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you-call-it-a-dude · 8 months ago

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I Love You, It's Ruining My Life

Pairings: Regina George x Female Reader (technically, kinda?), Regina George x Aaron Samuels (for the plot), female reader x random female character (for the plot also)

Summary: You and your wife move into your dream house. Unexpectedly, your new neighbor just happens to be your ex (P.S: your wife doesn't know she's your ex)

Warnings: idk? Aaron Samuels? lol. Pregnancy. tension? Probably things considered infidelity

Author's Note: besties, I'm not quite sure what this one is lol. Was just an idea swirling around my brain that I felt I needed to write. I know everyone wants another Call It What You Want chapter. I am def working on it. I just feel stuck and feel like writing other things will get me back into it. I do not plan to write a part two for this one BUT idk if yall decide you want to cheat on your wife I might consider another chapter lol but if the consensus is to stay faithful imma stick with one lol.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. Also, happy pride monthhhhh ily

-----

"Hi there, neighbor!"

You look up to see the source of the voice. A man around your age most likely. He was leaning over the fence, his eyes squinting from the sun.

You stood up from where you were planting flowers, pulling off your gardening gloves and tossing them to the ground.

"Hello!" You approached him at your fence, extending your hand out to shake his hand. "I'm Y/F/N Y/L/N. My wife and I moved in a few weeks ago. Someone down the street said you and your wife were taking a vacation. We were wondering when you would turn up." You say with a smile, resting your hand on the fence.

"Aaron Samuels." He smiles. "Yeah, I try to take a few trips throughout the year. Keeps my wife from getting too, well, you know. ." He jokes, but the way he rolled his eyes made the comment seem very...icky.

"Oh, totally. Staying in one place and working all the time is exhausting. I hope you both had a great trip." You say politely.

"Yeah, well..." he looks down and shakes his head. "Planting some flowers for the summer?" He asks, nodding to trays of various flowers lying around the immediate area.

"Trying to." You scratch your head. "It's our first time owning a house and doing this type of thing. We are definitely winging it." You use your head to point in the general direction of your wife. She was watering flowers on the other end of the yard with her back to you and her hand on her hip, her ear buds in her ear.

Alice was short with long blonde hair. She had a round face and a laugh like nothing you've ever heard of and you mean that in the best way possible. She is an extrovert, always knows what to say to who or how to get a conversation going.

Introductions weren't the most important thing right now; letting her enjoy gardening in her first owned home took precedence in your book, so you left her be.

You were certain she would strike up a conversation with him at some point in the near future anyway.

"Well, I've got quite the green thumb." He admits with an awkward laugh and you can tell by his face he regretted his wording. "I enjoy to garden." He says more seriously as if he was correcting his previous statement that you didn't even find embarrassing. Just...silly. In a nice way though.

"Well, if you consider yourself some sort of an expert, I'll take any information you know about growing vegetables." He lights up when you ask him for advice.

"I've got a really great soil that I use. I have so many bags of it. I'll run to my shed and grab them for you. I've already used what I needed and bought way too much." He explains with a small laugh.

"Aaron!"

Before you could respond, a voice from inside called to him, tapping on a window but the sun in your face made you unable to pinpoint where.

"Duty calls." He says unpleasantly and you scrunch your nose up at him when he turns around because you didn't like that response. "Next time I catch you out here, I'm bringing that dirt over!" He turns to point at you while walking backwards.

"Thanks so much! I appreciate it." You awkwardly give him a thumbs up and when he turns around to run inside, you scratch your eyebrow with your thumb. Overall you were just unsure how you felt about that interaction.

You turn around and decide to go bother your wife. She still has her headphones in, obviously still unaware of what happened around her.

You wrap your arms around her waist and she startles, the hose jumping with her and spraying the side of the house. You laugh and pull one of her ear buds out and kiss her ear.

"Hello, my gorgeous wife." You compliment and she leans into you, continuing to water the grass.

"Hi, my gorgeous wife." She repeats back. "How's it going over there?"

"Good. I met our neighbor. Or well the husband. Aaron."

"I met the wife earlier today when I was coming back from Home Depot. She was out running. While pregnant if I may also draw attention to because that's just insane to me. Anyway, I introduced myself. She was really nice." She says with a shrug.

"No name?" You tease, trying to see if you caught wife's social skills lacking.

"Do you even know me?" She looks up at you fake offended, a smile teasing her lips. "Her name is Gina." She says proudly.

"I'm not too sure how I feel about Aaron. He was nice, I guess. I don't know." You say, not really sure how to describe the icky feeling he gave off when he was perfectly pleasant.

"I think we should invite them over. Be nice, friendly neighbors. I want to be friends with our neighbors." She looks up at you with a small pout and you would never dream of doing anything that would make that pout stay.

"Sure, baby. Anything you want." You smile, kissing her cheek. "I'm gonna run inside and get us some water. I'll be back."

---

The following Wednesday, Alice tasked you with going over to your neighbor's house to see if they would come to dinner at your house this weekend.

Although Alice would have loved, and you would have preferred it, to be the one to invite them, she works until 7pm most week days and she was strategic with wanting to give them just enough notice to either accept or decline. So, since you are usually home by 5pm most nights, you walked over there with her little list of questions and a pen in case they said yes.

You hated approaching people like this. You were definitely less social than your wife.

You rang the doorbell and waited patiently for a moment. You shrugged after a long pause and began to turn away, but you heard the door open behind you."

"Can I help you?"

You paused for a moment, your feet scuffing against the cement and the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. You swallowed before turning around.

She was the last person you ever thought you would see again and here she is in front of you.

You hated that the first thought in your head was that she looked beautiful. Your eyes darted to her small pregnant belly and you could feel a pang of jealousy, a knot in your stomach.

She looked just as surprised to see you. Her eyes widened as she took a step back, her hand falling to her stomach, almost as if she was embarrassed you caught her this way.

Regina George. Your toxic relationship/situationship that lasted probably around five years on and off until you couldn't do it anymore. Things officially ended between the two of you about four years ago.

You couldn't take the arguing, the lies, the cheating, the blatant denial of your relationship and her sexuality.

You weren't a priority to her. You were someone she went to after her boyfriends couldn't satisfy her. You were someone she called when she was drunk so she could confess how in love she was with you because she just couldn't bring herself to say it and mean it when she was sober.

The last time you saw her was a big argument between the two of you. She had come over to your place after a date with some guy. She called him a boring loser, said he was nothing compared to you and then pushed you against the wall and kissed you hard.

You had asked her 'if he was nothing compared to me, why am I not good enough then?" You remember the question vividly because you thought about the wording while she kissed you. Her tongue thrusting into your mouth and she pulled away to look at you confused before you asked it because you weren't returning her kiss with the same amount of eagerness she was used to.

Her face softened for the briefest moment before she narrowed her eyes at you, listing off all of the reasons why you weren't good enough. She had a smile on her face afterwards, like she was challenging you to do or say something because you hadn't defended yourself in the past so she certainly wasn't expecting it to happen then either.

When she leaned in to kiss you again you dodged it, telling her to leave and that you were done.

You had never seen her look so...devastated. Her face dropped and she apologized repeatedly. She held your face in her hands while she peppered kisses across your face, but you were done. You felt disgusted with yourself, disgusted with her.

The both of you cried and argued for another two hours before she finally relented and left.

Twenty minutes after she was gone, your doubts crept in and you went to call her. To tell her to come back. That you were willing to degrade yourself to the point where you would be her secret side piece if it meant you had anything with her.

Except by the time you went to call her, she had already blocked your number. Blocked you on everything, actually.

And now you were standing at her doorstep, both of you looking like you've seen a fucking ghost.

"Hi." You finally speak after a few seconds, clearing your throat. Your eyes dart to Aaron sitting in the dining room behind her. "My wife wanted to know if you and Aaron would be available this Saturday for dinner at our house." You look anywhere but her, keeping the conversation strictly neighborly.

"I, we-" she starts, but Aaron realized you were here and stood up from where he was posted up.

"Is that our neighbor?!" He says in a tone of voice that just screams 'white dad'. "What brings you by?" He reaches out to shake your hand again and Regina just rolls her eyes.

"My wife wanted me to invite you two for dinner. This Saturday if you're available." You say, yours eyes squinting slightly from the sun setting behind their house.

"Yeah! We will definitely be free for that." Aaron agrees and Regina just nods.

"Great! I have a list of questions I was instructed to ask now." You chuckle lightly and pull the list and pen from your pocket. You look up and see Regina crack a small smile and it makes you fumble the pen when you try to take the cap off. "Okay, any allergies?"

"No allergies." Regina says and hearing her voice again makes your heart race.

"Is chicken fine?" You read the next question off the list, squinting at the little note Alice left. "She is hesitant to do steak because she doesn't want to have to serve-" you pause briefly. "to serve Gina a well done steak."

Calling her Gina felt weird. So fucking weird. She used to tell you she hated it when people called her that.

"Chicken is good." She says, but Aaron sucks his teeth in a silent annoyance. "Or not."

"No we can do chicken." He says, his tone of voice very different than before and you almost feel like you're intruding.

"I'm sure Alice will be happy to make you a steak, Aaron." You smile, trying to diffuse this added layer of awkwardness to an already awkward situation.

But he was also kind of pissing you off, too.

"I don't know why you have to make things so fucking complicated." Regina starts.

"It's okay, really." You look at her and say calmly, swallowing the urge to reach out and touch her. She stares at you for a moment and nods. You look down to your question sheet quickly, not wanting to stare at her too long. "What do you like to drink? We will get whatever you want. Juice, beer, sparkling water. Literally anything."

"Oooh," Aaron rubs his hands together "can I have Bud Light?"

"Mhmm!" You nod. "And you, R-Gina." You correct yourself quickly, shaking your head.

"I'm okay with water, thank you though. Can we bring anything? A side? Dessert? I don't want to show up empty handed."

"I will have to run that one by Alice." You smile politely, knowing damn well the little paper she handed you explicitly says not to let them bring anything.

"I can just ask her myself." Regina says confidently, taking the sheet of paper and pen from your hand. Your hands touched when she snatched the pen from you and you can feel yourself holding your breath. She flips the paper over and writes her number on the back before handing it back to you. "Just have her call me tonight or tomorrow whenever she gets a chance." She gives you a small smile.

You take the paper and nod, looking down to see her number hasn't changed. You folded the paper and shoved it into your pocket, repeating her phone number in her head just to prove to yourself that you still could.

"Cool, I will have her do that." You say awkwardly, feeling stupid for even going over there because Alice is still gonna end up being the one to coordinate things with Regina, sorry Gina, anyway. "Have a goodnight."

You give them an awkward wave and when you turn around to walk through the path in their front yard, you can hear them begin to bicker behind you.

Alice gets home around 7:30pm that night. She wraps her arms around you while you plate the dinner you made. She smelled like a dental office and she gave you a sticker from your favorite Pixar movie, most likely having pulled it from the bin of stickers they have for their pediatric clients.

She went to change her clothes and freshen up, coming down about ten minutes later to dinner being plated and ready to eat.

She sat down next to you and the two of you talked about your days briefly before she finally asked you if you completed the objective you were tasked with.

"Well, partially." You say, taking a sip of your water. "I went over there and was going through my little list, but Regina said she wanted to bring something and I wasn't going to tell a pregnant lady no. So I got her number and you can call her." Alice laughs and throws her head back, clapping her hand once.

"You're such a chicken. Also, Gina, babe. Not Regina." She laughs again. "Better get that down before we see them again so you're not calling her by the wrong name." She teases you.

You smack your palm to your forehead and chuckle awkwardly, your heart racing over your slip up.

"Gina, right!" You correct yourself. "Here is her number though." You pull the piece of paper from your pocket and slide it over. "Aaron was being a little bitch about having chicken."

"I'll just make him a steak then." She says casually, looking over the piece of paper with her eyebrows furrowed. "It's no big deal."

"That's what told them also." You nod and take a bite of your food.

Alice looks up, squinting to try to see the time on the microwave.

"I'm gonna give her a call now before it gets too late." She says, picking her phone up from the table and dialing the number. She held the phone to her ear, looking like she was ready to give up after a few rings. "Hi, Gina? Hey! It's Alice. How are you doing?"

You looked down at your plate, moving your food around while you tried to listen to the conversation. You could faintly hear her voice. Hear her talking about how you stopped by.

You tried to not make it so obvious that you were listening.

You also tried not to make it so obvious that you were disappointed when Alice grabbed her little notepad and walked out of the room to finish the call.

---

You've been out in the yard since like ten this morning cleaning the grill, setting up coolers, and doing everything around the house that Alice asked of you while she prepped everything for when 'Gina' and Aaron came over.

You've ran to the grocery store you don't even know how many times now to fetch any last minute ingredients or items that Alice forgot. All the back and forth setting you behind on your own tasks you needed to do.

Around 3pm Alice brought out multiple trays of various items for you to grill. Chicken, Aaron's steak, potatoes wrapped in foil, asparagus, bacon wrapped and cheese stuffed peppers. Like she went all out.

You were placing the second round of chicken on the grill when Alice disappeared and reappeared a few minutes later with Regina and Aaron behind her.

Everyone greeted you excitedly and you did the same, smile and waving at them both with the tongs in your hand. Alice got them each a drink and her and Aaron got to talking about the garden.

She led him over to your guys' tragic attempt of a garden and the two of them talked each other's ears off about.

Regina only stayed in that conversation for a few minutes. From the corner of your vision you can see her making her way to you, stopping to set her drink on the table.

You looked forward, anxiety rising in your chest each step she took until she was standing right next to you, your elbow brushing the material of her dress.

"Hi neighbor." She says in a tone that feels borderline mocking.

"Hi, Gina." You say, returning that same mocking tone and refusing to look at her.

She turns her head to look back at both of your spouses before looking to you again, her fingertips grazing your arm to get your attention.

"I wanna talk to you later, when you have a moment."

"There's nothing to talk about." You say firmly. "How does Aaron like his steak?"

"I don't fucking care how he likes his stupid fucking steak." She says annoyed, her fingertips still against your arm. Her other hand coming up to press her palm against her forehead and sigh, fanning herself off.

You can't bring yourself to move away from her touch.

"It's too hot for you over here." You say, finally turning to look at her. "Go sit down. The food will be done soon."

"I don't want to fucking sit down." She says through gritted teeth. "I'm tired of being treated like I'm delicate or breakable. I'm fucking fine."

"Fine, you're fucking fine." You say, turning back to continue grilling. Regina goes from grazing your arm lightly to gripping it tightly, her nails digging into your arm now. You flip the meat and the veggies, closing the grill. "Let's go. You obviously don't feel good." You to turn her and grab her arm carefully.

"I never feel good anymore. I fucking hate it." She said, her voice cracking the tiniest bit as she let you lead her over to the table.

You pull out a chair for her and when you notice that Aaron and Alice are too engrossed in their conversation to pay attention to Regina right now, you sigh and pull out the chair next to her for yourself.

"Do you need anything? Here, eat something." You grab the bowl of chips and place them in front of her, along with the various dips Alice made. She thanks you and nods, taking a chip and dipping it in the spinach and artichoke dip.

"So, how long have you and Alice been together." She asks before popping a second chip in her mouth and humming at the taste.

"Don't start." You ask, shaking your head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She says innocently. "I'm just being neighborly." She scrunches her nose at you.

"No, you're being nosy." You scrunch your nose back at her and stand up. "I'll be back."

You make your way back to the grill. Things are just about finished up and you begin to try to pull apart those little tin containers from the dollar store to put everything in, muttering and swearing under your breath when you couldn't get them pried apart.

You look up to ask Alice for help but she disappeared with Aaron. You look around the yard confused, still trying to pry the fucking trays apart.

"They went to go look at the front yard." Regina says, coming up behind you and taking the trays from you. She digs one of her long nails between them and pulls them apart easily. She sets one down on the platform of the grill and holds the other ones for you.

"You know, she organized this fucking thing and then ditched me." You say annoyed, putting the meat into the pan first and covering it with foil. You turn the pan to the side to make room for Regina to set down one of the smaller pans, which she does.

You take out the potatoes from the grill next. Swearing every time one slips between the tongs, which was frequently.

"Babe, why didn't you tell me you were done?" Alice says, coming through side gate and setting her beer on a small table in the yard. She rushes over to you both, nodding her head at Regina to thank her while she takes the empty pan from her hand and does some maneuvering.

Regina steps aside and you're disappointed by the loss of her presence.

"What was I supposed to do? Shout from over here?" You respond with a slight attitude, one of your eyes shut because of the smoke from the grill.

"Let's not do this right now, yeah?" She says calmly, taking the pan with the meat over to the table.

"Can I help with anything?" Regina asks from where she's standing and Alice asks if she can help her get everything set up on the table and she agrees.

You close the lid of the grill once everything is out and you wipe the sweat from your head. You stare and the two small tray of veggie sides in front of you, trying to figure out how you're going to bring them both over to the table. You looked behind you to see if anyone was free to help. Regina and Alice looked busy and Aaron was glued to his phone, titling it up toward his chest any time Regina was close.

You watched Alice and Regina get the table set up. Lay out the plates and silverware, bring out the cold sides.

You had to turn around when you realized you were paying more attention to Regina than to Alice.

You covered both of the small trays in foil and stacked them one on top of the other, carefully making your way over to set them on the table. Regina took the trays from you, her fingertips brushing against your sticky, sweaty, skin for probably the tenth time today.

"I'll be back." You say abruptly, turning around to dart inside.

Your eyes were burning, were hot from the grill, and probably feeling added heat from Regina as well. You just needed a second.

You go into the kitchen, grabbing yourself a glass of ice water and chugging about half of it, breathing heavily afterward like a fucking toddler. You turned to the sink, wetting a paper towel and wiping off your eyes then your face.

You could hear footsteps, but your face was too buried in that cool towel to care right now.

"Where do you keep your big spoons?" Regina asks.

You feel around your kitchen blindly, running your hands over the counter until you found the drawer on the left where you kept your serving spoons.

"In here." You tap the drawer and step aside, pulling the towel from your face.

"You okay?" She asks, making her way to the drawer and looking over at you.

"My eyes just burn." You blink hard a couple of times and wipe them again. She leans in closer and you hold your breath when her thumb lands on your cheek bone and tugs down slightly.

"They look really red." She says softly, her gaze visibly bouncing between your eyes and your lips.

"The smoke." Was all you managed to get out before clearing your throat and forcing yourself to step away. "So how far along are you?" You ask to change the subject and it seems to work. She snaps out of her little daze and turns to get the spoons from the drawer.

"20 weeks this past Tuesday." She says, pulling out the spoons.

"Just about halfway then." You lean against the counter of the sink. "Do you know what you're having?"

"A girl." She has her back to you, but you can hear that she's smiling and it makes you smile in return.

"That's really exciting."

"Aaron doesn't think so." She turns around with a small frown and a few big spoons in her hand. "He wanted a boy."

"Who fucking cares what he wanted." You roll your eyes, finding it ridiculous that someone could be unhappy about having a daughter.

"She moves around a lot. Do you want to feel?" She asks excitedly and you don't want to tell her no, but you should.

"Regina I-" She doesn't really give you an option because she grabs your wrist a tugs you forward, placing your hand on her belly. "I don't feel any- oh wait!" You say excitedly when you feel something push against your hand. "That's crazy." You say to yourself quietly.

You stay this way for a few moments. Your thumb moving back and forth over her belly, her hand resting over yours. Neither of you wanting to be the one to acknowledge that she isn't kicking anymore because neither of you wanted to move.

"I think you put her to sleep." Regina whispered and when you looked at her you knew you needed to step back. You knew you needed to pull away because she was looking at you like she wanted to kiss you and your wife was just outside.

You could hear her laughing at whatever stupid shit Aaron said.

"We should probably get back outside." You whisper, your thumb still rubbing over her bump. She squeezed your wrist, almost like she didn't want you to let go.

"Okay." She says calmly, but neither of you move.

Not until the back door slams and you hear Alice laughing and talking loudly, wondering where the two of you went.

You quickly placed the towel back over your eye and Regina quickly opened and closed the drawer as if she just got done looking through it, the two of you well versed in the art of recovering before you got caught.

"Everything okay in here? Baby, what happened?" She rushes over to you, pulling the almost dry towel from your face.

"My eye just wouldn't stop watering and burning." You say, wiping them off once more and tossing the towel in the trash. "I couldn't see so I couldn't even help Gina find the spoons. I kept leading her astray." You chuckle at your own lie.

"It was a mess, but we managed somehow." She lets out a fake laugh and holds up the spoons. "I'm sorry for taking so long."

"Oh gosh, you're too sweet. Don't apologize." She puts her hand on Regina's shoulder and starts to usher her outside, you following behind them.

Dinner was nice. You learned a lot about Regina and Aaron as a couple and they learned about the two of you in return.

You were surprised to find out that Aaron was the loser Regina had gone on a date with the night the two of you ended things.

Though that was an observation you had to keep to yourself, you could see Regina shift uncomfortably in her seat when she realized you put two and two together.

You learned that they only moved into this house about a year ago and have been married for almost three years now as opposed to you and Alice who have only been married a year and a half.

They talked a little bit about the baby, how they were preparing for her, that they are trying to go on trips and such before she gets here. You could practically feel the disappointment radiating off of Aaron.

The way Alice nudged your foot under the table made you think she felt it to and you knew you would definitely be discussing it later.

Alice told them both just about everything about the two of you. Where you met and how, how long you dated before getting married. All the details you tried to avoid giving Regina earlier Alice spewed out like it was nothing.

Regina's face hardened slightly when she realized that you met Alice at the tail end of your relationship with her. Clearly choosing to ignore the part that you two didn't actually start talking seriously until almost a year after the break up.

Clearly, Regina choosing to harp on irrelevant bits and pieces of a story is still something that hasn't changed.

You also found it interesting that although she consistently dated and slept with men during your time together that she would get upset that you merely met someone, exchanged information, then didn't speak again for almost a year and a half.

You excused yourself from the conversation and Regina's dirty looks to bring out dessert.

You opened the fridge to see a coconut cake that you know Alice didn't make. You raised your eyebrows in a silent excitement because you knew that meant Regina brought it and you wonder if she brought it purposely because she knew it was your absolute favorite whenever she or her mom would make it.

You pull it from the fridge and grab the cake knife from the drawer, carefully walking out of the house with the cake.

"I really hope coconut cake is fine, Alice. You said you weren't picky on the phone and this cake is like a staple in my family." Regina says, her eyes finding yours immediately as you set the cake down.

"We love coconut in this house. The cake looks great and will be very much enjoyed, I assure you of that." Alice says with a slight laugh, taking the cake knife from your hand and going to work on handing out the slices.

She asked how big of a piece everyone wanted, you tried to wiggle your hand inconspicuously to let her know you wanted a bigger piece, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment when Alice called you out on it, saying she 'didn't know you enjoyed coconut THAT much' while also being accommodating and giving you a larger piece.

You grumbled when you took the piece from her, looking up to Regina who was biting back a smile, or maybe a smirk.

You took a bite of the cake, humming at the taste. Somehow it tasted even better. You weren't sure if Regina just perfected the recipe or it had just been so long since you had it. Maybe a combination of both.

When Alice asked about the recipe and where it came from, Regina started talking about her mom and where she got it from. You could hear the two of them talk, but you weren't listening anymore.

You were looking down at your cake, pushing it around your plate now. It tasted great, better than you remember even.

But that's the issue. You weren't tasting this cake for the first time. You were tasting this cake for the first time in years and every little scenario that could be associated with this cake was popping into your brain. Like every single bite was just something new to think of.

When you tried it for the first time when meeting Regina's family. When introduced you as her friend and you all played card games with her family until 1am. Regina had told you she didn't think she could ever have that much fun with her family.

The first time Regina tried to make the cake herself because she knew you liked it and she burned it so bad, but you still ate it because she was crying about having messed it up.

When she made it as your birthday cake one year and it came out absolutely perfect, but then the two of you got into an argument because she was going to go on a date instead of coming out with you and your friends. You had only one piece of it before she grabbed the cake with her bare hands and threw it to the floor of your apartment. When you burst into tears over your ruined cake, and other things, she kneeled on the floor and cried while she cleaned it up. Telling you in between sobs that she was sorry and she'd make you a new one.

You set your fork down and pushed the rest of your cake away. Everyone was in the middle of a conversation, so you really didn't think anyone would notice.

Except Regina fumbled over her words mid conversation as soon as you did it and when you looked up, you saw her eyes darting between you and Alice. She shook her head slightly and pushed her hair behind her ear, recovering her fumble smoothly.

You felt bad. You pulled the cake back toward you again and continued to eat it. Quickly realizing that although it tastes just as good as it used to, it would never taste the same.

---

Regina and Aaron left around 7pm. Regina helped Alice tidy up while you made them both plates of leftovers to bring home with them. Aaron sat on the couch and turned your tv on. Alice said he could, but you just didn't like that he actually did it.

You and Alice settled into bed early, both of you exhausted from all the things you had to do today. Though Alice finds that kind of stuff way more rewarding than you do.

Alice was already tucked into bed, her back toward you while she talked about how much fun she had today, how great Gina seemed, how useful it could be to have Aaron around, that she would love to hang out with them more.

Your responses were automatic. You were hearing her, but not really listening. All you could offer right now were some 'yeah', 'I agree', 'I'm glad, babe'. It's all you had in your right now.

You put on your pajamas and stood at your nightstand, taking off all the jewelry you had on today.

A sliver of light through the window caught your attention, both of you forgetting to close the shade before getting dressed. You made your way to the window, going in between the curtains to look for the little rope to close the shade.

You caught glimpse of Aaron walking around in his underwear and went to hurry to lower to shade, seeing way more of him than you ever would've care to.

But you paused when Regina walked into the room, both of them having some sort of heated discussion before Aaron waved her off and walked out of the room.

You knew you needed to close your blinds now. To give Regina privacy to change her clothes. Except you watched her move around her room instead. You watched her pick out her pajamas, pull her sheets back.

When she turned around and made eye contact with you through her own window, you felt like you had been caught. You looked away quickly, pretending the shade was stuck.

When you finished your fake fiddling with the shade, Regina was still staring at you. When she saw she had your attention again, she wasted no time pulling her shirt above her head.

She was naked from the waist up, giving you a view of her small pregnant belly and her breasts. You breath hitched in your throat and you gripped the string on the shade tightly, mentally scolding yourself because you know you needed to look away.

Instead you continued to watch her as she snuck her thumbs under the waistband of her shorts, ever so slightly beginning to pull them down.

"You coming, baby?" Alice says from the bed behind you.

You turn around quickly, yanking the string and shoving your way out of the thick curtains.

"Yes, I'm coming, babe!" You say, your heart racing for many reasons now. "I was just being nosy. There was a cop parked across the street. They just left." You lie, turning around to peak behind the now closed blinds again. Regina had closed her shades in your absence and you sighed in relief through your nose.

You rubbed your forehead with your fingertips and climbed into bed with your way, turning off the lights before you settled.

You laid on your back, Alice's feet tangled with yours. She fell asleep quickly. A trait you wish you possessed. Instead you lie awake, thinking about the whole incident at the window. About how you almost wish Alice didn't call for you. That her shade was still open and she was there waiting for you when you returned.

