiful again then maybe that would work. That’s when I started sneaking out, doing the masked vigilante shtick.” 

“A vigilante that can’t fight.” He snorted. 

“I’m telekinetic. I just needed to stay out of range.” She grumbled. “And I can liquify myself into shadows, or turn into a living flashbang. I’m versatile.”

“Not enough. I’ll show you how to spin dash after you catch your breath. If I had a Chaos Emerald, I could show you more. But when I get it back, it’ll be when this is over…” He paused. “I… don’t know what will happen to you after that.” 

“You told Sonic that Nine wasn’t his real friend… do you think all of us from the other worlds aren’t real?” She asked softly. 

“Maybe real isn’t the best word for it.” He sat up, and Star followed suit. “But you’re not the same. Sonic can’t treat Nine as if he’s Tails and expect someone with a vastly different life experience to behave the same. Just like your Maria isn’t the same as mine was. Even if she was, fifty years have passed. She’s a different person than the little girl I knew.” 

Star looked around the void around them, expression faltering. “Would it be so bad, to let different versions of the same people into your life? My Maria would love you just as much as yours did.” 

“My Maria wanted me to be guardian of the Earth. My version of Earth.” Shadow shook his head, looking up at the shattered sky. “I can’t abandon it, even if I wanted to… that’s what it means to be the Ultimate Lifeform. To protect the world she left behind. That’s why I have to fix this, and I have to go back.” 

Looking at him, with his eyes fixed ahead and a resigned slump of his shoulders, Star felt her resolve cracking. She’d been sure she could convince him to come back home with her, to make Maria happy by letting the three of them be together… but it was seeming less and less likely. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do if she failed, and he refused. What would Maria do, to keep their plan a success? What would Maria think, if Star failed her? It was the only goal she’d ever had, to not let her creator down…

“I’ve never had a big purpose like that. I was just supposed to make her happy, to keep her company.” Star hugged her knees. “I don’t know what I’ll do when she’s gone…” 

“You have to find your own purpose. Something you can believe in, and devote yourself to for the rest of your life. And our lives are long, so you have to be sure.” He glanced over, startled to see her looking at him instead of the debris around them. “What?”

She smiled. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking… you’re a lot smarter than I am. I never considered that my purpose was something I could… find. Rather than an assignment someone gave me.” 

“I know the feeling.” He nodded, getting to his feet and offering her hand up. “C’mon, I’ll try to get you as many skills as I can, before things get put right.”

“Do you think the other worlds, like mine, will disappear?” She asked quietly. “That I won’t exist, once the Prism is put back together?”

“I don’t know.” There was real regret in his voice, and Star couldn’t even be upset at the idea of no longer existing. “But, until we have all the shards back in Ghost Hill, there’s no way to know. You still with me to fix it anyway?” 

She put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet, insides crumbling just a little bit further. “I’m with you, Shadow.” 

Maria had been underground for a long, long time. She usually didn’t have any reason to interact with the surface, and even less inclination to do so. But… the whole Yolk was rattling all the way down the elevator, and she was in the middle of finishing her prismatic energy portal.  Ivo and his many iterations of egotistical narcissism were disrupting her ability to work, and she was too close to the goal to have them mucking it all up. 

She was going to have Shadow back, alongside Star, and keep both her beloved hedgehogs safe and sound for the rest of eternity. She was reasonably confident with enough time she could make herself as immortal as they were, with access back to the Prism shard. As long as she could work, anyway. 

After significant swearing under her breath she debated climbing into the elevator with a plasma blaster and a silently lethal mood. Her cousin had been scared shitless of her for decades, after she’d single-handedly wiped GUN off the planet. It was their agreement not to bother each other, that they’d keep their hands off of Star and she wouldn't vaporize them into dust, but her patience was running thin today. Maybe she’d just scare them by appearing topside. She didn’t really like the idea of killing anyone anymore… 

“Maria?” Star’s voice was soft on her wrist communicator. She’d given the hedgehog girl one before she’d taken off running again, warping out of the lab and back into the void with Shadow. 

“Hi sweetheart. How’s everything going?” She tried to keep her own voice light and cheerful. Star would worry, sweet little thing. 

“I don’t think the plan is going to work. He won’t leave his world… he says he has a responsibility to protect it.” Star didn’t sound happy. 

