#of course his name is pronounced that way
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hestzhyen · 2 days ago
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Chapter 78 Finally Posting
LET'S! FUCKING! GOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Editor's notes: First Page: 敗れた昼彦...!! [yabure ta Hiruhiko...!!] "Hiruhiko is defeated...!!" Last Page: 京都にチヒロ、 東京にハクリ!2つの戦場が動き出す!! [Kyoto ni Chihiro, Tokyo ni Hakuri! 2tsu no senjou ga ugokidasu!!] "Chihiro in Kyoto, Hakuri in Tokyo! The two battlefields heat up!!"
YEAH
THAT'S RIGHT
A whole bunch of stuff happened so let's get into it!
Mechanics and Info Yap
Boy did I struggle to translate all the information that was dropped this chapter. But we learned a ton!
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[ominous Latin chanting kicks up in the distance]
One, Suzaku is not infinite. Or it's not supposed to be, at least. It also doesn't actually reverse death, but given how hax Samura is right now, Chihiro's information might be out of date. I'm calling it: Samura is certified OP now. He's cracked. A true raid boss. Whatever he did to prepare for this moment, it fucking worked and now he's apparently the Kagurabachi version of Faker. Good fucking luck, Chihiro. Go for breaking Tobimune! It's the only way you can beat him since he won't expect it!
Samura was also apparently pushed into developing Suzaku during the Seitei War. I wonder if we'll see the moment that inspired the move...
Oh, and one-point-five. Owl can even affect the weather, apparently! Samura's almost a god. Seriously, good luck Chihiro (he'll be fine in the long-run because he's the protagonist, but let's pretend we don't have that meta knowledge).
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The edgiest member of the Hishaku is also the master of edging himself.
Two, Kuguri's sorcery! Nice to know it! Not exactly practical, but he's a swordsman for a reason. Given how much he loves to train with the blade he probably got quite a bit stocked up before blowing it all to escape from Samura.
Translation note since I have no idea what the official English version will do with his move. In Japanese it's 破暮 [hagure]. 破 [ha] means rend/rip/tear/break/destroy/defeat/frustrate, while 暮 [ku] means evening/twilight/season's end/livelihood/make a living/spend time; 暮れ [kure] means sunset/nightfall/dusk or end/close or year's end. I'd translate this as "Broken Dusk" because it sounds cool as fuck but there's a lot of room for creative liberty here. I think the official TL is cool as hell too so no complaints from me.
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[Matrix vibes intensify]
Three, some Kamunabi lore! They have barriers, of course, which were probably a gimme in terms of defensive measures. This guy also looks cool as hell!
We don't know how many fighting forces they have on-hand but it's alright. The non-combatants of the ~500 members of staff at the Tokyo location will go further underground and we will hopefully get some awesome action from a certain someone I've been wanting to see for ages now.
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Let's do some trivia since I'm here!
神奈備 - Kamunabi. It's not just a name, it's an actual word (usually pronounced kannabi) for a mountain or forest where a deity is enshrined. What a fancy, pleasant-sounding way to say your mission is to imprison a guy who went insane and slaughtered about 200,000 people who'd already surrendered.
This chapter, instead of using 防壁 [bouheki] for a defensive military barrier, the term 結界 [kekkai] was used. Kekkai is a mystical barrier rather than a physical one, and folks who frequently read manga/watch anime will probably recognise it because of how common magical barriers are. It's got ties to Buddhism too, of course- it refers to the fence between the inner and outer sanctums in a temple, the prohibition of various things that would hinder Buddhist practice, and is also the Japanese term for Bai Sema.
I just wanted to mention this because the more we see of the Kamunabi the less traditionally military they seem. Leaning on mystical terminology, traditional onmyouji outfits making up the higher-ups uniforms... their whole org appears steeped in spiritual concepts and imagery.
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Hiruhiko, Defeated
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Oof.
Man, even I feel bad for him at this point. He wanted his own fight with Chihiro to be as hype of a clash as Chihiro vs. Sojo was but all that happened was that he hit rock bottom instead. He overcame nothing, did nothing, and still got his arm sliced off by the arc's main antagonist anyway. That's the only thing really connecting him to Chihiro at this point.
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I don't think I've seen a more miserable, pitiable creature.
The ultimate counter to Hiruhiko is apathy. His passion for fighting Chihiro is burning bright, but even someone as emotional as his "rival" can't feel anything for him. Hiruhiko's totally irrelevant and I feel vindicated for thinking all of his stuff in the hotel until now was an annoying side-show.
Chihiro won his reality check fight because he was willing to adapt his mindset. Hiruhiko lost because he was laser-focused on his own interpretation. He's differentiated from Sojo's situation because Sojo actively refused to incorporate more information about Kunishige that would alter his worldview; I have a feeling that Hiruhiko will learn quite a lot from this once the shock wears off.
So this will be the true start of Hiruhiko's story I guess. Chihiro's journey didn't really begin until he had to overcome Sojo forcing him to realise that he didn't know enough about his father. So as Chihiro's self-proclaimed frenemy, Hiruhiko's journey will start with him confronting his own vision of reality being incomplete. What form that takes is up to the author- I just hope his growth is interesting to follow.
Chihiro vs. Samura Round 2
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Hype and aura incarnate.
They're finally cleared to start fighting now that the Hishaku have retreated. What will happen? No clue! I won't even try to guess because it could be anything.
We've got our arc boss battle set up. Chihiro and Samura going to clash. Sojo was about death of the author and Chihiro accepting there was more to learn about a situation that was more complex than he grew up believing, Kyora was about what it means to be a good father and the dangers of blind devotion to legacy. Samura... is about condemning oneself to a path that one doesn't necessarily have to walk, I think. The burden of guilt unaddressed leading someone to spiral down and eventually out if no one can help them. Basically, what I thought since chapter 51 or so.
This part broke my heart though.
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This is the personal reason.
He thinks back to Iori's sadness and it becomes a core part of his motivation. I mean, of course it did- Chihiro started walking the road to Hell the day he lost his own dad. He's burdened by taking a path that neither his father nor Samura wanted him to follow, but he's going to see it through.
So I think that rather than wanting to put Samura down like the previous two main antagonists, Chihiro wants to save him.
Chihiro's whole reason for being out here in this position is because his dad was murdered; he's not exactly champing at the bit to put other people in his position. He takes it so fucking personally when fathers aren't treating their kids right! He only killed Kyora for actively choosing to be a piss-poor father, perpetuating human suffering on a massive scale, and because Hakuri pleaded with him to do so. But Samura? This man is fundamentally good. He's misguided due to guilt and anxiety, but he's not doing things to make the world a worse place, deliberately or intentionally. He's trying to save people and make the world better for his daughter's sake.
This is why I'm so all-in on Chihiro winning the fight by breaking Tobimune. His ideals aren't going to make it easy for him to cut Samura down- he looked up to the man, he knows he's not a bad person, and he definitely doesn't want to make another orphan out of Iori. So even if he could stat check the raid boss his heart wouldn't be in it. The neatest solution would be to break Tobimune instead -Samura's overwhelming strength born from Soaring Faith- and show him a different way to do things.
I'm open to other outcomes obviously. Chihiro might be forced to kill Samura somehow, Iori and the Masumi might come in and throw a wrench in things, anything can happen. But this clash of ideals of Chihiro wanting Samura to live for Iori and Samura believing he needs to die for her is going to be incredible, I know it. Hokazono's at his best when he's examining these themes of parenthood and legacy after all- he's not fumbled once yet with them.
Man. If Chihiro and Samura are both trying to save each other here, I'm gonna go nuts. This fight is set up to be an absolute masterclass and I can't wait for it to unfold.
Meanwhile, at Kamunabi HQ...
The Kamunabi are mostly up-to-date, blah blah. We got an unexpected narrator here though.
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Name, please?
We got Prince Nez's PoV and it makes sense. He was the one who tried to reassure Samura in the flashbacks that the Kamunabi was totally secure. He's got an even read on the situation and helpfully points out that we still don't know the Hishaku's exact plan here is. It's anyone's guess so I'll just slap down a non-existent bet that they're trying to cause the Malediction event here and now.
Okay so, who's gonna fight all seven Hishaku members that we may or may not finally see in full? We finally got confirmation that Shiba and Hiyuki aren't present since they're guarding the other two bearers, so who's left to face the intruders?
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A new challenger approaches! NOTE: "Hibiki" is supposed to be "Hiyuki". Another dumb mistake from VIZ.
That's right, my gorilla wife is going to take the field- at long last we will see him in a real fight! Probably! Maybe we'll even get to see his sorcery at long last! And maybe we can have a few less jokes about him being the traitor until there's better reasons to believe he's a suspect!
I wifed Azami based on the very little we've seen of him and it's mostly because I like his design and the promise of his personality. He's the only guy in the whole cast who uses the casual male pronoun 僕 [boku] (even Mr. Inazuma uses the rough and very masculine 俺 [ore])! I won't go on a huge tangent here about why I love him so much but there's a reason for it, I swear. He seems to enjoy brawling despite being a straight-laced government agent and it really gets the braincells movin'. Plus being a powerful sorcerer but choosing to fight in melee with his fists. Being a calm and rational guy on the job but having a short temper when it comes to Shiba. The contrasts intrigue me and I will stand by him no matter what. He's my wife: a handsome, polite, and erudite gorilla in a wizard's robes and hat.
There's someone else who's gonna get some time on screen too, though.
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[incomprehensible screeching]
HE'S BACK HE'S BACK HE'S BACK HAKURI I LOVE YOU I MISSED YOU AND I'M ALMOST IN TEARS SEEING YOU AGAIN IT'S BEEN SO LONG AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH NEVER LEAVE ME FOR THAT LONG AGAIN PLEASE I BEG OF YOU
He's still got some scuff marks to show he's not completely healed yet but he's BACK. HE'S HERE. HAKURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Given the announcement for non-combatants to evacuate preceding his reintroduction, I don't think he'll be in the fighting. Poor guy just woke up and surely won't be asked to overtax himself again, will he? Or more like, surely there will be some responsible adults around him capable of stopping him from overtaxing himself again? But his PoV will be valuable to see what's going on with the Kamunabi while Azami and whoever else is on deck fend off the Hishaku's assault. I have a feeling we will be getting some big reveals to set up the next arc thanks to Hakuri. Hopefully he won't be written out for months in real time again.
A Miscellaneous TL Note
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If anyone was curious, 響 [hibiki] means "echo" or "reberveration"
Also, this week's chapter title is 交代 [koutai] which has a bunch of similar-yet-distinct meanings like "switch", "change", "substitution", and "taking turns".
Lastly, perhaps most interestingly...
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"Resurrect" here has some fun double meanings. It was written as 黄泉返し [yomikaeshi], which actually means "return to/from Hell" but the Ruby over top reads [yomigae] for 甦, "resurrection". It's got some nice thematic tie-ins to how Chihiro and Samura both think they're headed for hell (but have a very good chance of being redeemed in some way).
OKAY! For the first time in ages I am vibrating in my seat waiting for the next chapter. I'm so freakin' stoked, man. See you next week if I don't explode from anticipation, dear void.
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missilewithamaninit · 1 year ago
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wait no no no. Jean is pronounced Jean? as in John with the French j sound?? Not Jean as in apple bottom jeans??? oh my god please tell me I'm not the only idiot who's been reading it this way the vibes are so different please
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grecoromanyaoi · 2 months ago
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the musical 'chicago' if they followed classical latin's pronunciation rules: pop... six... squish... uh uh... kikero... lipschitz...
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leatherbookmark · 2 years ago
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And What If I Told You. There's No 'W' Sound In 'Wooyoung'
#shrimp thoughts#there just isn't! no 'w'!#it's not 'woo' like the romantic verb!#ever since i took that one month long korean course in 2018 looking at what kpop does to korean romanization has been so painful#like. hobi has ㅓ in his family name and it gets romanized as u but another ㅓ in his given name is eo. ????????#i also don't like ㅜ = oo because like... it makes things longer? please embrace ㅜ as u. YKNOW. THE WAY YOU DO WITH URI.#i have Never seen 우리 romanized as '(w)ooli' so WHAT'S UP WITH THAT.#and don't get me started on ㅗ. when they romanized jin/soul's name they kinda had the right idea in that it's a more rounded sorta 'o'#compared to ㅓ (during korean classes we called them low o and side o lol) BUT THEN. wy has the 'ou' in his name BUT IT'S ㅓ.#this is all to say your little guy's named uyeong. sorry#i feel like basing the romanization of korean on english is sorta stupid because they're different languages but ALSO because phonetically#english is in NO way consistent. so ㅓis 'u“ (jung) but also it's ”ou“ (wooyoung) and “eo” (hoseok). girl whatcha doing#when it's like. ʌ in ipa. sun + son + young. but it's ONE (1) SOUND. HELL ON EARTH.#post is sponsored by a youtuber saying wy's name with an audible W sound and me being like This Is An Easily Fixable Issue! but also#i do Not believe i can physically point that out to anyone without sounding like a total asshole (see: this post) so#(of course it's all nice and proper in like actual korean romanization systems like the revised one BUT kpop notably does NOT use the#revised romanization... sunmi actually had to explain that her name's not pronounced soon-me. which could have been avoided#if they just spelled it seonmi lol
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webism · 7 months ago
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☆ bestfriend!satoru likes seeing you in his clothes a little too much.
it starts with lending you a jacket when you're out late and it gets cold. he laughs at you first, makes fun of the way you shiver, but then his eyes drift and he realises he can see your hardened nipples through your shirt and suddenly he's layering you up in his jacket just to keep his mind from short-circuiting.
but the sight of you in his jacket is no help either, not when you drown in it because he's so damn tall and he's reminded of the difference in size between the two of you and for the first (more like third) time he's wondering what you'd look like beneath him in a mean mating press. how you'd feel shaking under his body weight: like how you're shaking now, but pleasure wracking your body rather than the cold wind.
he tells himself it's fine to have these thoughts. you're his best friend, you spent every waking hour together: it's only natural that his thoughts would eventually drift southwards. he'll snap out of it, he just needs to jerk off and clear his mind.
so he walks you home, and lets you keep the jacket.
but that night, he's in the shower with hot water scalding his skin, eyes squeezed shut as he strokes his cock at an inhuman pace. fucks his fist with anything but you in mind—he thinks about all his past trysts, about whatever porn he's seen lately, about his fucking cursed technique.
and he thinks he has it, he's pumping his cock with crazed strokes in an attempt to cum and clear his mind, but just as that pleasure starts to break into white hot lust, all he sees is you. in nothing but his jacket, wrecked on his cock and begging him for more.
and when he cums, he sees your eyes pleading up at him from where you’d rest on your knees, ready to take his load into your mouth because you crave the taste. He swears he can feel your fingers splayed over his thighs… your tongue tracing the pronounced vein that runs up the underside of his cock… your heated presence in the shower alongside him.
satoru says your name as he cums, and realises he’s wholly fucked and not coming back from this.
so, naturally, gojo plays into it.
the next time you see him is at his place, you come around to spend time with him and talk about the mundane that always seems exciting when spoken in the lilt of your voice. he offers you a drink, pours you a glass of red and promptly spills it over your pretty top—purely accidental, of course.
and he only takes a moment to admire the way the soaked fabric clings to your skin before he’s bolting into action and offering you a shirt of his own.
“it’s like you’re trying to steal my wardrobe, huh? first my jacket… now my shirt… got something to admit to, hm? you like wearing my clothes?”
it’s playful banter, you think, and roll your eyes with a huff as he hands you a shirt that’s oversized even on him. he wants to see you drown in the fabric, covered in him through clothing until he can cover you in another aspect of himself.
you make him look away while you change, though you know it’s an effort wasted because he’s all-seeing or whatever. and when satoru finally gets a look at you in his shirt he knows it’s game over. it’s like he’s left a mark on you, staked him claim not through bite marks or hickies as he usually would, but through the fabric that adorns your skin. his clothes smell like him, look like him, and are being worn by you.
he’s beyond hard, his cock is tenting his pants and he’s almost offended you haven’t yet noticed, because there’s no hiding a boner when you’re his size. you’re sweet enough not to look, even steal a glance out of curiosity—but he isn’t; his eyes are roaming your skin in such a heated way you feel feverish. it’s how he notices the wine that has spilt on your skirt as well.
he could tell you—offer you a pair of his sweats and cum in his own pants as the way they’d hang off your hips—but he doesn’t. instead, your best friend satoru gojo, the man you know like scripture, drops to his knees and takes the hem of your skirt between his fingers.
“what are you doing?” you think he’s cruel for a joke like this, when he looks so good on his knees, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips as if he’s aching for a taste of you. you squeeze your thighs together, groan at the thought of gojos relentless teasing if he realises you’re soaking wet right now. “this isn’t funny.”
“i’m not laughing,” he says, tone flat. “your skirt is stained.”
“oh,” it is, you can see the wine seeping into the fabric.
gojo laughs, his grin sinful. “what? you get all flustered when i’m on my knees? how lewd.”
“shut up,” you try and step backwards, put some space between him and your pulsing heat, but his hands come to grip your thighs, fingers cool as they brush under your skirt and press into your skin. “you’re an asshole, toru.”
“i know,” his fingers creep higher. “i’m sorry.”
“no you’re not.”
“i know,” he parrots. “but you will be.”
“wh—“
in one practiced movement, satoru rips your skirt down and exposes you to him. he has to bunch up the shirt of his you wear with one hand and keep you from running with the other, but he’s met with a beautiful sight as a reward for all his pining.
“for coming to my house with no fucking panties on and acting like you don’t want me to fuck you like we’re more than friends.”
you learnt quickly upon befriending satoru gojo that he always seems to get what he wants. this is no exception, because after he spends so long fucking you with his tongue that his knees go numb against the cold tile, he’s got you laid down on his couch, his t shirt bunched up over your waist just enough for him to watch his cock sink into you over and over and over again.
he loves the sight of you grabbing at the fabric to keep it out of the way— how you whine for him to just let you take it off, all for him to press his lips to yours and conjoin you so you couldn’t undress even if you tried.
how with each thrust of his ravaging cock into you, he’s whining like he’s not the one in control. babbling filth as if he’s not got you pinned and taking every last inch of him—he’s pussy drunk and overbearing in his excitement and slurring his words as he speaks against your open mouth.
“never allowed to wear your own clothes again,” he steals your breath with each gasp he gives between thrusts. “only mine. i’ll burn yours, fuck, i hate your clothes.”
“you…” gojos fast rutting stalls your sentence. “…you brought me that skirt.”
“yeah? well where is it now?”
you recall the lecture you tried to give him when he threw your wine-stained skirt into his trash bin. you’d protest his dictation of what you wear if you had the mind to do so—but his cock is hitting your g spot in tandem with the ministries of his fingers over your clit… you’re half-near brain dead with the way he splits you open and unravels you like the threading of his clothes he’s fucking you in.
you can’t count your orgasms, only feel them shoot static up your spine with each one gojo manages to pull from you. and when he cums, spills over your parted thighs to dress you further in the essence of him, you swear you hear him babble something about putting a ring on your finger some day, to dress you in something of his permanently.
but friends don’t talk like that.
they don’t fuck like this either, though.
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sv3t1ana · 21 days ago
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SYNOPSIS ᯓ Gojo doesn't usually fuck his clients. This was supposed to be a normal massage. But with hands like that and a cock to match... "professional" was never on the table.
PAIRING ᯓ Masseur!Gojo x Fem!Reader
WARNINGS ᯓ smut MDNI, happy ending massage!, oral (f receiving), size kink?, PIV, spanking, biting/marking, dirty talk, possessiveness if you squint!
WORD COUNT ᯓ 5.3k
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You’d driven past the place at least a hundred times.
It’s a stupidly sleek little building tucked perfectly between a Pilates studio and one of those overpriced juice bars. Like the kind with an obnoxiously chic and overly sensual neon sign that says TOUCH. White letters on smoked glass, all minimalist and judgy and expensive.
Every time you passed it you’d scoff.
“They probably charge three hundred fucking dollars just to rub your back and judge your pores.”
You’d even spat out an insult once like the building itself would crumble under the weight of your words, hitting the gas on your way home from work. Said it with the kind of righteous confidence that only comes from truly believing you’d never be that kind of girl. The kind who just… lets someone touch them like that. Oil-slicked and half-naked, moaning on some fake leather table while a stranger pretends it’s “therapeutic.”
Weird, isn’t it?
Definitely not for you.
And yet, here you are.
Saturday morning. Pillow hair, soul cracked like a boiled egg, lying in bed with your phone half on your face as you text your best friend in a fugue state,
you ever feel like your spine is just floating? help
You expected a “same.”
get a massage. i’m serious.
You snort. Riiight, a massage, huh?
You stare at the screen, eyes locked to the message like if you stared long enough it’d dial itself.
No amount of sarcasm or dignity can fix the way your shoulders feel like cement. Or the way you haven’t slept properly in weeks. Or the way your boss sent a “quick favor” email at precisely 11:48 PM last night, which you answered because your spine is already jelly and your will to live has already been transferred to a spreadsheet.
So… yeah.
Maybe you are that girl.
The bell attached to the door jingled as you step into the spa, and this is where you immediately felt out of place. The air smelled like eucalyptus and tears of the rich. The lighting was soft, flutey music passing through one ear and out the other, the woman at reception desk with the kind of smooth and poreless skin someone had when they bathed in rosewater.
You step up, feigning confidence like you hadn’t just Googled “what happens at a massage” just an hour ago.
“Hi, uh… I’d like to get a massage?”
She looked up from her computer with a smile too serene to be trusted. “Of course, what kind were you thinking? We offer Swedish, Thai, deep tissue, shiatsu, hot stone, aromatherapy-”
You nod slowly, brain buffering like YouTube trying to stream Paul vs. Tyson. Swedish? Do you get buttered up and rolled around like an IKEA meatball? You can’t ask that. You’d already committed the biggest crime by pretending you belonged here.
“Deep tissue,” you said, like you knew what the hell that meant.
She gave you a polite nod, tapping away on her keyboard. “Great choice. One of our more intense options. How long would you like the session? Sixty or ninety minutes?”
“Um… sixty’s good,” which is actually code for: I have no idea what I’m doing and I’m more scared of farting if you press too hard on my spine.
“Perfect,” she chirped. “The massage therapist will discuss pricing with you. You can take a seat, they’ll call you back shortly.”
You stepped aside, sitting on the impossibly soft couch in a sack of second-guessing. Of course there was a candle named something you can’t pronounce. And of course there’s a small framed sign on the coffee table reading: Relaxation is a journey, not a destination.
Just as you begin contemplating how to fake an emergency bolt, an intrusive thought crossing your mind to stand up and scream that you had a fucking bomb, a calm voice called your name.
You stood up, maybe way too quickly, meeting the eyes of a woman smiling at you with a clipboard in hand.
Thank god. A woman. The anxiety deflated from your shoulders. You didn’t really consider the possibility of a male masseuse until now, but the idea of some beefcake oiled up and kneading your thigh was not something you emotionally prepared for.
“This way,” she gestured for you to follow her down a hallway lined with softly glowing wall sconces and the sound of babbling water. You’d never felt so simultaneously underdressed and overscheduled.
She opened a door and motioned you inside. “You can undress to your comfort level and lie down under the towel, face down. I’ll let your massage therapist know you’re ready.”
