#of course they fall head over heels while trying not too xD

[ibrithir-was-here]

Dudes, Modern Dreamling AU with Youtuber Hob and this Amazing Premise xD

(Trust me just watch it)

[olinblogin]

Hello! If the request are open, may I ask for a Yan Wukong x Fem Reader x Yan Macaque (romantically) where Reader tries to avoid them to have a time for herself or being with her own friends? I just imagine those two monkeys being the clingy and jealous cats they are XD

Thank you so much! ♡♡♡

Of course! Thank you so much for your request! I really enjoyed writing this one, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

YAN!SUN WUKONG X FEM!READER X YAN!MACAQUE

TW/CW; mentions of alcohol/drinking, slight for, vomiting (because of alcohol), very minor character death

Clicking open the lock to your bedroom window, you took one last glance back at the two simians splayed in your bed; both clutching pillows you’d put in your place. You were thankful for those house canceling earmuffs you got for Macaque…

If not for them, he’d certainly have caught you trying to sneak out by now and dragged you back under the covers.

But you weren’t going to let that happen… you’d waited for too long to go out clubbing with your friends again. Carefully ducking under the window you’d opened, you shuffled out onto the sidewalk and carefully shut the window back.

You grabbed your bag off the ground and made your way down the sidewalk, heels clicking against the concrete rapidly as you made your way to the club.

Finally making your way there you squinted at the fluorescent lights that displayed the name; “The June Joint”.

You opened the door and were met with the scent of what you could only assume was a mix of BO, alcohol, and fruity vapes. You got over it soon when you saw your friends, rushing over to them and saying your hellos. It soon progressed to you all dancing drunkly on the dance floor… you couldn’t even hear the song playing; let alone if they were playing one at all.

You’d promised yourself you’d only have one drink tonight, but that one drink soon turned into two, and a few shots. Feeling a bit queasy you wobbled your way to the bar to get ahold of yourself. The were playing ‘Copacabana’ and as much as you wanted to dance right now, a migraine was starting to form at a splitting pace.

You fished your phone out of your bra, immediately sobering up in horror when you read the notifications… 13 missed calls, 57 unread messages.

“Oh, shit.” You scrambled to the entrance of the club; only to be dragged back by a clammy hand. “C’mon pretty girl, no need to rush… come dance with me and my guys and we’ll give you something worthwhile..” the man slurred. With a grimace you tried to take your arm back… but he had a real good grip.

“I’m sorry… I’d love to. But I’m taken, I need to get home too.” And at those words it almost seemed like it summoned two other men, tatted out and brooding. “He doesn’t gotta know. Besides I’m sure I can give you so much more than a shrimp-dick that you’re dati—“

CRACK…

His clammy hand fell from your arm as you stared down at the crumpled figure in horror, silence wafted over the club before screams rang out. You noticed a familiar staff end cascaded with golden clouds embroidered into it. uh oh..

Amidst the chaos you were tugged back by another hand, craning your neck to see Macaque holding you close and glowering at Wukong, who was beating the corpse of the man who dared to touch you to a bloody pull.

“That idiot… he could’ve gotten that disgusting man’s blood on you.” Macaque snarled lowly as he lay his head on top of yours, waiting for Wukong to finish beating the hell out of an already dead man.

When finished, Wukong looked back at you while slightly panting from exertion… “[Y/N]! What the hell were you doing out without us?! You could’ve gotten hurt!”

Before you could reply you felt the floor below you vanish; falling through on of Macaque’s shadow portals and back to your house. Still having alcohol in your system, that definitely didn’t work in your favor.

They were both about to scold you when they watched you scramble to the bathroom and hurl into the toilet. Wukong and Macaque looked at each other with their ears flattened, both immediately going to your side on the bathroom floor. Wukong held your hair back for you and Macaque rubbed your back while you emptied the contents of your stomach.

It felt like hours until you’d finally come to a halt, leaning back against the bathtub while Macaque whipped your mouth and readied a toothbrush. “I’m so sorry… I should’ve known you’d get sick when we went through my shadows. Can you ever forgive me, Starlight?” Macaque asked quietly as he carefully brushed your teeth for you.

Wukong soon came back with armfuls of food. Sitting down by your side he sifted through the foods. “Wukong what the hell is all this?! She needs something light! Like toast or crackers!” Macaque scolded as Wukong’s tail flicked with panic. “I-I didn’t know what to get her— you’re the one who knows stuff about nutrition and stuff!” Wukong shoveled everything back I to his arms and scurried to the kitchen once again.

Wukong scrambled back in with some crackers and water for you. Whatever they were angry about earlier they’d completely forgotten about when you’d gotten sick.

“Are you feeling any better, Sunshine?” Wukong asked as his tail curled around your leg. “Not really… the. Crackers are helping, though.” You mumbled hoarsely.

“Well at least it’s helping..” Macaque muttered, carefully scooping you up and laying you in the bed, pulling the covers over you and getting a bucket just in case. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need anything? Snacks? Drinks? Kisses?” Wukong asked frantically, sitting at the edge of the bed by your side. “No.. it’s okay. I just wanna sleep off this migraine, please.”

Wukong nodded and shuffled to snuggle into your arms, Macaque snuggling up behind you as you lay sandwiched between them both.

“Good night, [Y/N],”

[fareehaandspaniards]

Okay enough!! *casually elbows Fantomette away to take the spot of the questions guy myself* If you really are on the rush of sharing Bloodborne headcanons, tell us about your views on Yurie!

The most difficult character! :0

That's my Yurie. I used colors from her data and lightened them a bit, also tried to mix my own vision and her in-game face.

(she is looking at yall like - 🤨)

If I had to choose an actress to play Yurie, I would choose Tilda Swinton (one of my all time favorite actresses with amazing appearance). Yurie may not look like her in game, but Tilda Swinton is a goddess and gives me Yurie vibes.

Yurie's image was hard to compile, but based on what I have in my own vision of the game's lore, she studied with the Byrgenwerth trio, perhaps except in a different faculty. Maybe biology or biomedicine? Plus, by the time Rom enrolled, she'd likely be a sophomore. How many courses were in the program at Byrgenwerth? This is a detail you can tweak to your canon xd Let it be 4 or 6, for medicine could be longer, but in any case the graduation of Micolash, Laurence and Rom never happened in the full sense of the word. Since the whole blood research thing started, Laurence and Willem started their religion stuff - they all didn't really graduate. Just Byrgenwerth and its entire staff moved on to the Healing Church that was founded. SO. Back to the topic. When trio enrolled, Yuri was a sophomore(maybe older)

I think the center of her attention was and still is Rom. Still, I'd attribute her location in Byrgenwerth to the fact that she's guarding Rom, but not Willem. (I had a stupid old sketch of her and Damian arguing about whether or not to let the Good Hunter in, but it's too old. I didn't even really know the lore back then lol, but I already had a FeElInG like Yurie was there for Rom)

Sketch was something like this:

(And then they kiss... Errrhhm tried to kill each other violently)

(It is based on a funny situation, when I summoned Damian to fight Rom, and I saw him there, when was entering grey fog, but he didn’t come to my aid!! As I figured out, it happened because I didn’t kill Yurie, and Damian just stayed there with her)

Based on my image of Rom, I think Yurie really disliked her at first, well, when they met. It's not really anger or dislike, it's just that feeling when you're very fragile inside and you've built your own little barrier from the outside world (Yurie was always known for her "coldness"), hiding behind arrogance, indifference and other pleasures of life, but then you see someone you like, but they're unimaginably weak (just like you was once), and the worst thing is that this person doesn't even try to defend themself! And despite all their good qualities, you see them getting insults. Other's weakness can be irritating, genuinely.

(I don't want to label Rom a victim by calling her weak. I just think we are all weak inside, and how we defend ourselves and interact with the world is individual. Rom herself wouldn't think of herself as a "victim". It's just that she was pitied by kind hearts, seeing the ridicule, while she herself preferred to "kill with kindness"! I LOVE that term. Has helped me a lot in my life)

I think when Yurie would have realized that she was falling asleep thinking only about Rom, she would have tried to start at least friendship, putting all her efforts into protecting little lady. Actually, if you consider them as a pairing, Yurie's crush is a must! And even if I ship Rom/Laurence, Yurie still was in love with Rom.

Yurie/Rom is a caring, nurturing, warm and loving relationship, if only because Rom is a cinnamon bun and Yurie is head over heels in love and ready to give that love to her lady. Somehow they remind me a lot of Brador/Laurence, and if things don't work out with Laurence/Rom, I know who else has a claim on their hearts xd (It's funny how I kicked off Micolash. I think I put him in Damian's hands and also put Edgar next to him. Damian is already too much of a gift, enough for Micolash xD). Yurie would warm Rom's hands in the winter, take care of her warmth, walk with her in the shade of trees in the summer, and even despite her fear of insects, watch them with Rom. I also think Yurie is very tactile, so a kiss on a first date is 100% likely. If it's Rom's first date, it's Yurie's 101st date, because she's been making up the previous 100 dates before going to bed xd

Yurie + Edgar - the kinship, but very distant because I've already made up that Edgar is an orphan off the street and I don't want to change that. He's probably her nephew, which is likely given the age difference (yes, there is one, trust me). I guess they didn't have a warm family atmosphere because why, honestly, does Yurie care about a relative who suddenly showed up? She's got her own problems to deal with. She's a scientist, and she's trying to look after Rom, and there's fucked up shit going on in Yharnam, and Fauxsefka is looming with crazy plans. I think when Edgar was sent off to spy after his future lov… mad scholars, he wanted to say goodbye to Yurie, but didn't have time, which he would have regretted. And walking around Byrgenwerth, Yurie would hear his voice all the time, turning around.

Yurie + Damian. Yurie would be jealous of Rom because of Damian, I think. One day Rom had an awful talk with Micolash, and instead of looking for Yurie (in fact, she just needed advice about Micolash, and no one knows him better than Damian) she would go to seek comfort from another person who is also very good to her and in general is very nice. So jealousy of Yurie would be understandable. (I hedcanon Damian as a library worker, local archivist. Who read my fanfic - knows what I am talking about). I think the problem was solved when Yurie heard the sounds of kissing from the library, and then satisfied Micolash flew out of there, so Yurie realised - Damian is not her rival lol (my little headcanon, eheheheheheh)

The fact that they can be made to fight before entering the arena to Rom already says a lot, doesn't it? They could make a good pairing, but the relationship would probably start when each of them would stay without their "lord"? They'd just realize that each of them is a good person and worthy of love, hence the attraction

Yurie + Willem - oh, I think she respected Professor and Master of Byrgenwerth. She would have scrutinized all of his writings. In Choir era she would actively use his scholarly research, as she realized that the old man may have lost his sanity, but he's an incredible researcher and theorist, which means you can capitalize on it.

Yurie + Fauxsefka - this has the vibe of an office romance! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Fauxsefka has Micolash vibes, and combined with Yurie's coldness, this could be very hot.

Yurie + Micolash - they are two complete opposites. I think she'd knock him out for causing Rom's stress xD I think he'd enjoy pissing Yurie off, but she wouldn't really be into it, so no Love/Hate, just Micolash would get a his ass kicked, but would call Damian to defend him.

Some more headcanons:

Yurie became more nervous and more open about her feelings as she matured. We meet her in the game in deep thought, nervous, still wishing Rom would go back to her old self

Yurie is a master of swearing! The only one who could compare with Mikolash in this matter LOL

Yurie really regretted letting Edgar go and ended up losing him without ever getting to know him. Sometimes she thinks she hears his voice (but whether it's guilt or the remnants of his consciousness trying to tell her something - no one knows).

Yurie became very artistic in expressing her emotions as she got older, which amused Fauxsefka VERY much. Just imagine Fauxsefka asking her about being in a giant mommy spider's friendzone, and Yurie be like:

And IN GENERAL. Yurie has cold on the outside, passionate on the inside personality. She is very emotional when it comes to the people she loves, and is also very brave and willing to rush to protect them at the cost of her life. Many called her the "ice queen." She can seem heartless and callous. Indeed she often failed to pay attention to those who needed it, shutting out emotions and fearing them. But she is very sweet. And what way she would go depends on who will be next to her. Rom? Damian? Fauxefka? She is kind of human who will change to be more like their beloved, and she can become evil genius or guardian angel, everything depends on what you think.

(Mine Yurie is devoted to Rom, would try to start something with Damian but wouldn't succeed, and in the end find a similar soul in Fauxsefka, who would actually open all Yurie's strong sides and help her overcome her weaknesses but in a cruel way)

I am not sure if you will like my vision of her, but that's the way I see Yurie xD (I would kiss her on the cheek, I love her now thx....)

[varikvamp]

Here we go again! You know what this is, a continuation from the last one. I'm rather enjoying this so do expect more in the future, of course I'll do other characters. I'll also most definitely go into other fandoms and characters from other things too. But right now my current hyperfixation is TaS xD so please enjoy~