“Well convince him, Star. You’re a pretty hedgehog, and the only other one of his kind in at least five realities. I’m sure you can bat those long eyelashes-”

“But… I don’t want to trick him, Maria.” Star cut her off. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Star.” Maria narrowed her eyes, looking at the communicator like she could glare at the girl. “You’ve only ever disobeyed me once, and do you remember what happened? Nearly killed by Eggforcers, captured by the Council? Follow my instructions. This is everything I’ve ever wanted, and you wanted it too before you left. Don’t put everything we’ve worked for in jeopardy. I thought you liked him.”

“I do. I just… he won’t be happy if we bring him back to New Yolk. His world needs him. But if we went back to his world with him-”

“Where GUN still exists? Absolutely not.” Maria scoffed. “Just stick to the plan, Star. Get the shards, and I’ll handle getting Shadow out of the void.” 

“... alright.” Star didn’t sound like her usual, attentive self. She sounded miserable, worse than when she’d been grounded. Like it physically pained her to be a part of this… Maria would have felt guilty if she wasn’t so sure she was right. Shadow would come around once the three of them were together. They’d all be happy together, in a world they created entirely for themselves. 

Maria sighed, pushing her goggles up her face and rubbing her eyes. “Doc, play the news. Is that rebellion still going on topside?”

“It appears so, Professor Robotnik. The rebels are closing in on the Yolk, with most of the city having been taken and Eggforcers disabled.” The little robot pulled up a video of children playing with broken robots in the streets above. 

“They’ll storm the Yolk eventually, and I need to have this done by then.” She pushed her welding goggles back down. “If Star doesn’t lose her nerve… what is the Council up to, if they’re being beaten so badly?”

“They are raiding other realities for their shard fragments, with the intention of eventually terraforming all of the Shatterspaces in a similar way to the city districts, ma’am.” 

Maria paused. “... they’ll ruin everything if they get their hands on too much Prism energy. I won’t be able to keep them in line, and I won’t be able to protect Shadow and Star. I need to get those shards from them.” 

“That would require going to the surface, Professor.”

Maria glanced at the door of the lab, which led out to the atrium and elevator. “.... I haven’t been up there since Star was born…” 

“Then you must decide if you are willing to do so now, Professor.” 

Maria bit her lip, foot starting to bounce. Was she? It seemed so silly to be anxious about it, but it had been such a long time. On the other hand… Shadow and Star were so close. 

She could do it for them. 

“You’re getting the hang of the spin dash.” Shadow nodded with approval as Star bounced and landed at his feet, unfolding with a laugh. 

“Oh, come on. I deserve a little more credit than that.” She looked up at him, sitting on her wagging tail. “It’s actually kind of fun, once you learn how to not get dizzy.” 

He chuckled. “You did look funny stumbling all over the place.”

“Did you actually laugh? I think that’s a miracle in and of itself.” She got to her feet. He’d gotten more comfortable chatting with her, beyond instructions and banter. It felt almost like they really were becoming friends… which was making this so much harder. 

Maria said stick to the plan. It’s the only way to make her happy. But… if I trick him into coming with us, he won’t be…

She’d never cared about anyone’s happiness but Maria’s before. Not even her own, but now… Shadow was fascinating. He was so strong and yet so damaged, a tough facade born to protect himself. She understood why he hissed and snapped at Sonic, who was so casual about the way he interacted with everything. His weren’t safe hands to lay a broken heart in… and Star couldn’t stop looking at her own hands, wondering if they could ever be. Or if they’d stop existing as soon as the shards were all together, and none of her anxiety would matter at all. 

She didn’t understand how she just got him like this, but it seemed like she barely needed to look him in the eye to tell what he was feeling or thinking. She’d never felt like she understood anyone so well, or was understood herself. Not even with Maria. But Shadow? This little sliver of who knew how long she’d been here felt like a homecoming. He was talking to her, between little lessons. He had told her about his life on the ARK, in ways even Maria wouldn’t talk about. She could see little glimmers of what must be under the shell, of who he really was.

It hurts to lie to him. 

“Shadow, I-” She was ready to throw the whole plan to the wind, reaching out for his arm, when a massive ship warped through the New Yolk gate. 

“What the hell is that?” Shadow frowned. 

“The council’s mothership.” Star blanched. “They’ve already gotten the Bozcage shard, and you launched Shadow back into the No-Place Sea…” 

“Did he lose that shard too? That idiot.” Shadow rumbled. 