“Towel?” you echo, glancing around. On the table sat a singular, small, pathetic white towel. It looked like something you’d pat a cat dry with, and you didn’t know if you expected a beach towel or a blanket.
Still, you nodded like a champ.
There you stood, alone after she exited and shut the door behind her. Unsure of how much was too much as you undressed. Were you supposed to keep your underwear on? Take it off? Would that be weird? Shit, what was the social etiquette here? It felt wrong to Google it, like the masseuse would walk in on you hunched over your phone naked like a caveman discovering the world wide web for the first time.
Eventually, you compromised by only keeping your underwear on and sliding under the towel, if you can even call it that. It barely covered your ass, and if you breathed wrong a cheek was gonna peek.
You lie face down, pressing your face into the weird little donut hole in the massage table. Every attempt at relaxation was a fail, your body as stiff as a mannequin.
The door creaked open, a voice drifted through the air all too low and smooth, way too sexy for this situation.
“Good evening,” he said.
Wait.
Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait.
You lift your head just a fraction, seeing a tall man stepping into the dimly lit room. White uniform shirt rolled to the elbows. Forearms like Greek sculpture. Messy white hair. A face so hot you swore you could hear angels filing HR complaints. His eyes were icy, meeting yours and curved with a smile.
“I’ll be your masseur tonight,” he said. “Name’s Satoru. Just let me know if anything feels uncomfortable.”
“Oh. Okay. Cool,” you say, voice cracking.
He chuckled softly, washing his hands in the corner, the sound of running water far too sensual. You press your face back into the donut, trying not to internally implode.
You asked for this, your brain whispered.
You chose deep tissue, whatever that meant.
You hear the flick of a small bottle opening. Something shifts behind you, the scent of cedarwood and vanilla blooming through the room like a secret. A soft, wet sound followed, and then-
Drip.
Oil hit the small of your back first. Warm, silky. You twitched without meaning to.
“Sorry,” his voice came playful and low, like he wasn’t sorry at all. “Didn’t mean to surprise you.”
You didn’t trust yourself to speak, only letting out a small squeak of laughter.
Then came his hands.
Large, warm, firm. Gentle as they pressed into your shoulders, thumbs digging slow, practiced circles into the knots near your spine. You can’t help the exhale escaping your lips, something between a sigh and a sound you’d only make in bed.
“This your first massage?” he asks, and damn him. Even his voice sounded like a smirk.
You coughed. “That obvious?”
“Just a bit,” he teased, hands now kneading into the ridge between your neck and shoulder. “You’re stiff. Tense.”
You laugh nervously. “It’s just work stuff. Desk job.”
“Hm,” he hummed like he already knew. Like he could read it in your body the moment his hands touched you. “I’ll start at your shoulders and work my way down. We’ll see if we can get you loosened up.”
You made another strangled sound of agreement in response, biting your lip.
Every stroke of his palm dragged warm oil over your skin, spreading heat along your back, down your spine. The pads of his thumbs pressed into the muscles beside your shoulder blades, firm but slow. It wasn’t just good, but shamefully so. Soothing, deep. Every time his thumbs pressed in, you felt your breath catch in your throat.
Focus, you told yourself. This is a professional, he does this all the time. And you’re not special, just some towel-clad client on a table meant for meat tenderizing.
But gods, his hands.
They were confident, skilled, moving in ways like they had the heaven’s permission to touch you. Maybe they did, each stroke leaving your skin burning in its wake. Your hips shifted slightly. Not on purpose. Well, maybe it was on purpose. You hated yourself for it.
He hadn’t said anything for a while, the room quiet aside from the ambient spa music and your stupid heartbeat echoing in your ears, your heart trying to crawl its way out from your ribcage. You focused on the feeling, the press of his digits into your shoulder. On the long drag of his hands gliding down, down, oil-slick and hot against your spine.
Shit, your brain was melting.
You felt his hands move again, slower now, gliding at your middle back. You couldn’t help but wonder if the towel slipped, didn’t dare look. You just stayed still, very still, praying for dignity while also very much wishing he’d go lower. His thumbs pushed into the small of your back, just on either side of your spine, and you exhaled, loudly.
You immediately regretted it. But he didn’t say anything. Just chuckled softly, barely a sound, and pressed deeper.
Gojo had given thousands of massages before. Hell, he’d worked on celebrities, models, athletes, all kinds of bodies sculpted and polished and worshiped. But this one? You? You weren’t some glammed-up goddess or an over-confident regular. You were shy, uncertain, nervous in the sweetest way, biting your lip like it’d save your soul.
And when he asked what was hurting, where it ached, you’d mentioned work like it explained everything.
He knew exactly what you needed.
His thumbs dragged slow over the curve of your back. You shifted slightly under him, just the tiniest movement, but not from pain. From heat. From something much, much lower. Gojo felt it, the tremor running through your muscles like a secret. The towel was still clinging to your hips, just barely, and he let his hands dip lower, enough to brush the top curve of your ass to see if you’d flinch.
And you didn’t.
Fuck.
He was breaking rules. His own rules. He didn’t do this. Never had. Not once. Not even with the flirty clients or the ones that offered more.
But then again, none of them were you.
Your skin was warm beneath his palms, your breath hitched in a rhythm that wasn’t just relaxation. He could hear it, feel it. And when his fingers barely slipped under the hem of that towel, just to knead the tight muscle at the base of your spine, he felt you tense.
Not with fear, but want.
He pressed deeper, just enough to test. And he almost groaned aloud when your hips lifted. As if it was an accident. But he knew better.
He loved the way you were sensitive for him, dragging his thumbs along the edge of the towel, fingertips brushing your perceptive skin that made his cock twitch.
He was throbbing against the zipper of his pants. He needed to stop.
But he wasn’t going to stop.
“First session’s free, by the way,” he murmured, just above your ear, his salacious tone a blessing to your ears. “House special.”
You made another soft sound and Gojo had to bite his cheek just to stop a deep groan threatening its way out from his lungs.
You thought you were in the clear when his hands left your back. For a moment, you considered breathing again. But then-
“Gonna move to your legs now,” he said, voice smooth and casual. “Starting from your feet.”
You couldn’t find it in you to protest. Your feet. The one part of your body that rejected human contact like a toddler would broccoli.
You tensed as he lifted your foot gentle, resting your ankle against a bolster. You took this opportunity to look. And he looked way too comfortable, crouched near your calves, rolling his sleeves up even more, his forearms, fuck, the veins, and warming more oil in his hands.
The first touch was light, gliding his fingers over your heel, your arch-
You flinched.
“Oh?” he laughed, glancing up. “Ticklish?”
You wanted to crawl inside the nearest candle holder and die.
“Maybe a little,” you mumbled, voice muffled.
“Noted,” he chuckled. “I’ll be gentle.”
And if Gojo Satoru wasn’t a liar before, he was now.
Because his thumbs rolled firm circles into your arches, sliding up the curve of your foot, down each toe like he fucking knew. You twitched again when he hit that spot near the ball of your foot.
He didn’t even pretend not to notice.
“Aw, you’re trying not to laugh.” His voice was warm. “Cute.”
You exhaled like a balloon deflating, face hot. “You’re evil.”
“Mmm,” he hummed, slowly dragging his palm up your sole to your ankle. “That’s one way to thank me.”
He didn’t linger much longer there, probably for your dignity which was already on life support, before he moved up, kneading your calf in strong, slow strokes. His hands wrapped around the muscle with confident pressure, and oh, it felt good.
All thoughts of embarrassment evaporating the moment his thumbs began sliding up your calf, massaging deep into the tissue. His touch slowed as he moved higher, now smoothing hot oil into the back of your knee.
Then he moved to your other leg. Same path. Foot, ankle, calf. All familiar but different. Like he was trying to memorize you. And this time his hands went slower, savoring the goosebumps prickling your skin as his hands moved higher, thumbs digging deeper. And when he reached the back of your thigh, right where the towel barely covered, you felt it.
The hesitation. The pause. The line of professionalism being toed.
And then crossed.
His hands never stopped moving, but his thumbs dragged slower, brushing up the back of your thigh and letting his touch linger along the soft skin there. His touch was light, too light to be considered a deep tissue massage.
“Still doing okay?” he asked, voice low.
You could only nod.
“Good,” he murmured. “You’re very responsive.”
Was this normal massage talk?
No, it couldn’t be. But you didn’t dare respond, didn’t want to stop him, even as your breath hitched and thighs threatened to instinctively press together.
Gojo’s hands stayed high on your thighs. One thumb circled the outside of your thigh.
“You’ve got tension here too,” he remarked, and this time, it wasn’t professional at all.
Your hips jolted.
“Sensitive?” he asked, almost a whisper.
You wanted to say something, maybe yes, maybe God, please don’t stop, but all that came out was a hum, shaky as his fingers gripped your thigh tighter.
“Don’t worry,” his voice silk-soft and soaked in pure heat. “I’ll take care of it.”
You didn’t even know he shifted until his voice came too close to your ear, just a low murmur.
“I’m gonna remove the towel now. That okay?”
You’re too far gone, just nodding.
“Need you to say it for me,” his voice is gentle.
“Yes,” you swallow, voice barely above a whisper.
He grips the towel, slow as sin, dragging it off your spine and letting it peel off you like he’s unwrapping something expensive. His fingers graze, not enough to claim but just enough to tease. You’re face-down, so you don’t see it. But he’s squinting, biting back a groan, cock already stirring and probably dripping.
He oils up again, slick and warm, spreading his palms across your ass with expert precision.
“Just breathe. This’ll help with tension in your glutes.”
Glutes, he says it like a medical term. You almost believe he’s just being good at his job, except his hands are kneading deeper, practically stroking the plushy fat of your ass.
His hips subtly press against the table, trying to relieve the throb without making a sound. His jaw is slack, eyes hooded, and he’s already sweating. He’s circling your ass with the heel of his palm, eyed glued to were your thighs part ever-so-slightly, revealing the slightest sliver of wet lace. His mouth waters.
His thumbs brush the hem of your panties, it’s innocent at first. But then he does it again, lingering.
You can almost feel the air shift.
Something about the way he touches you makes your skin buzz. He hasn’t said anything… too off yet, but the drag of his fingers along your thighs, the brush against the edge of your panties, you’re beginning to think it’s not exactly on the menu at most spas.
“Gonna take these off too. Helps me reach deeper tissue,” his finger hooks just teasingly into the hem at your hips.
You know it’s a lie. It has to be. But you nod.
And again, he waits.
“Say it, sweetheart.”
“Yes,” you exhale, heartbeat in your ears.
Then he hooks only his thumbs into your panties, slow, like it’s a favor. You lift your hips slightly so he can pull them down, and he takes his time. His thumbs caress you as he drags them down to your knees, ankles, then off completely.
And now you’re bare. Naked. Exposed under his hands and eyes, no doubt dripping from tension and need alone.
The only sound in the room is the soft roll of incense smoke, faint music, and the slick shhhhhkkk of oil between his palms to start again, skin to skin.
He shifts, thumbs dipping lower and palms kneading the tops of your thighs. It’s almost too much, you want to move, clench your legs shut, but you don’t. You stay soft, pliant, open.
And he watches. Every flutter of your muscles. Every twitch. The faintest glisten where your thighs part.
This was no longer routine.
So wet already. You poor thing probably didn’t even mean to be.
He watches your hips shift when he gets close, the way your toes twitch as his thumbs drag sinfully along your inner thighs. It’s like you’re desperate and embarrassed all at once. And yet, you obeyed him. And he loved every second of it.
You’re so pure, so sweet, so filthy for him. Not a single complaint. No hesitation.
Glutes soft and flushed from the heat of his palms. Inner thighs slicked with oil. Breathing shallow and shaky. And his favorite part, your slit tucked between trembling legs, glistening with more than just oil.
He shifts again, subtly dragging his cock against the edge of the massage table. Hard, throbbing, and unforgiving.
“You’re responding really well,” he murmurs, the heel of his palms pushing into your inner thighs enough to part you only so he can see more.
And you’re going insane.
His hands on your thighs, voice in your ear. Every pass of his palms leaving your nerves sparking, and it’s taking everything in you not to freely moan when his knuckles drag just too close.
When your legs twitch again, of course he notices. “Don’t worry. You’re doing great. Just let me take care of you.”
But then his sinful thumbs sweep higher. Still outside, not touching where you need him most. But close. So, so close. And you can’t help the gasp escaping you.
And that’s when he finally brushes his fingers along your folds, light, feather-soft, as if he’s checking something.
Your whole body jerks. His voice lowers a few octaves.
“You’re soaked.”
A beat of silence.
“Want me to keep going?”
Again, you nod.
“Words, sweetheart.
You swallow, face burning and contorting where it’s nestled in the headrest. “Yes… please.”
“Good girl,” his chuckle is low and so smug.
You’re so responsive for him, every time his fingers tease your slick little slit, your thighs tremble like they’re fighting not to squeeze shut.
You don’t even realize the slightest rock of your hips, silently begging for more like you’re chasing his fingers.
He palms your ass again, spreading you open as he traces a single digit up and down. Folds puffy and hot, dripping onto the table, clit twitching like it knows what’s coming.
“You said this was your first massage, right?” he says, dragging a single finger deeper between your folds. “But you’re begging for attention.”
Then his thumb gently presses against your clit, unmoving but giving you the pressure you oh so desperately needed.
“Think you might’ve been made for this.”
You can’t breathe, can’t think. All you know is his hands. The way they press into you, spreading your arousal and oil around as if it’s a divine ritual. The way his thumb circles your clit painstakingly slow, so patient.
You mewl, too far gone to be ashamed.
“Want the full package?” his question come velvet-smooth.
You blink, dazed. “…The what?”
His thumb pressed in just a little harder, your body tensing. “Y’know, the extra. Let me take care of everything.”
“Y-yeah…” your voice is barely audible, but it’s all he needs.
He smiles, the thick curl of anticipation mixing with the burning incense in the air, winding your spine as he murmurs your new nickname again:
“Good girl.”
It’s like this was always going to happen. Like he’s done this a hundred times before and you were just next in line, all dripping wet and none the wiser.
Then he’s palming you again, hands oiled with a fresh squirt as both hands slide over your skin. It’d be professional if it wasn’t for the way his thumbs spread you once again.
It’d be professional didn’t brush directly over your soaked folds, a low growl he lets out, low and restrained when he sees your cunt pulse for him.
“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath, dragging two fingers through your slick.
Then he dips two fingers inside you, slow and filthy as he immediately curls them right into that soft spot between your ridges that has you gasping into the table padding.
“God, you’re tight. Gonna have to open you up first, yeah?”
It’s as if it’s still part of the massage.
He fucks you slow with his fingers, his free hand moving to move ‘round and ‘round against your clit with his thumb. And fuck, he’s too skilled. Every filthy, wet stroke of his fingers has you whimpering, any semblance of professionalism lost by the sound of your whispers.
“So responsive,” he mutters almost to himself. “You’ll do anything I ask, won’t you?”
Then-
Smack.
Your body jolts, a sharp sting across your ass, the crack echoing through the room.
“Mm,” he hums, smoothing the reddened spot of his handprint like he’s checking the quality of his own work. “Pretty thing makes such pretty sounds.”
Another smack. You gasp.
“Flip over for me.”
His tone is easy, casual like he’s asking you to flip a page in a magazine. Your legs move before you, body fully glistening with oil and anticipation.
His face looks almost desperate. Sweat at his temples, white lashes fluttering over hooded eyes at burn. His lips are parted, flushed, bitten like he's been holding back from devouring you whole.
He's no longer the calm masseur from before, but a man on the edge of losing it.
Every inch of him thrumming with want, you can see it in the way his jaw flexes, the slight tremble in his fingers at his sides. His gaze drops between your legs, staying there like he's starving.
He wants this, wants you just as badly. Maybe worse.
And he sees you. Laid out like an offering, tits soft and heaving, thighs glistening, cunt spread and twitching, begging for his attention.
He lets out a low, heavy breath. “Fuck. Look at you.”
Then his hands are tracing down your thighs, hooking under your knees just to bring them to your chest.
And he goes in, no teasing or warning, just his hands spreading you wide, full mouth-to-pussy action.
His tongue slides over your clit like he’s starving. Moaning into you like you’re the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted. It’s filthy, loud, wet, feral.
He laps at you like he wants to crawl into your skin and live there. His lips lock around your clit, tongue flicking fast and relentless, fingers digging into you.
Your hips buck instinctively. Your hands fly to his hair, fingers clutching his silvery strands as your legs twitch, toes curl.
He loves it. The desperate little grind of your hips, the wrecked moan slipping from your throat, the way you push his face impossibly deeper.
So he doubles down, dragging his tongue lower and fucking it into your hole with lewd precision, then pulls back just to suck at your clit like it’ll grant him immortality.
“You taste like heaven,” he groans, lost in a daze himself. “Sweet little thing, gonna cum all over my mouth, huh? So fucking wet. Bet you’ve been thinking about this.”
He flattens his tongue, grinding it against your clit, and you cry out, entire body jerking, thighs clenching around his head. But he doesn’t stop, if anything only groans, grinding his hips into the table like he’s getting off just on your taste.
You’re soaked. Senseless. A carnal desire to soak his face in your arousal.
And when you gasp his name, fingers tugging at his locks, body trembling-
“That’s it,” he purrs. “Cum for me, baby.”
You shatter. Completely. Fully. Back arching from the table, breath punched from your lungs, cunt clenching so hard around nothing it’s fucking cruel. He just stays there, tongue flicking, dragging out every last pulse of your orgasm until your legs go numb.
Your thighs are trembling around him, your cunt a swollen, slick mess, still twitching with aftershocks. You’re still moaning, fucked-out and blissed as he presses kisses to your inner thigh.
Fuck. He thinks you look perfect like this. Made to be ruined for him.
And he’s done being patient.
So he stands, unzipping his pants. His cock springs free, red, leaking, painfully hard. And shit, he’s big. A slight upward curve, a thick vein running along his thick, long length.
“Up,” he says, voice coaxing like he’s asking you to breathe.
Your legs wobble as you push yourself off the table, only for his hands to grip your waist and bend you right back over it. Your bare chest pressed to the cushiony surface, cheek against the towel.
“There you go,” he drags the thick head of his throbbing cock through your folds, smearing your slick across your lower lips and on his tip until it could drip off. “Gotta get all that tension out, yeah? Let me work those knots a little deeper.”
You walked in here all shy and tense, even spending twenty minutes willing yourself to open your car door. New client, first massage, all stiff shoulders and tight posture. Said your job had you aching. Said you needed relief.
And the first time he saw you, big eyes, nervous smile, a little stutter from your lips when he first touched your shoulders.
He knew exactly what you needed.
“First massage,” he breathes, lining his tip to your entrance.
Then he pushed in. Deep.
You choke on a moan. He’s so thick, splitting you open inch by inch, your walls struggling and stretching to take him. His hands dig into your waist, still warm with oil, just holding you savoring the moment he finally sinks all the way in.
“Fuck,” he groans, head tipping back. “That’s it- just like that- you were made for this.”
He pulls back, only until just the tip lay past your entrance, before slamming back in. And you jerk, fingers scrambling for purchase on the table.
Each stroke rocks through your spine. Your tits drag against the table, mouth hanging open, drool smearing the table. Your mind’s a blur, just the sound of skin slapping, Gojo’s breathy moans, and the obscene, wet noise of him slamming into you over and over and over.
“Say thank you,” he almost growls, snapping his hips up so deep your toes curl. “Say it.”
“T-thank you,” you gasp, eyes rolling to the back of your skull.
Then, smack. A sharp slap to your ass, and you whine.
“For what?”
“F-fucking me- oh my god- for fucking me-”
“No,” he pants, rutting into you harder now, cock hitting that sweet spot so perfect it could make you squeal. “Say it right. Thank you for relieving my stress.”
“Thank you-” you cry out, broken and shaking. “Thank you for- mmh- relieving my stress.”
He leans over you, his hardened chest against your back, cock still pistoning in your soaked cunt. His mouth finds your neck, tongue dragging across your bare skin before he bites. Sucks. Marks you.
Another hickey. Then another.
You’re completely gone, every thrust having your eyes fluttering, your moans shameless, drool coating your lower face. Your walls flutter around him, squeezing his thick length more than you already were, clenching with every thrust, every filthy word.
His hips stutter, balls tightening as he pounds you into the table.
“So fucking tight,” he groans. “Gonna cum- fuck- gonna cum all over this pretty back.”
And he does. One last brutal thrust and he pulls out, cock twitching before spilling across your lower back in hot, thick ropes, painting your skin in streaks of white.
He watches it drip down your spine, chest heaving, cock still half-hard and still twitching from how hard you just milked him for all he’s worth.
“Goddamn,” he whispers, leaning down to admire his work. “You really were stressed, huh?”
Then he drags a hand up your spine, wiping his fingers through the mess he made, rubbing it into your skin like a filthy seal.
The air is thick with heat, sex, and you. His hand rubs sensual circles into your back.
“You good, sweetheart?” he brushes the hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear.
You nod, dazed, wrecked, legs still trembling. He leans in and presses a kiss to your lips. It’s soft, slow, tender in a way that almost startles you.
“First kiss,” he whispers against your lips.
Then he straightens, grabbing a warm towel from the side table. His hands are gentle as they wipe you down, cleaning you with a reverence that borders on obscene. He helps you stand straight, pressing another kiss to your temple, his big hands careful and supportive.
“So…” he starts, tapping his lip. “Same time next week?”
You can only stare, flushed and panting.
“No charge, obviously,” he adds, giving you a wink. “I’m invested in your health now.”
Of course you’re coming back. With a dick like that? With a mouth like that? You’d be stupid not to.
You shake your head, trying not to smile.
“Take your time, I’ll be outside.”
The door closes behind him with a soft click.
You sigh, dragging yourself over to the side table on shaky legs, slowly redressing like your soul wasn’t just rearranged. You grab your clothes, pulling your bra back on, then your shirt, then-
Your panties.
Your panties?
You check under the table. Beside it. In the towel pile.
Your brows shoot up, a slow, disbelieving laugh escapes your lips.
That smug thieving bastard.
He took them, slipping them into his pocket. You shake your head as you pull on your pants, cheeks still flushed, heart returning to a normal rate.
Oh yeah, you’re definitely coming back.
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dcxdpdabbles · 5 months ago
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Teacher: Class, we have a new student joining us today. Danny, could you tell us a little about yourself? Danny, standing up: Ugh, okay. My name is Danny Fenton. I'm from Amity Park, Illinois. I moved to Gotham with my siblings. Teacher: That's lovely, Danny. Do you have any hobbies? Danny: I like to stargaze, but it's tricky here in Gotham to see them. Teacher waiting for more: *Stare* Classroom: *stare* Danny panics as the class stares at him. I also really liked helping Dan with his experiments. Teacher: Who's Dan? Danny: He's my eldest brother. He got a job at Wayne Labs three months ago, so we moved. Classmate: What kind of experiments do you guys do? Danny: Dan's a chemist. He likes to create antidotes to various poisons or toxic substances. Last month, he made the new Anti-Fear Gass Antidote! Classmate: *scoff* Yeah, right, and I'm the tooth fairy Classroom: *laughs* Teacher: Alright, everyone, settle down. Danny, welcome to Gotham, but you should be careful with your fibs. They can be dangerous in this city. Danny: I'm not lying. Teacher: Of course not. Everyone turn to pages three and twelve in your math textbooks- Danny, please sit down. Danny: *sits* It wasn't a lie Damian: I believe you. Danny: Really? Damian: Yes, my Father signs Dan Fenton's paychecks. Danny: Oh, does he work at Wayne Labs, too? Damian: .....In a way. Would you happen to know who I am? Danny: Damian Al Ghul. I heard you tell the teacher you prefer that name. Damian: .....Yes. Your pronunciation of my last is perfect. Most people claim it's too hard. Danny shrugs: If I can learn to pronounce Obi-Wan Kenobi, I can learn how to say your last name. Most people are just rude. Damian, under his breath: Is this the rush Mother felt when she found her Beloved? Danny: What? I'm sorry I didn't catch that Damian: Do not worry about it. Merely know that you belong to me now Danny: Like a friend? Damian:.....In a way. Danny: Cool :D
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ozzgin · 9 months ago
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hear me out okayy imagine house full of obsessed monster x clueless human reader
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I hear you alright. 👀 Content: gender neutral reader, monster romance, mildly NSFW, obsessive behavior, stalking
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You had been selected for an exchange program organized by the monster realm: one human to live with monsters, and one monster to walk among humans. They called it a cultural exchange.