Also, I said this might end up NSFW before.. well.. not this time around xD sorry not sorry~ But just know that there is going to be another part. So, it's not completely out of the question.

~~~~

After running into Licht at the gallery you had ended up spending the day with him. You explained that since you had finally saved up enough from your allowance that you were going to delve into some things that had been catching your interest. So that's how the day went, Licht giving advice on good places to shop and if something caught your eye you would grab his arm and drag him with you over to it.

Although at one point during the day Licht had to go take care of something back at the guild, saying it wouldn't take long he would meet you somewhere if you were still out. To be honest his cheeks looked a little pink when he asked, but you just thought it was cute, not catching the way he acted bashful. You were still planning on being out for a while, and there was still plenty of time before curfew, that and the only texts you had received from your friends were asking if you were OK and pretty much just checking up on you. After all... you were prone to getting into trouble.

So, to answer his question you grinned and happily said you'd be there. Before parting ways you ended up giving him a hug. The words,'Thank you for spending the day with me!' Left your lips before letting the male go on his way. Though he seemed frozen for a moment, like he had stopped functioning. But then it was like his brain rebooted and he glanced away his cheeks tinting red now. "What are friends for?" Was all he was capable of saying back before finally leaving.

Once Licht was out of view you turned on your heel. There was a store you had spotted but didn't want to go into yet. Now though? You could finally go after your real goal for going out, Art supplies. Of course you didn't want Licht to know, not yet anyway. You had a surprise planned and you knew just how Good Licht was at figuring things out. So you had to do your best to keep this underwraps.

Meanwhile~

After leaving you and entering the guild base, making it to his office and sitting in the chair behind his desk, Licht promptly let his head fall on his desk with a loud 'thump!'. It was followed by a groan. How had he never noticed it before? How oblivious you could be. But now that he noticed he couldn't stop noticing. Now, were you dumb? No way in hell. Were you an idiot? Obviously not. You just couldn't seem to grasp a few things. This day started with him worrying that he should take down a painting. After deciding to do just that he had run into the very person who he had made the painting about.

And now?

It was almost like a date! But yet, you couldn't seem to see that. So shamelessly grabbing onto him and hugging him... He wasn't sure his heart could take it. Another soft 'thump' and a groan came from him. He looked at his phone and ran a hand through his hair. It had been a little bit and he decided to come up with a plan. Hopefully it would Break this Obviousness you had. He bit his lip as he thought, his hand on the side of his face, a sign that he was up to something.

And of course, he had to make sure to try and plan for the unexpected as well. Since you were the center of this, it would be an amateur move not to take into account that his original plan might fail. By the end he was grinning.

Should he feel bad for what he had come up with? Probably. Did he? Kind of. Would it end the way he wanted? Knowing you, he had no idea.

And that was the fun part~

[invinciblerodent]

Ohhhh thank you for the very long thought stream I much appreciate it (anon asking about DA:V characters/romances)... I've been following you for a long long while and Iove your takes and characters from DA and BG3. My own hype for DA:V waned a little bit from my first impression of the trailer but (in a hopefully 0 pressure way hah) seeing you and other people on my dash getting excited for it really helped kick me out of that slump and I'm starting to regain it, so genuinely thanks for that :D

You've definitely thought about it more than me xD the "doomed romance" so to speak of Davrin is *very* tantalizing but honestlyy I was just like... Pretty.... Pretttttttyyyy.... But in fairness that applies to all of the companions soooo, :p

I haven't thought much about my own Rook but I'm excited to start putting some thought into it now. My canon inquisitor was an M!Lavellan Archer Dorian-mancer so I'm not sure if I'll play an elf again... I guess we'll have to see!

Thanks so much for your thoughts and for answering, I always love seeing what you have to say and I appreciate you answering!

Aww, I love that, thank you, I feel all fuzzy now! I'm so glad you enjoy my blabbing lol! (have some more of it lol!)

And yeah, you know, I did see a lot of people feeling a bit worried or put off by (or even angry at) the trailer/reveal and posting very negative takes about it, but honestly? I feel like there is something to be said about just how primed many are for disappointment with every new game. And I don't just mean Bioware games, I mean that with the way the industry has been going (not just lately, but honestly pretty much since there have been AAA studios), with the layoffs and delays and the ten years it's been since Inquisition, it's very easy to just get inside our own heads, and sort of... forget to have fun with our hobbies.

It's an understandable impulse of course, it's a bit scary to see how few of the hard core of the franchise's creators remain still at the company, and if you lowkey expect something to suck it's not so much of a letdown if it does, but it's... I'm gonna be so real with you, it also sounds like a miserable way to enjoy games.

To always be looking out for ways in which something might not live up to your hopes instead of enjoying it for its own merits, to expect specific things that then (very obviously) aren't gonna make it into the final product, to lose sight of the industry at large and compare a product not to its contemporaries but to a version of it that only exists in your head and to cling to a franchise you've only ever been disappointed with since like 2011, it's an easy way to grow sad, and dejected, and frustrated.

And I get it, but I'm also not going to indulge in it, or expose myself to it. I perfectly understand why one might feel the urge to piss in their own soup before anyone else could, but I'm not going to let anyone piss in mine. I'll just... enjoy my piss-free soup, lol.

Which is to say, I try to personally keep my expectations very realistic, not think ahead too specifically (which is a good thing that I didn't, we apparently get to choose FACTIONS???? and I was NOT prepared for that lol), and just enjoy wherever a franchise that I (quite obviously) love very much, takes me. ❤️

...... also, yeah, Davrin is also just... also just really pretty in the reveal, lol. I mean.... man, you know they'll make the bastard alternate between blindingly radiant smiles, and big, sopping wet, brown calf eyes.

Something something if I had a nickel, but seriously, if I actually had a nickel for every recent time I've fallen a little bit in love with a disgustingly pretty elf man (who is canonically amazing in the sack) with a weird magical-medical condition that makes their lifespan incompatible with a potential romantic partner's, I'd literally have two nickels.

(and now watch me slow-motion fall head over heels, ass over teakettle, etc., for literally anyone other than Davrin, lol.)

(Or just end up with someone totally random. I mean I still remember when in my first playthrough of Inquisition, I had similarly vague plans going in, and that first character of mine somehow ended up with Cullen of all people.) (I still kick myself over that, I robbed myself of SUCH an excellent story by not going with Blackwall first like I had intended. But I learned my lesson: always "yes, and" handsome Warden-types, and for exploring everything else and battening down the hatches of a "canon" game, there's always next playthrough lol.)

(It's been ten years, and I'm still not sure who should remain in the Fade, man.)

[jungshookz]

smitten: y/n's note is in jungkook's bag and she needs to get it back like, right now

➺ pairing; jeon jungkook x reader

➺ genre; smitten!miniseries!! bff!kook & smitten!y/n!! university!au!! honk honk humour!! the boo hoo angsty wattpad-energy fic of your dreams!! unrequited love!! it hurts so bad but that's what makes it so good!!

➺ wordcount; 7.1k

➺ summary; y/n realizes her meticulously written i love you note is burning a hole at the bottom of jungkook's bag and the mere thought of him finding it is enough to make her feel sick to her stomach.

➺ what to expect; "well, maybe the reason why you're just friends is because the two of you won't allow yourselves to be more than that."

➺ smitten: part one [the almost confession]

»»————- 🖤 ————-««

[previously, on smitten...]

what?

where the hell is it?

you reach into the side pockets and you're disappointed when you end up pulling out old tissues and empty gum wrappers

it's not in the front pocket either — just your keys, a pack of bubblegum, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer

your brows knit together in deep thought as you settle back against your seat, your eyes flickering to the side as you-

you immediately pale

oh my god.

you're positive that your heart stops beating for three whole seconds the moment you realize where exactly the note is — because no, you idiot, you didn't shove it into your own bag earlier-

the note is in jungkook's bag.

»»————- 🖤 ————-««

the next thirty or so minutes of class seem to drag on at a snail's pace and you find yourself checking the time on your phone every five seconds to see when you can finally dart out those doors

your first instinct was to immediately get up and leave because of course you wanted to immediately get up and leave, but with only twenty-ish people in the class and the fact that you're seated near the front... well, it would be a little awkward to just pack up your things and trek up towards the doors without a legitimate excuse (you were tempted to tell your professor that your stomach wasn't feeling very good but the thought of your peers associating you with explosive diarrhea quickly changed your mind)

so, you decided to be a good student and wait it out — but, being perfectly honest, you haven't really been paying much attention to the professor since the thought of you shoving your hi bestie, i'm head-over-heels in love with you note into jungkook's bag instead of yours contaminated your mind five minutes ago

...

you let out a little huff before shaking your head to yourself

how could you be so careless?!

you don't even know how it happened

your bag was sitting on your right thigh, jungkook's bag was sitting on your left thigh... so how the hell did you manage to shove it into his bag??

on the bright side, at least you know where it is, right?

it's in the right side pocket of the bag, so all you have to do is unzip it and stick your hand in and out really quickly without jungkook noticing you rummaging around in his belongings

...but what if he's already read the note?

your foot taps impatiently against the carpeted ground and you reach up and start tugging at your earlobe anxiously, your eyes flickering up towards the dusty analog clock hanging on the wall

c'mon... c'mon...

your grip tightens around your pencil as you continue to trace circles aimlessly on the page, the paper crinkling slightly from the amount of pressure you're putting on it

the stress that's currently eating away at you is probably going to take ten years off your life

"-so, that's pretty much it from me for the day!"

you don't think you've ever been so happy for a class to end as soon as the screen goes black at the front and you waste absolutely no time in packing up

you probably look insane trying to shove your laptop and your notebook into your bag at the same time but you couldn't care less at this point because you need to get the hell out of here

"-please remember to contribute to the discussion threads online... at least four responses, please, and none of those bullshit 'yes, i agree!' responses. i'm definitely not going to count those as participation marks-"

you close your bag with a sharp ziiiip! and you hurry to fold the squeaky desk back into place, a couple of people turning to glance at you for the sudden abundance of clattering and knocking coming from your direction

"excuse me, pardon me-" you pull your backpack on as you step over multiple sets of legs, trying your best not to trample on any feet or knock anyone's tooth out with your bag, "sorry! excuse me-"

you can feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins as you jog up the steps two at a time, your brain immediately mapping out the route to the library jungkook said he'd be at

best case scenario: he hasn't found the note and your friendship with him is still very much in tact

worst case scenario: he found the note and is currently reading it at this point in time and your friendship with him is starting to crumble but you still have a chance to swoop in and pick up the pieces

the absolutely worst case ever in the entire world scenario: he's found the note, he's read the note, he's processed the note, and your friendship with him has been completely annihilated and now he's planning to change his name and leave the country so that he doesn't have to confront you about it

you use your shoulder to shove the doors open before bursting out into the open air, ignoring the concerned glances you're starting to receive from your obviously frazzled state

"oh god, oh god, oh god-!" your backpack flops wildly against your back as you rush down the narrow brick steps leading towards the main boulevard

realistically, jungkook's probably found and read the note, so all you have to do is come up with a short monologue about how all of it was fake and that the note was just a sick, twisted prank of some kind

i know that the note makes it seem like i'm telling you that i'm in love with you, but that's not the truth at all!

"woah, watch it-!"

you accidentally knock into someone's shoulder while sprinting down the lane and you turn around for a second just to hold a hand out while flashing the stranger a sheepish smile

"sorry! so sorry-" you turn back around, reaching up to keep your glasses secured on the top of your head as you continue to sprint, your sneakers slapping down against the pavement

as you read in the note, i made a point about how since we're friends, we should be honest with each other... and honestly, there are nothing but lies in the note! and there's a lesson in that, you know? words can be full of lies but we, as human beings, should be full of truths-

"nope, hate that-" you shake your head and immediately scrunch up that mental piece of paper before tossing it into your brain's garbage bin

you'd sound like an obnoxious philosophy student if you hit him with that explanation

it was a prank! i want to start a prank war with you and this is how i'm kicking things off!

that... that could work, right?

that's not bad!

just tell him that you wanted to start a prank war with him so you decided to go big or go home with an i love you, best friend note to see how he would react!

"so stupid-" you mutter to yourself, slowing down to a jog as you approach the doors to the library, "so, so stupid-"

the Super Epic Prank War ROFL XD™ explanation isn't the greatest excuse but it's the best you can do on such short notice

thankfully, it doesn't take you very long to track down jungkook considering the fact he always sits in the same area every time the two of you come here

your feet come to a screeching halt the moment you spot him and you quickly step to the side to hide behind the wall

you slowly lean over a little to peek at him

he has his headphones on and he's busy typing away at his laptop and you can tell he's concentrating really hard because he has that cute frown on his face and occasionally he'll mutter something to himself

jungkook in intense focus mode is something you find to be very endearing :-)

...

you quickly shake your head to snap yourself out of your daze before focusing on jungkook's face again

he certainly doesn't look like he just read an explosive love letter...

hm

you could still be safe!

...for now, that is.

"okay, y/n-" you stand up straight and let out a breath, giving yourself a mental pat on the head in an effort to calm your nerves, "better sooner than later, right? just- you just have to rip it off like a bandaid-"

your anxiety seems to build with every step that brings you closer to jungkook and you can almost hear the jaws theme song playing all around you

da-dum

jungkook, i swear i have a perfectly logical explanation for this...

da-dum

i know the note does a very convincing job of making it seem like i'm in love with you, but that couldn't be farther from the truth!

da-dum, da-dum

consider this your initiation into our very serious prank war, my friend!

dadumdadumdumdumbdumbdumbthisissuchadumbdumbidea-

"hi!" you greet a little too enthusiastically, trying your best not to make it seem like you just sprinted across campus to get to him even though you very clearly did

"sorry, seat's reserv- y/n?" jungkook looks up from his laptop before frowning, quickly glancing back down at his screen to check the time as he pulls his headphones off to hang around his neck, "aren't you- didn't your class end, like, literally a minute ago? why are you so- did you run here??" he asks incredulously, getting up from his seat as his brows knit together in concern

"no, no! of course i didn't run here, silly- oh, god, give me a sec-" you wheeze, bending down and gripping onto the back of the wooden chair in front of you as you try to catch your breath, your chest still falling and rising at a concerning pace from the physical stress of sprinting and the mental stress of the current situation, "it was more of a- of a brisk walk, if you think about it- jesus, i think i'm gonna throw up-"

"okay, you need to drink some water- come and sit next to me-" jungkook reaches out to help lead you around the table towards him, "god, i don't know why you thought you had to run over, it's not like i was planning on going anywhere-"

"i'm fine, kook, it's fine-"

"you're, like, literally radiating heat," jungkook turns you around and pulls your bag off your back before pulling out a chair and helping you into it, "and your face is all red!" he frowns, setting your bag down on the table and unzipping it to pull out your water bottle

"my face is always this red!" you force out a casual laugh, waving your hand to dismiss him as you lean back against the seat, "i'm fine, it's fine-"

"shut up and take a sip-" jungkook untwists the cap of your water bottle before shoving it into your hands and gently lifting it up towards your mouth, his head tilting up a little so he can check and see if you're actually drinking anything, "c'mon, hydrate yourself-"

you swallow a couple gulps of water before pulling the bottle away and reaching up to wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, "god, i love water-"

"yeah, i bet." jungkook chuckles, visibly more relieved now that he knows you won't be passing out from exhaustion anytime soon

as you put your water bottle away, your eyes lower towards jungkook's backpack slouching against the leg of his chair and almost immediately the anxiety that you thought you'd just swallowed down bubbles right back up

"so, are you going to tell me why you're acting like the cops are after you?" jungkook jokes, taking his seat before pulling his headphones off and setting them down next to his laptop

"i just, um-" you press your lips together as you slowly start to lean down, stretching your arm out towards the pocket, "i just wanted to see you, buddy!"

"i don't believe that for a second." jungkook snorts, turning to look at you

you shoot straight back up and pull your arm up and behind your head as if you're in the middle of a good stretch, "hey, what's with that tone? it's not a crime for me to want to see you-"

"you saw me at lunch! and that was only like an hour and a half ago-" jungkook turns his head to look back at his screen and you quickly revert back to your mission impossible secret agent mode

the forced smile drops from your face and you lean back down, your fingers blindly feeling for the cool metal of the zipper

"you know, you actually came at just the right time-" jungkook speaks up again and you pause just in case you need to pull away from his bag, but he makes no move to turn and look at you, "ji-eun was about to leave for her class but now you can meet her before she goes off!"

"uh-huh..." your tongue pokes out in concentration as you unzip the pocket in one swift movement, immediately sticking your hand in and feeling around for the balled-up piece of paper, "sounds gre-"

hold on, what did he just say?

you shoot back up

"did you just-" you choke and reach up to pat your chest gently, "i'm sorry, did you just say that ji-eun was here?"

"uh-huh!" jungkook nods, "i didn't know she had a spare at the same time as i did so i was surprised when she came over to say hi- it turns out our schedules are, like, sort of similar which oddly makes me kind of happy-"

it's at that moment that you notice the cherry-patterned tote bag slumped in the chair sitting across from you and you let out a nervous chuckle as you shift in your seat, "great! great, that's so- great, it's great that i'm meeting ji-eun today, out of all days..." you trail off, glancing around warily as you try to come up with some kind of an exit strategy

you're just really not in the mood to meet the love of jungkook's life today

you've already been hit with so many blows and it's only two in the afternoon-

"sorry that took so long! i couldn't find a bin but i bumped into my friends and they said they'd throw it out for me-"

oh, you have got to be kidding me.

your eyes widen in mild panic upon immediately recognizing ji-eun to be the girl who had overheard your entire monologue in the bathroom earlier today — and from the way her eyes flicker, it seems as though she remembers exactly who you are as well

"oh, no worries!" jungkook beams at ji-eun before pointing to you with his thumb, "this is my friend, by the way. the one i was talking about earlier! y/n, this is ji-eun."

you stay quiet as you continue staring up at ji-eun, your mind racing a mile a minute as you consider your current options

you can pretend like you've never met her before or you can make things awkward by telling jungkook that you met her today after she'd emptied her bladder

"...y/n?" jungkook lowers his voice, nudging you with his elbow before letting out a nervous chuckle, "please say something."

"i- yes, hello!" you blurt out, the feet of your chair scraping against the rough carpet as you get up from your seat to stick your hand out towards ji-eun, "it's- ah- it's- it's so nice to meet you! i'm y/n."

ji-eun stays quiet for a second before her lips turn up in a polite smile and she reaches towards you, gently taking your outstretched hand in hers (for the record, her hands are shockingly soft and supple), "it's lovely to meet you... as well, y/n. i love your glasses!"

you can't help but notice the immediate warmth that seems to surround ji-eun and suddenly it makes a lot more sense as to why jungkook's attracted to her

you're about as comforting as stepping into a puddle of water while wearing socks

you feel a slight sense of relief seeing that ji-eun is playing along but your new concern is whether or not she's connected the dots that your monologue in the bathroom was dedicated to jungkook

you didn't actually say his name when you were talking out loud, so you might be able to get away with this...

"oh, these old things?" you reach up to feel the glasses sitting on top of your head before flicking your hand at her, "i bought them on amazon. they're blue-light glasses- i can totally send you the link if you want."

"that would actually be great!" she gasps, nodding enthusiastically, "i desperately need a pair of blue-light glasses- seriously, i stared at my laptop screen for, like, ten hours straight today and i really feel like they're about to roll out of my head-"

"oh my god, don't even get me started. at this point it'd probably feel better to rip them right out of their sockets-"

"ji-eun, you ready?"

"let's gooo, i wanna get an iced coffee before we head off to class."

you and ji-eun don't get a chance to continue bonding over the pain of sore eyes when you're suddenly interrupted by two new voices

you look up to see two guys approaching the table and you subtly push your seat back a bit as you prepare yourself to say hello again

"oh! yeah, i'm ready, sorry-" ji-eun gestures towards you with a smile, "this is- this is jungkook's friend, by the way. y/n, these are my friends."

"hi, hello-" you get up from your seat again to stick your hand out, offering the two (very handsome, might you add) strangers a friendly smile, "i'm y/n, jungkook's friend- but you- you already knew that because that's what ji-eun just said-"

"i'm taehyung! you can call me tae-" the corners of taehyung's mouth immediately raise in a bright grin and he gives your hand a firm shake before nodding next to him, "and this is jimin!"

"hi..." you trail off, turning to give jimin a handshake as well, "so nice to meet you!"

"oh, i just- i actually just washed my hands, so-" jimin chuckles, looking down at your hand before taking a small step back, "but it's nice to meet you... jungkook's friend."

ooh

is it just you or did it suddenly get a little icy in here?

"oh, no problem! um, yeah, you too." you pull your hand back before swallowing nervously and forcing the polite smile back on your face, "i like your jacket, by the way! it looks really cool."

maybe it's because he's wearing giant sunglasses indoors but you can't help but feel slightly intimidated by jimin

you can't see his eyes but you can certainly feel them on you and you're definitely getting the vibe that jimin is already not the biggest fan of you for some weird reason

"thank you." he responds curtly, smoothing a hand over the leather before looking down at ji-eun, "so can we go now?"

"mhm!" ji-eun gets up from her chair before pushing it back into place, pulling her tote back up onto her shoulder before flashing a sweet smile at jungkook, "see you later, alligator."

"in a while, crocodile!" jungkook responds enthusiastically, watching with twinkly eyes as she turns and heads off towards the exit with jimin and taehyung glued at either side of her

god

she even walks prettily

and you were literally clomping down the boulevard like a feral caveman a second ago

you wait until they've disappeared to turn and face jungkook with a raised eyebrow, "...jimin was kind of a bitch."

"hey, play nice!" jungkook frowns, reaching over to give your arm a gentle whack, "he's a fashion major! ji-eun says being snooty is part of the degree requirements-" he grins, shaking his head slightly before leaning back against his chair, "she's, like, super funny."

"mm." you hum, still feeling a little uneasy about your interaction with jimin

you just hate it when first meetings don't go well and that first meeting definitely wasn't super great

but it wasn't like you did anything wrong, right?

you were great!

snooty jimin was the one who was being rude

whatever

hopefully you won't have to hang out with him too often if jungkook and ji-eun become an item

maybe you can just stick with taehyung!

he seems to be a lot friendlier

"oh, by the way, i-" you're suddenly reminded of your main mission and you turn to point down at jungkook's bag, "it's not a big deal, but i- i accidentally shoved something in your bag earlier and- could i just get it back from you?"

"you did?" jungkook frowns, leaning down to pick his bag up before unzipping it all the way and pulling both flaps open, "what was it?"

"it was- uh- just some notes on a scrap piece of paper!" you immediately feel the weight lift from your shoulders at jungkook's cluelessness to the situation, "i put it in the right side pocket-"

"wait, are you talking about, like, a balled up thing of paper?" jungkook pauses before looking up at you with wide eyes, "oh, shit- was it important??"

"um, i wouldn't call it important-" you snort, shaking your head, "is it not there? i swore it was in the right side pocket-"

"no, no, it was there! it was there, i just- ji-eun needed to spit her gum out and i thought it was one of my scrap pieces of paper-" jungkook winces, grabbing his phone and unlocking it with fumbling fingers, "i'm so sorry, y/n- let me text ji-eun and ask her which garbage can she threw it into and i can go dig it out-"

"no, no, it's okay!" you nearly let out a screech of delight knowing that your note now has a slobbery wad of gum in it and is living at the bottom of a trash can, "it's fine, i just- they were just boring notes for something. i just wanted to see if i had really shoved it into your bag or not."

"oh, okay-" jungkook's shoulders immediately slump and he sets his phone down on the table, "you're sure it wasn't important?"

"100%." you hold both hands out with a chuckle, "i needed to throw it out anyway so i guess ji-eun actually did me a favour-"

"okay, phew." jungkook sighs, zipping his bag back up and plopping it back down on the ground next to his feet, "anyways- i'm actually glad you're here because now you can help me plan out my date! i was working on it but then ji-eun came and obviously i couldn't have that google doc open in front of her-" he turns his laptop to show you all of his hard work with a grin, "check it out! i have a list of things i need to buy, i have outfit ideas, i even went on pinterest for inspiration-"

"wow, kook-" your eyes bulge out for a second at the sight of the extensive and shockingly organized google doc before you reach over to pull his laptop closer towards you, "i... i really don't think i've ever seen you... even make a google doc before-"

he even has the sunset time written down for the date

why would he need to know what time the sun is setting??

"i have everything planned for next week." jungkook pulls his laptop back to him as you settle back against your seat, "i already emailed my landlord to ask if i would even be allowed to hang out on the rooftop and he said it would be fine! he also reminded me to keep a brick wedged between the door so that i don't lock us up on the rooftop-"

"so you're definitely going with the rooftop picnic, then?"

"oh, i'm actually changing it to a rooftop dinner instead of a picnic." jungkook shakes his head before giving you a half-hearted shrug, "i think a picnic is cute but i really wanna try to impress her, y'know? i ordered this thing on amazon just now- basically, it's a medium-sized inflatable bubble tent! the description says it's perfect for two people and- i'm gonna, like-" he pauses and looks away from his screen towards you with a smile, "well, you know, i'm gonna do what you said and i'm gonna stuff it full of blankets and pillows and... hopefully i can string up fairy lights and stuff on the inside... so that after the date we can go in there and just talk and not have to worry about getting attacked by mosquitos!"

"wow, that's-" you cross your arms over your chest before leaning back and looking up towards the ceiling, "huh. that's actually a cute idea, kook. i wouldn't have been able to come up with something like that. i didn't even know transparent tents existed."

"i know." jungkook gives you a smug little smile before bursting into a grin, "but yeah, that's it! all we have to do is go and pick up all the supplies and stuff."

"we?" you frown, looking back down at jungkook, "i... wasn't aware i was part of this plan..."

"what? of course you are!" jungkook snorts, looking at you as if a third eye just sprouted from your forehead, "obviously you have to help me-"

"well, i just don't know if that's-" you chuckle uneasily as you rub the back of your neck, "i really- i don't wanna get in your way, you know? maybe you should- maybe you should just take care of all of this yourself! i mean, you basically planned everything already-"

"what? but- but you're my-" jungkook deflates and you instantly feel bad upon seeing his eyes suddenly turn sad, "okay..."

you press your lips together and wait for him to say something else but the next few seconds are filled with nothing but awkward silence and the faint buzzing of the fluorescent lights hanging above you

you'd jump off a cliff if jungkook asked you to but helping him prepare and set up his date is something that you,.., definitely would not enjoy.,.,

but then again, this isn't about you, is it?

this is about jungkook, your friend, and he needs your help to set up this very important date that-

oh, damnit.

"i'm-" you clear your throat as you sit up in your seat, reaching over to give jungkook's hand a pat, "no, of course i'll help, kook. i just thought that- well, this date seems so important to you that i thought you wanted to take care of all the details yourself!"

the bright smile immediately returns to jungkook's face and you resist the urge to call him out on so blatantly guilt-tripping you like that-

"yes! you're the best!"

"i know."

»»————- 🖤 ————-««

although you and jungkook are practically inseparable on campus (and some would say it might be healthy for the two of you to give each other a little bit of space) — you don't think you'll ever say no to hanging out with him downtown

of course, hanging out with jungkook downtown would be a lot more fun if it weren't for the fact that the two of you have basically spent the entire day shopping for all the things he needs for his date

and if it weren't for the fact that he paid for lunch and treated you to a cake pop and a venti-sized iced coffee, you would probably be livid about having to carry everything for him because you really feel like your arms are about to pop right off in about two seconds

fancy cutlery, porcelain plates, fluffy throw pillows, a giant blanket, fairy lights... at this point he might as well buy an entire house for ji-eun

and look, you know you probably sound bitter and that-should-be-me about this whole situation, but that couldn't be farther from the truth!

it's just that listening to someone you like gushing about the person that they like for an entire day while you're carrying bags full of things for their date can get a little mentally and physically exhausting so if you're grouchy right now it's really not your fault

"i think we might have to call an uber back to your place, jungkook-" you mutter, adjusting the hefty tote bag over your shoulder with a grunt as you trail behind him on the sidewalk, "bringing all of this on the bus is going to piss people off-"

you stumble over your feet a little when the bag in your right hand knocks into a garbage can and you curse to yourself while resisting the urge to kick the damn thing over

"okay, grumpy, we'll call an uber home-" jungkook spins around with a smile before raising the notepad in his hand and tapping against it with his pen, "i just have one more thing i have to take care of and then we can go!"

"okay, well-" you set the bags down onto the ground with a fwump! before rubbing your sore palms together, "what else do you have to get?"

jungkook offered to help carry a couple of things but you insisted that you'd take it all and that he should just focus on ticking off all of the items on his list

you wince at the sight of the pinkish-red imprints now embedded into your palms from the straps of the bags

obviously you've now come to regret your generous offer

"flowers!" jungkook chirps, using his pen to point to the flower shop a couple of shops down, "i have to greet ji-eun with a bouquet of flowers as pretty as she is-"

"yeah, i understand-" you adjust the two bags on both shoulders before bending down to pick up the other two on the ground, "also, i'm not a genius or anything but i'm pretty sure the flowers aren't going to survive until the date if you buy them now-"

"duh, obviously not- i'm going to place an order now and then pick them up on the day of the date!" jungkook tsks, waiting for you to join his side before he begins walking towards the flower shop, "thanks for doing all of this for me, by the way. you really are the best." he hums, hurrying over to open the door for you

"i... yeah, of course, kook." you feel yourself soften slightly as soon as you see the sweet little smile on his face and you quickly scold yourself in your head for being so curt with him all day, "that's what friends are for, right?"

"mhm!" jungkook slaps his hands down on your shoulders from behind before giving them a squeeze, "and i am so letting you choose whatever you want for dinner tonight-"

"hello!"

"oh, jesus-" you and jungkook are immediately greeted by an overenthusiastic employee as soon as you step into the shop and you honestly probably would've knocked him out with one of your shopping bags if they weren't so heavy-

"are you two looking for anything in particular?" he smiles kindly before gesturing towards the large selection of flowers all around you, "we have flowers of all kinds! roses, tulips, lilies- i can even show you flowers from our new tropical selection-"

"actually-" jungkook nudges you aside before glancing down at the employee's nametag, "seokjin, i'd like to place an order for a custom bouquet, if that's okay."

"ah, a custom bouquet!" seokjin claps his hands and rubs them together enticingly, "what are you celebrating? i need to know so that i can help pick out the perfect flowers for your bouquet."

"well, i don't know if it's a celebration-" jungkook chuckles, his cheeks pinking slightly as he reaches up to rub the back of his neck, "it's for a first date."

"a first date!!" seokjin gasps excitedly before turning his head to look at you, "you must be so-"

"-oh, not for me!" you let out a laugh before shaking your head quickly, "it's- it's definitely not for me. i'm just here to provide moral support and-" you lift one of the bags to show him, "muscular support."

"ah, i see... okay, well- why don't i take you around and introduce you to the different candidates you could consider for your bouquet?" seokjin turns back to look at jungkook, "each flower you choose will be very important in showing your future lover how much you care about them-" he pauses when he notices you hovering behind jungkook and he leans over a little with a bright smile, "why don't you go and wait by the front counter, darling? you can put everything down there and take a little break. there's some cucumber water and fresh puff pastry apple roses up at the front if you're interested!"

"well, i can't say no to free food." you snort, nodding before turning to head towards the front counter, "i'll just wait for you over there, then..."

you nearly let out a moan of relief as soon as you set all the bags down and you twist your upper body to the right and to the left until you feel the a satisfying pop! of your spine cracking back in place

your body was not made to carry heavy things

in fact, you'd like to argue that your body was made to lie down and do nothing

you take a seat on the wooden stool before turning to look at the apple roses sitting prettily in the display case and you almost feel like you shouldn't touch them even though seokjin offered them to you

even the pitcher of cucumber water looks too nice to touch

this place is awfully fancy

you didn't even know flower shops could be this fancy

you prop both elbows up on the counter before leaning back comfortably, your eyes lazily scanning around the store

"$15 for a single rose?" you gawk at the little wooden sign poking out from a large bouquet of neatly wrapped long-stem roses before making a face, "god."

you can't even imagine how much a custom bouquet is going to cost if a single rose is fifteen bucks

"-also write a note for you and attach it to the bouquet, if you're interested in that. it'll be an additional five dollars, but we handwrite it on the highest quality card stock with the most beautiful calligraphy and we even spray it with perfume-"

you perk up when you hear seokjin's voice and you look to see him and jungkook coming over to you

you have to admit that seokjin is great at his job because he's doing a good job at milking every dollar out of jungkook-

"yeah, that would be great!" jungkook nods enthusiastically, pulling his backpack off before unzipping it to grab his wallet, "i think a small note might be cute-"

"oh, that reminds me!" seokjin stops in his tracks right as he's about to lift the wooden slab to get behind the counter, "would you be interested in purchasing a teddy bear as well? if you add a teddy bear to your order, i'll give you a slight discount on the flowers."

"ooh, a discount!" jungkook gasps and you turn your head slightly so seokjin won't see you rolling your eyes at how much he's forcing jungkook to buy

you respect the hustle but this is too much

"where are the teddy bears?"

"right by the flowers!" seokjin smiles, wrapping an arm around jungkook's shoulders and spinning him around, "we can round back and take a look-"

"okay, i think i have to cut in here-" you chuckle, reaching out and grabbing the back of jungkook's elbow, "you don't- you don't think a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear is a little too much for a first date?" you clear your throat quietly before offering a shrug, "i feel like that's just... a lot, kook. i mean, i would be overwhelmed if-"

"well, i guess it's a good thing i'm not taking you out on a date then, right?" jungkook teases, wiggling his arm out of your grip before turning back to look at seokjin, "onward to the bears, my good man!"

ouch

"yeah." you can't help but frown as jungkook and seokjin head back towards the flowers, "thanks for the reminder."

"that's gotta hurt."

"god-" you jump at the sudden appearance of an employee standing behind the counter and you place a hand over your chest before letting out a breath, "you scared me!"

"sorry." he shrugs, "we polished the floors this morning so my shoes are making, like, no noise."

"oh."

a moment of silence passes while you turn to face away from him again, but all of a sudden-

"so he really can't tell that you like him, huh?"

"you-" you immediately straighten up and your head spins around so fast that you're surprised you didn't complete decapitate yourself, "excuse me??"

"what? it's obvious." the employee snorts, spraying cleaner onto the counter before reaching up to yank the tattered rag off his shoulder, "it's painfully obvious, actually-"

you can feel your entire face starting to go red as this complete stranger continues to rip you a new one and you hold a hand out to shut him up, "no offense, but i-i don't think this is any of your business, sir-"

"it's yoongi." yoongi looks down at his apron for a second before frowning, "huh. i forgot to put my dumb name tag on again-"

"well, yoongi-" you place emphasis on his name in an effort to intimidate him and make him go away, "you don't know what you're talking about and i suggest you mind your own business-"

"you should tell him before it's too late." yoongi doesn't seem to be all that affected by your biting tone and you roll your eyes at the way he rounds back to the topic

"what are you even talking about?"

"well, i assume you're going to be his best man at his wedding. from the way it's looking, you're certainly not going to be the bride," yoongi purses his lips as he folds up the rag into a neat little square, "you don't wanna wait until you're fixing his tie at the wedding to tell him that you love him."

"what makes you think i lo-" you cut yourself off quickly before that word slips out of your mouth, "like him?"

"if you didn't, you wouldn't be here right now." yoongi points out with a tilt of his head, "and from how smudgy your eyeliner is, it looks like you've been working hard all day."

your jaw drops slightly and you can't help but scoff

the nerve of this guy!

"who do you think you are?!"