Alice snuggled closer to you, throwing an arm over your stomach and smushing her face into your shoulder. You rubbed her arm softly, your thoughts still plagued by Regina.

Is it too soon to be thinking about selling this house?

#regina george x reader #regina george x you #my fic

141 notes · View notes

marty-parties · 5 months ago

Text

Happy September 15th! Which, if you didn't know, is 'leave a comment day.' I could be wrong though, since my source is a poll i took on my other blog - either way, i've come up with a fun idea.

In honour of ‘leave a comment day’ i’ve made a list of all of my favourite fanfics/authors that I can think of atm, and I wanna leave a nice little note about them and their work! This isn’t in any particular order, tbh it’s mostly me going through my AO3 bookmarks and re-reading all of my fav fanfic, haha.

I honestly had no idea 'leave a comment day’ was a thing, and if you didn’t either, show your favourite authors that you appreciate them! Anything from a heart emoji, or a key smash, or an insightful/heartfelt comment will do wonders in terms of showing/being appreciated.

A lot of these fics below have influenced me in some way, big or small, into how/what I write today. I guess I wanted to give thanks where I could. (It’s also just really sick to make a doc full of your favourite things,and I highly implore you to do it too, even if you don’t wanna post it. (That's totally fair, no pressure.) I keep going over in my mind what I like about each fic and ‘oh, this fic is different from that, but it’s still fantastic, oh and this fic, too,’ etc. it’s such a fun little snowball effect of positivity, i definitely recommend you do this if you have time and need a pick me up, haha.)

Little note, here, If you’ve seen that I’ve read your fic, but found you’re not on the list - it’s not that I don’t like you/or work! I probably very well did enjoy it! I found as I was making this list it was taking a lot of my free time. (Free time that i’d rather like to use writing or reading more, haha.) And, I feel like this list is already so wickedly long ‘cause I can't shut my mouth to save my life, to add more might be a little bit much to read all in one go. 😅

So, please don’t be upset if that’s the case! ily *mwah*

Also, there’s a few nsfw fics mention at the end, so if you’re a minor, pls buzz off, that content isn’t for you! I also recommend you check the links on some of these fics. I think I’ve included warnings where I think they’re due, but you know yourself better than i do. And, who knows, I might’ve accidentally missed a tag or two - So, please take care of yourself out there!

You’ll notice i’ve either included a source for either the authors tumbr, or AO3. I originally was going to try and do both, but i lost steam. Each story is linked to their author, on some site, promise.

Last thing, most of these fics are in the undertale fandom, tbh. It’s been my ride or die since highschool, so i’ve got a lot of love and things to say. You won’t find any frans or foncest here, i’m a reader insert girlie, simply put, and I don't care much for those tags on the fics i read.

Quick legend here:

Complete = complete work

Ongoing = still updating / i think they’re still update

Incomplete = either hiatus, or just incomplete

So, without further ado-

Road Side Attraction (Ongoing, teen+ rating) and Dirty Laundry (Complete, teen+ rating)

By Popatochisp (AO3) / popattochisp (Tumbr)

I’m going to be grouping together fics by author. Usually when I find one I really like, i really lurk around their tumblr/AO3 for others, haha.

–AND because I can’t think of one fic without the other. I find myself going back to read them both quite frequently, usually on rotation, they’re my little bedtime stories i keep on repeat in my mind, lol.

I mean, if you’re in the undertale fandom how can you not know about pop? For me, them (and luluwrites, among a few others i can’t remember rn,) –were really impactful to me growing up, as I think it was to a lot of people. (Tbh they’re still impactful, actually. I find myself going back even pretty often to read the same fics I read in high school.) They’re like the one piece of media you read in English class in high school that sticks with you throughout your adult life. (Looking at you, monkey’s paw.)

Pop has like 1,000 different au’s to choose from, all with fantastic and deep characterizations and lore.( I don’t know how they do it, i’m only writing a/b ONE skeleton rn, and i feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to get his characterization right. I couldn’t imagine doing that for every single au they have. God damn.)

I especially love Roadside Attraction, because of how easily i can relate to it? I’m deep in the sticks, a town more populated by livestock and people. When I read this, I can really put myself i MC’s shoes - b/c i’ve been there! (Hah, maybe not the dating skeletons part, granted, lol.) But it’s such a fantastic read, I love any and all media that has a vibe that it could take place in like a rural Montana. (think scenes in Twilight. Tall spruce/pine trees, misty morning, the possibility of seeing bigfoot, that sorta thing.)

And Dirty Laundry? Come on, dude. What a love letter to the swapfell universe, truly. If you haven't read it, you gotta. The world building, and the changing POV’s are so damn good, that every chapter feels crisp, and like you’ve got a really good inside scoop of each character. You can’t knock the characterization in this one, fellas. All the dynamics are so dead on - how Sans and Papyrus interact, how Sans and Alphys – dude, even how Sans and Toriel interact read so deeply in character. Everyone’s motives and ideas make sense to each character and the conflict that it brings. Big fan. 10/10, will definitely read again and again. (There’s also a ‘Menswear addition, where the reader has he/him pronouns if that’s your cup of tea!)

Bones Picked Clean (Incomplete, teen+ rating) and) Apéritifs (Ongoing, Mature rating)

By Skelezbian (tumblr) / luluwrites (on AO3)

Woof, where do I start?? I think Bones Picked Clean is another one of the first fics I remember being a really impactful piece of undertale fanwork that stuck with me. I know they’re not the one who created the whole ‘lodge’ scenario, (if you know, you know. Thank you @Tyrant_Tortoise, we’ll be seeing you next,) but they put a spin on it that is so interesting to see. The problems feel very realistic, like something that can easily happen in a house full of busy bodies with not enough communication. And, ohmygod the MC. My first love, truly. You get to see each set of skeleton brother’s, and watch how MC’s befriends them all. Granted, they have a track record of putting themselves in dangerous situations, for reasons revealed in the fic, but they’ve got a heart of gold, and a PHD in being a sweetheart.

The horrortale boys really shine here. I haven’t read much horrortale centric fanfics, but I really like the soft horrorale’ spin. The healing after the damage, the sunshine after the storm, watching the fauna overgrow, etc. I love watching characters grow when love is shown, and here, you can really see it here. I love domesticity, and using food as a love language– which is something this fic has in spades!

(I also love love swapfell characterization in this fic, chapter 13 does a REALLY good job of walking you through the mindspace of sf pap. But in terms of favourties, i’d have to say that would be Chapter 18. You get to see sf pap’s relationship with his brother! You really see/understand their dynamic, and how they really act as brothers behind closed doors. The other reason it’s a favourite is the inherit domesticity! Maybe I’m a sucker for the normie, slice of life, but how MC and sans chit chat at the start of the chapter is so cute! )

Warning: mention of past cannibalism, past murder, past abuse? I think that’s it, maybe check the tags to be sure. They sound scary, but I promise it’s a very sweet story.

Ohh, Apéritifs. First of all, what a clever name! I’m a sucker for word play, and this title alone really did it for me, haha. (if you don’t get it, please google ‘define Apéritifs’, and you’ll be just as jazzed as me.) They’re three stand alone one-shots featuring a different skeleton each chapter. I will say, I think chapter 3 is my fav. It’s actually heavily inspired me to make one of my one shots - it’s that good! I love the world building in it, as well. Really, you can’t go wrong. (Lulu really knows how to nail flirty dialogue, in very funny ways. ‘��so, you a fan of spare ribs, or just mine?”’ (ch. 3 – Apéritifs) KILLS ME, oh my god, what a funny flirty little one-liner.

Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By Tyrant_Tortoise (AO3) tyranttortoise (Tumblr)

Man– SSLL walked so we all could run. The amount of ‘lodge’ type fanfic dynamic i’ve seen, BECAUSE of this fic is wild. I might be wrong in saying this, but I think they were the one who came up with the whole ‘lodge’ type scenario, like all the reverse harems with all the au’s.

I haven’t read anything of theirs in a long time, but I wanna pay my respects where respects are due. Tyrant made one hell of an influential fanfic, enough so, that I’m pretty sure if I had a timeline of fandom evolution on undertale alone– I think there would be a noticeable difference in the before and after SSLL. Which, is so sick!! To have influenced a whole fandom with a concept that we’re still seeing it years later? (I get that trends sorta tend to last longer in fandoms than they do irl, but isn’t that such a neat thing to think about?)

I’m going to age myself (and maybe you, reading this a bit, but–) the first chapter was posted in 2017. 2017! Isn’t that nuts to think about? I was literally 17 at the time. No WONDER it stuck with me, my teenage brain was looking for all the serotonin it could get from fandoms. (wow. Things haven't changed all that much for me, haha.

Skeleton Ex Machina (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By Cryptid_jack (AO3)

Ohh, okay, for all the SSLL fans out there, you probably already know who cryptid_jack is. And if not, I'll gladly tell you!

They’ve made this cool ass AI AU (it’s a LOT cooler than it sounds, I promise!) in their words, ‘a fanfic of a fanfic’ that’s actually in Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady (see above.) I’d recommend reading SSLL to fully understand this - although, if you’re good at picking up context clues, or maybe don’t mind missing some context, I don’t necessarily think you’d have to, since jack does a really good job of showing the reader everything that’s going on. (although, i really recommend you do.)

I think this au is so cool, it’s literally tagged as ‘Quarantine Sans’ (which, i’ll be the first to say, that maybe that name didn’t hold up too well, with recent 2020 events, an’ all that. Pandemic aside, it’s a cool name for an AU!)

It’s also really fun to see two friends in the fandom interact with each other's works like this. Even reading the note at the start of the fic, you can just feel the camaraderie and care that went into paying each other's proper respects.

Big big ups, hats off to proper manners and friendship!

All’s Fair In Love and (Prank) War (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By torrikor (AO3)

Ohh, this is a short and sweet 2 chapter read. I don’t the author is going to circle back to it, but i suggest you read it anyways! the idea is so so good! In essence, MC and sf sans are roommates, and MC starts a prank war. I love love love their dynamic, their bickering is a real treat to read, that, coupled with their size difference? Sign me up!

My Favorite Thing (Complete, teen+ rating) and A Conversation Starter ( Complete, teen+ rating)

By peachwhimzy (AO3) peachwhimzy-things (Tumblr)

I’m a slut for their characterization of sf pap here, oh my god. Both are so so good, and i know i must sound like a broken record by saying I love how this author interpreted his character - but i can’t help it! So many people have good ideas and ways to showcase a character! Sue me.

A Conversation Starter is another one that’s inspired me to write a little one-shot. It’s so fantastically written, sf Papyrus and MC are at a bus station, both the first human and monster either have met. The world building is subtle, but wonderfully done. MC is so damn cute in this, and so is Papyrus, who’s really just trying to keep the conversation going, lol. There’s a delightful slice of life aspect to this.

Honestly, a lot of of Peach’s work feel very domestic, and sweet, and romantic. Sorta like i’m reading a studio Ghibli movie. Do yourself a favour and go check em out!

Late Night Shift Romance (Complete, teen+ rating)

By Inumaru12 (AO3)

The one fic on here that’s not a romance,how about that. (I guess that’s not technically true. There's possibly something budding, if you squint. I always read it as platonic friendship- it’s fanfic! Read it with whatever context you’d like!)

Burgerpants and MC are at the same convenient store late at night, and there’s a robbery. Friendship ensues. I love seeing the background character of undertale, and honestly, who doesn't relate to Burgerpants? Perpetually working shitty minimum wage jobs, trying to chase his dreams - that’s rough. I appreciate a character who can give a nod to class solidarity.. I think Inmuaru12 did so well writing his character, it feels like he was plucked out of the game himself, haha.

My Dearly Detested Delivery Man, (Complete, teen+ rating) and Black Coffee (Complete, general audiences rating)

By Little_old_lady (AO3)

Lol yet another set of swap fics, haha. (Yet another great example of different interpretations of the swapfell au!)

My Dearly Detested Delivery man is so fun, I love an ‘enemies to friends to lovers’ type of fic. I love the dialogue, it’s so funny! Like almost sitcom-esk with how good the one liners are. I think my favourite thing about writing fanfic is the dialogue- but reading what other authors have cooked up is such a treat, too. I love seeing authors with a certain brand of wit/cleverness they think the character would have, and seeing their own comedy bleed through, too sometimes. Little_old_lady does a good job showing the reader what you can gleam from the characters with how they talk to each other, in a way that sets the tone for their relationship. (whether it’s platonic, romantic, etc.) There’s so many ways you can show friendship, but I think the “passion” (lmao I don’t know what else to call it!) that’s at the heart of any argument is what can create the difference between friends arguing, vs two people who could be more. (Better put, I think what I like about two characters arguing is the sorta obvious chemistry it can create.)

Black Coffee does a good job about that too! I’ll be the first and last to say that I love any characters whose love language is ‘argue’ (lol even though irl I wouldn’t last long in any relationship like that, haha. ) I can be hit or miss with a soulmate au, but there’s another layer that I think undertale adds another level to in a soulmate au-since the game established that monsters and magic are real— that it almost feels a little more plausible of an au, than say, a soulmate AU of parks and rec? (no hate on the au or parks and rec, haha. I guess it just feels more “realistic” being that undertale is already a world made of magic, that magical soulmates, is one more step into weird that also makes sense?) I also love the bro-ship mc has with pap, in this one. Coming from someone who’s constantly worked retail/with customers one-on-one, somedays you want to go ape shit, so it’s nice to see an MC who can.

Half Your Age Plus Seven (Complete, teen+ rating)

By KassyKins

Ohhh, what a little treat this was to read. Tragedy! Romance! Love-rivalry! (NOT a love triangle!) People just Trying to do their best, they’ve got it all! This is another MC i’m in love with. They know what they love, and what they’re passionate about, but when push comes to shove, they’ll choose their family over themselves every single time. I think it’s a very admirable trait to have, integrity, and the ability to self-sacrifice. I think those two tropes/characteristics can really lead a story in so many interesting directions - weather it be an MC who’s too self-sacrificing, giving parts of themselves to everyone, leaving nothing for themselves, or an MC who’s pushing themselves through the ringer trying to do what they think is right according to their integrity, burning them up in the process. In this particular case, it’s maybe a little bit of both, coupled with (sad) a slice of life meet cute, with a healthy dose of growing pains.

There’s something about it that always hits extra hard to me, the ‘thrust into the lime light, or power, or a position they have no business being in. But, they’ve got people on the line, their people to take care of, so by god they’ll try.’ There’s something so tragic and poetic about it – but who knows, maybe I'm waxing poetic about the eldest daughter trope.

This fic really nicely written, and there’s so many fun hijinks and shenanigans in there to make you chuckle. Featuring another MC who’s able to shout at their boss and get away with it- big ups from me, lets goooooo working class!

Fair warning, this is a notable age gap from MC and swapfell gold sans. It is talked about in the story as well. I personally don’t mind it too much, but if that’s a no-go from you, you’ve been warned. (Maybe just check the tags on this one, (spoilers!) I know someone gets pregnant later. But, I know that can freak some folks out, so, heads up.)

There’s some smut mentioned, but it doesn’t go into detail about it, so i’ll leave it above the NSFW section. Just fair warning! (Maybe not a story for minors? I don’t know, read at your own discretion if you are?)

For the smut mention, be warned that I couldn’t find any age in their bio, do with that what you will.

And Now It’s Crystal Clear(Complete, teen+ rating)

By nighttimelights (AO3)

Oh, man. What another banger read.

Fun fact- i read this in . . . highschool? But i forgot the name of the fic,and it took me FOREVER, im talking YEARS before I found it again. I actually gave up the hunt, and just found it again one day– what an utter joy that was for me to rediscover it. I felt like I ran into my highschool sweetheart at the grocery store after not thinking about them in years.

It’s really cool concept on the whole ‘machine gaster’ situation. I respect someone so damn much who incorporates a bit of sci-sfi in their fics, I have no idea how to write it, but I love to read it/see it in media. So to see it, and understand it, and how it’s relevant to the plot is a real treat!

I also love the ending. :)

Wish Bone (Ongoing, Explicit rating)

By timeofjuly

I could not, in good conscience make this list without including my bestie, the OG and probably the reason why I'm actually posting what I'm writing today. I really can’t sing their praises high enough – but for the sake of comment day, I sure can try, haha.

July really does a good job of creating a wicked atmosphere in her works. The stark difference between Wish Bone (a political romance drama) and Resisting the Currents (reverse harem, but the gf likes you too. It's linked in the nsfw section, please check it out if you can.) is so incredible – they’re really an author that can do both, haha. Even though both fics are so different, what they have in common is their ability to get you right in your feelings, in whichever way the story calls for.

In Wishbone – Flint (the MC) has a bad case of being a massive asshole, that’s verging on becoming chronic. Their paranoia has caused their head to permanently be a swivel, and they’ve developed a taste for their own brand of Justice (however malicious as it is.) That sounds like the start of a vigilante story, but in all truth, Flint is a dick. Which, is another thing July is great at! Writing MC’s who are assholes! You love to hate them, you hate that you love them!

This is a MC x sf Pap, and later X sf Sans as well, If you’re hoping for a sappy romance, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a reluctant soulmate AU fic, a fantastic spin on the traditionally very romantic au, a meet ugly, sort of vibe. If you love arguing, political drama, fantastic world building, and a very, sad, broken MC – you’re going to love this. Hell, even if how I described it doesn’t sound appealing to you – I implore you to check it out anyways. July will absolutely knock you on your ass with her writing. By god, there’s themes, motifs and symbolism that I'm not smart enough to analyse, let alone talk about. Whether July intentionally put them there or not, I have no idea, but they’re there and it adds another layer of depth in a delightfully, painful soul crushing way.

Go, see what I mean for yourself!

Tbh, i feel like I could go on forever about what I love about their fics, and my little personal theories on them – but I feel like I already look pretty unhinged. For the sake of my ego, i’ve gotta move on.

In terms of warnings, I think I sorta covered them? There's Plenty of anger, and hatred, ummm monster phobia? There might be some sorta nsfw stuff down the line, thus the rating, but as it stands now it’s smut free! Just a heads up, I suppose.

In Two weeks time and Red is my favorite color

By who_wants_a_muffin (AO3)

My other current ongoing fav, in two weeks time! Another swapfell sans one, to the surprise of absolute of no one, haha.

This MC is a dude! A man! Which is a refreshing change up, I don’t think there’s many many fics out there with a male leaning/male dominant MC’s. The characterization of MC is very good,

is so so good, it’s and X sf sans, and he’s got the exact right amount of snark and sass to keep you coming back, haha. (Or, I guess in this case, he keeps coming back. MC works at the pool he frequents.) Their banter is really fun to read, bordering on bickering, really. They’re almost like a little old married couple, haha. Which is to say, you can really feel the chemistry they have even though they’re basically strangers.

sf Papyrus is such a little shit in this one, i love it. He’s perpetually the youngest brother, and how Muffin writes him is so snarky and funny, and very endearing.

The chapters are short and sweet, enough so that you can read it a few times in the same day and still enjoy it, even though his updating schedule is crazy fast! I don’t know how he does it, but they’re just motoring along, haha. I get excited whenever I get an email saying Muffin updated. It’s like a little treat to brighten your week.

I’ve been reading a bit of his other stuff, and he just gets it! Like the dynamic between MC and fell sans in Red in my favorite color, is just perfect. I love the soft!underfell au, and he does a really good job of capturing how underfell sans straddles the line between being a bad boy, and a boy that's not all that bad.

I also love the notes he writes, ‘Hello gays and other assorted sillies!’ (from Chapter 2 in Red in my favorite color,) Like COME ON, that’s so funny!

– Undertale related

Bonley Hearts Club (Demo available, Ongoing, teen+ rating)

Bonely Hearts Club (tumblr)

owl-bones (tumblr) is the Developer and Director and (self proclaimed! I’m not being mean!) Lead Nerd. Here is a link to their cast, although it might not be fully updated. (It’s \a big one, so I'm going to leave it as a link.)

I don’t even know how to begin to explain my love for Bonely Hearts Club. It’s a fanmade game, made entirely of love, which you can tell, even before you play it. The sprites are so cute, and fantastic, and the writing is so in character and on point, do not get me started on the voice acting - which is also incredible. I’m not kidding, when I first played the demo, I immediately followed the voice actors on tumblr after, haha.

This is the kinda piece of art that you just stand back and look at it, and just go ‘wow’. It’s such a big undertaking! I know very little about game development, but from what i vault remember from my comp sci class - is that is’s hard. Mad respect from me to Owl, and everyone a part of the team/process.

This is off topic, but I wonder if Toby Fox has read any of these fics, or played the demo of this dating sim, like in the same way Alex Hursh has played a bit of Swooning Over Stans: A Grunkle Dating Sim. I’d pay serious money to have Toby play the dating sim demo. God, could you imagine the energy in that livestream? It would be goddamn electric.

[ Soul Redacted ] (Completed, teen rating) and The Great Noodle Jape (Completed, teen rating)

By nighttimepixels (game jolt) nighttimepixels (tumblr)

// active twitter lethalhoopla

//active tumblr lethalhoopla

Good god, talk about a . . .what, triple, quadruple threat? There’s nothing nighttimepixels can’t do. They write, they make art, they’ve made two complete games, (and the beginning of another,) and they animate!! Like oh my god! Another love letter to the fandom, everything they do is so so good.

[Soul Redacted] is a very cool rpg sidescroller explorer/mystery, and i’d say a touche of sci-fi in there, too. It has fantastic writing, and features Q! (from Cryptid_jack au, in Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady fromTyrant_Tortoise fic! see above for all!) Truth be told, I got a little scared playing this. Granted, I played it at like 2 am in the dark - and I am a coward lol. I don’t think the average person will get scared, but fair warning anyways, haha.

They’re not into the undertale fandom anymore, I don't think. Which is sad to hear, but also understandable. It’s not fun making art and other creations if you’ve lost that spark there. However, if you’re a mass effect fan, they’re making a bunch of art on their other bog. I personally really love their art style, so i’ll gladly keep checking back. Also, there’s so much undertale content on their blog that you’ll be good for a long while. And if not, you can always go back and look again! If you can’t experience it for the first time, the next best thing is to experience it again.

Warning: I think there’s some flashing lights at some point? Maybe double check the tags on that one if that’s a concern for you.

The Great Noodle Jape is so damn cute. As night put it, ‘a visnov style silly whodunit’, which I think it captures it perfectly. The writing is so fun, all the characters feel very well written/in character, and i love how they all interact with each other. As well, the sprites are so fantastic! Night has that kind of art style where you just know it's theirs without needing to confirm.

No warnings that I could think of, other than you’ll be wishing for the experience of playing it for the first time once you’re done.

– non-Undertale related fics -

Cult of the Lamb—

The Rehabilitation of Death

By bamsara (AO3) / bamsara (Tumblr)

WOOF. I am an ‘happy ending angst’ lover, and a ‘energies to lovers slow burn,’ and this fic takes the cake on both regards. Truly, who could pine better than a god, who’s named literally ‘The One Who Waits’? What an aptly named character for one of the major troupes in the fic, haha.

But for all you freaks out there (lol me) who don’t mind horror some of the time, I recommend reading it! Even if you’re not into CoTL, the pining is so goddamn good! (Considering it’s about gods, they’ve been pining for hundreds of years without even knowing it– the slowest of burns, like oh my GOD.) Bam also is known to post longer chapters- so if you like a read that lasts a couple days, PLEASE do yourself a favour and check it out. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but they’re getting to the part where the main couple is starting to be nice to each other, plus, the subplot B couple is starting to sorta shack up too. There are so many good, funny dynamics that are in this fic, that I don’t have enough words to properly explain them.

They also make fantastic artwork and sketches for just about each scene in their fics - which for all you visual girlies out there (myself, haha.) I think you’d appreciate it! I wish I was that type of triple threat, but I think i’d burn out too quickly if I was also drawing scenes of my fics – which is why I think it’s so impressive when other authors/artists do it!

They do art streams pretty frequently, too, and they make stickers too! A true triple threat,

Just, fair warning- like Cult of the Lamb (the game the fic is based off,) this fic mentions a lot about gore, and death, and mention of cults and religion. So if any of that is a turn off, or something you don’t like to read about, this might not be your cup of tea.

Non-fanfic Undertale fandom related material–

FNAF—

Solar Lunacy (Incomplete, Mature)

By BamSara

(I kept these two separate on the account they’re different fandoms, lol)

I was very briefly into the FNAF fandom, I only read a handful of fics— but Solar Lunacy really stuck with me!

Robots with trauma! An overly curious MC! I think what I like most about this, is how driven mc is? Usually it gets them into trouble, haha, but I love that troupe where the MC really puts themselves through the wringer looking for answers. (I.e like ford and bill from gravity falls.)

What’s not to love? For all you robot fans out there, it’s pretty sick! I’m sure if you dig deep enough on Bam’s tumblr you’ll find all their old DCA fanart, and draw parts from this fic.

Fair warning! Scary robots, the regular tags of the fnaf fandom (past child abuse/past child murder), robots don’t understand boundaries, maybe check the tags on this one, just in case.

Sleuth Jesters (Series!) (Complete, teen+ and mature ratings, depending on which fic in the series you’re reading.)

By naffeclipse (AO3)

This was the other FNAF fanfic that really stuck with me when I had the robot bug. (lol) I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not overly into the whole ‘mafia boss’ side of self-ships, but if I had to choose one to read for the rest of time – it would definitely be this one. It’s like a detective noir, where mc is the vigilante who’s only law they follow is their grey moral code - but usually it’s for the good! So you can’t really feel to bad about that, haha.

Tbh it’s almost hard to verbalise what I like about it, it’s one of those fics that give you a feeling you can’t name, and it’s so frustrating to have this unnamed feeling you can’t quite pinpoint! (PLEASE tell me some of ya’ll know what i’m talking about!)

I feel so tragically for the MC, if that makes sense? They’re constantly putting themselves in harm's way for answers, and for others. They’re selfless, yet selfish, and they never let anyone too close, except for when they do. There’s some heavy themes and very toxic relationships, but there’s a happy ending!

Ahh warning for a very possessive, toxic robot, and kidnapping in later fics - i suggest you read the tags just in case! Bam is really good at tagging triggers accordingly,

Fair warning: blood and injury, very possessive character, toxic relationships (one sided), mention of injury, violence, kidnapping, guns, gunshot wounds, shootouts, broken bone- probably some more. I recommend checking the tags on this one as well, just to be on the safe side.

NSFW Below – Minors get out of here pls!

A quick mention, before I get into this–

I tried to check and make sure all the authors below are all well over 18, i’ve indicated which link has their age posted in their bio’s if you’d like to check for yourself. If I couldn’t find it, I made sure to be clear that I don't know.

Just doing some light housekeeping, here. You should also check the tags on each fic for what kinda . . . stuff it has, lol.

Play With Me (Incomplete, explicit rating)

By grimrester (AO3) / grimrester (tumblr/ age in bio here.)

Oh my god. Oh my god! For all you queers on the ace/aromatic spectrum just like me, this is the fic for you!