Of course, you only found out about it after being kidnapped from your apartment. You thought you'd been taken by some mad serial killer and begged for mercy, until they finally dropped you before a regular looking office desk.
"Why the hell is the human so pale? What did you do?"
The monster lackeys fidgeted and mumbled some barely audible excuse. A slime creature poured you some coffee, and you gawked in confusion. The horned beast at the other side of the table seemed to realize his mistake.
"...They didn't tell you anything, did they?"
You shook your head in denial. To their defense, they'd never dealt with a human before. They must've gotten too flustered in the process, forgetting to speak. Or something along that line. You waved your hand, accepting their explanation, then probed for more details.
The whole ordeal is really mostly meant to satisfy their own curiosity towards humans, but they obviously couldn't express it so crassly to you. It's an exchange, you see. You, too, get to learn about monster customs, from the comfort of a shared home.
Thus, for the indefinite future, you'll be living with several creatures as roommates. You have been provided with your own room, naturally, in order to ensure your privacy.
Then again, how much privacy can one possibly get when surrounded by horny, deliriously infatuated creatures? Your underwear occasionally goes missing. You swear you feel watched every time you shower. And even more bizarre, you sometimes wake up to find a sticky film covering your pillow.
It must be anxiety. It was such a sudden change, after all. That's what the monstrous mates tell you in a sweet, caring voice. You appreciate their involvement, completely oblivious to the perversions taking place behind your back. Even the organizer couldn't foresee the unhinged thirst these beasts have for you. He didn't intend to ship you off as a wet dream to a pack of monsters.
"Is this alright, you think?" you ask, doing a little spin in the living room in order to show the chosen outfit from different angles.
The monsters shift slightly in their seats. If they were to be entirely transparent, you'd look much better stuffed with their appendages, pressed between them, coated in their fluids.
"Looks great", one of them manages to mumble, somewhat feverish. He let his mind wander too much.
"By the way, what were you doing last night? I could hear you saying my name repeatedly from your room."
The creature visibly tenses up.
"I was...I was practicing. It's a little hard to pronounce your name, you know? Being human and all..."
"Why didn't you just say so? I can help you with it. We'll practice until you finish properly", you declare with an innocent smile.
God. Keeping their hands off is becoming harder by the day.
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[More Monsters]
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acid-ixx · 11 months ago
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ch.1: again &. again (platonic! yandere batfam x neglected! gn reader)
directory: preq, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five pt 1, chapter five pt 2,
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read until the end for an author's note.
if there was one thing you hated more than the crime-filled streets of gotham, it would be empty promises.
when was the last time they attended your birthday? or your school ceremonies? or any special event that meant for you to be the center of attention?
plot twist, there was no last time, or a time before that or any day that they were there for you.
not your eldest brother, dick, not your dead brother, jason, of course tim wouldn't be there for you, damian's absence is a given, not even your sisters would come, and most especially not your father, bruce wayne.
you never wrote wayne as your last name. in every test, it would always be your mother's last name. in every document that you had to fill, you would violently scratch in the name of your father, wishing it wasn't required at all so you wouldn't have to hang your head in shame everytime someone looks at you incredulously for having the bruce wayne as your father but never once appearing to be with you.
you can't recall a time you had called him your dad, or even considered him as one.
if you could count the times you have seen him in person, it wouldn't even fill ten fingers. even interviewers and paparazzi have more luck in coming across him than you would, his child.
it sucks, really, how despite having nearly sharing the same age as tim, you never once saw him outside of his room. you thought you would've been the closest to him, but the most you have seen him was when you were watching the news with the "new" robin popping up, or worse; when bruce would be seen guiding tim through the paparazzi and not you. alfred had to drag you away from the tv that day because you were already suffering through a panic attack just seeing those two act so close; ripping your hair out just from watching the news wasn't a good way to cope.
you remember being so jealous of him, of how bruce would always spend time with him and not you. it made you wonder, were you special enough? tim is so brilliant, you could admit. and you were, too, having enough comprehensibility as a child to find out they were vigilantes a year or two after living in the manor— but you weren't good enough like tim. you weren't cut out to be like a detective or a fighter.
it was no wonder why bruce chose them over you.
it came to you in the form of talking to tim that had you discovering that no one ever mentions your name inside the house, proving it to be true when tim had hesitated calling your name and even stuttered through pronouncing it. and then he left after finding you were of no use to help him. alfred had to stifle your sobbing after tim left the room, allowing you to cry on his chest whilst you sat beside him.
(name) wayne was so, so lonely.
you would've accepted their absence long ago, but you were a stupid child who needed care and reassurance because your mother left you for good at the age of five. you were too naive into thinking you would receive the same love from your family just like the other kids in elementary would. you were a child who expected too highly of your father, thinking that he would pick you up from school with that picture perfect photographed smile of his and kiss your forehead and tell you that you did a great job at school today.
it was your teachers who would be the one having to walk you up the stage whenever you achieved an award. alfred would be too busy sometimes to attend your school ceremonies because he had to assist bruce with missions. of course, you understood his priorities. after all, he tried his hardest to make you feel less lonely inside the mansion, it wasn't enough but he was there at least.
it was long ago that you stopped praying for your family to attend at least one of your birthdays.
it's ironic, really, for a child to prep and plan for their own celebration just to hope that a single member of their family to even walk by the kitchen and join them in on their already lonesome celebration.
too bad everybody only goes to the kitchen when alfred cooks for them. who would want to taste sadness in a sloppily made birthday cake, right? nobody, not even you would have the appetite to eat your cake with the knowledge that it was you who had to put all the effort to bake it because you didn't want alfred to feel obligated to. knowing nobody would celebrate birthdays with you, save for alfred, it was expected that you started to prefer cupcakes.
because then you wouldn't be scolded for making such a mess.
you never cooked family meals after the incident where nobody came and to not waste food, you had to bring in large containers to bring to school so you could celebrate your birthday there.
it was there that you find more solace in your small group of friends compared to the desolate rooms of the mansion. your family celebrates holidays together as a whole, but you never once attended after that one time where everybody had forgotten to get you a gift for christmas, save for alfred who gave you a bracelet (one that you cherished deeply). you only smiled weakly and hopelessly, sneaking into your room before the family dinner.
it was alfred again who bought you leftovers and sat on your bed for an hour to encourage you that there's still more christmas's to go.
you never believed what he said. not anymore.
there was a period of time where you hated them more than anything, blamed them for everything and became more rebellious, purposely failing tests, fighting your classmates and disrespecting teachers in hopes that for once your father would bat an eye on you. that only resulted in you being taken out of the school and being transferred into another, for a behavioral reform is what alfred stated to you when you annoyed him for answers.
damian started to bully you a bit more harder after that incident, calling you immature and childish, a weakling, an attention seeker. how someone at your age should've known better. you were convinced that he was relishing in the heartbroken glare you gave him, ignoring the way his eyes widened momentarily at your reaction before sneering and walking away.
alfred gently scolded you, but you were too choked up and instead you almost tripped running inside your bedroom, locking yourself in for what seems like hours.
you don't want to remember the immense breakdown you had that evening too, screaming on your blankets and destroying your things and hurting yourself because... because you had lost your old friends for nothing! your caring teachers, your academic progress, everything! every single thing for an ounce of attention! because he didn't have enough energy to come with you to the guidance counselor and he only had you transfer out so you wouldn't ruin the wayne's reputation!
you hate him, you hate bruce fucking wayne so much and you hate clinging onto their empty promises and sorry's to make it up for you. you hate how their promises were never even said directly to you, you hate how alfred was your only source of hope for a medium of communication.
you hate them all.
and worst of all, you hate yourself for drowning in hope. for wishing you were physically stronger so you could at least bond with them through training. for dreaming about a day where they could surprise you and told you they were just testing you and that you actually had worth inside this manor. for praying nightly that they'll smile at you like the heroes you see in tv rather than that of pity.
you wished there was a universe where gotham was safer, more protected with no criminals littering the streets. maybe then they would have more time to notice you crying every night, writing self destructive entries in your diary, sketching what would've been a happy family. they wouldn't have to wear their silly costumes to fight crime and instead would save you from your own demons.
if...
if you were brutally tortured and killed by the joker, or forced to choke on the fear toxin by the scarecrow— hell, even beaten to near death by some random goons; would they have given you a sliver of their love? would they finally look at you and save you from yourself?
because despite your resentment, you would never lie and say you didn't feel blessed that you were thrown to a family of talented individuals.
your drawings of a complete and happy family holding hands together and a diary filled with rants and fantasies of spending time with them proved just that.
you were blessed with them yet cursed at the same time to never reach the same level to be even considered part of their lives.
you were hopeless. you never amounted to anything. you were just, you.
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thirteen years have passed by then, and in those years you were proud to say your development as a person, albeit slow, transformed you from a child that succumbed to neglect to an independent person who managed to maintain a comfortable circle of friends, a scholarship for a college far away from gotham, and an apartment of your own (you were a bit in debt due to having to pay for your own because no way in hell would you ask for your father for financial support).
allowance was scarce, your food supplies weren't infinite compared to back when you were living at the wayne manor, and you weren't greeted to michelin star restaurant meals cooked by alfred— but you were content, and that was enough.
though content translated to nightly breakdowns whilst finishing projects or writing essays, the point still stands! at least you had celebrated your eighteenth birthday with drunk smiles and your friends spoiling you to death when you had opened up about your first lonely years of life. everything was going well for you, truly.
you were so, so happy for the nice turn of events. and you wouldn't have made it so far if you hadn't slapped yourself out of the delusion that they actually cared for you.
look at you now! independent and with a life of your own! you'd give yourself a pat in the back.
you hadn't blocked them at all, but their contacts were empty (save for a few desperate messages that date back years ago) and you were fine with that. it's not like tim or bruce or barbara considered you important enough to be stalked. hah, as if!
alfred communicates with you time to time, reminding you to eat a complete meal rather than those one dollar priced noodles that tasted like pure salt. he told you he misses you a lot, you and your annoying, daily rants about life and school. he misses your awkward smile and when you would help him cook whenever the others aren't around. he misses it when you imitate his posh accent when you taste test his food and give commentary about it.
you miss him, too. growing up, you realized just how much effort alfred would exert just to spend a lot of his time on you.
now, he told you that you are still welcome to the manor whenever, and how he cleans your room weekly in case you'll visit him.
whenever you audio call with him, you'd tear up just a bit at the realization that alfred was more of a father figure than your own biological father. because he at least attended your graduation to make up for the other times he was unable to join you.
what's even better was that he gifted you something you had always wanted for your birthday. despite it being delivered to your door rather than him giving it to you face to face (since you had refused to give him your location and him respecting that decision at least), the heartfelt letter he left you was more than enough to let you cling onto pieces of your past. after all, it was him who greeted you by the door when you were first introduced into the family, bruce being too busy with paperwork that day when you were a measly five year old.
you had started to teasingly call him 'alfie' and a few more nickname after that, which results with a chuckle over the phone every time you had come up with a cheesy name for him whenever you get a wee bit irritated at his own way of making fun of you.
if only this was your life years ago, then maybe you wouldn't have been jealous of all your other friends and pushed them away that day, maybe you would learn that sometimes, family comes in the form of the people outside of your house rather than inside.
that reminds you, maybe you should reconnect with your old friends back in elementary and apologized for your sudden explosive behavior.
you were laying on your bed, phone in hand and opened your inst*gram app to stalk through the names you could remember. well... that was what you should've done, if not for the fact that a notification popped up the very moment you pressed on the search bar and you had accidentally opened a chat with your oldest brother, dick.
you would've ignored the desperate messages you have sent him from the past which all varied from inviting him to eat dinner with you or to at least join you to play in an arcade or anything to convince him to talk to you, all of which were unseen, if not for the fact that it was him who sent you a sudden "hey baby bird!!! <333 long time no see! how are you?!" message, alongside a few more replies that spammed through your phone...
oh!
... that was enough to make you sit up and want to hurl.
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dick grayson was a man of many talents. the mature eldest child, the ideal good leader despite his anger issues from time to time, and the same guy who set the standards high for the future robins. he is bruce's greatest achievement.
it was safe to say that if not for the support of many, then he would've suffered so many falls and would've never been strong enough to stand up despite the pain and continue his fights. nightwing was what many superheroes strive to be, an image of light in a grove of darkness such as gotham.
so why was it that he felt like he has failed so deeply right now?
inside your room, dick stands with furrowed brows. it felt too clean to look used. your furniture was polished and look untouched, the lights were too bright and the windows were bolted shut. there were no signs of life other than the notebooks and sketchbooks that were neatly tucked on the middle of the bed and the trinkets that scatter through your desk.
dick stalks through the room, careful to not make a noise as he walks over to the closet, opening it and finding nothing.
he bites his lips at the implication that this was probably the second time he visited your room and how it was also the longest time he remained here. compared to his other siblings, you were the one he noticed the least and... now he feels bad for dismissing you.
didn't he promise to take you out for dinner months ago?
damn it, he was way too focused on his mission that night and ended up ditching and forgetting you! oh god, dick facepalmed and clenched his teeth, seething in some air because no fucking way did he actually remember to feed damian's dog, titus, the same day but forgot to take you out for an important event...
it occurred to him that that was the same day you scored a perfect on "the hardest test of my life!" you had bragged to him awkwardly when he wasn't listening nor looking and you, wanting to celebrate what was a small achievement for dick, chose him to spend time with you!
dick had to carefully breath through his mouth then gulp down the shame he feels right now. he- he has no time to focus on the past but rather the present. he has to find out why the hell is your room so lifeless, yeah... then he'll make it up to you today, definitely.
huh?
is it just him, but why does the room seem so small? it looked like it was meant to be for a kid. clearly, there wasn't enough space for a growing individual like you... did bruce not provide you with a bigger bedroom? ah, dick would definitely tell bruce to relocate you to a bigger room, the current one is too small for even a dog in a manor to sleep in.
dick doesn't want to admit it at all, but... he hasn't seen you for the past few months, or not all, really. sure, he had only recently visited the manor since he's bludhaven's vigilante now, but even through his time in gotham he had never seen you other than the times you pulled his sleeves from back when you were a child.
back when you were a child.
how old are you now? you were so small back then, innocent too. he can recall your curious eyes, your chubby cheeks and the way you stutter through your words as you try to talk to him.
you were significantly younger than jason, and was adopted a week before tim was introduced to the family. he remembers you peeking through alfred's back, gleaming with curiousity and whispering to the butler if it was really the dick grayson. he smiled fondly at your dumbfounded expression, the way your mouth shaped into an "ohh," when he was the one who answered that, yes, it was him. then you whispered again if you can take have an autograph from him, to which he chuckled and told alfred that he'll help accompany you to your room.
when your five year old body tried to waddle closer to his body for an ounce of warmth when he had been guiding you up the stairs, that was also the first time he called you baby bird, with the way you coddled him so closely. his hands find itself patting your head, ruffling your hair and grinning as you both make your path through the halls.
he comes to immediately regret leaving you alone after he had introduced you to your room, remembering his duties as a vigilante than that of a brother.
but despite his early memories of you, he wants to see his baby sibling all grown up now.
had it really been years?
when was the last time you ever had a full-on conversation with him?
was there even a time that he had approached you by himself?
he had always called you baby bird after the first time you meet because of the age gap you two shared. the rare times he acknowledges you, you gave him that look filled with such adoration, like you were proud of him for being your older brother. why did he not notice you?
oh, his baby bird...
dick gulped, trying to ease his shivering by sitting on your neatly folded blankets and taking a worn diary in his hand, one at the bottom stack of books. well, if it was a personal diary then maybe you would've hidden it better, right? he figures since it was all placed on the center of the bed like a piece of treasure that... it would be alright to take just a glimpse.
to confirm if you still see him as your favorite brother.
dick's heartbeat spiked, hoping your entries would be filled with, he doesn't know, anything that didn't implicate some sort of hatred for the family, for him. hoping that despite his lack of attention towards you, that there would still be a spark of love for him. if what he thinks was actually true then... he doesn't know what to do with himself.
he flips through the first page, noting how it was bulkier than the others. the paper was filled with glittery decorations, sequence beads and cheap stickers sparkling at every angle the light hits. it was meant to be a design for the 'front cover' of the notebook, colors blended in a cacophony of rainbows and butterflies and flowers beyond the messy calligraphy that merely states "(name)'s diary!"
dick stifles a grin just from skimming through at the amount of mistakes and erasures, clearly written by the the younger version of you; naive to the world and its cruelty. he commends your creativity, his eyes softening at the few doodles that were written on the corners of the pages.
you're just too adorable for your own good, so much so that the thumping in dick's heart beats louder and louder, ears wringing uncomfortable inside your unventilated bedroom. but he just couldn't rip his eyes away from the diary, daydreaming about how proud you must've been when designing your own diary. he could picture your wide eyes, shy and harmless, and your feet kicking back and forth whilst you decorate your stuff.
everything was what he expected it to be on the first few pages of the diary. all your little rants about your daily life, your eargerness to meet your entire family from your father's side, and the hurt you experienced from your mother's sudden abandonment.
he would've skipped through another diary, one that lacked design and color, save for the name plastered on the front, if not for the grim undertones at every end of your entries despite the child-like manner it was written in.
it all started with "i wish to see my father soon and my big brother dick again!", "alfred told me my father can't come to the parent-teacher conference, he says he's in a veryyy important meeting :( but alfred would come!", "dick told me he can't help me with my science project but he promise he'll help me with something else later!" which halfway through the diary, your style fluctuates and lesser effort was exhausted on the writing.
one entry in particular, written on the last page of your diary, shattered a sliver of hope within dick, his breathing momentarily ceased from reading through your sentences; uncharacteristic of you, too mature for someone at the age of ten to write.
"XX/XX/XXXX.
dear diary, it's my tenth birthday today. i celebrated with my friends at school. they told me i always look down whenever it's my birthday. they think that bruce would throw a fancy celebration for me. i tried to hide my laughter from them. it's a really funny joke. i haven't seen him for months. i told dick that he was invited but i don't think he remembers it's my birthday today. alfred told me to come out of my room, he said he cooked my favorite dinner, that he's sorry he got my present late, but i don't want get out of my room. i heard dick is gonna watch a movie with tim later. i don't feel so good, my chest hurts, but i don't want to get out right now.
i'll eat the cupcake tomorrow."
it had been nearly two hours since dick had sat on your bed, eyes dilating whilst reading through your first diary. the cold season had already pricked his skin, but his entire body felt so unnaturally warm, a warmth that scorches him, searing deep into flesh. a lump had form in his throat, accompanying the hellish throbbing of his heart.
"fuck..." he brought his fingers to his head, carefully massaging his forehead but it relieves nothing. he wants to see you right now— he needs to talk to you. god, he has to apologize, he needs to see what you look like right now, needs to know if you're alright.
you're clearly not.
he has to oppress the urge to punch the walls, reminding himself that it's your room he's in and if he damages your already delicate property, then he's proving himself worse than he already is.
he rushes to grab another diary, the one at the top of the pile, skipping to the end of the page.
nothing. all the entries were months ago, all written in vague detail like you were starting to hide secrets. his teeth grinds against each other, frustration seeping through his veins.
he needs to— shit, he needs to find you right now. he needs to find his baby bird and make up for the all bullshit him and his family had done. if you were gone for months, even years; he doesn't even want to think about it.
but how?!
there were no signs of you. anything written your diary, your drawings, the trinkets on your bedside table— they signal no clues whatsoever, all dating back to months, even years. it's not possible at all, for nobody to notice your disappearance. dick would've noticed sooner. he should've noticed sooner. oh, he doesn't even want to think about the dangers that await you outside the mansion. with how naive you were about the outside world, you wouldn't last at all.
his baby bird wouldn't survive gotham's streets, especially not when winter was nearing.
think, grayson, think...
his phone!
he immediately reaches into his pockets to grab his phone, clammy fingers swifly encoding his password and opening his contacts.
your number was the quickest to find, it was the only one without an icon of you and an endearing nickname. he makes a mental note to change that soon and replaced your default name to your nickname.
then, without hesitation, he typed, "hey baby bird!!! <333 long time no see! how are you?!" sending the message without rereading, foot tapping impatiently against the floor as he scrolls through all your previous messages.
messages that he should've replied to with the same level of enthusiasm as you. skimming through the past, unseen texts as your motivation began to dwindle the further he refused to reply back. he promises he'll never make you feel invisible again.
seconds feel like hours for him, as he blows raspberries to pass the time, too concentrated an ounce of a reply to even notice the entirely new presence inside the room.
it's alright to call you, yes? after all, dick just wanted to check in with his baby bird and see if you're doing swell and dandy and... safe without him...!
his thumbs pressed on the call button before he could think through his actions, his other hand runs through his hair, sweat running down his forehead as if he had ran a marathon.
he waited, and waited, and waited until the call beeped and provided its automated response. he calls you again but the line immediately cuts off, he tries to spam you with more messages but they weren't delivered.
you blocked him.
fuck, he messed up big time. he needs to get to the batcave. he needs to find your fucking location before it's too late. dick needs to see you again before he loses it.
but before he could carefully place your sketchbooks back to its rightful place, he sees a silhouette at the corner of his eyes; short figure, arms crossed, and a sneer on his eyes already tells him who it was.
damian wayne.
he forgot to train with damian today.
but it doesn't matter, damian has to see it for himself— what made dick so disheveled, so delirious. damian has to finally see just how much of a wonderful sibling you are.
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reblogs and interactions are encouraged and appreciated.
a/n: this was 4,600+ words and it drained the energy out of me. it was supposed to be posted tomorrow but i was too motivated !! i'm also quite proud of this chapter. it was a pain characterizing dick grayson and the reader. i really hope this is as good as the prequel because it's 3am right now and writing dick's part was a pain in the ass ^^' as always, please do comment or send asks if you like it for quicker updates!!!
taglist: @lilyalone, @secretomelettetroops, @earlqurl, @simpingfor-wakasa, @amber-content, @alishii, @ruiroku, @okaybutfullhomo, @trasshy-artist, @obsessedwithromance, @deadinside-09, @jjsmeowthie, @fairy-lenaa (shoutout to her specifically because i got motivated from their comment!)