"i'm yoongi." yoongi raises a brow, "i told you that like a second ago- wow, you are not a good listener-"

"do you usually do this with all of the customers who come here?" you interrupt, crossing your arms defensively before leaning in slightly, "you're awfully nosy-"

"i only do this with the ones that seem to have something juicy going on." yoongi hums, leaning down to put the spray bottle of cleaner under the counter, "this is a flower shop. the most exciting part of my day is watching a bumblebee choose which flower to land on."

"well, nothing juicy is going on here so-" you twist back around before sticking your nose up in the air slightly, "sorry to disappoint."

"alright, fair enough." yoongi nods to himself, letting out a sigh as he slowly backs away from the counter, "i guess i'll just leave you to... wallow in self-pity... and continue staring at your friend with cartoon hearts floating around your head-"

"'you should tell him before it's too late-'" you swivel around and slap both your palms down on the counter, "why would you- why would even say something like that?! i can't tell him. are you insane?!"

a smirk twitches at the corner of yoongi's mouth at your sudden confession and he lets out a sigh before stepping back up towards you, "and why can't you tell him?"

"because- i just can't! he's-" you clear your throat before leaning in and lowering your voice, "he's literally taking someone else out on a date- we're here to buy flowers for his date-"

"so what?" yoongi interrupts, "it's just a date. it's not like you're stopping his wedding."

"so what? because he doesn't like me back, so what's the point?" you hiss, resisting the urge to reach over and smack some common sense into this very nosy and very stubborn stranger, "this isn't a romantic comedy- and even if it was, i'm very obviously not the main character-"

"you don't know that he doesn't like you back."

...

well now he's just toying with you

"i... i can't tell if you're kidding or not-"

"do i look like i'm kidding?" yoongi asks, pointing to his poker face before shaking his head, "you don't know that he doesn't like you back. you've obviously never asked him."

"oh, please." you scoff, turning around to lean back against the counter again, "trust me, i know it."

"well, did he ever explicitly say that he didn't like you?" yoongi leans over to peek at jungkook over your shoulder, "do you have a definitive answer to this particular question?"

"no, but he doesn't have to... we're just friends." you frown, your eyes wandering over to the back of jungkook's head, "he doesn't like me. i know he doesn't. we're just friends."

we're just friends.

(saying it out loud is a lot more depressing than you thought it'd be.)

"well, maybe the reason why you're just friends is because the two of you won't allow yourselves to be more than that," yoongi suggests, your head tilting to the side slightly as you force yourself to consider his surprisingly wise words, "it's obvious that you have a solid friendship so it would suck if a relationship ruined that- so maybe he does like you and is only asking someone else out to try to force himself not to like you..."

you feel your heart skip a beat when jungkook turns to glance at you over his shoulder with a soft smile while seokjin continues rattling off about the vast choice of teddy bears available for purchase

you bite back a giggle when he mouths a desperate 'help' at you before raising his hand and twirling his finger next to his head to tell you that seokjin is fully crazy

"...so i guess what i'm trying to say is that you're never really going to know how he feels about you if you don't ask him," you tune back in to the end of yoongi's little speech and you turn your head slightly to glance back at him, "but what do i know, right? i just polish counters at high-end flower shops."

🎙️tell jungkook he's being an idiot or tell y/n to get a backbone (send in an ask!)

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here? (full fics!)

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read? (drabbles and mini series like smitten!)

🌟or something even shorter? (teeny tidbits!)

[evieonic]

Zhongli/Diluc Headcanons

Zhongli x Diluc headcanons hERE WE GO BISH.

Specifically on how they met and how they fell in love!

I don’t think the game covers how they meet??? I actually don’t think they have any interactions together at all so I’m thinking how they met is probably some kind of “birthday” party for Zhongli where Childe dragged him to Mondstat to try drinking some of their wine insTEAD OF WHINING ABOUT OSMEDUES WHATEVER IT CALLED WINE AND COMPLAINING ABOUT THOSE WHO SHARE THE MEMORIES... Sorry. he says that a lot, i’m just saying.

Childe probably sat them both down at the bar so he could get an up close experience with the towns folk and all that stuff cause he probably knows Kaeya and a few other people there. Venti of course is there and playing his tunes and oF COURSE zhongli glares at him the second he walks in. XD

They happened to arrive at the bar on a night that Diluc is working there. And when they see each other for the first time, they have two very different reactions.

Zhongli finds Diluc to be very attractive. But only in the sense that he looks like a gentleman, an upper-classmen, a respectable person who holds himself in high regard. He’s probably a polite person, probably very kind, likes to get things done for the good of the world and Zhongli likes that. He’s by no means romantically attracted tho... not yet that is ;)

Diluc, however... Zhongli’s hot, okay? He’s stunning, he looks like a gentleman too, like a respectable man, totally different from Kaeya - he actually looks like Diluc in that standard, in the standard of looking like a gentleman but the difference here is Zhongli looks so fucking good at it and that makes Diluc’s knees weak but here’s the thing, Diluc is a tsundere so he’s not going to admit it at all.

How do they fall in love? Well Diluc serves them their drinks and Zhongli being both the polite man he is and also intrigued, he starts asking Diluc questions. Ya know, get to know questions. They chat and Diluc discovers that Zhongli is really fun to talk to. He has a little polite smile the whole time that brings him comfort as they talk about random things, sometimes going off into tangents together. Childe and Venti both realize pretty quickly that sparks are flying so they back away and neither of the gentlemens in question realize that they are alone at the bar and also... learning and drifting closer to each other.

It’s when Zhongli finishes his drink and comments about how late it’s gotten that Diluc realizes he has his elbows on the bar, leaning forward, listening closely to every word Zhongli says, looking like someone who’s falling in love, dammit. And hell, it’s when Zhongli and Childe bid farewell and mention that they’re returning to Liyue that Diluc realizes that he actually is! He’s developing a crush on the man and he’s not too sure how he feels about that.

Diluc thinks he’s never gonna see Zhongli ever again but the next night, he does and Zhongli explains that he wanted to stop by and give Diluc an address so they could write together because he just enjoyed their conversations so much that he really wouldn’t like them to end. But as soon as Zhongli says that, he gets flustered, realizing how creepy that sounds and shyly pulls at his collar, his cheeks getting red as he says, “but only if you would like to as well, of course.”

Diluc very much would like to. In fact, he very much would like to, to the point where he folds his arms over his chest and says, “why write? I could use a break and I've been wanting to see Liyue for a while. How about we converse there? In person is always better, you know.”

Diluc can’t believe how bold he just got and almost takes back his offer but Zhongli smiles so... brightly that Diluc says nothing while Zhongli eagerly accepts his offer and tells him when they are leaving and asks him when he can pick him up. His reaction is just another reminder to Diluc that he is falling head over heels.

Long story short, Diluc goes with Zhongli and they just are non-stop talking the whole time. Talking about everything under the sun, talking about everything they possibly can talk about. And with each topic, they are shifting closer together, their knees bumping, their fingers touching. It’s obvious to literally everyone else but them that sparks are just SOARING right now.

Diluc spends time in Liyue, exploring it with Zhongli for a day but then he extends his vacation. And extends it again. Until he finally has to leave. When he leaves, he’s very sad cause he’s just been having so much fun with Zhongli, more fun than he’s ever had in his life.

Zhongli also has been having an amazing time so when they go to part ways, he smiles sadly and asks him to please write to him because he really, truthfully wants to get to know him better as a person.

And that just sends Diluc reeling cause holyfuckthishandsomemanwantstogettohimomg but he recovers and shakes his hand and smiles back saying, “of course!” 

They both shake hands and say farewell... oh, that doesn’t seem romantic? Listen, they both really want to hug, Diluc REALLY wants to do more, but they just met, so they can’t be doing anything like that yet. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

As soon as Diluc gets home and gets to work, he kind of forgets about Zhongli. He doesn’t really forget him per say or the time they spent it’s just at first, he wonders if Zhongli truly meant it when he asked him to write to him, then he convinced himself that he didn’t mean it, probably just a polite Liyue thing to say, then he got busy and then he just... forgot. 

But nearly two weeks later, he receives a letter from his Zhongli, a freaking six paged letter, full of questions and full of details about his day. It’s so detailed and specific that Diluc feels like he was there with Zhongli that day and best part is at the end of his letter, Diluc is reminded once more that Zhongli... meant it. Cause he signed it with his name and with a plea for Diluc to please write back and to please visit him when he can because he... misses him. Oh that gets feelings stirring once more.

Diluc hasn’t even taken off his shoes and he’s already sitting at his desk with parchment and ink, writing a letter about his day and about how he made a safe return because Zhongli was really worried about that. He talks about his tavern, his customers, he talks about how he misses Zhongli as well and how he wishes he could return to Liyue soon. He writes nearly eight pages of content before he finally brings himself to a stop and seals his letter, immediately sending it off.

The next few days are full of excitement cause he’s dying for response. People have noticed actually, Diluc is smiling so much more often now, his eyes light up and he’s kind and sociable towards people more often. He’s even more lenient on the alcohol with Venti and he talks to Kaeya. He actually talks to him. Kaeya wouldn’t admit it if you asked that he cried tears of joy that night that finally Diluc was talking to him.

His routine is the same for nearly three months. Working, waiting for letter, reading letter, writing letter, sending letter than repeat. He receives nearly a six or eight paged letter each time, always full of Zhongli’s day and questions about his own. His letters are so adorable because each and every time, Zhongli is concerned he’s boring Diluc with stories about his work and about how his day has gone. Diluc reassures him constantly that he loves it. He loves hearing about what he’s doing, what he did in the morning, what he talked to Hu Tao about in the afternoon, what his late night thoughts were...  It makes him feel like... a couple.

It becomes harder and harder for Diluc as the days go by for him to push his feelings down. The man isn’t in front of him, speaking his words, all the words are just on paper and yet Diluc’s feelings are growing stronger and stronger by the day. It gets to the point where Diluc blushes by the mention of his name and starts to eagerly ask for Zhongli to visit him without him even realizing it.

He realizes it when he receives a short letter from Zhongli in return, so short, it’s just a page saying..., “Yes.”

Diluc gets the letter the same day Zhongli arrives, smiling with a twinkle in his eyes as he opens the door to his tavern.

And Diluc simply forgets where he is, he forgets he is in public, he forgets that it’s Zhongli and they’ve known each other only for a few months but Diluc forgets it all and just leaps over the bar counter, grabs him by his collar and kisses him like he hasn’t seen him in years. Everything just stops. Everyone shuts the fuck up. Venti stops playing his harp, staring in disbelief.  Kaeya dropped his drink. Everything just stops. 

Diluc has Zhongli’s face cradled in his hands, melting into the kiss, too into it to realize that Zhongli’s eyes are wide with shock and isn’t kissing him back.

But as soon as Diluc realizes, he pulls away like the man is made of fire and instantly goes to cover his mouth, his cheeks nearly the same color as his hair. A mix of emotions run through him; embarrassment, love but mainly... hurt.

He takes one look at Zhongli’s face, then his eyes go to the tavern’s crowd, seeing that all eyes are on him so he turns back to Zhongli, mumbles a quick “sorry” and bolts out of the door.

He runs. He doesn’t even know where he’s going but he runs. Before he knows it, he’s run down the road, to the gate of his estate, breathing hard. His heart is surging with emotions and he almost wants to cry. He ruined everything. He just had to go and ruin everything. Zhongli didn’t kiss him back which was understandable, Zhongli probably hasn’t even ever regarded him like that and yet he’s done messed up their friendship by kissing him.

He’s so stupid.

But while he’s in a state of self-loathing, he suddenly hears footsteps chasing after him. Zhongli comes to a stop as their eyes meet, both of them looking at each other, surprised and confused. They’re silent for a moment before Zhongli finally speaks, his eyes full of concern... “You... You ran away so quickly,  I couldn’t help but follow.” Diluc doesn’t even know what to say. But Zhongli does. “I just wasn’t expecting that. You pulled away before I could...,” he chuckled softly, his smile fading as he realized how hurt Diluc was. How much he misunderstood. So he clarifies, “I love you too, Diluc.”

With that, Diluc’s breath hitches and he doesn’t know how to react. A new surge of emotions hits him and his feet are moving before his mind can catch up. Zhongli rushes closer to him, his hands coming to his face while Diluc’s arms go around his neck and again, Diluc kisses him but this time Zhongli kisses back and it’s perfect. Everything is just perfect. After that, everything is history. The two of them are a couple and a very happy one at that. A few months later, Zhongli permanently moves into Diluc’s estate to be closer to him. They spend nights cuddling, chatting about the same old topics that they never get bored of and during the day? Zhongli helps Diluc at his tavern. Many people agree that it’s adorable to watch Diluc and his partner work together to clean glasses and serve their customers. One more remarkable thing? Diluc is happy. And no one has seen him like that for a long time.

Well! That’s all I got, folks! I hope you enjoyed that! If you want more, i’m open to requests. I have a list of ships I like to do and a list of fandoms i like to do so go ahead and check those out if you’d like to ask for something specific. I’m always open to prompts and headcanons and accept mostly anything so just ask! XD Thank you for reading!

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

still want that, m | jjk

pairing(s): jungkook x reader, ex-yoongi x reader

summary: Fucking Min Yoongi ex-girlfriend? A terrible idea. Being hopelessly in love with her at the same time? An even worse idea. Knowing he was being used and still doing it anyway? Ah, Jeon Jungkook, what are you doing?

warnings: rated M (18+) for language, angst, a whole lot of pining; smut (fem reader, m and f-receiving oral, doggy, mentions of cowgirl, penetrative sex); a whole lot of feels; non-idol!AU; Jungkook’s POV; ex-boyfriend Yoongi is not very nice, oof

‘savage love’ is Jungkook/reader smut after she’s freshly broken up. pretty much just based on the song, lol the original one-shot is less than 3k words and this is a little over 6k XD

--

Two weeks later, Jeon Jungkook witnessed another woman crawling into Min Yoongi’s lap.

She was wearing a tight dress and high heels, with an awfully familiar face shape. Jungkook knew this because the same face shape had blown him two weeks earlier. This woman’s lips weren’t as nice though. Her eyes weren’t as pretty and she didn’t laugh the way Jungkook liked. He watched her speaking to Yoongi, his bored expression indicating he had no interest, but he was letting it happen because it was attention and Yoongi wanted attention. That’s why he finally emerged from the cave that was his apartment anyway.

Jungkook couldn’t believe Yoongi wasn’t even trying to win her back.

In fact, it made him furious.

He looked away, turning back to Kim Taehyung and Park Jimin’s bickering over… nothing really. They sort of bickered like an old married couple and then the conversation eventually turned into one of them agreeing with the other and they made up. Usually because they would say the same thing at the same time and then be amazed, even though it happened all the time.

Sometimes, Jungkook felt like a third wheel in this soulmate energy.

Most of the time, Jungkook would be out on the floor, finding someone to spend the night with. But it didn’t feel right anymore. She hadn’t contacted him since that day and yet Jungkook didn’t care. He couldn’t think about anyone else. He knew it was stupid. He knew he should let it go, because she obviously was just doing whatever and whoever she wanted, but he didn’t care.

He just kept waiting for her to come back to him.

She did promise.

She was still Yoongi’s ex-girlfriend and Jungkook knew he shouldn’t even try because they were still friends, no matter how annoyed he was with Yoongi’s behavior right now. Bros before hoes.

Or whatever.

He suddenly felt a hand slip onto his shoulder, up his neck, cupping his cheek. Jungkook jumped, turning his head. Short black pleated skirt. Tight little white top. Silver studded black leather jacket. The same teasing, cocked eyebrow, the one that belonged to the very person he had just been thinking about. His eyes widened. She leaned down, eyes shifting to her right. Staring at Yoongi. Of course, she was staring at Yoongi.

She pressed her lips to his, sliding her tongue into his mouth, making him breathless within seconds. Holding his jaw, inhaling his scent, almost as if they were lovers, almost as if he was the only one, almost as if she saved this kiss just for him.

Jungkook knew it wasn’t true, but he still wanted the kiss anyway.

She broke the kiss, releasing his face. Her eyes lingered on his, only for a second, before she smirked and turned around, walking back into the crowd.

“Jungkook!”

He started, lips still tingling, jerking his head around to face Jimin and Taehyung, who were staring at him, shocked. Oh right. They didn’t know they fucked.

“That’s Yoongi-hyung’s ex!” Jimin scolded.

Jungkook sputtered. “S-she just walked up t-to me–”

He turned around, seeing Yoongi’s vicious scowl, shoving the other woman away from him. Jungkook threw up his hands, shaking his head furiously. He snapped back to Jimin and Taehyung.

“I swear, guys, I don’t know why she did that–”

“Jungkook.”

He froze. The ice-cold snarl came from behind him. He swallowed, turning around slowly. Yoongi looked furious. Violently furious. Jungkook hadn’t answered his phone that time when she was in his apartment, completely ignoring the multiple calls from Yoongi and his friends. It wasn’t that uncharacteristic for him to ignore calls. And besides, it wasn’t Yoongi’s business anymore, right?

Yoongi’s black hair shrouded his eyes, making them darker than usual.

“The fuck was that?”

Jungkook opened his mouth, but a cool, calm voice answered for him.

“It was none of your fucking business, Yoongi.”

She appeared, holding a shot glass. Probably whiskey, a habit she had picked up from her ex-boyfriend. The former lovers stared each other down, far too uncomfortable for anyone else in the room. Yoongi narrowed his eyes at her.

“I think it is my fucking business.”

She took a sip of her whiskey, shifting her weight to one hip. “What was it that you said again?” She pretended to think. “Oh, right. That I would fuck anything that walked, isn’t that it?” She drowned the whole glass, slamming it onto the table Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook were staring. Everyone was staring now, music still blaring.

“Guess what? Jungkook’s got legs and I’m going to fuck him.”

She crossed her arms, looking Yoongi up and down, disdain in her eyes.

“Or maybe I already have and you just don’t know it yet.”

Yoongi stiffened, glaring at her. “I was right about you.”

She glared back, just as icily. “Ah, but I had the decency to wait until things were over between us, unlike you. And,” she continued, eyes flickering to the woman who was all over Yoongi moments earlier and then to Jungkook, smirk growing on her lips. “The people I choose to lip-lock with are way hotter than your choices.”

And with that, she reached over and grabbed Jungkook’s hand, yanking him out of his seat. Jungkook stumbled, his long hair falling onto his face, hand trapped in her tight grip.

“Jungkook, don’t,” Taehyung warned.

He turned around to see Yoongi’s face, the hurt evident in his eyes despite his pointed scowl. Yoongi turned away quickly, scoffing.

“I don’t give a fuck,” he spat.

“You never did,” she shot back, dragging Jungkook away.

-

“Shouldn’t you–”

She slammed him against her car, kissing him hungrily, desperately, clearly upset. Jungkook gasped, feeling her hands all over his white shirt, thighs pressed against his black slacks. She smelled strongly of cheery perfume and whiskey. His body reacted immediately, hips bucking into hers, moaning into her mouth. If he had resolve, it crumbled instantly with her touch, the way she pressed her fingers into his shirt, holding him close as she nipped at his lips.

He wanted to say, shouldn’t you cool off? Shouldn’t you go home and not do this?

But Jungkook couldn’t, because she was finally in his arms again and he couldn’t help himself, he just kept kissing her, even if he knew she was just doing it to piss Yoongi off. Even if she probably didn’t care about his feelings at all.

She probably didn’t even give two fucks.

Suddenly, she broke the kiss, panting. “Sorry I didn’t talk to you for a while,” she muttered. “Had a… lot on my mind. Didn’t see anyone, really.”

But she gave at least one and that was enough.

“It’s okay,” Jungkook breathed, chest tight. “I understand.”

She nodded. Her eyes searched his face, half-illuminated by the streetlights. He couldn’t quite figure out her expression. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, his jaw, his neck, so many kisses, all over him, making him melt and shudder.

“Wanna make your feel good,” she said against his skin. “Right here, right now.”

“You could simply look at me and I would feel good.”

She paused, lips hovering over his skin. Hands still on his waist, holding him close. Jungkook leaned down, kissing her ear softly. Her nails dug into his shirt, scraping his back a little. He whined pleadingly, his hands coming up to hold her hips, pressing them against his crotch.

“Do whatever you want,” he whispered into her ear. “Please.”

He didn’t care that he was in some random parking lot. He didn’t care that Jimin, Taehyung, or even Yoongi could run out and yell at him at any time, telling him to stop. She could have picked anyone but she picked him, even if only for tonight, and he still wanted it, knowing it was definitely not fair.

Jungkook really, really didn’t care.

“Okay,” she finally said. “But I changed my mind.”

His heart stopped.

“Gonna take you home and fuck you there instead.”

-

Her hands curled in his long hair, hips to his, dry humping him on his own fucking bed. He gasped at her roughness, her kisses firm but coy, toying with his lips with her teeth. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he wrenched it out, intending to throw it as far as he could, but she caught his hand.

“Don’t do that,” she chuckled against his lips. “Just turn it off.”

He chewed on his lip and nodded, turning it towards him. Missed calls, multiple messages. He ignored them all, sending the screen to black. She took his phone from him, sliding it under his pillows.

“Jungkook.”

He was panting hard, black curls all over his face from her hands, pupils blown wide in the semi-darkness of his own bedroom.

“You really still want me?”

She said it with a teasing tone. The moonlight reflected off of her smooth skin, her smirk, her cocked eyebrow. Jungkook couldn’t discern the expression in her eyes. They seemed almost bottomless. And yet those little moments, the way she said his name, the way her fingers tightened around his hand, that smile she gave him before she left the first time.

He held onto those moments tightly.

“Yes.”

She slid down his body, yanking his white shirt out of his pants, pushing it up, lips attaching to his abs, gentle kitten licks setting his skin on fire. Jungkook arched his back, whining, trying to get more of himself into her mouth. Her lips brushed against his skin as she spoke and he drank up every word, becoming drunk with her praise.

“Look at you,” she breathed, undoing his pants, palming him through his underwear. “You’re so fucking hot, Jungkook, you know that?” She pressed her lips against his throbbing cock through the fabric and he moaned her name, desperate for skin-on-skin, caught in her current and following it blindly. She shuddered, breath heating his aching member. “Your voice is so fucking sexy, fuck, I love listening to you moan for me.”

She grabbed the waistband of his underwear and pulled it down his legs, shoving it and his pants down to his knees. For a panicked second, he thought she was going to tease his balls again, but she wrapped her lips around his cock, tongue pressing against the head.

“A-ah, fuck, yes…”

He wished he could sound less pathetic and more in control, but the truth was that he wasn’t, especially as she hummed, lowering her head, the tip of his cock scraping against the roof of her mouth, roughly stimulated and then choked by the back of her throat. He could hear her whimper and he wanted to ask if she was okay, but then she began to move, bobbing her head up and down ferally, hands on his bed. It was like she was ramming his cock into her own mouth, building up speed, saliva slipping out, messy and filthy. And yet the deeper his cock went, the tighter it became, her throat gripping him, almost too much for the sensitive skin of the head.

Jungkook was a gasping mess, confused on how this blowjob was so different from the last one but still just as good, confused as to how there were even different blowjob techniques to begin with, confused to how he never knew about this, how could he ever want another mouth as she ticked her head with each thrust, adding an extra swipe of her tongue to increase the sensation. His eyes rolled back into his head, hands flying up and grabbing his pillows, clutching them as he came, hips rising to fuck her mouth in time with his lengthy moan, feeling saliva drip down his thighs. She tightened her lips at the base of his cock and it throbbed in her mouth, shooting strings of cum into her throat.

She held her mouth there as his body slowly descended, dipping back into the bed. His body felt electrified, shivering with pleasure. Jungkook panted, opening his eyes, not realizing he had shut them when he came. He looked down, feeling her carefully pulling her head back. He gasped as his cock popped out of her mouth, her lips pursed. Her eyes flickered to his.

A small smirk danced on her lips.

Jungkook watched with fascination as her hand came up, lightly holding his cock out of the way. Then her plump lips parted slightly. A thin white stream of cum and saliva dripped down, splattering against his balls, still warm from her mouth, coating them.

Holy fuck.

The act was so dirty that he was breathless. She swallowed the rest before her head dipped down, eyes still on his. Her tongue extended, scooping up the mixture and eating it back up, lapping at his skin with her soft motions. He felt his jaw drop, staring at her holding his cock, licking his own cum off his balls that she had spat out.

“You…”

He couldn’t form any more words. She sucked them clean, shivers running through him as she moaned around them, his name vibrating his own balls. Holy fuck. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. How could Yoongi not want her back? How could Yoongi not want this?

His hyung was a fucking idiot.

She finally rose, stretching out her neck. Her leather jacket slid off her shoulders, pushed aside. Jungkook sat up, feeling the wet spots on his sheets, but not caring as he tugged his shirt off, far too hot anyway. His eyes lingered over her body, watching her pull off the tight white top, the thick fabric releasing her breasts, large nipples already hard and poking out at him. She noticed his gaze, tweaking her nipples at him with her fingers.

“You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” Jungkook whispered softly.

She smirked.

Jungkook knew that he was turning his own world upside-down. He knew none of this was good for his sanity. He knew all of this as he crawled to her, pushing the rest of his clothes down his legs and shoving them off the bed. None of this was fair to him and this was the most savage love he would ever experience, but he wanted nothing else, nothing but her lips on his, still tasting like his salty cum, her hands caressing his body and pulling him close. He gasped as her nipples touched his skin, rubbing her chest against his. He reached under her pleated skirt, yanking her panties down her thighs.

The scent of sex hit him in the face, so strong, so intoxicating, mixing with her cherry perfume, so arousing that he felt his cock twitch, getting hard already, wanting her, needing her. And it was all wrong, remembering the pain in Yoongi’s eyes before he looked away, but she handed Jungkook a condom and he opened it, sliding it over his cock, moaning as he watched her turn around, hooking a finger and twisting her panties, slipping them down her calves and off her feet, tossing them to his floor. Ass in the air, inviting him in.

“Fuck me, Jungkook.” Her voice a breathless plea. “Fuck me like you own me.”

He got to his knees, holding her hips, sliding in slowly, bit by bit, eyes closing as he pushed in, so tight, hissing her name as he buried himself inside her warmth. She squeezed his cock, rolling her hips back into him.

“Please, Jungkook…”

She was using him to get what she wanted but he really didn’t care, biting his lip and ramming his hips into her, gasping at how good it felt, how perfectly they fit together. Her walls massaged his length as he thrust into her, loudly slapping his crotch into her ass. He watched her hands grip his sheets, heard her say his name over and over as he fucked her harder, faster, burning her voice into his memory. Because in his moment, she was his.

In this moment, her head turned, eyes half-lidded, her pink tongue licking her lower lip.

“Fuck, Jungkook, you’re so good at fucking me.”

Her whole body was jerking forward with the force of his thrusts. She closed her eyes and threw her head back in ecstasy, moaning as she came around him, pussy pulsating around his cock, hips trembling in his hands. Jungkook knew he was completely fucked, absolutely in love with the wrong person, but there was nothing be could do about it. He fucked her through her orgasm, pressing a hand on her back to get a deeper angle, groaning as he felt her tighten around him.

“Yes, Jungkook, oh, fuck, yeeees…”

She felt so good, the scent of her orgasm driving him insane, her sounds so erotic that he clenched his jaw, punishingly fucking her into the bed, his thighs screaming at him, until the taut string inside him snapped, pleasure knocking the wind out of his lungs, a choked gasp of her name as he shot into the condom, cock twitching into her walls, cum choked out by her second orgasm pumping him. She turned her head, smirking, looking satisfied and spent.

“Jungkook-ah…”

It was almost real, the way she waited as he fished for the condom, holding it to him as he pulled out, almost real as she crawled over to him, kissing him softly, almost lovingly, almost…

Jungkook got up to clean himself off and came back to her putting her clothes back on. Shrugging on her leather jacket. His heart sank, seeing her beautiful form covered back up. She seemed to notice his gaze and, for a moment, they stared at each other. Him, naked, in the doorframe of his bedroom, her next to his bed.

She took a step towards him. Then another. Then another, until they were side by side, and Jungkook closed his eyes, fully aware that it would end like this, but hating it anyway. 

He felt her hand on his shoulder, caressing his skin. 

Jungkook turned his head, eyes opening. Her index finger poked him in the cheek when he faced her, making him freeze and his lips part, staring into her eyes, the fogged windows of her soul. 

She smiled at him, shrouded by moonlight. 

"See you, Jungkook."

And then she removed her hand and sauntered out of his apartment. 

-

"You're going to get hurt."

"It's not worth it."

"He's obviously still in love with her."

"She might even still be in love with him."

Jungkook heard all these things from his friends, but he didn't care. He didn't care, because the second he opened the door and she was standing there in her leather jacket, crop top, and tight miniskirt, no one else mattered. 

"Even if she does like you," Park Jimin had told him gently. "It's obvious that you're just a rebound right now, because of everything that's happened."

He knew that. He knew it, and yet he pulled her into his arms, lips pressed against hers, murmuring her name, shutting his front door. 

"She's using you to provoke Yoongi."

Jungkook knew that too and still he cupped her face in his hands, kissing her all over, enjoying the feeling of her hands slipping under his t-shirt. He loved they way she quickly stripped off his clothes, with frenzy and need. 

He wanted to tell her, "Don't go." 

She took his breath away, body on top of his, riding him, driving him insane with her soft noises and pleas of his name. Holding his hands, slapping her hips into his. 

He wanted to say, "Please stay with me."

Her hands tangled in his hair as he folded her in half, fucking her into his bed, hot breath mixing with hers as she moaned. Always praising him and reminding him of how good he was, how nice he felt. 

He wanted to scream, "I promise I'll never try to hurt you. I promise to always try to protect your heart. I promise I love you."

But in the end, she always shrugged on her studded leather jacket, the metal causing sunlight to scatter over his bedroom wall, haloing around her like golden feathery wings, her hair glistening in the dying sunset. She would notice his gaze on her and she would lean over and kiss him with a smirk and a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

And she would say, "See you, Jungkook."

And he would say, "Okay."

His front door would close and he would bury his face into his pillows, inhaling her cherry perfume and the scent of her cum. 

-

One time, he hesitated.

She said, "See you, Jungkook." And he paused, staring up at her longingly, not saying anything. Her hand lingered on his cheek, his lips still tingling from her last kiss. His hand came up and touched hers, holding it there. 

Don't let go. 

She smiled and leaned in again. A second kiss, a deep press of lips to lips, no teasing tongue. Then she backed up, pulling her hand out from his. 

"There's no other guy," she said softly. "Only you."

And she left, as usual, but with these additional words sweeping him away, lost in these little moments she gave him, clutching his pillows against his chest and trying to calm his racing heart. 

-

It made every happenstance and mention of Yoongi's antics enrage Jungkook more and more, hearing of and witnessing the different women Yoongi took home all the time, all of them with one or two characteristics of her, but never the whole package, because the whole package was on his doorstep with a teasing smirk and cocked eyebrow. And it was so obvious that she was still hurt, that maybe even a little bit of her still hoped. Jungkook saw it in her eyes, even when he was deep inside her, her eyes trying to hide it all and bury it away.

He knew he was being used, but he still let her come back.

He wanted to strangle Yoongi, even though he was obviously in the wrong too.

But the reality was…

He just wanted her to love him back. 

Even if only a little. 

-

"I'm sorry."

Jungkook knew that low, raspy voice, laced with alcohol, most likely whiskey. He froze, backing up against the brick wall next to the nightclub. Inside was violent noise, but outside, in this night, next to this alley, it was eerily quiet.

"Little late for that, isn't it?"

And Jungkook knew that voice too, his heart sinking, knowing that playful smirk was speaking to her ex-lover once again. At least there was a hint of annoyance. Jungkook heard the rustle of leather, her soft exhale as Yoongi pressed her body into the brick wall with his. 

"Yes, but I mean it this time."

A sharp bark of disbelieving laughter. "Just like how you mean to go home with different sluts every night to try and forget about me?"

The rasp became sharper, cutting. "And you consistently fuck him. One of my best friends, no less."

Jungkook was surprised that Yoongi did not speak about him in past tense. He thought for sure Yoongi hated him, but it seemed like his rage was aimed at her, twisted with regret. 

"Guess we're both past forgiveness."

He could hear heavy breathing. Leather on leather, the distinct sound of Yoongi and her together, hands on skin, soft lustful panting. No. Please no. Jungkook's stomach turned into a heavy knot.

"We could let it go," Yoongi murmured. "Forget about it all and come home to me."

The knot inside him twisted as a vulgar smack cut through the stale night air, followed by her soft gasp. Yoongi's hand on her ass. The sound of nails on skin, and then lips to lips. Jungkook felt his glass heart tumble, tumble, cracking as he replayed every one of their moments; her grip on his hands as he heard her moan into Yoongi's lips; her smile to him before she stepped out his front door as Yoongi grunted, shoving her hips into his; her lips forming his name – "Jungkook-ah…" – as the kiss broke, shudders exchanged in the narrow alley as Jungkook stood at the outskirts, listening.

Holding his glass heart, fractured in every corner, so many facets he couldn't see his own reflection anymore. 

"That was the most insincere kiss you've ever given me, Min Yoongi."

And then there was a flash of leather and swift running as the combat boots flew past him, short skirt flaring with each step, not seeing him, only shooting past like a black comet into the black night. Upset, untouchable, unhindered by the heavy sigh in the alley. Yoongi clicked his tongue, cursing to himself, his boot kicking the brick wall, sound so loud it seemed to eat up the night. 

Jungkook clutched his glass heart and ran after her. 

-

His fist pounded at her door, hurting his knuckles on the metal, scraping them against the number. He had never been here before, never seen her apartment. She lived in a small, run-down complex. His chest was tight, lungs on fire as he had chased after her, following from bus stops to streets, almost losing her at several points. He had waited after she entered her apartment, pacing, unsure what he wanted to do. Unsure whether to scream, to plead, to cry, but, in the end, he just slammed his fist against the door and shut his eyes.

Because, in the end, all he wanted was to see her face.

The door wrenched open.

Jungkook started, throwing himself away from the door. And there she was. Wearing baggy gray sweatpants and a violently short crop top, a white t-shirt cut too high, her movement providing the daintiest flash of under-boob. She looked livid at first, but her features softened instantly when she saw him.

“Jungkook?”

Her voice small, surprised. The light behind her seemed to be low to the ground, so her face and body were lit from below, a pale-yellow glow.

His hands shot forward, his body moving before he had time to think. He grabbed her face, pulling it to him, pressing his lips to hers, closing his eyes and inhaling her cherry perfume, trying to tell her, I love you, I love you, I love you, and he almost sobbed with how soft her lips were, how perfectly they fit against his. Trying to say, please be mine, please know that with this kiss, I am giving you everything I have, his hands pressing into her cheeks, stroking her temples and her jaw with his fingertips. She gasped into his mouth and he tilted his head, kissing her harder, pushing her into her apartment, kicking the door closed behind him.

Jungkook finally backed off to breathe, still holding her face, staring into her slightly unfocused eyes, still trying to process what was happening.

“What about this kiss?” His voice cracked a little, on the verge of crying. “Does this kiss have the sincerity you’re looking for?”

And then her attention was fully on him, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“I was there,” Jungkook whispered guiltily. “Because Taehyung told me Yoongi was out and you were there and I couldn’t… I couldn’t stand knowing he was so close to you after hurting you so much.” His hands slid down, holding her shoulders, his breath shuddering. “Please… Please don’t give him any more chances.”

Jungkook pressed his forehead against hers.

“I know you are just using me to feel better. I know that. Use me as much as you want. I don’t care. But please…”

He closed his eyes, pushing the tears back, choking out his words.

“Please don’t kiss him anymore.”

And then Jungkook lifted his head, kissing her again, hungrier this time, trying to patch his fears with lust, sliding his hands down her shoulders to her arms, pulling her close. Her breathing hitched as he shoved her into his chest, feeling her nipples through his black shirt. He moaned into her mouth, touching her back and running his hands over her bare skin. She had to grab the waistband of his jeans to prevent herself from losing balance, gasping as he kissed down her neck fervently, nipping at her throat. He murmured her name into her hot skin, sucking on it.

“J-Jungkook…”

His tongue ran over her collarbones, dipping in between them, rolling his hips into hers, savoring the sensation of her body against his. He kicked his shoes off, scattering them as he walked them into further and further into her apartment. Her skin trembled under him, fingers tightening on the belt loops of his jeans. Right up against the wall, pressing her into it, yanking down her gray sweatpants, and she gasped, startled by his need. He pushed her panties down to her knees, trailing kisses down her stomach, fingers pressed into her hips.

“A-ah, Jungkook…”

And he was drunk, drunk on the way she said his name, lost in the sensation of her skin against his lips and the scent of her sex, so strong and sweet and powerful that he buried his nose into it, moaning hotly into her wet opening. He pulled one of her legs out of her pants and fitted it onto his shoulder. The moment his tongue touched her juices, his grip tightened, shoving her hips into his face. Her lovely taste coated his tongue as he thrust it into her. She whined above him, hands tangling in his hair as he began to lick, shuddering as she became slicker, the taste sharpening as he played with her clit, lapping at it roughly. Holding her in place, not stopping, coaxing her to her peak, pushing her to the edge.