“Maybe not. They’re probably going to pick up the smaller ships… maybe we can slow them down?” Star pulled him behind a passing rock as the ship got close, keeping him out of sight. He hadn’t had to tangle with the Council before, or grow up under the constant knowledge they were up above him, destroying the world. She couldn’t let him get hurt. 

It struck her like a freight train to think that she wanted to protect him, not for Maria’s sake but for hers. The idea of anything happening to him made her feel sick to her stomach. Is this what he was talking about, finding my own purpose? Could he be a part of it?

“We’ll never be able to touch that ship, even with our powers.” He frowned, peeking around. 

“But these big rocks are heavy enough to do damage to the engines. And we can handle any Eggforcers they send out to repair them. It’ll slow them down, at least.” 

“I like how you think.” He nodded. “You break left. I’ll go right.” 

“Okay. Be careful.” She couldn’t help but tug at his wrist gently. “Please.” 

He nodded and took off, the jets from his shoes vanishing behind the large chunks of spiralling stone. Star’s ears drooped quietly as he vanished from sight, and she twisted behind a rock herself. 

No matter what I do, I’ll lose him, won’t I? If I trap him, he’ll hate me. If I tell him the truth, he won’t trust me or Maria… and he’s still going to leave. 

She hadn’t known him long enough for it to hurt so much. But it did. A goodbye loomed ahead, and the only way around it was to go with him, where Maria wouldn’t set foot. The idea of leaving her seemed even more impossible…

She shoved a chunk of stone at the mothership, taking out her pent up frustration out on a target worth destroying. None of this was fair. She’d finally met someone who might understand a fraction of who she was, and who presented a clear path towards the only goal she’d ever had… just to watch it crumble between her fingers. And she couldn’t even be angry about it, because he had a solid reason. An admirable reason… one that just made her stupid little crush more intense. And he would never even know, because she was no more than a passing moment in his life. A footnote, forgotten one day when his memories stretched across centuries instead of decades.

On the other side of the mothership, Shadow was lining up his own chunk of stone to kick that direction, mind wandering back to his partner in the endeavor.

Ever since she’d asked, days ago (or had it been? With no day or night it was hard to tell how much time had passed in the void) if she’d disappear, he’d been wondering about it himself. Was there a way to save her, someone who didn’t exist in their world, without damaging the realities? 

Would it really be so bad, to bring her over? Her Maria too… there wouldn’t be a risk of two of them meeting, and Star said she’s grown woman now. It would be like a second chance… maybe? Or am I being hypocritical, to expect Sonic to not treat Nine like Tails but to try to make contact with another Maria.

He didn’t know how he felt about the Maria question, honestly. But Star… he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of finishing this up and never seeing her again. She was a unique person, and the only other Ultimate Lifeform he’d ever met. He was entranced by how she threw herself at everything, how she kept picking herself back up… even her devotion to her Maria was admirable. He hadn’t planned to like her so much, and in such a short time too.

She probably doesn’t feel the same way about it. I’m a means to an end, to save her reality. Simple as that. 

He peeked around another rock to find her slamming one towards the Egg ship with her telekinesis, moving immediately back under cover after she had. From this angle, he could see she was falling into the guard stance he’d taught her… and he couldn’t help but be a little proud. 

Atta girl. 

Sonic snapped into the void almost right next to Star, looking miserable. “Heey…” 

“Where’s the shard, hedgehog?” She frowned, flipping him upside down to see where he was hiding it. “You got the No Place one, right?”

“Uh…”

“Sonic!” She shook him by the shoulders, the blue hedgehog making a pitiful noise. “They’ve already got the New Yolk and Bozcage shards. Do you know how much damage they could do with three?” 

“I know, I know!” He groaned. “I didn’t expect Dread to double cross me!”

“This is what Shadow was saying about Nine. You can’t treat them the same as the people from your world. The history isn’t the same.” She hissed, pushing him away from her. 

Isn’t that what I’m asking Shadow to do? Pretend my Maria is the same as his…?

“Oh no.” Her expression dropped, looking up at the mothership as the Yolkamotive and Kraken reconnected to it. “Maria.” 

Shadow rocketed over to them. “Where’s the shard, Sonic?” 