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sagatale · 1 year ago
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Dreams Of You
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Hello everyone! So, I thought I would give posting fanfics a shot, starting with this small "blurb?" of Jacob Black. Obviously, aged up! I have been wondering quite a lot recently how imprinting would feel and be perceived since it's described as more intense than normal love. I really hope you like it, and if you have any other ideas for a longer fanfic you would like me to write next, let me know, and I might write it!<3 sexual content 18+ minors dni
“I dream of you all the time.” His voice was low, his breath brushing against your collarbones as he found a place in the crook of your neck. Warmth surrounded you, scorching skin burning through the layers of clothing, heating you until all left were cold fingertips and even colder lips. “Even when I’m awake, I still dream of you.”
The words were almost unrecognizable as his mouth pressed against your bare skin, sending shivers down your spine. His words never failed to make your heart flutter at his blatant affection for you. Never did it cease to overwhelm you, for he told you that there were truly no words that could describe how he yearned for you every minute—every second of his long, exhausting days. 
Indeed, you couldn’t imagine what that was like, for if you harbored feelings in that vast amount, there could be no other way for you to deal with them than simply exploding. 
Sometimes, when Jacob was perched over you, arms wound tight under your back as he hugged you close to him, strong legs helping him push into you, you could almost be sure your thoughts weren’t too far off the mark. The way his hands always seemed to handle you softly now strained against his strength, pulling you so tight against him as if having you close was the only way to keep him from eating you alive.
His pronounced brows permanently furrowed something so terribly, eyes tightly shut as sweat dripped down his skin, the salty substance dripping down your chest as his lips distracted themselves by dragging his tongue over your pulse, breathing in your scent til it consumed him whole. Strained breaths could be heard, grunts mingling with your quiet whimpers as your hands trailed over his shoulders, feeling his body tremble beneath them, shaking something so terrible. 
You’d ask him if he needed a break, worry consuming you when his strong arms gave up, pressing into you more urgently as the bed rocked against the wall. Yet it turned out there wasn’t anything the matter with his stamina as he growled in protest when you tried to sit up, his heavyweight over you making your attempts futile, desperate lips finding yours as he slowed slightly, grinding into you as you moaned at the tortuous rhythm he set. 
“You’re shaking, Jacob.” You’d say quietly, fingers threading through his damp hair as his hazy, warm, brown eyes found yours, once more planting his lips against yours. “I’ll be okay.” He’d mumble through the kiss, tongue caressing yours as his hand softly placed itself on your cheek, threading over your skin as if it were porcelain.
It didn’t take long for him to move inside you again, eyes glazed over as he stared into yours through lidded eyes, mouth open over your gasping one as your fingers ran through his black hair. Bringing him down to you once more, you felt the ridges and bumps of his upper body against you, muscles clenching with every thrust as if it took every willpower of his to control himself. 
“God.” He panted out, releasing you to slap his hands against the mattress, gripping the sheets tightly in one hand as you heard them rip under his harsh treatment, the other hand taking hold of the headboard. The wood complained under his hard hold, crumbling as his hold tightened. Your hand found his cheek amidst the pleasure coursing through you, thumb carefully stroking the skin as you whispered his name.
It felt like every sense of reality was swept away from Jacob as his unfocused eyes fell on you, heart thumping so hard against his chest it felt like it would punch through both skin and bones. Shaking his head, he looked at you again, still finding your lidded eyes staring back at him like he had created the world you walked on. 
“You’re gonna kill me,” He grunted, reveling in the feeling of your cold fingertips against his hot cheek as his stomach coiled something so terribly, making him believe he was going to go insane with desire.
In a way, he always feared being this close to you, for only being in your presence was overwhelming for him, never mind feeling your soft skin against his and hearing your pleasure-filled whimpers as he took you. Oh, how he had longed for you, how much he longed for you now, even though he was the closest to you he could ever be. 
He didn’t lie when he told you he always dreamed of you. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw you, like you were carved into his eyelids. He never could get close enough, and while that was a curse in itself, it was a curse he wouldn’t trade for any other.
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ldrfanatic · 1 year ago
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Oh Bella
Italian!Theodore Nott x Fem!Reader
synopsis - 3 times the reader teases Theo’s Italian roots + 1 time she celebrates them
cute, lazy fluff, no angst just happy vibes for a happy christmas :)
slytherin boys masterlist works
warning - internet translated Italian
(got these ideas from Ben and Fabio on instagram they’re so funny)
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It wasn’t easy to date Theodore Nott. It was always rewarding but it wasn’t always easy.
For starters, Theo grew up in Italy and has one of the thickest Italian accents you’ve ever heard. There were a few times over the course of your relationship that you had to ask him to repeat himself a few times. Like when he was trying to tell you that Draco had invited you out on a double date with himself and Hermione.
You had just woken up from a nap when Theo walked into the Slytherin common room after quidditch practice. He flashed you a breath taking smile and all but skipped up to you as you rubbed your tired eyes. You felt your heart melting in your chest at the sight of your adorable boyfriend.
“Buongiorno Bella.” (good morning beautiful) Theo swooped down and delivered a soft kiss to the side of your face before plopping down next to you on the couch. “Guess what?” You hummed in response as you snuggled deep into his side.
“What’s up Theo?”
“At quidditch practice today, Draco says that you and I, we can go out double with them.”
In your tired brain, Theo’s words made even less sense. You sat up from his side and stared at him with your brows furrowed. “Huh?” Theo stared blankly back at you. He brushed a piece of your hair away from your face.
“Still asleep, Bella?”
You shook your head lightly but it didn’t convince either of you entirely. A chuckle rumbled through Theo and his chest vibrated in laughter.
“Draco says we can go double out with Herminone.”
Now it was your turn to laugh at the way Theo pronounced Hermione’s name. You’d all been friends for about two years now since she and Draco had started dating, but he still couldn’t quite pronounce her name correctly.
Finally deciphering his thick accent and slightly broken, but still cute English, realization dawned upon you. You tried to smother a smile as you stared at your boyfriend in pure adoration. “You mean he invited us to double date with them?”
Theo looked at you for a few seconds before standing up and sighing a little dramatically.
“Mio dio Bella, that’s what I said”
“Mmm of course, Theo.”
So, dating Theodore Nott was not without its challenges. But it also wasn’t without its fun.
1.
It was Mattheo’s birthday so of course the Slytherin common room was filled to the brim with drugs, alcohol, and probably the sluttiest girls in all of Hogwarts. Theo was sitting at a table off in the corner with both of your guys’ drinks and was noticeably uncomfortable in such an environment.
You’d gone to get ice for your sex on the beach when you had a mischevious idea. You scooped a little more ice into the cup and started making your way back to Theo.
You caught sight of Mattheo what was sitting on one of the large couches dead center in the room. He had three girls all over him right now and Lorenzo was giggling uncontrollably as he passed him a joint. Mattheo caught your eye and winked playfully. He liked to flirt with you to rile Theo up a little bit every once in a while.
You finally made it back to your table where Theo was swirling a deep red wine in a glass. His lips quirked up in a small smile as you took your seat next to him. Without speaking, he reached out and pulled your chair impossibly closer to his before throwing an arm around your shoulders.
“Ciao Bella.”
Your entire body bloomed at the sound of his thick accent over his husky voice. Warmth settled over you like a fluffy blanket on a snowy morning.
“Ciao Theo.”
The surprise on Theo’s face was more than enough to make you happy that you’d taken up Italian recently. You practiced with Lorenzo in some of your free time and he was a pretty good teacher. You made eye contact with Theo and winked before settling into his side.
Theo immediately became suspicious as you were known for your antics.
“What are you up to Il mio piccolo piantagrane, hm?” (my little troublemaker)
“Nothing Theo, relax.”
He stared at you suspiciously for a few seconds before his body finally loosened.
The opportunity was too great to miss.
You leaned over both of your drinks and dumped ice into your sex on the beach before then dropping a few ice cubes into Theo’s wine.
His reaction was nearly instantaneous.
“Oh! Bella, no! No, no, no!” His lips turned up in disgust and multiple muted expressions left his mouth in what you assumed were Italian swears.
“Che diavolo? Ghiaccio nel vino? No! Il vino è sacro.”
(what the hell? ice in wine? no! wine is sacred.)
A large hand came and ran through his messy curls and the laugh you’d been surprising burst suddenly from your chest. Theo’s eyes snapped to yours and you recognized the mischievous glint.
A squeal left your mouth as you leapt up from your seat and took off around the common room with him hot on your tail.
2.
The second time that you decided to make your poor sweet Italian boyfriend question all decisions to be with you was at dinner one night. You weren’t intentionally teasing him at first as you stared down at your empty plate trying to think of what you wanted.
You glanced over to Theo’s plate next to you and saw a mouthwatering pasta that he’d conjured. You tugged gently on the sleeve of his green sweater and his attention found yours immediately.
“What’s wrong, bellissima?”
“Can you get me some of that, please Theo?”
“Of course.”
He took your plate in his hands and after a few seconds his dish was sitting in front of you. You noted how he made sure there were no tomatoes in yours like there were in his. Theo knew you hated tomatoes. It was so sweet it almost made you feel bad for what you were about to do to his little Italian heart.
Almost.
Theo picked up his fork and started to dig into his food before he stopped abruptly. Lorenzo too stopped eating his own food and the pair stared at you incredulously as you shoveled the pasta into your mouth.
“Oh Bella.”
He seemed more horrified than anything else. You loaded more food into your mouth being careful to eat as much as a lady as you could.
“No.” You stared at him blankly with a sheepish look before resuming your meal. “Bella, no. Twirl. Like this,” Theo picked up his fork and expertly swirled the noodles around before bringing it up to his mouth.
You offered him a gentle grin before promptly resuming what you were doing before. From across the table Lorenzo started whisper screaming at Theo in Italian.
“Theo, Cosa c'è che non va nella tua ragazza? Lei mangia la pasta come una bambina!” (what’s wrong with your girlfriend? she eats pasta like a child!)
Theo stared at you astounded as redness crept up his face. Then it finally dawned on him that you were teasing.
“Bella per favoreee.” He dragged out his words with a small smile on his face at your teasing. You both knew that you knew the proper way to eat pasta.
“No more teasing love.” You nodded through your giggles and Theo wrapped a thick arm around your waist and pulled you into his side.
3.
So, you knew that you promised Theo no more teasing last week but when you overheard him and Lorenzo complaining earlier in the most adorable stuttered English you couldn’t help yourself. You were walking down towards the common room to get lunch with the boys.
Theo, Lorenzo, and Mattheo were sitting in the common room all having a discussion. Suddenly you heard your boyfriend’s sweet Italian symphony of a voice shift into one of astonishment. You peeked around the corner and saw both him and Lorenzo staring at Mattheo like he’d just said the most offensive thing ever.
“What do you mean you have the cappuccino in the afternoon, huh?” His fingers came to rub at his temples and you had to stifle your laugh behind your hand. “Puah! cappuccino è solo per la mattina.” (Cappuccino is only for the morning).
Mattheo stared blankly at the two. Finally you decided to step in before the vein in Theo’s forehead burst.
“Theo? I’m ready.”
By the time that you made it to the Great Hall, the boys seemed to have forgotten about their earlier conversation. Mattheo walked quietly in step next to you while Theo and Lorenzo conversed in Italian so quickly your head was spinning.
“Psst. Y/n I have an idea on how to make that little Italian boy of yours blow a fuse.”
(“Maledizione Lorenzo, non credi che se sapessi cosa regalarle non andrei fuori di testa?”)
You cursed yourself that you couldn’t understand what they were saying. After staring at the side of Theo’s handsome face for a few moments longer you let out a disgruntled noise and turned to Mattheo.
“Fine! What?”
And that was how you found yourself in this situation.
Trying your absolute hardest to keep a straight face without looking at Theo at all while you sipped on your cappuccino that you’d conjured in your cup.
“Oh Bella.”
Theo’s familiar distressed tone rang out from next to you. “You cannot be series, amore mio.”
“Do you mean serious, Theo?” Mattheo chimed in with an amused smirk.
Theo made a dismissive Italian noise and waved Mattheo off. He swore under his breath before grabbing the side of your face and turning it to him. “Bellissima, it is too late for a cappuccino!”
You smirked up at your distraught boyfriend and pressed a quick kiss to the softness of his cheek. “I know, amore.”
Theo stared at you before throwing his hands up in the air and turning back towards his lunch. Mattheo’s deep laugh burst out and you couldn’t help yourself but to laugh along with him.
You were so busy laughing you hadn’t noticed that Theo was staring at you with a smile. He was so very in love with you.
+ one time you celebrated Theo’s Italian roots
April 25th was meant to be celebratory. La Festa della Resistenza. And Theodore Nott was stuck at quidditch practice.
Meanwhile, you were scurrying around the common room with Lorenzo trying to set up the perfect surprise for Theo. With Italy’s Liberation Day approaching, you’d noticed Theo had been a little down lately. You knew that it was because he was missing his family.
Normally, his mother would prepare a big feast and the family would sing the song of the resistance, Bella Ciao. You’d taken a floo to his home in Italy and gotten some recipes from his mother directly, all his favorites. And now, you were trying desperately to teach a group of first year Slytherins how to sing the song that you’d been practicing for weeks.
You sighed deeply as you realized the little buggers you bribed with a few galleons each were not at all going to get the song down in time. You conjured your purse and shelled out a few galleons to each child before shooing them out of the common room.
By the time Theo got back from quidditch practice, everything was perfect. You were standing in the center of the room in a deep red dress that you knew was his favorite. When he saw the spread, Theo thought his heart might stop. You looked nothing short of stunning.
“Oh Bella.”
It didn’t hold any of the distress that it normally did. This time his tone was thick with adoration. Theo felt a lump moving up his throat that caught tears behind his eyes. His heart clenched in his chest. This was one of the most thoughtful things that anyone had ever done for him.
Just when he was certain you couldn’t get anymore perfect, your sweet voice rang out in an impossibly beautiful symphony that rivaled Pavarotti.
“Una mattina mi sono alzato
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
Una mattina mi sono alzato
E ho trovato l'invasor.”
Theo held you closer to his chest and pressed his forehead against yours as he joined for the next verse.
“O partigiano, portami via
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
O partigiano, portami via
Che mi sento di morir.”
The two of you swayed as Lorenzo joined and the three of you sang the rest of the song together. When you finished, you all made plates and sat down in the common room.
“When did you learn all of this, Bella?”
You smiled gently at Theo while he stared at you like you were the most perfect being in the world.
“I took a trip to Italy to see your mother a little bit ago. She told me about La Festa della Resistenza the Celebration of the Resistance. She talked about how important it was to Italy’s history and that it marked the Resistance victory in the Italian Civil War. Then when I saw how sad you were to be away from home at this time I knew I had to do something.”
In that moment, Theo knew that there wasn’t anybody he’d ever loved as much as he loved you. He took your face in both of his hands and pressed a deep kiss to your lips.
“This is perfect, bellissima, thank you so much.”
6K notes · View notes
lowkeyren · 9 months ago
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TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME!
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in which — sunday, realizing he fell head over heels for you, tries to push you away, only to have his efforts backfire, which leads to a heated confession.
pairing — sunday x gn!reader
wc: 2.3k, arranged marriage, hurt/comfort, woooo tension!!!, takes place before penacony quests, sunday fumbles everyone cook him rn, apology scene ib maxton hall, reblogs r much appreciated! from event req: here + art by @/hanahanayart on x
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the first thing sunday noticed about you was how you consistently avoided meeting his gaze, how your eyes seemed to wander, frequently darting to the ground. 
even now, as you’re sitting across the table from him, you’re fidgeting with your hands, fingers nervously twisting the small charm on your bracelet. your eyes flit from the patterned tablecloth to the rim of your teacup, never settling on him for more than a moment. 
you’re tense, he notes.
as you both go through the marriage contract, he finds himself distracted by the way your eyebrows furrow in concentration, and how your fingers fidget with the edges of the document; a soft smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he observes your gestures. 
the moment you notice him staring however, you stiffen and abruptly shift in your seat. he watches as the flush on your cheeks grows more pronounced, and your words come out in awkward stammers as you try to continue the subject.
though he catches on, quickly averting his gaze to spare you any further embarrassment. the corner of his mouth twitches as he shakes his head slightly. 
right, you must be the type to be easily swayed by looks and status. 
of course he’s aware of his own charm, and even more so, the effect he has on others —evident by the multitude of pursuers vying for his hand in marriage. 
but something is different about you, different enough to intrigue him, different enough to distinguish you from the rest of the crowd, different and compelling enough for him to entertain the idea of marrying you.
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sunday is a busy man. 
his schedule is packed with a myriad of tasks ranging from managing various negotiations to organizing the upcoming charmony festival. his desk is cluttered with intricate sketches of the festival’s layouts, post-it notes with scribbled annotations, stacks of detailed itineraries, and reminders of… you.
you have a knack for surprising sunday with unique gifts that inevitably end up on his desk. 
for instance, the delicate keychain that’s shaped like a tiny halo dangling just of reach, or the hand-knitted coaster he sets his mug on, or a handwritten note reminding him to take a break with a small doodle of him in the corner, or the sleek pen he’s using right now, personalised just for him (he complained about pens having grips that were too slippery or uncomfortable once.)
somehow, you never fail to invade his thoughts at every given chance. the worst part? he actually started looking forward to your presence —much to his dismay.
he doesn't know when exactly it started, but he’s certain “it’s all your fault” because he finds himself checking his phone much more frequently, eagerly awaiting your messages. he’s also become attuned to your daily visits, recognizing the distinct sound of your footsteps as they approach his office. heck he even finds himself rearranging his schedule to make sure he’s free during your usual visit time.
you plague his mind to the extent that it distracts him, where he finds himself unable to focus on his work without your voice suddenly echoing in his thoughts; the sound of your infectious laughter, the warmth of your smile like a siren’s call, and the endearing stutter in your words when you say his name —which all seems to linger and sway with every thought. 
sunday fears that he may have loved you more than he will ever allow himself to.
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sunday gazes at his reflection in the mirror, running a hand through his hair. his brows are furrowed, and a deep sigh escapes him as he tries to calm his turbulent thoughts, gripping the edge of the sink for support.
his current dishevelled appearance bears a striking resemblance to that of a fallen angel; stunningly attractive, yet marred by a decadent edge that whispers of turpitude.
as the head of the oak family, he shoulders countless responsibilities and maintains a careful distance from those around him. so is it wrong when he feels a twinge of insult, almost as if it's shameful to be powerless to resist you, when you entered his life with a mere marriage contract but seamlessly wove yourself into the deepest, darkest corners of his heart?
“sunday, are you okay? you’ve been in there for a while!” your voice echoes from the other side of the door, tinged with worry and care.
he’s confounded by your unwavering concern, unable to fathom as to why you continue to pour your heart into him, even as he remains cold and indifferent. he appears detached to you, often aloof and devoid of any intimacy —yet you never seem to mind. 
you make him want to tear down the carefully constructed barriers he’s built around his heart and hold you close. even now as you soothe his back and gently preen his wings, he finds himself lost in thought, contemplating the possibility of abandoning his old ways and allowing himself to be vulnerable with you.
but he thinks you don't have to be so insistent on winning him over, really. because he has already belonged to you in a way that’s intrinsic, a devotion deadlier than hell. 
perhaps he just hasn't come to accept it yet.
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walking along the streets of golden hour, sunday is painfully aware of the stare you fixate on his figure, even though you try to be discreet about it. when his hand lightly grazes against yours, you freeze momentarily, your body tensing before you quickly adjust your pace to match his long strides, positioning yourself at his side.
you notice that his face is etched with a grim expression, lips drawn tight; he appears visibly stressed, a noticeable contrast to his usual calm demeanor. 
“ahem…” you clear your throat, “y’know,” you begin, your voice soft with an attempt at comfort, “whenever i feel upset, i've found that treating myself to something nice to eat always helps lift my spirits.”
your words hang in the air as he remains silent, his gaze fixed ahead; undeterred, you continue speaking.
“there’s a new restaurant robin told me about yesterday, would you—”
“—stop talking.”
his words seem to have escaped louder than intended, drawing the attention of bystanders who now stop to observe the scene. murmurs ripple through the crowd as they exchange curious glances. 
“oh… well i just wanted t—”
“just, leave me alone for once,” he interrupts sharply, each syllable from his lips like a drop of acid, eroding the walls of your heart until nothing is left but a hollow ache.
a flash of regret crosses his face the moment he sees your face drop. he watches in silence as you nod curtly before pushing your way through the gathering crowd, the haunting image of your hurt expression only further exacerbates the stress he’s already grappling with. 
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you gaze at the chat screen with sunday’s name, your fingers hesitantly hovering over the send button; his words from a few days ago echo relentlessly in your head, replaying over and over again.
you sigh before putting your phone down. he probably doesn’t want you bothering him, right?
in that case, even if he was 'annoyed' by you, why did he have to say it in front of everyone? sure he was cold to you at times, but you thought he cared for you at least a little. and if he intended to push you away, why accept your gifts in the first place? 
regardless, you’re not about to forgive him so easily. your dignity demands that you maintain your distance for now, not merely out of pride but also to give him a taste of his own medicine. 
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sunday hasn’t received your usual “good morning” text today… the day before, and the week before. actually, he hasn’t seen you at all either. (but robin has, she mentioned that she noticed you seemed a bit down. when she asked about it, though, you didn’t give her a clear answer.)
his office feels eerily quiet without your timely “interruptions”; his desk, once cluttered with your little gifts and notes, now sits noticeably emptier. most importantly, your absence only serves to distract him more than your presence ever did.
he has lost count of the times he’s run his hand through his hair, a familiar gesture of frustration that has become all too common lately. what he said that day, was purely “in the heat of the moment”, a lapse into uncharacteristic harshness he now deeply regrets. 
he envisions the hurt in your eyes, the way your expression crumpled as his words pierced the air, the weight of his own words gnaws at him, and he feels a pang of guilt so sharp it almost physically hurts.
he may have been reserved with his affection, but he never intended for his words to wound you so deeply. ultimately, he was only trying to guard the vulnerability he rarely reveals; but now, his facade has crumbled. and even he can no longer convince himself of the cold indifference he once tried to project.
it’s a bitter irony that he thinks you shouldn’t try so hard to win him over, when he tries just as hard to resist you. 
his efforts would have paid off,
—if only his heart is as cold as he pretends it is. 
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he hears your footsteps for the first time in two weeks.
as you enter, he tries to mask the relief on his face, but his eyes betray him, softening as they lock onto you; his pulse quickens, and he rises from his desk almost instinctively. as usual, you keep your eyes averted, but today, the familiar shyness has been replaced by a palpable tension that he can’t ignore.
you set the stack of documents on his desk before turning to leave in silence, but his hand reaches out and gently grasps your wrist, halting you in your tracks. 
“—wait, please,” his voice trembles.
you turn around, finally meeting his gaze. the steady rhythm of his heart quickens into an erratic flutter, almost like a caged dove desperate to escape.
“i apologise… for what happened that day.” 
“a simple ‘sorry’ would suffice for the embarrassment you put me through, but it doesn’t erase the sting of your words or the way you belittle my feelings,” your voice quivers slightly.
you shake your head and let out a frustrated sigh. “listen, i’m not a pawn for you to play with. just tell me how you really feel, not what you think i want to hear.”
you pause, searching his face for any sign of genuine emotion, but all you find is the same frustrating distance. “i mean it, i’m truly sorry, please let m—”
“you can’t just say you're sorry and expect everything to be fine." you scoff and wrench your hand away from his grasp with a sharp jerk, “cut the crap, you’re seriously driving me insane!”
there's a pause before he responds. “im driving you insane?” his eyes narrow, his expression growing intense as he steps closer. with each step he takes towards you, you retreat until your back hits the edge of a bookshelf, the cool wood pressing against you. 