His tongue, his, doing this to her, unraveling her in his arms, and overwhelming her with lust.

“Jungkook, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Her hips rutted into his face and he loved it, latching his lips onto her clit, licking and sucking as her viscous juices slid down his chin, dripping onto his neck. He kept going, feelings her thighs tense and hearing his name falling from her lips in her ecstasy. She tasted even better, sweet with a hint of sour, and he slipped his head downwards, moan muffled as he ate up her orgasm, her soft thigh pressed against his cheek.

He licked her tenderly, working her through the aftershocks before he released her leg, standing back up. She was panting, pupils blown wide, blinking rapidly as he kissed her again, smearing her juices on her chin. She whimpered against his mouth, hands clutching his shirt as he sucked on her tongue, taking the hem of her shirt and pulling it up, only breaking the kiss to remove it from her head. It made her hair even messier than before, falling in waves around her face, framing it perfectly.

His eyes on her face, knowing he was so deeply in love that he was drowning.

“I want to fuck you,” he breathed.

His hand came up and cupped her cheek. He leaned in, eyelids closing, pressing his lips to hers, speaking into them.

“I want to love you.”

Gentle, soft pecks onto those perfect plump lips.

“Let me love you,” he whispered, placing his free hand over hers, the ones still gripping his shirt.

His heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was vibrating in his ribcage.

“Jungkook, w-wait…”

And he really didn’t want to wait, he wanted to tell her to shut up and let him make love to her, but he paused, finally opening his eyes to her ashamed expression, looking away. She closed her eyes, shaking her head, releasing him and backing up a little. It was like he was suddenly hollow, carved out when she removed her body heat from his. She still wasn’t looking at him, eyes opening to gaze at the far wall. His eyes followed hers.

And he gasped.

She didn’t have a living room. Instead, the large space littered with easels, canvases, and paper. Tubs and tubs of paint, all kinds, watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache, all colors, everywhere. Paint-covered cups with dirty water and palettes of dried paint all over the floor. And on the far wall, a large canvas leaned against it, covered in colorful paint strokes. It took up the whole wall, and there was even a step ladder near it so she could reach the top.

Jungkook was breathless.

Absolutely breathless.

He took a step towards it.

Because in striking, full detail, she had captured his face in various shades of blue, pink, yellow, and orange. Only tiny points of black for emphasis. The negative white space carved out his features, the curve of his neck, the broadness of his shoulders. His long curly hair in blue and pink, his eyes in orange and yellow, sparkling, even with the wrinkles that appeared when he smiled, his cheeks round from how big he was smiling.

She had even added the moles on his cheek, nose, and underneath his lower lip.

It was unmistakably him. Jeon Jungkook.

“W-what…?”

He looks back at her. She looked embarrassed.

“It’s not very good,” she chuckled nervously. “Sorry, I…” She pointed at it awkwardly and lowered her hand just as quickly. She tried to start a sentence, but shook her head. Instead, she breathed in deeply so she could speak evenly. “When I paint, I don’t plan anything. I do it when I’m stressed, so none of it is any good.” She rubbed the back of her head, using her other hand to point to the mess.

“I got a huge canvas and started painting, because of the whole…”

She looked pained. She sucked her lips in her mouth, slowly releasing them. Then she sighed.

“I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Jungkook made eye contact.

“It’s me.”

She chuckled, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

He turned back to stare at it, stare at himself smiling out to the room in stunning color. This huge canvas wasn’t Min Yoongi. It was him. Him, Jeon Jungkook. She had painted him, larger than life, clearly visible in her apartment, unable to avoid the large canvas. He had only missed it because he had been so upset and focused on her. But the truth was, he was always here.

Here, smiling at her when she got home.

“I don’t look this good,” Jungkook muttered.

She laughed, that beautiful laugh he loved so much. He felt her walk up to him, nudging his side.

“Yes, you do. You always look amazing.”

“Not when I wake up.”

She shrugged. “I’ve seen you wake up after a night of drinking. You’re adorable.”

Jungkook felt his ears heat. There was a long silence of him studying all the details.

“He knows.”

She sighed, heavily.

“He saw it one night. When he came over to try to convince me to take him back. I hadn’t finished much, but he could tell it was you.” She pointed to the mole under his lower lip. “Because of this.”

“You noticed.”

She smirked. Then she turned back to painting. “He was really mad. I hadn’t painted anyone else before him. Before Yoongi, I only painted scenes and random objects. Not people.” Her eyes roamed over the large canvas. “I painted him a lot, on smaller canvases and paper. He has them all, somewhere. Maybe he’s burned them now. I don’t know. But when he saw this, I think he knew, even before me.” Her voice was getting smaller and smaller. “He knew I was falling out of love with him.”

She looked away, to a point Jungkook couldn’t see, into the past.

“I wondered if It would feel the same, if I kissed him again. I wondered if he would still give me the same excitement, the same desire.” She closed her eyes. “But I didn’t feel anything.”

She lifted her head and looked at him, the Jungkook in blue, pink, orange, and yellow.

“I’m sorry, Jungkook.” It seemed like she was speaking to the painting because she couldn’t face him. “I’m sorry for being so cruel to you.” Her lips curved into a sad smile. Her eyes flitted to every corner of the large painting, arms around her naked body, hugging herself, an empty, lonely feeling surrounding her as she spoke.

“Love is fleeting anyway.”

Jungkook reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. He pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling deeply.

“Stop listening to his stupid words and listen to me,” he mumbled. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I’ll tell you a thousand times. A million times, until you believe me. Stay with me and I’ll tell you every day, every night, all the time.”

“You… deserve better than me, Jungkook.”

“I don’t care,” he retorted stubbornly. “Is another woman going to paint an entire wall of my face? No. I love you.” And you love me, he wanted to add. I know you do, because I can see it right in front of my face, even if you can’t.

She lowered her head, burying her face in his arms.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she mumbled, a shudder running through her.

Jungkook thought of all those times, those confident smirks, those powerful strides, her strong words and firm affirmations. Everyone thought she had it all together. Everyone thought she was over Yoongi, because she had shot him down so hard. So cool that she was able to be so self-assured.

But the truth was here, painted in vivid color.

He placed his lips on the top of her head, kissing her softly.

“Why me?” he whispered.

He heard her chuckle at the familiar question.

“If you want the truth,” she murmured into his forearms. “I don’t know. I only went over to your apartment because I thought…” She raised her head, sighing apologetically. “I thought, ‘It’s going to be easy giving Jungkook a mind-blowing orgasm.’”

“I had two, in fact.”

She really did have a beautiful laugh.

“Now I’m corrupted,” Jungkook teased, squeezing her in his arms. “I won’t leave you alone.”

She looked up at the painting. Her tone was different now, less sad, warmer.

“No, I guess you won’t.”

--

masterpost

[short-yandere-stories]

I see you do matchups~ Well I would love to have one if possible! From Danganronpa please! I'd prefer a Male character for this, despite being bisexual xD I have shoulder length brown hair, green eyes and a chubby face that my family says is like hamster cheeks. I have a lighter case of Autism so social situations like talking to people are scary. When I warm up then I'm really talkative. I'm very self conscious. Also a bit of a crybaby. Helping people and making them smile makes me really happy

Of course! Matchups are fun to do but also scary because it’s just based on my intuition and opinions hehe.

And you are allowed to be bisexual and have a preference!! There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and I just wanted to point that out before I get into matching you up. You sound like a really lovely person!

I get very soft or overprotective vibes from the characters I think would go yandere for you — it’s very either or. I’ll pick two male Danganronpa characters, each from a different game that I get the feeling would go yandere. I also tried to keep minimal spoilers, not mentioning gender or names of people dying just in case someone who hasn’t finished the games decides to read this.

From Danganronpa V3 I was torn between two characters, but ultimately (haha) I think that Shuichi Saihara would fall head over heels for you. Content Warnings: yandere behavior, mentions of death, killing, and murder (danganronpa), disregard of personal space, plans and thoughts of killing, mentions of tying/chaining the reader up.

This is a yandere work. Proceed at your own risk and please be mindful of your triggers.

:✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:

:✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:

The realization that you’re in a killing game and need to kill someone and get away with it to leave — sacrificing everyone else in the process — would be difficult to accept for anyone.

Especially someone bad at social situations.

Shuichi takes solace in seeing that the two of you have a pretty similar reaction, but at first, he doesn’t pay much attention to it than noting it in passing.

After the first trial, however, when his closest friend -- or acquaintance at least -- is executed, his now vulnerable mind desperately searches for someone who might understand and he immediately remembers you.

A broken mind or a sad person is, after all, the easiest to change.

Shuichi, having fallen into despair, sees you as his savior -- someone he can cling to, and who will keep him sane. 

It’s a very delusional mindset, and definitely not healthy.

You’re just so kind trying to help him and cheer him up! How could he not fall for you?

You obviously feel like there is something weird about the way Shuichi practically clings to you, wanting to make sure you’re safe at any moment in time -- having to force himself to let you go to sleep in your room alone.

You tell yourself that it’s his way of trying to cope... or maybe it’s just how friends act? Reading people and social cues is difficult for you -- especially in regard to someone who is clearly not “normal”.

As the trials continue, Shuichi grows increasingly paranoid, and after the third trial, he can’t stand the worrying anymore and locks you up in his room.

He just can’t stand seeing you die or get hurt!

He is going to be oh so very gentle with you and make sure you get food and rest, and most importantly stay safe.

All he wants is to hug you while he sleeps, knowing that he can rest without worries.

And well... if your classmates start to worry and search for you and get too close to figuring it out... maybe he can make a deal with Monokuma to let the two of you leave together.

Neither of you is really good with people, so if getting rid of some of the competition is all that’s needed to stay with you, it’s a small price to pay.

:✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:

:✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:

And the second character I decided to pair you up with is from Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Namely, the one and only Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. 

Everyone always looks down on him because of how short and “baby-faced” he is, so he has always needed to struggle for recognition and validation -- always had to prove himself and be extra tough to earn even a small bit of respect

But it was different when he met you. 

You’d instantly shown him respect from the moment you met him -- even before he’d shared his Ultimate talent and said that he was a yakuza leader.

It created some underlying form of tolerance for you for him.

And as the killing game progressed, he grew closer and closer to you, bonding over and joking about the two of you having similar face structures.

Suddenly, it didn't feel as bad for Fyuhiko not to have a sculpted, masculine face anymore.

And even though he was grumpy and often pushed people away (both literally and metaphorically) you always went out of your way to try to make him smile.

Without really noticing it himself, he began to genuinely enjoy your company, and a wish to protect you emerged.

When the murders started to properly kick off, he assigned himself the role of your bodyguard and followed you closely behind everywhere you went.

Someone as helpless as you wouldn’t stand a chance in the killing game and be a very easy target.

Thankfully, you had him to protect you.

And what would you do? Try to tell him to back off and risk being killed?

Everyone knew that the moment Fuyuhiko left you alone, you were free for the killing and ticket off the island.

So just let him take care of you. No harm will ever befall you as long as he’s there.

And if you try to leave him, claiming you don’t need the protection and feel awkward with him constantly being so close, he might use the chains used to chain Nagito up to attach you to him.

Then no one can get to you without going through him.

And you can’t leave him either. 

:✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:

[shy-peacock]

Hey! How are you doing? I'm that anon that asked for Namaari taking Raya in all fours a long time ago. Loved your answer, dude. Your smut it's just incredible. Now, I think I've read all the smut abalible for this ship and I need to scratch a very specific itch, if you're willing to. In your SKC AU, I really want to see Raya take Namaari apart completely. Like, riding her face, spanking her, idk. All that stuf that's usually reversed. No need to answer if you don't like the idea tho!!

Hello again!

Not exactly what I’m sure you meant, but I hope you like it! This Raya in my fic SKC isn’t really one IMO to be more dominant in that sense. But the Raya in the Tutoring AU might????

Either way! Here is what I wrote.... enjoy! PART TWO OF Phil’s Wedding Prompt XD LMAO Rated M/E for-...you know 

The wedding didn’t get any better from that point. Another hour in the sun followed by being trapped in a tent that was far too crowded and the food more artsy than actually good. The entire group was led to greet with the Bride and Groom who, of course, mentioned the fact that Raya knew the woman. That being an awkward encounter on all parts, except with Phil who had clearly no idea how any of them knew each other.

Watching people who didn’t know how to dance.....dance. Downing champagne that was cheap but the only way to forget about this event. Even the cake sucked, which put Sisu in a foul mood.

“Who the fuck orders lemon cake for a wedding…LEMON?!” She cried, disgusted with the treat in her mouth. “This is the stuff they feed people who have committed crimes!”

Honestly, Raya couldn’t agree more. Hardly touching the food at all, just the drinks. Taking sip after sip of the champagne as the night wore on without much thought to it. Not until they were leaving the party for their hotel rooms, Raya standing up to take a step forward and nearly falling flat on her ass.

Definitely too many drinks.

Which had Virana laughing who also had a bit too many drinks (wanting to forget this whole event ever happened). Namaari assisting her wife while Benja, the gentleman that he was, helped Virana. The two women fairly normal until they reached the hallways of the hotel they were staying at where they suddenly became amused by everything around them. The two bouncing off each other’s energy, not so much drunk now but certainly silly as one would walk only to stumble and the other would laugh and then also trip over their clumsy feet. Resulting in them both erupting into hysterics.

Much to Benja and Namaari’s demise. The two being far more responsible in that moment as they helped the women to their rooms.

“You sure you don’t need assistance, Benja?” Namaari called, finding it much simpler to just pick her wife up in her arms over walking her. The two parting ways with the others as their rooms ran down a different hall.

Benja, red in the face from trying to keep up, waved her off.

“I-…got this!” He breathed out, feigning confidence, “I’ll have your Mother in her room in no time!”

Namaari smirked and pointed down the hall, “you’ve got a runner-“

Benja turned on his heels, seeing Virana leaving around the corner. A heavy sigh falling through him as he gave chase. Namaari leaving that challenge up to the man. Taking care of Raya who was tamer now that it was just the two of them.

Well…somewhat tame.

Less disruptive, but quite a lot more of something else.

Raya’s head was swimming along pleasantly in her inebriated phase, cozy and safe in her wife’s arms as she brought them to their hotel room. Plopping her down on the bed before she turned back to lock the hotel door and began to take off her shoes and undo her dress. Moving along just fine while Raya could only manage to sit up.

Raya watched her, enjoying her body then as it was on full display for her as her dress hit the floor. How her lingerie hugged her bust, just begging to be pulled off. Every inch of her practically calling Raya to have pressed against her, wanting her skin on her. Apparently she had been staring for awhile as Namaari looked over and a smug look filled her face as picked her dress off the floor. In nothing but her undergarments now as she shifted closer.

“Like what you see, dep la?” She teased, bending to give her a small kiss before grabbing her hands, “come on, let’s get you out of this dress and get you to bed so you can sleep this off.”

But Raya no sooner was pulled to her feet, standing before the bed, when she crashed their lips together. Arms wrapping around her neck, tugging her tight against her body. Namaari nearly falling forward into her, catching herself before they fell onto the bed. Melting into her kiss, clutching her hips tight, before moving back.

“Apparently that’s a yes, you do-“ Namaari breathed out, amused as Raya tried to pull her into another needy kiss. “Dep la, you’re-“

“I want you to touch me.” Raya hissed, her eyes lidded, aroused yet dazed from the drinks. “With your tongue-“ she added, which caused a tremor down Namaari’s spine at the neediness of her voice, “please?”

“Are you sure?” Namaari asked, “you’re a bit dru-“

“I’m fine, I’m totally so fine-“

She laughed, “are you?”

“Yesss” Raya whined, tugging her head down so that she could kiss her. Sloppy, messy, Raya’s body arching into her when she felt Namaari’s hands move lower. Cupping her ass, squeezing it, a moan tearing up her throat. “Dep la..”

“Shhh,” Namaari whispered, smiling in between peppering her lips with kisses, “I’ve got you”

Namaari moved until Raya’s body bent back into the bed, crawling over her as their lips connected once more. Heated, hands roaming as they fit perfectly against each other’s form. Kissing slowly, deeply, Raya’s moans increasing in volume as they went. Her teeth taking ahold of Namaari’s lower lip before saying-

“I wanna ride your face..”

Namaari honestly felt she would pass out at the words. Hot, breathy against her mouth. Her wife smiling wickedly, knowing exactly what her words did to Namaari. Hand gripping the back of her head, tugging her hair gently.

Namaari gave her a quick peck on her lips before she rolled onto her back, putting a pillow under hear head as she gave Raya a coy look.

“Climb aboard then.” She said, loving the way her wife crawled over to her then. Throwing her leg over her body, across her chest.

Namaari leaned up, pushing Raya’s dress up. Rising past her thighs, hips, until Raya bunched it together by her stomach where Namaari kissed along her skin there. Licking the space, teasing her around her belly button while her nails lightly dug into the small of her back. Lower, hooking her underwear down and off as Raya shifted from one leg to the other until the fabric was being thrown off to the side. The dress as well, leaving her in only a bra.

Namaari’s hands once more coming up to touch her waist, to guide her as she straddled her head. Knees pressing down into the mattress, her thighs skimming her ears. Already, Raya was taking a fistful of her hair, her hips jutting forward in her desire to have Namaari’s tongue working her up. Which her wife planned to quickly partake in, eager more to please her than tease.

That first touch was everything. Raya knew she was craving her, but it was a totally different sensation to actually feel her tongue run across her folds. Dipping inside her, having a generous taste of her. Raya was already wet, hot from their kisses, though she imagined she was like a waterfall now that Namaari’s mouth was on her. Not that she could imagine a lot, not with the overwhelming sensation that plowed through her body then. Her mind shot, gone, a blur of feelings over coherent thoughts. A tingling, almost unreal, pleasure seeping through her that had Raya whimpering as she slowly canted her hips down into Namaari’s waiting mouth.

“Ah…dep la..yes..” Raya whined, her mind bursting at how good it all felt, from the sucking wet noises of her wife’s mouth to the way she clutched her hips and pushed her further into her ministrations. Raya truly going for a “ride” as she bucked into her faster now. “Fuck..me…ha..yes!”

Namaari hummed in response, her tongue vibrating against her clit that had Raya writhing above her. A gasp filling the air when she felt her teeth gently scrape against her, eagerly, which had Raya’s own teeth sinking into her lower lip. One hand coming up to run through her hair, tugging it as her head fell back in her pleasure.

It was insane how good she felt. Raya unable to tell if it was the stress of the annoying day, the alcohol or the way Namaari’s skillful tongue worked her; but God…damn…she was so into it right now. Raya couldn’t stop how her body was reacting to Namaari, how that little dip in her gut was begging for release. It was making her so wet, so needing to be fucked, that she couldn’t help but rub her need harder then. Namaari not at all seeming to mind as she practically was drowning in between Raya’s legs, pulling her down hard as she pushed her mouth roughly into her.

“Fu-ck…I’m Ah…yes!” Raya screamed, after a powerful flat lick. Long, hard. Hitting a spot on her that was just right. “Maari-“ she whined, needing release, her body bending forward. Riding her face unashamedly.

Namaari’s hands ran up, one clutched around her thigh while the other went to her breast. Fondling them, brushing her thumb over a hardened nipple under her bra. Teasing them, squeezing, until Raya combusted.

She came, yet even still Raya rocked into her. Namaari slowly licking her now, allowing Raya to come down on her own pace. When she finally did, she practically flopped onto the bed then. Panting, spent, her body curled now while Namaari sat up. Her hair an absolute mess, face red and shiny, yet holding the biggest smile on her lips as she wiped her chin.

“I think I stopped breathing like five times..” she joked, dramatically, Raya laughing in response. Weakly, her body so satisfied yet exhausted as Namaari loomed over her. Kissing her skin softly as she removed Raya’s bra carefully, and then pulled back the blankets to help settle her in.

Still, even as she did, Raya pulled her closer as she played with the band of her underwear. Leaving sloppy kisses against Namaari’s pulse, wanting to touch her then.

“Raya you’re falling asleep,” Namaari laughed, “don’t worry about me-“

Raya mumbled something that was half “it’s okay” and “but I want to”. But before Namaari could even question what she had said or advise her to sleep, her wife was passed out. Mid-kiss, her face buried in Namaari’s neck. The Fang Leader pulling back carefully, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous she looked then. Pursed lips, wild hair, the complete look of someone who had drank to much and passed out with such “grace”.

Namaari tucked her in, removing the rest of her clothes completely before plopping down at her side. Blissful, exhausted, and mostly thankful they didn’t have to be back early the next day. Allowing the both of them to simply rest off the chaotic event they had to attend the day before.

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~* Bonus scene!*~

Namaari: (wakes up after hearing a knock on their hotel door, quickly gets dressed and answers it to find Benja standing on the other side)

Namaari: ah...wha-?

Benja: I lost you mom..

Namaari: ....

Benja:....

Namaari: okay, let me get my shoes on...

~*later that next day*~

Namaari and Benja: (falling asleep on the ride home)

Raya: geeze, why are they so tired???

Virana, shrugging: I have no idea.

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~*ANother bonus scene!!?!?*~ (edit)

The waiter found her off in the corner, passed out, smelling like lemons and cake and champagne all at the same time. The blue haired woman, curled up in a the table cloth from the wedding party, slowly rose up as he nudged her with his foot. Confused as to why even now, hours later, she was still here at the reception. Well after the bride and groom and all the guests had gone home.

“Do you need me to call a cab, M’am?” he offered, “why...are you still here?”

She mumbled something in response, utter nonsense to the man.

“What?”

“I said..the writer forgot about me..so she wrote this so I’d have a decent ending to this prompt..” the blue haired woman said, speaking even more nonsense that the waiter could not understand.

What prompt?

What writer?

Clearly she was crazy, yet the waiter couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation at her words. Feeling as though, right at that moment, he was being watched. 

“Right...well, I’ll give you another hour..then you’ll need to leave..please..” he got out, turning then as he prepared to go. Not wanting to linger in this space any longer than he had to.

“Don’t worry.” the blue haired woman scoffed as he did, “the story will be over by then.”

[sooibian]

Catch These Hands

Pairing: Baekhyun x Fem!Reader

Description: Living with Baekhyun comes with its own challenges

Themes: Fluff (surprise!!!!), established relationship, make up artist and masseur Byun, a little bit of byuntae, and one (1) Eminem reference lol

Prompt: @/notyourenglishprofessor : You SAY you didn’t eat in bed but these crumbs say differently.

A/N: Happy Birthday @is-that-baekhyuns-shirt​ !!!! here’s your biggest pet peeve woven into a bbh fic! Hope you enjoy it XD

Word count: ~ 1.7k

Nights out have never agreed with you. It’s 2 a.m. and your feet hurt from the heels, your head hurts from the drinks, your little black dress (your best friend sure does have a penchant for party clichés) is mocking your food baby, your makeup feels clumpy - maybe you overused the setting powder but you wouldn’t know because the complex art of blending cosmetics has always eluded you. How do they make it look so easy in YouTube tutorials?

As you’re keying in the passcode to your apartment, despite all the malaise, a sudden surge of comfort courses through your veins at the thought of your adorable boyfriend asleep in a clean, cozy bed, engulfed in warm and fresh sheets that exude the fragrance of a spring meadow - courtesy of your brand new laundry detergent. You imagine he is dressed in his snuggly pajamas, with his lips slightly parted, dark hair tousled, and your ostrich plushie clutched to his chest. Ever since you started living with him, you’d never spent a night away from home but the one time you returned after a weekend long Neuroscience conference, you found your plushie resting in the comfort of his arms. The next morning he insisted that he didn’t know where it came from.  

‘Time to catch him red handed’, you smile to yourself.

Kicking off your heels and scraping your hair up in a bun, you tiptoe to your bedroom and the faint melody of Baekhyun singing in a highly expressive croon falls upon your ears.

Tell me you’ll love again, come back to me again..

He should’ve been long asleep and while you can’t wait to crash out either, you allow yourself the pleasure of eavesdropping on his heavenly vocals that always sound especially sweet when he’s wrestling sleep. Until..until you hear it.. the sharp crunch of plastic which sends you barging into the bedroom with exasperation painted across your features. 

Baekhyun clamps his mouth shut. 

Instead of jumping out of bed to wrap you in his arms, he uncharacteristically stays burrito-ed in his duvet, fixing you with an apologetic gaze. Elbow crushing the pillow underneath him, shoulders crouched, lips pursed, hair dishevelled, pajama bottoms scrunched up to his calves, he tries to blink away the very apparent guilt in his eyes. Your ostrich plushie lay on your side of the bed as if its neck had been snapped like a popsicle stick. 

As you loom over him, lower lip wobbling, he pushes his weight further down the pillow but the tail end of the red Orion choco pie wrapper teasingly peeks from underneath it, glimmering in the cozy golden lighting of the bedroom, already chuckling at the drama that is to ensue.

You’re too tired for this.

Without a word to him, you grab a bunch of blankets from the dresser, shut it with a loud bang and stomp out of the room while Baekhyun’s bearing is that of a frozen frame. As you’re questioning your life choices and are about to vent your frustration on the irreproachable couch, your weary gaze finds the bane of your existence again - crumbs. White, inelegant fragments of food conspicuous against your tan sofa.

They say the more you try to avoid something, the more you create it. This was unequivocally the worst quote you’d ever read. You created nothing! You were not the one to leave this slew of crumbs on the sofa neither did you leave a pile of crumbs on the bed! It was all Baekhyun! 

You’re way too tired for this.

Drowsy, you lie down on the floor, curled up in the many blankets, although still cautious as your piercing eyes doggedly probe for more evidence of Baekhyun’s insolence. Surprisingly, the rug was clean-ish. It was almost as if he had planned on you sleeping on the floor tonight. This thought fuels the rage bubbling in the pit of your stomach so you force your eyes shut to avoid a shouting match this late in the night. 

The shuffling sound of footsteps grows closer and you’re determined not to give him the satisfaction of even a glance. The sound comes to a halt and you feel a gentle caress of warm fingers ghosting over your cheeks which is quickly replaced with a smooth and cool touch of a cotton pad against your eyelids, cheekbones, jaw line, with a distinct scent of micellar water wafting in the little to no space between Baekhyun and you.

You continue to play dead as he’s quietly and deftly taking your makeup off while delicately holding you up by the back of your neck and you coyly move your face from side to side to allow him better access to every inch of your skin.

“Too much setting powder”, he whispers.

Darnit!

“Still so pretty”, he remarks in his dulcet voice. Your head now rests in his lap and he’s gently moving his thumbs in tiny circles under your brows, working his way from inside out and continuing the movement all around your eyes and ending back at the bridge of your nose, almost lulling you to sleep.   

At this point every cell in your body is waging a war against your now weakened spirit that’s continuing to disregard him yet you find yourself revelling in his mellow affections.

“It’s a rookie mistake. Not to worry, baby, I’ll help you get it right the next time.” He reassures, planting a soft kiss on your pout.

“Right”, eyes still wilfully shut, you chastise him, “maybe when you find the time from eating in bed.”

“Yah! Don’t be like that.” Baekhyun whines, prying your eyes open with his fingers, not-so-gently.

You smack the back of his hand and sit up cross legged facing him. He stretches his hand out to pat your head and you smack it again invoking a look of pure confusion in Baekhyun’s soft features. His hand is now barely an inch away from your lips and he commands with a raised brow, “Now kiss it better.” 

“Ew!” Your hand strikes the back of his, again. “How many times do I have to tell you not to -”

“Not to eat in bed!” Baekhyun completes your sentence with a deep sigh, “I know and I wasn’t -”

“Do not lie to me Byun Baekhyun!” Warning him, you wag your finger as annoyance betrays your voice, rendering your pitch shrill. Dusting the corners of his mouth with the pads of your fingers, you sneer, “These crumbs say otherwise. You know I hate it when you eat in bed! It’s ...It’s….disgusting! And -”

“And?” 

“You always ignore my post-its!”

Baekhyun huffs and runs a hand through his hair. Letting on a forced smile, he reasons, “We’ve been living together for three years now. I think it’s time you stopped leaving ‘do not eat’ post-it notes on everything you buy!”

Tilting your head to the side, you explain animatedly, “First of all, you won’t let me buy snacks on our grocery runs because they’re unhealthy or whatever and you want to bring about a stupid dietary reform in the household which, by the way, is failing miserably - ”

“Yah!! We’re still in January, don’t be such a pessimist!”

“Do not interrupt me! The few that I do manage to sneak into the cart are mine and mine alone!”

“It’s just that..the ones that you buy taste better”, he mumbles, unveiling the most powerful weapon in his artillery - the pout.

“That is the most ridiculous thing that’s come out of your mouth today aside from the crumbs! I imagined you’d be...”, it’s nearly 3 a.m. and you’re starting to descend into a fugue state, “you’d be...curled up in bed like a...like a... cooked shrimp with a plushie clutched to it’s chest!”

Visibly offended, he flicks your forehead and bellows, “Cooked shrimp!? It’s called the fetal position. Look it up!”

“I know what it’s called!” Your livid expression eases into a rather ill meaning smile, “My apologies, I took you for a grown man.”

“What in the world - I am a grown man!” His lips stretch into a wide grin and the tips of his fingers tease the sensitive spot on your neck, “would you like to see?”

“You’re disgusting, Byun Baekhyun! A grown man does not eat in bed!” You smack the back of his hand. Again.

“Strike four! You’re obligated to kiss it better now!” 

Tears start to well up in your eyes at the sight of his hand dangling so close to your face. “I’m tired”, you cry, burying your face in your hands as exhaustion and exasperation take over, “I really need you to stop eating in bed.” 

“Babe, I -” His eyes grow into large brown circles at the sight of your distressed state and he freezes.

“I feel like the crumbs will, like, turn into ferocious ants and nibble at my skin while I’m asleep”, you break into full blown sobs and Baekhyun takes you in his arms, holding you tight against his warm and comforting frame and patting your head to calm you down.

“Hush, baby”, he sing-songs, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! You go get changed into something comfortable and I’ll dust the bed, okay?”

“Can you change the sheets instead?” Sniffling, you ask him with wide, pleading eyes, a sly smile playing at your lips.

His eyebrows shoot upwards and he exclaims, “It’s three in the morn-”

“Please?” You sing-song, a little too loudly.

He lets out a deep sigh, “Okay! I’ll change the sheets.”

With his slightly dispirited face sandwiched between your hands, you ask cheerfully, “And you promise to never eat in bed again?” 

“I promise to never eat in bed again.” A dejected Baekhyun says to his knees. 

“And you won’t steal my snacks?”

You had now started to push your luck with him, but it was a risk you were willing to take.

He flicks your forehead a little harshly this time making you squeal. “Can you stop with the stupid post-its, already?”

Rubbing your forehead, you surrender and get up. “Fine! I’ll go shower now.”

Baekhyun wraps his arms around your waist. Nuzzling your neck, he coos seductively, "I’ll join you.” 

“Byun Baekhyun!”

[angelanimedesaray]

A Demon’s Promise Part 4:  Quick Hits  (NSFW)

AN:  Iiiiiiiii might have been kinda sorta dared to use the gif in this last smut chapter...plus I couldn’t resist XD XD XD it was too good/perfect/amusing to me lol

Oh, yeah, this is the last smut chapter guys, strap in for the plot...and angst.  Looooots of angst...

Characters:  Incubus!Levi, Reader, Various BG Characters

Pairing:  (Eventual) Levi x Reader

Warnings:  Language.  The consent is starting to get a little dubious, if you ask me.  Also I think some stuff in here could be considered as gaslighting.  SMUT (which means time for the kink list):  Bathtub Sex, double penetration, praise kink, breeding kink, oral, Public Sex, Fingering, multiple orgasms, dirty talk, degradation, Tail Play, no protection, wall sex, a dash of aftercare.

Word Count:  7074

<----Previous Part    Masterlist    Next Part---->

*Reader’s POV*

After the night that you treated Levi, things were...different, when he came to you in your dreams.  And not necessarily in a good way.  It wasn’t anything bad, per say, but if there had ever been a hint of intimacy, it wasn’t there, now.  The entire exchange was now strictly sex.  There was a distance to him now that hadn’t been there before, like he was holding you at arm’s length emotionally, trying to avoid something like that happening again, like you’d spooked him or something.  Any attempt you made to focus on him once again like you had before was immediately shut down.  You’d eventually learned to stop trying.

Of course, he didn’t disappear entirely.  If anything, you saw him more now.  He was still coming to you in your dreams while you were in bed, and he still made you feel...divine, each time.  The difference was that he came to you now whenever you fell asleep, even if it was a quick nap, or an accidental doze--and you were strangely starting to doze off far more often than you used to.

Were you developing narcolepsy as well, now?  What was going on in your brain?  Did medicine even have an answer for what was happening to you?  You’d seen two or three doctors already, and you still weren’t any closer to finding an answer.

And yet the dreams persisted, intensified, and came far more frequently...

(Two weeks ago)

Your heels ached, shoulders bunched up and tense, making you roll them instinctively and roll your head side to side to try and loosen up the tension as you trudged through your home, leaving a slight trail of clothes as you gathered your me time supplies on your way to the bathroom.  A small pint of your favorite ice cream, a bottle of your favorite drink, wireless earbuds to play music in, and aches and pains bath salts poured into the steaming hot running water.  Your supplies were gathered on a little table you pulled next to the bathtub before climbing inside, sinking into the hot and now scented water with a low moan, sinking into the dangerously full bathtub all the way up to your earlobes, stretching your legs out in front of you and letting the water splash across the afflicted areas.

It had been a rough day at work, and you were taking the time to treat yourself and unwind a bit, especially since you had another shift in about 18 hours.

After taking a few moments to simply enjoy the feeling of the tension leaving your tired muscles, you sat up properly in the tub, leaning back and grabbing your snacks to indulge in your treat to yourself.  Your music was turned down low in your ears, loud enough you could hear it comfortably, but not excessively loud like you sometimes did when you were dancing around or getting in the zone while you did housework.  The ice cream disappeared in what felt like seconds, and you got halfway through your drink before it started to sit forgotten on the nightstand in favor of soaking in the heat of the water again, aware that you were starting to sweat, steam covering up the mirrors, the only sound in the room the occasional ripple of water, which you couldn’t quite hear over the music in your ears.

You leaned your head back to rest on the rim of the tub behind your head, closed your eyes, took a deep breath, sank as far as you could into the water without submerging your headphones…

The water suddenly sloshed in disturbance, splashing over the edge as another leg appeared in the water beside you, your eyes shooting open to see Levi climbing into the tub with you like it was the most normal thing, eyes rising from where he was carefully and strategically climbing into the tub with you, up to your wide-eyed gaze.

His hand reached out to gently remove the earbud before you could, already reaching over for the other one as he started to speak.

“Don’t worry--I’ll make sure you don’t drown falling asleep in the tub,” he said with the slightest twitch upwards in his lips towards a smirk at his dark humor joke, taking the other earbud out of your ear and setting both on the nightstand as he settled closer to you, chest pressing up against yours, waist settling between your legs even though it took some maneuvering, your right leg now dangling out of the tub to spread you wide enough he could settle between your legs in the tight space.  One of his hands reached just behind your head to grip the rim of the bathtub and hold him up, bringing him close enough to your face that he could plant a steamy kiss on your lips, his other hand slipping between the two of you to start rubbing and swirling around your clit and folds in the hot water, the relaxed state you had been in now proving advantageous not only for your unwind time after work, but for Levi’s attempt to loosen your body up for him.

Had you really fallen asleep in the bathtub?  That was a new one for you, especially considering all the horror stories built up in your mind from that one story you heard as a child about a woman drowning in the bathtub after falling asleep.

Levi’s fingers slipped inside of you, stretching you out and making you moan lowly into his lips, water sloshing out of the tub as you both rocked into each other, and you felt his tail slipping around your back to help support you and hold you close to him, the tip curling back around to your front near your chest, floating lazily in the water and occasionally tickling your skin.

“There won’t be much time before you wake up...you don’t mind if I speed things up, do you?” he asked against your lips.  His fingers were working you rather quickly, the speed he was trying to get you loose and ready for him causing a pleasant burn inside you.

“If it’s gonna be quick, at least leave me satisfied,” you murmured in response.  The last thing you wanted was to wake up sexually frustrated having to do it yourself.

His fingers curled tighter around the edge of the bathtub, the hand stretching you open for him in the water disappearing long enough to guide himself to you.  It was harder to do while you were submerged, considering the water would wash away that natural lubricant that made sliding inside you much easier.  It was part of the reason why for once he had to guide himself in, why his hand shifted to your waist for added stability and leverage.  He had to grind and thrust a little harder and more than normal to gradually bury himself inside you, swallowing your gasps and moans with his mouth as he pushed deeper inside you.