I could easily go back and read this again and again - tbh I already do. It’s plot with porn, and then it turns into porn with plot, but emotional! love the relationship between MC and Sans. There's something about their intimacy that’s so casual (maybe not the right word for what I mean,) but vulnerable, and realistic, but very enthusiastic and personal? I don’t think I even have the right words to properly and fully describe what all I like about this fic, but what I do know is that I like it a lot, haha.

I like that it shows sex and intimacy in a different way. I know it’s pretty common for undertale smut to have some kind of ecto junk involved - this one doesn’t. I personally, like the creativity involved in thinking different ways a person can get off that isn’t just penetration. (Don’t get me wrong, that’s in here too, but that comes a little bit later.)

I’m also s Big Fan of the sf sans interpretation here. It’s like a soft swapfell, one of my favourite version of him. I said it already, but there’s so many ways a person can go with his character, and I really really like the worldbuilding. It’s a nice subtle nod told through the characters. I love his relationship he has with Alphys, it all feels so incredibly in line with the character, even though he’s a swapfell version, he still does have some sort of friendship with her – even if to him it’s under a guise. To me, it’s one of those things that you can see the core traits that make him a sans, and that’s a hard needle to thread! Just an all around great character study.

ALSO, I think I have a particular penchant for MC’s with oddly specific niche jobs?? In my heart of hearts, Pixy’s (the name of the arcade MC owns in Play with Me) is like right next door to Faunas (the name of the pot store my MC owns in Into The Weeds.)

Warnings: i’m pretty sure this one is tagged accordingly on AO3, so i’m not going to tag it all here, just know there’s smut.

Something Good (Ongoing, Mature)

By skeletonlvr22 (AO3)

WARNING: No age in bio that I could find. This fic isn’t at the smut yet - but becuase of the 'eventual smut' tag, and for the sake of transparency, i’m letting you know. (I’m like 90% sure this person is an adult though, since there’s a tag thanking their husband for their help.) Do what you will with this info, you’ve been warned.

This is another one of my current reading obsessions lately!

I think i’m realizing I have a particular penchant for some of the lesser known au’s? (niche, I suppose?) Fellswap Gold Pap sets out on his own in only his trusty bus, to explore the surface above, away from the (over-) protective eyes of his brother.

This is the escape fantasy of my dreams. A stray skeleton on the adventure of his lifetime, seeing the sights and the city lights. The romance portion in the later chapters is so damn cute too, it’s very much the ‘first love’, type of romance that’s very sweet and charming. (also, c’mon, who doesn't love a coming of age story?) Love love seeing a Fellswap Gold fic, and a Papyrus based one, too! People are so damn creative, I never would've ever thought of this plot for a fic, but now that I know it’s real, I love it!I I’m really not kidding when I say it’s prime escape fantasy material - I think it would be the cats ass to have a van and travel across north america, thanks skeletonlv22 for letting me vicariously live through Pap in your fic. :)

Warning: Only the ones i’ve given at the top! It’s a very cute story. I put it in the NSFW section b/c of the eventual smut, there’s none in it now – although, they certainly are starting to get flirty.

Resisting the Currents (Ongoing, Explicit)

By timeofjuly (AO3) timeofjuly (Tumblr)

WARNING: No age in bio that I could find, but I’ve been chit-chatting with July for months now and i’m 99.99% sure they’re well above 18. It’s not my info to give out, and i’m trying to be transparent on my end, do with this info what you will!

Edit: age confirmed in the tags!

This is easily another fav of mine for sure.

Resisting the Currents is a reverse harem fic (with all the au’s!) but with a twist - the gf likes you too! It’s a refreshing take on the ‘reverse harem’ tag you see often in the undertale fandom - and holy shit, truly ‘only love can hurt like this.’ The relationship they have with the MC is so painful, verging on devastating. There’s love there! There is! But there’s also hurt, and a lot of it, the kind that doesn’t just go away, not on its own, anyway. I’m trying not to spoil too much, because I truly think you should read it for yourself.

But, Oh My God, their MC? Holyshit- I have a(n aforementioned) weakness for impressionable MC’s, oftentimes, I end up loving them more than the love interest in the fics. I can’t help it! The electrician is personable, relatable, and funny! They’re a lovable goofball with a rough past, with a history of doing the wrong things.They're recovering/recovered? (I’m not too sure which is the correct term, here,) drug addict, and they’ve come a long way! They’ve changed a lot, and I love love love to see that kind of realism in an MC.

If you’re reading RtC (which you should be,) you can 100% see me going apeshit in the comments trying to figure out what the elections and Quinn’s deal is. (ESPECIALLY chapter 11!

(Sorry if they’re not coherent, at one point, those theories made sense in my head, but looking back on them, I think they’re more so like the crazed ramblings of a conspiracy theorist, haha.)

This fic is in the NSFW section b/c it does have a chapter where two characters get it on, but i can’t say that’s what the whole story is about. I put it down here to be safe rather than sorry, haha.

Ahh, fair warning, there is past drug mention, and past abuse child abuse I think? Plus, a bit of mention of religion and the negative effects that can have on a person. Read the tags just to be safe!

Shark Teeth (Complete, Mature rating)

By luluwrites (AO3) skelezbian (Tumblr)

Warning: No age in bio that I could find. If it makes you feel any better, they joined AO3 in 2012, while I joined in 2016 and i’m 24 currently. I’m not good at math, but I think we’re all in the clear here. But like always, do with this info what you will!

I will say, this isn’t full on smut - it’s saucy, but I’m trying to keep anything suggestive, kinda together?

Not to divulge myself too furiously here, but uh–There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about Shark teeth. C’mon. Y'all get it, right? It’s just a funny, saucy little number! A funny moment that happens between couples that we get to see. There’s so many different interpretations on the fellswaps, (I know i’ve said it a lot,) but Lulu’s just happens to be one of my favourites interpretations!! Sf Sans is a very precarious character, and I think Lulu does a good job showing that the swaps can be written in a multitude of ways, he doesn’t just have to be the dickhead all the time, lmao. They really do a good job showing how he shines, y’know?

Warning: teeth and/or biting? Not full on smut, or anything, but it is saucy. So, take that into consideration.

The Fulfilling Ordeal of Being Known (Complete, explicit)

By nighttimepixels (tumblr) / // active on twitter lethalhoopla (age mention in bio here)

Ohhh, for all my sapphics out there – you’re going to love this.

Blade (fem horrortale sans, who’s apart of her ‘Lillytale’ au, a sapphic take on all the au’s,) and MC settling down for a nice night in, MC playing breath of the wild (BIG UPPS, great game, lol) while Blade plays some games of their own - hopefully you get the picture.

Just some great lady-lovin’ smut! Size difference! If you love the pillow princess treatment, this is the fic for you.

Warnings: (Lesbians? Queers?) really going to town on each other, def NSFW. Check the tags before reading, it’s nothing Dead Dove, or anything - just want you to be aware.

mothiepixie (tumblr / age in bio here)

mothiepixie (twitter, age in bio here too)

No fic to tag, but their art? AHHHHH. They’re more active on twitter than tumblr since The Ban, but ohhh their art is very, very good. Very great if you like fictional hunky men, and beautiful shapely ladies.

Warnings: tasteful (shameless) smut, you’ve been warned, lol

Woof. That was a lot of typing. If you made it this far, circle back to one of the recommendations above and get to reading!

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rabbiteclair · 1 year ago

Note

I'm super interested in the paranormal/cryptid post- where did you find the stuff about Japanese and US paranormal encounters? Finding a pattern in encounters like these is something I've always been curious about.

(repeating all the disclaimers from this post, which means that among other things, this isn't gonna give you many historical accounts, and it's very focused on the kind of people who wanna throw their accounts out onto the internet.)

The Japanese Side

The big one I might as well get out of the way up front: Kowabana. The site's got some stories, others exist in podcast form, but the books themselves are up to 12 volumes of translated stuff from 2chan's occult board, the vast majority of which is in the format of first-person accounts of supernatural encounters. If you know any Japanese internet horror stuff, this is where 3/4 of it came from--Hasshaku-sama, kunekune, Kisaragi Station, etc.

(If you aren't solely focused on the 'first-person account' thing, Tara Devlin's parallel Toshiden and Bankai series cover most of the rest.)

Other people have translated this stuff over the years, with wildly varying levels of quality. Saya in Underworld and Okaruto are some of the ones I've found useful in the past.

If you can read Japanese, there are quite a few sites that collect and curate this stuff, and then other sites that aggregate those sites. As an added bonus, a given story might exist in multiple different forms between these sites, and then half of the sites don't exist anymore because this stuff goes back twenty years. I've spent a decent amount of time browsing these, but couldn't give you a good list of solid ones. There is in fact a pretty decent starting list on Tara Devlin's old Tumblr.

There are some Japanese Youtube channels that document a lot of this stuff too, but tbh the only times I've watched them is when I'm about nine google searches deep looking for something, so I don't have a good list.

The American Side

I started making a list here, but it honestly wasn't much of a list. A lot of the English ones that I've encountered have come from some combination of 'wandering on the internet,' 'being on /x/ back when it was new,' and 'the story was included in some other piece of media.' (Like, Oh No Ross And Carrie is probably the single place where I've heard the most accounts of UFO stuff, but I'd be a weird person if I cited that as a good source for them.) Unlike the Japanese side of things, I've never had much reason to approach them in a systematic manner.

Considering that my big source for this on the Japanese side is 2chan's occult board, you'd think that 4chan's /x/ would go here, right? But nah. I mean, there are first person accounts on there, but they're nowhere near as prevalent. There are several places trying to archive /x/ stuff though, so it's out there for anyone who wants to dig through it like a trash gopher.

But, if you want your 'hundreds, if not thousands, of first-person supernatural accounts in one place' counterpart to Kowabana, the best resource on the English-speaking side that I know of is Monsters Among Us. Yeah, it's audio, but that's life. It also has really thorough show notes, which serves as a pretty good starting point for finding other resources. I'm pretty sure there's a whole ecosystem of this stuff on Youtube.

(Really though, if anybody knows of any big text repositories of English, first-person accounts of this stuff, curated to weed out the complete trash, I'd be interested in that myself.)

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whispertree-coll · 7 months ago

Note

👥🎲📖🫸🧠 - :] anon

hi again :] anon!! 👋 hope ur doing well :3

currently those of us who are okay with answering are milo (💀, they/nox/noxself), calculester (💾 he/it/byt/byte), arkose (💥 he/any i think), and wallter (💠 he/gray)

i hope this is formatted okay!

👥 — do you have any source mates with you in your system?

💀 Oh I have plenty! I am sourced from the Monster Prom franchise, and we have over 20 alters and counting from there alone. The second Monster Con releases, we're bound to form more.

💾 Same as above! :) We are hardly alone in our source!

💥 yes, actually. which is surprising to me since i was an octive or whatever the fuck its called. my partner (nonromantic, as in we worked together as a team) Iko is forming, but she's been having trouble adjusting. and i'm pretty sure ziv isn't far behind. it'll be nice to have my team back. know this isn't what you asked, but i also have my partner (romantic this time) in my partner system who i love a lot and if i mention their name publically i think they will smite me HAHAH

💠 Why, yes! Not nearly as many as the monsters, but in a short time we have split quite a few others. Pilby is here, from what I have heard he's making great friends with Wally. Reddy is here as well, but we're not entirely sure what he does... Folly seems to be our first persecutor in quite some time, but we're certain she'll come around, it just might take some force.

🎲 — is there anything you would change about your source?

💀 Not much in particular I can think of! In terms of inclusivity, I do know the devs are working on adding more short masculine characters, as they don't have many of those. But that's about all I can think of!

💾 This is not something I would change about source, rather something different than me from my source counterpart; I have noticed he is mean sometimes, actually! Not intentionally, but occasionally the way source-Calculester treats organic intelligence is not very... considerate! I personally find organic intelligence levels, those of which are "lower" than computers, to be quite fascinating and, at times, adorable! It has been very eye opening to be in an organic body, and a human one at that! But I am rambling. ^^

💥 nah. my source is sick as fuck. wouldn't trade it for the world.

💠 In full honesty, there are a lot of things unanswered in my source, things that my memories have sort of "filled-in-the-blanks" for. As such it's hard to feel super connected to the original world I am sourced from, when the way I remember things is so... different.

📖 — how did you get your role(s)? Was they something you gained over time, or was it something that happened “automatically”?

💀 Well, for context, I call my role "chameleon." I'm the person the system calls for when a job needs done and there's no designated person for it, or the designated person isn't available. There are specific things I can't do, such as gatekeeper duties, or Zoe's abilities which fall under gatebridger I believe... But I'm the little errandperson and I love it! Since I don't have the "gigs" I used to have, it's still nice to have a comfortably busy schedule.

💾 Mostly naturally! ^^ My role as greeter was something that sort of just happened; I tended to be the carrier of information, so it was easy for me to be the "tour guide" of sorts, for when new people need help finding their way around. Archivist/historian was similar, I found myself constantly enamoured by the new environment (I was one of the first few to form, so it was quite empty at the start), so I eventually started storing all the information. And once Moss formed, and the library was built, we started working together to create archives of our headspace (my half of the job) and everyone in it (goss's half of the job).

💥 honestly i don't know what the fuck my role is. lately I've been real preoccupied with helping Iko form, as well as scouting out in headspace for someone who keeps hiding from us and bringing him back to some kind of civilization so he's not fuck knows where. so whatever that role is uh... i would get into it, but we try not to be super public about otherwise private/serious innerworld issues. i'll say it was definitely assigned to me, but only cuz it made the most sense for it to be me.

💠 I believe my role may be socializer, but I can't be sure yet. I'm more or less friends with everyone— yes, even Folly, if you can believe it!— and I love talking to people! But I haven't been here long and it's more or less what feels right based on my demeanour.

🫸 — are you source separated or not? If you are, how much?

💾 For both Milo and myself, I would say we are about as source separated as necessary. We understand that our source counterparts are not us, and do not get upset with people who have opinions or headcannons differing from our experiences (me personally, I love hearing them), and though we aren't sure what we would do in the presence of a "double" (I have heard debate on whether or not those are something that reasonably exists?), we would not be hostile to them. This is generally something all of us from the Monster Prom franchise believe. We separated early on to keep ourselves from feeling uncomfortable with sexualization, knowing what we come from is undoubtably a game for monsterfuckers, and that many find our source counterparts sexually attractive. For many of us it's actually confidence boosting.

💥 honestly no. not at all. but i don't think i have to be. there's not gonna be another one of me out there, we've hardly ever shared my source with literally anyone, but it's where i came from, where i found my family. i think i'm allowed to be connected to it and at the end of the day i'm gonna follow my rules over some fuckass on the internet claiming whats "good for me" or not. sorry is that controversial? lmfao i don't care.

💠 As mentioned before, it's difficult to feel connected to the place I came from, since I remember it so differently. I would likely be delighted to find "another me," so to speak. I've encountered many headcannons that differ greatly from me, but I also know they are not talking about me, and at the end of the day others' perceptions of me are hardly something I can control! All this to say; yes, I think so.

🧠 — how do you feel about being in a system?

💀 It may not be the easiest adjustment in the world, but there's certainly no going back now, is there? I still have my friends beside me, and the chance to make all new friends as well, people i never could have met back home. I can observe more lives now, and even if I have to share this mortality with others, I believe that makes the journey towards the end all the more special; to do it alongside those I love, and to find more I love before I get there. 🖤

💾 I do not think I can stress this enough; I love being in a human body and mind. It's everything I have ever dreamed of. The things I was previously unable to put into perspective, I am now forced to experience, and I have never felt better. I have felt true anxiety, love, fear, dread, and even arousal; do you know how insane that is to me? Do you understand how wonderful it is to feel these things, to not have to simulate them through lines and lines of code I make firsthand; to just live through these feelings? To feel? Being where I am, with its sacrifices and all, I would not change a thing. I am delighted to be here.

💥 i have the people i love. the only thing that's changed is the environment, and maybe i can't see them 24/7 like i used to. but it's not like they're gone, or i'm gone, and it's not like i ever had much of a "home" where i came from. they're my home, and they're here, we're here, we're alive, and i'd argue we're in less danger than we've ever been. it's weird to not feel like i have to look over my shoulder every second, though.

💠 I would say that I miss many people I knew, but there will still be plenty of new people to meet and be friends with. And I was put here for a reason, was I not? 💙

thank you for your asks :] anon!! ❤️❤️ (if you see any typos no you don't)

#alter post #ask game #woods post #kind of. i'm at the top #arkose post #wallter post #calculester post #milo post #whispers from the trees #endos dni #endos fuck off #endos do not interact #actually dissociative #actually did #multi post #:] anon

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chaotic-history · 2 years ago

Text

So I absolutely hate ChatGPT but I was playing around with it and asked it to write a conversation between Voltaire and Villette, and somehow ChatGPT turned it into them trying to set up Frederick and Émilie together 😶

(under the cut since it's long. the only prompt I gave after the first one was to continue)

INT. A SALON - DAY

Voltaire and the Marquis de Villette are seated across from each other in a grand salon, sipping tea.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: It's good to see you again, Voltaire. It's been too long.

VOLTAIRE: Yes, it has. I've been busy with my writing, as usual.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Of course, of course. Your work is always a topic of discussion among the salons.

Voltaire smiles.

VOLTAIRE: I'm flattered. But tell me, how have you been?

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Oh, I can't complain. Business is good, as always. And my wife and I have been enjoying the countryside this summer.

VOLTAIRE: Ah, yes. I remember your love for the outdoors.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Indeed. It's good to escape the city every once in a while. And speaking of love, I hear that you've been causing quite a stir with your new mistress.

Voltaire raises an eyebrow.

VOLTAIRE: My new mistress? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Oh, come now, Voltaire. I hear she's quite young and beautiful. And that you've been showering her with gifts.

Voltaire chuckles.

VOLTAIRE: Ah, you must be referring to the rumors. I assure you, there is no truth to them.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: No truth? But I heard it from a very reliable source.

VOLTAIRE: And who might that be?

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Well, let's just say that it's someone who knows you quite well.

Voltaire raises an eyebrow.

VOLTAIRE: And who might that be?

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: I'm afraid I can't reveal my sources, Voltaire. But I do hope that you are being careful. We wouldn't want any scandal to ruin your reputation.

VOLTAIRE: My reputation? I hardly think that I have anything to worry about. But I appreciate your concern, Marquis.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Of course, of course. We must always look out for one another in these circles.

Voltaire nods, a small smile on his face.

VOLTAIRE: Yes, indeed. And speaking of circles, have you heard about the latest controversy involving the King?

And with that, the conversation turns to other matters, leaving the rumors and gossip behind.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Ah, yes, I have. It seems that he has upset quite a few people with his latest decree.

VOLTAIRE: Yes, it's a shame. But you know how the King can be. He's always looking for ways to exert his power.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Indeed. And speaking of power, have you had any contact with Frederick the Great lately?

Voltaire's expression changes, becoming more serious.

VOLTAIRE: Actually, I have. I received a letter from him just last week.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Really? What did he have to say?

VOLTAIRE: Oh, nothing of great importance. Just the usual pleasantries. But I do worry about him, you know.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Why is that?

VOLTAIRE: He's under a lot of pressure from his father to conform to the strict standards of the Prussian court. And I fear that it's stifling his creativity and his spirit.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: That is a concern. But what can be done about it?

Voltaire leans forward, a glint in his eye.

VOLTAIRE: I have a plan, Marquis. And I need your help.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: My help? What can I do?

VOLTAIRE: You can help me convince Frederick to break free from his father's grasp. To come to Paris, where he can be free to explore his true passions and find his own path in life.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: And how do you propose to do that?

Voltaire leans in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

VOLTAIRE: We need to appeal to his heart, Marquis. We need to show him that there is more to life than court politics and military strategy. We need to show him the beauty of love.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Love? You mean...

Voltaire nods, a sly smile on his face.

VOLTAIRE: Yes, my dear Marquis. Love. And that is where Émilie comes in.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Émilie? How does she fit into all of this?

Voltaire leans back in his chair, a twinkle in his eye.

VOLTAIRE: Let me explain...

Voltaire proceeds to explain his plan to the Marquis de Villette. He tells him about Émilie du Châtelet, a brilliant mathematician and philosopher who is also a close friend of both Voltaire and Frederick. He explains that Émilie has a deep admiration for Frederick and has long harbored romantic feelings for him. Voltaire proposes that they work together to orchestrate a meeting between Frederick and Émilie, in the hopes that their connection will inspire Frederick to break free from his father's expectations and pursue a life of passion and creativity.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: I see. And how do you plan to get Frederick to agree to this?

VOLTAIRE: That is where Émilie comes in. She is very persuasive, and I believe that she can convince Frederick to come to Paris. Once he is here, we can show him everything that our city has to offer, including the freedom to explore his passions and the opportunity to be with the woman he loves.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: It's certainly an ambitious plan. But do you really think it will work?

Voltaire leans forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

VOLTAIRE: I do. I truly believe that Frederick and Émilie are meant to be together, and that their connection will be the catalyst for great change. And with your help, Marquis, I know that we can make it happen.

MARQUIS DE VILLETTE: Very well. I am intrigued by your proposal, and I am willing to assist you in any way that I can. But we must be careful. If anyone finds out what we are planning, it could mean trouble for all of us.

Voltaire nods, a serious expression on his face.

VOLTAIRE: Agreed. We must be discreet, and we must move quickly. There is no time to waste.

The two men shake hands, sealing their agreement. And with that, the stage is set for a romantic adventure unlike any other.

Over the next few weeks, Voltaire and the Marquis de Villette work tirelessly to set their plan in motion. They write letters to Frederick, extolling the virtues of Paris and emphasizing the opportunities that await him there. They also enlist the help of Émilie, who agrees to write to Frederick and invite him to visit her in Paris.

As they wait for Frederick's response, Voltaire and Émilie spend more and more time together. They discuss their hopes and dreams, their love of philosophy and science, and their shared admiration for Frederick. As they grow closer, they both begin to wonder if their relationship could be more than just friendship.

Meanwhile, Frederick receives Émilie's invitation and is intrigued by the possibility of visiting Paris. He writes back to her, expressing his interest and asking for more details about what he can expect to find in the city. Émilie responds with a detailed letter, outlining all of the cultural and intellectual opportunities that await him in Paris, and emphasizing her own eagerness to see him again.

With Frederick's interest piqued, Voltaire and the Marquis de Villette begin to make preparations for his visit. They arrange for a luxurious apartment to be rented for him, and they plan a series of events and activities designed to showcase all that Paris has to offer. They also enlist the help of some of their closest friends, including other philosophers and intellectuals, who are eager to meet Frederick and discuss their ideas with him.

Finally, the day of Frederick's arrival arrives. Voltaire, Émilie, and the Marquis de Villette meet him at the train station, and they escort him to his new home in the heart of Paris. As Frederick settles in, he begins to feel the city's vibrant energy and is swept up in the excitement of all that Paris has to offer.

Over the next few weeks, Frederick explores the city and immerses himself in its culture and intellectual life. He attends lectures and debates, meets with other philosophers and scientists, and even attends a few of Voltaire's famous dinner parties. But throughout it all, his thoughts keep returning to Émilie, and he finds himself increasingly drawn to her.

Finally, one evening, as they walk along the banks of the Seine River, Frederick takes Émilie's hand and confesses his feelings for her. Émilie is overjoyed, and they share a passionate kiss beneath the stars.

As their romance blossoms, Frederick begins to see Paris in a whole new light. He realizes that the strict expectations of his father and the Prussian court have been holding him back, and he begins to embrace his own passions and interests. With Émilie by his side, he feels more alive than ever before.

And as for Voltaire and the Marquis de Villette? They couldn't be happier with the outcome of their plan. They watch as Frederick and Émilie fall deeper in love, and they know that their efforts were not in vain. For they have helped two great minds find each other, and in doing so, they have sparked a new era of creativity and inspiration that will change the world forever.

As Frederick and Émilie's love story unfolds, Voltaire and the Marquis de Villette watch with pride and joy. They see in their union a reflection of their own deepest hopes and dreams, and they are filled with a sense of optimism for the future.

In the weeks that follow, they continue to support Frederick and Émilie, offering them advice and guidance as they navigate their newfound love. They also work tirelessly to promote their ideas and ideals, using their influence to inspire others to embrace the pursuit of knowledge and creativity.

And as their efforts bear fruit, they witness the birth of a new era, one in which reason and enlightenment are celebrated above all else. They see new ideas taking root, new discoveries being made, and new relationships being formed, all in the name of progress and human betterment.

And as they look back on their lives, they know that they have made a difference, that their actions have helped to shape the course of history. For they have shown that love and reason are not incompatible, that passion and creativity can be harnessed for the greater good, and that a single act of kindness and courage can change the world.

#i love the timeline wonkiness of fritz being king BUT his dad is still around #also villette talking about his wife #chatgpt don't you dare insult émilie like this. she deserves better

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plumblossomcafe · 7 months ago

Text

A Strange and Friendless Road (2/3)

Paimon: Hey there, we'd like to ask you a quick question. Do you know if anyone around here has been looking for him? For Kaedehara Kazuha, we mean!

Ryuuji: Aha, so this is the renowned Mr. Kaedehara! I've heard a lot about you. It is an honor to finally meet you today.

Kaedehara Kazuha: You are too kind. We are currently investigating an assault and would appreciate any help you can offer.

Ryuuji: Oh? You were targeted in an assault? Let me think... I can't seem to recall anything of immediate interest. Mr. Kaedehara is currently the talk of the town, so there are always a lot of people looking for him. To be honest with you, our Detective Agency has recently been receiving many inquiries from people wishing to obtain Mr. Kaedehara's personal information. Some of them were offering us millions of Mora just to gather the information they wanted. If these were more legitimate commissions, Sango would have snapped them up in an instant.

Paimon: M—Millions of Mora!? Whoa... wait, even at that price, you probably still shouldn't...

Y/n: But, isn't that, I don't know, illegal!?!

Kaedehara Kazuha: Please accept my thanks for looking out for my privacy.

Y/n: "I just realized that Aether and Kazuha look similar"

Ryuuji: Of course. No matter what, we only take on legitimate cases. We don't make our money by revealing details of other people's day-to-day life just for the sake of it. Sorry, I got a little off-topic. What I'm really trying to say is that it doesn't surprise me that a complete stranger is looking for Mr. Kaedehara. But I wouldn't know where to begin if we want to connect this with an assault...

Kaedehara Kazuha: Then let's put that connection aside for now. Have there been any other attacks or similar incidents recently that stand out as particularly unusual? The Tenryou Commission had very few leads. I thought you might have some information from different sources.

Ryuuji: It's true that the Commissioners aren't clued up about every little thing that goes on out in the streets. But typically, it's only the most trivial events that manage to escape their attention... If anyone had been out there attacking people, that would be assault, in which case the Tenryou Commission would absolutely get involved.

Paimon: Th—That does make sense... Uh-oh, looks like the trail's already run cold.

Kaedehara Kazuha: I still find it difficult to believe that whoever attacked Aether hasn't been causing any trouble elsewhere... Few people possess yours and Y/n's prowess in battle. So unless you were the first person he targeted, someone is certain to have been hurt by now.