“but do you know what you do to me?” his hair tumbles messily and hangs over his forehead. “do you think it’s easy for me to keep my composure when everything you do makes it harder for me to hold it together?” 
his hands, which were previously clenched at his sides, now grip the edges of the bookshelf on either side of you, closing the space between you even further. 
“maybe i’ve been distant,” his voice, though strained, holds a desperate edge. “but it’s not because i don’t care, it’s because i'm terrified of what i might feel if i let myself get too close.”
“it’s because you drive me insane —and i can’t get enough of it.” 
you pause, taking in his raw confession before burying your face into his shoulder; a damp patch forming on his clothes. “but it’s not fair, sunday.” your fingers dig into his shoulder, but he couldn’t care less.
“you can’t push me away and then pull me back in with your words.” your words are muffled; he tenderly runs his hand along your back, his soothing touch calming you down.
he sighs before saying, “i know i’m sorry, please give me some time, i’ll make things right.”
“promise?” you ask, lifting your gaze to meet his. he gently cups your cheek with his hand, his thumb softly caressing your skin.
he presses a kiss to the crown of your head, “i promise.” 
and this time, he lets himself sink in your embrace, holding you tighter than before. it’s then he realises just how much he had missed out on. 
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extra:
“darling...” 
“hm?” you gently stroke his wings, smoothing out the feathers with delicate care. 
his wings flutter slightly under your gentle hands, softly rustling as you brush through the layers of plumage.
“why were you delivering documents to me that day?” he asks, voice laden with curiosity.
you let out a soft chuckle as you recall the nervous expressions of the staff on that day when sunday walked into his office. his wings had fluttered with every tentative step someone took toward him, a clear sign of his agitation. 
“i don’t know,” you reply with a hint of amusement. “maybe none of your staff dared to come near you, so they asked for my help.”
he subconsciously leans into your touch, a soft smile playing on his lips. “well i’m grateful you came by,” he murmurs, though he can’t quite hide the way his wings quiver in response to your tender caresses.
“it turns out, i got more than just a set of documents that day."
you raise an eyebrow playfully. "oh? and what might that be?"
he leans in closer, his forehead gently touching yours, “a reminder of how much i need you."
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MASTERLIST ; EVENT M.LIST
2K notes · View notes
foxtrology · 1 month ago
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sweet dark haired man (6)
harry castillo x reader
series
word count: 13.8k
warnings: no y/n, 28 year age gap, female reader, angst, fluff, smut.
The Cape Cod light was brutal in its honesty—too bright, too clean, the kind of afternoon sun that made everything look sharper than it should. The ocean beyond the windows of the renovated beach house sparkled like glass, waves crashing against the shore in rhythmic indifference.
Lucy hated it.
She hated how picturesque it was. How calm. How settled. How every breath felt like a performance of peace.
John had gone into town to pick up oysters and a bottle of wine he couldn’t pronounce. He kissed her cheek before he left. He always did that. Like routine made up for the silence between them.
She was curled on the white couch in her favorite silk robe—cream, embroidered, delicate—as if softness could protect her. Her hair was tied up with a scrunchie she didn’t remember choosing. The mug of green tea beside her had long gone cold. She hadn’t touched it.
Her laptop was open on her knees. And the email was staring at her.
Subject: FYI — goes live tomorrow, late afternoon. Thought you’d want to see it first.
From: Carrie Roth
No greeting. No punctuation. Just a single link beneath the sentence. No context.
But Lucy didn’t need context.
She clicked. And the screen unfurled into a headline she already knew would hurt.
"The Billionaire and the Nobody: How Harry Castillo Fell for a Woman Without a Name."
Her breath hitched.
Below the headline, the byline—Carrie Roth. Of course. And below that?
The photo. That photo. The one Harry had supposedly made Carrie delete.
Lucy blinked hard.
There they were—in Harry’s lobby. She remembered the building. The hallway. The marble floors. The stupid orchid arrangement by the elevator that never died.
But that wasn’t what made her pause.
It was the way Harry was looking at the girl. She was in his clothes. Hair wet like she just took a bath. At his place. But Harry? Harry was looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
It was instinctive. Natural. The kind of look you didn’t even realize you gave unless someone froze the moment.
Lucy stared at the image. Her hands went cold. Her ring—thin gold, small diamond, a gift from John—pressed into her skin as she clenched her fingers.
She scrolled. The article wasn’t cruel. Not exactly.
It was careful. Surgical. The kind of carefully worded gossip Carrie was famous for—less fire, more poison. Phrases like “rare public moment,” and “sources say she doesn’t have a last name that anyone can find,” and “Castillo’s first serious appearance with someone new since his highly publicized breakup with his ex Lucy.”
Lucy flinched at the mention of her name. It was in bold.
Of course it was.
Carrie had buried the quote deeper in the piece, almost like a treat for the diligent reader.
“She doesn’t know what he’s like yet,” Lucy had said, when asked if she knew about the woman. “How intense. How obsessive. How cold he can be when he wants to.”
She hadn’t meant it to sound bitter. Or maybe she had.
Maybe some part of her had wanted Harry to read that line and feel something sharp in his chest. But now, looking at the photo—the girl in his clothes, the way his body was angled toward her, protective, intimate—Lucy felt something sharp in hers.
Because she recognized that version of him.
The quiet Harry. The gentle one. The one who made tea without asking and never needed to be told what you were thinking because he already knew.
She had killed that version of him. And someone had brought him back to life.
Lucy’s phone buzzed once. A message from John.
John: Need anything else from the store? 
She didn’t answer right away. She just stared out the window. The sea was bluer than usual. A boat skimmed across the horizon like punctuation.
She clicked the link again. Scrolled back to the photo. Studied the girl’s face—partially turned, but visible. Eyes cast down. Mouth soft. She didn’t look like a socialite. Or an actress. Or a woman who’d ever once tried to control a room.
She looked like someone who’d wandered into Harry’s life by accident. And stayed.
Lucy’s finger hovered over the keyboard. Her eyes flicked back to the headline. Then to the quote.
She’s not built for it.
She closed the laptop. Stood. The silence in the house was so loud it made her ears ring. And suddenly, Lucy wasn’t sure if she’d moved on at all.
Back in Italy, the sun was just beginning to dip behind the hills, casting everything in gold.
The villa glowed like a painting—stone walls kissed by twilight, lanterns strung along the balcony flickering to life one by one. The air was warm, threaded with rosemary, lemon, and the faintest trace of woodsmoke from somewhere nearby.
She stood in front of the mirror, still pinning one last piece of her hair into place.
Her dress was a soft rust color, silk again, but different from last night. This one moved like water when she walked, low in the back, delicate at the shoulders. Her earrings were borrowed from Francesca. Her lipstick was a shade she got from Maya. 
Harry watched her from the edge of the bed.
Shirt crisp. Pants pressed. One hand tucked in his pocket, the other holding a small glass of something he hadn’t sipped yet. He’d shaved, but left a trace of scruff. His chain caught the last bit of sunlight, gleaming like a secret.
“You keep staring,” she said, not looking at him.
“I can’t help it.”
She smiled at her reflection. “Is it the hair?”
“It’s the everything.”
He walked over slowly. Stood behind her. Met her eyes in the mirror.
“I thought I was in love with you before,” he said quietly, brushing a strand of hair off her shoulder. “But then you did that thing with the peach at lunch.”
She laughed, head tilting back slightly. “That wasn’t me. That was the wine.”
“You were licking your thumb.”
“I was cleaning my hand.”
“It was obscene.”
She turned. Faced him.
And for a moment, they just stood there. Quiet. Grounded.
“Well,” she said softly, “good thing I brought extra peaches.”
Harry groaned like a man in pain. “You’re trying to kill me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Liar.”
She kissed him once, quick and mischievous. Then grabbed her bag.
Chiara had texted the address hours ago. Danny was still sulking around the villa, probably pretending not to exist.
The car was waiting. The roads were winding. The evening had started.
And neither of them had any idea what tomorrow night's headline would bring.
But for now—
They were still in Florence. Still in the golden hour. Still theirs.
The driver didn’t speak much.
Harry gave the address once and the rest of the ride passed in a hush, the hum of the engine soft beneath the cobblestone rhythm. The roads curled like ribbon through the hills, olive trees flashing past the windows in soft blurs, golden light smearing the windshield.
In the backseat, she let her head rest against the window for a while, watching the landscape spill by like something dreamt.
Harry sat beside her, shirt deep navy, sleeves rolled up neatly. His trousers were black, fitted. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine—controlled, watchful, impossibly composed.
But his fingers found hers anyway. Laced them together. Rested their joined hands on the seat between them like a promise.
She smiled without turning her head. They didn’t speak the whole ride. They didn’t need to.
When the car finally turned off the main road and slowed onto a gravel path lined with wildflowers and pale stone, she sat up straighter. Adjusted her silk dress. Smoothed her hands down the front.
Harry reached over without a word and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His thumb grazed her jaw.
“You ready?” he asked softly.
“Nope.”
“Too late.”
The car stopped. And there it was.
Chiara’s family home was nothing like the villa. It wasn’t grand. It wasn’t curated. It was warm. Chaotic. Built like a hug.
A long, low house with chipped shutters, ivy spilling down the side, and music floating faintly from the open windows. Children’s laughter rang out somewhere around back. The scent of tomato and garlic clung to the air like an old coat.
Lights were strung overhead—crooked, twinkling fairy lights bouncing between olive trees and the wooden beams of a pergola that shaded the long dinner table already half-filled with people.
They stepped out of the car. The gravel crunched under her sandals. Harry opened the door for her, of course. Offered his hand. She took it.
It was now 8:30. And the sun had just melted fully behind the hills, leaving everything bathed in the kind of purple-gold glow that only happened in Italy and movies.
Chiara spotted them first. She was barefoot again, curls pinned half-up, wearing a thin white dress with a red sweater tied around her waist like a ribbon. She bounded toward them with a glass of wine in one hand and a sprig of rosemary in the other.
“You came!” she beamed, flinging her arms around her in a hug. Then looked at Harry and added, “You too. Terrifying boyfriend.”
Harry’s brow ticked. “Thanks.”
Chiara only grinned. “Come meet everyone.”
She grabbed her hand, tugged her forward without giving her time to panic. Harry followed behind, towering, silent, one hand in his pocket, already receiving double-takes from some of the guests as they approached.
The table was long. Wood worn soft by weather and wine stains. Set with mismatched plates and linen napkins. There were pitchers of red wine and baskets of bread at each end. Someone had set out bowls of figs and mozzarella, tomatoes still warm from the vine, plates of roasted eggplant and olives soaked in garlic oil.
Chiara pointed as she rambled on. “That’s my mother—Rosalinda and that’s my father—Leo. Don’t let him pour your wine or you’ll never stop drinking. My brothers—Matteo and Gianni."
There were a bunch of other guests that she didn't introduce but still they still waved.
Everyone waved.
Rosalinda gave a warm smile. “Benvenuti. Welcome.”
Chiara tugged her to two empty chairs at the far end of the table, tucked beneath a blooming wisteria vine. “These are yours. I saved them.”
Harry held the chair out for her. She sat. He took the one beside her.
And just like that, they were in it. The wine was poured before either of them could decline. The bread basket was passed like gospel.
Someone slid over a small dish of anchovies and roasted peppers with a murmur, “Try this. It’ll change your life.”
She was dizzy already—in the best way. Everything smelled like salt and basil and firewood. The table was loud, people speaking over each other in fast Italian, gesturing wildly, laughter bubbling up in waves.
And Harry? Harry didn’t say a word. He didn’t smile. Didn’t reach for the wine. He just sat there—hands folded, watching everything like he was gathering intel.
No one said anything for a while. Until Gianni, Chiara’s younger brother—maybe twenty, maybe high—leaned over the table, squinting.
“So,” he said, accent thick but voice teasing, “you are the scary man, yes?”
Harry looked up. Raised a brow.
Gianni grinned. “Chiara said you looked like you kill people for fun.”
“She wasn’t wrong,” Harry replied, deadpan.
The table froze. Chiara choked on her wine. Then—Rosalinda burst into laughter. Loud. Unapologetic.
Everyone followed. Even Harry smiled, just barely. The kind of smile that curled at the corner of his mouth like a secret. And from that moment, the ice cracked. A little.
Rosalinda passed him the wine again. This time, he took it.
A cousin leaned forward and asked if he was a Gemini.
He said, “Worse.”
The table howled. Dinner unfolded in waves.
The food kept coming—handmade pasta with sage butter and lemon zest, grilled zucchini, risotto flecked with saffron. Someone brought out slices of porchetta carved from a roast, still warm, the scent making her stomach ache with joy.
She reached for a piece of bread and Harry slid the butter toward her without being asked.
Their knees touched under the table. At one point, she turned to him and whispered, “You okay?”
He nodded. “You?”
She smiled. “I’m good.”
He reached for her hand beneath the table. Held it loosely, fingers stroking hers as the night softened.
The stars came out slowly. Someone put on a record player—crackling, old jazz spinning from a speaker tucked beneath the table.
Rosalinda began reading tarot cards near the rosemary bush.
Chiara danced barefoot with her grandmother under the vines.
Leo refilled Harry’s glass without asking. He didn’t argue.
He was still quiet. Still him. But softer now. Warmer.
He leaned in close once, mouth brushing her temple, and murmured, “This is the best night I’ve had in years.”
She looked at him. Eyes lit.
“Me too.”
They didn’t talk about Lucy. They didn’t know that across the ocean, Lucy had just stared down the proof of their intimacy frozen in pixels. They didn’t know the article was going live tomorrow.
They didn’t know that Danny was trying—desperately, recklessly—to contain the fallout.
For now, they just drank the wine. Ate the figs. Held hands under a string of crooked lights.
And when Chiara brought out a lemon cake her aunt had baked that morning, they split a slice and fed each other bites like fools. Harry didn’t even flinch when someone took a photo.
“You’re different here,” she whispered, later, when the table had quieted and only the older guests remained, nursing espresso and arguing softly about soccer.
Harry looked at her.
“You’re softer,” she said.
“I think you make me that way.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. His fingers threaded through hers. The record spun to a close. And for now, the night held. Long and safe and theirs.
But even the gentlest nights had to end.
She was mid-laugh, swirling the last sip of wine in her glass as Chiara told some absurd story about falling into a canal in Venice when she was a child—elbows flying, hands gesturing, cheeks pink with wine and warmth—when it happened.
Harry saw it. The yawn.
Small. Half-hidden. She tried to stifle it behind her knuckles, the motion lazy and unbothered. But he caught it. Of course he did.
It wasn’t the kind of yawn that meant boredom. It was the kind that meant her bones were heavy and her body had officially stopped running on adrenaline and sugar and wine. The kind that meant she wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes open much longer.
He leaned down slightly, his voice brushing her ear like something private.
“You’re fading. Tired?”
She turned, blinking up at him with bleary affection. “No, I’m not.”
“You just yawned mid-sentence.”
“Did not.”
“You did.”
“That was a—dramatic breath,” she mumbled. “For storytelling.”
He smiled. Barely.
Then stood.
It was subtle—how quickly the table noticed. A hush, almost reverent, like the weather had shifted. Conversations paused. Heads tilted.
Harry Castillo had stood. And that meant something.
Chiara looked up. “Leaving?”
Harry gave a slight nod, hand resting at the back of her chair. “We should.”
She opened her mouth to protest. To insist she was fine. But another yawn betrayed her.
Harry quirked a brow.
She gave up. “Okay, fine.”
Chiara leaned over and hugged her, cheek warm against her own. “Thank you for coming. Truly.”
“She’s the one that made us come,” Harry muttered as he shook Leo’s hand.
“You’re a good boyfriend,” Chiara said. Then added, teasing, “Terrifying. But good.”
Harry didn’t answer.
He just placed a hand on the small of her back—warm, grounding—and guided her through the garden path, away from the laughter, the flickering lights, the music still curling into the air like a lullaby.
They walked slowly.
She leaned into him more with each step, her sandals forgotten in one hand, her body sagging with contented exhaustion. The rust silk of her dress shifted with each step, catching moonlight and memory like it was something alive.
The gravel crunched beneath them. The breeze had cooled now, brushing through the trees like whispered secrets. Somewhere in the distance, an owl called once. The sound echoed.
When they reached the car, Harry opened the door for her, of course. Helped her in without speaking. Tucked her sandals at her feet. Then slid into the seat beside her and gave the driver a short nod.
They didn’t speak much on the way back.
She leaned her head on his shoulder somewhere between the vineyard and the old church they’d passed earlier that afternoon. Her fingers drifted to his thigh out of habit. He let her stay like that, barely moving, afraid to shift and break the spell.
By the time the car pulled into the villa’s gravel courtyard, she was half-asleep.
The windows glowed with low golden light. The stone shimmered faintly in the moonlight. Everything felt soft. Suspended. Like they were the last people left in the world.
Until Harry saw movement. Someone was pacing near the stone fountain at the edge of the courtyard. Fast. Sharp. A phone pressed to his ear. Gesturing wildly.
Danny. He looked...frantic.
Harry’s brows furrowed.
She stirred, mumbling sleepily, “Are we back?”
He kissed her temple. “Yeah. Just a second.”
Before she could fully register it, Harry had stepped out of the car, door shutting softly behind him. She blinked herself upright, trying to process the sudden absence of his warmth.
Outside, Harry walked toward Danny with a slow, deliberate pace.
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” he asked, voice low and even.
Danny jumped. Spun.
“Oh—shit—Harry. It’s nothing.”
Harry stopped a few feet away. Arms crossed. Face unreadable. “Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
Danny covered the receiver with one hand. “It’s personal.”
Harry’s eyes narrowed. “From your tone, it sounds like work.”
“It’s not,” Danny said quickly. Too quickly. “It’s one of my exes. She’s losing it. You know how it goes. Screaming about closure or whatever. I’m just trying to shut it down before she flies here with a bat.”
Harry didn’t blink. “You’re lying.”
Danny’s jaw clenched. “I’m not.”
Harry took one step closer.
And for a second—just one, tight, fragile second—Danny’s face cracked.
Not fully. Not visibly. But enough for Harry to see it. To catalog it. To file it under I’ll ask again later.
He looked over Danny once more, then pulled back.
“Figure it out,” Harry muttered, already walking away. “I don’t like being lied to.”
Danny exhaled. Said nothing.
Harry returned to the car without another glance. She was waiting, sandals back on, dress wrinkled from the ride.
“You okay?” she asked, groggy.
“Yeah,” he lied.
He offered his hand. She took it.
Their room was exactly how they’d left it. Soft lighting. The bed turned down. A carafe of water on the nightstand, fresh flowers in the bowl by the window.
She let out a sigh the moment she stepped inside. Toed off her sandals. Swayed slightly in place. Harry locked the door behind them.
She was already halfway to the bed when he said, “Shower first.”
She groaned like a child. “Noooo.”
“Yes.”
“I’m too tired.”
“You’ll feel better.”
“I’ll feel better horizontal.”
Harry arched a brow. “That can be arranged. After you shower.”
“Harry,” she whined, dragging out the syllables like syrup. “I have no bones.”
He moved toward her.
She backed away dramatically, flopping onto the bed like a fainting Victorian ghost. “I’m already dying. Leave me.”
He reached down, grabbed her ankle, and gently tugged her toward the edge of the mattress. She shrieked—quietly, theatrically—but didn’t resist.
“Come on,” he said, voice softer now. “Arms up.”
She blinked.
Then slowly raised her arms. Like surrender.
He knelt down, unzipped the back of her dress. The rust silk peeled away like petals. It fell in a pool at her feet.
She stood in her underwear, hair messy, cheeks flushed from wine and heat and fatigue. She looked like a painting. A little bruised by the night. A little radiant because of it.
Harry touched her waist.
“Shower,” he repeated.
She whined. “You go with me?”
He nodded.
“Fine,” she huffed. “But you better carry me after.”
“Done.”
The shower was warm. Quick.
She leaned into him the entire time, face pressed against his chest, arms around his neck while he washed her hair with the patience of a saint. She mumbled something incoherent about peaches and tarot cards. He just listened. 
He dried her gently afterward, wrapping her in a towel, then carrying her back to the bed like she’d demanded.
She giggled when he nearly dropped her onto the mattress. “You’re such a gentleman.”
“I’m reconsidering it.”
She didn’t respond.
She was already half-asleep.
He dressed her slowly—one of his t-shirts again, soft and oversized then a pair of his boxers. Kissed the crown of her head. Pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.
Her lashes fluttered. Then stilled.
And Harry…
Harry sat at the edge of the bed for a while. Just watched her. She looked safe now. Soft. Here. He wanted to believe the worst of it had passed.
But something in Danny’s face—something in that lie—coiled like wire under his ribs.
He reached over. Turned off the lamp. Slipped under the covers beside her.
She stirred only once—just enough to press her cheek to his shoulder, murmuring something like “mine.”
Harry closed his eyes. Wrapped an arm around her waist. And held on. Tighter than usual.
Just in case. But just in case wasn't enough. Not anymore.
Harry opened his eyes before the light did.
It was instinct—some built-in warning system that had always protected him from the worst of it. From too many hours asleep. From the risk of rest. Rest meant exposure. Rest meant you might miss something.
And something was off. He knew it the moment he registered how calm everything was. Too calm.
The room was still. The kind of stillness that only came before something terrible.
She was curled into him like always—head pressed into his chest, one leg tangled over his hip, lips slightly parted as she dreamed something soft.
He looked at her. Really looked.
Hair a little damp from the night before. Cheeks flushed with sleep. The collar of his shirt slipping off one shoulder, exposing the delicate slope of skin he’d kissed a dozen times the night before. Her arm was draped over his chest like she was afraid he’d vanish if she let go.
And he knew—
He would burn the whole fucking world down to keep this. To keep her.
To keep mornings like this where her skin smelled like lavender and sweat and him, where her body knew his even in sleep, where everything had finally felt like it was settling into something close to peace.
Which is why the dread crawling up his spine was unbearable.
He carefully, silently, shifted her arm. She murmured something incoherent. He stilled. Waited.
Then slowly slid out from beneath her. She didn’t wake. Just rolled over, curling into the spot he left behind, still warm.
He grabbed a hoodie off the chair. Pulled it on. Then left.
The hallway outside was dim, washed in soft amber light from the wall sconces. The villa was still asleep—except for Harry. Always Harry. Awake before anyone could disappoint him.
He didn’t make noise. Didn’t need to. He knew exactly where Danny’s room was. Didn’t bother knocking. Just twisted the handle. It wasn’t locked. Because Danny, for all his skills, never thought he needed to hide things from Harry for long.
The room was a mess. Clothes tossed over the back of a chair. Two empty water bottles on the desk. One of those tiny espresso cups half-filled and forgotten on the nightstand.
Danny was asleep on the couch. Fully dressed. Mouth slightly open. One arm flung across his chest like he’d passed out mid-heart attack.
But Harry wasn’t looking at Danny.
His eyes were on the laptop. Sitting open. Still glowing faintly on the coffee table.