“The Council got it. They’re headed back to New Yolk now.” Sonic pointed. “You guys slowed them down pretty good, it looks like.”

“I’ve got to get back to New Yolk then. If they have three shards, everything’s in danger.” Star chewed her lip anxiously. “There’s a very delicate peace between Maria and the Council, and they’re angry cowards. As soon as they have the upper hand, they’ll try to hurt her for keeping them scared this long. And even if they don’t, the Rebels will if they successfully storm the Yolk. The ARK2 is under it.” She explained, running anxious hands through her quills. 

Shadow caught her wrist. “Don’t panic. Panic is how you make mistakes.” He said quietly, and she could tell he was speaking from experience. For a moment, she could almost imagine how panicked he must have been fifty years ago, running through the ARK1 with Maria’s hand in his. He hadn’t saved her, and if Star didn’t learn from what he was telling her now she might lose her Maria too. 

Star nodded, swallowing hard. “Okay. I… I’ll try.” Her mind buzzed, trying to throw a plan together. She was smart, she could come up with a strategy on the fly, right? “I’ll get her out of the Yolk and run her here. Then I can help Sonic with the shards.” She pulled her communicator off her wrist and handed it to Shadow. “This is a direct line to her. Once I’ve got her, I’ll contact you through her communicator. Okay?”

He nodded, strapping the little device to his wrist. “Okay.” 

She gave him a weak smile. “Let’s hope those fighting lessons pay off.” She took off, Sonic at her heels, and they jumped through the red gateway into New Yolk. She landed lightly next to a dumpster, just in time for Sonic to crash into it. “Do you ever land on your feet?”

“These are extenuating circumstances, Star.” He grumbled as he crawled out, and she flicked a banana peel off his head. “I swear I’m a lot cooler back home. I’m the big hero.”

“Are you sure? Because Shadow is giving off the hero of the day vibes… you are catastrophe.” She sighed. 

“You totally have a crush on him.” He grinned, brushing himself off. “You wanna do the hedgehog carousel with him, don’t you?”

“I… don’t know what that means. But we don’t have time for this. We need to get to the Yolk.” She swatted at him, cheeks burning, and took off. He followed, catching up to her skating strides. 

“You even rollerskate like him. Wow.” He teased. “You’re really down bad.”

“They’re frictionless rocket boots.” She grumbled, trying not to look at him. “And they were made by the same person… kind of. Mine are based on his from fifty years ago.” 

“Just admit you like him.” Sonic smirked. 

“If I didn’t need your help to save Maria, I would throw you off the Yolk.” She snapped. “On your left, rebels and two kids in trouble. Show me what a big hero you are.” She rolled into  a spin dash and started bouncing off the nearest line of Eggforcers.

“Oh yeah, you learned to fight!” He grinned and joined her, scooping up the two kids to safety before smashing his way around. He landed on a rooftop as Star floated down to the streetside next to the rebels. “Miss me?”

“How come every time you show up, things get worse?” Rebel demanded. 

“Because he’s a harbinger of chaos.” Star landed in front of her. 

“Hey, kid. We thought you were toast.” Knux offered her a sly fist bump. “How’d you make it out of lockup?”

“It’s complicated. Let’s just say I know somebody on the inside, and she’s in danger right now.” She explained. “I need to get into the Yolk.” 

Rebel nodded. “Then we’re going with you. I know it’s now how we operate, we stick to the shadows, but… we need to take the fight to them.”

“Star knows all about sticking to the shadows, don’t you?” Sonic dropped an arm around her shoulders with a smirk and emphasis on the word Shadow. 

She stomped his foot as hard as she could with her heel. “Then we need to move.” 

[teriwrites]

Behind Closed Doors: 'A Secret Engagement'

My Live Reactions to Reading Through My 2014 Novel

Buckle up, this chapter is FOURTEEN THOUSAND WORDS LONG!

It's springtime in the city, and Cedric spends most of his unemployed life acting like he's still employed (meeting with all of his old coworkers and companions)

Remember how Delroy walked in on Santos and Eleri secretly convening in a room at one point? Right, so they're ENGAGED. Secretly, even! Time to roll credits for this chapter

Governors are already trying to reinstate Boyd's role and it's literally been like a handful of months since he got fired in the first place

Delroy 'barely sees non-humans due to the general oppression of any species tied to magic' vs. Fayina 'hanging out with a werewolf and fighting off vampires left and right'

This chapter is proof that I've always loved a little infodumping about worldbuilding lol, we've covered the mailing system, and we're onto religion - just wait until we reach Lady Ghislaine's actual story. The woman loves to yap, what can I say?