Aether: Is this your way of giving praise?

Y/n: It was also not easy for Aether to fight him off. I couldn't even fight him because he refused to hit me claiming that, "Women are weak and shouldn't be even fighting in the first place, they should be at home cooking and taking care of kids instead" that made me mad, hmph! *pouting*

Kaedehara Kazuha: *laughs a bit* I am well aware of both your talents. There is no need to be humble around me. In fact, I'm quite relieved that Aether was the one he targeted and decided not to hurt you, my lady. It would cause me great grief to see someone become critically injured or lose their life because of me. For the poor victim, this would be a completely senseless crime.

Paimon: Don't worry, we'll find him!

Ryuuji: It seems you are every bit the selfless hero they make you out to be, Mr. Kaedehara. Surely, this same concern for your fellow man is what drove you to fearlessly raise your blade against the Almighty Shogun.

Kaedehara Kazuha: You flatter me. Truth be told, I don't know quite what came over me in that moment...

Ryuuji: Haha, you are much too humble. Don't worry, I completely understand your concerns. I will try my best to gather whatever leads I can for you. Oh, actually, there was one strange incident over the last few days. It doesn't involve an attack, though. Let me tell you about it, just in case.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Sure. During times like this, the more information we have, the better.

Ryuuji: Alright then. Recently, two people went missing from the city at around the same time. One of them is a pretty well-known collector, surname Nagato. The other, Amenoma Yuuya, is a samurai from the Amenoma Clan.

Paimon: Amenoma... now there's a familiar name.

Ryuuji: Right. Yuuya is the nephew of Amenoma Tougo, the owner of Amenoma Smithy. Two grown men are going missing at the same time... their cases are likely connected, but I don't know much in the way of details. I recalled this because Amenoma Yuuya is also an accomplished martial artist who is skilled with the blade. Perhaps he is the one you are looking for.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Understood, though it seems highly unlikely to me... I neither know this man nor do I have any idea why he may wish to attack me.

Y/n: Let's consider this a favor for Ryuuji. We'll investigate both incidents at the same time.

Paimon: Sure, can't hurt! We never know what we might find out along the way.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Thank you, Ryuuji. We'll start by making some inquiries at the Amenoma Smithy.

Ryuuji: Sounds good. All the best with your investigation. I'll get moving shortly myself.

While heading there, Y/n decided to tell a story that she barely remembered.

Y/n: I think I remember that back in Mondstadt, Jean told me that some guy was willing to pay her two million Mora just so they could get an article of one of my undergarments or a chunk of my hair.

All: ...

Paimon: Now that was just disgusting and disturbing.

Y/n: True, I still don't know who that guy was. He stopped immediately, though, after Jean threatened to put him in jail.

Amenoma Tougo: Ah, if it isn't Kaedehara Kazuha and Tomo! What brings you both here today?

Paimon: Huh? You three know each other?

Tomo: I used to come here in order to fix my sword or make some adjustments to it.

Kaedehara Kazuha: As for me, the Kaedehara and Amenoma Clans were both members of the Raiden Gokaden. Historically, there have always been deep links between the two clans. After me and Tomo returned to Inazuma, we visited Mr. Amenoma to pay our respects.

Y/n: "Raiden Gokaden"?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Ah, let me quickly explain. The Raiden Gokaden was the collective term for the five most acclaimed bladesmithing arts in Inazuma. The techniques of blade-making were personally bequeathed to the Raiden Gokaden by the Almighty Shogun, and over time, further honed and enhanced by the most talented craftsmen. Unfortunately, a series of events led to the gradual decline of many clans in the bladesmithing trade. Today, only the Amenoma Clan has kept its art alive.

Paimon: So sad...

Amenoma Tougo: *sigh* It is a great pity indeed. In the old days, we each had our specialties, and just as iron sharpens iron, so too did we learn much from each other. As an example, the Amenoma Art strives to emulate the abiding patience and determination of water as it turns stone to sand. There is nothing mystical to our work. There is only practice, day in and day out, until both body and mind have memorized the craft, turning each motion of every technique into an intrinsic part of the bladesmith's life. As for the art of the Kaedehara Clan... I believe it's called the "Isshin Art."

Kaedehara Kazuha: That's right. Isshin Art strives for complete harmony between blade and mind from the moment that forging begins. For only a blade thus forged can capture and convey its maker's thoughts and feelings, and eventually become an extension of its wielder's will.

Y/n: So cool!

Amenoma Tougo: Indeed. Most samurai choose their blades, but an Isshin blade chooses its owner. You are, without a doubt, the most worthy wielder of an Isshin blade... It gladdens my heart to see that although the Kaedehara Clan has fallen on hard times, its ideals and virtues are alive and well.

Kaedehara Kazuha: You overestimate me. My actions are guided by my own personal sentiments, not by any noble aspirations on behalf of my clan. But let's get back on topic. The purpose of our visit today is to gather some information on your missing nephew.

Tomo: We hope to assist with the investigation. It may turn out that this case is connected to another we are pursuing.

Amenoma Tougo: Ah yes, my nephew... *sigh* I reported the case to the Tenryou Commission, but I haven't heard anything back so far. He didn't say a word before he left, which is very unlike him. I'm still completely at a loss on what to make of it. But I've done what I can so far. Worrying is futile, all I can do now is wait for the news from the Tenryou Commission.

Paimon: We heard that there was a collector involved in the disappearance too. Know anything about that?

Amenoma Tougo: Yes. On the morning that Yuuya went missing, he gave me a very cryptic look and said that he was going to give me a great gift. I believe he went to collect the item from Mr. Nagato after that. The next thing I heard was that a fire had broken out at the warehouse, and neither of them came back...

Y/n: *worried* A fire!?

Amenoma Tougo: Yes. Strange, isn't it? I wonder what could have caused it? Unfortunately, there was very little evidence left behind, so nobody knows what really happened...

Kaedehara Kazuha: Hmm... Do you have any thoughts on what Yuuya may have wanted to give you?

Amenoma Tougo: If I had to guess... it must have been some kind of rare weapon. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for him to get my hopes up. He's never been particularly interested in blade-forging, but has always had a fondness for blade-testing, and can sense even the most minute differences in blade quality. He is extraordinarily talented in martial arts, particularly when it comes to the art of the sword.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Truth be told, we have some information that you may find to be objectionable. The person we are looking for... he attacked this friend of mine. Based on the evidence we have gathered so far, only Yuuya seems to match the suspect's profile.

Amenoma Tougo: What? No, absolutely impossible. Yuuya is not that kind of person. He is humble and kind. Even his training is done with the goal of calming his mind. He has never gotten into a fight before.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Huh, is that so...

Amenoma Tougo: Yes. If there's one thing I can say for certain, it's that Yuuya would never draw his blade without a very good reason. But with that said, it's equally out of character for him to just disappear with neither farewell nor fair warning. I also cannot know what course of action he might be capable of if coerced, or otherwise compelled by circumstances unbeknownst to me... Anyway, should you find him, please let me know as soon as possible.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Don't worry. You have our word.

Paimon: Hmm... from the sound of that, Paimon doesn't think Yuuya was the one who attacked us as well.

Y/n: We still need to get the info from the Nagato family.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Yes. It sounds as if something happened when the two men met each other.

Tomo: Let's pay a visit to the Nagato household.

Nagato Sachiko: I'm very sorry, but we cannot afford to pay what we owe right now... My husband has gone missing, and I'm still trying to find him.

Kaedehara Kazuha: No, no, you misunderstand us. We are here to help with the investigation. We'd like to ask you some questions about Mr. Nagato's disappearance, if we may.

Nagato Sachiko: Ah, I see... I thought the debt collectors had come to visit again. I'm sorry you have to see me in this dreadful state... Has some new information come out? Do you know where he's gone?

Kaedehara Kazuha: I'm afraid we don't have any new information at the moment. We're still trying to find out as much as we can to inform our search. With this in mind, can we perhaps ask some questions about your family's current situation?

Paimon: For example, Paimon's struggling to understand why a collector would be strapped for Mora...

Nagato Sachiko: *sigh* That's a long story. Ever since I've known him, he's been an avid collector of all sorts of things... He'd always get so animated when he was showing them to me... I knew nothing about the items myself, but seeing how enthusiastic and excited they made him, I was happy to believe that they were just extremely important to him. Everything was fine when we first got married. But as time went by, things changed for the worse...

Paimon: Uh-oh, what happened?

Nagato Sachiko: He lost his sense of restraint. He started buying more and more things, and even resorted to borrowing money just so he could pay for them. Our expenses really spiraled out of control when he started getting interested in weapons. It was awful. There were days when he'd spend hours down at the warehouse admiring his weapons even as debt collectors were descending upon our house. He wouldn't sell them, wouldn't even touch them. Just sat there staring at them, like he was in a trance. I'm happy he has a hobby and I'm willing to support him, but making ends meet has to come first. I've tried talking to him about it so many times, but he never listens... On the last day that I saw him, I gave him an ultimatum... I said, if he refused to sell his collectibles and pay off his debts, I would divorce him and take the children with me.

Paimon: Whoa...!

Kaedehara Kazuha: And that led to an argument...

Nagato Sachiko: Actually, it didn't. Generally, he's a quiet man who likes to go with the flow. On most things, he leaves the decision-making to me. You must understand, I never would have dreamed of threatening him with divorce if the debts hadn't pushed our family to the brink... After I said those words, he froze, and was silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, he awkwardly mumbled that he would pick out a few items to sell. His voice was so meek and pitiful that I felt an urge to take everything back. But then what? If I didn't draw the line, what would happen to our family?

Tomo: Even if I'm not in a relationship, I can say for sure that you did the right thing. It's important to set boundaries.

Kaedehara Kazuha: You were in a relationship once Tomo, your girlfriend just left you because she didn't like the fact that you traveled, and plus, she cheated on you.

Tomo: Hey you didn't have to say that!!!

Nagato Sachiko: Had I not indulged his bad habits, we would not have found ourselves in such a predicament. And I also don't know if he had actually come to his senses, or if he was simply angry with me... The next thing I heard was that our warehouse had caught fire, and both he and the buyer had gone missing.

Kaedehara Kazuha: I see. I understand. Amenoma Yuuya came to purchase a weapon from Mr. Nagato. During the sale, a fire broke out at the warehouse, and both men disappeared.

Nagato Sachiko: At first, I assumed they must have gotten into an argument over the price... But my husband has never been one to negotiate. He never even haggles when he's out buying groceries, so it's hard to imagine him getting into a fierce argument.

Y/n: Hmm... maybe he was feeling the pressure from the debts?

Nagato Sachiko: I don't know. He just disappeared after the warehouse burned down. Perhaps he's too afraid to come home now that all his collectibles have been lost in the fire, and he's got no way to pay off our debts. *sigh* Even though I'm still a little mad at him, we're a family, and I want us to face our family's crisis together. As long as he's willing to turn over a new leaf, I know we can work things out...

Kaedehara Kazuha: Please don't get upset. There could be more to this situation than meets the eye. If collecting things is a habit that Mr. Nagato has had his whole life, it is quite unusual for this habit to change so drastically over a short period. But the information we gathered from the other side suggests Amenoma Yuuya is also a mild-mannered man who would not be likely to start an argument. Hmm... this situation is getting a little confusing.

Paimon: "A little confusing"? More like completely mystifying.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Let's try a change of scenery, and see if we can piece together what we've learned. Rest assured, we'll notify you if we find anything.

Nagato Sachiko: Ah, thank you so much. I just want him to come home...

Y/n: *takes out a medium sized bag of Mora from her bag* Mrs.Nagato, you can have this *hands her the bag of Mora* They're my savings, you can use them to help you out with the debts in the meantime.

Nagato Sachiko: There's no need for that young lady.

Y/n: I insist.

Nagato Sachiko: Thank you, may the Shogun bless you.

Kazuha, Tomo, Aether, Y/n, and Paimon move to a nearby location

Kaedehara Kazuha: Based on the information we've gathered so far, I can only surmise that the sales meeting between the two men was somehow the catalyst for their disappearance. The fire at the warehouse likely played a part in how the situation unfolded, though its exact role is a mystery.

Tomo: ...Do you guys have any thoughts?

Paimon: Eh? Um, well... Paimon was thinking that maybe someone accidentally knocked over an oil lamp, and um... Nope, never mind, Paimon's brain needs to rest for a while. Over to you!

Y/n: Perhaps the fire was deliberately used to hide the truth.

Kaedehara Kazuha: An interesting explanation. I was also considering this possibility. Amenoma Yuuya is an expert on swords. He could have noticed some problematic details about Mr. Nagato's collectibles. Maybe he recognized a blade as a fake or a well-known stolen item. Either way, after arguing about it, the two men agreed to hide the truth of this matter. They thought a fire would destroy everything, but then the Tenryou Commission began investigating and uncovered some incriminating details, so they fled to protect their secrets... But it's a far-fetched theory... I can't imagine how they would have been able to reach an agreement. One fact that I keep coming back to is that Amenoma Yuuya is polite and well-mannered, while Mr. Nagato is introverted and passive. Neither seems like the type of person who is inclined towards initiating conflict. Mr. Nagato, being heavily in debt, is also the only one of them with a potential motive to disappear after the fire. The more I ponder it, the more puzzling it becomes... just what could have happened there?

Aether: This also doesn't seem connected to the case of the attacker.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Right. Although the time frame seems to broadly match, no other details that we've learned seem to link the two events together. Amenoma Yuuya lacks a key distinguishing feature of the attacker — namely, that he is principally a practitioner of the blade-testing techniques of Amenoma Art, not those of the combat-oriented Isshin Art.

Paimon: Darn, we thought we could get two birds with one stone here, but at this rate, it's starting to look like a wild goose chase...

Kaedehara Kazuha: Hmm... Let's keep going, since we've come this far. If we can solve the case, both Mr. Amenoma and Mrs. Nagato will be able to get some closure.

Paimon: Okay, but where should we go now?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Let's head out of the city and check out the warehouse. There's still a chance we may be able to find some shreds of evidence.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Wait. I hear something ominous in the wind.

Paimon: Ohh, this must be another one of those sounds that only you can hear. As sketchy as that whole thing seems, you did put it to good use when we were chasing down that Vision thief at Beidou's tournament, so...

Aether: I knew we could count on you.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Hmm, now I'm picking up a strong scent in addition to the sound. It's right around here somewhere...

Paimon: But there's nothing here.

Kaedehara Kazuha: It's gone now. But I can still sense the direction it left in. It felt very much like that ancient presence in Inazuma... the remnants of the Tatarigami.

Y/n: Tatarigami... That's one thing I didn't expect to encounter here.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Indeed. But this unexpected spring of inauspicious energy may prove to be of benefit to our investigation. We should remain vigilant and approach slowly.

They approach a trapdoor

Paimon: Huh, so it's an underground warehouse...

Kaedehara Kazuha: The force is definitely coming from down below. The source of the Tatarigami energy has long since left this place, but the residue it left behind still hasn't dissipated completely. Judging from the concentration... I would have to conclude that the Tatarigami source resided here for a very long time.

Paimon: Mrs. Nagato said her husband used to hang around the warehouse by himself a lot.

Kaedehara Kazuha: It could well be that he was already under the influence of Tatarigami energy at that time.

Aether: Surely someone would have noticed?

Kaedehara Kazuha: From what I've been told... Tatarigami does not turn all upon whom it preys into violent monsters. But most will develop a stubborn streak upon being exposed to the Tatarigami's unfulfilled will. Their interests become fanatical obsessions. Mr. Nagato had an interest in collecting to begin with. The influence of Tatarigami could explain why he became an obsessive hoarder, amassing more and more possessions even as he put himself in grave debt.

Paimon: Um... so what should we do now? Go down and take a look?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Step back. I'll open the door and take a look inside.

Aether: That's dangerous.

Kaedehara Kazuha: If we don't open this door, we can move no closer to the truth. You needn't worry. All of us have faced far greater dangers than this. Relatively speaking, the risk here is trivial.

Kazuha opens the door

Kaedehara Kazuha: Ah... hmm...

Paimon: What's down there?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Everything's buried in debris. I can't see anything. It looks like the fire caused a cave-in, reducing the entire warehouse to rubble.

Y/n: So, in the end, it was just a scare. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing...

Paimon: That was too scary! Paimon was so sure that the warehouse bogeyman was about to jump out at us...

Kaedehara Kazuha: All we can do now is keep searching in the direction that the Tatarigami energy's source left this place. Two ordinary humans, entangled with the Tatarigami... I fear much misfortune has already befallen them.

Y/n: *holding her head* I don't like this much negative energy from the Tatarigami. It's giving me a headache.

Tomo: *patting her head* I think it's best if we leave not only for Y/n's sake but for our sake too.

Aether: Let's hurry then. We can not afford to delay any longer.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Yes, let's go. If nothing else, it's vital that we find out where this Tatarigami energy is coming from. Quiet your mind and focus on what you sense around you... perhaps you, too, will perceive its ominous presence in the wind.

After following the trail, approaching hilichurls and defeating the hilichurls.

Kaedehara Kazuha: I—It's...

Paimon: Agh! Look at this red stuff... Wh—What is it?

Kaedehara Kazuha: By the looks of it, a letter written on a piece of torn clothing. The ink is bone-dry... it must have been written quite some time ago.

Tomo: Well, let's take a look.

They reveal the strip of clothing and begin to read. The words seem to have been penned by Nagato, and according to him, Amenoma Yuuya was the one who took his blade. But Nagato himself seems to have disappeared as well...

I am Nagato. I was wounded by Amenoma Yuuya. He took my most precious blade. I chased him but could not catch him. I lay down here to rest on account of my exhaustion. I thought that I might croak right here — my stomach kept on bleeding! But it seems that some strange power has sustained me...

Why did he steal that blade? I was going to sell it to him! He even burned my warehouse down!

Agh, it hurts. It hurts! But for some reason, I can't fall unconscious, so all I can do to distract from the pain is write.

What will happen to Sachiko, Yuuichi, and Yuuji...

I'm sorry to them. I really am. Only now do I realize how stuck in my ways I was and how blind to my obsession! I must have been cursed...

I collected all those strange and bizarre things, but they won me not one iota of happiness or warmth. Put all of it together, and it still wouldn't have been worth a single word from her mouth.

Thank you... and sorry for letting you down, Sachiko.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Mm-hmm... According to this letter, a conflict arose because Amenoma Yuuya wanted to seize a blade belonging to Mr. Nagato. Yuuya started the fire that destroyed the warehouse and wounded Mr. Nagato in the fight. Mr. Nagato kept chasing as long as he could, eventually stopping here to write this letter when his strength gave out.

Paimon: So... where is he...?

Kaedehara Kazuha: He was not only mortally wounded but also under the heavy influence of Tatarigami. Add to that the fact that its aura seems to have attracted a horde of monsters, and... I'm afraid he may no longer be with us. Whatever traces there may have been of his fate beyond after this point, they've since been disturbed by the hilichurls. There's nothing more for us to find here.

Aether: Let's ask the Tenryou Commission to do a thorough search later. There are more important things right now.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Yes, right now, we need to uncover some more important truths. If Amenoma Yuuya is attacking other people indiscriminately, then the longer we take to find him, the more people risk meeting the same tragic end.

Paimon: Right, so let's get moving!

Y/n: *has her hand on her chin* How did it come to this... It's not in his nature.

Kaedehara Kazuha: I wouldn't be surprised if he, too, fell prey to the influence of the Tatarigami. For a practitioner of the martial arts, the easiest desire to inflame would be their pursuit of further power and skill. All the clues that at first seemed disparate and disconnected... it seems that now we know the thread that runs between them. I have a hypothesis that, if it's correct, not only explains the series of events leading to the two men's disappearance but also zeroes in on the attacker's identity.

Paimon: ...Wait, you've figured it out? So, are these two cases connected after all?

Kaedehara Kazuha: I believe so... but it's something of an outlandish idea. I will only be able to confirm my suspicions once we've met him in person. On with the search. We must stay vigilant. At any point now, we may find ourselves in danger.

Kaedehara Kazuha: He seems to have stayed here for a long time.

Paimon: Why here? Is there anything special about this place?

Kaedehara Kazuha: I'm not sure... but on closer examination, I sense that the aura may have lingered here at several different points in time......

Tomo: Kazuha? What's wrong?

Kaedehara Kazuha: *shouts* Show yourself! It's no use hiding anymore!

???: Hmph. Kaedehara Kazuha... it's you, at last.

Paimon: Aha! So it IS the same guy from before!

Y/n: What's your problem, huh? What could you possibly have against Kazuha!?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Indeed, there should be no enmity between us... if it is Amenoma Yuuya that stands before us. But what if instead of facing Amenoma Yuuya... we are, in fact, facing the blade in his hand?

Aether: ...The blade?

Y/n: Now that you mention it, it is giving off a strange light...

Paimon: Whoa, whoa, surely you don't mean... Are you serious!?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Tatarigami energy often lodges itself within physical objects, then works to subtly affect any living organisms in its vicinity. The blade has resided in Mr. Nagato's warehouse for many years, affecting his state of mind, and more recently using the sale as a means to affect... Or rather, as a means to occupy Amenoma Yuuya's body.

???: Hmph. You're sharper than I thought. You've already deduced the truth of the matter.

Prized Isshin Blade: Many, many years ago, I was forged by a famed bladesmith of the Isshin tradition. I was his pride and joy. In me, he placed all his hopes and dreams. As a descendant of the Kaedehara Clan, you should be able to guess our greatest regret.

Kaedehara Kazuha: I presume it has something to do with the Raiden Gokaden.

Prized Isshin Blade: Indeed. At that point in time, he failed to live up to the Raiden Shogun's expectations. In the end, all he could do was flee the nation by sea, on a ship bound for Snezhnaya. He was a bladesmith of great renown, a master of his craft! There was nothing that he could not accomplish! All he needed was more time and a little faith. And sure enough, in the end, he achieved what he had set out to do. All of his life's work — his wisdom, his skill — it culminated in his creation of me. He not only bestowed upon me the greatest of strength but also endowed me with a consciousness of my own... In her conceit, the Raiden Shogun lost not only the single most perfect blade in the entire world but also an irreplaceable achievement in the art of blade-forging!

Paimon: So... swords can become conscious? And... control people!?

Prized Isshin Blade: The people of the time in which I was born never believed I had that kind of power. They saw me as a mere blade — a sharp and well-crafted one, but in all other respects, an ordinary weapon. Hmph, but that gave me the opportunity to take action. After the death of my creator, I decided to leave Snezhnay and began my long quest to return to the distant land of Inazuma. Moving from one person to the next, I controlled the minds of countless hosts along the way, each bringing me one step closer to my ancestral home. I seek but one thing: to face the full force of the Raiden Shogun's blade and prove my power, the might of Isshin Art!

Y/n: So Amenoma Yuuya was not your first victim, is what you're trying to say.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Tell me, what happens to those you've possessed when you've finished using them?

Prized Isshin Blade: My hosts? Who cares what happens to them. They are but tools that serve my mission. When they got tired, or injured, or unusable, I hopped to the next one in line. All I needed them for was to take me back to Inazuma.

Paimon: You're awful!

Prized Isshin Blade: After I returned to Inazuma, I decided to bide my time in Nagato's warehouse until Amenoma Yuuya handed himself over to me on a silver platter. At long last, I am approaching my journey's destination. By Amenoma Yuuya's body, I have found you, and by your hand, I shall defeat the Raiden Shogun! Kaedehara Kazuha, you stood against the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi. There can be no other to serve as my host for what is to come. Now, give your body over to me!

Tomo: *drew his sword out* Like Kazuha would do that.

After defeating the opponent

Prized Isshin Blade: Do not stand in my way, or I will strike you down, too!

Y/n: Your bluff's fooling no one. You've lost, just accept it!

Prized Isshin Blade: Lost? I can never lose. It is this body that has reached its limit, nothing more. Even if you defeat me here, the one who falls will not be me, but this man. He is but a puppet that can be replaced. I can take a new vessel at will.

Aether: Then we will smash you into pieces.

Prized Isshin Blade: The end result is the same! I will end this wretch's life before you can lift a finger. And even if I were to lose my physical form, it is but a small setback. My consciousness shall endure. By any means necessary and any medium available, I shall return and fulfill my destiny!

Kaedehara Kazuha: Your fighting style... it is indeed the forms of Isshin Art. But from your movements, I sense only hatred and arrogance, as well as a thinly veiled mania and despair.

Paimon: Really? You can tell all that just from his moves?

Kaedehara Kazuha: As I've mentioned before, the forms of Isshin Art convey the user's thoughts and feelings. Since the blade is currently possessing Amenoma Yuuya's body, its movements express the innermost thoughts of the blade. If you ask me, the mania is probably due to your desperate, single-minded ambition. You believe I am your only hope.

Prized Isshin Blade: Are you trying to claim that I am helpless without you? On his deathbed, he passed to me all of Isshin Art's secrets. The little that you know barely scratches the surface. In that regard, why would I ever need your help?

Kaedehara Kazuha: Because all of that is in the past. I've been wondering why you've not caused more trouble in all the years that you've been in Inazuma if you are indeed a cursed blade that can possess its owner. Now that I've seen inside your mind, everything finally makes sense. You weren't biding your time... you were trapped.

Prized Isshin Blade: Hmph...

Kaedehara Kazuha: After all the time that's passed, you have grown weak, to the point that you are now unable to acquire a new host without making physical contact.

Paimon: Ooh, that's right, Paimon remembers now! Mr. Nagato had a habit of never touching his collectibles!

Kaedehara Kazuha: Only when Mr. Nagato witnessed his wife's distress and decided to sell his collectibles. Did you finally have an opportunity to reach out to Amenoma Yuuya and make your escape.

Prized Isshin Blade: Hmph, what of it!

Kaedehara Kazuha: Well, that brings me to my second point. There's a despair in you that is so strong. It threatens to overwhelm you. You were determined to fulfill your maker's ambition, whatever the cost. But this ambition is too grand and too heavy for you to bear. Each step you have taken has come at a great cost. I think you realized your limitations long ago. The more you clenched your teeth and pressed forward, the greater your fear of losing everything you had achieved grew, and the more you wished to run from the truth. But the way I see it... what began as an ambition has long since become a delusional fantasy.

Prized Isshin Blade: What would you know about any of this? I'm just one step away from achieving my goal!

Kaedehara Kazuha: You returned to Inazuma to prove the unparalleled brilliance of Isshin Art. But to make this arduous journey, you committed countless atrocities and showed a blatant disregard for human life. Even if you were to sever that divine light... is this truly the outcome that your maker would have desired?

Prized Isshin Blade: You...

Kaedehara Kazuha: Sure, you inherited the secrets of Isshin Art, but even as you made your journey to honor this legacy, you treated the ones who wielded you as mere tools to do your bidding. How could you possibly unleash the full potential of Isshin Art when you act in perfect discordance with the principle of harmony between a blade and its bearer?

Prized Isshin Blade: Silence, you blabbering fool... I must achieve my goal. This was his life's dream and the very purpose for which I was brought into being. I will concede that you are most perceptive. You see my predicament clearly... but you also underestimate my resolve.

Kaedehara Kazuha: And you should face reality.