It also helped keep you from swallowing any of the water as it splashed out of the tub in torrents with every thrust, soaking most of your hair, splashing across your faces but not interrupting the kiss as he kept firmly locked with your lips.  One of your hands gripped at his thigh to keep him pulled close to you, occasionally sliding a little higher to grip at his ass, while your other hand ran up his neck and twined into his slightly damp hair thanks to the steam and the splashing water, nails scratching lightly against the close shave of his undercut.

Once he was buried deep inside you, he didn’t dare pull out and go through the difficult entry again in the water.  Instead, he ground his hips into yours, rocking his hips in more than a basic up and down motion to let his cock explore your insides, rubbing against your walls and stretching them out, rubbing against the sensitive spots he could reach as his kiss deepened.

The water was noticeably lessened by now with all your movements, and a few times he had to grab at the bathtub rim again as his grip slipped, your back pressed against the side of the tub as his chest pressed harder against yours.

It was a little uncomfortable, given the tight space, the way your leg had to dangle out of the tub, the hard surface of the tub in general, and the way he couldn’t pull out without risking some dry friction, but something about...his taste, or maybe the smell in the air between his natural scent and the relaxing scents of the salts you’d put in the water, or perhaps the way he made his cock hit the same sweet spots over and over once he realized where they were...something about it kept you excited, made the water suddenly feel cool against your flushed skin as he rocked you both towards a climax.

When your climax did hit, it was almost a relief, causing your body to loosen further and relaxation to seep through you from the orgasm flushing through your body.  Levi kept himself buried deep inside you as your climaxes ran their course, his kiss heady and deep, making you feel drowsy, eyelids fluttering…

You accidentally snorted some of the water in the tub as your nose slipped below the water line, and you woke with a start, sputtering and trying to snort the water back out as it burned and made your eyes water, looking around in confusion at your silent bathroom once more.  Your first concern, after realizing Levi was nowhere to be seen, was your headphones, which would have been submerged if you had slipped low enough to inhale water through your nose.

There were no headphones in your ear.  They were resting unharmed and perfectly dry on the little table next to the bathtub, and the water level around you was much lower than it had been when you’d nodded off a few...however long ago.

Still coughing and sputtering, you pulled the plug and climbed out of the water that now felt lukewarm and unpleasant against your skin after that steamy dream.  You wanted nothing more than to find some soft warm clothes and relax.  Well, the relaxing part your time was up for--it was housework and dinner for you now, before you went to bed.

Climbing out of the tub, you almost slipped, discovering water splashed recklessly all over the floor, like half the tub had been emptied onto the floor while you’d fallen asleep.

Still shaky and in a rush to warm up, you didn’t pay it much mind at the time, thinking it was just a mess from your startled awake movements and your hasty exit out of the tub, not realizing it was too much water to have been displaced by those two simple movements.

You were too concerned grumbling under your breath because you had to stop and mop up the water with towels while you were starting to freeze before you could dash off to your bedroom to get fresh pajamas to wander the house in.

You had a thirty minute lunch break.

After finding it difficult to sleep the night before, and feeling groggy and unrested when you did wake up, you were looking forward to a quick nap in your car instead of using it to actually eat.  You were still fairly full after your breakfast this morning, so you were sure you could probably last until dinner if you skipped lunch.  You needed sleep more than food right now, anyway.

Alarm set for twenty minutes, seat leaned back as far as it would go and doors locked, your coat draped over you like a poor excuse for a blanket, you closed your eyes with a weary sigh, feeling slightly giddy at the thought of a few moment’s rest.

You’d just started to feel the falling sensation of nodding off despite the unorthodox bed you’d made yourself when you began to feel it between your legs.  The familiar sensation of fingers prodding, stroking, rubbing.

You should have known--falling asleep these days meant Levi would be there, even if it was for a few moments between shifts at work.

“Levi…” you grumbled, feeling those fingers already working your pants and panties off at the same time, or at least low enough to give him access.  Your eyes were still closed, as if keeping them closed gave you a better chance at slipping into the dreamless sleep that had alluded you since this started.

“I’ll keep it quick,” he promised, his lips and teeth grazing along your thighs and pelvis, making you shudder and moan softly, especially when you felt his breath puffing softly against the entrance of your pussy.  “Is that all right?” he murmured, already starting to part your folds to give his lips and tongue access.

Fuck...

Of course he was going to eat you out, the one sinful act that turned you to putty, that made your insides ache just at the thought.  You’d kill for the sight of him between your legs, and if you just turned your head a little and opened your eyes.

His tongue dipped inside you, and your body trembled, breath catching as you opened your tired eyes to look down at him, the world around you hazy as soon as he locked eyes with you.  You knew he was kneeling down between your legs, mouth locking around your labia as his tongue pushed deeper, making you squirm and moan slightly, hips rocking into his face.  His eyes never left yours, though.  The steel blue and grey burning intensely into you, watching your every move as if making sure you were responding the way he wanted to as the sound of him licking and sucking on his meal reached your ears, making you feel that lighthearted sense of quick arousal.  He released your labia to suddenly wrap his lips around your clit, tongue flicking mercilessly against it the same time he sucked gently on it.  Your breathing grew shallow as he alternated between your clit and your entrance, using his mouth alone to pleasure you, driving you quickly to an edge in what you thought might be record time.

It was like he was on a time limit.  Like he was trying to see how hard and fast he could make you cum.

When you whimpered, your body giving a warning tense and shudder, Levi suddenly pulled away, causing you to groan in disappointment.  You’d thought he’d been going for a quick orgasm, not--

He was crawling over you, hands placed carefully along your seat to avoid pressing down on you as he lined himself up, his hard cock pressing against your entrance and already leaking pre-cum.  Had he been keeping his hands free to get himself ready at the same time?

You didn’t get long to dwell on his methods before he was pushing inside you, your wound up body accepting him gratefully while you moaned, feeling his loosened, unbuttoned jeans rubbing against your thighs with every thrust.  One of his hands lifted your shirt so he could lower his head to your breast, doing something he hadn’t done in a while and letting his lips and hands play with your breasts and nipples while his cock thrusted into you, quickly filling you and causing the wet slap of skin on skin to fill the enclosed space of your car.

His grunts against the skin of your chest were quiet but still there, your body feeling unnaturally hot wherever he touched you, as if stirring you to further sensitivity that made you cum before you could even realize what was happening.

Were you really that easy to please when it came to him?  It was like you were cumming on command at this point, like it was a trained response to his advances.  It was a bit unfair.

Though, it helped that he tended to follow close after, like he was in a similar position.

Levi grunted far more audibly, muffling a low moan by wrapping his lips around one of your nipples while he rode out his own orgasm, hips bucking up deep into you a few times before he slowly pulled out, quietly cleaning himself up and making you both decent once again before you felt yourself slip into sleep for what felt like a few seconds.

You were woken up by your phone alarm going off, informing you that your time was up and you needed to get back to work.

At least he wasn’t ever ambitious in these daydream visits, keeping it to one and done so that you didn’t miss too much of what was happening in reality while you took these small day pleasure trips.

His timing could be a bit better, though.  This was starting to tax your sleep and general feeling of being rested.  If you couldn’t even close your eyes for a few moments without him showing up in an almost lucid dream to fuck you, your energy was about to evaporate.

(One Week Ago)

You just wanted to shut your brain off for a while.  You were a couple doctor visits into trying to figure out what was happening to you, and work was killing you lately.  You had more aches and pains than normal, Levi’s frequent visits were leaving you feeling filled and stretched all the time, as well as tired, even if it was in your dreams--like it was somehow disrupting your rest.  It had been a rough day at work as well, and after all the rushing and trying to keep up with the awful pace of the day, you just wanted to be mindless for a while.

Maybe you should try to take some of your saved up vacation days to try and bounce back.  You were slipping into a state of constant exhaustion, and people were noticing.  Right now you could still function and manage despite it, but before long, you were certain you were going to crash and burn.  Hopefully it would be on a day off, and not on a day you were supposed to work.  You needed those paychecks.

Besides, you had more doctor’s visits coming up--more follow ups, more tests…

You sighed heavily, burying your face in the couch pillow as the sound of the TV turned into white noise.  You weren’t supposed to be thinking right now, just watching mindless television in a semi-fetal position on the couch.  You weren’t even interested in the show, honestly, it was just there, making it hard to focus and starting to build a restless feeling inside you.

As if you’d summoned him, you felt a weight behind you, an arm draping over your middle and slowly moving up the center of your chest in a light rub, legs molding into a half-bent position along yours, pelvis pressed up against your ass, his breath tickling your neck.

Right now, though, you didn’t much mind.  This was more ideal than recently.  Hell, you were the one bored out of your mind and not wanting to think right now.  But there was still that twinge of discomfort at the reminder of just how often he’d been coming to you recently.  You were starting to burn out.

Not yet, but you were getting there

“Do you mind?” he asked in a murmur along the top curve of your ear, causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up.

“No,” you mumbled into the pillow, feeling his hand slowly start to slide under your clothes and undress you at the admission.  “But this is starting to get a bit excessive, you know.”

He paused for a moment, your jeans unbuttoned and unzipped, shirt pulled up partially, his hand slipped between your skin and the fabric of your jeans and panties, paused just short of pushing them downwards.

“But right now?” he asked hesitantly, needing a bit of clarification after your comment.

“Go ahead.  I don’t want to think right now.  Could you just...make me forget some things?” you answered, your voice still muffled by the pillow, yet he seemed to understand every word you said.

“I can do that,” he answered in a surprisingly reassuring purr, pushing your pants and panties down to your knees and leaving it up to you to push them further down--which you did, kicking them to the edge of the couch.  Once your legs were free, he grasped one of them and hooked it back behind his leg, spreading your legs open enough for him to have easy access.  His hand slipped back under your shirt after that, fingers stretching wide to stroke across your chest--and not just against your breasts.  His lips lazily trailed along your throat and neck, and his hips rocked against you from behind, causing his cock to rub against your ass and slide slightly between your cheeks, coming closer to your pussy inch by inch.  Unexpectedly, you felt his tail drape over the exposed thigh of the leg he’d draped behind his, coming up to your exposed pussy and starting to rub against your folds with the thicker, more muscly part of his tail while the tip tickled your abdomen and thighs as it flicked between the two.

You moaned quietly, leaning your head back and towards him, inadvertently giving him more access to more of your throat, which he promptly took advantage of, lips and teeth grazing against your skin.  “Just like that…”

His hand slid further up, appearing from beneath your collar and gripping lightly at your throat.  "Are you still mine?" He whispered in your ear, his voice causing you to shudder, and you felt his cock start to rub against your pussy as well, his other hand holding your leg firmly in place hooked around his and out of the way.

"Yes…" you sighed, his thumb stroking along your pulse point in your throat.

"Can I still breed you?"

His cock was perfectly positioned to thrust up into you, and you whimpered at the feel and his words, knowing well what came next.

"Yes, please," you whispered, moaning rather loudly when his tail shifted out of the way and his cock trusted up inside you in one sharp thrust. Not all the way, though.  You were tighter than usually, especially considering the bit of prep he'd given you and how willing you were right now.

Levi grunted, thrusting a little harder to push further in, his other hand pulling your leg further back to open you wide.

"Someone needs a good stretching if they're going to be bred like my good little cockslut," he whispered in your ear.  You hadn't realized how much you were missing the dirty talk until his words went right to your core and poured more heat in your belly.

As soon as he said it, you felt his tail start to slide in beside his cock.  The resulting stretch from the double penetration as more and more of him pushed inside your pussy made you whimper and cry out, even as his tail opened you up and made it easier for his cock to slide in.

While his cock trusted in and out of you in an effortless pace thanks to how wide and wet you were quickly becoming, his tail pushed a little further into the places his cock couldn't reach, coiling inside you and rubbing against your sweet spots.  You were a moaning mess, Levi's hand crawling a little higher to stick his fingers in your mouth, which you obediently began to suck, your pleased sounds now muffled by your efforts.

"You wanted to forget?  I'll make you forget.  You'll be my personal cum factory right now and tonight, and you can feed my hungry cock every sweet drop your pussy has to give.  Deal?" You nodded, moaning against his fingers, which he pulled out with a growled, "I can't hear you!"

"Yes!" You gasped, breath catching as you felt him coax an orgasm from your body seconds after he put his fingers back in your mouth.

He didn't stop thrusting after you came--he continued his merciless pace with the double penetration until he came.  At that point, he flipped you over so you were lying on your stomach, repositioning your legs so he could continue taking you, cumming what should have been impossibly two more times inside you from that position as your body started to struggle to prove him the orgasms from you that he thought.

You certainly forgot, though.  You forgot everything in those moments, except when he turned you over a third time  to take you again, lips locking with yours in that kiss that seemed to pull at your soul, lighting a fire inside your body that seemed to accelerate your recovery and squeeze out a few last orgasms from your drained body, his eyes locked with yours the whole time your body felt aflame, flickering between the steel blue and the black and gold.

With the last orgasm, your mind went white, memory of the whole thing going hazy, and you barely managed to stagger off the couch and to bed before slipping into a deep sleep, where he was waiting for you amid the black silks to continue like he'd promised, where there were no limitations to stop the two of you from going literally all night.

The exhaustion was officially impacting your daily life.  Your friends were the first to notice that you were acting completely drained all the time, asking if you were getting enough sleep.  You’d simply snorted and gave the wry reply of too much sleep and tried to brush it off.

But then your coworkers started noticing.  You were slowing down, you ached and hurt more often and much easier, you made more mistakes.  Then your boss noticed, when it had gotten so bad that they pulled you aside for a discussion about your performance and to ask what was going on.

At that point, you had to come clean that you had some medical issues going on, and that you were seeing some doctors trying to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it.

That was how you ended up with a medical leave while your doctor’s visits continued--though it would only last so long before they would have to let you go.

On one of the nights that you didn’t have a doctor’s appointment, however, some of your friends had scheduled a night off so that all of you could go out.  It was a sweet gesture, an attempt to get your mind off of whatever was happening with you and the doctor’s visits, plus now the threat of possibly losing your job if you couldn’t figure out what was wrong with you and do something to help you work like you used to again.  There were a lot of stressors right now, and the night out was meant to help get your mind off them.  Dinner, a movie, some clubbing if you felt up to it by the end of the night.  Which you did.  Dinner had been great, the movie was good--it wasn’t one that was going to end up on your list of favorites, but it was still good--and you weren’t feeling particularly exhausted at the moment.  You felt rather at ease, and were still up to some fun.

So, you’d all gone to a local nightclub based on majority vote, all of you sticking close together and keeping an eye on one another for safety, moving in pairs, but for the majority, enjoying your night with loud music and each other’s company.

At one point, you decided to duck away to go to the bathroom.  You paired up with one of your friends to go for safety, but upon arriving, it was a single bathroom, so she waited outside while you went about your business inside.

The music was more muted in here, oddly enough, and it was a little more peaceful.  You hummed the lyrics of the song playing in the nightclub to yourself as you washed your hands, keeping your eyes down on the bubbles that lathered across your skin before watching them disappear down the drain, looking up to grab one of the paper towels from the dispenser next to you.

In the mirror, you saw someone standing behind you--no, not just someone, Levi.

Whether he was familiar to you or not, it was still extremely unexpected, considering you were alone in a locked room, and you whipped around with a startled scream that was quickly cut off by his hand over your mouth before it could reach a volume that could be heard outside by your friend.

Deep inside you, there was a twinge of fear as your mind started to race with questions at seeing him tangibly in front of you.  Had you fallen asleep?  No, you couldn't have, there was no moment for you to doze off, this had to be real.  If it was real, how the hell had he gotten inside?  The door was locked, your friend was outside the door, how else--?

What did he intend to do now that he was here?

The terrifying questions swirled up inside you as Levi pushed you back against the wall--firmly, but still gently, with his hand still over your mouth to keep you from crying out.

"Calm down, it's just me," he said soothingly, holding your wide eyed gaze.  "It's okay…"

You felt your body start to relax at his words, the fear suddenly lying draining away as you leaned in towards him, his hand pulling away from your mouth once it was clear you weren't going to scream again.

Of course it was okay.  He'd been  visiting you for how long now? Almost two months? And his visits always consisted of one thing, and it was never intentionally harmful considering the deal between you two had been for him to pleasure you.

Levi picked you up, setting you down on the sink counter with his hands on either side of your waist, watching you and your reactions intently.  You were looking around at the small one person bathroom with a slight frown before turning your attention back to his hypnotic gaze.

"I have to be dreaming, if I'm seeing you...Did I really fall asleep here?" You asked, feeling Levi's fingers grip your chin lightly, thumb brushing against your lips as he held your gaze, appearing to debate his answer.

"Yes," he eventually said.  His other hand removed itself from your side as he pressed closer, standing between your legs and undoing the button and zipper on his pants.  "May I?" He asked in a low murmur, pausing just short of pulling himself out.

You nodded hesitantly, even as a thrill went through you.  You'd always wanted to be daring enough to try public sex at least once.  Though, if you were asleep, did this really count?  You probably should have said no, with the way these escapades were affecting your daily life, but whenever he was standing in front of, his eyes locked with yours, making your body feel hot and needy and pulling you in with just his eyes, turning you to putty in his hands…

You couldn't say no.  Not that you'd tried to.

Besides, this approach was...different.  He seemed a little softer than he had been recently.  Recently it had been fuck after fuck, just pounding and pouring into you, filling you with his seed, draining you of your already low reserves of energy in the process.  Rough sex, quick sex, quick hits in the day to unleash his cock inside you at least once, and rough long nights where he experimented more and tried things out with you to keep things interesting, but the sex went on much, much longer, with more loads dumped in your pussy than you'd thought possible, physically.  But of course, they were dreams.  Levi could cum inside you as much as he wanted in dreams, there were no physical limits.

Now he seemed to be taking his time, his advances careful and thought out, patient and well placed.  He wasn't trying to stimulate you first for once--he'd pulled his cock out of his pants and was now rubbing himself to get himself worked up, gaze roaming over your body as he reached back to pull a small bottle of travel sized like out of his back pocket and add it onto his dick, making his cock glisten and a wet sound start to fill the bathroom.

Wait...had you ever seen him use lube before in your dreams?

You reached out towards his cock, replacing his hand with your own and starting to work him beneath your fingers, Levi moaning softly against your touch and thrusting slowly into your hand as he reached behind you to turn on the water and wash his hand of the lube as best as he could.

It didn't take too much to get him hard and ready to enter you, going from giving him a quick hand job to get him hard to teasing and playing with his cock while you waited for him, watching the precum leaking from his cock wet your fingers as you teased his tip.  Levi was undoing your pants and panties, getting them to shimmy down against the hard sink surface and fall into a bunch at your ankles, considering your shoes were still on.  Once the clothes weren't a problem anymore, he came closer, your hand removed from his cock as it started to press against your entrance experimentally.  You were a little wet, but this was going to burn some if he was going to just press inside you now like this.

As if to assume your concerns, one of his hands dipped between your legs, playing idly with your clit and folds between the rubbing along your entrance that his cock was doing.  At the same time, he leaned it--you thought to kiss you like he sometimes did, but his head angled at the last moment, and he started kissing and nibbling along your neck and jaw.

"I've been rough with you recently, haven't I?" He asked in a low murmur, lips moving against your ear.  "I'll be more gentle tonight, so you can rest," he promised, and with that, he finally pushed inside you, little at a time.  It was still a burning stretch, though the lube made it easier, Levi grunting slightly and letting out lewd little exhales against your skin as he pushed deeper and deeper.  And, once he managed to bury himself all the way inside you, he started his thrusting in and out.

Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, the sensation somehow feeling new and delicious despite the simplicity of what the two of you were doing.  Levi continued to lather your throat with attention, though you noticed he wasn't marking you this time, maybe as part of his promise to be gentler with you tonight.  Levi continued his thrusts inside you, and you arched against him, head thrown back, ass sliding closer to the edge of the counter and him, pushing him deeper inside you as you let out a deep moan.

Why did this feel so good?

"That's a good girl...that's it...cum for me, next. Just one small orgasm.  Come on...we're almost there.  Climax with me," Levi encouraged you, switching to praise for once instead of pure dirty talk and some degradation.  It worked, though, shudders and tingles going through your whole body as you felt yourself pulled to an orgasm, cumming not long before Levi and feeling a bit of a leak along your inner thighs.

Levi started to pull out and away, but you stopped him, gripping to his shirt sleeve before he could pull all the way out.  'Wait, wait--again.  Please."

"I'm trying to be gentle with you," Levi said cautiously after a moment's pause.

"I know, but it...it feels so good...and so different...just one more--I have one more in me," you pleaded, pulling him closer again by the sleeve and feeling his cock slipping back inside you from the proximity.  Levi glanced at the door, then back at your needy expression.

"All right, one more," he relented, wrapping his arms under your ass to pick you up, causing you to slide further onto his cock in the process before he had you squeeze his waist with your knees and thighs--you couldn't wrap your legs around him considering your shoes kept your panties and pants from sliding entirely off.  He pressed your back up against the wall to help support you, sliding you down enough that you were more accessible but you weren't going to slide free and fall to the floor in the middle of sex.

Once he had you in place, chest pressed against yours for some added stability, he started to thrust up into you, your body still sensitive from the last orgasm.  Which meant it wouldn't take long, but it was still going to feel amazing.

Between his grunts and your moans, it was easy to tune out the sound of the club outside the bathroom, your fingers digging into his back as your body shuddered where it was trapped between him and the wall.

"Y/N?  Are you okay in there?  It's been a while…"

Your friend's voice was unexpected, and almost pulled you out of the moment entirely, except for the fact that Levi gave a sharp thrust that made you whimper and any attempt at a reply cut off.

"What's some public sex without a little risk?" He murmured against your ear, and you felt his words go straight to your core, warmth pooling and threatening to spill over with how close you already were.

You'd lost your voice for a moment, and your friend knocked on the door.  Levi kept thrusting though, unbothered, like discovery wasn't going to stop him.

"Are you going to answer her? Before she gets security to unlock the door and catch us?" Levi asked in a challenge, even as he picked up the pace and made it harder for you to answer.

But you had to before she could interrupt further, like he said.

"I'm okay!" You called back quickly as Levi was pulling out, biting down on your moan as he thrust back inside, his teeth nibbling at your collar.  "Just give me...a few minutes," you hurried to say, mouth falling open in a soundless gasp as you leaned your head back, so close to the edge.

"Minutes?  Are you planning on asking for more?" Levi asked.  He had a point, you were seconds away from falling apart under him.

"Keep going," you gasped in response, not about to be left hanging right here.  He chuckled slightly at your curt response, but obeyed, continuing to thrust up into you.  You knew his pace could be much more punishing, which just further confirmed that he was being careful with you.  Though this definitely provided more of a build up with a delicious pay off.

With a few more thrusts, Levi pulled another orgasm from you, a small whimper escaping your lips as you went limp around him and he had to hold you up, your breathing shallow.

"That's enough for now--you still have your evening to enjoy," Levi said before you could ask for one more, carrying you over to the sink and using the water and paper towels to clean you and himself up while you were catching your breath.  Once you were fully clothed again and he'd tucked himself away, he threaded his fingers through your hair on either side, holding your gaze intently.  "Besides...I'll be back tonight," he said in a low voice.

The next thing you knew you were sitting on your knees on the floor with a nasty head rush, vision coming slowly back from a full back, your hand leaning back to catch yourself on the cold floor.  Disorientation and confusion seeped through your whole body, a hand on your head to try and stop the room from spinning, even as you realized that familiar after-sex feeling you had from your dreams felt far more real and tangible than ever before.

What the hell just happened?

(Present)

Yet another doctor’s appointment.

You had more symptoms to give them this time, though you were pretty sure it wasn’t from whatever was afflicting you.  If anything, it was a result of the exhaustion you were dealing with.  Your physical health had started to plummet as well, and you were getting sick more often.  Nothing serious that required hospital stays, but you were waking up with aches and pains beyond what was caused from the sex in your dreams.  You also had headaches, lethargy and no energy, and you were even starting to get nauseous, throwing up and having problems stomaching some food…

Most of it was in the mornings, but it didn’t get much better the further into the day it got.

Not only was your physical health being affected, but at this point, the uncertainty of what was happening was starting to scare you as well as the apparent increase in these sexual dreams, despite Levi’s occasional reassurances.  Obviously it hadn’t scared you right away, especially since it seemed as soon as you started to actually become fearful, the dreams would mellow.  Some of that distance between yourself and Levi would melt away in favor of reassurance, luring you back into a false sense of security before you were back in the hospital, back to discussing what was wrong with you, reminded of the series of visits trying to diagnose your strange condition with no luck.

Until, today, it reached an abrupt and impossible revelation with something they hadn’t even been testing for, to your knowledge.

Everything you thought you’d known, upended.  All the dreams, both night and day, Levi’s visits, your struggle with how real it always seemed despite the fact they were almost always clearly dreams, everything simply...stopped, with two simple words from your most recent doctor.

“You’re pregnant.”

Next Part---->

Levi Tags:   @humanitys-hottestsoldier @clary-quinn​ @sunny-flo​ @whalerus​  @thirstyforsometea​ @peaches-and-clouds

A Demon’s Promise Tags:  @wo-ming-bai @rindulacre @seeeyounara @myherotrashbin​ @roseestuosity​

[razberryyum]

Scumbag System (SVSSS donghua) Episode 10 Thoughts (spoilers)

(covers SVSSS chaps 24 - 26, BC Novels Translations)

And thus the first season of the SVSSS donghua comes to an end...rather weirdly abruptly to be honest, but more on that later. Obviously I love the donghua. It was not perfect, but it still exceeded my expectations. I truly appreciate what they were able to do within their budget constraints and I think they captured the spirit of the source material perfectly, which is really all I hope for when it comes to adaptations.  The writing was strong, the humor hit the spot always (for example, when poor Shizun got motion sickness from sword riding, I guffawed), and they also gave us some of the most beautiful characters I’ve ever seen on screen, especially with Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge. I really, really hope they release official figurines for them. I’m going to start saving my money now just for that possibility.

Even though their time together in this episode was short, the BingQiu love was definitely strong. They gave them a combo move that was not in the source material: for someone like me who grew up watching Cantonese dramas, two characters who have a combo sword move (”雙劍合璧”!) are usually a couple so I was especially tickled by this addition. I am always thankful to the donghua team for the little Easter Eggs they give us for BingQiu, like the way Binghe's eyes lit up when he sees SQQ... 

or when SQQ touches him...

Once again, for those not in the know, it can easily be interpreted as a disciple just being devoted and filial to his Shizun. But for those of us who have read the novel, of course we know it’s indication of Bingmei falling in love with SQQ. I love how subtle yet significant these little expressions of Binghe’s are, and I hope they continue on with these little touches even in the next season. 

Of course then there are the more obvious gestures, like that HUG:

It lasted for a good 15 seconds and oh my God look at the Binghe’s hand placement!  There was totally nipple groppage happening there! This wasn’t in the book by the way...SQQ didn’t get woozy and Binghe most definitely didn’t have to catch him like some fainting damsel, so we have the donghua team to thank for this wonderful moment of (sexy) physical contact between the two of them. 

The donghua team was also especially generous in this episode since not only did we get some BingQiu love, but we got a pinch of LiuShen and QiJiu love too.

LQG’s eyes were on SQQ the entire time! And then Yue Qingyuan as usual took any opportunity he got to touch his Qingqiu.  So all shippers were fed. Hell, they even threw in some more straight-baiting again so peeps who are watching the show for the “straight” romance between Luo Binghe and his never-to-be-future-wife Qin Wanyue were fed too since the scene where Binghe gives her the handkerchief to wipe away her tears were not in the chapters of the book for this episode, and racking my brain I don’t even think it was in the book, period. I’m trying to remember if that handkerchief even holds any significance but even if it does, it’s all for naught since we know Qin Wanyue is at most just a minor side character. She does pop up again later on but then is mostly forgotten, so...not quite sure what that moment was all about other than to, I don’t know, throw off the censors?

I’m also not sure why we spent so much time with Liu Mingyan and Gongyi Xiao in this episode. Nothing against them personally, I like both characters very much (despite my previous complaints about GYX’s character design), and it’s not that they don’t deserve more screen time, but this was the season finale! Even though the next season has been announced, God knows when we’ll see it next year and how many episodes it would be, so every minute of screen time matters! That’s why I was a bit puzzled that they used up half of the episode showing LMY basically facing the same perils with her group of fellow disciples as before and GYX just running from that huge serpent. Even if that thing DOES turn out to be Zhuzhi-lang, it was still a bit much. They weren’t exactly character building scenes either so...why? Budget reasons? Didn’t have enough money to pay SQQ’s voice actor (Wu Lei-laoshi) so they had to stick in miscellaneous scenes to lessen his screen time? 

I’m kidding of course. God I hope that wasn’t the reason because that would just be sad.

Speaking of miscellaneous scenes though, what was going on with these two dudes?

I gotta admit, I’m a bit salty that these two mob characters got to do what our main couple can’t. What’s their story? Why do they get special privileges? Damn these nobodies. XD

All kidding aside, I have to say, of all the episodes this season, this might be the weakest one, not only because of the “filler” scenes, but also, the way the episode ended was so odd, especially for a season finale. The season basically ended on a scene transition. Not a cliffhanger, just a scene transition, and then cut to credits. What?? Why??? It’s almost as if they just ran out of time so had to stop the show all of a sudden. And then as if to make up for it, they added post-credit scenes which, honestly blew me away because it was so unexpected. It was indeed almost enough to make me completely forgive the weakness of the episode as a whole and that weird-ass ending.

I teared up!  The scene was kind of chopped up, didn’t even flow that smoothly, but I still got emotional! I’m sure when I see this scene in its entirety next season I am just going to be destroyed. I think they made it even more gut-wrenching than it was in the novel. Looks like the donghua team really aren’t gonna hold back when it comes to delivering the BingQiu knives. 

We also got to see Mobei-jun appear in the post-credits scene; I guess they had to stick him in there since he was featured in the poster for this season, so it would have been weird if he didn’t at least make an appearance.

I immediately thought of him as Sephiroth’s younger cousin when I first saw him on the poster and I still feel that way. Anyone related to Sephiroth, I will approve and instantly have affection for. For the MoShang shippers’ sake, I hope the Shang Qinghua they create for him will be just as pretty. I think I can now safely discard my guess from last time and also that moon-faced bearded ojisan others have guessed. We actually got a glimpse of the real deal in this sequence:

They strategically made him blurry so you can’t really make out his features, but what we still can tell from there is that he does not have facial hair (hence, he cannot be the ojisan) and the hair crown he’s wearing is silver and different from the twinky sect leader. So I guess we’ll be getting a fresh out of the microwave Airplane Bro instead of any of the no-name potential cannon fodder we’ve already seen. 

We’ll probably get the abyss opening up in maybe even the first episode of next season but that’ll still leave a lot of ground to be covered in just 10 episodes (rumored). There haven’t been any talk about a third season, but I really hope it’ll happen, even though it might take them a while to make it. I know it’s premature to even think of a third season when we haven’t even gotten an actual release date for the second, but I’m greedy because I already miss the donghua. This season was over so quickly, I’m already mourning the lack of new episodes. I hope we get the second season in the first quarter of next year and then by some miracle, a third or even fourth to properly finish out the story. I know we will never get the FULL story, but as long as they keep the spirit of BingQiu’s love and continue to hint at it like they’ve been doing this season, I will be more than satisfied. 

And while I’m wishful thinking for new seasons, I hope we also get a BingQiu duet and character songs. I love the opening and ending theme this season, if they want to save money I totally don’t mind if they just use the same OP/ED themes in the next season as well, but I hope they throw in a good BingQiu insert song and then release some individual character songs as well. I’m still not a fan of Binghe’s voice, but maybe they can have someone else do his vocals for the songs. SVSSS is the older son of MXTX’s works, I feel like it already got short-shrifted in terms of adaptation since it got the lesser budget compared to MDZS and TGCF. Hopefully with how popular the donghua is this season, it will be given a bigger budget next season so they can bring to life all the subsequent proceedings from the book properly. And whatever they’re paying Wu Lei-laoshi, SQQ’s voice actor, they should double it because that man is just amazing. I worship his voice and performance. I wish he would read the audiobook version of the the novel. I would listen to the hell out of that.  I have always loved SQQ, but if I’m going to be honest, I came into the show just a little more excited about seeing Bingge being brought to life. I still love Binghe of course, in all his phases, however, now,  because of Wu Lei-laoshi’s stellar voice performance (and of course SQQ’s beautiful looks), I’m leaving this season absolutely head over heels about SQQ/Shen Yuan. Also thanks to the show, I’m completely obsessed with Liu Qingge as well.  So for those two reasons, I will eternally be grateful to the donghua team.  

[sulphuryasecretcloset]

What if... 10c

First off, right away, I know some were looking forward to a Mandorin wedding and Grogu joining them, but truth be told, the What If story would have ended up on 500k too if that was to happen, because the boys are still so very young and I love exploring their lives and their first times for everything too much to do a big time jump... So my deep apologies to the ones who were waiting for that, but hope that some sweet teenage feels can soothe the disappointment a little. And, yeah, while we might not reach that point in this fic, of course these two got married and adopted the little bean, just a bit later on in life <3

Second, this is a monster so beware of a chaotic mess of plenty of POVs behind the cut. The main story was Dulcy’s but here she shares it with the others. Beware of feels and maybe a familiar face or two ;)

And, again, THANK YOU to the supporters of this fic. I appreciate every kudos, re-read every comment a worrying amount of times and cherish the reblogs like beskar! (You guys have some of the best tags ever xD ) 

And Sprungich, this chapter is for you! <3 With the lovely coffee you provided, feel free to send me a message if there is a particular one-shot you would like to see happen! <3

-

What if Dulsissia hadn’t died, what if she had grabbed Corin and fled? What if she met Davarax? What if…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10a Part 10b

Epilogue Everyone:

They have six entire months of just blissful happiness and fawning over their new family member, then Zev disappears. Again.

Dulsissia hates when she does that, but Davarax knows there is little they can do about it, except let her know that she’s always welcome home.

After nine days without a word, Zev’sonya reappears.

Standing right outside the entrance door, her face a mask of defiance as usual, Zev sticks her chin out. “Can my friend stay here too?”

Davarax shrugs. “Are they in trouble?”

“Yeah.” Zev replies. “His family is a bunch of mean jerks. He needs a safe place.”

Instantly filled with empathy, Dulsissia steps up next to Davarax. “Of course, baby.”

“Awesome.” Zev turns and gestures for her friend to step forward. “I said they were cool. Come on.”

Davarax instantly places his hand on his blaster while Dulsissia looks like she wants to scream but she’s too shocked to make any sound.

“This is Mose.” Zev’sonya declares with a grin.

A massive Hutt glares at them.