He walked over slowly. Silent. Careful. Grabbed the laptop and sat down on a nearby chair. 
Danny didn’t stir.
The laptop screen was still unlocked. And there it was. The tab. His name. Her anonymity. His stomach dropped. He clicked it.
There was a draft open—scheduled for publishing at 5PM EST. 11PM Florence. A timestamp in the corner. Carrie Roth.
He felt something cold settle in his ribs.
The headline was more appalling than he expected.
"The Billionaire and the Nobody: How Harry Castillo Fell for a Woman Without a Name."
But it didn’t matter.
Because right below it—
The photo.
The one he’d tried to bury. The one she never even saw. The one Carrie took from the lobby of his penthouse—the day of the delivery, when she was in his clothes, her hair still wet from the bath they took together, no warning. 
And him?
He looked like he belonged to her. It wasn’t scandalous. But it was real. Too real.
It was a portrait of something not yet built. Something fragile.
And Carrie had caught it. Was going to publish it. Was going to make it permanent.
He read the first few lines of the article, his jaw tightening with every word...
"She doesn’t look like someone accustomed to being photographed. She doesn’t carry herself like a model, actress, heiress, or anyone remotely used to proximity to power. She looks like she just stepped out of his shower, borrowed his laundry, and followed him out without knowing where they were going next. There’s no stylist, no heels, no curated façade. There’s not even a purse in sight."
"Which, of course, begs the question...Who is she?"
His fingers clenched around the edge of the laptop.
Of course Carrie knew about them in Italy. Livia definitely was the one that informed her.
Of fucking course.  
The article was bait. Softly written, yes. But full of implication.
A mystery woman? No digital footprint? They made her sound like a ghost. Like a scandal. Like something waiting to be exposed.
And Harry knew what would come next.
The blogs. The forums. The Reddit threads. The obsessed Twitter girls. The old money pages on TikTok that would start stitching clips of her walking into restaurants and speculating about her outfit, her past, her worth.
They’d find photos. Someone would dig up something. And if there wasn’t anything to find? They’d make it up.
He sat there, breath slowing, vision narrowing. Not out of panic. But calculation.
She didn’t deserve this. She wasn’t ready. This wasn’t what she signed up for. And he should’ve protected her. Should’ve seen this coming. Should’ve buried it the moment Carrie Roth stepped into that lobby. Should’ve crushed it before it had the chance to exist.
But he hadn’t. And now? Now there was a countdown.
Nineteen hours. Until her face was everywhere. Until the silence around her wasn’t a sanctuary—it was an invitation for speculation.
He closed the laptop. Carefully. Stood. Walked over to Danny. And kicked the bottom of the couch. Hard.
Danny jolted awake with a sound that could’ve passed for a war cry. “Jesus fu—Harry?!”
Harry stared down at him. “You lied to me.”
Danny blinked. Rubbed his face. “What?”
“You lied. Last night. In the courtyard. You said it was one of your exes.”
Danny sat up slowly. “Look, I was trying to—”
“You think I give a fuck about your intentions?”
Danny sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t ready yet. The article. Carrie’s still fighting with her editor about the angle. Allegra said—”
“You should’ve told me.”
“Allegra made me swear not to.”
Harry’s voice dropped. “And you listened to her?”
Danny’s jaw twitched.
“I asked you one thing,” Harry said. “One fucking thing. Be honest with me.”
“Carrie was going to publish it no matter what,” Danny snapped. “You think she needed my permission? I was trying to delay it. Manage it. Spin it if I could.”
“You let me walk into that dinner. Laugh and drink and kiss her like everything was fine—”
“Because I knew if I told you, you’d ruin it before it hit the press. You’d blow up at Carrie, maybe even call her yourself, and then she’d publish it just to spite you. I was trying to protect her too.”
That stopped Harry.
A beat passed. He looked down. Then back at Danny.
And his voice was cold now. “You don’t get to say that.”
Danny stood. “Harry—”
“You don’t get to say you were protecting her. Because you don’t know her.”
“I know what she means to you.”
Harry turned. Started for the door.
Danny’s voice followed him. “What are you going to do?”
Harry didn’t answer. He just walked out. Back through the hallway.
Back into the room.
She was still asleep. Barely.
One arm stretched across his pillow now. Her mouth slightly open. Her face soft.
She looked peaceful.
And Harry knew—
He had about sixteen hours to keep it that way. To protect the only thing in his life that didn’t feel manufactured.
To preserve whatever fragile, fierce, ridiculous thing they’d built between cups of espresso and whispered fights and silk dresses and rain-soaked kisses.
And he would. He didn’t know how yet. But he would.
He slipped back into bed beside her. Careful not to wake her. Careful with everything now. More careful than he’d ever been.
He wrapped his arm around her again. Pulled her in.
Held her tighter than he did the night before. Just in case. Because the day was coming.
And with it?
Hell.
Harry didn’t go back to sleep. He couldn’t.
Instead, he laid there with her pressed to his chest and stared at the ceiling like it might give him an answer. Something, anything, to make nineteen hours feel less like a death sentence.
Because that’s what it was. A countdown.
Not just to the article—but to the before and after.
Before, quiet mornings and peach juice on her wrist, wine-stained linen and soft kisses behind alleyway walls, her foot in his lap at lunch, the sound of her laughing with Francesca, the way she tucked into his coat like it was always hers.
After, the world.
He already knew how it would go. He’d seen it a thousand times.
The internet would eat her alive.
They’d comb through every blurry photo, every scrap of background noise, and when they didn’t find anything, they’d start making things up.
“She’s too young for him.”
“She’s using him.”
“She’s boring.”
“She’s not boring enough.”
“She’s not even pretty.”
“She’s too pretty—it’s obvious she’s had work done.”
“She’s only with him for the money.”
“She’s not interesting.”
“She’s trying too hard to be interesting.”
“She’s just like Lucy.”
That one would be the worst.
The comparisons. The analysis. The recycled history he’d spent years burying.
And the photo—that fucking photo—would be the centerpiece. Used in every post, every headline, every whisper campaign. Frozen in time.
A moment that had belonged only to them.
Now handed over to the wolves.
He looked at her again. Still asleep. Still soft and safe and everything the world didn’t deserve.
And he made a decision. He would tell her.
Not all of it. Not yet. He couldn’t put that kind of fear in her eyes. But she needed to know what was coming. Before she saw her own face at a newsstand or on a feed. Before someone DM’d her a link.
She’d never forgive him if he let her find out like that.
So when she woke, he’d tell her. Gently. Slowly. He’d cushion it with espresso and pastries and the kind of touch that said, I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, you’re safe, you’re safe, you’re safe.
The light started to shift around 7:30. The room warmed. Birds stirred outside the balcony. A linen curtain fluttered against the open door.
She woke with a faint groan, face buried in his chest.
“Time is it?” she mumbled, her voice raspy.
“Too early,” Harry murmured. “Go back to sleep.”
But she stretched instead, her body arching against him like a cat.
“No, I’m up. Kind of. Sort of. Halfway.”
He kissed her hair. “Let me get you coffee.”
“No,” she groaned, grabbing his shirt. “You’re too warm. Stay here for five more minutes.”
He did. Of course he did.
She could’ve asked him for anything.
When she finally sat up, the shirt slipped off her shoulder again. She blinked slowly, hair wild, cheeks creased from the pillow. She looked like a dream.
Harry sat up behind her, running his hand down her spine.
“Breakfast?”
“Yeah.”
He helped her out of the shirt—slowly, carefully, like it was ritual. She kissed his jaw before heading into the bathroom, and he stood for a moment in the doorway just watching her.
He wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight.
Not today.
He got dressed while she did her skincare—charcoal slacks, black button-up, sleeves rolled once at the elbow. No tie. No blazer. Just sharp enough to look deliberate.
“Okay, I feel human again,” she declared, voice soft and bright. “Are we staying here for breakfast or leaving?”
He swallowed. “Staying.”
She smiled. “Perfect. I want something carby and sweet and bad for me.”
He watched her cross the room, picking through her things—eventually settling on a soft, tank top and a white cotton skirt. No makeup. Gold hoops. She didn’t even bother with shoes.
“You look…” he stopped, unable to find the right word. “You look beautiful. Truly.”
She blinked.
Then laughed, flushed. “Thank you.”
“You really are.”
They headed down the corridor together, slow and unhurried.
Every staff member they passed tried to look away discreetly. Some nodded. One stuttered out a buongiorno before tripping over his own cart.
She leaned into Harry’s side and whispered, “You know you’re terrifying, right?”
He didn’t respond. Just smirked faintly.
They reached the courtyard where breakfast was being served—small, shaded tables nestled beneath white umbrellas. The smell of espresso, fresh fruit, and butter drifted in the warm air.
She let out a soft sound of delight.
Harry pulled out her chair before she could. She blinked at him, amused.
“Well, thank you, Mr. Castillo.”
He sat beside her, not across. Always beside.
“Of course.”
They ordered coffee—hers with sugar, his black—and two plates of pastries. Then eggs. Then more fruit. He kept glancing at her like she might disappear if he blinked.
She noticed.
“What?” she asked, smiling around her spoon.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Just thinking.”
“Dangerous,” she teased, nudging his thigh with her knee.
He chuckled softly. Then looked up.
Danny. Crossing the garden with his phone in hand, looking half-dead.
She spotted him too.
“Danny!” she called out, waving.
Harry tried not to flinch.
Danny turned. Paused.
Smiled—but it didn’t reach his eyes.
She tilted her head, voice playful. “You’ve been ghosting me.”
Danny approached slowly. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since dinner, and I was beginning to think you hated me.”
Danny gave her a sheepish shrug. “Just busy. Logistics. Emails. All that boring shit.”
“You should eat. Come sit.”
Danny looked between them. Then shook his head. “Nah. You two should have your moment. You lovebirds deserve it.”
She frowned slightly. “You sure?”
Harry stared at him. Flat. Cold.
Danny nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got to take a call anyway.”
Harry didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Just watched him turn and leave like a man on fire.
She turned back to Harry. “He’s acting weird.”
“He’s always weird,” Harry muttered, sipping his espresso.
She leaned her chin into her hand and looked at him. “You okay?”
He nodded once. But she didn’t buy it.
“Tell me,” she said softly.
He set down his cup. Met her eyes. And suddenly, the timing felt like glass.
She was so calm. So soft. Wrapped in sunlight and kindness. And he was about to put a crack in that.
But she deserved to know.
So he took her hand. Held it across the table. And started to speak. Because the world was coming. And he wanted her to hear it from him.
Harry shifted his chair beside her, closer than before.
The courtyard buzzed around them in that golden, slow way—espresso cups clinking, forks scraping, someone laughing faintly in the distance—but at their table, time stopped.
She looked radiant in the morning light, unaware that the world was already bending its gaze toward her. That somewhere, in sleek offices and messy group chats, her name was being typed. That headlines were drafted. That judgment had been scheduled.
And Harry—Harry looked like a man about to ruin something precious.
He didn’t start with the photo. He started with her hand. He took it—quietly, deliberately, fingers wrapping around hers like he was grounding himself first.
Then he turned to her, jaw tense, voice low.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
She stilled. Didn’t speak. Didn’t blink.
The air between them shifted, dipped.
“I found out early this morning,” he continued, “and it's something you should know.”
He glanced away for a moment—toward the far end of the garden where the waiter had just placed another cappuccino down. Then back to her.
“There’s going to be an article. New York Times. It goes live tonight at 11. 5PM back home.”
She didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. But inside? Her heart cracked.
Just once. A fracture.
He kept going.
“It’s about us.”
That hit. Us.
She heard the weight in it—the implication, the inevitability. About us. Not about him. Not just a line in passing about a man seen with a woman. No, this was different. This was targeted. This was real.
Her stomach dropped. Her throat tightened.
“They’re using the photo,” he added. “The one from the lobby. The woman—Carrie—she didn’t delete it like I told her to.”
There it was.
She blinked once. Twice.
Then nodded.
But she didn’t speak.
And that terrified him more than anything.
“I’m sorry,” he said, almost under his breath. “I should’ve seen it coming. Should’ve gotten ahead of it. Should’ve—” he stopped himself, jaw tightening. “It’s my fault.”
She shook her head.
“No,” she said finally, her voice quiet but sharp. “It’s not your fault.”
But she didn’t look at him.
Just stared at the tablecloth.
A pale smear of fig jam stained the edge of her plate. A bird chirped somewhere above. It felt wrong that the world was still moving.
She had known—of course she had. Knew the risk the second she let herself be seen with him in public. Knew the reality the first time he brought her over to his place like she'd belonged to him.
But knowing something and facing it were not the same.
Now it was here. Now she had less than fifteen hours before the world knew her face.
Hopefully maybe more.
Her mind spiraled before she could stop it.
What if they dig?
What if they find the pieces I buried?
What if Harry finds them too?
She tried to breathe normally.
Tried to pretend she wasn’t unraveling inch by inch.
Harry’s voice was gentle now. Careful.
“We can stay here. We don’t have to go anywhere today. I’ll talk to the villa staff—have everything brought in. We’ll just… ride it out.”
She nodded again, but it was slow. Mechanical.
He wasn’t getting it. Not really.
He was trying to protect her, and that only made the shame worse. The guilt. The fear.
Because she hadn’t told him. Not all of it.
Not the history that lived behind her ribs, locked up in a box she’d buried at twenty-one and never opened again. Not the part of her life that wasn’t elegant or poetic or beautifully broken—but messy and raw and stained in ways that didn’t wash out.
He didn’t know.
And once the article hit—once her name spread—once someone, anyone, decided to pull a thread—
He would.
And then what?
Would he look at her differently?
Would the way he kissed her change?
Would she become another complication he had to manage?
She couldn’t bear that.
Not from him.
So she stayed quiet.
Let him think it was just nerves.
Let him reach for her coffee cup and slide it closer, let him kiss her knuckles like it meant something more than a sweet morning gesture.
He thought she was afraid of the article.
But she wasn’t.
She was afraid of the fallout. Of what he’d find in the ashes.
He could feel her slipping into herself, pulling back in that silent, practiced way she did when she was scared.
He moved closer. Touched her jaw, guiding her to look at him.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “Not yet. I just need you to know—none of this changes anything. Not for me. They can write what they want. Post what they want. You’re still mine.”
That broke her a little more.
She forced a smile—soft and small and almost real.
But inside? Panic.
He didn’t know.
And I can’t be the one to tell him.
Not today.
Maybe not ever.
So she leaned into his touch.
Let him kiss her cheek. Let him finish her coffee. Let him believe she was okay.
But part of her heart had already braced for impact. And the worst part?
She wasn’t afraid of the world finding out who she used to be.
She was afraid of Harry finding out.
Because if he looked at her differently—if he pulled away—if the softness in his voice ever twisted into something cold—
It wouldn’t just break her. It would wreck her.
So she smiled.
Held his hand tighter.
And whispered, “Okay.”
Even though it wasn’t. Even though it was anything but.
They finished their breakfast quietly. She picked at a pastry, peeled apart a fig. Harry didn’t push. Didn’t ask. Just let her move at her own pace, his hand never far from hers, his eyes lingering like he was memorizing her all over again.
And when they stood to leave, he didn’t let go of her hand.
Didn’t say a word.
He just walked her back through the sun-washed corridors of the villa, their footsteps soft against the cool stone floors, her cotton skirt swaying gently with each step.
The second the door closed behind them, it changed.
The quiet was heavier now. Not cold. But dense.
Loaded with things neither of them had fully said.
She crossed the room slowly, fingers brushing over the top of the dresser like she didn’t know what to do with her hands. The breeze from the open balcony door moved through the curtains like breath. Her hair fluttered across her shoulder.
Harry watched her for a long moment. Then moved.
He came up behind her—slow, deliberate—his presence folding over her like gravity. His hands slid around her waist. Firm. Certain.
She let out a breath. Leaned into him.
He pressed a kiss to her neck. Then another. Then one just behind her ear, hot and slow, and she shivered.
“You are quiet,” he said softly.
“I’m okay.”
He exhaled against her skin. “You don’t have to be.”
She turned slightly, eyes catching his. “I just need you.”
That did it. Something shifted behind his gaze. His jaw tightened. His grip on her waist flexed.
And before she could blink, she was being spun—back pressed against the dresser, his hands caging her in on either side, his eyes dark and hungry and full of everything he’d been trying to hold back since dawn.
“Say that again,” he said, voice low.
“I need you.”
He kissed her. Hard. Full-mouth, no space in between them, kissed her.
His hands gripped her face, holding her in place as he devoured her mouth—like he was angry at the air between them. She moaned, arms winding around his neck, pulling him closer like she couldn’t get enough.
His hands moved fast—down her sides, over her hips, sliding beneath the soft hem of her tank top. When he touched bare skin, he growled into her mouth.
“No bra?”
She shook her head, breathless.
He smirked—feral, gorgeous.
“Good.”
The shirt was gone in seconds—tugged up and over her head, tossed somewhere across the room without ceremony.
Then his mouth was on her chest.
Kissing. Biting.
Sucking marks into the tops of her breasts like he needed to brand her. His hands palmed her, thumbs rolling over her nipples until her knees buckled.
“Harry—”
He lifted her. Effortless.
Turned and walked her back toward the bed, kissing her the whole time like he couldn’t stop. He dropped her onto the mattress like he was done being soft. Like something inside him had snapped.
The cotton skirt was next—pushed up her thighs, bunched around her waist.
“Keep wearing this fucking skirt,” he murmured, voice rasping like gravel. “It's like you want me to lose my mind.”
“I do.”
He froze. Looked at her.
Then tugged her panties down in one rough motion, dragging them down her legs and off with a single pull.
He didn’t even kiss her again.
Just sank to his knees at the edge of the bed and dragged her hips toward him.
She gasped.
“Harry—”
“Shh.”
He hooked her knees over his shoulders and dove in. His mouth on her was feral. Starved.
He licked her like he was trying to silence every thought in her head—slow, messy drags of his tongue that made her cry out, one hand clutching the sheets, the other buried in his hair.
He held her open, fingers digging into her thighs like he wanted to leave bruises. Every time she tried to squirm, he growled and pulled her tighter against his face.
“You taste like a fucking dream,” he muttered against her, voice hoarse. “This pussy’s mine.”
“Yes,” she gasped. “Yes, yours—Harry, please—”
He moaned into her, sending a jolt straight through her spine. When he added two fingers—thrusting them deep and curling just right—she nearly came right then. Her legs shook. Her head dropped back.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “So wet for me already.”
He worked her like he knew her body better than she did. Licked her until she was whimpering, fucked her with his fingers until her thighs trembled, until her hips bucked uncontrollably.
Then, without warning, he stopped. She whimpered in protest.
He stood.
And looked down at her—chest rising, cheeks flushed, mouth open.
“Turn over.”
She blinked. “What?”
“On your knees.”
The tone left no room for negotiation.
She obeyed—heart pounding, breath ragged.
He dragged her skirt up again. Gripped her ass. Slid two fingers back inside her, slow and deep, making her arch.
“Still so fucking wet,” he growled. “You were dripping at breakfast. Did you like knowing I could take you apart the second we got back here?”
She moaned, pushing back against his hand.
“Answer me.”
“Yes,” she gasped.
“Good girl.”
She heard the rustle of his clothes—his belt, his zipper, the soft hiss of fabric as he freed himself. Then the blunt heat of him at her entrance.
He didn’t ease in.
He slammed into her in one deep, punishing thrust.
She cried out, hands fisting the sheets.
“Fuck, Harry—”
“Shhh, baby,” he growled, leaning over her, one hand on her hip, the other wrapping around her throat. “You can take it. You always do.”
He pulled out slowly—almost all the way—then slammed back in, harder. Deeper. Again. Again. Relentless. Unyielding. Each thrust drove her forward on the mattress, her body a plaything in his hands.
And the sounds—
The slap of skin, her soft gasps, his low grunts—all of it filled the room like heat.
“Look at you,” he rasped, tightening his grip on her throat just slightly. “Letting me fuck you like this. Taking every inch like you were made for it.”
“I was,” she whimpered. “I am—Harry, please—”
He growled.
Dragged her up by the throat, back flush to his chest, his cock still deep inside her.
“Say it.”
She turned her face, breath catching. “Yours.”
He kissed her—deep and brutal—while fucking her harder from behind, one hand between her legs now, rubbing tight circles over her clit until her body started to break apart.
“I’m gonna—Harry—please—”
“I’ve got you,” he whispered into her mouth. “Let go.”
She shattered.
Her orgasm hit like a wave—loud and long, her whole body convulsing as she moaned his name, clenching hard around him. He held her through it, fucked her through it, chasing his own release.
And when he came, he growled something filthy into her neck—buried so deep, so rough, it knocked the breath from both of them.
They collapsed together.
A tangle of limbs and sweat and silk. He stayed inside her. Just held her. Breathing heavy.
His hand moved to her chest—flat over her heart like he was anchoring her. Or himself.
For a long time, neither of them said anything.
Then—
“You’re mine,” he whispered again. Fierce. Quiet.
She nodded. Still trembling.
“I don’t care what they say,” he added. “You’re mine.”
And even though her heart was still racing, even though her mind was already spiraling toward what was coming—
She believed him.
She was his.
And he was hers.
They didn’t move for a while.
The sunlight crept across the bed, warming their bare skin, catching in the folds of the white sheets, highlighting the flushed pink across her chest where he’d kissed too hard, bitten too softly. Her leg was still slung over his hip. Her fingers rested on his stomach, rising and falling with each breath like they were syncing again, recalibrating after the heat of what they’d just done.
Harry couldn’t stop touching her.
His thumb traced idle patterns along the slope of her hip. Her skin was damp, glowing. She was too beautiful like this—undone and half-asleep, skin smelling like lavender, sex, and sweat, hair stuck to her temple.
She blinked up at him. He was already watching her.
“You’re staring again,” she murmured, voice hoarse from pleasure.
“I always stare.”
She smiled. Barely. Then tucked her face against his chest, breathing him in like she didn’t want to forget this. Like she was memorizing the shape of his body beneath her.
Harry looked up at the ceiling, his palm gliding up and down her spine.
Neither of them spoke for a long while. They didn’t need to.
Eventually, she sighed, voice sleepy. “Do we have to leave the room? Or talk to people?”
“No,” Harry said instantly. “We’re not leaving this room today.”
She lifted her head a little. “Really?”
He nodded. “I’m not in the mood to be charming. Or diplomatic. Or hear Lorenzo’s snarky little comments.”
She laughed against his chest. “God, he’s exhausting.”
“Everything out of his mouth is a TED Talk laced with disdain.”
“And Livia’s probably halfway through writing her own op-ed about us already.”
“Exactly,” Harry muttered. “Let them all speculate.”
She sat up slightly, still naked, still flushed, still glowing.
“You sure?” she asked, more serious now. “There’s probably some contract thing or meeting or…I don’t know…state secrets you’re supposed to be handling.”
Harry leaned up on one elbow. Brushed a strand of hair off her cheek.
“I want today to be just ours,” he said softly. “Before everything changes.”
That hit.
She looked at him—really looked at him. The shadows under his eyes. The way his voice dropped when he said “ours.” The crack in his armor that only she ever got to see.
She nodded.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s keep the world out. Just for today.”
He kissed her forehead.
Then wrapped her in the sheet, pulling her back down to his chest, tangling them together like he needed to anchor her to the bed.
They spent the next few hours like that. Not moving much.