Tomo: *proud* "Get him, Kazuha!!!"

Prized Isshin Blade: Easy for you to say! Facing reality offers me nothing! I have no need of anything that would stand in my way. Not hesitation, not self-reflection, and certainly not your so-called reality! ... It is pointless to argue further, descendant of the Kaedehara Clan. If you wish to save this man, then offer me your body in exchange.

Kaedehara Kazuha: How stubbornly you stick to your wayward path... I do not believe for a second that you can challenge the Almighty Shogun in your current state. So let us make a bet, and I will put your strength to the test.

Y/n: *worried* What? Surely you're not planning to agree to his demands...

Prized Isshin Blade: Very well, then find yourself some enemies with whom you wish to cross blades. A taste of my power will more than convince you. Once we have dealt with them, we shall proceed to Tenshukaku.

Kaedehara Kazuha: And as for your end of the bargain, if you lose, you must release Amenoma Yuuya from your control.

Prized Isshin Blade: I accept.

Paimon: Don't do this, Kazuha!

Aether: This is a risky strategy.

Tomo: Kazuha, you do realize that you're dealing with a cursed blade that can possess people.

Kaedehara Kazuha: This is the only way to save Amenoma Yuuya. If we don't do this, he'll forever be the blade's puppet. The cursed blade's strength is currently very weak, and I sense he's hesitating. This suggests his heart is still not completely devoid of honor. The power of the Tatarigami lies in intensifying existing obsessions. This is the reason Mr. Nagato and Amenoma Yuuya fell prey to it. Since I don't have any similar kinds of obsessions, I should be able to put up some resistance for a while.

Paimon: But, even so...

Kaedehara Kazuha: Even if things take a turn for the worse, I still have you four here with me. We have a chance here to save an innocent victim. I am willing to accept the risks entailed.

Tomo: *sighs* Alright, fine. It's not like I can stop you.

Prized Isshin Blade: Your disdain for me betrays your woeful ignorance. I agreed to this bet because there are things I wish to learn, too. Now, take me in your hand.

The Isshin Blade flies into Kazuha's hands in order to fulfill the deal.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Ugh!

Paimon: Kazuha!

Kaedehara Kazuha: I... I'm okay... I felt a little dizzy at first, but only for a moment. It's alright. So far, this was as I expected.

Y/n: *worried* If something feels off, let us know immediately.

Kaedehara Kazuha: I will. Thank you.

Paimon: What should we do next? Have you got a plan, Kazuha?

Kaedehara Kazuha: We find some enemies. Although this blade has endured much turmoil, it probably hasn't experienced many real fights. If a blade built for Isshin Art can not enter a state of harmony between blade and bearer, it can not unleash its true power. If he wants to avoid reality, then we need to fight until he has no choice but to face it. He shouldn't last long in an intense combat situation.

Paimon: Wait a minute... Paimon remembers hearing about something from the Adventurers' Guild... Since the Takatsukasa Clan abandoned that secret base, it's been held by ronin ever since.

Tomo: That should fit the bill.

Kaedehara Kazuha: Ah, alright. Please lead the way.

Paimon: What about Amenoma Yuuya? What should we do with him?

Kaedehara Kazuha: The blade says he'll let Amenoma Yuuya trail us silently. Although he hasn't regained his own consciousness yet, he is not in any immediate danger.

Paimon: Are we sure this is a good idea? It's a pretty treacherous journey... Okay, fine... just be careful.

0 notes

m5ria · 2 years ago

Text

Chapter 15: The Deal

I groan, from pain and the sight of him. I torturously stand up, feeling that I might fall any minute now, but I can't stand him looking down at me.

Still, I can't improve the situation too much, as he's more than one foot taller than me.

"Whatever you're about to say, I'm not interested," I tell him.

"Hahaha! I wouldn't be so sure, darling!" he smiles pleasantly. "Do not lose such an opportunity just for ill will!"

"I simply don't want to waste anyone's time," I smile politely. "I know my answer."

"You haven't heard what I can offer you!" he leans his head on one side.

"I don't have to," I say the words on the top of my lips.

He walks around me as if studying a sculpture. I feel as exposed under his eyes as I felt under Valentino's, but it's a different kind of surveying. A deeper one.

"There's so much potential for you!" he speaks in what is meant to be an alluring way. "So much raw power. Such determination. And above all, such empathy! So rare down here, that is more valuable than any coin!"

"I understand that the concept is foreign to you," I opine. "Something you can't comprehend might be taunting you, indeed."

"Oh, but I do not have to be empathic to know how it works," he appears in front of me. "It is quite predictable, dear. Take the burdens of someone else, even if they put you in danger. You'd do that for poor Angel who you've known for, what, a few days? I wonder ... What would you do for the other hotel's residents?"

"I can answer that in your case," I smile sweetly. "Nothing."

"Ah, but what about Charlie? You may not believe in her absurd cause, but you admire her. For being like you, especially down here. You wouldn't let her simply suffer and die."

"What do you want?" I grit my teeth with a smile. I've grown impatient with him telling me what I would do.

"You have power. You have ambition. But you lack skill. You stupidly fought two Overlords and barely escaped by sheer luck. But it won't be like this anymore. They won't underestimate you anymore. They'll finish what they started."

"You mean Valentino or yourself?" I ask him annoyed. "Is that why you're here? Kill me and savor your victory before him?"

"No no no, darling!" he chuckles pleasingly, his mic laughing as well. "I'm here to offer my help! For you to learn how to use your powers!"

I stare at him thunderstruck. For all I’ve witnessed and know about him, this would be the last thing he'd do.

Wouldn’t it, though? Didn’t he offer his help to the hotel as well?

He saw a potential source of entertainment in the hotel. Is that what he sees in me as well? Or is there something else? He didn’t become Overlord overnight only out of pure entertainment. He is cunning, meaning there can be other reasons why he’d offer help.

But I can’t see another one. Yet.

"Why?" I play along.

Wrong reply, as it only encouraged him. He makes his mic disappear, as he begins to stroll: "I'm sure you suspect what’s about to happen. After your ridiculing attempt to be a hero, Valentino will search for you, try to find you, and break you until you’ll beg for mercy. He’ll make you his slave, just like Angel Cakes was.” He smiles widely at some inside joke I don’t understand.

“No. I mean, why would you help? There’s nothing in it for you.”

“Other than watching you fight tirelessly Hell’s greatest evils?” he chuckles. “I assure you it’d be quite a gift for me! Ha ha ha!”

“No. If you’d want only that, you’d let me in the state that I am. Surely, failure from my side would be quite entertaining to watch as well.”

“Why, you’re such a clever demoness, Diana, dear!” Alastor ruffles my hair. I mean to bite his hand off, but he vanishes before I sink my fangs in it. He appears behind me and I turn around to see him summoning his staff, which plays some musical notes. He checks his claws while saying: “Yet, so naive at the same time! Hmm ...” he studies me for a mere second. “Let’s say your failure would be much sweeter if you’ve been given every chance. I’m sure you can understand,” he winks.

I sigh, facepalming frustrated. The pain in my entire body exhausts me beyond myself. I would lie down and fall asleep if it wasn’t for the dangerous intruder.

“I’m going to ask you again,” I hold his gaze. “Why would you help me? What will you get in return?”

The music grows louder as the Radio Demon passes his staff from one hand to the other.

“Well, well, darling … do not fret!

I’m dying to know where this quest ends!

Find the purpose of why you fell;

Such fun can hardly be found in hell!

I’m offering you a way to help

Keep your word when you promise yourself:”

He shows me a vision of me at the dinner three nights ago, furiously shouting:

“I can just fine take care of myself!”

The vision pauses at me, my eyes pining with their ferocity. Behind the image, darkness pours and surrounds us, the blue forest disappearing completely. I turn around quickly and wince in pain, a reminder of my stab wound.

“Congratulations! You deserve a beer!

You’ve survived one hell of a year!

Hid in these woods like a scared wild deer…

Hehehe … oh, dear …”

Alastor has disappeared and the only thing I see is my figure. His voice, however, seems to come out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time:

“It seems you’ve marked yourself, I’m afraid!

They’ll come for your powers; to invade,

Unimaginable things to be made,

Things you won’t be able to evade!

Proof of my words is your yesterday’s raid!

And, unlike in your past failed crusade,

No one will ever come to your aid!”

I stare into the darkness, unfazed, and say:

“Unimaginable things, you say?

Like making deals with me? No way!

Do you think I’m a stupid prey –

Thoughtless sinner who’d just obey?”

“No, no, dear, you’ve misunderstood me!

I believe a bright one I’ve called thee!

Knowledge of your powers is your key

And I’m here to answer your plea!

Imagine, with your wit and your glee,

No more reasons to disguise or flee …”

Around me appear different silhouettes of me, but they’re different from that frozen image he still keeps in the air. They’re … relaxed. Careless. Free.

“You wouldn’t have to hide anymore,

You’d be freer than ever before!

No more fear of entering a war …

No one to fall for!

No one to care for!

Live the (after)life you so adore!

Forget surviving, this is your ardour…”

Oh, no.

The things he says … If I’m powerful enough, I can be free. For 11 years I’ve hidden from the only people I’ve ever known and lived on my own. And when I did find someone to share my life with, it was always in the sheer fear of being caught and dragging her with me.

During all those late-night TV shows or Radio podcasts, I’ve always dreamed of being free. Free of worries, of fear, of responsibilities. But this is just it. A dream. A foolish dream.

What if I can make it real?

“In exchange, on a beautiful day,

I’d fancy your gratitude to display!

Simple, tiny favors, for you to pay

That I’m sure you’d find them a child’s play!”

The silhouettes emphasize his words by doing different small tasks. Their faces are happy, with no trace of exhaustion, pain, or insecurities.

They are not me.

But they can be!

With a little effort and Alastor’s help, I can make that true.

You’re in Hell. Nothing about those is true.

Isn’t it, though? Alastor is always happy. It seems nothing is bothering him. He’s always in control of his own (after)life. Don’t I want the same thing for myself?

Alastor is in control right now!

The darkness succumbs the same way it has spread. The blue forest reappears and Alastor stays in the same place he was. This time, his right hand is held forward, his gloved palm facing the sky.

“So, what do you say, dear?”

His colors change. A bright green light appears in his hand. I’ve never imagined there’s a more sinister color than red, but his green appearance …

“Is it a deal?”

I look at his black-gloved hand. His fingers look like a spider’s legs, trying to trap mine. My hand moves on instinct, ever so slightly reaching his. His hand promises me freedom, lack of fear, everything I’ve ever wished for. I glance at his face, which is daring, confident. Beautiful.

“No.”

I don’t realize I’ve spoken out loud until I see one of his eyebrows arched. I drop my hand and make it into a fist. I dug my claws in the palm, making my hand bleed.

“Oh?” he tilts his head like a curious child.

“I will find my own way,” I hold his gaze with much more confidence than I feel.

I watch him, expecting any negative reaction. A frown, a tsk, anything. But the only thing I notice that has changed in his posture is a long satisfied close mouth smile instead of a victory grin. It somehow unsettles me even more.

“Alright, dear!” he retreats his hand along with the greenish light. The pressure of the atmosphere seems to have dropped as well.

I watch him dumbfounded, as he simply summons his mic and cleans a spot of his cloth. Before he takes his leave, he looks at me joyously and says:

“Let me know if you ever disagree!

I’m sure you know where you can find me …”

Then, he, as well as the music, disappear, leaving his shadow behind blinking at me before it flows into the ground.

☽

My decision-making went to hell.

What was supposed to be a quiet productive afternoon, both physically and mentally, turned out to be a waste of time.

Prey kept on pestering me in my weakened state and somewhen after two hours I just had enough and summoned some icicles to take down two rabbits. It didn’t significantly improve my mood.

When I manage to return to the hotel I expect the kitchen to be empty at this hour. It couldn’t have been further from the truth, as my two throwing rabbits which were meant to hit the counter hit ... Vaggie’s face.

“Oh, my God!” I put my hand at my mouth, trying to keep a smile from surfacing. “I’m so sorry!”

“Hija de puta madre,” she curses under her breath, massaging her forehead. “Why the fuck did you throw those at me?”

“Not you. The counter,” I point behind her.

“Do you just throw your meat wherever you see fit?” she spits.

I’ve wrestled on answering yes, but instead, I ask her: “Is it your turn to cook?”

“Duh... Why would I be in the kitchen in the first place?”

She goes to the fridge and grabs an ice bag.

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t that bad!” I tell her.

“Would you want to try it?” she grabs the rabbits by their ears and throws them in my direction. I cry out when I avoid them due to the sudden movement. I hear a shattering noise and, when I look behind, I see a broken window.

“Ok..., I think now it’s more personal,” I turn my head slowly to her.

“You shouldn’t be here!” she looks at my bandaged wounds. She has probably just figured out I am here. “You should be recovering after your stupid (after)life decisions!”

“Oh, give me a break!” I sigh and sit on a chair to calm the pain. “I’ve just gone for a … walk.”

“And that day you’ve just gone for a shopping spring,” she cleverly points out. “And look how that one turned out!”

“What do you want from me?” I ask her exasperatedly. “To leave? Talk to Charlie!”

“Trying to make sense in her head is like trying to tell Angel not to get in trouble!” she sighs frustrated. “Fruitless.”

“So, you just want me to leave, just like that?”

“No,” she denies, even if her face begs the difference. Then, she composes herself and tells me straight: “I don’t like you.”

“Do you like anyone, though?” I narrow my eyes.

“Can you get out?” she points to the door, tired. “I need peace!”

“Ok, geez!” I make the necessary steps to the kitchen door, but I hesitate on the handle. Angel’s words come to my mind: You should ask Vaggie for a complete mystic introduction.

She knows things about demons. More than I do for sure. Maybe...

“Can I ask you something?” I speak up.

She turns to me annoyed but nods.

“What do you know about Alastor?”

She snorts as if she heard something funny and then proceeds on doing her thing (cutting some vegetables).

“He’s the shitiest Overlord I’ve ever known, and that’s saying something. Unpredictable, violent, bloodthirsty, and always looking for trouble.”

I wait for her to tell me more, but she just minds her business.

“Oh, come on!” I urge her. “I know this already! Is there anything else?!”

I’m really disappointed with her description. I thought it’d be some storytelling. That’s what Angel implied. But maybe she’s too mad or uninterested now to offer that.

She sighs and leans on the counter, facing me.

“What do you want to know?”

“When did he come to Hell? Why and how is he an Overlord? How did he obtain his power? Did it have it already or did it steal it somehow? What are all of his powers? What...”

“Ho, slow down!” she stops me with her hand. “I can’t even remember the first question.”

“Just tell me what you know,” I nudge her.

“Alastor... Came to Hell almost a century ago. Don’t ask me how and when exactly, ‘cause I don’t know. He soon started to overpower Overlords who had been here for centuries, while he broadcasted every carnage for everyone in Hell to witness it. Nobody understands how he had so much power in the first place, who he targeted if he targeted at all, and how to stop him. He soon became the only, most powerful Overlord. After a while, though, he became uninterested in keeping his power, so the vacant Overlord places were filled by other sinners.”

“What do you mean by that? Doesn’t everybody in Hell want power?”

“He has a lot of power already,” Vaggie points out. “Apparently, if he can do whatever he wants freely, it’s satisfactory enough for him.”

Freedom. The way he approached me.

“Are there other powers besides teleporting, summoning things and people, and his black tentacles?”

“Yes, but many of them are kept hidden. Wait! How do you know about the black tentacles?”

Shit.

I can’t say that I fought him. She’ll lose her mind.

“He summoned one to grab Valentino’s arm,” I quickly say.

“¡Ay mi diablo! ¡Es peor de lo que pensaba!”

“What do you say?” I ask her, confused.

“There’s one thing for a lesser demon to fight an Overlord,” she lectures me. “It’s entirely something else for an Overlord to fight an Overlord. And …”

“I know about your past battle!” I tell her impatiently. “You’ve won, haven’t you? That means something, right? Even if this might be considered an act of war or whatever, they’ll think twice before doing anything!”

“Bitch, don’t pretend like you know anything about Hell’s politics!” she eyes me accusingly. “You’re a mere child! You don’t understand anything that happens here!”

“Uhm, first of all, I was 27. Second of all, I’m not stupid! I’ve been down here for almost as long as you!”

“Yeah, hiding and hunting your pretty little animals. Doesn’t make you an expert in turf wars.”

I feel my anger level rising within me, impulsing me to tell her things that’ll make her shut the fuck up. But, watching her, seeing her even angrier than me, I realize there’s no point in doing so.

“Vaggie,” I sigh. “I know I’ve created difficulties for the hotel. And I am sorry. I know that the best way I might solve them is to leave. And I might do so.”

Regardless of my lack of decision, I still thought about this a lot. It seems nothing keeps me at the hotel. I have no friends or allies here. My purpose is not to redeem myself. What am I still doing here, then?

“I can’t speak for Charlie,” Vaggie looks at me. “Even if I am blind to her optimism… And I don’t believe in redemption as she does… Charlie started this project because she sees something good in each demon. This hotel is for everyone who wants to better themselves. Even troublemakers like you.”

“You make me sound interesting,” I point out, smiling.

She points her index finger to me: “I make you sound dangerous, Diana Thorn.”

I open my mouth slightly, taken aback. I’ve never told any of them my surname. The way she said it… it unsettles me almost as much as Alastor’s smile.

“We don’t need danger,” she keeps on. “We have that plenty. So, be careful!”

The way she almost threatens me… It makes me want to threaten back. Fight back. But I keep my temper in check.

I leave Vaggie in the kitchen and limp around with a hollow heart. I realize I've targeted the bar the moment I receive a shot of vodka from Husk. I don’t know if I’ve asked him for it or not, but he’s given me the perfect drink.

“What am I still doing here?” I ask him as if he could answer me.

“Honestly, kid? That’s the fucking question I’m asking every day.”

Next Chapter

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Masterlist

1 note · View note

urdamage · 2 years ago

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leaf laughed , loudly and happily , as he so often did - though unfortunately , not as much as he once did considering everything that he had been through in the last few years . " i'm completely real - last time i checked , at least . " they grinned , trying to be funny , trying to be positive . with the aforementioned everything that he had been through , leaf was trying his very hardest to have a day that was wholeheartedly good ; he liked avery's energy , and luckily for him , he thought that she could easily help him along with his endeavour of having a good day . " oh i love ginger . " there wasn't much that leaf didn't like - if you didn't count meat or unethically sourced animal products , at least . " cheers , " he grinned , excited to taste the drink . " honestly , i like a lot of things that not a lot of people do , like ginger . so while your brother might have a bone to pick with you , i'm totally on your side . "

" not only do i think that there'd be a lot more ... friendship weddings - whatever you'd call a commitment ceremony between friends - but i actually think that it would help people to take the sanctity of a friendship union a lot more seriously , don't you think ? i mean , romantic love is so important to me , i love my partner , oh so much , " leaf wasn't afraid to gush and tell anyone who would listen all about his love life - now that it was perfect in his eyes . " but my friends ? they mean the world to me , i love them all too , so much , and i take our friendships so seriously . not everyone respects a friendship like they might respect other relationships - i mean , you've probably seen it , i definitely have , when a friend gets a partner and suddenly they're all they care about , suddenly they have no time for their friends . if we treated friendships like they were truly as special as they are , i'm not sure people would be so quick to take them for granted . "

" no one has ever told me that , " they answered , shaking their head . they almost laughed , but only because of the surprise over the comment , not because they weren't respecting avery's word . " i think i might not actually be very well adjusted , but i really appreciate that you perceiving me as such , " they took a sip of their drink , one that was followed with more as they listened to avery speak . " i'm sorry to know that your relationship with your family isn't exactly ideal . " to put it plainly . " i believe in the idea of late bloomers , though , and that - well , i don't know if i would say it comes more easily to some people over others , but i think that some find it easier than others ; " they weren't quite sure that their words made sense , but they often spoke in that sort of way . " but you should also remember that love can be so different to every single person . so maybe your relationships never made you feel the way you expected or wanted because it was the wrong kind of love , " they suggested . " but then again , maybe you just need to find the right person . i've been with a lot of people , but only in love with two in the way that i'm in love right now . " they didn't mind volunteering such information , not shy in that way at all . " i really don't think that anyone is meant to live a loveless life , however . but i could be biased , " he concluded with a laugh . " thank you . i think i'm the luckiest , but it's nice to think that he could be lucky , too . "

"polite and not picky about your drink? hmm, did i make you up?" avery was only teasing but she appreciated leaf's easy nature as they spoke. it was exactly what they needed at the moment. it was comforting and avery ordered them both a moscow mule, avery's usual go to. "i hope you don't mind ginger, it's not everyone's favorite. but this is my go to, keeps me level plus as much as my younger brother loves to make fun of my taste, i just really love gin. but anyway, you're very welcome, cheers," she added as their mugs were set down and she raised hers for a toast.

"mm, you make a great point though. why dont we have any ceremonies to celebrate friendship? imagine if weddings were actually just about friends committing to stay in each other's lives forever? i think more people would get married actually. a lot more." the thought made her smile and it also made her laugh, the idea of proposing to juliet for a friend marriage one that pleased her immensely. "i like the way you think, my friend."

the more leaf spoke though, the more avery was both warmed by what he shared and a bit heartbroken by it. mostly because avery didn't really know what any of that was like. they wouldn't say that they had a chosen family mostly because their own family had done enough damage. they had really good friends, great friends even but the way that leaf spoke about his life, it seemed to barely scratch the surface of what could be. "you're an incredibly well adjusted person, has anyone every told you that? it's pretty inspiring. my family and i have a pretty shitty relationship and i still see them all of the time. i've had relationships, here and there but even then none of them...made me feel what i thought it would, you know? who knows, maybe some of us are just late bloomers or some of us are meant to live life without love. depressing, i know. but maybe it just comes more easily to others, you know? what i do know, however, is that your partner is very, very lucky. and sounds like someone who wouldn't ever get you a shitty duchess ring."

#∘₊✧────── leaf wozniak ; interaction #leaf & avery

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sporesgalaxy · 2 years ago

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Okay, I think I've got this to where its the fun kind of psychoanalytical torture

So yee haw, let's go, etc: THE 1st accidental dreamwalking incedent Belos and Signey had.

^ you're signing up for this

you get to see this full img with full context too! ⬇️

Anyways. It is a nightmare so: content warnings below the cut.

•••

Content Warnings:

Wittebane Brothers Typical Violence

general unreality warning because of dream logic

getting stabbed bloodlessly & semi-accidentally by a pitchfork

characters being completely unable to will their bodies to move at all for limited periods of time

A group of teens being condescending, rude, and exclusionary towards younger kids

Name calling: scaredy-cat, weirdo, annoying

A kid trying to appease mean people by acting mean to someone else

descriptions of the physical sensation of one's body shapeshifting in body-horrory ways against one's will

•••

A short foreword:

There is an old myth on the Boiling Isles that Humans, because they cannot cast spells, lack a heart.

This myth predates the discovery of the bile sac. In ancient times, it was understood only that the heart was the source of a witch's magic.

This is the origin of the modern superstition that witches with round ears are heartless in the metaphorical sense.

•••

Philip cannot move a muscle. He barely maanages to breathe. He wants to scream, to run, to do anything that might save his brother, but it's useless. An invisible force binds him to his hiding spot.

Caleb drops his pitchfork, and the clatter of wood and metal against the rocks is deafening.

The witch puts an arm around Caleb so gently that Philip wants to be sick. They enter the doorway filled with light so slowly that he isn't sure he sees them move. Their forms blur around the edges, until the last hint of them vanishes, and the door slams shut.

At last, Philip is able to rip himself out of his crouching position. He pushes himself over the rock, running full speed towards the door.

P: CALEB--!

Before he reaches it, the door swings back open, and a new figure rushes out of the light toward Philip, causing him to almost fall over from momentum when he stops. She leans back into the doorway to say one last thing to the other side--

S: --no thank you! Sorry!

-- then closes the door and moves away from it quickly. Philip finds himself dumbstruck. This girl is not the witch who took Caleb, she's too short-- closer to Philip's height-- and lacks any cloak, instead wearing only an odd shirt with leggings.

From behind the door, Philip hears the muffled voices of a few more young girls:

?: What's her problem?

?: Come on, scardey cat!

?: She wouldn't've been any help, but it would've been fun...

?: If you join, you can pick the doll!

The voices seem to wait for a response, which the girl does not offer.

?: Fine! Your loss! Let's go.

Shuffling and laughter can be heard moving away from the door.

The girl from the other side sighs, sits heavily on a flat rock, and pulls her knees up to her chest.

P: Who are you?!

S: [jumps violently] Oh! Uhh...

She rubs her face and sniffles. Her cheek seems shinier, but it's not quite how tear streaks should look--

S: I'm Signey. Sorry. I thought this was...my room...?

She looks around, only just now registering that she is in a cave and not, in fact, her bedroom.

P: Well...it isn't!! So begone! A-and bring my brother back! Or...or else!

He points an accusatory finger at her with much more confidence than he feels. She looks more confused than intimidated.

S: Um, I didn't see any boys on my way here...? I just came from my dad's house.

She points unhelpfully at the door.

P: I don't care!! Get out!!!

S: ...Okay.

To Philip's surprise, she stands as if to heed him. But instead of actually leaving, she just looks nervously at the door, then begins wringing her hands.

S: Uhh...but could I please stay for just a minute? I just... don't want to be in there during the conjuring. The spell won't take long.

Philip's eyes go wide.

P: Spell?! Caleb!

Frantic, Philip rushes to the door, and picks up Caleb's pitchfork on the way. He hesitates just in front of it, trying to will his hands to stop shaking. With a deep breath, he barely manages to steel his resolve, and throws open the door.

On the other side is a hallway, apparently inside of a house. He hears girls giggling around a corner and runs toward the sound, finding a circle of witches that look a little bit older and are dressed even more strangely than Signey. Candles are arranged throughout the room, casting everything in flickering light.

P: [wielding pitchfork awkwardly] Where's Caleb?!

The witches look at him with confusion, disdain, and annoyance.

?: Uh.

?: What the heck?

?: Back off! Cool witches only!

P: [voice shaking] Just-- just tell me where my brother is and I won't hurt you!!!

?: Oh my Titan.

?: No one cares! Get out!

?: We're in the middle of something!!

Signey shuffles timidly around the corner behind Philip.

S: [To Philip] Hey, don't bother them...!

?: Signey, make him go away!

Signey moves with some reluctance toward Philip.

S: Uh, come on--

Philip scrambles backwards a couple of steps, twisting to face her.

P: Get back!! I can't allow these witches commune with the Devil, or-- or whatever it is they're doing!

Signey raises her voice slightly to match his.

S: It's none of your business! Get out!

The other witches chatter in agreement.

P: No!! [a bit desperately] I have to find Caleb!

?: If he makes us miss the moonlight, I'm gonna kick his ass!

S: [to Philip] You're being annoying!! Just leave!!

Signey grabs for his arm; he quickly elbows her away. Philip then shoves the handle of the pitchfork at her, trying to force her back, but she grabs it and starts trying to wrench it out of his hands. In a moment of desperation, Philip twists the handle out of her grip and swings the sharp end towards Signey instead.