The silence stretches out until Zev’sonya reaches out and smacks the Hutt across the stomach. “Say hello, idiot.”

“Hello.” Mose grouses. A big drop of drool slides from his mouth.

Struggling to regain her words and the ability to form a comprehensible sentence, Dulsissia looks from one to the other until she ends up back with the Hutt. “Uhm, hello. N-nice to meet you?”

“He stays outside.” Davarax growls, not having that thing anywhere near where his children sleeps.

Zev’sonya frowns, but the Hutt nods and doesn’t seem surprised by the order.

A good thirty minutes later, Dulsissia is shoulder by shoulder with Davarax as they stand there and look out at where Corin and the others are cautiously approaching the Hutt, driven by youthful curiosity and bravery.

“That’s a Hutt.” Dulsissia says.

“Mhm.” Davarax confirms.

They continue to stare for a while, then she speaks again, a little worried this time. “What… what do Hutts eat?”

The size of their new arrival says whatever they eat, there will have to be a lot of it. Davarax is not thrilled at the idea of having to get even more credits to feed a Hutt. “Whatever doesn’t run fast enough, I think.” Davarax mutters. “Better keep an eye on that one, ner riduur.”

Dulsissia studies the Hutt. “He doesn’t seem… evil?”

“He’s a Hutt. I’ve seen what they can do.” Davarax declares in a hard voice. “They have their reputation for a reason.” He lets out a soft breath. “If he hurts one of our kids, he’ll find out that we Mandalorians have ours for a reason too. I will skin him alive.”

“If he hurts any one of them, you will have to get in line.” Dulsissia says. “But he hasn’t harmed anyone yet.”

To Davarax’ irritation, she then walks over to join in on the welcoming committee. She introduces herself, tries to put on her polite smile and only shudders a little at the drool dropping from the creature’s mouth and soaking his belly. “So, tell me, how did you meet our Zev?”

The Hutt gives her a blank stare. “She robbed me. I tried to kill her and she offered me a job.”

Dulsissia blinks. “Oh.”

Zev’sonya grins.

Davarax is not amused.

-

The day passes, so does the next and soon a week, and the Hutt does not harm anyone or try to eat any of them. Mose mostly keeps to himself. He sleeps in the shed Davarax and Din had set up for the speeder bikes, eats less than what a Hutt normally would and doesn’t really speak unless spoken to.

Davarax doesn’t relax, but he won’t end the Hutt’s life before he gives him a reason to as Zev’sonya really seems attached to him for some reason, almost to the point where he rivals her friendship with Din. So he watches and waits.

While he has trained and taught no small amount of children, Davarax have no real experience with babies. They are mystical beings to him, beautiful little wonders with endless potential, and his daughter is very much that. She amazes him when she starts to crawl around with curious determination to explore the world without any sign of fear. If something scares her, she watches it and frowns, but she will not back away and only cries when in pain.

There are moments when Davarax fears his heart will physically burst with pride.

So the horror he feels when he takes his eyes off his daughter for just a moment to reply to a message from Dulsissia, who is on a supply run with Corin and Din, and finds her gone; there are no words to describe it.

She’s not walking yet, but that little girl crawls at lightspeed when she sees something she wants to investigate and something must have caught her eye.

Davarax runs, panic snapping at his heels when he sees the doors are open to let some of the breeze into the too warm house, and his hand goes to his blaster as he sees his precious daughter having made it just outside the entrance door and is struggling to sit up in front of the massive Hutt standing there.

Nonono! Davarax can’t breathe, the fear is too strong and his fingers fumble at the hilt of his blaster and can’t quite get a grip. He’s never failed to draw his weapon before.

The girl reaches up and makes a curious coo.

Mose eases himself down, watches her for half a second, amused by her grabbing hands, then slowly reaches out and holds out a finger to her, which she eagerly takes a hold of and starts exploring.

Davarax’ panicked run morphs into a slow trot and then an awkward halt. He can’t quite believe what he’s seeing.

Unaware of being watched, Mose’s mouth eases ever so slightly into a faint smile. His big eyes give a slow blink with a benign softness that doesn’t belong in a terrifying and cruel Hutt facing the offspring of the enemy.

And then he notices Davarax.

Mose quickly pulls himself back up into his usual towering posture, but him yanking his hand away unsettles the little girl and she topples backwards.

Another fierce jab of fear cuts into Davarax, but before he can do anything; Mose curls his tail behind her and prevents her from falling. He doesn’t take his eyes off Davarax while he does it, keeps staring, keeps holding himself upright and a big glob of drool soon leaks from the corner of his mouth.

Davarax frowns. He’s starting to put some pieces of a puzzle he didn’t want to see together. That posture is not the Hutt’s arrogance, as Davarax had concluded earlier, this is a defensive pose. This is an intimidation tactic to fend off attacks, not seek them out. And the drooling? Now that he thinks about it, Davarax can only remember the Hutt drooling around him and Dulcy.

-He’s scared. The realization comes sudden and hits hard.

And shortly after it, a question arises. How old is he? Mose is far from the tallest Hutt Davarax has ever seen and his body mass is skinny compared to them, it kind of says oversized teenager or young adult. The life expectancy for a Hutt would make them slow developers, no? He might be older than Davarax and Dulcy put together, but still a kid by Hutt standards, and Davarax never once considered it. A Hutt foundling? That’s one for the legends.

Walking over, Davarax bends down and picks up his daughter, noting how Mose cautiously withdraws his tail and curls it protectively around himself. More drool is slipping from his mouth.

Somehow Zev’sonya had seen this side of Mose, or sensed it somehow, and decided to bring him home instead of leaving him to be devoured by the other Hutts. His baby daughter had shown Mose nothing but curiosity and trust. Davarax decides to do the same. He looks over at Mose, who is barely breathing, and nods towards the house. “You can come in.”

For a second there is confusion on Mose’s face and then he mumbles; “The shed is fine.”

A thick dollop of drool hits the ground with a splat. That’s going to be annoying indoors.

“It’s not. You are a guest here.” Davarax heads inside again but pauses in the doorway. “Come on.”

Mose cautiously does as he’s told. He carefully squeezes in through the door and follows Davarax down the hallway. Eyes flickering nervously from doorway to doorway, drooling non-stop and twitching fingers reveal how uncomfortable he is, but Davarax feels a pinch of actual guilt when he stops by the room he wants to place the Hutt in and he turns around to see Mose no longer going for the towering intimidation pose but actually shrinks and somewhat cowers anxiously. Inside the house, the Hutt is at a disadvantage. His movements are restrained and Davarax is armed.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Davarax reassures him, hoisting his warbling daughter a little. “I know I haven’t been the friendliest and I apologize. I thought that you… Well, I thought wrong. And I’m sorry.” He turns and pushes the button to open the door to the room used for storing furniture. “I’ll get the others to help clear it out, but you can fit in here, right?”

“The shed is fine.” Mose mumbles.

“Yeah, you’ll fit in here.” Davarax then realizes something. “But we don’t really have Hutt beds. Will have to make one.”

“The floor is fine.” Mose mumbles.

“I’ll ask Barthor to set up some calculations. It’s going to have to be strong.” Davarax sighs. “Okay, so what else will we need. Maybe-”

“What’s going on here?” Zev’sonya’s voice is sharp. She stalks forward and places herself between him and Mose.

Davarax nods towards the open room. “We need to get the others and clean this out. For Mose.”

Zev’sonya blinks with surprise and then, for the very first time, she gives Davarax a genuine and bright smile. “Really?”

Momentarily stunned by the sweet, happy side of her, usually hidden behind frowns and scowls, Davarax has to clear his throat. “Yeah. Really. We can’t have guests sleeping out in the shed.”

“The shed is fine.” Mose mumbles.

“I’ll get the others.” Zev’sonya declares and runs off.

Davarax watches her, gives a faint shake of his head in amazement, then looks over at the awkward and heavily drooling Hutt. He sighs with a faint smile. One more troubled youngster. Why not.

-

Barthor is heading back to his speeder bike after finally getting his hands on the last computer chip he needs for his little project. He’s parked right outside of the small town and it shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes before he’s back home.

It shouldn’t, but it does.

Because as he steps outside the town walls, something wraps itself around his ankles, tightens and he drops like a roped tauntaun.

Training kicks in. Barthor instantly reaches for his blaster and his blade, seconds before he’s rolled over on his back to face his captor.

Blinking surprised, Barthor forgets to draw his weapons.

“Hello.” A voice says.

“Uh…” Barthor replies. “Hello?”

“They say you are very clever. Is that true?”

Barthor doesn’t do modesty. “I suppose so.” He gives his restrained ankles a pointed look. “Is that why you roped me? To ask me if I’m clever?”

“Maybe.” There is a flick of a wrist and the rope loosens so he can free himself. “Your friends seem more brawn than brain, which made me curious about you.”

Barthor gets up, a little tense. “They’re more clever than this entire town put together.”

“Loyal too?” A thoughtful hum. “You really are interesting, Barthor.”

“Wait. How do you know my name.” Barthor takes a step forward as they step away. “W-what’s your name?”

“Kaleo.”

“Do you have to go?” Barthor shrugs a little. “You can’t just rope some guy, ask him if he’s clever, insult his family and then walk away without an explanation, you know?”

A soft laugh. “I told you; I find you interesting.”

“The feeling is mutual…” Barthor mumbles. Then he twitches when they step away again. “Can I see you again?”

“Sure.”

“When?”

“When you find out where I live.”

Puzzled, Barthor shakes his head. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Because you’re the clever one.” Is the reply. “You’ll figure it out.”

-

With the constant adding to their family, it comes as quite the shock when they lose one.

Davarax, Din and Paz are at a marked on the neighbouring planet when Din suddenly goes from half-asleep to full alert and shaking with eagerness.

Before Davarax can ask him what is going on, Din runs off.

It’s not difficult to track him down and when he does, Davarax instantly realizes why Din had reacted the way he did. He remembers the clothing on the corpses that littered the streets where he’d found Din and the man talking to Din right now is wearing that very thing.

It’s Din’s tribe. What’s left of it, anyway.

It’s a handful of people who have set up some stalls at the end of a marketplace. A couple of kids are running around in outfits similar to the one Din had worn when Davarax had brought him back to the Covert that first time.

Din is talking in a language he barely remembers, struggles a bit with the words and pronunciation, but the smile on his face is something Davarax can count on one hand he’s seen in the Covert. And when they go back home, there is a distance in his eyes that wasn’t there before and a heavy sadness settles in the pit of Davarax’ stomach.

Back home, Din instantly seeks out Corin to tell him about what had happened and for once he is the one eagerly talking while Davarax and Paz exchange quiet looks.

For the next week, Davarax spends no small amount of hours checking out the story of these people wearing clothes from Din’s tribe. He stalks and spies and learns as much about every individual as possible. He has to know they are who they say they are. He has to know they are good people.

They are.

Meanwhile, Dulsissia hugs Corin a little closer and a little more often that week, unable to explain to him why because she has a weak hope that she, Paz and Davarax might be wrong.

They’re not.

Din wants to go back and talk to them again and once he does, he learns that they are about to leave for the next planet on their path. After losing their home, they lead a rather nomadic life, searching for others from their tribe and lost relics to reclaim. They ask if Din will join them.

“Please don’t go…” Corin asks, tears in his eyes, holding on to Din’s arm as if he would float away into space if he didn’t.

“It’s just six months.” Din reassures him. “Then we are coming back here a-and we could-”

“What if we’re gone by then?” Corin blurts out, absolutely miserable.

“Then I’ll find you.” Din promises, reaching out and placing his hand behind Corin’s neck. “I’ll find you, okay?” He leans in and rests his forehead to his. “Stay safe. Look after the others. And we’ll talk again in six months.”

Silent tears running down his face, Corin gives a faint nod.

Din walks over to Dulsissia and lets her hug him, kiss his hair, squeeze his face and kiss his forehead with a patience he’s never show before. He even holds on to her a little longer than usual. Paz is furious and refuses to utter a word. Raga mutters for Din to look after himself. Zev’sonya is nowhere to be found. Barthor gives him a brief hug and wishes him luck.

Davarax waits a small distance away from the others. When Din walks over to him, Davarax has to clear his throat to speak. “You got everything you need?”

Din nods.

A heavy silence hangs between them for a moment before Davarax tells him in a quiet voice; “If you change your mind, if something happens, if… if anything, you send me a message and I’ll come for you. Day, night, one day from now, one week or a month, it doesn’t matter. You always have a place here, Din.”

Din nods and looks away, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.

Davarax hesitates before speaking again. “Din, I…” I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I failed you.

Din looks back at him.

“Be careful out there.” Davarax says, hating himself for his cowardice. “And remember, if you need us, if you need me, I’m here. Always.”

Din nods again, a couple of tears breaking free and he turns and stalks towards where his tribe is waiting for him.

Dulsissia absently pulls Corin close as he heaves for air between the tears.

Paz turns and stalks back on board the Razor Crest, Raga follows, then Barthor, Dulsissia and Corin. Davarax is the last to leave, his eyes on Din for as long as he can see him...

-

Corin’s heart is broken. His best friend is gone. No, not just best friend… He and Din was… Whatever they were, it was special. It was not like anything he’s ever felt for or with anyone else.

A heavy sadness settles over their family for a long, long time. They all miss Din and it feels like they are missing a limb.

His parents find distraction in his sister. Paz and Raga find comfort in each other. Zev’sonya runs off and does whatever she does. Barthor keeps heading into town to be with this Kaleo person. Corin is the only one who can’t stop thinking about how Din isn’t there any more.

None of the girls and boys in town can take his mind off Din. Nothing can.

Which is probably why Davarax agrees to let Corin come along on a bounty hunting job. Usually he goes alone on these, but Corin asks and after a brief discussion with his mother, Davarax agrees.

“You do as I tell you. Understand? This is a hunt and they will do whatever it takes to escape. Including shooting us.” Davarax warns Corin as they enter the city to find their bounty.

“I understand.” Maybe getting shot at might cure the numb feeling inside?

It does. Once the first blaster shot flies by him, Corin yelps and flails and forgets all about being sad. He has to focus on surviving instead.

Davarax goes after their prey like a Corellian hound. Corin has gotten so used to seeing his mild and calm side that he’d almost forgotten how dangerous and brutal his dad can be if he wants to.

They chase after their bounty into an abandoned building so worn down it is barely standing.

“Stay here.” Davarax orders and uses his jetpack to fly up the middle of the winding stairs.

Corin stays, but when he leans forward against the railing to look up to see if Davarax had caught his prize; the railing just gives in and Corin falls.

Luckily he doesn’t drop more than a floor before he slams into the ground, but it’s enough to knock the air out of him and scramble his brain for a bit. (If not for his helmet, his brain would probably have been scattered all across the floor…)

When his blurry sight clears up, Corin realizes that what he thought were white pillars are moving and he rolls over on his back with a startled sound to see the storm troopers walking towards him. He fumbles for his blaster, but a kick to his hand sends the weapon sliding across the floor and then a storm trooper is pointing their blaster right at his t-visor.

Corin closes his eyes and prepares to die.

“Wait.” One of the troopers says. “Wait. Stop. Wait.”

Corin opens one eye and sees one trooper grabbing the arm of the one aiming at him.

“Look. That’s a kid.” The trooper preventing the other from shooting says. “You can’t shoot a kid, man.”

“He’s right.” A third trooper says, appearing next to them. “We don’t shoot kids, remember?”

“But this one has seen us.” The one with the blaster growls.

“The kid is not going to say anything.” The one who had prevented him from shooting says, then turns to Corin. “Right? You’re not going to say anything? You never saw us, kid. Right?”

Corin nods. Sure. Whatever. He’ll agree to anything as long as they don’t shoot him.

“Put the weapon down, Pat.” The third one says and takes off his helmet. It’s a man in his early twenties with dark hair and tired eyes. “Listen, kid, I’m sorry. We thought you were someone else. You run along.”

Growling, the one called Pat reluctantly holsters his blaster. “You better be right, Dee. If this kid gets us killed, I will never forgive you.”

The one who had stopped him from shooting reaches out a hand towards Corin. “Come on, kid. Upsy daisy.”

Dazed, not sure what the right thing to do is, Corin slowly reaches out and lets him pull him up on his feet. “T-thank you…”

“Don’t worry about it, kid. But you better get out of here.” The man says.

Dee puts his helmet back on. “Drop is right. Go.”

Corin takes one step, but then something heavy lands behind him.

“There you are, little Mando.” It’s the twi’lek man Davarax had been hired to hunt down.

Pat reaches out, grabs Corin’s shoulder and yanks him towards him and the others. “Stay down, kid!”

A mess of blaster fire follows. Corin is boxed in by white armor as the three take up a defensive stance around him and he can’t see what happens, just hears the battle. It’s over within a minute.

When the storm troopers step away, Corin sees the twi’lek lying there, dead, with a blaster in his hand that he’d meant to use on Corin.

“Someone will have heard that.” Dee says. “We have to get out of here. If the others find us, it’s all over.”

“Do you think we’ll get a trial?” Drop asks with a touch of hysterical humour.

“No. They’ll execute us in this shitty place.” Is Pat’s deadpan reply.

Dee turns back to Corin. “Go. Hurry. You don’t want to be here either if the imperial army decides to check out this place. And be careful.”

Corin opens his mouth to thank them when another heavy shape lands behind the storm troopers. An arm goes around Dee’s throat and he’s yanked back against unforgiving armor while Davarax lifts his blaster to fire at Pat. Drop instantly draws his own blaster.

“No!” Corin runs to stand between them, his helmet nearly touching the muzzle of Davarax’ blaster. “Don’t shoot them!”

Davarax hesitates, ignoring Dee’s wheezing attempts to pull his arm away from his throat. “Corin, what is going on here?”

-

After the explaining is done, Davarax reluctantly lets go of Dee, who stumbles forward into the protective grasp of his friends and coughs there for a moment while Davarax yanks Corin over to his side just in case.

“What are three storm troopers doing down here?” Davarax asks, suspicious.

“I think they are deserters…” Corin replies, looking at the three. “Am I right?”

“Hand the kid a medal.” Drop says with a wry smile in his voice. “Correct on the first try.”

Corin looks up at Davarax. “They can’t stay here. We have to help them, dad. Please?”

Davarax sighs.

And that is how he not only returns home with credits for a successful hunt and a revitalized Corin, but also with three ex-storm troopers in the cargo hold of the Razor Crest.

Dulsissia brings their daughter to greet them when the ship lands, only to freeze at the sight of what follows her husband and son off the ship.

“It’s okay, mom.” Corin reassures her. “They’re good guys. They saved my life.”

Dulsissia swallows down her fear and forces herself to put on a smile. As much as she hates that armor, she cannot hate men who has saved her son. “Then I am in your debt, sirs.”

While Davarax walks over and holds out his arms as the little girl eagerly reaches out for him, the storm troopers line up next to the ship and remove their helmets.

“Your son saved our lives in return, so I figure we are even, m’am.” Dee says.

Pat nods. The tallest of the three and with a semi-permanent scowl on his face.

Drop is staring at Dulsissia. “That is true. And something else that is true is the fact that you have to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, my lady. You don’t happen to need a new father to your charming son here?”

Davarax looks up from the toddler in his arms and his t-visor locks on Drop. “I think I changed my mind. I’m going to shoot you after all.”

Drop’s eyebrows flies up. “Oooh. You two are…? Oh. Ah. My bad.”

Flattered, Dulsissia smiles at Davarax. “I like these guys.”

Davarax grunts. “Yeah, I’m definitely shooting them.”

He doesn’t. Instead, the three are allowed to spend the night in the house and Davarax and Corin will head into town tomorrow to get them other clothes so they won’t be shot on sight. But the evening is spent with Davarax and Dee talking for hours over some strong smelling drink, speaking quietly and solemnly.

 Corin tries to eavesdrop, but he keeps getting distracted by Drop constantly trying to cheat to win the second round of the boardgame he had challenged just about everyone to join in on.

Paz, Raga and Barthor had all been a little bit taken back when three storm troopers walked into the house, but then Paz shrugged and decided to just go with it as it wasn’t the weirdest thing he’d experienced since leaving the Covert. Raga and Barthor couldn’t ague against that.

Zev’sonya and Mose have no opinion as they have disappeared again. Corin wonders what Din would think. He hates storm troopers. Din would probably never allow a storm trooper to stay with him.

The next day, in town, looking for clothing that will fit the men, Corin is not prepared to make another friend in such a short time.

“Hi.” A voice says as Corin tries to decide between two different leather jackets for Dee and it startles him into jumping around to face the culprit.

The owner of the voice is a brightly smiling blond boy around Corin’s own age. He is broad shouldered and clearly no stranger to staying in shape, but his incredibly cheerful attitude drowns out almost everything else about him. “You need help with that? Go with the left one. Way cooler.”

Corin blinks. “O-kay… Thank you?”

“No problem.” The boy steps closer. “I’m Leo. What’s your name?”

“Corin…” Corin decides Leo is right. The left one ‘is’ way cooler. He hangs back the other. “I haven’t seen you around here before?”

“I’ve just arrived with my family.” Leo happily shares. “My mom brought my dad to this place. He’s sick. There’s a doctor here that they say can help him.”

“Oh…” Corin shudders at the idea of either of his parents getting sick and it must be horrible not to have any friends in a new place during such a time. “So, uh, I’m looking to buy my, uh, uncles some clothes. All three of them. For their birthday. Today.”

Leo frowns a little. “They’re all born on the same day?”

“They’re triplets.” Corin lies with a tense smile. “You wanna help me pick out the rest?”

Brightening again, Leo coughs once and then nods eagerly. “Sure. Yeah. Awesome.”

-

Dulsissia is relieved to notice that things improve a little after that. The former troopers are eager to abandon their armor, which Davarax throws out of the airlock somewhere in space, and Dulsissia is pleased to discover a house for rent not too far away from their own where they can hide out and decide their next move. (Dee swears to pay them back and will not hear of anything else.)

Plus her son has made a new friend who seems to be able to cheer him up again, which makes Leo a very welcome guest in her eyes.

Paz bullies Leo a little but loses interest when it’s like kicking a defenceless Porg. Raga and Barthor both treat him with mild indifference. Davarax appears a little overwhelmed by the boy’s enthusiasm and habit of holding on to an uncomfortable subject, but her baby boy is finally laughing again and that is music to Dulsissia’s ears.

A little over two months pass before the next incident occurs.

At the shooting range they had set up behind the house, Dulsissia aims her blaster at the target despite little hope of actually hitting it as long as Davarax’ mouth is on her neck and his hand slides across her stomach to urge her to lean back against him. She fires and misses and doesn’t care as that gives her the excuse to twist around a little to making him move his lips up to hers.

Dulsissia knows how important it is to be improving her aim, but her husband is so incredibly attractive, sweet, kind, caring and the best kisser ever, so…

Davarax suddenly pulls away to prod at his vambrace. “Sorry, I…” He prods some more before stalking over to pick up his helmet. “Just…”

Dulsissia waits while he puts his helmet back on and listens to the message he’d just received. Whomever had contacted him had to be someone of importance for him to react like this, so she feels worry instead of annoyance at the interruption.

A little while later, he removes his helmet and Davarax sends her a wide-eyed look. “It’s Din.”

“Din?” Dulsissia’s worry triples. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah.” Davarax replies, sounding a little dazed. Then a faint smile appears. “He wants to come home.”

Getting Din back feels wonderfully right. Dulsissia feels no small amount of relief seeing the teenager again and find him looking healthy and unharmed. He even smiles when Paz hugs him a little too hard.

Everyone except the absent Zev’sonya and Mose are eager to welcome him home, especially Corin. Her sweet son has been climbing the walls since he heard Din was coming back and finally the two are reunited again.

“So much has happened while you were gone.” Corin declares. “Nemi is starting to walk. Barthor keeps sneaking off on dates with this person he thinks we don’t know about. I went on a bounty hunting mission with Dad and met these three awesome dudes who saved my life and are now our neighbours. And I can’t wait for you to meet Leo! Mom said I could invite him for dinner so you can say hello.”

“Our dear neighbours are coming over to dinner as well. I invited them.” Dulsissia adds, with a touch of glee as it makes Davarax groan. She knows he gets along really well with Dee, but Pat is too tense to relax around and Drop winds the youngsters up even more than hyper-sugar.

Din exhales with a faint smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I guess I missed out on a lot, huh?”

Paz reaches out and smacks the back of his head. “That’s what you get for leaving, idiot.”

Deliberately falling behind a bit while the teens stalk towards the house, Dulsissia hoists the toddler on her arm before looking over at the quiet Davarax walking next to her. He’s watching Din.

“Did he tell you why he wanted to come back?” Dulsissia asks.

“No.” Davarax replies, sounding uncomfortably solemn. “He hasn’t said much of anything.”

“You think they were mean to him?”

“No.” Davarax says again. “He wasn’t angry or scared or resentful or… or anything. Sad, if I was to make a guess. But he was quite determined to leave.” He sighs. “If he wants us to know, Din will tell us in his own time.”

Dulsissia hopes he’s right.

-

They are going to have to move. The house is nowhere near big enough for all the souls who have come into their lives, but Dulsissia realizes that she’s going to miss this place. She’s grown so very fond of it. There are so many good memories here. And they keep creating more.

Barthor is sitting by the kitchen table with Nemi on his lap, keeping her entertained and hiding from the lively ruckus in the living room where there is far too much activity and far too many people for his taste.

Dulsissia is mixing up some treats on a plate when Davarax appears to hover in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Need some help?” He asks.

“No, but thank you for asking, cyare.” Dulsissia replies. She glances back at him. “Things okay in there?”

Davarax leans his shoulder against the door frame and sighs. “I think having Drop and Leo in one room might cause a black hole to appear. That kind of energy is not natural.”

Giggling a little, Dulsissia adds some fruit to the plate as well. “Leo is a sweetheart.” She glances back at Davarax again and sees Paz hovering behind him and trying to sneak into the kitchen but is being blocked by the man. “And Drop is always welcome in our house.” 

It’s mean of her to tease but it is kind of flattering to see Davarax’ eyes narrow a little as he’s reminded of how interested Drop had been at the very first sight of her. Dulsissia purses her lips thoughtfully. “I wonder how he got his nickname?”

“Probably because his parent dropped him on his head while he was a baby.” Davarax mutters.

This is when Paz loses patience, wraps his arms around Davarax’ waist and simply picks him up.

What follows is probably the most hilarious thing Dulsissia has ever seen in her entire life.

The raw shock and utter disbelief on Davarax’ face as his arms and legs flail while he’s unceremoniously moved to the side and set back down again is something she will remember until the day she dies. Even after Paz has set him back on his feet and simply saunters into the kitchen to find himself something to drink, Davarax stumbles away from him and glues his back to the wall, looking horrified. He’s not a small and frail man, by far, and probably hasn’t been lifted since he was a child. If anything, Davarax is the one to pick other people up and move ‘them’ out of his way.

But Paz is now quite a bit taller than him and he’s gaining muscle by the day. Davarax watches him warily as he saunters back out and even takes a step away so not to risk humiliation again.

“Welcome to my world.” Barthor mutters.

Dulsissia breaks down laughing, wishing she had a way to immortalize the look on Davarax’ face.

Din greets Dee, Pat and Drop with polite distance, but he does brighten a bit when, to Dulsissia’s surprise, Zev’sonya and Mose suddenly appear in the doorway.

“I heard you were coming back.” Zev says with a grin, reaching out a hand towards Din, and they pull each other close for a brief hug/bump against each other.

“I had to come back and make sure you stay out of trouble.” Din replies with a grin of his own.

Over by where Dulsissia and Corin are sitting, Leo grabs her son’s arm with a soft gasp. “Is that your sister?” Unlike the gawking ex-troopers, he seems oblivious to the Hutt standing there as well.

Corin looks over at where Zev’sonya is bragging to Din about whatever she and Mose have been up to, nothing legal would be Dulsissia’s guess, and Corin makes a face. “No. She’s, uh, it’s complicated. She kind of lives here with us. Sometimes.”

Leo can’t seem to take his eyes off her. “Dude, you got to introduce me to her.”

Corin frowns. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to marry her.”

Corin looks somewhere between amused and genuinely scared for Leo’s safety and sanity. “Maybe you shouldn’t say that so she can hear it…”

“I’m in love.” Leo breathes, still with his eyes glued on Zev. “Come on, man. Introduce me.”

Corin looks over at Dulsissia, who shrugs. If Leo wants to risk his life, who are they to deny him? And maybe, hopefully, that sweet boy can be a good, calming influence on the troubled girl?

Dulsissia leans back and watches as Corin and Leo walk over and the introduction is made. It’s no surprise that Zev’sonya’s immediate reaction is to scowl and throw her emotional walls up, but Leo isn’t put off. He’s gentle in his approach, careful, like he’s defusing a bomb, but he’s not scared.

Dulsissia is about to smile, but then she sees Din’s face and she doesn’t feel like smiling anymore.

He’s looking at Leo with something dangerously close to hatred in his dark eyes.

-

When things wind down for the night, Dee, Drop and Pat agree to walk Leo home, despite the blond’s objections that he’s perfectly capable of getting there by himself. Dulsissia sends with them food and snacks, knowing they’re still finding their footing as civilians, and doesn’t know what makes her flush the hardest; Dee’s soft kindness, Pat’s intense respect or Drop’s shameless flirting as they fight to thank her.

She looks over at where Corin and Leo are saying goodbye, the blond making Corin promise to be his best man at his and Zev’s wedding, and the two laugh before Corin gives him a gentle kov’nyn and shoves Leo into Drop’s arms.

Din is nowhere to be found.

After they clean up, one by one they saunter off to their rooms.

Her riduur is one of the last to go. The long journey to get Din had Davarax start yawning early in the evening and now he’s close to falling asleep on his feet, so he only puts up a weak fight when Dulsissia orders him to bed while she finishes up the last bits of the cleaning.

Plus there are a couple of things she has to clear up before she has any chance of finding sleep.

Dulsissia piles food on a plate before heading to the backdoor and stepping outside the house.

Mose is lounging on the grass, staring up at the stars, but he carefully pushes himself up when he sees her approaching him. His gaze flicker cautiously from the plate to her face and back again.

“Here.” Dulsissia holds the plate out for him. If someone had told her that she’d be worrying over the well-being of a Hutt when she was younger, she would have laughed her head off. “I noticed you didn’t eat much earlier. You got to be hungry.”

Mose hesitates before slowly reaching out and accepting the plate. “Thank you.”

But Mose isn’t the only one who is on her mind tonight. “Do you know where Din is?”

Mose lifts his tail and points towards the Razor Crest.

Of course. His favourite place. Dulsissia sighs and pats Mose’s arm as she walks by him on the way to the ship. “Eat up and then get some rest, baby.”

Mose watches her leave in silence.

The Razor Crest’s left ramp, the one out of sight of the house, is lowered and Dulsissia makes her way up it and into the ship. Once inside, she sees Din right away.

He’s sitting on one of the fold-down seats in the cargo hold, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

“Din?” Dulsissia speaks softly, hoping not to scare him. “Are you okay?”

Jolting into an upright sitting position, Din stares wide-eyed at her. “Dulcy. Yeah. Yeah, I-I’m fine.”

He’s lying. It’s obvious. Sighing, she takes a step forward and gestures towards the seat next to him. “Mind if I sit with you for a bit?”

“I don’t mind.” Din looks cornered and almost a bit scared.

Sitting down, Dulsissia looks over and fights the urge to hug him close. “Want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” The answer comes a little too fast and his voice is too weak for it to be true.

“You can tell me, baby.” Dulsissia reassures him. “I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”

Din is about to say something but then he pauses and his eyes flicker for a moment before he asks, quietly, cautiously; “You promise?”

Dulsissia places one of her hands over his and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I promise.”

Din hesitates, then takes a deep breath and looks towards the open ramp. “I just thought… I thought that being with my parents people, it would feel like home. I thought I’d finally feel like I belonged. But… I didn’t. All I could think about was going back to you guys.”

Her heart shivers with pain, but Dulsissia is careful to keep her voice free of it. “You left because you didn’t feel like you belonged with us?”

Din turns his gaze down to the floor. “You feel like family to me…”

There is something unspoken at the end there. Dulsissia squeezes his hand again. “But?”

Din doesn’t answer right away. He tenses up and his breathing becomes a bit laboured and choppy, as if trying to fight back a wave of emotions, but eventually he loses and Din looks up at her with tears in his eyes. “He adopted Corin!” The tears begin to slide down Din’s face. “He found me, he saved my life and taught me almost everything I know, but he gave me away to those people and then adopts Corin. What is wrong with me? W-why doesn’t he want me…?”

“Oh, baby…” Dulsissia whispers and gently eases him into leaning over so she can hold him close, running a comforting hand up and down his back while his shoulders shake with grief. “Sweet, sweet baby. There is nothing wrong with you. Nothing. Davarax simply thought you’d be happier with parents who could be with you instead of him who had to leave all the time. And he knew how dangerous his work was. It was not because he didn’t love you. He does.”

“He’s got you, Corin and Nemi now. He has his family.” Din whispers. “If I hadn’t come back, no one would have cared.”

“That’s not true.” Dulsissia argues gently. “We all missed you terribly.”

“Yeah. I saw.” Din’s voice takes on a sharp edge. “Corin missed me so terribly he replaced me with the first cute guy he could find.”

Petting the dark hair, Dulsissia sighs. “Din, Corin doesn’t think of Leo that way at all. They’re just friends. You don’t have to be jealous of Leo, trust me.”

Din pulls back to stare at her with a startled look, despite the tears still making his cheeks shine. “I didn’t mean… I’m not jealous.”

That makes Dulsissia smile a little. “Yeah. You are.” She wipes away a tear from his face. “Leo is a nice boy, but he couldn’t steal Corin away from you even if he wanted to.”

Din flushes and his gaze slides away, too embarrassed to meet hers.

“Din.” Dulsissia makes him look at her again. “You have a home with us. You do belong with us. We all love you.”

That brings a faint smile to Din’s face and he lets her pull him into another hug and this time, he hugs her back.

-

The conversation helps, but it doesn’t solve everything.

Dulsissia can see the tension to Din’s shoulders and the hint of anger in his eyes at times. And his patience becomes close to non-existent. Especially when it comes to Paz sliding right back into the role as his protector and supervisor.

“You don’t like those.” Paz says as Din reaches for some spicy spinach at dinner. He takes a hold of the tongs and puts some other vegetables on Din’s plate instead. “Here.”

Dulsissia sees the spark in Din’s eyes half a second before he explodes.

“Maybe I’ve started to like them!” Din shouts, making everyone turn to stare at him.

“You don’t like them!” Paz shouts back. “You refused to eat them the day before you left, idiot!”

Davarax glares over at them. “Hey! Tone it down. Now.”

Din grits his teeth and stares at his plate. Paz looks tense enough to want to punch him. But they leave it that. That day.

Because that is just the start. More shouting matches follow and the comments go from angry to mean as the tempers keep growing hotter and hotter.

When Din stalks off after bellowing that he regrets coming back, Dulsissia decides it has gone on long enough as she sees the hurt in Paz’ eyes. She inches over to the boy who now towers over her. “Paz…?”

Exhaling his anger, now just sad and tired, Paz looks over at her. “Yeah?”

Dulsissia puts on her most innocent face. “I was wondering if I could ask you a huge favour?”

He shrugs. “Sure.” While he was rumoured to be sullen and uncooperative at the Covert, Paz has always been incredibly amiable and helpful to her. Her sweet giant boy.

“I’ve been super-busy lately, got a lot of projects going on and with my blaster training and… Well, you know how it is.” Dulsissia lets out a dramatic sigh. “I could really need a little help with Nemi.”

Paz actually smiles a little. “No, you don’t.”

“Yeah, I do, actually.” Dulsissia insists, giving him her doe eyes. “I’m serious, Paz. I would really appreciate your help.”

“Why me?” Paz asks. “Why not Davarax or Corin?”

“Davarax, well, I don’t want him to do more than his share. And Corin has his mind on other things these days. If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. I can probably ask-”

“No. I’ll do it.” Paz shoots in. “No problem. Just let me know what you need me to do.”

Dulsissia almost smiles. She could have had a great career in the Imperial army with her evil genius.

“Cyare?” Davarax’ voice says, half a day later. His voice worrying sweet and high pitched.

“Yes, cyare?” Dulsissia replies, curious.

He steps into the room where she’s doing adjustments on her helmet. “Do you mind telling me why I come home to find that our daughter has been kidnapped by a 6”7 man-child who told me he would, and I quote; knock my helmet off if I woke her up after he just got her to sleep?”

Giggling, Dulsissia wanders over to give him a quick kiss on his stubbled cheek. “I asked him to help out.”

Davarax frowns. “Why? Are you okay? I could-”

“Din and Paz have been fighting a lot lately. Din wants to stand on his own feet and Paz is too overprotective to let him so I decided to defuse things by directing Paz’ paternal instincts over to someone who wouldn’t mind.”

Sighing, Davarax returns the sign of affection and places a light kiss on her forehead. “I love how you love these kids and how you want them all to get along, but those two? With their tempers and stubbornness, I fear they might be doomed to be butting heads while killing anyone who dares to hurt the other.”

Dulsissia fails to hold back a smug smile. “Let’s see, shall we?”

-

At dinner, Din sends Paz a defiant look as he reaches for the spinach again, ready to erupt the second Paz makes a comment, but ends up having to ease some over on his plate without a word as Paz is too busy tending to Nemi trying to rub her food into her hair to care what Din is doing.

(Din still doesn’t like spinach and ends up just pushing it around on his plate with a frown.)

As days go by, Din tries to provoke one way and the other, determined to show he is the master of his own life and that Paz doesn’t get to tell him what to do, but time and again; Paz is distracted by the child and ends up ignoring Din all together.

Ignoring him little too much, as it turns out. Because one day Dulsissia sees Din stare after Paz’ retreating back as he carries Nemi off to fetch the toys she wants and she sees the sad slump to Din’s shoulders and the lost expression on his face. First Davarax, then Corin, and now Paz, Din thinks he’s lost them all.

Oh no. Her plan is working too well! Curse her evil genius.

Dulsissia considers interfering again, but luckily she doesn’t have time to conjure up another plan before she gets to witness Din inch over to where Paz and her daughter are building with blocks on the floor. Din asks what they’re up to, listens and nods and then cautiously offers to help.

Paz looks up at him, surprised, then lights up and gestures for him to sit down with them.

Together they watch over and help the little one. There is not a single harsh word between them.