Eleri needs more friends - asking Delroy to review your sketches of the dress you want to sew for your wedding is a little sad, girly

Omg Cedric fired Eleri

"I have warned the staff time and time again that I do not have the income to afford to keep all of you." okay bro but like you're hosting a hugely important dinner tonight, maybe now's not the time to fire your one maid... also, where tf is all your money going?? you're like one of the richest men in the country??

I mean at least you're no longer in his debt, girly

Broooo Delroy stop showing sympathy for the rich asshole you work for, he clearly doesn't give a shit about his employees

"I'm sure he's afraid that you'll forget about him as well. The two of you will be fine." How could he promise that, though? He knew very little about the hearts of young men and women. Never once had he considered marriage, nor did he think he ever would. (a return of my best attempt at calling this boy out as ace)

Why is it implied that people wouldn't be supportive of Eleri and Santos' relationship?? Is this a racism thing?? For some reason, I had it in my head that Eleri was actually a faun, but nothing in the story itself has alluded to that, so either I simply forgot to mention the whole 'lower-half of a goat' situation or else I decided to toss in racism???? for some reason???? specifically for this one interracial couple?????

Somehow Delroy and Santos alone managed to draw up a feast for the dinner party Cedric is hosting, and immediately commit faux pas by bowing to Cedric (lowest ranking member of said party) instead of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister somehow manages to be an even bigger dickhead than Cedric Boyd!! Not that he's a worse man, but he's definitely worse at hiding it

Lady Ghislaine is heeeeere, star of the show even when she's a secondary character

Wait this might be The Scene

The Prime Minister's wife has a cold, surely a sign that women must be the weaker of the sexes!!!!! Something he says with his full chest in front of the foreign, female diplomat

Of course, something must always go wrong at a dinner party: Santos and Delroy didn't prepare enough drinks! Santos still has work to do on preparing the cider, and they might not have enough wine!!

Don't ask me what meal goes with both cider and wine, but they were like the two alcoholic drinks I actually knew anything about at the ripe old age of 16

'Useless noble class, Delroy thought bitterly to himself. What do they do but sit upon thrones of wealth and watch the rest of us suffer?' *cough cough*

'The Prime Minister had appeared to make an inappropriate comment about women once more, for Delroy could see Lady Ghislaine holding in a retort. Neil Oscar leaned his elbow on the table to look down its length and smirked. "What's the matter, my Lady? Are you tired of always being at the foot of the table?" (I literally just went 'oh shiiiit' out loud)

HERE IT IS

"You surely cannot believe that women are equal?" "I think," Lady Ghislaine interrupted dryly. "That you forgot to whom you are speaking. As an elven women proficient in half a dozen languages, ambassador currently to Ardeai and previously to both Kasira and Garth at separate times, holder of the Iron Heart for services in battle, educated in one of Kasira's greatest universities and knowledgeable in numerous subjects no longer taught there such as astronomy and biology, once a member of my King's personal court, and having earned the title of 'Lady' in numerous countries before my 25th birthday - and not because my father was a noble, for he was a measly trader - I believe that I have a reason for thinking women are as capable as a man. Unless you would like to hear my longer list of achievements?" The Prime Minister gave her no response, and a tense silence fell over the crowd of people sitting around the table.' (YEEEEEEEEEEAH)

Okay that^ section is a little bit dramatic, I'll admit, but when I decided to toss Lady Ghislaine into a worldbuilding project, I wanted to find a way to include some of that speech into her new backstory. So a lot of the achievements that she lists here are actually events or somehow included in my 2022 WIP, 'The Lies in the Legend'. We'll see a lot more of that later :)

At least the fatphobia in this one is acknowledged as a social construct brought into being by the whims of those in power............. so, yk, baby steps

Delroy's such a shit cook, and honestly, what a mood

Teri, you don't need to recount events that occurred literally earlier in this draft, the reader will remember it lol

Or they won't, but then it'll just seem like a weird addition

Implied that rumors abound about Lady Ghislaine's relationship with Cedric, which I hate so much that I'll be ignoring that from now until eternity lol

Maybe my grammar still wasn't perfect, but one thing about me is that I'm gonna be using the proper verbiage when something 'piques' someone's attention

Delroy, why would you even know this diplomat's kingdom's national flower?