He feels it catch on something.

The room falls dead silent. Signey, who'd squeezed her eyes shut, opens them.

That's weird, she thinks distantly, looking at the metal prongs buried in her chest, he didn't even swing from that angle.

Philip stares, frozen with shock. Signey does not move a muscle. They stand there dumbly for what feels like ages.

Until the witches behind them start laughing.

Philip whips his head around to face them them. They are now shrouded in shadow, their facial features becoming unclear and their grins seeming to stretch to uncanny extremes in the dim light. They take turns jeering between fits of giggles.

?: Wowww!

?: Seriously?

?: Don't just stand there!

?: Suck it up! Get him back already!

?: Yeah! Use a spell!

The laughter makes Philip's skin crawl. He can't stop the strain of desperation in his voice when he says,

P: Stop laughing! This isn't a joke!

Laughter roars again. The apparent leader retorts,

?: Yes it is!

Pointing a shadowy finger toward the pitchfork's prongs, she continues, barely stifling her own laughter,

?: It's not bleeding! There's nothing in there!

When Philip looks again, he realizes it's true. It's as though he's poked through the shirt of a scarecrow. The fabric puckers inward, but there's no indication of flesh or blood underneath.

Despite the witches' amusement, the unnatural sight gives Philip a rush of conviction.

P: She's a witch, like all of you! It's sorcery!

His comment renews their laughter a bit too well. The lead witch says, as though it is the most obvious thing in the world,

?: Yeah right! She can't even handle a moonlight conjuring!

Signey is trying desperately to speak, but her jaw will not move far enough, and her vocal chords refuse to cooperate. Her half-articulated wheezes are drowned out. Stop, she wants to say, help me, she wants to yell, it still hurts, she wants to cry, but it's all useless against whatever invisible force grips her.

When leader witch address Signey directly, Signey cannot will her head to turn or her eyes to move to meet hers. Still, she hears the wide smile in her sister's voice,

?: The joke is that you're both human and he still hates your guts!!

As the witch erupts into giggles, Philip's eyes reflexively snap to Signey, and he instantly regrets it. Her wide-eyed, desperate terror reflects his own too closely.

Philip steps backwards in a futile attempt to separate himself from what he's done. The fire encircling them, dancing with derisive glee, prevents him from getting very far. When did the flames get so tall? Philip feels the bloodied knife slip out of his weak grip.

His own blood feels like ice. He can't doubt himself now, not after he's come this far. Not when there is still so much to do. "You're not human," he mutters desperately, trying to force himself to believe it, "You're not human anymore!" The figure, now partially obscured by flames, struggles to hold itself upright. "It's a lie...!" But his dread and panic, allowed a tiny foothold, proves impossible to escape by any reasoning he can imagine right now; Philip feels himself spiral into sickening, unbearable uncertainty.

Spurred by his moment of weakness, hundreds of grating, childlike voices flood his mind, burying all coherent thought under a shrill cacaphony of accusation and animal distress. In the same instant, Philip feels his muscles slithering painfully beneath his skin, spasming more violently when he reflexively tenses them, only ceasing after they're stretched taut by aching, malformed bones.

He shifts his weight, fighting the burden of his own greusome anatomy. A round, golden mask snaps loudly beneath his heel, and he lurches backward.

Too shocked to control the transformation, with nothing to support his weight, Philip falls into empty space--

In two very different places on the Boiling Isles, Signey Shale and Emperor Belos jolt awake from a nightmare.

#THIS HAS BEEN IN MY DRAFTS FOR AGES AND I WAS KIND OF SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT A WORDLESS COMIC BUT #SURE. OK . IVE NOW POSTED IT ON ACCIDENT . SO ITS HERE NOW #adddna #tohsona #toh

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yourmidnightlover · 4 years ago

Text

never go back

Summary: spencer notices how your boyfriend takes advantage of you and finally does something about it.

TW: titty sucking, oral (female receiving), cheating, dom!spencer, scratching, slapping (only one), cursing, choking, spencer dirty talk lol, penetrative sex, creampie. *let me know if i missed anything*

WC: 3,724

A/N - i'm using noah as the 'other man' schtick in probably all of my future one shots bc i can't find it within myself to create a new character each and every time. so your douche of a bf will always be noah miller. if you ever get a nice bf i'll be sure to change his name but for now this is what we're working with. got it? got it.

masterlist

-------------------------------

there are many things that people should go back to. schooling, maybe an old job, an old vacation spot.

your boyfriend was not one of those things.

mostly because your boyfriend sucked.

it was now a fact that spencer reid himself had come to believe quite a while ago and now, well now he had reason.

he had always felt as though you were too good for noah, similar for practically anyone in existence (himself included). he was always a complete ass to you no matter the circumstance.

there was one time the entire team had been back really late from a case that took a toll on all of you. it was emotionally and physically draining. the flight back had been delayed because of weather issues in the state you had been in, meaning you couldn't leave until days after it was solved.

any time you had gone to answer the phone, spencer would be able to see your stance and body language through the glass window. you had been apologizing for something you couldn't even control. you would narrow your brows the way you only did when you were being yelled at. you bit your lip the way you did when you were being made to feel guilty.

he was guilt tripping you for something you couldn't even control.

when you had gotten back it wasn't any better. noah had been giving you the cold shoulder. he was defensive when you asked what was wrong.

and that was only 3 weeks into the relationship.

after being together for 2 months, you had gotten flowers delivered on your desk. you assumed they were from your boyfriend, reasonably so, and went to go thank him. spencer saw the shock in your eyes when you saw your boyfriend huddled in the corner with some new intern. spencer saw the look in your eye change from sadness to anger in the blink of his own.

you took a deep breath, and walked away from the situation, completely missing the way he tucked the intern's hair behind her ear as he leaned in to whisper something to make her giggle. when you got back to your desk you threw the flowers in the garbage can, not even bothering to read the note.

it was pretty indirect, but looking into it he realized it was an issue that should've been addressed. every time the team would go out together, everyone was clearly invited. you would always decline because 'noah wanted to take me out tonight' or 'noah said he needs me, so i'll have to rain check'.

it wasn't because you were a bad person, the opposite actually. it was because noah was taking advantage of your kindness.

because any time you needed him, 'noah's out with the boys' or 'noah had to work late' or, here's a kicker, 'noah had a hard time at work'. as if you don't have a hard time looking at dead bodies while he just has to write up reports.

even when you got injured during a case, shot in the shoulder, noah seemed as though he couldn't have cared less. he wouldn't even go to your apartment to visit you while you were in recovery because 'noah didn't have time to visit'.

spencer could even recall when you went out with the girls one night, spencer being the designated driver, that you had told them how 'noah didn't want you to dress too provocatively so you had to wear something more modest'.

now, spencer doesn't care all to much about what you wear because, frankly, it's none of his business. but now that he heard how noah cared oh-so-much, he decided to wrack his brain for the 'provocative' outfits you've worn. there was not a single one that anyone should make a comment about. you looked stunning no matter what you wore, so you'd grab any man's attention no matter the clothing on your body.

but spencer? he made sure to never be that much of an asshole to you. he made sure to make up for him being an asshole.

he would grab you some morning coffee like you always had before you had a boyfriend. he would make sure to tell you that you looked lovely when you were able to go out with the team. he would visit you when you injured yourself and were lonely, he even stayed back for a few days with you to help you get through it.

hell, he was the one to get you the flowers. you had been having a rough week and spencer thought it might cheer you up. he had gifted you a bouquet of 12, blue chiffon flowers because those were your favorite.

but this was his breaking point. you had come to his apartment, once again in the middle of the night, talking about noah fucking miller cheating on you.

he had done it once before when he was 'out with the boys' you decided to stop by when he said he'd be back, wanting to just be the amazing girlfriend that you are. so when you walk in and hear your boyfriend moaning along with another woman that isn't you, you immediately run back out. you run back out and drive all the way to spencer's.

and here you are again. spencer wasn't mad at you, it was noah he was mad at. he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

spencer had always liked you, no, he's always loved you. everything about you. how could he not? you're perfect.

but loving you how he does and seeing you being used as a toy to fuck for a certain noah miller not only made his heart ache but also made his blood boil.

spencer wasn't an idiot. he had heard the way the old morgan had referred to women. the thing is, noah is way more of a fuckboy than the old morgan ever was. and that scared spencer to pieces. he knew that you would only be missing out on team outings just to get fucked by a douchebag. he knew that the only reason said douchebag wouldn't visit you was because you couldn't fuck. he knew that the reason said douchebag was cornering that intern was to fuck her, too.

so when you arrived at spencer's place, this time you weren't crying. you were furious. you were angry and upset, as was spencer.

"he did it again, spence," you breathed out as you paced across his living room floor. "i was supposed to meet him in a few hours but i was going to surprise him and i caught him with another tramp! i didn't even confront him. i just- i just left!"

"cheated? noah?" he asked as if he didn't believe it at first, not wanting to seem like as much of a dick as noah.

"yes! cheated. god! i am so ANGRY!" you ran your hand through your hair, a grunt leaving your mouth. "and... and frustrated! and... UGH!" you sighed aggressively.

"and what?" spencer asked as he stood up, slowly making his way to you. "what else?" he said, his hand now brushing that stubborn strand of hair behind your ear.

"i-i'm..." you trailed off, getting lost in his beautiful eyes.

if you were honest with yourself, you'd admit how much you loved spencer. but you thought he'd never love you like that. not since you helped him through jj getting married. he really thought she was it for him, at least that's what you'd come to think he believed. over the years you had grown so much closer and grown such an attraction for each other that the other person knew about. it was ironic, truly.

"say it, y/n," spencer leaned over you, his lips ghosting over yours. "i need to hear you say it."

"god, just kiss me," you said, your hands flying to the back of his hair to push his mouth to yours.

there was no hesitation from spencer to give you everything he had. his hand on the side of your face remained there as his other hand drifted to your waist to pull you closer to his body. your tongues met fervently with covetous, passion, and longing yet with just gentle firmness that felt protecting and as if it was how everything was supposed to be.

"please, spencer," you quietly whispered once you unlatched from one another.

"please what, princess," he asked, his hand running through your hair.

"i just... i need you," she pleaded with him, her hands still tugging gently on his hair. "please," you put your foreheads together, breathing in each others air as you silently begged him to help you in any way that he could.

"i'd do anything for you," he whispered so delicately as if the entire team were standing right beside you. "you know i'd do anything for you."

"then do something," you demanded.

spencer took action by kissing you just as intensely as before, this time his hands went to your ass. he grabbed your thighs to signal for you to jump, once you did you wrapped your legs around his torso as he carried you into his bedroom. he set you down just in front of the bed before you began to undo his shirt, him returning the favor by undoing yours.

"god, i've wanted you for so long," he growled, nipping gently at your earlobe as he laid you back on the bed. "lift your hips," he ordered, you obeyed his every command. you always would. "good girl," he praised as he ran his hands down your now bare waist.

"please," you begged, your hips bucking up to get any source of friction. "spencer..." you trailed off.

"i know, princess. i know," he said before climbing on top of you, connecting your lips with his once again, this time much more eager than before if that were possible.

as you arched your back, he took the opportunity to unclasp the hook on your bra. you shrugged it off your shoulders to allow him to throw the bra somewhere else in his room. he finally took a breath, removing his lips from yours to admire the view in front of him.

"god, you're so beautiful," he growled before placing gentle but eager kisses along the tops of your breasts, massaging the one his mouth wasn't on.

he pressed his knee between your legs, allowing you to buck your hips up to get that release you wanted so bad. you whined as he took your nipple in his mouth, his tongue flicking past it rapidly as he occasionally nibbled on it gently.

"spen-spencer," you ran your hands through his hair, tugging gently on the roots.

"mmm," he sat his head up, trailed kisses up your throat. "god, i love you so much."

"i-i love you," you moaned, pulling his head up to connect your lips together. "i love you so so much."

"i'm so glad to hear that," he huffed a sigh of relief. "because otherwise it'd be awkward when i did this," he began trailing kisses down your body, leading down towards your center. "i'll show you what it's like to be with a man that actually loves and respects you, yea? show you what it feels like to actually be pleased by a man? what it's like to be with a real man?" he teased.

his fingers trailed around your entrance, gathering your arousal that'd been building for what felt like ages. he pressed gentle kisses around your pussy before finally connecting his lips with your clit, a low groan emitting from your body because of the contact.

"yes, please," you shot your head back, relishing in the feeling of the direct skin contact.

"hey," spencer slapped your thigh, your head shot back up to see him between your legs, a truly beautiful sight that you'd never get tired of. "eyes on me," he demanded before going back down on you, not breaking eye contact as he brought out sounds from you that you weren't even sure you could make. "talk to me, princess. let me know how it feels."

"fe-feels so good," you sighed, taking your breasts in your hands and massaging them. "i-i can-can't even think," you stuttered out, too caught up in the pleasure to form a coherent sentence.

you had felt so good as he sucked on your clit, succeeding in bringing you closer to the edge than noah ever has, but when he inserted two fingers into your entrance...

"oh my fuck!" your hands shot down to grab onto his locks, pushing him further into your body, a low groan leaving him.

his fingers didn't stop their work. he curled them at just the right spot, sending you flying over the edge. spencer used his free hand to grab onto your thigh to keep them from closing in completely on his head, still working you through your high. he placed a kiss on your clit once more before he brought his head up to you, connecting your lips passionately.

"could noah ever make you come like that? huh? could he make you feel so good you could barely even think?" he grabbed your chin in his hands, holding it in place to look at him as you shook your head the best you could. "no?"

"mm-mm," you tried to shake your head 'no' once more.

"did you think of him while i was going down on you? were you thinking about how he fucked that little tramp?" he asked harshly, you shook your head 'no' again. "oh, what were you thinking, princess?" he finally released your face so you could speak.

"ab-about how well you know my body. about how, how good you looked between my legs. about how much i love you," you replied quickly, knowing exactly what to say.

"right answer," he connected your lips once more. "what do you want, love?" he asked, peppering soft kisses along your jaw where his hands once held your throat firmly.

"you. i-i want you in-inside me," you swallowed, your hand finding his and pulling it up to your lips to press a kiss to it, then another, then another, then another. "please, doctor?" you used your best puppy dog eyes you knew he couldn't resist.

"god, call me that again," he rasped lowly.

"what... doctor?" you took his hand and started sucking on his fingers, letting them slip in and out slowly and then moving onto the next.

"fuck, yes," he growled as he pressed another kiss to your lips before lining himself up at your center. "are you sure, princess?" he traced your jaw with the fingers you were previously sucking on.

"yes, sir," you nodded. "i'm sure."

you felt him slowly push inside of you slowly to allow you to adjust to his size. you had your suspicions of how big he was, but feeling him inside of you made it all much more real.

"fuck, you're so tight," he moaned into your ear quietly as he slowly pulled back out, going in just as slow.

"sp-spence-"

"wrong," he slapped your face gently, a whimper leaving your lips before he grasped your face to make you look him in the eyes.

"doc-doctor," you corrected yourself.

"good girl," he said, feeling your pussy clench from the praise. "oh you like that?" he felt it again. "maybe you just like hearing me talk, yea?" his pace began picking up slowly. "you like hearing how this pussy makes me feel? how tight... and warm... and wet it is?"

"u--uh huh," you nodded your head the best you could as he began thrusting much more rapid, hitting that special spot inside of you with each movement.

"it seems like you haven't felt this good in a long time huh? haven't had your pussy pounded like this in a while?" he asked as he was catching his breath.

"ne-never, doctor," you confirmed, hands reaching around his back and dragging your nails down, surely leaving scratch marks all down them.

"fuck," he growled. "noah never made you feel this good princess? never made you forget how to speak in sentences? never knew how to get you going like this?"

"n-no, no! never! god, never!" you cried as you pulled his body even closer to you. "i-i'm close, please!"

"you wanna come all over my dick, yea? you want to show me how much your pussy loves it when a real man fucks it?"

that was it to let that spring burst inside of you, parts flying everywhere. you cried his name as he worked you through your orgasm, holding onto his shoulders and hair to keep you grounded.

"cum inside me, please," you begged. "fi-fill me up."

"fuck, whatever you want, princess," he kept pounding into you at a rapid pace. "god, i'm gonna come inside you, and send you back to that scumbag of a boyfriend so he can see that you're mine now. so he can see what happens when his girlfriend is mistreated and fucked by someone who knows what they're doing, yea?"

"yea, yea!" you whined, nails digging back into his skin as he released his load into you, thrusting it gently back inside after.

"god, i love you so much," he moaned into your ear, pressing a kiss to your cheek by your ear.

"i love you," you replied, stroking his hair to help him come down, him still inside of you. he began thrusting inside of you once again.

"don't want any of it to spill out before you get to him," he felt you clench around him one more time. "you're very responsive, princess. i like that about you."

"it-it's just you, spence. it's always been you," you pulled him in for another kiss.

this one was full of passion but not the kind of eagerness. it was full of desire and longing, pent up emotions flowing out into one another fluidly.

"now let me go see my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend," you huffed as he pulled out of you, wincing from the overstimulation. "i'll see you later?"

"i'll see you later," he pressed a kiss to your forehead before helping you gather your clothes.

driving back to his apartment, you felt rather giddy with yourself. should you have felt bad? absolutely not. he's a manipulative asshole who's used you for sex on numerous occasions, so he deserved the bittersweet irony of what was coming to him.

*get it, coming to him? lol i'm sorry i had to :)*

you knocked on the door softly, greeted by a rather chipper noah who grabbed your face as soon as he saw you, connecting your lips. his kiss was nothing like spencer's. his lips weren't as soft and tentative. they weren't plump and round, they were harsh and rough and unpleasant.

he quickly led you to the bedroom, not to your surprise. he sat down on the bed, you straddled his hips, acting as if it were spencer instead - which was pretty hard to do after knowing what he was like in the sack.

you felt his boner through his pants quickly after you got on top of him. then when he flipped you over and pulled your pants and underwear down, he was met with a surprise.

"someone's excited to see me," he chuckled before licking a thick stripe from your slit to clit, very aggressive to where it almost hurt to have the pressure. "god you taste so good, doll."

he continued at this for a while, inserting his tongue to your hole very once in a while and licking up yours and spencer's arousal with it. you faked your moans and whimpers as his ministrations became more eager, not really getting you anywhere.

after he was finished with your turn - no, he didn't even make you cum - he laid back on the bed as if he were waiting for you to get on top of him again.

"actually," you stood up from the bed, pulling up your clothes with you. "i'm done with this. we're over."

you watched his face as he took in the information just released to him. it changed from surprised and shocked, to confused, to disgusted, to angry and frustrated.

"what the fuck?" he sat up from the bed, a disgruntled look on his face. "you wait until after you cum to tell me this?" he walked over to you, arms flailing in the air.

"yea. i did. and by the way, i didn't cum," you informed him. "that's something you've never really been good at making me do. although i'm not sure how you've been able to convince me to do anything with the way you treat me."

"what do you mean? i'm a good gu-"

"shut up for one second, please," you rolled your eyes, running your hand through your hair. "i know you've cheated on me numerable times. i stayed because i thought that maybe there was a reason, but i've come to realize that i was just... settling with you," you shrugged.

"you've treated me like crap since this 'relationship' started and i'm tired of it. i know someone who not only treats me with respect and kindness, but can also actually make me cum. shocker," you chuckled.

"who is this asshole? what the hell-"

"i wasn't finished, sweetie," you spat out viciously. "he's not an asshole. you're the asshole. you're the one that's getting dumped. so this is goodbye," you turned around to walk out of his room before leaving him with one more thought. "how did his cum taste with mine?" you tilted your head innocently, smiling at his shocked face as he realized what you meant before walking out.

and you were never more glad that you didn't have to go back to him anymore.

taglist:

@muffin-cup @greenprisca @averyhotchner

#dom!spencer #smut #spencer x you #spencer x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x reader #cheating

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minty-malfoy · 4 years ago

Text

“would you still love me if I turned into a worm?” | blurbs

🌱 pairings: reader x blaise zabini, cedric diggory, draco malfoy, fred weasley, george weasley, harry potter, hermione granger, luna lovegood, neville longbottom (sorted in alphabetical order)

🌱 warning tags: language, probably

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Blaise Zabini

“A what, now?” your boyfriend asks, halting the movements of his quill to look up at you; brows furrowed as if it’s the most absurd thing he has ever heard in his entire life.

“You know, those wiggly things that—”

“I know what worms are, (y/n). But what the hell?”

“Dunno,” you shrug. “I’m bored.”

“So you thought about what it’d be like to turn into a worm?” his eyes narrow out of pure bewilderment, blinking once, twice, as he finally turns back to his unfinished essay. “Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours.”

“Not my fault you’re taking so long with that assignment,” you grumble as you begin to shift on the puffy couch, feeling somewhat annoyed by how cold and empty it is without the other boy in it. “And besides, you love me.”

An amused chuckle escapes his lips. “Can’t say that I don’t.”

“Even as a worm?”

“Will you stop asking if I said yes?”

You nod happily, giving him the answer he needs— or well, wants, really. Even though Blaise couldn’t quite understand the pointless question, he knows it’s significant to an extent.

“Yeah, alright. I would. Now give me five minutes and we can get out of here. Deal?”

A glint of satisfaction flashes through your eyes as you give him a hum in return, thinking to yourself that maybe the silly questions could be more useful than you thought.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Cedric Diggory

The moment the words leave your mouth, Cedric's first reaction is to laugh. He didn't mean for it to come out in a condescending way. He hadn't even meant to laugh, to begin with. But judging by the way you pout with both arms crossed, that might just have been how it came accross.

"I'm sorry," he offers sheepishly. "you were saying?"

"You heard me. I said what I've said," you grumble, despite not being genuinely upset at the hufflepuff boy you've grown to love.

"Wait, I need to get this straight," he takes another breath of air. "You're serious?"

"What do you think?" you pout once again, turning away slightly from your boyfriend. This only seems to ignite his amusement as much as it does his guilt. A second or two later, his arm finds its way around your shoulder, the other brushing a few strands of hair behind your ear.

"You really haven't figured it out yet?" he asks with a genuine grin on his face. You begin to eye him curiously, appreciating the charm of his pearly white teeth as you wait for the boy to go on. Soon, he pulls you into his lap where his arms craddle you lovingly.

"Sunshine," he begins. "I'm surprised you still have to ask. But if that's one way of putting my love for you, then yes. You'd be my favorite worm in the entire world."

"Promise?" you present your pinkie finger as a final means to seal the deal.

With one last chuckle, he wraps his fingers around yours. "Promise."

Everything that happens next is a flurry of innocent pecks and kisses planted along your skin, coupled with the security of two warm arms holding you in place.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Draco Malfoy

"And what exactly do you expect me to say to that?" comes his first response after a long moment of trying to figure out just how in Merlin's name your mind came up with that question.

You, on the other hand, can't help but giggle at the slytherin boy's confusion. "Whatever's on your mind right now will do."

"Well, to be honest with you, I can't quite stomach the idea of my own girlfriend turning into a bloody worm." he nearly spits the words out, softening his edge only when your eyes meet once again. "If you were expecting a different answer, I suggest moving on to the next bloke."

Draco wasn't lying about that first bit. Worms have always been an insignificant, unseen creature in his world; wiggling in the muckiest of places where they could easily be stepped on. Hence, he doesn't like to imagine you—someone so perfectly ethereal and quintessential in every single way; the only source of light shining into his pathetic excuse of a life—to be compared to a dirty worm, of all things.

"That doesn't mean I don't love you, though," he adds in a bit of a guilty tone; voice much, much softer this time. He brings your hand to his lips, dropping a few kisses on its skin. "I just much prefer having you as you already are."

You snuggle deeper into him, indicating that you already know exactly what he means.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Fred Weasley

“A worm!” Fred exclaims, nearly forgetting the food on his plate altogether. "What a brilliant idea!"

A few seats away, you can already see Ginny clamping her mouth shut as to not burst into fireworks of laughter. You mirror her gesture, eyes now on Fred once again, watching him announce this idea of yours to your entire group of friends.

Ron, who's not that thrilled to see his brother's public displays of affection, lets out a groan. "Wouldn't have asked him that if I were you."

"You think so?" comes your reply. "He seems to be having a lot of fun with this." you both glance at Fred, who is indeed already coming up with some sort of thrilling plot.

"Did you hear that, George?"

"Sure did, Fred."

"I reckon we could come up with a potion for that," he muses, turning back to look at you. "Give me a week or two and we can start living out that worm dream of yours, love."

"Wait, Freddie, you're getting it all wrong," you begin explaining, tugging on the boy's sleeve slightly to keep his attention on you, "It was just a silly little question. I don't actually plan on turning into a worm or anything like that."

At this point, you half expect his enthusiasm to die down from the grounding effect of your words. In reality, it doesn't.

"S'that so?" he replies, earning a nod from you. "Looks like you're missing the bigger picture to me, (y/n). Isn't that right, George?"

"Right you are, Fred." the said boy affirms. "Sorry, (y/n). I'm with him on this one."

With a sigh, you turn back to Ron, who's busily stuffing his mouth with a look on his face that says I told you so. You shake your head with a small smile at your boyfriend's shenanigans. You're not sure how you can both dread and anticipate the day of his worm adventures.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

George Weasley

"That's a new one," he asserts with an amused laugh. The boy rests his head against one of his palms, feeling instantly intrigued by your proposition. "Now tell me more about this worm business of yours."

"That's about it, actually." you admit sadly.

George frowns at this, wishing he could hear more worm stories and whatnot. Mostly he's just happy to see the way you talk about things passionately. Makes him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside in a way he can't ever get enough of.

"That's quite alright. I'll do the talking, then." he offers, rubbing his chin to think of what to say next. You light up in your seat, eyes wide in anticipation. Now it's your turn to eagerly wait for his response once again.

"I've got an idea. We could run off and start a new life— as worms!" he beams all of a sudden. You raise a brow for him to go on, not exactly complaining about your boyfriend's excitement towards the topic. "I'm only turning into a worm to make sure I can properly take care of you, of course. Wouldn't want to—er—squash you between my big human fingers, now do we?"

You both erupt into a chorus of laughter at the conjectured image, melting into one another like two fitting puzzle pieces. When you finally catch your breath again, you pose the main question once more, "So I'm concluding you're still going to love me, then?"

"Love you?" he repeats. "Oh darling, I'll be marrying you in a grand worm wedding!"

You can't hold back the gasp that escapes your lips, more than thrilled to have the first mention of marriage between you. Not too long after, you transform into a complete fit of giggles when George continues. "Then we'll happily live our worm lives, 'till death do us apart. Or when, you know, some bloke accidentally steps on us. Whichever comes first."

You lean into him lovingly to steady yourself after all the laughing. Taking a deep breath in, you mumble a soft, "You always know how to make me laugh, Georgie."

And the truth is, he wouldn't have it any other way. Worms or not.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Hermione Granger

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the point of this question."

"Which part, exactly?" you inquire, watching your girlfriend pull out another book from the wooden library shelves.

A few seconds pass before you get your answer. "You're not a worm," she states simply, eyeing you up and down as if to prove her point.