“Fine…” Davarax mutters as he comes to a halt next to where Dulsissia is lurking and spying on them. “You win. Your little trick is working.” He nuzzles her neck. “Jedi witch.”

Quietly cackling, offering up her neck, Dulsissia feels unbearably smug. “No trick. Just logic. You Mandalorians really do love to complicate things.”

But Dulsissia’s evil plan do affect another victim when Paz and Raga are in the middle of another make-out session in the living room, which Dulsissia is pretty sure is just to annoy Davarax, and when her daughter makes an unhappy whine, Paz instantly breaks the kiss to see what is going on.

Barthor awkwardly adjusts the child in his arms but she is clearly still not pleased.

“You’re holding her all wrong.” Paz states, taking a hold of Raga’s hips, lifts her off his lap and sets her mindlessly aside so he can walk over to Barthor to show him what he’s doing wrong.

Raga rolls her eyes and flops down to lie on the sofa with a frustrated groan. She sends Dulsissia a glare.

Dulsissia responds with an apologetic smile.

She’s not forgiven.

Pleased that she had managed to salvage the friendship between Din and Paz, Dulsissia decides to take the chance. “Dav?” She speaks into the darkness of the night as the two are curled up together in bed.

“Mmh?” He mumbles against her shoulder.

“You have to talk to Din.”

There is a moment of silence, then Davarax lifts his head to look down at her, what little he can see in the darkness. “Is he okay? What’s wrong? Did he tell you something?”

“I promised not to tell anyone.” Dulsissia replies. “Just… please talk to him.”

Davarax hesitates, then slowly lies back down again. He doesn’t say anything, but he is awake for a long, long time after that.

-

All it takes is a simple question if Din wants to help him do some repairs on the Razor Crest and Davarax has the boy eagerly trotting along towards what he fears will be a rather uncomfortable conversation. Something is clearly wrong and odds are that it’s Davarax’ own doing.

Davarax has a moment of soft affection when he sees the adoration in Din’s eyes when he looks at the trusty old ship. He might be the only one who loves her as much as Davarax himself does.

They work in the cockpit in silence for a bit until Davarax manages to build up his courage.

Sighing, he wipes his oily hands on a horribly oily rag. “Din?”

“Yeah, yeah, almost done.” Din replies, half-way under the control panel.

“Just… leave it for a bit.” Davarax says. “I want to talk to you.”

Din’s body freezes. He breathes once, twice, then he inches out and looks up at where Davarax is sitting in the pilot seat. His face is awfully pale behind the smudges of oil. “She told you.”

“Nobody told me anything.” Davarax reassures him. “Whatever secrets you have, they are still yours. I just want to make sure you’re okay. A lot can happen in two months.”

Staring at him, studying his face, Din eventually relaxes a little as he can’t see whatever he fears seeing in Davarax’ eyes. He clears his throat, inches himself further out so he can sit up. “I’m fine.”

“You hardly said a word the entire ride back home, Din. You’ve been fighting non-stop with Paz. I barely see you with Corin anymore. You’re not fine.” Davarax says, firm but gentle. “Will you let me help?”

Frowning, Din stares at him and there’s a touch of anger there. “So now you care?”

Davarax blinks, not expecting that. “I always care.” And the snort Din gives at that feels like a slap to Davarax’ face. He reaches out and places a hand on Din’s shoulder, making him meet his eyes. “Din. I care.”

The teenager tries for a defiant stare, but there is hurt there and Davarax realizes this is why Dulcy had told him to talk to Din. Guilt settles on Davarax’ shoulders and weighs him down so hard he can barely breathe. “You think I don’t care? Why? Because I let you leave?”

Din shrugs.

“I didn’t want you to leave, Din. Of course I didn’t. But you wanted to go, you wanted to be with them, and what you want is more important to me than what I want. It wasn’t because I didn’t care.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you gave me away…” Din mumbles quietly, his gaze dropping to the floor.

Davarax opens and shuts his mouth a couple of times. Oh, the guilt is so heavy it hurts now. “Din, I…” He gently squeezes the boy’s shoulder and makes him look back up at him again. “I’m sorry that didn’t work out. I thought… I just thought that it would be better for you to have a steady family, someone who didn’t leave all the time and who might not come back alive. I wasn’t in a good place back then, Din. But I never stopped caring. I still care. I will always care.”

“You have a new family now.” Din mumbles. “I have no one, because no one wants me.”

“Hey.” Davarax places his other hand on Din’s other shoulder, holding a little too tight but unable to stop himself “My family? You are a part of that. You always will be. Nothing can ever change that. From the very first time I saw you, the second you gave me your trust, you were family to me.”

Din’s eyes grow blank with tears and he smiles a little. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Davarax confirms, then leans a little closer to give him a pointed look. “You’re the only one I’d trust to look after the Razor Crest if I end up parking my slippers for good.”

Din’s smile widens and turns genuine. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Davarax confirms again, now with a faint laugh. He gives him a light shake before he gets up and pulls Din up on his feet too so he can hug him close. Feeling Din’s arms go around him in return and how tights he holds on makes Davarax’ heart shrivel up with even more guilt. “I’m sorry, Din. I’m sorry I let them adopt you. I’m sorry you thought I didn’t care whether you left or not. I’ll try to do better from now on. I promise.”

“S’okay.” Din mumbles, his face buried into Davarax’ chest.

“You forgive me?”

Din nods.

Davarax runs his hand over Din’s smooth hair. He doesn’t deserve his forgiveness after so many mistakes, but that’s not his decision to make. All he can do is try to keep from making more and not have Din regret his kindness. “Thank you.”

Din merely hugs him harder.

-

When Din and Davarax return to the house, Dulsissia is relieved to hear Din talking like he used to; relaxed and almost playful with his great hero by his side. Davarax is smiling too.

She hides in the kitchen, doesn’t want to interfere, but she’s dying to ask. It takes no small amount of will-power for her to just wait.

Finally Davarax walks into the kitchen.

She turns to face him, about to start talking, when his hands cup her face and he leans down to give her a couple of soft, lingering kisses on her lips, before kissing her forehead and just pulling her into a tight, lingering hug as he sighs.

“Why do you put up with me?” Davarax asks.

“Because you’re hot.” She replies. Then she leans back and looks up at him. “So, you talked to him?”

“Yeah.” Davarax gingerly eases a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Thank you.”

Smiling, Dulsissia goes up on her toes to give him a soft kiss.

-

Luckily Leo is busy harassing Zev and Barthor is off to be with his mystery date, so Din gets to have Corin all to himself when they head into town to buy some supplies.

A lot has happened in the two months Din has been away, that much is clear by Leo’s arrival and them suddenly having three uncles now (who, Din had been horrified to learn, are in reality three storm troopers who have defected and will be shot if discovered.), yet the biggest change is the one he’s currently witnessing.

“Two? Are you sure I can’t get three for that price, Tahm?” Corin says to the shop-keeper’s daughter. He smiles, holds her gaze and even tilts his head a little. “Pretty please?”

The girl giggles and flushes.

Corin reaches out and slides a finger along her jawline and leans a little closer as he lowers his voice. “Pretty, pretty please?”

Din blinks. Corin is gorgeous. He’s always been a good looking kid, sure, Din isn’t blind and people have been talking, but over time Corin has gone from cute to gorgeous and… he’s clearly aware of it. There is nothing modest about the wink he gives that girl. Or the look he gives the young man who ends up selling them his wares to half of his original asking price.

“What was that?” Din asks as they load the bags up on the speeder bike.

“What was what?” Corin asks in return, fastening one bag.

“That.” Din insists. “Back there. The… that. The thing. You did.”

Corin snorts a laugh before glancing over at Din with a wicked grin. “Making them give me a discount? Leo taught me. It’s easy. You should do it too.”

Din feels his face heat up. “I don’t think I…”

Corin steps over, a little too close, and looks at him with bright, earnest eyes. “You could totally pull if off too, Din.” He touches Din’s jawline with light fingertips and the skin burns.

“I’m not…” Din swallows, his heart racing like crazy. “I’m not pretty. Like you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Corin laughs a little. “Din, you’re beautiful.” He leans in, gives Din a minor heart attack, and gently places his forehead to Din’s before turning back to the speeder bike again.

Din can barely breathe.

“I think that was everything?” Corin says. “Let’s go.” He gets on the bike, looks over at Din when he doesn’t move and raises his eyebrows. “Din?”

“Yeah…” Din croaks, forcing his legs to work. “Okay…” He gets on the bike too.

-

“No.” Zev snarls. “Go away.”

“Come on.” Leo whines, trailing after her. “One date. If you still hate me after, I will leave you alone. Pretty please?”

“I cannot think of a single thing that would change my mind about hating you, so I see no point.” Zev’sonya declares, chin held high and refusing to look at him.

“I could surprise you.” Leo tempts her. He coughs a couple of times before continuing. “One date, Zev. One!”

Zev’sonya wrinkles her nose. “You’re just going to give me your cold.”

Leo shakes his head. “I’m not-” Suddenly his gaze shifts over to something behind her and he frowns.

By the time she has turned around to see what he’s staring at, Leo is already running towards the three brats ganging up on Mose and trying to provoke him into a fight. By the time she’s caught up with him, Leo has already knocked one of the brats out.

The fight is over within minutes. Once Zev’sonya has made sure Mose is okay, hating how resigned he is to being hated and loving how Leo is huffing with offence on his behalf, she makes her choice.

“One date.” Zev’sonya says.

Leo spins around to face her, eyes huge and jaw dropping. “Really?! Wait, why? Wait, I don’t care.”

“One.” She underlines.

Leo nearly nods his head off and she has to hide the smile threatening to break free.

-

Din can’t forget about it. Can’t forget about watching Corin flaunting his good looks, the touch of his fingers and the kov’nyn… He can’t forget about it!

For years Corin has been his best friend. He felt so lucky to have him as his friend. He still does. But… it is getting harder and harder to be happy for Corin when others look at him the way Din does when Corin is not paying attention.

And after hearing Corin call ‘him’ beautiful, after having his full attention like that, Din can’t karking forget about it!

Din sits on Corin’s bed, thinking about this, when Corin enters the room again after he’d headed out to raid the kitchen for something to snack on. He returns victorious with a plate of cookies.

Sitting down on the bed as well, Corin places the plate between them and grins. “Mom said no, but then I gave her the eyes and she folded. I am a genius.”

“How… how do you do it?” Din asks, his pulse thrumming under his skin after daring to ask.

“As I said,” Corin inches closer so his knee almost touches Din’s, “it’s easy. All you have to do is keep eye contact.” He looks directly into Din’s soul with those incredible eyes of his. “Add a smile.” His lips curve into a smile that sends a frightful heat into Din’s blood. “And if you really need to bring in the big guns…” Corin reaches out and places his hand on Din’s knee. “...touch.”

Oh, Din swallows hard, struggles to find his voice. “I don’t think… it’ll work if I do that.”

“It definitely will.” Corin reassures him. “Your face? You will get whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?” Din asks, his pulse thrumming in his throat.

“Definitely.”

“Okay…” Din gathers his courage. “Eye contact.” He moves a little closer, so their knees not only touch but cross each other a little. “Smile.” Din forces his mouth to shape into what he hopes is a careful but appealing smile. (He sees Corin’s gaze dart down to his lips for a second and it makes his hear jump.) “Touch…” Din reaches up and carefully cups the side of Corin’s face, runs his thumb along his cheekbone. “Like this?”

A slight flush creeps into Corin’s cheeks. “I, uh, yeah…”

Din is keenly aware of how he’s pushing his luck, but he can’t make himself stop. “Now what?”

Corin is staring at him. “It depends.”

“On what?”

“On what you want?” Corin almost whispers.

Din can’t say it, couldn’t say it to save his life, so he just looks at Corin’s lips with unspoken longing, hating himself for being such a coward. He just fears that if he gets a taste, he won’t survive seeing someone else kiss those lips…

“Okay.” Corin says, as if Din had spoken out loud, and before Din can ask him what he means; Corin leans in, tilts his head and gently touches his lips with his.

Din inhales sharply, startling Corin and causes him want to pull back, but Din’s hand flies up to grab his shoulder and hold him there. And then Din is the one to move closer to touch his lips to Corin’s.

It is such a sweet feeling. Soft, warm, cautious and fragile, and utterly perfect.

“I missed you so much…” Corin whispers, eyes closed and lips brushing his as he speaks.

Din’s throat snares up with a thousand feelings. “I missed you too. All the time.” They share another kiss before he can speak again. “Corin, I… I like you.”

That brings a soft laugh from Corin, startling Din a little into leaning back, but Corin merely grins at him. “I like you too, stupid. I kind of hoped we were past the obvious bit when we started kissing?”

Din’s face flushes hot. “I…”

“I kind of thought you did, was waiting for you to say something,” Corin says, shrugging one shoulder, “but then you left and I thought that meant you didn’t like me after all, but then you came back and… Well… “

“How did you know…?” Din mumbles, dying of embarrassment. He’d been so careful!

That makes Corin laugh again. “It was pretty obvious, Din. Come on.” He leans close again and smirks. “You’re always so nice to me. Not nice like with the others. Extra nice. And… you look at me a lot.”

Din’s face is about to melt off his skull. “I…”

Corin is dangerously close now. “You want to look some more or should we go back to kissing?”

Din stutters.

Laughing, Corin sits back up and grabs a cookie. “I’m sorry.” He munches on the cookie. “I’ll be good.”

Din’s heart is beating a thousand beats a second. He can’t stop staring. “You don’t have to.” He clears his throat. “Be good, that is. You can be… whatever you was just being. That’s… that’s fine.”

Corin lowers the cookie. “Yeah…?”

“I-if you want to.” Din adds cautiously.

Corin eagerly leans closer. “I really, really want to.”

Din grins, a little more confident. “Good.” He moves closer, both of them ignoring the plate tumbling to the floor, reaching up to touch Corin’s face. “Because I really want you to.”

Din is not a good kisser, he knows, it’s not something he has practised too much, but oh Corin is. Din follows his lead, moves his lips as softly and sweetly as he does, and can’t decide whether he’s grateful for Corin knowing how to do this or viciously hating every person who has kissed him. In the end, it doesn’t matter, Din is just weak with happiness.

-

“Obvious? What do mean it was obvious?” Din snaps, not expecting this kind of nonchalance from Paz when he confessed that he and Corin have become… a thing.

Paz shrugs, adjusting the wrapping around his left hand. “It just was. Everyone could see it.”

“Everyone?” Din asks with utter disbelief.

“Yup.” Raga confirms, delivering some hard hits that has the punching bag make a sound like it is groaning with pain. “Everyone.”

Din sinks down to sit on a crate, stunned by shock and horrible embarrassment. “But you never said anything?”

“I wanted to.” Paz says. “Believe me.”

“But Dulcy told him not to.” Raga throws a vicious punch. “I think she and Davarax have a bet going on which of you would make the first move.”

Din hides his face in his hands and groans.

-

Zev’sonya cannot believe she’s agreed to this. It was a moment of madness, that’s all. She got carried away after punching those jerks who bullied Mose and that blond idiot just happened to be there with his stupid date request.

What was she thinking?

Zev’sonya sighs as she looks at herself in the mirror. She’s clean, the clothes she’s wearing are whole, all the daggers and blades are hidden, that is good enough, isn’t it? Or do humans have other standards for this… dating thing?

She sees Mose’s reflection as he is standing behind her and scowls at the grin on his face.

“Don’t.” Zev’sonya warns, but his grin only widens so she flees before he can say anything.

Leo had wanted to come and pick her up, but she refused and insisted on her meeting him by his house. Bad enough Mose knows, but if Din and the others learns of this… ‘date’, there would be no end to the comments.

Approaching the house, Zev’sonya is surprised to see Leo sitting on the stairs leading up to it. But the surprise morphs into unease as she feels an intense wave of… sadness wash over her. No, he’s not just sad. It’s more. Deeper. More painful. Zev’sonya pauses in front of him, he doesn’t even notice her presence, and braces herself. “Leo?”

Starting a little, he looks up and when seeing her; he tries to smile. “Hey.” The boy is pale, there are dark smudges under his eyes and he looks miserable under his facade. “I, uh, I’m sorry, Zev. I know I hassled you for this date, but, uh… I don’t think I can go.”

Frowning, Zev’sonya crosses her arms. “What happened?”

Leo’s smile wavers. He swallows a couple of times before he can speak. “It’s, uh, it’s my dad, he…” Another swallow. “He died.”

That’s what she’s feeling from him. Grief. Zev’sonya exhales, forgetting about being angry and defensive and she merely moves to sit down next to him. “I’m… I’m sorry, Leo.”

He nods, turns to stare at the ground again. “We knew it was a long shot. They said it couldn’t be cured.” He carefully wipes at his left eye. “At least you won’t have to go out with me now.”

Zev’sonya plucks at the fabric on the knee of her pants. “I can wait.”

Leo shakes his head. “No.” He wipes at his other eye. “I, uh… It’s better if we don’t. There’s no point.” He clears his throat. “Don’t worry. It’s not contagious. I got it from working the mines with him.”

Startled, Zev’sonya looks over at Leo. “You’re sick too?”

Now Leo nods.

Fear and horrible resignation, both seep from him and into her. He will die choking and gasping for air, thrashing, terrified, like his father.

Zev’sonya reaches out and places her hand on his neck, and after a second of surprised hesitation; Leo shudders once before he breaks into helpless tears. She eases him over and wraps her arms around him, her eyes narrowing with determination.

He’s not going to die.

-

Davarax is biting his lip as he watches Nemi wobble along the table with a firm grip on it with her tiny hands and a look of thoughtful concentration on her adorable face. He is so proud, watching her progress, that he could die. His heart is not designed to handle this kind of emotion. He’s too happy.

“I need to talk to you.” Zev’sonya stalks into the room.

Nemi blinks, lets go and drops down on her behind to stare wide-eyed at the twi’lek.

Davarax stares at Zev too. She wants to talk to him? Why? Is she going to try to kill him again? She hasn’t done that in a long time. He thought they were making progress when she smiled at him after Mose moved in. What has changed? Why is she angry with him now? “Uh… Okay?”

After she’s done explaining, Davarax almost wishes she had tried to kill him instead. It would have been easier to handle than failing her meek request and having to watch her have her heart broken when the boy dies. “I… I’ll ask around.”

Zev’sonya brightens with hope and that terrifies Davarax.

“Zev.” He stops her from leaving. “I can’t promise anything, okay? I will try, but it sounds like they’ve been looking pretty hard for a cure already.”

Her dark eyes flicker before she focuses on Davarax again and she shrugs. “You got a good track record of saving kids. If anyone can save him, it’s you.”

Davarax stands there, staring, long after she’s gone.

-

At first Dulsissia is heartbroken when she learns that Leo is sick. That sweet, cheerful boy seemed like someone who would live forever. Hearing that he’d watched his own father die in such a terrible way makes her hug him for so long he gets a little worried.

Davarax sends out a message to every contact he’s ever made in his years as a bounty hunter and mercenary, but one by one they come back negative.

It’s ironic that the one sliver of hope they get is from one direction they did not expect.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” Dee says. “They call it Miner’s Lung.”

“Is there a cure for it?” Davarax asks, trying not to get his own hopes up.

Drop makes a face. “Depends on how advanced it is. Once it catches proper hold, when it gets in the blood, it’s basically impossible to weed it out.”

“Tell us where to go.” Dulsissia says. “We have to try.”

On board the Razor Crest, Dulsissia doesn’t know what makes her smile the most; Zev’sonya’s expression of utter disgust but not doing anything to stop Leo from holding her hand, or how at the very back of the ship; Din tries to hide how sneakily he reaches out for Corin’s hand.

The doctor refuses to see them until he hears ‘Motti’. Dulsissia has absolutely no qualms about using her name to wring the arm of this horrible man to help Leo. No baby will be dying as long as there is something Dulsissia can do about it.

A complete medical scan, some tests run and a lot of frowning later, the doctor hands them a datapad with a treatment schedule that will last for about eighteen standard months and drugs that would knock out a fully grown Sarlacc. “This should work, but I can give no guarantees. It’s not like that boy has grown up on the most nutritious diet. His immune system is as poor as his family clearly was.”

Dulsissia takes the datapad, hands it over to Davarax, so she can step close to the doctor. “If it fails, then I know who to hunt down. You should know, sir, we Mandalorians are very protective of our children. We take the loss of one very hard and will take our anger out on whomever is responsible for their death.”

The doctor goes pale. “If he’s not showing any signs of improvement in two months, you better come back so we can make some adjustments to his medication.”

Dulsissia gives him a sweet smile. “Lovely. Thank you.”

Davarax looks at her like he wants to propose all over again.

When they walk back to the Razor Crest, Dulsissia is eager to hold her daughter again but also can’t help but to adore the sight of the group of teenagers ambling in front of her and Davarax. It feels like only yesterday they were mere youngsters and now they are snapping at the heels of adulthood.

Corin has his arm around Leo’s neck, laughing and tugging him into a mix of a hug and a headlock, while Din and Zev’sonya walk behind them and give identical shake of heads at the boisterous duo.

Paz is standing by the ramp to the Razor Crest, his back towards them, and Dulsissia wonders what he’s doing until she sees the hands sliding up to cup the back of his neck and she knows.

“For the love of…” Davarax mutters. “They will get brain damage from lack of oxygen soon.”

Dulsissia giggles.

“Hey.” Davarax snaps, making Paz and Raga flinch apart. “Don’t make me hose you two with cold water.”

Raga rolls her eyes. Paz clears his throat and glances over at Leo. “How did it go?”

“We got a plan and hopefully a cure.” Davarax replies.

“Nice.” Raga replies, punching Leo in the arm and laughs at his yelp. “The clan keeps growing.”

“Let’s go home.” Dulsissia says, entering the ship and heading over to where Mose is curled up with the sleeping Nemi in his arms. She has to smile at that sight as well. It’s just too cute.

The little girl has everyone wrapped up around her little finger, but Mose maybe most of all. Who would have thought a Hutt could be such a softie?

“Everything okay?” Dulsissia asks, running a gentle hand over Nemi’s hair.

“She’s good.” Mose confirms in an affectionate tone. “Fell asleep ten minutes ago.”

The ride home is blissfully incident-free, which is why it is no big surprise the shock comes the day after they return home.

-

Dulsissia opens the door and blinks at the sight that meets her.

Dez Vizla is standing there.

“I, uh…” Dulsissia is suddenly awkwardly aware of standing there in Mandalorian armor, helmet off, and looking like the fraud she is. Luckily Davarax appears in the hallway, carrying their daughter, and he walks over to hover behind her.

“Dez. What are you doing here?”

Dez’ t-visor shifts up from the little girl on Davarax’ arm to his face. “You had a child?”

“Yes.” Dulsissia replies cautiously, placing a protective hand on the curious Nemi’s back.

“Mom! Dad!” Corin shouts, stepping into the hallway with Din and Leo in tow. “We’re heading over to Dee, Drop and Pat. We’ll be back for dinner.”

“Fine.” Davarax shouts back.

Dez watches the three and tilts his head a little, a bit puzzled. “More Foundlings, I see.”

Then Zev’sonya steps into the hallway to head into the kitchen and Dez says; “A Twi’lek?”

“Well…” Davarax manages to say, before Dez flinches and places his hand on his blaster, and Dulsissia deducts that Mose has appeared behind them. “It kind of just happened.”

Dulsissia keeps a wary eye on Dez’ hand on that blaster. “Please don’t draw that blaster. Mose is a part of the family.” She knows she has absolutely no chance of overpowering Dez Vizla, but she will not let him just threaten her family.

Dez rumbles before he reluctantly takes his hand off his weapon. He seems a little overwhelmed. “I just… I want to see my son.”

Davarax nods then points.

Dez turns his helmet and looks.

Walking towards them, oblivious to the visitor, Paz and Raga are entirely lost in each other. Paz has his arm around her shoulders, she has her arm around his waist, and instead of looking where they’re going, they are staring at each other, making grinning comments and exchanging kisses.

Dulsissia hears Dez exhale and in that moment, she realizes that while the man might be cold (He hasn’t seen Paz for years and he hasn’t sent a word, not since they left) and that he can be cruel at times, he’s not entirely without a heart. At least not when it comes to his son.

Seconds after that, Paz and Raga both discover Dez’ presence and they come to a sudden halt not too far away. Both of them look extremely worried at the sight of Paz’ father.

“Paz.” Dez greets his son.

Paz gingerly removes his arm from around Raga, but she follows when he walks over to his father. “Father. What… What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my son.” Dez replies, reaching out to grab Paz’ shoulders, looking him up and down before snorting a laugh. “And what a sight!”

Paz manages a faint smile. He’s taller than his father now and working on becoming as muscular as him.

Seeing the unease in the boy’s eyes makes Dulsissia frown and she looks up at Davarax, but he simply looks every bit as nervous as Paz. Clearly the awe-inspired fear that everyone in the Covert had towards Dez and most Vizlas didn’t just apply below ground.

“And little Raga Saxon.” Dez drawls, turning his attention to the one next to his son. “Not so little anymore. Quite the warrior. Your mama said you were doing well. I’m pleased to see she’s right.”

Raga dares a careful smile and nods.

“Vizlas and Saxons, it would be a powerful clan union.” Dez points out, now sounding smug.

Paz clears his throat. “We… we took our helmets off, father. I don’t think they care what two outcasts are doing.”

“Don’t underestimate the influence your father has.” Dez gives Paz a couple of semi-harsh pets to the cheek. “As far as they know, you removing your helmet is just a rumour.”

Paz frowns, looks down. “I’m not going to lie and pretend I didn’t take it off. I’m not a liar.”

Dez lowers his hand and his t-visor stares at his son in silence for several long seconds. “I see…”

An awkward tension follows and eventually Dulsissia steps forward, trying to put on her pleasant face that she used whenever rival families had to meet during the social events on Seswenna. “Let’s all go inside, shall we?”

Luckily her trick works.

Paz’ reply seems to have knocked Dez off balance a bit and he spends the next couple of hours talking to Davarax, just glancing over at his son as if he doesn’t quite know how to approach him again. “I have to admit,” Dez says, having turned ignoring Dulsissia into an art form, “I did not expect to find you like this, Davarax. I didn’t think you’d last long without the Covert. Without her.”

“How is she?” Davarax asks, careful hope in his eyes for news about his sister.

Dez shrugs. “Like she always is.”

Davarax smiles a little and Dulsissia feels guilt wrapping around her heart. If not for her, Macero would not have sent the mercenary after Davarax, his helmet would have stayed on and he wouldn’t have had to leave the Covert. Davarax being here is her fault. She wonders if he regrets saving her that day when they’d met for the very first time.

No, he wouldn’t regret something like that. But maybe he regrets bringing them to the Covert? Maybe he regrets letting her into his room that night?

When it is time for dinner and the others return to the house,  Dez declares it is time for him to head back to the Covert. He says so with a final look over at his son, but Paz tenses up and stares at the floor, which leads to him merely offering Paz a formal goodbye and stalking out of house, ignoring the other children gawking at him.

Dulsissia walks over to Paz, touches his arm and gets his attention. “You okay?” He nods, but it’s not really convincing.

Din appears on Paz’ other side, shoves Raga away, and punches him in the shoulder. When that gets him an angry glare, Din speaks. “He’s a douche. This is your home now. Trust me, leaving will only make you realize that. We’re your family too.”

That actually makes Paz smile and to Dulsissia’s delight, he pulls Din into a hug. It’s so sweet. It’s adorable. It’s… She sighs when she sees Paz’ biceps starting to bulge and Din squawks angrily before he starts trying to battle his way to freedom before he’s squeezed flat.

“I’m hungry.” Barthor whines.

“Let’s go eat.” Dulsissia declares.

-

That night, Dulsissia struggles to find sleep. All of her babies are in bed, safely tucked in, her husband is drowsing next to her, all is well, and yet there is an unease in her chest. She turns to look at Davarax. “Dav.”

“Mmh?”

“Are you awake?”

Davarax opens one eye to look at her. “If I say no, will you go to sleep?”

Dulsissia grins.

Sighing, Davarax turns on his side, fluffs his pillow and settles to look at her. “What’s on your mind?”

She reaches out and fidgets with the collar of his shirt. “Do you regret it?”

That brings a confused frown to his face. “Regret what?”

“Bringing us to the Covert.” Dulsissia rests her hand to his chest. “You lost everything because of that one decision.”

“I didn’t lose anything.” Davarax counters, reaching out and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I gained a family. You, the kids, that scary twi’lek, a genuine Hutt and even our three bothersome neighbours, I wouldn’t trade this for the Dark Saber.” He leans over and gives her a soft kiss. “Without you, I’m scared to think where I’d be today.”

Dulsissia’s eyes well up with emotional tears as usual. “My life was horrible before I met you, I know it would be horrible today without you.”

“No regrets?” Davarax asks with a faint smile.

“No regrets.” Dulsissia confirms, burrowing close to him and savours the sensation of his arms going around her.

“Dav?”

“Yes, Dulcy?”

“Will you help me take the Creed?”

“Yes, cyare. It would be my honour.”

The unease in her chest is suddenly nowhere to be found and holding on to each other, they both slip into a peaceful sleep.

-

The End...?

[shadowdianne]

Shattered [SQ one shot -I guess xd]

For you, @waknatious because we both knew all too well what would happen when you send me that post Xd I’ve cut out the angst significatively though, I would call this hurt/comfort at best. And you are one of the very few that may make me write something for these two again, sparingly, very sparingly so… Love you, always.

Lu.

Based on 6x08 I’ll be your mirror.

General reminder that I’ve done very basic editing on this one. I will maybe go back and change some things but who knows.

-.-

Her tongue felt like sandpaper when she woke up, her brain pulsing with a head-splitting migraine and Regina needed to blink a few times as she felt the touch of gravel against her face and exposed hands and forearms, her right hand still holding to a body that began to stir almost at the same time as she. She could feel nausea beginning to crawl up her throat and she did her best to swallow as she blinked twice, thrice, as she heard a shriek at her side, her own voice ricocheting against her ears as the Queen took a look at her surroundings.

In all fairness, she thought, her body tense, she hadn’t had that much time to think about what she was about to do. Her arms had moved in autopilot, calling forth every single piece of her that hadn’t been siphoned out of her back when she had split herself. When the dragon had hit the mirror, she had felt the magic calling forth from the other side of it. Emma, always reacting Emma, had probably merely answered instinctively to it, letting her own magic act like a magnet to it. She, however, had stood her ground, knowing that her other self would reach for the now hotter-than-lava glass and so when Emma had been expulsed from the world behind the mirrors, she had reached outwards, grabbing The Queen’s by the hand, and pushing them both backward, wishing the portal to close at the majesty’s back. The magic, the little sniff she had gotten from the outside world, had thankfully answered her call.

“What have you done?” The Queen’s eyes were bloodshot, her usual demeanor broken like the mirror shards that covered the wall where the mirror had been propped against, the one she -no, not she, her, not her, them- had spent so many hours prying through. With a snarl, the Queen turned to the now broken glass and frame, maybe hoping to find a piece that still showed the interior of the vault. None of them, however, showed anything beyond the clouded sky that had covered every single reflective surface ever since Regina had been there.

Chuckling, mirthless, Regina stood as well, ironing her clothes in one movement, her hands getting trapped for a moment on the small, scorched holes on the back of her blazer. The dragon seemed to be gone, perhaps suffused out like Emma had gone, returned, mayhap to the safety of his shop. That didn’t sit exactly well with the brunette, but she resolved to focus on the matter at hand; the irate Queen.

Who, now, turned towards her once more and grabbed her by the shoulders, knuckles white, seething.

“I’ve trapped you,” Regina replied, freeing herself with one quick move. She might not have her magic, but there were a few pros on being fighting with herself; knowing the extent of her own strength was one of them. “You were right, at the shore, everything I’ve dreamed, you have dreamt it. So, I thought a little surprise was in order.”

She wasn’t lying, not entirely. After all, she had seen the opportunity when the dragon had hit the mirror, but she hadn’t had any promise that the idea would work. For everything she knew, the magic could have thrown them away all the same, the imperfections the mirror had created in the fabric that kept the world beyond the glass together fragmented beyond any kind of repair. But one wasn’t at Emma’s side all this time without picking a thing or two and improvising, while wasn’t her preferable course of action, was one of those things.

The Queen, however, was having none of it, and she moved closer to her once more, her heels crunching the glass and the gravel, the tower they had been moaning perilously as she did, as if her anger could reach to the still erected beams and destroy everything at once.

“And so.” The other woman said, eyes narrowed, lips turned into a fine line, a rictus so similar to her mother’s that Regina froze for a second, a moment, anxiety seizing her muscles. The queen seemed unaware, or at least not preoccupied about it and so she kept on talking with badly disguised anger. “You thought that pushing us both here, trapping us, was the way to go?”

It was Regina’s turn to snarl, her hands at her hips as she kept a healthy distance between herself and, well, herself.

“Anything to keep you contained. I am not going to sit idle while you try…” She pointed at the shattered mirror, where Henry’s face had been, so close, yet unattainable. “Whatever you planned on doing with my son.”

The Queen blinked, momentarily stunned only to start laughing, cackling, really, as her eyes returned to the cold hatred Regina was so familiar with for she had been the one giving similar glances back when the two of them had been together.

“I was giving him a choice.” The Queen replied as the laughter ebbed away from the two of them, cascading down the dilapidated ruins around them both. “Something you have not been able to give you him.” She was looking down on her now, her face maybe covered in some residual dirt and yet managing to look every bit of the Queen she had once considered herself. Regina bit back a reply, chest forward, fingers curling as she wished for her magic to be within her reach if only for a moment. Nothing, however, came to the movement and The Queen’s lips curled as she focused on Regina’s movement, eyes turning into slits. “You are pathetic. Weak. If I could kill you I would do so in a heartbeat. You can’t expect to be his mother, you are not strong enough.”

Regina tried her best to let the words wash over her, harmless, but she still felt the distant pang of the words she sometimes said to herself while trying to fall asleep. She had been so sure, back in New York, that her choice was the right one. She missed those moments in where regret was framed by very small significant moments, a barely-there sentiment that she could push away as she kept on doing with the Queen’s voice on her head. Ever since the split, however, doubts and corrosion clouded her judgment, her own actions. The Dragon had been right, despite how much it pained her to admit it: the battle should have been kept inside herself rather than trying to externalize it as she had done. Because now she was nothing but the other side of a coin; one that had lost part of its vindictiveness, of her strength.

She hadn’t voiced it aloud, of course, with everything happening at once there was truly no moment to admit she felt her own connection to her magic different, changed. What was she going to do, she often wondered while trying to sleep, while reaching for sleep and numbness, if Emma did indeed die? What would she do if she was left alone, to take care of a Henry that would be devastated? Would he blame her for the death of his mother? Would everything she had built turn into ashes yet again?

The Queen tilted her head, sensing how her words had, indeed, touched her, and Regina cursed inwardly for every bit of her that belonged to the woman in front of her.

“What I was doing.” The Queen said, the triumph of the one knowing themselves right echoing on her tone. “Was trying to make him worthy, worthy of the title that will be his, worthy of a name and a position that you, for whatever reason, seemed to be refusing to take. I had to clean up your mess, Regina. Again.”

There was a maniac glint on the Queen’s eyes as she said this, the world around them silent, still, in an almost halted breath as she took another step towards Regina.

Regina recoiled. She had never considered how much of her own mother she had channeled when turning into the Queen, when the title and the façade had melded into one single person, the one now left behind the woman she could have been under very different circumstances. She, now, could see it; the burning devotion, the need, toxic, like gas, that spread around her her own intent for control. She could see it now, however, once more, and she felt stripped away of her strength as she faced her own face, so sure of how pain was the only path to take, the only debt that needed any kind of retribution.

“You are the one on the wrong.” She replied, but her answer felt weak even to her own ears. Doubling down, she pointed at the now broken mirror a few paces away, her muscles protesting as the headache doubled its efforts to blind her. “I managed to get you here, Queenie. Remember that. For every time you thought you had the upper hand…”

The other one interrupted her, scoffing dismissively towards her as she did so.

“This is one last attempt to stop me. Giving that you enchanted the mirror in the first place the spell will soon be dispelled. You cannot do anything right; you are nothing but a lesser part of me, one that thought she had access to feelings, memories, a life. You are a shadow, not the other way around, Regina.”

The headache grew in intensity and Regina could feel the anger beginning to boil inside her her, hotter than before. Muscles tensing, she was the one who took a step forward now, the set of rubble at her feet sliding for a second before they settled themselves once more. The sky above them, the intermittent set of clouds and starred glow, seemed to grow darker as she moved closer to the other woman.

“You live because I decided to take a potion, you wouldn’t otherwise. And as I tried once, as I did once, I will reach inside my chest and rip our heart even if it’s the last thing I do.”

The Queen laughed once more, not fazed by the words. Regina’s whole body felt aflame, the usual way in where she dispelled her anger, in how she channeled her fury, cut away from her but her fingers kept on twitching, calling forth magic she didn’t feel, knew it wasn’t there. If only she could, she thought as she stood, as the world around them kept returning to glittering mirrors, reach once, follow the words with actions…

She had made a promise, she thought with a start, Emma’s face appearing on her mind’s eye, the way the blonde’s eyes had clung to hers as the dragon roared above their heads, returning to her. The blonde had looked pale, tired, like she always looked lately, devoid of any fight herself as if already preparing herself for a funeral that wasn’t still written. And Regina, couldn’t wouldn’t really blame her. Even if with every comment, every dejected admission of how Emma didn’t see herself alive for much longer, made her want to grab the blonde woman by her shoulders and ask her why she seemed so intent on thinking there wasn’t any other way for her to survive. Why she seemed so convinced that Regina would destroy and maim and do whatever it needed to be done in order to prevent such. But, even if the Queen might have replied, Regina, the one she was, currently, never quite did that, far too many times biting her tongue and looking away as the blonde kept on glancing at the world around her as if nothing but sand compose every single thing she touched. Sand about to disappear between her fingers.

And yet, she had made a promise; “You're not sacrificing yourself, and neither am I.” One she had broken almost as quickly. But one that would keep Emma, stubborn Emma, trying to find a way to her. Because no matter what, she knew the green-eyed woman enough to know that despite everything, the blonde would actually try her damnest to retrieve her. If only to tell her how she dared. “You’ve taken this too far.” She would say to her, with fewer words, maybe, and a lot more anger. But that was the way with them both after all.