(The answer is that it was one I invented in an old worldbuilding project, and i had to show it off)

Boy from the plains and the plateaus still struggles with stairs, bless his heart

Delroy's writing a memoir. What a tool.

Lady Ghislaine's memoir, though! That's something worth reading ;)

And that's lights out!

Ending Thoughts:

I think I can promise that I'll stop being a little Lady Ghislaine fangirl after this. We have two chapters left (well, one and then whatever I wrote of the following), and if she makes any appearances, they'll likely be few and far between. Anyways! Back to the Actual story! Despite this chapter being Long As Fuck, it also falls pretty neatly into what I've been calling the 'mediocre midsection' of this series. Basically, a lot of unnecessary and relatively uninteresting details for every action being made throughout a scene. It's a positive sign, a step in a good direction, as I learned how to string scenes together and was playing around with exactly what needs to be included, but it leaves less room for commentary, and generally makes the reading less exciting. Progress doesn't always guarantee something interesting, and that's okay!

[klondiketales]

(W.E) Maybe I'll draw something, but definitely not soon, and if only I have inspiration for it, something like this, what about Rocky as a changeling fairy, huh, that explained his chaotic nature, and Nina's internal dislike for Rocky, because on some level she feels that he is not the son of her dead sister, something like that. Honestly, I still want a happy ending for them, I love happy endings after shit, what can I do, I imagined that they would run away together to a distant place or something, like a city, and they would make new friends and new acquaintances there, who will not know that they are cousins, this is easy, because when you look at them, you will not immediately think that they are relatives, the only thing they have in common is a maniacal laugh, and a striped color, but that’s all, of course it’s difficult to bear secret that you are related, but if that means being happy, then fine, and besides, this is not their first lie, also I imagine that they work other jobs not related to crime, let's just say they moved away from these things, although Rocky and Freckle miss their old life, especially their loved ones, but to be honest, they like the new life too ... yes, I slipped into fluff, so I will write the next thoughts about Freckaby, but tomorrow, because today I'm tired, so see you tomorrow 👋

I think it would be so cute if he was really a fairy ;u; although I must say, I have always disagreed with the idea that his aunt does not love him. I think she must have loved him a lot, in order to commit to raising him from ages 4 to 16. He was a very troublesome child, from what I can tell, and anyone who didn’t actually love him would have kicked him to the curb long before 16. I also like to think (although it’s just my personal opinion/headcanon, and I don’t mind if others disagree) that after being his mother for so long, she has come to love him for who he is, regardless of the fact that he is her sister’s son. I don’t know, I just, I work with kids, and it’s really hard, and I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Nina, and when she finally did kick him out, she must have felt she was doing the right thing. She was trying to protect Freckle. She has as much of a responsibility towards Freckle as she does towards Rocky, after all, if not more, and if she felt that Rocky was hurting him, well, she must have felt she had no choice. I personally think she was heartbroken at having to kick Rocky out. But she hides it behind a mask of stoicism. Like all Irish do.

And hey, she still lets him visit, and washes his laundry, and even asks him to spend time with her son to make him feel better (which was obviously a mistake lol). Despite saying he’s “squandered his second chances,” she does seem to be giving him another chance. I think she just loves him too much to cut him off completely. I think Nina is much nicer than people give her credit for. Her methods can be a little intense, and she’s not overly affectionate, but she’s doing her best as a mom, for BOTH boys. Sorry for the rant. But I will defend Nina to the death. SHE LOVES ROCKY GOSH DARN IT.

That’s such a good idea! I might write that instead, because I agree they deserve a happy ending after all they went through. Some fluff sounds nice right about now. I guess I was just looking for a negative ending because I don’t want readers to think I support incest or think it’s a good idea, and having them kill themselves would be a good way to do that. But having them skip town, lie to everyone about their identities, and live with the shame of secretly being in an incestuous relationship and unable to come clean lest they destroy their own lives (again) works well too! And it makes it so I can write domestic fluff of them! Good idea, as always.

See you tomorrow!

[scrumptiousstuffs]

Only Friends Episode 2

Again, so many thoughts and feelings.