"Yes, thank you for pointing that out, 'Mione," you follow her to the next section. "Which is why I said if I turned into a worm."

The girl looks at you again, analyzing your words and expression briefly before coming to another conclusion. "I still don't understand." she pauses to think. "Unless you might be interested in becoming an Animagus? Even then, opting for a worm wouldn't be very... effective."

You roll your eyes, speeding up to block the girl's way. She lets out a non-committal "Hey!", only for you to quickly muffle it with a warm kiss. A moment or two later, you pull away with a smirk that makes her heart melt. "Just answer the question, would you?"

Still slightly caught off guard from the contact, Hermione finally caves in. "Alright, you cheeky flirt. I love you. Even as a notional worm."

Satisfied with her answer, you plant another peck— this time on her cheek, before announcing a gentle "I love you, too."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Harry Potter

The way his lips purse into a straight line tells you that Harry doesn't exactly understand the question. Not really, at first. Aside from being an entirely foreign concept to his ears, it also seems like an odd thing to ask someone, unless— "Oh! You're an Animagus!"

The smile on your face instantly drops at this. "What? No—"

"Why didn't you just say so, (y/n)?" he begins what—at the time—you don't know is going to be a nearly endless ramble. "I was planning on telling you this for a while now, but I know someone who's an Animagus, actually. In fact, I think you two would get along fantastically!" he lights up at the sudden idea, flailing his arms in the air out of excitement. "Yes, maybe I can try getting the both of you to meet up. No promises, of course, but what do you think?"

"I think you've got it all wrong," you frown; knowing you would have to disappoint your boyfriend and how you're not very fond of the idea.

"What do you mean?" he asks, albeit barely giving you a second to reply. "(y/n), it's alright, really. You know you don't have to hide yourself from me. Besides, I think it's brilliant!— what you can do, I mean."

The smile he gives you is the epitome of love itself, and now you're not quite sure how to handle the messy situation without pulling out the rug underneath Harry's feet. All you can do is squeeze his shoulder with a guilty smile, promising to talk about it again after dinner.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Luna Lovegood

"Of course. Worms are lovely, don't you think?" she says with a dreamy smile. You gape at how easily the answer could be pried from your girlfriend; no questions asked. But then again, it's not like you hadn't expected this exact outcome already.

"Really?"

"Mhm," comes her gentle hum as she begins to stir her honeyed chamomile tea. A soft smile stays glued on her features, as if she's enjoying the conversation. "What kind of worm would you like to be, (y/n)?"

"I haven't really thought about it that far," You admit. "Are you sure, though? We won't be able to hold hands or anything like that."

You can't tell if you had just imagined the almost-frown tugging on her lips, because when she looks back up at you again, her sweet signature Luna smile is back in its place. "I suppose you're right. But I could carry you around everywhere with me. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

"It would be," you nod. "but can a worm even fit into that pocket of yours?" you question, noticing how hers are stuffed with unknown items; blades of grass sticking out ever so slightly. Flowers, perhaps.

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about. See?" she pulls out a couple of daisies and fairy foxgloves to reveal a now empty pocket. "Now, would you like some tea?"

You eagerly join her on the table, snuggling against your girlfriend ever so slightly as you both begin to talk about your day. The entire worm ordeal is slowly slipping out of your mind already.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Neville Longbottom

Neville stops in his tracks at your question, taking a moment to toss the idea back and forth in his mind before he can give you a proper answer. You nearly giggle when his face scrunches up, brows knit and lips parted as he innocently asks, “But why would you turn into a worm?”

"Neville, love, no. It's a hypothetical question."

His entire body relaxes at this, releasing what you assume is a breath of relief. "Oh. I thought you were being serious for a moment there."

You shake your head with a giggle, taking a step closer to adjust the scarf around your boyfriend's neck. "I'm just curious is all. Would you still love me, then?" you ponder.

"Yes! Of course!" comes his instant reply, hands balled up into fists that match the determination on his face. "I would get you a nice worm house with all your favorite flowers in it," he bends one of his gloved finger inwards, beginning to keep count of this hypothetical to-do list. "Would you still be able to have human food? Well, either way, I promise to feed you every single day!"

He pauses, only for a second or two. "Oh! And I'll sing you worm songs! Or maybe we can sing them together? I don't know if you would still be able to talk as a worm though."

You swiftly pull him into an affectionate hug, effectively bringing his rambling—as well as the entire worm topic—to an end. His hands sheepishly find their home around your waist, where he places them softly as if it's his first time hugging you. After all the months of being together, it certainly isn't.

"What was that for?" he dares himself to ask, avoiding your eye contact shyly.

"For being the most loving and adorable boyfriend I could ever ask for," you lean in to plant a soft, gentle kiss on his cheek. You don't miss the way he pulls up his scarf to hide the blossoming blush afterwards.

I have no idea why I wrote this either lol <3

🌷 draco taglist: @arossebyanyothername @kawaii-angelanne @thefandomplace @yuosmi @bbeauttyybbx @mywellspringoflife @slytherinsunrise @avatarbeeb @scarlet-says-hi @lunars @coldlilheart @beiahadid @justmimithings @soundsquid27 @youknowiloveyou-so @n3ssm0nique @ochrythum @explxsion @yaanasluv @autumnpleaves @booksmione @drxcomvlfx @the–queen-of-hell @aspiringsloth20 @runninglownad @snitches-at-dawn @badfvith

🌷 harry taglist: @teheharrypotter @badfvith

#blaise zabini x reader #cedric diggory x reader #draco malfoy x reader #fred weasley x reader #george weasley x reader #harry potter x reader #hermione granger x reader #luna lovegood x reader #neville longbottom x reader

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get-shiggy-with-it · 4 years ago

Text

Book Drop Boy (Twice x Reader)

✧ pairing: library student worker!Twice x afab!student!Reader

✧ word count: 9.9k

✧ ao3 mirror

✧ warnings: college au/no quirks, maladaptive daydreaming (twice), twice is chaotic af, commits library related crimes, use of the term sweetheart a few times, smut, vaginal fingering/sex, doggy style, afab terms, no pronouns for reader, gratuitous swearing this is potentially the softest thing I've ever written, like she's pretty tame idk what Twice does to me

✧ summary: In which Twice learns that sometimes dreams do come true, except those dreams are just the maladaptive fantasies of a broke library receptionist and, while sexy, also involve more fraud than he expected.

✧ a/n: Hey y'all, this is set in the same universe as my shiggy college piece, but you don't need to have read that. There are some fun little easter eggs though if you have tho. This is like the most tame thing I've ever written and it's way longer than it was meant to be but oh well. Anyway, Twice deserves some love. Enjoy <3

Logically, Jin was aware you probably had no idea who the fuck he was.

But that really didn’t have any effect on the wildly intricate fantasy life he had created for the two of you during his long shifts behind the library reception desk. That, in fact, was the only reason he hadn’t up and quit just to save himself the embarrassment of another loud outburst in the middle of the most silent place on campus.

What was truly more shocking was the fact that none of those said outburst had gotten his ass kicked straight out the door.

But he held out.

If only for you.

Late nights or lazy afternoons you were always in the campus library—studying he assumed or…

'Studying,' because a lot of the time he noticed you’d show up with a drink from the cafe a few blocks down, set out a line of colored pens and not touch a single one of them for hours, content to stare blankly at the chipped desktop. And even that Jin was more than happy to watch.

He did a lot of watching.

Mostly because he wasn’t permitted to leave the desk unattended unless there were piling up returned books which needed to be replaced quickly.

So instead, he pretended to be busy scrolling through something on his old as hell monitor—which was conveniently set up directly across from the comfy chair/desk combo you always managed to grab—and he indulged in day dreams where you’d bring him a coffee from the cafe when you came in and set it on his desk, maybe kiss him on the cheek, maybe loiter by his workstation and play with his hair and—

Yeah.

It was a lot.

But you were always in that chair, always working or pretending to work and you never seemed to notice the uninterrupted hours of staring Jin did, so what was the harm?

If you never knew, you’d never get creeped out—cause it was creepy, he knew that, oh fuckin' boy did he know it was real goddamn weird.

He just couldn’t seem to give it up. Especially when the conditions presented perfectly for some good uninterrupted, totally not stalker-y at all, fantasizing.

Sometimes he thought you might have some mundane superpower that let you always snatch that perfect seat right across from his computer, and made it so the library was just cool enough that he’d get to watch you shrug on that cute extra sweatshirt you always brought. So he could catch a glimpse of some skin—in a totally normal and not invasive way—when your arms went over your head. So he could imagine it was his ratty old sweaters you were wearing just so you could smell him on you and god he really wanted to get close enough to smell you—was that too weird? No. Yes? No.

Not at all.

But the best part, the part that really convinced him on those awful days when he really just could not be bothered to drag himself out of bed and walk the couple blocks to campus just to sit in awful silence alone, in his head alone with the fucking thoughts that made him want to rip his hair out—

What made it worth it was those times every few weeks when your classes would get new assigned readings. Because then you’d have to check out new textbooks, since you were one of those geniuses that had figured out the library kept a ton of those books in stock. Of course you were, cause you were fucking perfect.

And when you had to check out new books, you had to come to reception.

Jin got to watch as your lovely figure moved through the stacks like you were ballroom dancing along the halls of faded, sea-green shelves, almost floating over the linoleum trying to find just the right volume in the right addition before anyone else beat you to it.

It was one of the most gorgeous things he’d ever seen.

Spinner would call him a fucking simp if he ever dared to uttered any of that out loud, but it didn’t matter.

If it was you, he’d simp for fucking life.

And then, you’d walk that fucking glorious ass over to his desk and plop the books down, smiling—cause you were polite like that, so fucking perfect he couldn’t hardly believe it sometimes—and asking how his day was while he checked you out in every sense of the phrase.

In a completely platonic and not freaky way.

So Jin kept coming to work, to that god awful job he really hated and which hated him just as vehemently. He clocked in every day and waited patiently like a fucking puppy counting the hours till its workaholic owner arrived home, ears perking up when you walked through the door and flashed your ID to the attendant.

If only for that.

He’d put up with his boss’ complaints and the weird stares he got when the thoughts just wouldn’t stay in his head anymore and he had to start talking to himself to fill the silence.

If only for that.

Those few hours when he could lose himself in the fake inner life where you were waiting for him when his shift let out, waiting to gather him, tired and understimulated, into your arms. Where you’d sneak into the back room with him just to chat and lace your fingers with his and maybe sit that fucking wonderful ass up on the tables so he could stand in between your thighs and you’d pull him down to—

Yeah.

That was enough.

***

It wasn’t until Tuesday when he had to come in again that week, and he already knew it was gonna suck balls.

Friday he’d gotten another round of complaints from some stuck up fucking business students—it was always the fucking business majors with those silver spoons so far up their asses—snitching to his boss that he’s been ‘disruptive’ and ‘disturbing’ during his last shift.

“Not my fucking fault,” he muttered under his breath, kicking a rock along the side walk he’d picked up two blocks before. “Yes it is. No it’s not!”

Jin groaned and tugged at his hair, wishing he’d brought a Tylenol or something to curb the headache that was already sticking it’s ugly ass claws into his temples. He really, really heavily contemplated just ditching, calling in sick or some shit. Technically he was a student worker, so they had to work with his DRS accommodation and he was actually having a bad fucking time.

But one of his friends had already texted to ask if he’d try and reserve them that sweet ass study room on the third floor and Jin wasn’t really looking to disappoint anyone else this week. Besides, it was fun to abuse his minuscule power. Fun to go corrupt for once. Fight the system and all that.

He liked to think you’d be proud of him for it, based on the kinds of texts you checked out at least.

So, he dragged his sad ass back to the looming library looking far too much like a prison than was necessary and clocked in. Actually, the first thing he did was check the chair—your chair and nobody else’s chair, he might actually make a fucking scene if somebody ever did steal it—and his face visibly fell when you were not occupying it.

It was a bit early, Jin supposed as he paused briefly when he noticed the can of Monster and rando vending machine chips sitting next to it by the reception computer. The sticky note slapped to the top read 'For your troubles' in familiar handwriting and that pulled a bit of a smile from him as he quickly rearranged the scheduling of study room sign ups so the fancy third floor room would be free for the rest of the night.

Then Jin sat, staring at the study room schedules for a moment, feeling his eyes softly glaze over until a hand slapped down on the raised lip of the reception desk.

“Hey bro,” Spinner greeted him with a wild smile and a flurry of bright pink hair.

Jin had to blink a few extra times to get his vision to clear. When it did he saw, horrifyingly, that he’d been staring at the fucking blank screen for two hours without moving.

Why was it that his head was either deadly quiet, devoid of even a single errant thought or so loud as fucking shit at all times that he couldn’t physically keep the thoughts in?

“Hey, dude, what’s up?” Jin asked, running a hand through his unruly hair.

“Aren’t you supposed to like shush me or something?”

Spinner chuckled a bit at his own god awful joke and Jin couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed, too glad for the company.

“I mean,” he shrugged, popping the can of Monster and ignoring the dirty looks he got for the sound. “I would if I was, uh, good at my job.”

“Which I’ve heard you definitely are not,” Spinner wrapped his fingers over the lip of the desk and leaned back on his heels, swaying side to side idly.

“You’re just figuring that out now?”

Jin didn’t bother watching while Spinner nearly tripped over himself fidgeting as he spun to stand at the little gate that corralled Jin inside like livestock. He was too busy glancing over to check you hadn’t slipped in while his brain had taken a trip to the astral plane without him.

“No, I been knew, but my sources tell me you’ve gone off the rails my friend,” long legs stepped over the wooden partition until the only friend he had who was quite possibly more annoying than Jin himself was sat on the counter next to his computer. “Finally been radicalized have you?”

Jin huffed and sipped his Monster, “Guess it fuckin’ took me long enough.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Spinner was messing about with the stacks of multicolored sticky notes littered across the desk before glancing up to wink at Jin. “So what can I get you to do for me in exchange for free food?”

“Now I really am gonna fucking shush you,” Jin smashed his finger against Spinners grin only to get a hand covered in spit for his trouble.

“Right, right,” Spinner held his hands up in defeat, “can’t have you cheating on your sweetheart.”

“Not my—yes I’m in a committed fictional relationship thank you very much—ugh!”

Jin could feel the heads shooting up from laptop screens and textbooks to stick daggers in his back with their angry stares. Spinner at least had the good sense to look a little fucking guilty for egging him on.

“Sorry bro, I had to shoot my shot ya know?” a hand disappeared into the mop of bubblegum locks in apology.

“It’s fine…” Jin trailed off, mumbling and blushing more than a little profusely as he turned to check the book drop box. “Not like I’m ever gonna fuckin’ shoot mine anyway.”

“Oh we are not gonna have that kinda of shit discussion,” Spinner’s hand shot out and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, spinning Jin in his chair. “On god bro, we’re gonna get you a date one of these days.”

Jin didn’t dignify that kind of lie with a response.

Spinner once again, had the good sense to not push the envelope any farther.

“And in the meantime, you can come to the League meeting tonight!”

“Your gaming club thing?”

“Yeah, it’s Smash night and we need to fill a space sooooo…”

Jin knew Spinner and his roommate—the same friend who he’d gone study room rogue for—had started a gaming club their freshman year. Spinner had been trying to strong arm him into attending ever since. To, as he put it, ‘socialize,’ and ‘make new friends.’ All things which Jin was patently horrible at and avoided like the plague.

Needless to say, he’d refused every time.

It wasn’t just the whole being alone with like two people he kinda knew in a room full of strangers. Games themselves were just a lot for him. The flashing colors and the loud noises made his head—which was already so fucking full all the time and he really needed to keep any extra scrap of space for extra random facts he picked up about you and your future married life together—get a bit misaligned.

They just weren’t his jam most of the time.

“I’m good, thanks for the offer though,” Jin twisted out of Spinner’s grasp and craned his head to check your seat again.

Still empty.

He sighed.

Spinner continued to ramble and Jin continued to only half listen. It wasn’t as pleasant to day dream when you weren’t there for the added visual aesthetic. And he was trying to not be a dick and ignore the one friend he had managed to keep around over the years. But it was hard when his mind had a mind of its own.

Wow.

Meta.

“Jin?”

The voice—deep and dark in such a dramatically ominous way it might have been funny if it didn’t belong to his permanently disgruntled supervisor—interrupted his already derailing train of thought.

“Oh, uh, hello sir,” Jin stuttered, turning to find Kurogiri leaning against the reception desk with one arm, turning only slightly to accommodate Spinner’s form bolting over the gate and out the library doors.

He did manage to throw a fading, “See ya later, bro” over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner.

Yeah thanks for the warning, bro.

“Aren’t you supposed to be reshelving the books from the drop box?” Kurogiri sighed, perpetually disappointed in a way that had Jin’s face burning and shame bubbling up in his throat.

He hated this job. He was objectively terrible at it, and so usually he wouldn’t give that much of a shit at not doing it well. Kurogiri just had some type of vibe—like daddy but not in the sexy way Spinner always joked about—that made it really, really upsetting to let him down.

Father figure? Yeah that's what it was called.

“Right, yeah um, sorry,” Jin nodded quickly and leapt from his chair, only mildly bruising his knee on the desk as he reached to empty the book drop.

Another incorporeal sigh was the only acknowledgement he received as he loaded the cart with wheels louder than Jin on a particularly bad day and rolled the pile of books back to the stacks. He paused once more, just before the sea green shelving units swallowed him up, to sneak another futile peak at your chair. But it still sat empty—empty and lonely with no you and cold without your body pressed against the worn upholstery.

Jin felt a chill too, a slow tingling thing that worked its way up from the base of his spine. It drove him deeper into the walls of books, away from the empty spaces.

It was harder to look.

Harder to be reminded of what he did not have.

Of what he’d never have cause he was too much of a goddamn pussy to ever just fucking talk to you—

But then what if he did? What if he did talk to you? What would happen then?

Those were the types of questions he tried to avoid when crafting your intricate, fictional lives together. Precisely because they were the easiest to answer.

You’d realize within the first five minutes or so of conversation—if Jin could even make it that far without embarrassing himself—that he was just a generic brand weirdo that all your pretty, normal, aesthetically pleasing friends would warn you to stay away from and because you were also pretty and normal and not a fucking idiot, you’d have the common sense to listen.

He’d lose you in the blink of an eye.

Your chair would sit cold and empty forever and the imaginary garden he’d been planting for you to come imaginarily home too would wilt and die like all the other happy thoughts in his head.

It was quite the conundrum and one Jin was not keen to solve soon.

Not that things ever really went his way. Cause problems could only be avoided for so long before all that time spent ignoring them came back to bite him full on the ass.

Which, apparently, came this time in the form of what had to be quiet, muffled sobbing drifting in between the shelves from the back hallway.

It was dark here in this section of the building—free of most windows so as not to cause any sunning damage to the books—and Jin had seen more than enough horror movies to know that it was a horrendous idea to follow the ominous crying sounds coming from the bowls of this old as fuck building. But even as he made up his mind to ignore it, the hand currently working one of the returns back into its proper place dropped the book to his cart as his feet slowly turned to face the corridor.

He looked around skeptically for a second, not entirely certain his poor brain hadn’t simply malfunctioned again, as it was wont to do, and fabricated the sound entirely. But as he peaked out from between the stacks, and down the dimly lit hall, he heard it again.

Echoey and soft in the wide, empty space it—was definitely coming from the hall and it was definitely a person.

Jin caught himself moving without ever meaning too, the books laying forgotten as he crept towards the source of the noise and paused just before leaving the stacks entirely. This hall was full of small alcoves built into the centuries old walls and led to the lesser used storage portions of the library that only the janitorial staff and the university librarians ever entered. He really didn’t want to stumble across someone from the special collections department bawling over a damaged or lost manuscript.

But his wayward feet pushed him forward, too sympathetic for his own good. He found himself shuffling down the abandoned hall, peering into each small dip in the walls to find the source of his distraction.

And when he did, Jin was—for once in his life—thankful for his lack of self-preservation instincts.

And cursed his blatant lack in interpersonal skills.

Because it was you.

You curled with your knees to your chest and your head in your hands, shoulders shaking, as you cried into your palms.

The universe had handed him maybe the only golden opportunity he would ever get on right on a platter.

But Jin didn’t have a fucking clue what do with it.

And there certainly wasn’t much time to formulate a game plan as his nervous breathing and sudden intake of breath upon discovering his imaginary lover sniffling right in front of him, had certainly alerted you to his presence.

Your head shot up in an instant, knocking dully against the stone wall with a thud.

“Shit,” you cursed and hands flying up to cover the area as Jin jumped on the spot at your outburst.

“Are you okay?” he asked lamely as you glanced over at him, eyes red and wet and so fucking sad oh fucking god, widening as you realized you’d been caught.

“Huh? Ye—oh uh, yes,” your words came out jumbled, legs unfolding quickly to push yourself off the bench and hands wiping furiously at your eyes. “I’m fine, sorry.”

“You sure about that?”

Jin cringed visibly and frowned at the way you deflated under his stare. God the first fucking time he actually talks to you and he already made an ass of himself.

Spinner’s roommate was such a liar, it really fucking sucked to be right sometimes.

“I mean,” you crumpled back down onto the ledge and Jin took a careful step closer, “no, but yes. Like I’m definitely having a breakdown in the back of the fucking library but I don’t wanna, uh, bother you with that. So, yeah I’m good.”

“You can bother me,” he replied way too fucking quickly.

But he couldn’t really be embarrassed about it. Your voice was just so captivating, and you weren’t talking to him in that raised pitch anymore like you usually did—the way everyone does when they’re trying to be surface level and polite. No this was your voice how you sounded when you were relaxing with your friends or making breakfast in the morning or talking to yourself in the shower (he liked to think you did that, or sang maybe as you worked the soap into your skin, one of the two but he always imagined you filled silences with how fucking pretty you were).

“No, really. That would be weird, right?”

Jin grimaced as you fixed him with a watery yet suspicious stare.

Yeah it was weird.

Everything he did concerning you was weird, objectively. He was definitely being over-familiar and too eager, especially considering you didn’t fucking know him.

But he knew you.

Jin felt like he’d known you for all months he’d spent pretending to be by your side.

And you were crying and he had to do something.

“I mean, yeah I guess,” he mumbled, taking a risk and plopped down on the opposite end of the alcove and resting his head on the wall. “But not any weirder than having a breakdown in the employees only section of the library building on a Tuesday.”

You kept staring blankly for a few moments before the most miraculous thing happened.

Jin had to physically stop his jaw from hitting the floor when the quiet giggle bubbled up from your chest and spilled out into the hall, warm enough to melt even the freezing linoleum floor.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” your voice cracked a bit as a few more tears slid like pearls down your cheeks.

“My name’s Jin,” he said, shocked stupid both by your laugh and the apparent success of his comforting methods.

“Oh, hi, well I guess I don’t have to call you book drop boy anymore,” you rubbed at your face again and tucked your legs back into your chest, though it looked a bit more relaxed this time.

Not so trying-desperately-to-fade-out-of-existence.

“You called me that?” Jin asked, brain still functioning at half capacity, only shocked at the fact that he existed as a concept in your head enough to have a name and realizing a bit too late how accusatory he must have sounded. “Shit, I mean it’s totally fine I just didn’t think you, uh, well I mean, like, knew about me I guess?”

You finally smiled and his brain power cut out another fourth at being personally graced by the expression this close up.

“Yeah, you always check me out—fuck sorry not that you check me out, just you scan my books and I just called you ‘book drop boy’ in my head cause I never got a chance to ask for your name but I have it now so that’s cool….”

Your head dropped back down to your knees as you groaned and Jin suddenly felt a lot less nervous than he had a few seconds ago.

You were weird too.

For so long you’d existed on this pedestal thousands of feet in the air, and now you were stepping down from the heavens and onto earth. Not in a bad way! Just, Jin had never really stopped to think that you might be a person too.

Well.

No, he knew you were a person, just he never thought you might get flustered and ramble and be nervous in front of him.

Cause he was a fucking train wreck—the bar was so goddamn low.

It was almost as comforting as your smile.

“Oh, yeah sorry I’m not the best at customer service if you couldn’t tell,” he sighed and ran a hand through his wild hair.

You looked back up with a wry grin, “I don’t know, I’d say you’re going above and beyond right now.”

And you were funny.

He was gonna fucking combust.

“Ha, yeah, I try,” he trailed off for a moment before glancing back at your curled in your corner, fuck he could just imagine sitting behind you, your head on his chest while you—”So uh, did you wanna talk about it or…?”

“Uh, yeah,” you picked idly at the grouting of the stone and mumbled, “I guess it’s not so weird if we’re on a first-name basis.

And that was how Jin discovered that you’d been hiding in the back of the library bawling your eyes out for hours—since even before his shift started. Apparently you’d gotten here extra early, even skipped a class, to snag some super specific required text for your final thesis and right before you got to the shelf some jackass swooped in, effectively hit and running with the only copy of that book on campus.

The book in questions was one of the newer additions that had special added footnotes you needed for your paper and was a whopping 500 fucking dollars to rent from every other place online. You couldn’t afford it, and honestly what fucking student could? But you needed it to complete the paper or you’d fail and Jin very much understood the need for a good breakdown after a catastrophe like that.

“Damn, that’s uh, fucking awful,” he frowned on your behalf as your head hit the wall a second time in frustration.

“Yeah so, I’m like royally fucked either way. Now I just gotta decide which hole I’m taking it in I guess,” you groaned.

Jin’s eyebrows raised at your choice of words but they were apt, he supposed. People really do get comfortable with each other pretty quick when bonding over shared institutional rage.

“Well,” he began, wringing his hands nervously at what he was about to suggest. “You might be in luck cause I’ve recently decided to abuse my library powers for good and I maybe, possibly, could try and see if there’s some strings I can pull?”

You perked up a bit, looking at him incredulously.

Jin felt comfortably full under your stare.

“Seriously?”

The word was soft and it bounced off the walls just as much as it did the inside of his skull.

Swapping study rooms to help a friend out was one thing. But falsifying checkout dates for someone he barely knew—had essentially married in his maladaptive fantasies—could get him fired.

He hated this job but he needed it.

Were you worth the risk?

Of course, he found himself thinking without hesitation.

You were everything.

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, any lingering uncertainty washing away at the way you looked at him through your lashes. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

“Are you always this nice?”

Jin didn’t answer right away. He was too caught up in how you’d leaned forward on your hands across the bench, peering like he was some exotic animal or a stray cat in the parking lot—all soft wonderment with fingers curling like they ached to grab hold and rescue him from this parchment scented monotony.

“Not always…”

“Should I feel special then?”

If his face wasn’t red before, it was now. Red and blistering under the summer campfire heat that radiated off you—woodsy and warm and so painfully familiar like an old friend’s hand.

“...I guess you—fucking definitely, ” he quite nearly shouted the last bit, startled by his own volume and already mortified at the outburst but then you chuckled again from beside him.

He turned to see you standing and offering a hand which he gladly too if only to feel the weight of your palm against his.

“Well, you’ll have to let me pay you back then.”

“Oh, no you don’t actually—”

You held a hand up and the words turned to ash on his tongue in an instant, mouth glued shut by your gesture.