And despite how she had been the one pushing both sides of herself inside this realm, this world, she almost wanted to laugh bitterly at it; she had seen the blonde push her away from a vortex only to swallow down the darkness that threatened to take her. So, if she kept on standing, even for a moment longer, maybe a portal would be opened, maybe magic would pour inside, maybe she would be returned to her full abilities for only being able to actually pluck her heart out, finish a job that she felt was long overdue.

The only thing she needed to do was to keep on searching, keep on waiting, and study the surroundings, trying to find the mirror that would, indeed, do the trick.

The Queen had kept on talking, her voice a shrill that made its way into Regina’s ear.

“You wouldn’t dare to kill me, Regina, since I am the one that has kept you alive for so long. Or do you think mother would have kept you around after she returned from the Enchanted Forest if it wasn’t for what she saw on me? Do you truly believe that it was you who told Peter Pan that you had no remorse? Do you think, even for a second, that it was me the pathetic one, trying to get ahold of a love that seemed to be prophesized by some fairy dust? You are the one who hurt us, who kept trying to find solutions for a problem that did not even exist; I was the one reigning, I was the one that should be in control.”

Regina blinked, the ire on the other one’s words making her voice louder, almost a scream as it was now the one whose fingers twitched as if waiting for a fireball that didn’t manifest.

The movement of her eyes made them fall into the spread glass pieces around them, most of them from the mirror at her vault but others larger in shape and size. The original one they had been trying to mend. The one Sidney had been trying to use.

Maybe…

“I hurt you?” She said, moving to her left even a fraction in order to see if her suspicions were right. It was only a couple of shards, her mind told her, not enough to create the mirror, certainly not enough to escape. But if the glass was powerful enough she maybe could see where it would have directed her if they had been able to repair it.  “Tragic. Last time I checked I wasn’t the one trying to hurt my son.”

That got a reaction, enough of anger directed at her rather than at her movement for Regina to position herself next to the shard. It was clouded, like every other piece, but they were close enough to the smashed one. Maybe, with any luck, there would be enough residual power for it to react if she touched it.

“You can’t expect me to apologize.” The Queen replied, raising her hands with an almost smirk curling her lips. “Not when you are a coward who refuses, again and again, to reach for what should be ours.”

That made Regina stop, a second, two, the tone had changed there, minutely, and she eyed the other brunette with renewed anger.

“Don’t.” She warned; she knew the tone all too well, knew what it would preface, and she didn’t intend to have the conversation with herself, not like this.

But The Queen sensed the blood in the water, and, like a shark, she lunged.

“Don’t? Don’t say anything? Like the million times, you have stopped yourself in a pathetic try at honor that is so risible you made every piece of me crawl?” The Queen seemed about to attack now, muscles seizing beneath her clothes, and Regina prepared herself as she bent her knees; she knew that she herself wasn’t above a physical fight if there was no other option after all, and she needed to get the shard before the Queen realized what she was doing. “You could have everything you want if you only would let me take control. You could have her, as stupid that notion is. But no, it was always better to keep being honorable, being good.”

That made Regina bare her teeth.

“What do you want me to say?” She didn’t wait for an answer, though, she truly didn’t want to listen to it. Moving down, she grabbed the piece of glass, hard enough for her skin to be pierced by one side of it while wishing for the magic to reply.

The answer, however, did come, not from the Queen, however, but from inside herself.

“That you love her. That if you were selfish enough you would tell her, you would have her. That you would keep her safe, and alive.”

It didn’t matter, of course, the moment The Queen saw what she had grabbed, realized what she was doing, any kind of physical answer was ripped out from her lips, transformed into a growl deep enough to wake every slumbering heart inside her vault. Moving towards her, The Queen reached for the glass, the one that was indeed showing pieces of what seemed to be the woods, vines, crystals colored by moonlight, tall trees surrounding a clearing.

Regina didn’t have the time to realize what the glass was showing because the Queen’s hands grabbed her by the wrists and pushed her down as the rubble moved once more, trembling, and cascading down one of the many cracks the dragon had created with its breath. She felt her feet slip as The Queen grabbed the shard as well, both of their blood trickling now from the shard as they fell through the rock.

Down, down, down.

-.-

It was always interesting to see how their little town felt almost circular on the way magic run through it. Curses were dispelled and created almost as easily as difficult they should have been, death and life following each other in a perpetual circle. Emma wasn’t one to dwell on such things, she quite rather preferred to react to things, act if needed to. Anything else, anything that would make her stop and think even more about what surrounded her, made her anxious enough to wish for a way to disappear enough for everything to fall into ruin, and despite everything, she kept on choosing to stay.

Family was always and always had been a fickle, complicated, difficult term for her. She rather wanted to keep what she had created and found. Even if that in itself made her throat seize and close whenever she thought twice on the realness and proximity of her death.

She had said it to Aladdin herself after all; she had indeed tried to escape once. Or twice. But who was counting?

Her knee bounced as she kept on checking her watch and phone, the incessant beep on the room keeping everything, from the white corners, the hospital bed, the bright lights, that surrounded her a stark reminder of how she now couldn’t do anything but wait and sit still.

The moment she had crossed the glass she had turned, grabbing for Henry a second too quick to realize what had happened. The boy had melted into her hug, and she could very well picture him a tad younger, hugging her, close strong enough to almost hurt. She had, as she always did, imagined how many hugs she would miss from then on, but she had pushed through the thought, turning to her side where she expected for Regina to be, hugging just as tightly. The place, however, had been vacant and when she regained enough of her senses to focus on something beyond the boy, she had seen that they both were the only ones on the vault, the mirror broken in pieces and no Regina nor The Queen in sight.

“No!” She had whispered, turning towards where the anvil had been, about to smash it to pieces if needed. Henry had blinked and turned as well; his jaw set in such a mirror image of his other mother that it made Emma bit down her lip. “She didn’t cross.” She had muttered them, for the boy to shake his head and point where a few pieces of glass had been ripped away from the left side of the mirror’s frame. “She grabbed her; she made her fall to her.”

Emma had blinked then, anger rising inside of her, ozone filling the air as her magic returned in full force to her, dirty white clouding her pupils for a moment.

“I told her” She had said, still eyeing the mirror, as if expecting Regina to appear behind it. “I told her that the deal was to none of us needed to sacrifice themselves.”

At the end, they had tried just about everything they could do and when Hook had appeared, hook blazing “I thought the place for her Majesty to be would be the vault, that’s why I came.” He had made her leave the vault. Which she had done not after grabbing a shard of glass and keep it, resolved to find a way to get to Regina.

They had gone to Rumple, even, the man far too preoccupied with Belle and the Sorcerer’s wand to truly give them any more information. But they were short on magic users and Emma had insisted, arguing with Hook when the man had tried to placate her. She needed to return Regina to Storybrooke, she had said with gritted teeth and magic spilling out of her in thick blobs of ire and despair. No matter who she talked to.

“You can’t save them.” Rumple had said, however, eyes focused on the spun gold he had hexed, and Emma had wished to be able to be quick enough to punch the man before his own magic guards reacted to her. “It was already a miracle the mirror at her vault reacted to you alone and that was majorly because the Queen was on this side. She merely tapped onto Regina’s magic. But you can’t, not from here.”

She had stormed out of the shop, going back to her place only to stare at Snow as the woman told her that they were indeed going to liberate Regina, but they would need time.

“I don’t have time.” She had replied, fiercely, and pretended not to see the looks both Hook and her mother gave to each other. Henry had nodded just as fiercely, still on the clothes of the dance he had been supposed to go and Emma felt pain as she thought on how proud Regina had looked when staring at him, how worried she had been for his safety. She had admitted she didn’t know how to raise him but, honestly, as she watched him, she realized they had indeed done a good job, Regina had, indeed, do a good job. And she was planning on telling her that herself. “I don’t have the time, mom, to wait. And Regina doesn’t deserve to be kept on waiting with,- with her! Have you forgotten what she has done, already? What she has given away for us? They, you! All saw what she did when I thought my mind was too far gone, clouded by darkness. She kept on believing I could dial back, turn back. I’m not going to leave her just because it is not the best moment to find her. I will do it even if I need to reenact a curse myself.”

She had felt breathless after her speech, realizing with a numb afterthought that it had been a while since she had talked for so long without being interrupted. She had squared her shoulders and turned back, despite the pain of seeing her parents like they were she couldn’t keep still, idle, she refused so. She pretended not to listen to Hook as the man called for her and with Henry in tow, she closed the door of the apartment with a swish of her own magic, her boots heavy on the floor as she walked out.

It had been then when she had felt a blip, a distant call of a magic that felt mauve and purple and had a distinct scent, and her mind, her own magic, reacted to it as it exploded just behind her eyelids.

She had found both Regina and The Queen at the clearing where they had left the Glass coffin, its frame destroyed as parts of what it had been surrounding the two brunettes who were still holding a piece of it with bloody hands and wrists. They had been unconscious, eyes closed, and for a moment, a far too long one, Emma had feared the worst.

They still had a pulse, however, and when she had knelt next to Regina, very little had mattered the verdigris staining her clothes as she tried to see if her heart was still beating. The brunette had a gnash on her forehead and was far too pale for Emma’s liking. She had instructed for Henry to call an ambulance, his eyes panicked, his own blazer quickly turning into a short blanket over Regina’s form as they waited for the medics to arrive, a quick array of questions and answers being thrown into anyone who would listen to her and then, later, after getting a phone from one of the medics that had brought both Regina and The Queen, to her father as her mother had kissed him awake a few minutes prior.

And so, now, she waited. Still. Unable to do anything but wait.

The Queen was now being watched by her father and a reluctant Hook. When he had tried to follow her to Regina’s room she had stood her ground on wishing to be alone. Regina had gotten out, the man had told her, pointing to the sleeping form of the brunette. Yes, she had, Emma had replied, but she had been unable to tell him that part of the anger that still burned within her came from the fact that she had been factually unable to help her; Regina had gotten out by a mix of luck and magical practicality, a loophole within a loophole created by her blood and the Queen’s on the shard of the mirror that had been not other than the reflective surface of the glass coffin. Blue had been quite succinct at the explanation since she wasn’t versed on witch matters but Emma had caught the gist of it; given that it had been Regina who had created the original hex tying her to the place and how the object Sidney’s mirror had been tied to had ended up being the coffin, the magic of the original curse, the one that still lay dormant around Storybrooke, had called forth the Regina that had cast it originally, both sides of her.

That or she truly needed to study more magic; theory wouldn’t, after all, help her with her current conundrum: knowing that if it hadn’t been for that set of events she wouldn’t have been able to save the woman that now laid next to her. And that, in itself, was a far worse concept than any magical theory they could throw at her.

What kind of savior was she, she considered, fingers intertwined, clasped, knuckles white, feet firmly planted on the floor, knee perpetually bouncing, if she couldn’t help with something as straightforward as a magical jail? What kind of path was she in that she felt even more helpless than when she had first learned she had magic running through her? The title, and what came with it, stung, and weighed her down more these days, with each passing moment the never-ending realization that she wasn’t good enough to even be considered anything despite how her days had an end that kept on looming closer and closer.

There could be a myriad of other details she could be focusing on, of course, but she kept on returning to that point of her logic, not entirely sure what she was supposed to do. Henry had asked to stay, and she had complied, but Violet had appeared a few minutes in and had managed to get him out for five minutes to eat something, to talk. Emma had insisted on Henry to go; “If anything happens I’ll let you know.” She had said, lips thin, voice brittle, and Henry had stood his ground for a few more minutes before sighing. He, too, seemed to be eager to do something, anything, beyond waiting. And Emma couldn’t quite blame him. She at least hoped Violet would make him talk, if only so his feelings didn’t end up exploding inside of him, like bonfires. Which was precisely what she felt like: a straw puppet about to succumb.

“Why do you care this much?” Hook had asked her the moment she had told him to leave her be. “They are too far gone! They will probably not wake up until a few hours at least.”

But that hadn’t been the correct question because it held an answer Emma didn’t want to even consider, not aloud, not for herself and herself alone. So, she had shaken her head, pointed him to the door and turned.

Now, however, with the beep ringing on her ears and nothing to do but wait and count the lines and cracks on the floor, she felt her mind circle back to the question, the multiple ways in which she could have answered it. None of them felt right, not entirely, the multiple concepts of co-parenting, of friendship, correct but lacking. And so, she rose her hands and covered her eyes with them, pressing her fingertips against them until everything she was able to see was black upon black with dots and lines of colors that changed too fast for her mind to fully name them all.

“I told you, I trusted that you would be the one for him once I’m gone.” She mumbled, hoping for her voice to be sufficiently muffled. The noose around her neck tighter and tighter still as she tried to swallow, to form words that seemed too big for her lungs. “Fuck, Regina.”

She glanced up, her vision needing a few seconds upon adjusting, the scent of the hospital room not strong enough to dissolve the ozone and the scent that was Regina’s magic on itself, a soft cloud that had covered the brunette’s body ever since Emma had found her and The Queen, residual and just as weakened as its master, but still there. She now reached for that magic, for Regina’s forearm as her own felt as if pooling on her wrist, around her fingertips like cracks of electricity breaking through the air. If anything would have asked her, she wouldn’t have known why; neither she nor Regina touched each other that much. Touch, like everything else, was done following a pattern: one out of necessity, of high tension. They were economical in their interactions, perhaps because allowing themselves the luxury of simply reaching for the other would be too close to admitting that they wanted to simply be. Emma hadn’t exactly considered it, she had merely replied to what Regina gave her, knowing the fragility of what had been, at best, a truce at first. She now, however, reached for the other woman softly, index finger touching the other woman’s body in a shadow of a caress that felt far too short-lived.

Especially because the moment she did her magic burst out of her in tendrils that felt both gas and liquid in nature, wrapping themselves around Regina’s arm and ascending to the other woman’s mouth as they deposited themselves into her skin, glowing and turning from dirty white to purple a second before disappearing into her.

There was a beat, a second, and then brown eyes opened, searching for Emma’s hand, and clutching them tightly as, down the hall, David’s voice could be heard “She’s awake!”.

[They didn’t hear The Queen’s response for it was said through gritted teeth and breathless whispers, but the majesty’s eyes also glowed with dirty white quickly turning purple, electricity solidifying itself and turning into a plume that enveloped the woman, a final “I know the truth now” an echo that didn’t register to the ones in the room as they scrambled and tried to restrain her to no avail.]

No, they didn’t hear any of it, for it was later retold by David to Henry who had entered the moment screams could be heard, Violet in tow. But Emma kept her hand on Regina’s arm a little longer, eyes glowing, as the brunette coughed up a “Seems that sacrificing myself didn’t quite work.” That made Emma flush, worry renewed.

“We are in this together.” She lowered her voice, as steps echoed outside. “Don’t you dare to pull another one of this on me.”

Regina had smirked then, weak but awake enough for the line to form. “Understood.”

Because if anything happens to you there’s no rock I will turn nor a soul I will not destroy.

-.-

PS: *raises head from what they are reading* Oh, you expected them to kiss? Come on, it’s me! I didn’t call myself a little tease for anything during all the years I wrote for these two Xd Consider this a lost scene, a what if that could have happened. Despite my own personal head canons on when Regina actually started to realize she might be in love with Emma I always liked the scene of Regina at the vault as she and Emma got out of the mirror and Hook came into play. There were plenty of layers there that were always delightful to consider. I needed to do some twists on what happened canonically on this one -and I’m pretty sure the glass coffin ended up in another place rather than being kept at the clearing- but I’m not going to start considering OUAT cannon as something important to follow now, uh? Anyway, this has been written for W and also as a way of a writing exercise for me. As always and forever, comments are very much appreciated. General reminder that me writing for these two every other half a year or so doesn’t mean I’m back to the fandom but I will be delighted to listen to what you think of this one. And please, go and read waknatious’ stories because she is a truly amazing creator, and she deserves the love.

Dianne out

x

[platypanthewriter]

Vines

Harringrove April day 19, Vines!  Maid Stephanie Harrington encounters the Outlaws of Sherwood Forest.  I wrote this all in one swell foop today, so it's unbeta'd, and I'm very sorry.  XD

The Fair Maid Stephanie Harrington, ward of the king, was riding.  She liked riding, in general, when the horse wasn’t too slow, except at some point the riding always stopped, and she arrived, and she had to give her regards to whoever her presence was supposed to convey the depth of the royal regard to.

It was like being a medal, she thought, sometimes—the prince gave a few weeks of her time to someone, as a prize, and they showed her around at feasts in her honor, and kept her locked up in a box.

Whoever pleased him enough, she’d marry, she was pretty sure, hoping it wasn’t Guy of Gisborne, the current recipient of the prince's favor.  He always smiled just a little when she was angry, and the thought of being near him forever was not to be borne.  She blew through her cheeks, trying to enjoy the ride through Sherwood Forest, and urging her horse just the tiniest bit faster.  

One of the sheriff’s guards grabbed her horse’s bridle, slowing it back to a walk.  “I can lead you, my lady,” he said, smirking.  “If you can’t control such a large animal.”

Stephie stared at him, biting her lips together before she called him every name she could think of.  “I am fine, sir,” she said, thinking, I hope the girth breaks on your saddle, and you slide right off.  

“There have been thefts in the area,” said the sheriff.  “A band of bandits.”

“I’ll protect you, Milady,” her guard told her, pulling her horse closer.

She was about to dig her heels into her horse’s sides—just run, jumping over the tree limps fallen in the path—when she remembered she had nowhere to go, and she closed her eyes, wishing she’d been born a man.  She could have gone with the king, were she a man.  Coul have fought bravely and well, and won honors—a castle of her own, perhaps.  A wife, she thought, feeling a twist in her stomach as her cheeks flushed.  She imagined taking her helmet off after winning a tournament, and accepting a victory kiss from someone with dark curls and a sweet smile.

Or, she thought bitterly, she could have died.  Chosen to leap in front of the king, saving his life at the cost of her own.

Chosen.

The guard refused to return her reins, smiling as though she was a petulant child, and she rode along gritting her teeth and imagining him snapped off his horse by a dragon, his spine gleaming in the sun.  The dragon would steal her away, she hoped, imagining flying, when an arrow shot by her face, and all around her.  The guards yelled, their horses stamping and rearing, and in the confusion, she snatched her reins back.

“Guests in our merry wood!” came a voice, and Stevie jerked aorund, staring at the massive oak above them to see two women, one laughing, one with an arrow drawn, smirking faintly.

Of course they’re in trousers, Stevie thought vaguely, staring.  They could hardly have scampered up a tree in gowns with long daggered sleeves.  They were in command of the whole clearing, Guy of Gisborne, the sheriff, and his guards all staring in shock, and that was probably why Stevie’s heart was pounding, she thought guiltily.

“Welcome all!” yelled the one standing, holding the vines, as the one with the bow narrowed her eyes at Guy of Gisborne, Stevie’s current host.  Everyone aorund was muttering “Outlaws!  It’s her, it’s Robin Hood!”

“You won’t take the king’s ward from us!” yelled Stevie’s idiot guard, trying to grab her reins again, and she groaned inwardly, along with the guards around her, who groaned aloud.  She nudged her horse into sidling out of his reach.

“The king’s very own ward?!” the loud one called down.  “Welcome, my lady!  What fine neighbors these, to bring us not only the taxes, but the loveliest guest in all of England!”

“You’ll have to kill us all first!” yelled the daft guard, yanking his sword out, swinging it as though he could reach the women in the tree, and nearly beheading Stevie.  He nicked her horse’s neck, and it reared, whinnying in righteous indignation as arrows started flying again at the guard’s arm.  The other guards rushed at the people in the trees, who started swinging in on vines, and it turned into a melee.

Stevie clung to her horse like a burr as it kicked and reared and the guard swung wildly at the arrows, and then she heard a yell, and saw a flash of green behind and beside her as the louder of the two women swung down on her vine and kicked him off his horse.  She started to fall under their hooves, struggling to sheath her sword in the mess of horses, and Stevie grabbed her, grappling her close.  

“Hang on to me,” she hissed, and her rescuer did, locking strong arms around Stevie’s waist and panting in her ear as Stevie directed her horse out of the mess with her thighs and heels, and charged up the path, her whole body buzzing with the energy of the air before a thunderstorm.  Her horse galloped, finally, leaping the fallen logs with ease, and Stevie whooped with excitement and relief, laughing.  They galloped until her horse slowed, blowing and prancing, and sidling around as she glared out at the forest.  

“Good girl,” Stevie told her, patting her neck and panting, as her passenger slid her arms from around Stevie’s waist.  

“They’ll call us kidnappers, now,” she breathed in Stevie’s ear, her hands patting at the saddle as she tried to find purchase not on Stevie.  

Stevie reached around behind and pulled her closer.  “I’ll tell them you rescued me,” she laughed, turning to grin over her shoulder.  “He’d have beheaded me, in a moment.”

Her kidnapper had wide, blue-grey eyes, long eyelashes, and flushed cheeks, from close up, and Stevie laughed again at the gold in her curls, remembering the curls she’d fantasized sinking her fingers into moments ago, as the winner of the tournament, getting a kiss.  She was giddy, she thought, unable to stop smiling.  

“...I’m Billie,” said Billie, licking her lips, and grinning back, a little.  She was warm and solid against Stevie’s back.  “My lady.”

“Stevie,” Stevie panted.  “I kidnapped you, I think, more than the other way around,” she told Billie, gripping her hand, and tugging it back around her waist.  Her horse jerked her head up at a stream, and trotted towards it.  When it stopped to drink, Billie swung down, then, as Stevie dismounted, caught her around the waist.  

“Hello, princess,” Billie said, smiling.

“I’m not actually a princess,” Stevie confessed, reaching up to see how the curls felt against her fingers.  “I’m sorry.”  Billie’s lips were soft, she thought, against her thumb.

“Everyone knows who you are,” Billie told her, smirking a little, and leaning into her hand.  “Stevie,” she whispered, tasting it.

Stevie couldn���t stop thinking about all the things she’d known, until today, she couldn’t do, and she watched Billie’s half-lidded eyes, and her smile that looked like she knew something Stevie didn’t, and then just...threw her arms around Billie’s neck and kissed her.  Billie made an undignified snorting noise, then kissed her back, warm and breathless, and Stevie started laughing again, when she pulled back enough to breathe.  

 Billie offered to walk home, but Stevie didn’t want to leave her, just yet, not when she told such entertaining stories, and the blush over her freckles was so warm.  When they got to the camp, everyone was feasting.  Guy of Gisborne tried to apologize to Stevie at least six times, gripping her arm hard, but she shook him off, and kept walking away, following Billie to see the little school in a tent, and the still, and the treehouses.  

A weight drew them up on another vine—creaking as it swung them up through the air—Stevie’s arms around Billie’s neck to hold the rope, Billie’s arm around her waist.  They stepped off onto a swaying bridge of woven rope, and Stevie staggered.  Billie grabbed her, bouncing on the ropes so it shuddered, and Stevie yelped, but Billie laughed, pulling her close, and kissed her again.  

“You think I’d let you fall, Princess?”

“I think you might,” Stevie panted, her stomach somewhere on the ground below, but she followed Billie across the bridge to a little house chipped right out of the living wood of the tree, with a walkway all around it, and a shingled roof.  There was a cot, and a lute, and Stevie leaned to look down over the camp, hanging on to a tree branch dizzily.  “...I would never come down,” she whispered, and Billie laughed, her eyes widening again.  

“You feel right at home in tall towers?” she asked, and Stevie elbowed her, sighing.  

“When I saw someone coming to take me somewhere,” Stevie said, softly, so Billie had to lean in, “—I could cut the rope.”

 When they left, Robin Hood herself saw them off—Stevie at the head of the party, allowed to keep her small knife, and everyone else’s arms and armor loaded into a wagon, while they rode out of the forest in their smallclothes, escorted by the merry souls of Nottingham forest.  Billie grinned up at her, walking alongside them, and Stevie beamed back, then jerked her head forward so Guy of Gisborne wouldn’t write to the prince that Maid Stephanie had come unhinged.

 Two nights later, Stevie heard her name by the window, and ran to see Billie clinging to the vines.  “I see you do live in a tower, princess,” she panted, once Stevie had hauled her inside.  

“Why are you here,” Stevie whispered, delighted, and Billie grinned back, her eyes flicking towards the door.  

“I thought this was how it was done,” Billie whispered back, leaning in for a laughing kiss.  Her curls swung down from her shoulder, and Stevie tucked them back up over Billie’s ear.  She’d kissed winners of tournaments, on the cheek—dodging their attempts to capture her lips—but kissing Billie was nothing like that, all soft lips and quick smiles.  “I brought my lute,” she said, swinging it down over her shoulder.  “I’m no dab hand at poetry—”

“Ssssh!” Stevie hissed, laughing, and then she ran and barred the door.  “No poetry.  No music, you’ll be caught—”

“I meant to sing under your window,” Billie said, frowning over her shoulder, “—but I would fall in the moat.”

“Do not fall in the moat,” Stevie told her, giggling again, because she couldn’t stop, the glee of kissing Billie hitting the wave of fear of Billie found, Billie slashed in half for climbing her tower.  She grabbed her outlaw and hugged her, squeezing her like they were swinging through the air again, and breathing the smell of the woods, and the river she must have washed in, and a little perfume that smelled expensive, that she’d definitely stolen.  Billie arms were muscular, and Stevie’s hands fit comfortably at her waist, and around her hips.  

Billie leaned in to kiss up her neck, soft and a little wet, and Stevie leaned her head away, her hands everywhere, feeling Billie’s strong shoulders from climbing, and—daringly—cupping the softness of her chest.  Billie felt no hesitance there, sliding a hand down inside Stevie’s kirtle, and finally Stevie set her jaw, pulled away, and yanked her whole kirtle and cote off until she stood there in her chemise, so thin she shivered.  Billie stared back, and then laughed, her whole face reddening as Stevie drew her over to the bed.  

 “...I meant to bring you a rose,” Billie whispered, as they both panted, after.  “It fell.”

“I am glad to see you,” Stevie laughed, watching Billie’s fingers on her hip, where her chemise was rucked up to her waist.  “Rose or no rose.  Bring me a weed next time, and I’ll be just as glad—but you mustn’t come here again.”

“Why not?” Billie asked, her freckles shining with sweat, and Stevie leaned close to taste her skin.  

“You will die,” she whispered against it.  “Someone will see you, and you’ll die, and if I never see you again, at least I’ll know you’re in the trees, safe and well.  Better than than full of arrows, and drowned in the moat.”

“No one will see me,” Billie whispered, and Stevie pinned her.  

“Promise me,” she hissed.  “Promise me you won’t come again.  Billie, please.”

“There are promises I can’t possibly make,” Billie whispered back, smiling unsteadily up, and Stevie groaned, and let herself fall on top of her, and kiss her until she laughed again.  

 Billie came many times more, and they fell into bed easily, Stevie daring to undo her trousers—and try them on, afterwards, turning the shiny brass of her dinner tray to see herself from all angles.  Billy lay naked, smiling, the candlelight making her skin glisten, but her eyes were red. 

“...when are you leaving,” she asked, softly, and Stevie stopped, and walked over to press kisses down Billie’s side, until she giggled and kicked, and pulled Stevie down on top of her.  Stevie leaned on one elbow to kiss the slight softness of Billie’s stomach, and the curve of her breasts, and sighed.

“I am not sure,” she said, watching the muscle flex in Billie’s jaw, and kissing it in apology.  “You know I would stay, for you.”

“Stay for what,” Billie whispered, curling away, and swallowing hard, and Stevie curled around her, pressing kisses to her freckled shoulders, and then her neck.  “A house in a tree,” Billie said hoarsely, and Stevie stopped, remembering the way they’d soared up in the air, on the vines.  

“I would stay,” she repeated.  “...and they’d burn the forest to find me.”

Billie cried harder, and Stevie’s eyes burned.

 The next time she went into town—restless without Billie in her bed, and furious at herself for the longing in her kisses goodbye—she heard Billie’s name in the mouth of the Sheriff, and rode over, her veins running stiff and cold.  The hammering on the gallows sounded louder, suddenly, echoing like a gong.

She’d been caught holding up a tax payment, and everyone in the crowd was very quiet, whiteknuckled as the Sheriff took down the posters of Billie’s face.  Stevie walked forward and snatched one, clutching it close as she stalked back to the castle, her attendants running behind her as she ran up five flights of stairs to her room, to the seal of the king, and wrote a pardon.  She signed it, and sealed it, and hid the seal again, running back downstairs to give it to the sheriff—but he told her to see Sir Guy of Gisborne, and he laughed in her face.

“I am ward of the king,” Stevie told him, trying not to yell, or shriek, to stay calm and lovely, to get a man to listen to her, but he shook his head, smiling, and tossed the letter on the fire.  

“I know you looked on these outlaws fondly,” he told her, knowing the tax rates, knowing the prince was months from a rebellion by every barony in England, “—but we are harsh on lawbreakers, as we must be.”  He patted her cheek.

Stevie walked out, ordered her horse saddled, and then yelled “YAH!”, and took off at a gallop, ignoring the shouts behind her.  

It wasn’t hard to find outlaws, in the wood.  

She’d ridden barely a mile in when a voice ordered her to halt, and she drew her horse to a stop, even as it huffed, stomping in a circle, catching her nerves.  “I’m here for Billie,” she said, as loud and clearly as she could.  “Billie Hargrove.”

“Haven’t you heard,” the someone said.  “She’s hangin’ tomorrow.”

“No, she’s not,” Stevie fired back, gripping her reins.

 Robin Hood herself recieved her, sharpening the heads of her arrows.  

“How can I help?” Stevie asked, crouching next to her, and watching the others fletch arrows in silence.

“Haven’t you helped enough already?” Robin scoffed.  “She’s nearly been caught a dozen times, climbing your tower.”

“I told her not to,” Stevie whispered, her throat closing.  “What—what is the plan, how can I…”

“There is no plan,” Robin said, snorting softly.  Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen in the light from the fire.  “Do you have a battering ram for us?  A trebuchet?  Thirty or so archers can hardly take the Keep.”

“You can’t give up,” Stevie shouted back, aghast.  “You have to—”

“I can not get inside,” Robin hissed, whipping around to lift Stevie’s chin with the arrow.  “I am known.  I can blend with the spectators, and what then?  Watch her drop?”

“Blend with the spectators, then,” Stevie told her, grabbing her sleeve.  “Fill the crowds with—”

“And do what?” Robin asked, her eyes shiny in the firelight.  “What then?  Should we throw dung, Milady?”

“Your bows and arrows,” Stevie breathed, realizing.  “You can’t bring them inside.”

“We will attend, and keep vigil for an old friend,” Robin said, flatly, as her eyes spilled over.

“I will bring the weapons in,” Stevie told her, shaking her arm.  “I can help, I can—I will bring them.  Get me a wagon.  Bring me the king’s deer.”

“...what?” Robin asked, glaring at her.  

“I am the ward of His Majesty King Richard,” Stevie breathed.  “I am allowed to hunt the deer.  There will be a feast, for the hanging of an outlaw of Sherwood.  Put your weapons in a wagon.  Cover them with the deer.  I will get your weapons to you, inside the Keep.”

Robin stared at her, and then grabbed her arm, bruisingly tight.  “Bring me a wagon!” she yelled, her voice raw.  

 The three outlaws that joined her blended in well—Alanna Dale, the minstrel, whose flip responses to the guards made them laugh, a friar who brought them ale, well dosed with liquor from his still, that made a grown man stagger after only a few sips, and Much, who introduced himself as “the miller’s son”.  Stevie busied herself calling orders to everyone that contradicted the last orders she’d given, until half the courtyard was bringing her a litter, half bringing the kitchen to her to view the deer, and Much, Alanna, and the friar made off with the well-wrapped weaponry in the confusion.  

Sir Guy came to see her on her return, and raised his eyebrows at the deer, and Stevie nearly lost her head, gripping her sleeves from inside as he laughed.  

“So quickly does the female mind turn,” he said.  “Just this morning you were eager to save this outlaw, and now you celebrate her demise?”

“I offer proof I am King Richard’s ward,” Stevie shot back.  “Will you remember, now, and grant my pardon?  We can as well celebrate her release.”

He smiled at her, and patted her horse, and Stevie had half a mind to order her horse to turn and kick, but she gritted her teeth instead.  Guy of Gisborne watched her face, and then beckoned to the guards.  “Escort my lady to her room,” he said, smiling, "—and see she does not leave.  Her emotions are running high.”

Stevie gasped with fury, finally screaming all the thoughts she’d had at him, that he was a coward, and he’d die on the rope himself when King Richard returned and she could tell him all about the taxation, until he stepped forward and covered her mouth so hard her head smacked back against the wall, and she saw colors behind her eyes.  They threw her in her room none too gently, and then, they searched for the royal seal.

They didn’t find it.

Once they were gone, Stevie reached out her window, and tested the vines.  She left her hair down in a braid, unadorned, and her gilt overdress behind, and tied only her knife, the royal seal, and some money to her belt before tucking her long skirt into her belt, and swinging a leg out the window.

The first foothold she found yanked loose from the wall, and she bit back a scream, clutching the vines to her as her heart pounded, but the ivy was old and thick as her arm, and it held.  She was shaking with exhaustion by the time she could step onto the wall, and fall the dozen or so feet into the Keep.

 She could hear the crowd around the gallows, some jeering, some screaming—it was hard to tell through the noise.  She saddled her horse quickly, charging into the courtyard to see Billie with the noose around her neck, her eyes wide as they took in Stevie on her horse.  She smiled as the executioner pulled the lever, tears spilling out of her eyes, just as Robin’s arrow whooshed through the air with many others, and cut the rope.  The executioner fell, and so did Billie, stumbling forward to where Stevie could shout her horse forward and grab her arm, dragging her up alongside.  

Billie’s arms were tied, so Stevie hauled her into her lap, slapping her horse’s reins against her neck and kicking her sides for a burst of speed, and no one expected King Richard’s ward to commit a jailbreak, so Stevie and her prize galloped by the dazed, drunken guards with little more than a startled “Oho!”

They ran until the Keep was far distant, slowing only to a canter, as Billie laughed and cried, shaking in Stevie’s arms.  “You came for me,” she kept whispering, and then laughing, as though it was hard to believe.

“I always will,” Stevie told her, wiping her own eyes, overflowing from sheer relief.  She squeezed Billie’s shoulders to her, kissing her hair, and her forehead, and occasionally bruising her mouth with Billy’s skull, because of the long strides of her horse.  “You came for me,” she pointed out, and Billie laughed, finally untied after much struggling, and slid her arms around Stevie’s waist and back.

Billie guided her to the camp—deserted, with the attack on the Keep, so they sat and talked nervously at the fire, exchanging kisses and wiping each other’s tears, until Robin strode back in.  “You have to leave,” she told Stevie, and Billie’s arms tightened.  “They’ll summon armies.  With you here, they’ll ride to war.”

Stevie pulled Billie to her for one last kiss, and it was salty.  Stevie cleared her throat,  cleared it again, and then gave up and nodded, biting her lips together, before taking one last look at the little house in the tree, and the vine that led there, and Billie’s furious, teary face.

The road back seemed long.  Guy of Gisborne locked her in again, and she sat at her table wishing she’d heard Billie play the lute, or sometimes she embroidered, wishing to set the world on fire.  

She wrote to Anne—Nancy, her friends called her—the girl she’d once fantasized about rescuing from monsters, but Guy was opening her letters, she knew, so she barely explained.  Still, when they finally rode on from Nottingham—finally, she thought, both longing to ride on forever, and never see it again, and longing to turn ‘round and never leave—Nancy was waiting for her in her quarters, and Nancy had a plan.

“You must disappear elsewhere,” she said, and Stevie clutched at her hands, her breath catching in her throat.  “You must disappear in a way they’ll never trace to your outlaw,” she said, and Stevie let her go, because Nancy sometimes needed to pace as she planned.  This was one of those times.  “What if you were thrown from your horse?” Nancy asked, turning to face her.  “Riding alone?  My wetnurse is nearly family, and close enough to a doctor.  If she told Guy of Gisborne you’d died…”

Stevie grimaced, a little, imagining the king returning to such news, but the problem was his absence, after all.  “Do you think it would work?” she whispered.

“Say you’ll ride a wilder horse,” Nancy suggested.  “Then when you fall, you can leave on your own.”

“They may kill the horse,” Stevie pointed out, with a pang of guilt.

“Leave that to me,” Nancy said, and Stevie did, striding into the stables the next morning to snatch the stallion from the wide-eyed stablehand, and riding out into the sunrise.  

 When she rode back into the forest, her fine clothes traded for trousers, her face hooded, the voices didn’t recognize her, but they hailed her horse.  “There’s Billie’s girl!” one called, and another, “No, didn’t you hear, she’s gone and died,” and a third, “Is the horse a gift, then?”

“Take me to her,” Stevie yelled, too tired for politeness, and they realized who it was.  

Billie was by the fire, her eyes red and swollen, and Stevie swung off her horse and knelt beside her, gathering an entire weeping outlaw into her arms.  “You came for me,” she sobbed, her arms so tight Stevie gasped.

“I always will,” she laughed, pulling Billie over to the vine that led up and away.

The other Harringrove April prompts I’ve done