Just limbs tangled, bodies lazy with heat and afterglow.
Harry ordered breakfast again—more fruit, more coffee, more bread—then had it delivered straight to the room. When the knock came, he pulled on his slacks and shirt but left the top buttons undone, his chest bare as he cracked the door open and took the tray.
She watched from the bed, head propped on her hand.
“Jesus,” she muttered. “You’re like a hot dad in a cologne ad.”
He smirked. “Tell me more.”
They ate in bed. She sat cross-legged in his t-shirt, drinking espresso from a delicate porcelain cup while he peeled figs and passed them to her, one by one. She stole a bite of his toast. He wiped butter off her lip with his thumb. They didn’t turn on the TV. Didn’t check their phones. The world felt far away.
At one point, she curled into his side again, her cheek pressed to his chest. His hand moved slowly through her hair, over and over, soothing. She drifted off like that—worn out and warm and full of carbs and comfort.
And Harry?
Harry laid there, watching her sleep. For hours. 
Until he realized it was past three already. His mind never stopped.
He wanted her to rest. Wanted her to stay soft and safe in their little bubble of stolen hours.
But there was the countdown.
And the closer the clock crept to eleven, the tighter his chest felt.
He waited until her breathing evened out, until her fingers went slack against his stomach. Then, slowly, he slid out from beneath her. Careful. Quiet. Placing a kiss at the crown of her head before easing out of bed.
He dressed quickly—charcoal trousers, navy sweater, no shoes. Ran a hand through his hair. Didn’t bother looking in the mirror.
Then he left the room. For the second time today.
Danny was in the corner of the villa he ran off to, holed up in what used to be a study but had become his makeshift office—a tangle of laptops, chargers, espresso cups, and half-buried Italian snack wrappers.
He barely looked up when Harry walked in.
“Close the door,” Danny muttered.
Harry did.
Then crossed the room in a few long strides.
Danny spoke before he could.
“I’ve been talking to Sadie back at the office all morning. She’s trying to get ahead of it. Our options are limited, but—”
“We’re doing a statement,” Harry said flatly.
Danny blinked. “What?”
“When the article goes live. We control the narrative.”
Danny leaned back in the chair, arms crossed. “You’re sure?”
Harry nodded. “She’s not going to become someone’s TikTok theory. I’m not letting people build a myth out of her silence. They’ll do it anyway—but I’m not giving them fuel.”
Danny ran a hand through his hair. “You realize this means press calls. Confirmations. You’ll have to say something. Actually say it.”
“I don’t care.”
Danny looked at him for a beat.
Then nodded.
“Okay. Then we do it your way.”
Harry exhaled.
The silence that followed was short-lived.
Because then Danny added, almost too casually, “There’s something else.”
Harry’s shoulders tensed. “What?”
Danny hesitated.
“Spit it out.”
Danny didn’t meet his eyes. Just opened his laptop again. Clicked once. Then turned the screen toward him.
It was the article. Still in preview form. But this time—there was a new paragraph at the bottom.
And Harry’s name wasn’t the only one in bold.
Lucy’s was.
He read the quote.
“She doesn’t know what he’s like yet. How intense. How obsessive. How cold he can be when he wants to.”
Harry stilled. Everything in his body went quiet.
Then—
He laughed. Once. Sharp. A sound with no humor in it.
Then he leaned back, ran a hand down his face, and muttered, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Danny didn’t answer.
Harry stood. Started pacing.
“She gave a quote,” he said flatly. “To Carrie Roth.”
Danny nodded.
Harry barked out another bitter laugh. “The same woman who fed a wedding invite to my team like it was an olive branch now wants to narrate my personal life for the New York fucking Times?”
“Harry—”
“She left,” he snapped. “She left me. She walked away. She broke something in me that no one has touched since, and now—what? She wants to throw rocks at the glass house she abandoned?”
“I don’t think she expected you to—”
“To move on?” Harry turned, eyes dark. “Yeah. That sounds like her.”
Danny watched him carefully.
Harry’s voice dropped, razor-sharp.
“She’s not protecting anyone. She’s not warning anyone. She just wants to stay relevant in my story.”
A long pause. Harry walked to the window. Stared out at the hills.
Then said, quietly—
“She can’t stand that I’m happy.”
Danny didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.
Harry turned back, calmer now. But there was something in his eyes. Something cold. Resolved.
“I want it noted in the statement,” he said. “No comment about Lucy. No clapback. Just silence. Her quote will scream louder against it.”
“You sure?”
“I want her words to hang in the air with nothing to land on.”
Danny nodded. “Okay.”
“And when the article drops—have the staff pull the villa Wi-Fi.”
Danny tilted his head. “You really think that’s necessary?”
Harry didn’t blink. “I want her to sleep through it.”
Danny exhaled. “Understood.”
Harry looked down. Then out the window again.
The sun was slipping low now. Dipping into late afternoon. Only a few hours left.
And somewhere upstairs, she was still asleep in his bed—barely covered, skin warm, lips parted, dreaming of nothing.
Still untouched by what was coming.
He clenched his jaw.
“I’m going back,” he said. “I want her to have as much of today as she can.”
Danny didn’t say another word.
Harry turned. Opened the door. And left.
The light was different when he returned. Softer. Golden. Filtering in through the gauzy curtains like a whispered promise.
She was still curled up in bed, just where he left her—one arm flung over his pillow, the other tucked beneath her cheek. Her hair was a mess. Her leg was kicked out from under the sheets. Her mouth twitched once, like she was smiling in her sleep.
He stood at the doorway for a long time. Just watched her. The most peaceful thing in his world.
And he knew—
He would burn it all down if they touched her. If they twisted her story. If they dug too deep.
But for now? She was just his.
He toed off his shoes. Pulled his sweater over his head. Slid back into bed beside her, gentle and quiet, wrapping an arm around her waist.
She stirred. Then melted into him like she’d never left.
And Harry?
Harry closed his eyes. Just for a minute.
Because something was coming.
And with it—hell. But not yet. Not now.
The world outside their villa room remained distant. Muffled. The kind of late afternoon lull that made everything feel dipped in honey. The sun was still warm but fading, and the breeze through the balcony door carried the scent of lemon trees and salt and something blooming.
She was still asleep.
Curled into his side again, her small hand wrapped gently around his thumb like she knew, even in dreams, that something was coming. Harry held her close with one arm, the other resting on the blanket. He hadn’t moved in nearly an hour.
But his mind wouldn’t rest.
He stared at the ceiling. Then at the golden curve of her cheek.
Then, slowly, reached for his phone from the nightstand. The screen glared to life—27 missed messages, 14 emails, 6 calendar alerts—and he ignored them all.
Instead, he opened something he hadn’t touched in weeks.
Messages.
He scrolled down until he found her name.
Lucy.
And clicked.
The thread opened like a wound. Not because he missed her.
But because he couldn’t remember how the hell he ever loved her.
He scrolled, slowly at first. Then faster.
Messages from a year ago. Six months ago.
Texts full of jabs that looked like jokes. Compliments edged with contempt. Whole stretches of time when she wouldn’t respond at all—just long silences punctuated by acid replies.
Harry: I moved the 3PM to 5 to make time for your meeting. Want to get dinner after?
Lucy: Not if you’re going to talk about your profits the whole time again.
He kept scrolling.
Harry: Missed you this morning. Hope your flight was okay.
Lucy: Did you leave the AC on again? My plants are dead. Again.
Another set.
Harry: Can we talk about what happened last night?
Lucy: There’s nothing to talk about. You overreacted. As usual.
He stared at that one for a long moment.
Then scrolled up again.
Harry: I’m not trying to fight with you. I just want to understand why you said that.
Lucy: I said it because it’s true. You’re exhausting, Harry. I’m not going to babysit your emotions every time you feel insecure.
He winced. He remembered that night.
Remembered how she’d looked in the restaurant, eyes glittering like a knife. How she’d laughed in front of the waiter when he tried to explain why a news leak had made him sad.
She’d called him fragile.
He kept scrolling. Closer to the end now.
The final texts before it all fell apart.
Harry: Why are you making me feel guilty for wanting to pay the bill?
Lucy: Because you always do it. Because it makes me feel like I owe you something. You don’t know how to exist in a relationship without treating it like a transaction.
Harry: That’s not fair.
Lucy: Life’s not fair. Grow up.
The last message was his.
One he never got a reply to.
Harry: I just want to take care of you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Three days later, she posted a photo onto Instagram in Montauk with John. Smiling. Holding his hand.
The broke ass waiter she used to mock under her breath during charity dinners. The one she told Harry would never understand her. The one she ran to after burning every bridge in his chest.
Harry looked down at his screen. At the last words he ever typed to Lucy.
Then looked at the girl sleeping on his chest. Everything inside him softened.
Because this—what he had now—was not the same storm. It was something else entirely.
She breathed evenly. Her hand twitched once in her sleep, like she was dreaming of running. Or dancing. Or chasing something. Her leg was still tangled with his, bare skin on bare skin beneath the sheets, her body warm and real and here.
And she didn’t ask him to shrink.
She never mocked his care.
She let him hold her.
She leaned into his protection like it meant something. Like he wasn’t some cold, obsessive machine.
She smiled when he opened the door. Laughed when he kissed her shoulder. Praised him with a look alone.
She was everything Lucy never was.
And Harry felt it in his bones—that she wasn’t just a phase or a fix or a fever. She was real. She was joy and grief and survival and softness all tangled into one beautiful, infuriating, irresistible thing.
He wanted to protect her.
He wanted to keep her laughing in bed, lips sticky with figs and espresso, forever. He wanted her to have days where her past didn’t feel like an undertow and nights where she fell asleep safe in his arms, knowing that no one—not Carrie Roth, not Lucy, not the internet—would ever touch her without going through him first.
His phone buzzed. Once. Then again.
He glanced down, expecting another update from Danny. But it was from Luca.
Luca: Francesca got the film developed.
Luca: Thought you’d want these.
Luca: Don’t let her see them yet unless you’re ready to cry like a little bitch.
Harry opened the message.
Three photos. Film. Unedited. Grainy in the way that made things feel truer.
And the moment he saw the first one, his breath left his chest.
They were at lunch. The one with the crooked string lights and those marzipan. The one where they were wine-drunk and sunk into each other like vines.
The first photo was her on his shoulder. Eyes half-lidded. Flushed cheeks. Lips slightly parted. He was saying something into her ear—something private, something that made her laugh in the second photo. That laugh that cracked her whole face open like light through stained glass.
He looked down at her like she was the only thing that existed.
And in the third photo? She was feeding him a bite of cake. Her fingers near his mouth.
And he was smiling.
Not the tight-lipped, polite kind.
But the kind that looked like freedom. Like after.
Harry stared at the screen, heart hammering.
Francesca had been right. They looked like they’d been in love for a hundred years.
He gently tilted the phone away, not wanting to wake her with the brightness.
Instead, he tucked it under the pillow and looked back at her. Still sleeping.
Still unaware that somewhere, deep in the belly of the internet, her face was already loaded into a server, waiting to be released into the wild.
But not yet. He still had time.
And so, with the weight of Lucy’s cruelty still echoing in the back of his mind and the ghost of her last text sitting unanswered in his pocket, Harry wrapped both arms around the woman he hadn’t lost.
And whispered into her hair like a vow.
“I’ve got you.”
Because for the first time in years, he meant it.
And she believed him. Even in sleep. Especially then.
The late Florence light spilled across their bed like honey, warm and gold and cruel in how peaceful it made everything look. She was still tucked into him, limbs loose and trusting, face slack with sleep. Her cheek pressed to his chest, one hand resting over his heart like she needed to feel it beat to believe it was real.
Harry exhaled slowly.
He was still holding the memory of that photo—her laughing, head tilted, eyes closed, like she’d never known anything but love. It rattled something in his chest. A different kind of grief. The kind you only feel when you realize you almost lived your whole life without something that should’ve been this easy.
His hand moved through her hair.
He closed his eyes. And for the first time in days, he allowed himself to drift.
All the way.
Just enough. Just far enough to feel her breath against his ribs.
Six more hours until the world opened its mouth and swallowed them whole.
Across the other wing, Danny sat hunched over his laptop, AirPods shoved into his ears, a half-empty espresso growing cold beside a massive spreadsheet of crisis comms protocols. Allegra had finally—finally—gotten Carrie Roth on the phone, and now Danny was regretting every second of his life that had led him here.
The call connected with a click.
And then—
“Danny,” Carrie said. Her voice was syrupy and sharp, like honey poured over glass. “Didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“You know why I’m calling,” he said flatly.
She laughed. Not kindly.
“I’m flattered. You sound so serious. Are you practicing for a deposition already?”
“Cut the shit, Carrie,” Danny snapped, already red in the face. “We know what you’re planning. You’re sitting on an invasion of privacy and running it under the guise of journalism.”
“I’m reporting a public figure’s romantic life,” she replied breezily. “Not the Pentagon Papers.”
“She was followed into his home,” Danny snapped. “The lobby was private property—”
“It’s not private if there’s a camera and a doorman.”
“You know exactly what you’re doing. That headline is disgusting. You’re using an image that was never meant for public consumption.”
There was a pause on the line.
Then Carrie’s voice dropped, slow and smug.
“She’s in his clothes, Danny. Her hair’s wet. She looks like she just blew him in his penthouse shower. I’m reporting the moment.”
Danny’s jaw clenched.
“Harry’s going to sue you.”
Another pause.
And then Carrie laughed.
“Let him,” she said. “Honestly, it might boost traffic.”
“You’re playing with people’s lives—”
“Oh please,” she snapped. “Don’t act like he hasn’t played with other people’s lives before. This is how it works. You want to keep her private? Keep her off Fifth Avenue. Don’t parade her around Italy, you know Livia is a good conversationalist.”
Danny stood up from the desk.
Paced.
“You publish that article and I swear to God—”
“It’s done.”
Danny froze.
“What?”
Carrie’s voice was calm. Deliberate. Cold as marble.
“I got tired of the back-and-forth. My editor was stalling and frankly, I don’t care. The world should know. Everyone’s waiting. Might as well give them the headline, fuck those six hours.”
“Carrie—”
“Refresh your browser, Danny.”
He did.
Fingers shaking.
And there it was.
The New York Times
Culture & Style
The Billionaire and the Nobody: How Harry Castillo Fell for a Woman Without a Name
By Carrie Roth | Published 11:14 AM EST, March 5th, 2025
Danny’s stomach dropped.
He opened the article—only the top, only the first few lines before the paywall.
But the photo was there. The photo.
Her. Wet hair. In his sweats. His shirt draped over her frame. Standing beside Harry in his penthouse lobby, his hand hovering near her back like it belonged there.
And Harry—
Harry looked in love.
Frozen in a moment he thought no one would ever see. And now? Now the whole world could.
Danny sank back into his chair, chest tight.
Allegra’s voice buzzed through his phone screen as she called again.
Too late. It was already too late. He was fucking too late. The six hours were gone in an instant.
In the west wing of the villa, the silence still held.
She stirred in Harry’s arms, half-asleep, half-dreaming, lips parted against his skin. Her lashes fluttered. One leg kicked softly under the covers. She murmured something unintelligible—something safe, something soft.
Harry was still asleep.
His chest rose and fell evenly. His face relaxed. His hand loosely tangled in her hair like he couldn’t let go even while unconscious.
They were still untouched. Still dreaming in gold. Still pretending they had six more hours.
And outside their door—
The wolves were already circling.
Meanwhile, across the ocean, Cape Cod was overcast.
The clouds had rolled in sometime after breakfast, dragging a dull gray light over everything—the sand, the water, the white clapboard house Lucy still couldn’t believe she lived in. It was a borrowed kind of life, the kind where the floors creaked like someone else’s memories still lived in the walls.
The kind where she still sometimes reached for a card key instead of a brass doorknob. 
John was out back. Raking the garden. They’d promised her parents they’d try growing tomatoes this year. He looked ridiculous in the sweater she shrank in the wash, sleeves too short, collar stretched. He had one earbud in and was humming something off-key. 
Lucy watched him from the kitchen window.
There was a teabag steeping in a mug on the counter. She hadn’t touched it. 
The clock on the oven read 11:26 AM.
She had tried to write that morning. Opened her laptop. Closed it again. Her Substack hadn’t been updated in two weeks. She had a folder of half-finished drafts, all of them brittle and tired. None of them sounded like her.
She couldn’t figure out what she was trying to say anymore.
The house smelled like Windex and laundry detergent.
She hadn't worn makeup in three days. Her robe was slipping off her shoulder again. The dog—a small mutt they adopted from a local shelter last week—was asleep at her feet.
She didn’t hear her phone at first.
It buzzed once on the counter, face-down. Then again. Then a third time, longer.
She flipped it over with two fingers.
CARRIE ROTH
Lucy stared at the name. The screen. The blinking green light.
Then she answered.
“Carrie,” she said, voice flat. “It’s not a great time.”
“It dropped.”
Lucy’s breath caught. Carrie didn’t elaborate. She didn’t need to. There was only one thing it could mean.
Lucy turned away from the window. Walked slowly to the table. Sat down.
Her voice was quieter now. “Already?”
“About ten minutes ago.”
Lucy swallowed. Her mouth was suddenly dry.
“I thought—”
“Danny threatened to sue me,” Carrie said. “It annoyed me. So I pulled the trigger.”
Lucy didn’t respond.
“People are reading it already,” Carrie continued. “It’s trending.”
Lucy closed her eyes.
“And you used my quote?” she asked. Her voice didn’t shake. But it was cold now. A razor sheathed in velvet.
“You know I did.”
Another long silence.
Carrie didn’t fill it. Just waited.
Finally, Lucy asked, “Does she know yet?”
She could hear the smile in Carrie’s voice.
"She will soon."
Lucy’s stomach turned. She hung up without saying goodbye.
The phone stayed pressed to her palm, screen black, fingers tightening around it like it had betrayed her.
Outside, John waved at her through the glass.
She didn’t wave back. She sat there for a long time.
Long enough for the tea to go cold. Long enough for the dog to shift, whine softly, and curl closer to her feet like it could sense something wrong.
She didn’t cry. She wasn’t the crying type. But something inside her splintered. A small, sharp ache behind the ribs.
She told herself it wasn’t jealousy. She told herself it wasn’t regret. She had made a choice. She left New York. She left him.
And not just the high-rise penthouse and the assistant with the dry wit and the perfectly tailored suits. She left the man.
Harry Castillo. The one who loved quietly.
Who boiled her tea before bed even when they weren’t speaking. Who carried her keys in his coat pocket without asking. Who hated poetry but listened when she read it out loud like he was trying to understand anyway.
But also—
The man who never told her how he felt unless she dragged it out of him. Who made her feel like she was constantly trying to earn softness. Who made the walls of their penthouse feel colder every time he shut down instead of shouting.
They were never right for each other. But they had been something.
And now? He was in love again. And someone had captured it on film.
Lucy had already seen the photo. She didn’t want to have to see it again. She would feel it this time.
The way Carrie had broke it to her. That wasn’t journalism. That was a knife. That was salt in a wound no one was supposed to know she still had.
She looked down at her robe. At the ring on her finger. Thinner than the one Harry had once picked out and never got the chance to give her. The diamond smaller. The love less complicated.
She looked at the phone again. It didn’t buzz. Didn’t ring.
No one was calling to tell her how it felt to be quoted like that. No one was telling her how Harry had reacted.
She wouldn’t know unless she asked. And she wasn’t going to ask.
Because even if she still thought about him when the wind off the ocean sounded like Manhattan in the winter—
Even if she still had his number saved under Harry <3.
Even if she sometimes imagined what he’d say about the neighbors, or the farmer’s market, or the chipped tile in the bathroom—
She had left. And he had moved on.
So she sat there. In the silence. And for the first time since the article dropped—
She wondered if he’d finally fallen in love for real.
And if that woman—whoever she was—wasn’t a nobody after all. But someone who had given him something Lucy never could.
Peace. And the permission to be soft.
She got up slowly. Turned off her phone.And didn’t open the article. Not yet.
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The New York Times
Culture & Style
The Billionaire and the Nobody: How Harry Castillo Fell for a Woman Without a Name
By Carrie Roth | Published 11:14 AM EST, March 5th, 2025
When Harry Castillo, the notoriously private hedge fund billionaire and reluctant society darling, walked away from the limelight in late 2024 after a very public and very painful breakup with longtime partner Lucy, no one expected to see him surface again in any intimate context.
Yet here we are.
Castillo, 54, was photographed in the lobby of his Fifth Avenue penthouse earlier this month with a woman whose name, background, and entire existence appear to have baffled both the social elite and the media machine equally. In a world where a last name can function as currency, this woman has none—or at least, not one that anyone seems able to find.
The photo—captured by Carrie Roth and verified by multiple sources—features Castillo in a pair of dark joggers and a custom Valentino long sleeve, his expression unreadable. The woman beside him is dressed in what appear to be his clothes, oversized sweatpants, a faded navy shirt likely pulled from his top drawer, and socks patterned in chaotic, juvenile colors that make one wonder if she dressed herself in the dark or simply enjoys looking like a college freshman home for spring break.
Her hair is wet. So is his. Her face is bare. Her body language, reserved.
It would be forgettable if it weren’t so telling.
She doesn’t look like someone accustomed to being photographed. She doesn’t carry herself like a model, actress, heiress, or anyone remotely used to proximity to power. She looks like she just stepped out of his shower, borrowed his laundry, and followed him out without knowing where they were going next. There’s no stylist, no heels, no curated façade. There’s not even a purse in sight.
Which, of course, begs the question...Who is she?
At the time of publication, no verified identity has been confirmed. What we do know, she’s American. Likely in her twenties or early thirties. No public social media. No recognizable affiliations. No traceable digital footprint. A true anomaly in a city—and a culture—obsessed with documentation.
Some will say it’s romantic. That Castillo, long labeled cold and career-obsessed, has finally fallen for someone outside the machine. That love found him in a quiet corner of life and pulled him back into the light.
Others are less convinced.
The most damning quote comes from Lucy herself, the woman who knew him best—and left.
“She doesn’t know what he’s like yet. How intense. How obsessive. How cold he can be when he wants to. She’s not built for it. She’ll realize eventually. It’s a facade. All of it. He doesn’t do warm. Not really.”
Harsh words from a woman once fiercely loyal to the man she now paints as emotionally inaccessible. But they do echo a question many of Castillo's partners are quietly asking...What happens when the charm wears off?
Castillo’s pattern is well-documented. He disappears for months, reemerges without explanation, and surrounds himself with handlers more loyal than blood. He doesn’t date. He selects. Curates. And if this woman—this “nobody”—has truly captured his attention, she may have unknowingly stepped into a role with no script, no exit, and no idea of the performance required.
The optics are troubling.
The power imbalance is obvious.
He’s 54. She, allegedly is in her late twenties, early thirties. He is a billionaire. She, by all accounts, works in a field so mundane no one’s been able to confirm what it is. (Waitress? Gallerist? Nanny? The rumors span the alphabet.) She does not appear to be in fashion, finance, tech, or any industry tangential to his world.
She is not, in the traditional sense, someone.
And maybe that’s what he wants.
Someone who doesn’t challenge him. Someone who looks up to him. Someone who—like the rest of us—didn’t see it coming.
But let’s be clear, this isn’t a fairy tale. It’s a headline.
And for now, that headline reads like the beginning of a story that’s more about power than love. More about fantasy than future. More about the image of intimacy than the truth of it.