But wow, the tension and chemistry between our 3 couples 🤌🤌🤌 but ermmmm yeah this episode, my heart and soul goes to my disaster muffin Ray and his prickly hedgehog caretaker Sand

We start the episode where we left off with Top essentially pressuring Mew to be his bf by asking the question out loud. I love that while Mew said yes, he also clearly then communicate to Top saying he was uncomfortable with the loud declaration and only said yes as a kind act (but it may also be a subtle manipulation by Mew to see how far Top is committed in pursuing him. after the not-so-subtle speech by Boston stating Top’s relationship never last longer than 3 mths and he only wants to be Mew “ first”).

And Mew, taking charge of the whole narrative by asking a reset and telling Top that he will need to work for it if he wants a relationship (and I guess access to his virginity 😂).

To Top credits, he takes this all on board - playing nicely with Namchuen and April. But while he is civil enough with Boston and Ray, both can’t really hide their dislikes (for different reason) for Top. Boston is clearly still interesting in pursuing another encounter together (but it seems now it’s more a matter of pride for him? - the whole scene in the shower with Top not interested and Boston declaring at the very least, he had Top first and Mew didn’t?)

Boston actions in this episode reinforce (to me) his callous nature. He is fun to be around but doesn’t take much responsibility, and appears careless with other people’s feelings (we see it with his action and words - from the previous episode when he told Ray “why don’t you just be his (Mew) bf?”, knowing Ray has a huge crush on Mew or him going behind Mew’s back to seduce Top or him disappearing in the midst of them completing the villa/hostel project for yet another hook up with Nick). Similarly, his sexual interactions with Nick - that is just heading towards doomsville for me. On the other hand, Boston has always made it clear he is not interested in any exclusive relationship, but it appears Nick has fallen deep into the rabbit hole (the poor boy 😮‍💨). Also, I still find it creepy he take photographs of his conquests (say what???)

Anyway, like I mentioned above though - my heart ❤️ and soul belongs to Ray and Sand this episode. We see the depth of loneliness in Ray, without Mew it seems he doesn’t even hang out that much with Boston/Namchuen. And his conversation with Mew by the poolside, makes my heart aches. The way he told Mew “I want someone nice to look after you.” (And him not even thinking himself as a candidate cause he knows he is a mess, but doesn’t think he is good enough to even improve himself 😭). Also, despite him being jealous of Top, he accepts Mew decision and hasn’t tried to sabotage the relationship (unlike Boston!!)

And his whole interactions with Sand - there is no doubt he followed Sand initially out of curiosity into the strip bar (still can’t believe he did this! the whole scene was peak comedy - all the beautiful women throwing against him, but Ray only having eyes on Sand 🫣 - it tells you something though? 🤫)

What I find so heartbreaking 💔 is Ray offering obscene amount of money for Sand to keep him company but disguising if as a drink buddy “I don’t want to be alone, just drink and listen music with me.” That’s probably one of the few nights where I think Ray genuinely had fun - he found someone with similar music interest, and someone who shows kindness when he opens up about his mother’s death (also, his mom dying with alcohol in her hand? If that’s not foreshadowing I’m not sure what is!)

And well, there is no turning back for Ray after this. From the previous episode, we see Ray clings hard to his small circle of friends - and now with Sand firmly on his radar plus his circle of friends all busy with their own relationships (or in Boston’s case - his many one night stands)…I don’t think Sand stands a chance of escaping Ray (not that he tried very hard 🫣)

The way he basically cockblock Sand and then con him to drive him home (his smug face!!!)…and well, we all know what happened- Sand and Ray clearly finds each other attractive, Sand tries to stay in his lane, offering to be his friend. But Ray has different ideas, and well, I don’t blame Sand (not with the way Ray was eye fucking him)

The sizzling chemistry between these two yeah…I think it’s safe to save the smoking kissing scene (can’t believe this was an improvised scene by FK!) and Sand kissing Ray’s hip tattoo while both of them ravaging each other chest - ermm yeah 🥵🥵🥵

Although it’s safe to say, I think Sand has fallen for Ray (despite what the former stating that they are just staying friends) - especially with the ending shot of him saying with what appears to be a slightly resigned face “Sure you can stay friends, but you have to be careful, it’s like playing with fire.”

(Help people, this show has a chokehold on me!!!! 😭😭😭😭)

19/08/2023