Whether or not the woman in the photo understands what she’s walked into remains to be seen.
But the internet has already decided.
She’s already a meme.
Already a conspiracy thread.
Already a canvas for everyone’s projections.
And Harry Castillo, once the ghost of Manhattan's most elite rooms, has reemerged—only to set the world ablaze with a single photo of a girl who, until now, had the gift of being unseen.
Now?
Now she belongs to the feed.
And the feed never forgets.
Comments (238):
louisa83 Isn’t she that girl from Charlotte? Her brother…you know. The one who killed himself after their dad went to prison?
sampaige OMG. YES. my cousin went to school with her at hillside academy. her family basically imploded. her dad was some finance guy who scammed half the town. people lost their homes. then the son took his own life and the mom vanished overseas. it was a whole thing. wild to see her resurface like this.
deannareads Yup. This was a huge story here in North Carolina. Her dad ran a fake investment firm and got busted in 2019. Ponzi-style. Churches lost money. Local businesses folded. I had a friend whose grandmother lost her retirement in that mess. The daughter (the one in the article) disappeared right after the brother’s funeral. Like poof. Gone.
moneymessNC THEY LIVED IN THAT BIG BRICK HOUSE ON CEDAR RIDGE LANE! Her mom used to throw those weird garden parties and acted like she was royalty. Then the FBI raided their house and it all went to hell. I heard the mom dipped to Europe with a new identity. And now the daughter’s dating a billionaire? Make it make sense.
brookee02 “she doesn’t have a digital footprint” ....or maybe she just scrubbed the hell out of it after the biggest scandal in north carolina since john edwards. this girl isn’t a mystery. she’s a cover up and fake!!!!
southernbella She used to go by a different last name, I swear. She changed it after the trial. Her dad was literally sentenced to life. People were protesting outside their house for weeks. The fact that she ended up with Castillo? Feels strategic. Sorry not sorry.
annahayes Not her climbing her way back up to billionaire status like nothing happened...I remember the story. That family imploded. We’re talking lawsuits, fraud, rehab, funerals, extradition rumors. The whole Netflix package.
jadedjuliet sooo let me get this straight. her dad ruins hundreds of lives, her brother dies, her mom runs away, and she gets to rebrand as mysterious and date a billionaire? cool. must be nice to fail upward.
stellamae Nothing like a tragic backstory to distract from the gold digging. Daddy’s in prison, mommy’s in hiding, brother’s six feet under and she’s wearing $900 sweats in a billionaire’s penthouse like it’s a redemption arc. Give me a break.
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usagiarchive · 26 days ago
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my mistake — mydei x reader
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sypnosis. [ 1.5k words. arranged royal marriage au. angst.]
usagi's note: HEYYY JUST WANTED TO LIKE SAY THAT I HAVE NO IDEA IF MYDEI IS OOC, cuz im only at the part where they fight in the old castle and have a competition on who can kill more titankins.
this is from queen charlotte which i found out was part of the bridgerton universe, both of which i have not watched so im sorry if this is not accurate to the show TT
oh also if u guys can tell me who did the art THAT WOULD BE AMAZING, i only saw it on tiktok and now i have no idea who they are 😭😭😭 anyway, enjoy mydei lvrs!
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Most royal heirs are to be married off for alliances, your family was no different. At the age of seventeen, your father asked you to meet him for a proposition.
A proposal.
From the kingdom of Castrum Kremnos, an alliance marriage was proposed, you were to marry King Mydeimos.
He is but a prince now but in a few months he will be crowned King.
You understood and nodded, this was what was considered normal in your social standing.
But you couldn't accept it.
Marrying a man you've never met? No way.
So you tried to run away.
On the day of your wedding.
In the midst of trying to climb up the trellises of the garden, a deep voice questioned you from behind you.
“Are you trying to climb the walls?”
You whip your head back to see who had caught you, but seeing as it was someone you did not know, you only glared at him.
“Do you not have eyes?”
He nodded and pursed his lips, “Well, forgive me for asking such a question, what I meant to ask was the reason behind your actions,”
You huffed and jumped down from the one foot you managed to climb in your heavy dress.
“My father is marrying me to a Prince I've not met at all,”
The stranger hummed, “Oh, I see, well that truly is upsetting, who is the Prince if I may ask?”
You roll your eyes, “The Prince of Castrum Kremnos, Mydeimos, or however you pronounce his name.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, and I wish not to be married to someone I do not know,” you say and turn to the wall once more.
The man watches as you struggle to climb up in your dress and sighs before joining you to climb.
“What are you doing?” you raise an eyebrow.
“I shall get up on the wall and pull you up,”
“What?!”
He lets out a small laugh, “What? Is that truly so absurd? It's quite taxing watching you struggle, I'll have you know,” he says.
“No! I meant-” you step off of the wall once more, “Why are you- why would you do that? Who even are you?”
He smiles and shrugs.
“Mydei.”
“Mydei who?”
“Just Mydei,”
The two of you stare at each other for a minute in silence.
You weren't stupid, you've obviously just met the man you were supposed to marry, and you've just told him of your intention to run away.
So you speak.
“I have no intention of being wed for political matters,”
“And I have no intention of using you for such reasons,” he replies swiftly.
“You weren't even at the wedding preparations! I've only met you now and had no idea what you looked like!” you stress and he puts his hands in his pockets and awkwardly purses his lips.
The silence stretches on to be uncomfortable.
“I apologize, your majesty-”
“Mydei.”
“If I had known-”
“You would've what?”
You look elsewhere.
“You would've never told me you didn't want to be married to me-”
“I did not!”
“You just said so-”
“No, I didn-” you cut yourself off, realising that you did say that.
Prince Mydei hums.
“I only wish not to be married to a man I do not know,” you say quietly, “and I do not know you.”
“I do not know you either!” he jokes, “Other than of course, the fact that you are a terrible wall climber-”
“You try to climb the wall in all these garments!” you laugh as you lift your dress a bit, showing the layers of layers of fabric beneath your dress.
The two of you smile at each other.
“What do you want to know?”
“Pardon?”
“You said you didn't want to marry a man you didn't know-”
“I don't- I- you-” you huff and look away, “Everything.”
He raises an amused eyebrow, “Everything?”
He looks around and begins to ramble about himself.
You stay silent, listening to him talk as he tells you his interests, he likes pomegranates, he likes to cook and to make pastries, and he's actually a Mama's boy.
“And I have no qualms about marrying a girl I've just met hours before our wedding, but I do promise you that I am choosing to marry you,” he says softly.
“Even if you are getting married to a ‘terrifying man’,” he jokes, “I assure you I am marrying you as Mydei, not as the prince, not as the king, but as Mydei, just as a man.”
“Just Mydei?”
“Just Mydei.”
You smile at him and he smiles back.
The marriage took place that day.
You should've known better.
“Welcome to the Chorismós House,” Mydei tells you as he assists you to get out of the carriage.
You gape in awe.
“Yes, it is your house,” he says and steps up the stairs.
“What?”
“Your house, the Chorismós House, I had your belongings moved here,” he says.
You stare at him for a few seconds, your shoulders aching for rest, your corset digging into your ribs.
“Do correct me if I am wrong, but is it not supposed to be our house?”
He purses his lips, “Well I suppose our official house would be in the Capital.”
“Where will you stay?” you prod.
“I have an estate in Epithymía,” he replies as he goes up the stairs of the house.
“So you will stay there?”
“Yes.”
“And I will stay here?”
“Yes.”
You stare at him with uncertainty.
“Mydei… it is our wedding night,” you try to stress the word in hopes he would understand.
He nods, “Yes, and it is late, and you have to meet your staff, it would be better if you rest early, it has been a tiring day after all,”
“Are we-” you pause, not wanting to make a fool out of yourself, “Should we not do what married people do?”
The king pauses in his steps, “Are you demanding I do my marital duty to you?”
You stutter, not expecting him to blurt a question outright, “No! I- I haven't even the slightest idea of what marital duties are, I just… are you not staying with me?”
He stares back.
“My governess told me that married people spend the night together, she told me it is what happens on a wedding night,”
Silence.
Then, he throws his hands up, “Fine, I shall stay, are you coming?”
He didn't even wait for you so you had to hike your gown up and run after him.
“Mydei, wait!”
You run through the staff mentioned earlier as they clap their hands and you stutter your steps to bow politely then run to catch up to your husband in the foyer.
“Mydei!”
“What?” he turns, irritated, “You wanted me in the bedroom, did you not?”
“Not like-” You swallow, becoming glaringly aware of the staff steps away from the two of you, “I have upset you, tell me what I've done and I'll make it right.”
He doesn't reply.
“Look, I am sorry, whatever it is I am sorry,”
“You've done nothing wrong,” he tells you, “It's just, I want to go to Epithymía-”
“So let us go to Epithymía.”
He sighs.
Oh.
“You do not want me to go to Epithymía,”
“This is your home,” he tries to make you understand.
“And that is yours,”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
He takes a breath of relief, “You understand, good, you will be alright,” he says and heads towards the door.
Alright? You'll be alright?
“Mydei, is this how it will be?”
He stops.
“Is this how our marriage will be? You there and me here?”
He hangs his head low.
“It will be easier, my lady,”
“Easier for whom?” you ask as your voice shakes, betraying your feelings on the matter.
“Pardon?”
“Easier for whom?” you repeat, voice louder that you're sure the staff could hear, “Me or you?”
“It has been a long night, I do not wish to argue with you,”
“I am merely asking,” you say trying to temper your feelings, “I just want to understand you need to tell me-”
“I do not need to do anything! I am your king! I decide, I have decided!” his voice echoes.
Oh.
The staff try to hide their faces but you know they heard it, who wouldn't?
“My mistake. Forgive me, Your Majesty,” you said, voice detached, uncaring.
Mydei knows he fucked up when you say your next sentence.
“I thought you were just Mydei.”
He calls your name but you interrupt him.
“Is there anything else you wish to tell me? Or may I retire for the night, your highness?”
He utters your name once more in a whisper.
“It is for the best,” he says.
Mydei sees you nod, eyes to the floor as you place your hands together, “Of course, your majesty, the king,” he thinks you say it to spite him.
“Whatever you wish,”
Again, he calls your name, almost begging, whatever for you're not sure, and takes a step forward.
On instinct, you take one back.
He takes one look at your face.
You try not to cry as he turns and leaves.
You should've jumped the wall.
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usagi's note: THERE WE GO!!! im actually thinking of making this into a full blown fic, like ill take this scene and add more to it cuz again i have never seen the show where its from, but like maybe in future, but i don't want to just copy, cuz then it would be plagiarism and not actually writing...
also just wanted to say that Chorismós is greek for separation while Epithymía is greek for yearning, so yeah I have no idea how to world build well, but its the symbolism so i hope u guys get it ^^
tell me if u guys would like that!! HOPE UR PULLS GO WELL!!! i got e0s0 castorice both unguaranteed and under 60 pulls! im really happy, i hope u guys get her early too!! im thinking of getting e0s0 cipher and s0 aglaea, cuz she's already e0 for me hehe. OKAY BYE!! EAT WELL!! AND TELL ME WHAT U THINK OF THIS!!
@usagiarchive 2025. do not repost, translate, or use for AI. reblogs, likes, and comments are very appreciated!!
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diorcities · 9 months ago
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Nct dream calling their gfs loml (fluff)
⠀   ⠀ ── 💌. ִֶָ ᡴꪫ nct dream calling you loml !
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so cute!!. library.
mark. you think you've heard it by mistake. “what's the love of my life doing?”. lifting your head from the book to bump into his serene, distracted countenance trying to see what you're reading. “what?.” he probably thought out loud, because he repeats it again without it this time. that until he realizes, getting flustered immediately and hiding his face on your neck. “no. say it again.” “oh, shut up.”
chenle. what a prick. he usually uses it to get away with getting his way after he's bothered you. he places kisses on your unresponsive mouth while clearly enjoying it. “you're the love of my life.” but the way he says it —with mockery in his annoying demeanor, doesn't hide the tint of affection when he pronounces it. so he drags you by the waist towards him, to continue kissing your smile.
haechan. he won't stop saying it now that he knows the reaction it has on you, but he knows that if he uses it a lot then it won't have the same effectiveness. picks the right moment, like when you're barely awake so he can wrap around your waist and bury his head on your neck. “how was your sleep, love of my life?” the way your skin bristles makes him decide that the best way to do it is to wake you up telling you that. little does he knows it'll always have the same effect because it's not just the meaning, it is also him.
jaemin. he says it all the time like it's your name, and you never get tired of hearing it. your heart still shrinks and warmth spreads in your chest. maybe he doesn't know the effect it has on you; that he says it even when he's distracted makes you want to explode. “what do you want for dinner, love of my life?” he kisses the crown of your head when you snuggle with him, and even though you're on top of him, he's not close enough for you.
renjun. he likes to surprise you with flowers every time he can. and he also likes to go on spontaneous dates on a weekday. when you ask him the reason for the special occasion, he simply answers with the greatest obviousness in the world, “because you're the love of my life.” and even though he usually says the same thing every time you ask him, you can't help but make your heart want to burst with love, and he can't help but not get tired of knowing it either.
jeno. you appreciate how hard he tries to help you with your homework, or when you're doing heavy lifting, or when you just want to reach the top shelf in the kitchen. he's always there when you need him without you knowing it. “do you need help with that, love of my life?” but it's the first time he's said it and you're too far off the ground to process it without the stool wobbling and almost falling to the floor, of course, if it weren't for your loyal helper boyfriend, catching you before you fall.
jisung. being away from you is the worst experience of his life. of course the first thing he when he's back is try to melt into a hug with you. you laugh at the effusiveness that emanates from him with his arms around you. “i missed you. love of my life.” you're both so fuzzy you don't pick up what he says at first. “what?” and because you're so close together you think you've felt his heart stop when he realizes what he's said. you stand there, laughing silly as a blush spreads down his cheeks, “you heard me.”
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xaer1s · 2 months ago
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ㅤㅤ ❛ ㅤ✿ ──────​ cuteness clad in silk ⸝⸝ REUPLOAD
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ[ 최산 ] ─── ​CHOI SAN ​ ⨾ ATEEZ
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ㅤㅤ synopsis:ㅤsan was always a calm and collected guy, not riling himself up easily but this simple change you made tonight, unexpectedly -especially for him- had him feeling a bit too excited.ㅤ⨾ㅤwarnings:ㅤnsfw!!, spooning sex, unprotected sex (guys don't do it), needy-dom!san, fem!reader, sub!reader, clit play, p in v, cream pie, lil begging?, pwp??, pet names, slight overstim, lil swearing, praisingㅤ⨾ㅤword count:ㅤ1,8kㅤ⨾ㅤa/n.: after my other account with the name of xa3r1s got shadow-banned and i didn't really get help from the staff, i decided to make another blog and post this again. i probably won't reupload all of my works. happy reading! <3
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ㅤㅤNAViGATiON ・・・・・; ✉︎ message me on: @smnxi ; please reblog and follow if you like my posts! do not spam likes, or you'll be blocked, sorry! ♡
ㅤㅤif you'd like to be a part of my taglist, fill out this form, dm me or comment on ONLY the rules post!/ requests open!
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤ• . ˚ ⋆ . 。.
. . . having to lay your head on the pillow at the most boiling hot night in mid august was just straight up torture, so you decided to change sleepwear. placing the soft cotton shorts and thin, plain tops aside, for an even thinner, pure white nightgown. it actually looked very cute if we’re gonna be honest and very practical too. you never once thought about wearing one but when you finally gave it a try and it wasn’t that bad at all.
the silky fabric clung to your skin because of the after shower steam in all the right places, pronouncing your hips as the material stretched deliciously. showing the faint outline of your nipples and the straps occasionally slipping down on your bare shoulders, made your boyfriend attention perk up. it had san already in a frenzy.
experiencing you like this first in his whole lifetime was a game changer for him, he just got so used to seeing you in your usual night wear that he didn’t really pay attention to it anymore. not to misunderstand, you were absolutely cute like that too.
now turning off the lights, making your way from the bathroom to sit on the edge of the bed, your bare feet quietly thumping on the cold wooden floor, the harsh feeling sent goosebumps over your skin. the bedroom was quiet and dark aside from the lamp’s small, orange tinted light providing the only source of light, placed on the bedside table. still, you felt his sharp eyes tracking over you. the window wide open, the gentle summer breeze tickling your skin and the sky foggy.
he was already under the warm, fluffy duvet, his dark eyes drinking in the sight in front of him just within his reach, and at this point he was just struggling to keep himself composed and his actions in check. he itched to reach out to tug the inviting material off of you, he had so easy access it made him go nuts.
of course you noticed, his gaze quite literally burning holes into your back as you made yourself comfortable under the blankets, pulling it over you as you curled against his side, as he continued to stare shamelessly. a content sigh escaping you and a gentle smile made itself clear on your lips.
“hug me..” just like you asked, one of his arm draped over your shoulder to pull you flush against him, his palm splayed out flat on your waist as his fingertips caressed you gently over the shiny fabric.
he already saw you in every way he possibly could by now after spending years with you and knew every inch and crevice of your soft body like the back of his hand. still, the innocence you carried in wearing a simple white nightgown with nothing but panties underneath just send tingles of excitement through his body, straight to his cock and made his heart thump faster. you seemed so pure and adorable in his embrace, soft locks falling forward and framing your cheeks, eyes ready to flutter close to drift off to sleep, knowing nothing about his inner turmoil.
the cute little flares adorning the hem where it rode up your thighs, made his tummy hot. after some time, now deep in slumber, you turned to your other side, presenting your back to him. he managed to force himself to sleep too but as soon as you moved, it shook him awake. his tired gaze traveling to your frame and gulping down a big lump in his throat.
adjusting himself after you, missing the feeling of your body against his, san wrapped his arms around your mid section, his front pushing against your back. he was already struggling real bad at this point, but the quiet whine you let slip out in your sleep and the way you wriggled your butt against his crotch in the search of his warmth just did the work.
his hold now tighter as each second passed, hips bucking into you, just slowly and lazily grinding himself through his sleeping shorts. making sure you were still asleep and snoring softly, his face found its home in the back of your neck, your hair brushing against his face as he made incredible effort to muffle his whiny moans while rutting himself against you.
in a futile attempt to keep quiet, his teeth sank into his plump lower lip almost drawing out blood and god he was ashamed of himself for being so fucking horny just from lying next to you. his embarrassment from the absurdity of the situation slowly seeped into pleasure as a small wet patch made itself visible in his already tight underwear.
you stirring awake, a quiet whine escaped from deep within your throat, blinking your weary eyes open to meet with darkness. it took a few seconds to realize what’s going on behind you, your lips parted with an exhausted sigh.
“san..” but he continued, you didn’t protest, not when he was so adorably needy, you knew he simply just wouldn’t let you until he’s satisfied.
“darling.. i’m sorry- you’re just-..” he tries to explain, his voice coming in quick and unsteady pants, his palm flat on your hips now and fingertips flicking over the hem of your clothing. “can I, please?.. the tip.. only the tip, i swear, baby..” even while asking for permission, he didn’t seem to stop grinding so instead you just appreciated the effort of him pleading so desperate for you. reluctantly, you mumbled a small and very exhausted ‘yeah’ and gave the green light.
you were tired but you still weren’t so cruel to leave your handsome boyfriend wanting so of course you gave in even if it meant sacrificing a little sleep. feeling his hands inch higher on your sides, pushing the material with them, giving himself more place to reach. one of his hand rested on your ass and the other moved to pull the waistband of his shorts just under his member, letting it lewdly slap against his firm abdomen, eliciting a quiet hiss from san.
taking himself into his grip, his fingers tightened around the flushed red tip and his thumb smeared the sticky pre-cum across his already pulsing erection with a low groan before giving it a few squelching pumps quickly for an easier slide. his breathing heavy and actions unsteady, he managed to hook his fingers into the elastic band of your panties, tugging it down your thighs just enough for him to finally reach your most sensitive places. this was all it took for him to get to you, hiking up your nightgown and simply just pulling off your underwear. the thought alone made him twitch in his firm grasp, making his hold tighten around it.
his fingers grazed your dripping slit, feeling the evidence of your excitement on the pads of his fingers, so slimy and warm, it made his mouth water, his tasting buds aching to just lick it off. pushing those fantasies aside, he felt like he’d explode if he’s not in you in the next two minutes. he moved flush against your back, his other hand guiding his throbbing erection to nudge your entrance, sinking slowly in with a stretched out moan, breathing it against the back of your neck.
he bottomed out, just savoring the exquisite feeling of your warmth surrounding him, you clenching down tightly in response, feeling the small ridges and veins running along his cock against your wet walls, it made your needy hole gush too. his digits dug into your plush hips, his nails forming small, red half circles as he squeezed your flesh to guide you slowly. his other hand sneaked its way around your torso aiming to have you as close as humanly possible while he was taking you from behind.
“so warm and snug.. you feel so good, baby.. bet you love feeling me inside you so fucking deep..” he seethed through gritted teeth, pulling out to quickly slam himself back, his tip kissing your cervix, your body jerking forward with a sudden gasp from the force, his arm keeping you safe and still, pressing you back against his broad chest.
your juices dripped down along his shaft, coating it thickly, sweet droplets landing on the sheets beneath you, your hole fluttering crazy, sucking him in subconsciously. his cock dragged along your gummy walls lazily, his eyes closed down as delicate whines left your plump lips.
one of his hand slipped between your thighs, nudging them further apart, the pads of his index and middle finger drawing circles furiously on your puffy, throbbing clit as he continued to thrust away, pace only picking up slightly. the pleasure had your muscles tense and your back arch, instinctively squirming from him while he shushed you, trying to keep you there with force and helping to guide your movements.
“‘m close!-.. s-san!..”
“yeah.. go ahead, my sweet girl..” to his reassurance wrapped words, the knot in your tummy tightened further, heat spreading all over your body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, your skin tingling. “you deserve it, let go.. let me feel you come over my cock. can you do that for me?..”
with a sharp pinch and a quick tug on your swelled nub, a loud moan rippled from your heaving chest as your release hit you like a tidal wave, clamping on his shaft as he continued to piston into you from behind. fucking you through your orgasm turning into chasing his own high when he moved even faster. it was almost as if he didn’t hear your protest. you reached behind, pushing on his chest with your palm and legs closing on his hand still between yours. he resisted well, by just easily keeping you in place.
“it’s okay- i know, love, i know.. a little-.. just a little more, yeah? gonna be good for me and make me cum too, hm?” his sweet and comforting tone made you relax, stopping all your earlier resistance. his abdominal muscles flexed and with a stinging bite in the nape of your neck, he shot his hot ropes of thick seed deep into your waiting womb, your fucked out body shuddering at the sensations.
after a few, sloppy thrust, he finally stilled inside you completely with his spent cock. catching his breath while he peppered soft kisses to the reddened marking he left just now.
his hands sliding to your sides now, soothing your heated up and flushed skin as your eyes fluttered down close, ears already starting to block out his quiet words targeted towards you.
“‘love you.. so grateful for you, baby..” a small, genuine smile threatened to stretch on his lips as he just followed you to sleep soundly, pulling the duvet over you to tuck you in again, keeping you in his strong yet so caring and gentle grip, making the clean up tomorrow’s problem.
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plagiarism is strictly forbidden, do not translate my works, copy them or publish them on another site ; @xaer1s
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