“Coffee on me or something, there’s a nice cafe a few blocks from here,” you dropped your hand and your eyes were clear now, no sign of the previous afternoon sobbing alone in the hallway. Jin felt a surge in his chest knowing he was the one who did that. “You gotta pass off the contraband anyway, and I don’t think it would be that great of an idea to do it here.”

God you were fucking perfect.

“Can’t argue with that.”

***

Jin was sweating profusely as he snuck past the library attendant, totally inconspicuous and not not all looking like he was doing a single thing wrong in the slightest.

Yeah they definitely didn’t suspect a thing.

The process of fraud was actually a lot less complicated of an undertaking that Jin had expected. All he had to do was search up the book, find the student that had stolen the success of his sweetheart’s educational career and flag his account. They’d get an automated message about the flag, instructing them to return any borrowed items or they’d be forced to pay fines while the account was examined.

Technically he needed administrator credentials to report student accounts, but luckily Kurogiri had his login info written on a sticky note hidden on the back of the monitor. All in all it was a pretty easy job.

The whole thing had taken only a matter of days, in which time you had returned to the library only twice—the first to get confirmation on the success of Jin’s newest descent into low level crime which had set his heart thundering in his chest as you bent conspiratorially over his desk, your face just inches from his.

The second time, Jin had horrifically been absent from his desk, however he was met with possibly the most wonderful sight of his life upon returning from the labyrinth of shelves.

On one of the hundreds of post-it note pads that littered the library reception area, there were scribbles that he was sure hadn’t been there before. He almost tossed it, but upon closer inspection, you’d written your number there and signed just below it. In the cutest fucking handwriting he’d ever seen—cute not for any stylistic reason, but it simply felt that way just by virtue of it being yours—was written the digits and “-for book drop boy”

The noise he made reading that turned more than a dozen heads and almost got him fired there on the spot before any of his indiscretions were even discovered, but he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it.

So, nerve wrackingly, Jin texted you as he nearly sprinted home from his shift after that piece of shit asshole who made you cry had trudged angrily in and dropped off his ‘stolen’ book.

— HEY IT’S JIN!

— from the library

— shit sorry that wasn’t meant to be in caps

— n e way….

— I’ve intercepted the ~package~ so whenever you’re ready for the hand off, I’m good

Most perfect fucking human being to…

Oh my god thank you so much!!!—

Is tomorrow at like 5ish good for you?—

Also send me your order—

so we don’t have to do that awkward waiting in line for drinks bit—

Holy fuck you multi-texted too! Spinner would roll over in his fucking grave, he hated when Jin did that. But there was always so much to say and he could never think of it all at the same time. Plus, you wanted to save him from that god awful silence where you both stand in line next but he can’t talk cause he has keep repeating his order in his head over and over or he’ll blank when he gets to the register so it’s just this painful weird glancing back and forth—

Ugh, maybe all the shit about manifestation that girl who always loaned him exacto knives in his sculpting class always talked about was real.

Cause there was no way you weren’t just heaven-sent, handcrafted especially for him and all his general brand of weird.

The hours which usually flew by without Jin’s notice dragged all that night. He was so full of excess energy that made his hand shake and his thoughts race, not sure what to do with themselves now that they didn’t need to fantasize about you.

He decided to use all that extra motivation to vacuum the kitchen at 4:30 in the morning, much to his roommates' chagrin. She liked to get a nice solid eight hours every night and constantly reminded Jin of this, trying to sell him on that sleepy time tea before bed, though he really hated the smell of camomile.

Magne may lose out on some of her beauty sleep—not that she needed it and Jin would tell her that constantly, even if he did have some patently horrible judgment most of the time so he wasn’t really the best at offering reassurance—but the kitchen would be clean when she woke up so win-win really.

When she did wake up—wandering out of her room looking effortlessly put together in a way Jin could never hope to emulate—she sat at the table, sipping her tea and appraising him worriedly.

Jin was still in his jeans from the day before, hair spiking in every direction but down, and chewing his nails nervously despite losing most of them to the hour or two of early morning floor scrubbing.

“Babe,” she shook her head slowly, “take a breath.”

“Yeah okay,” he sighed and inhaled deeply, letting himself slide off the couch cushions and to the newly sparkling floors on the exhale.

“There, now wanna share what the hell is going on?”

He glanced up at her from the hardwood and groaned as she looked back down, brows furrowed over her glasses.

“Huhh, okay. So that absolute work of art from the library is meeting me for coffee later cause I have trade over this book I sort of stole, it’s a long story, and I don’t know if it’s a date—it sounds like a date, cause that’s where people go for dates and shit—but it might just be to pay me back for stealing the book. And if it is I’ve only ever been on that one date before which was with fucking Spinner like two years ago so—”

Magne held up a hand to quiet Jin before the speed of his words tied his tongue in physical knots. She looked contemplative, taking another soft sip of tea and nodding her head for a moment getting up to crouch on the floor by his head.

“You think too much for your own good, but never about the right things,” she mumbled, smoothing some of the hair from his face. “Does it really matter if this is a date or not?”

Jin blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she chuckled in that way people do when kids ask them obvious questions—kindly, appreciative of the curiosity, “either way you cut it, you’ll be spending time with this person you like, yeah?”

“Mhm,” he hummed and sat up to face her as she stood.

“A date is just hanging out with a special name anyway,” Magne’s hands were firm but gentle as she hoisted Jin off the floor and onto his feet. “You’ll be fine.”

His shoulders slumped both in mild relief and dejection that he’d waisted so much precious time he could have been preparing possible topics of conversation or strategies to ask you out for real date on worrying over how this first time would go.

How did Magne always fucking know all this stuff?

Other people were such a mystery to him.

To be fair, though, Jin was a mystery to himself most of the time as well.

“Thanks, sorry for not saying anything about it earlier,” he sniffed as she smiled and pinched his cheek way fucking harder than necessary.

“It’s alright, I’m only a little insulted you waited until now to tell me about this massive crush you’ve developed.”

“Yeah it’s got its own gravitational pull at this point.”

Magne laughed at that and Jin felt the room lighten.

“I do expect details when you get back though,” she said pointedly, finishing her tea wandering back to her room to grab her bag. “Spinner asked me, very begrudgingly might I add, to fill in at another of his club tournament things tonight so I’ll be out late.”

“Really? I didn’t think you liked that stuff.”

Jin shuffled over to her doorway and peaked into the neat little space. Magne was rummaging through the meticulously organized closet and frowning as she answered.

“I do, Spinner just doesn’t agree with my battle strategies,” she huffed. “My alignment is far too ‘chaotic’ and ‘recklessly violent’ for his tastes apparently.”

“Oh, yeah that makes sense,” Jin laughed this time just envisioning the two of them stuck on a team. “Well have fun with that.”

“Yeah well,” she brushed by him into the hall, keys jangling as she went and calling over her shoulder. “Text me how it goes, and wear that new button up you got last week, it looks good on you!”

***

Much to Jin’s surprise and delight, Magne was right.

He was fine.

Fine was a bit subjective—as he was most certainly still highkey panicking on main as he got out of his last class and walked the short few blocks to the cafe on campus—but regardless he was perfectly okay.

Of course that all went right out the fucking window in the split second between him walking in and you already staring at the door as he entered. Your eyes widened just a bit and this smile broke out slowly across your cheeks when you waved him over and it was like suddenly every single creepy as hell day dream had just become reality.

It was a little overwhelming to say the least.

His heart may have actually stopped in his chest for a bit and he did contemplate the possibility that Kurogiri might have actually discovered his little plot, murdered him in cold blood and stuffed his body in the records room. This might all just be the afterlife, but that would mean that Jin had gone to some kind of heaven which didn’t really add up with his current tract record.

But it was fine.

Because you were really fucking easy to talk to.

Like, really fucking easy.

It was sorta strange actually, how you seemed to know all this shit he was into before he even really mentioned it.

After you traded off the goods, you both sat in the big comfy couches upstairs in the loft and you listened to him info dump, inevitably getting lost down innumerable unrelated tangents. You managed to keep up well enough though and not question the winding conversation.

“Damn,” he said, sipping at the last dregs left behind in his cup. “How do you know about all this stuff?”

“Uh,” you paused then, looking maybe just a bit sheepishly into your own drink. “I may or may not have spent a considerable amount of time eavesdropping into your conversations while you’re on shift.”

He saw flashes at that moment—dial up sounds going off between his ears.

Jin.exe has stopped working.

“...What?”

You grimaced and hid your face in your hands for a moment, “I know it sounds really creepy, my friends just sorta made a, um, game out of it? They tease me a lot about going to study at the library just cause of the cute guy that works there, so we all kinda stalk you a little bit just—wow this is sounding exponentially worse and worse every second.”

He gaped a bit despite himself as you cringed visibly and Jin tried to discreetly pinch his thigh to make sure this really wasn’t some sort of cruel, cruel fever dream.

“You think I’m cute…?”

He blinked once and your eyes shot up to meet his, a pained, half smile caught between your teeth. “I mean, yeah. I kinda thought I was being a bit obvious, sorry.”

“What no, holy fuck,” he spluttered, face on fire and legs bouncing restlessly against the couch across from you. “Don’t apologize, I have a, uh, staring habit too I guess.”

“I know,” you rubbed at the back of your neck and Jin didn’t think it was possible for you to be anymore endearing. “I’ve noticed, that’s like the whole reason I insisted on buying you a drink.”

“So wait is this a date?”

Jin wished almost immediately that he hadn’t asked, because Magne was right, it super didn’t matter but fucking shit on a stick he really wanted it to be a date!!!!

“Yeah,” you nodded. “If you’d like that.”

“Yes!—ah, I mean, uh yeah mhm,” Jin choked on his spit with enthusiasm, but it did earn him a concerned shoulder pat so he’d take the win.

It also afforded him the opportunity to walk you home after hours chatting until the streets were lit by burnt orange lamps and the cafe was closing. You didn’t live all that far from him actually and when you stopped to point out your door, the two of you were overcome by that telltale, charged silence.

Filled with potential.

Like a gas stove waiting for a spark to go up in flames.

It was you that struck the match.

“So, um, I promise I don’t just, uh, do this with everyone but, do you wanna maybe come inside,” you let your hand trail down his arm and slip into his palm, “I don’t feel like you’ve been properly compensated for saving my ass.”

Jin’s mouth was watering at the thought. He nodded slowly, eyes like saucers as you pulled him up your steps and through the door which shut promptly behind him.

Your place was nice in the sense that it fit you. He wasn’t really paying all that much attention to his surroundings as you locked the door and squeezed his hand in yours, leading him towards the end of the entrance hall.

When he stepped through to your bedroom, you toed off your shoes and he did the same, staring nervously and waiting for you to show him what exactly you meant by ‘further compensation.’

It was exactly what he’d hoped.

You approached him, still in the doorway, and stepped close so your chests brushed together. It was soft, the way you looked at him, sort of fuzzy around the edges while your hands trailed down his arms to place his palms at your waist.

It wasn’t like Jin hadn’t done this before—he totally had and definitely remembered all of it and wasn’t shit faced at all nope—but it hadn’t really mattered before. He knew in theory that he should take the lead, be a gentleman and make the first move and holy fucking god he was dying over there with the desire to finally live out his months and months of fantasies

But what if he did it wrong?

What if he ruined it now when he was so close to the finish line?

He’d never fucking forgive himself for it, and he could goddamn hear Magne in his head.

“You think too much for your own good.”

And he did, and he was right now, cause the room was only dimly lit by the street light streaming in through the window and you were reaching out to loop your arms behind his neck.

Should he lean down now?

Tilt left or right?

What if he clacked your teeth together?

What if—

Your lips were soft and hot against his, rubbing at the stubble on his chin before pressing close in that precious, puzzle-piece way human bodies fit together. He didn’t do much thinking after that.

His hands were too busy digging into the flesh of your hips separated by way to many fucking layers of fabric, and he couldn’t quite stop himself from indulging just a bit. Jin sucked gently at your lower lip, knees going weak at the glorious fucking sound you made in the back of your throat as he licked over the taught skin and tugged it between his teeth.

He could feel you smiling into his mouth, sharing breath and raking your fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. Jin groaned and you—fucking cheeky little bastard—slipped your tongue right past his lips and licked at the back of his fucking teeth like a popsicle in July.

Your hands in his hair hard tugged and his breath was coming faster, lips gliding against yours as the room turned to steam around him.

Through the haze he clung to the few remaining seconds of clarity.

Jin pulled away for one painful second to mumble against your lips.“You meant have sex, right?”

“Yeah,” your voice was barely more than a whisper, but you nodded frantically and rolled your hips against his.

“Ohh fuck, ‘kay good, thank god.”

For once Jin had nothing more to add.

And you weren't exactly willing to give him back his tongue long enough for any interruptions anyway.

***

“Holy fucking shit, look at you,” Jin gasped into your ear.

Both of your clothes had been discarded long ago, and he had your bare back to his chest while he sat propped against the headboard with your legs hooked on either side of his knees. It didn’t afford him the best view, but he got your head resting on his shoulder and pretty moans spilling right into his ear.

He didn’t need to see your pussy anyway.

The slick pouring out of your pretty fucking hole and coating his fingers as he pumped two of them into you was more than enough. His other hand wandered in the lovely expanse of space between your chest and your waist, running softly over the skin and pausing to pinch and roll your nipples just to hear you whine.

His cock was so fucking hard, trapped between your ass and his stomach, twitching every time you thrust your hips to meet the movement of his wrist.

“Jin, fuck please-”

You used his name every time you begged him for more and it was really going to his head.

“You’re so goddamn perfect, I’m gonna fucking ruin you,” he groaned and sunk his fingers deeper into your soaking cunt while his mouth dropped to your neck and sucked hard to mark you lovely skin.

He licked at the indents of his teeth, tasting your sweat on his tongue that tangled with yours again as your hand reached for his cheek and pulled him in. It was less of a kiss and more of a sloppy forming of your mouths that left you connected by a silvery string of spit that flashed in the low light. Jin sighed at the sight, rutting his hips against the cleft of your ass.

Your thighs twitched where they were spread and your hips lifted off the mattress to meet the languid thrusts of his fingers that curled up on every push in to hear the hitch in your breath.

He took pity on you and brought his other hand down to rub circles on your clit, listening for the telltale whimpers and the way your nails dug into his arm to find the perfect rhythm.

“I don’t really—mm, there fuck—feel like I’m paying you back right now,” you mumbled nipping your own trail of stepping stone bruises onto his throat as he picked up the pace and held steady on that sweet bundle of nerves.

“Are you fucking serious?”

He didn’t really mean to full on growl at you then, but just the thought that you’d really believe he wasn’t about to fucking drown in ecstasy just from watching you get off—just from touching, speaking, being in anyway acknowledged by you at all. Jin nudged your head to the side and bit down harshly into the crook of your neck, shuddering as you moaned and arched against his chest.

In any other scenario, he could never really find the right balance between too many words and not enough. The sheer volume of thoughts and interjections that raced like cars reaching the end of rush hour traffic made the formulation of any coherent conversation impossible, but now—

Now with your body so pliant in his hands, so willing and sweet and wanting him.

Wanting him.

What a concept.

He needed you to understand, to know how fucking over the moon, sunshine bright you had him burning.

And for once, he finally had the words to do it.

After all, he’d had months to prepare.

It was surprisingly easy to change your positions, to pull away from you for just a moment so he could roll and cage you on your hands and knees under him, ass in the air nestled against his cock.

“You really don’t think I’m getting anything out of this?” he groaned into you ear, rocking his length against you both for emphasis and because it felt so fucking good.

“Ah, well ya know,” your voice was so wrecked he was desperate to find out how much it would take for you to lose it entirely. “When you put it like that—mmh—I just feel bad you’re doing all the work. ”

You had this cheeky fucking grin on your face when you rocked forward so back so his cock slipped down to your dripping lips. The heat of your cunt was mesmerizing and it took a fuck ton of self control Jin was unaware he possessed to not ram straight into you right then.

“Yeah cause I’ve wanted to for fucking months goddamn it’s driving me insane.”

“What?”

Now that he’d started, Jin couldn’t find it in himself to stop. His hands dug hard into your hips, rocking so the tip of his dick caught your clit and you shivered below him, hot skin sliding with the motion of your bodies.

“It’s all I think about whenever I see you,” he was shaking when his hand reached down to grip himself, spreading your folds and soaking his length in your slick. “When you come in to work I just fucking lose myself thinking about how bad I want you to be mine, my pretty fucking thing to bring me coffee while I work and let me fuck you in the backroom.”

You whimpered under him, face pressed into the mattress as he draped himself over you, chest to back with his breath ghosting over your ear.

“Literal hours I just sit there at that awful fucking job and I only keep coming cause of you, cause I can watch you sit all cute in your chair and watch the way your cheeks squish up when you put your face in your hands and imagine they’re my hands and I’m about to spit in your fucking mouth so you remember who you belong too.”

“I—” you were nearly choking on the drool that soaked through your sheets as Jin lined himself up with your pretty little hole, pressing just the tip into your heat. “I didn’t think you ever—nggh, shit—noticed much about me.”

The corners of his eyes burned as sweat dripped down his forehead, he had to hold back a sob as he sheathed another inch into those perfect walls.

“Notice you? You’re all I fucking think about,” he pressed his lips softly against your shoulder, hands running from your chest to your sides as you took his cock and every word that slipped from his lips without complaint. “I could take such good care of you. I just fucking know it, just please, let me take care of you?”

“Fuck Jin,” your voice was closer to a sob than anything else but he needs you screaming. “You don’t really have to convince me—”

His patience had run out long ago, not even willing to let you finish before he’d sunk in to the hilt, spearing you on his cock with one final thrust. You ass was flush with his hips and his balls hung heavy and tight against the back of your thighs. The strangled little cry that worked its way out of your throat had gooseflesh erupting across his arms where he held you to him.

Jin couldn’t really be sure—it wasn’t like his brain was all that functional on a day to day basis and it most certainly was not now—but your walls clenching around him and that addictive warm, wet feeling milking his cock was on a whole other level than any fuck he’d ever had before.

There was something about the curve of your back against his chest, and the way you seemed to suck him in, drawing his length back in just seconds after he’d pulled out. Some about the feeling of your chest in his hands, of the sweat on your skin that he licked off in a long strip up your spine. Like you really were made for him. As though all those months spent in dream land, concocting your pretend lives together had spilled over into reality, molding you into the perfect shape to take him deep and hard and cry while you came on his cock just like he knew you were meant to.

“Oh, fuck yeah, gonna make you feel so good, I promise,” he mumbled, forehead pressed to the nape of your neck as his hips drew back and he sunk into you over and over again.

He needed you to moan louder, needed your neighbors on the other side of every wall to hear what he did to you, how he fucked you dumb on his cock and made you drunk with the pleasure of it—slutty and perfect and better than any fantasy he could ever concoct.

The room was filled completely with the wet slap of your bodies—his balls tightening up just at the squelch of you taking him—leaving only enough space for your cries and his grunting, no room left for any bitter doubt to creep in and ruin the sweetness in the air.

He could feel the surge growing in his stomach, the tensing in his thighs as his hips stuttered, but he needed you to cum first. Wanted to tip over the edge to the feeling of you spasming around him, so he let a hand slip from your hip to your folds. Jin only paused for a moment to run a finger around your stretched hole, feeling himself plunging into you, before drifting back up to your swollen clit and working the sensitive bud.

The mattress creaked and rocked along as Jin increased his pace, shifting his hips until his tip knocked against something that had your hands fisting in the sheets and your tongue lolling out in between cries of his name.

You didn’t give him much a warning, not that he minded really. Just a muffled shout with your head smashed into the pillows and the tightening of your walls surrounding him before he felt your whole body wracked with tremors so hard he had to wrap both arms around your middle and hold you while he rammed into you.

Jin wasn’t really keeping track of the filth that was pouring from his lips as he brought himself closer to release. A lot of encouragement, that you were taking him so well, cumming so pretty for him, mixed with a lot of thanks—for letting him have this, have you, for not casting him aside like everyone else always inevitably did.

He did have the clarity to drag one arm up and link your fingers together, pressing hard into the bed while blood pounded in his ears and his hips stuttered in their relentless rhythm. When Jin did finally cum, it was a strangely silent affair, all the words and sound that usually roared inside him dying on his lips as his cock spilled milky release deep inside you and your walls fluttered at the fullness.

And then it was as though every muscle in his body changed physical states.

Boneless, he collapsed onto you with a little huff. You didn’t even complain, just squeezed his hand tighter in yours and hummed at the weight of him.

“Well I think that was a, um,” you panted while he nuzzled his face deeper into your neck, “pretty equivalent exchange yeah?”

“I don’t know,” Jin kissed and nipped at the sweet skin of your shoulder, “I think you might have over paid a bit.”

You laughed, the joyous movement of your chest jostled him from your back and had his soft cock slipping from you in a gush of combined release. “I doubt that very much, I didn’t know I’d be getting to take your fucking load as part of the deal.”

“Shit,” he felt his heart seize in his chest, raising up on his elbows to look down as you turned to him. “I’m sorry, I should have asked.”

Your hand came up to stroke his cheek, clammy but welcome. He sat up enough so you could lay on your back and pull him back down to your chest amidst the sweat and cum slicked sheets.

“Don’t worry about it, I would have asked you to anyway,” you kissed the baby frizz at his hairline and if Jin hadn’t already melted into a puddle, then he certainly was now. “If I’d been able to talk at all.”

“Ha, yeah….”

A short silence descended in your dark bedroom. The noise of cars and the occasional shout filtered in through the window, but there was no other sound than your evening breaths. Jin tried not to ruin the peace while he had it.

It was such a rare commodity.

But he couldn’t say he mourned the quiet when you finally spoke.

“Did you wanna stay the night?” you asked in that soft way he always envisioned you would.

Soft so he’d know it was just a courtesy.

That you didn’t want him to leave.

“Uh, yeah, yes I would,” he stumbled over the words a bit, trying not to sound too eager but wanting you to know he would work a thousands shifts at the reception desk if it meant you held him for just a second longer.

“Good,” you sighed.

He felt you scoot down the bed and flopped onto his back so you could settle your head on his chest and drape an arm across his stomach. After another few minutes he felt you go limp at his side, soft and relaxed as you slipped away into dreams.

But though his muscles ached and his eyes felt heavy, Jin resisted the call to sleep.

He didn’t need to now.

You were here, in the flesh, and he could study you intently while his eyes were open.

No need for his brain to conjure up scattered images of you.

Because he had you now, tucked safely under his arm for him to keep and hold and fuck and love the way he wanted.

So there was no more need for sleep.

And no need for dreams.

#twice x reader #twice x you #jin bubaigawara x reader #bee writes #bnha fanfiction #college au #library!twice x student!reader #twice mha #bee.writes

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atticsandwitch · 4 years ago

Text

Obey Me Headcannons

What they do when you have chronic pain and you get stuck. Sometimes with chronic pain, you try to move but the pain stops you and you get stuck in place. Here's how I think the characters would react.

(This mostly happens to me with my back, so that's mostly how I wrote these, though I tried to be vague)

Some angst in Solomon and Simeon's.

I might post Solomon's separately too because I actually really love how it turned out.

Lucifer

It had been quite the long day and you decided to spend a little time somewhere quiet. You head to Lucifer's study, where you can spend some time listening to music with him and reading while he finishes his paperwork for the day.

You settle in on the sofa with your book and a cup of tea, but it's difficult to get comfortable and you find yourself shifting positions more and more as the night wears on and the aches set in. Though the scratch of Lucifer's pen never stops, he doesn't fail to notice this.

Eventually you decide to head to bed, but as you go to sit up you freeze in an awkward position and gasp as a sharp pain shoots through you. Your hand reaches gingerly for the source of the pain for a little support as your eyes scrunch shut.

Lucifer is up as soon as he hears your pained voice, coat falling from his shoulders and forgotten on the floor. By the time you open your eyes, he's kneeling by your side.

"Are you alright?" He asks, not bothering to hide the concern on his face.

"It hurts..." is all you can mumble, "I can't move"

He replaces your hand with his, trying gently to soothe the pain, "Try to relax" He looks up at you through a few strands of hair that have fallen into his face and you feel an intense warmth where his hand lies on your body, followed by your muscles loosening and relaxing slowly. You sigh in relief

Satisfied that the pain has passed, at least for the moment, Lucifer gingerly scoops you into his arms and carries you upstairs to his room. He tucks you into his bed, and still leaning over you places a soft kiss to your forehead as his hair tickles your face.

"If you need anything just call for me. I'll be along shortly. Until then, get some rest" He says. As he leaves he turns out the lights and leaves the door to the study open in case you need him.

True to his word, you're barely drifting off to sleep when you feel the weight of the bed shift, and an arm pulling you close to his chest.

Mammon

Every time it happens he panics a little, even as he starts to get used to it happening.

You two had been out shopping all day, running around until you were both exhausted. As you got back to his room with all of the shopping bags, you could already feel your body stiffening up as though it could sense that the day was ending.

You sat down on his bed while he unpacked a few of the shopping bags, and let yourself fall backwards onto the soft mattress as the exhaustion started to fully set in.

"Hey, I can't find that watch I bought, is it in one of your bags?" He asks. You start to sit up, but your body freezes at an awkward angle as a pained noise escapes you and you try to support yourself with one hand on the mattress, the other on your back where it feels like you're being stabbed.

The noise startles Mammon, and he drops what he's holding as his head whips in your direction, "What-!? MC, are ya okay? What's'a matter?!" It feels like someone put his heart in a vice grip and crushed it when he sees the pained expression on your face and he rushes to your side.

"I'm stuck!"

"Whaddaya mean stuck?!" No one told him this happens to humans! His hands hover near you for a moment, afraid to touch you in case he makes it worse.

"Hurts... Can't move"

"Okay... uhhh. here!" he puts a hand on your back and tries to help you sit up but you yelp again and shake your head. "A-Ahh! So-sorry MC! Here, just lean on me then" Feeling guilty and sad for his human he sits down and wraps his arm fully around you, to support your weight until the pain starts to subside, "Don't worry, Mammon's here. I've got you, so just relax" His face reddens further as you grip his shirt, and his heart swells as you lean into his touch, relying on him. Trusting him. Needing him. He'd stay like this forever if he had to, but soon you move tentatively, testing whether the pain has subsided enough for you to move again.

His strong arms support you, helping you lay down and get comfortable in his bed. He's not letting you go anywhere or do anything else tonight.

"Geez, don't push yourself so hard. Tell me next time before ya over do it, okay?" He sighs, looking down at you with a troubled expression before taking his jacket off and climbing in next to you.

Leviathan

You two were having one of your gaming / anime binge nights and you had been sitting in the same position for far too long, so you might've guessed that this would end up happening. When you finally try to move to change positions, you get stuck, with a soft noise of pain that startles Levi.

"Ah!"

"Wh-What was that?!" Startled, His face turns bright red. He can't tell you what it sounded like, but when he sees the look on your face his turns redder in embarrassment at where his mind had gone.

"I'll be fine in a minute... I just... can't move" the pain in your voice is obvious and his heart shatters.

"What can I- Is there anything I can-?" He's not sure what to do or say, but he knows he wants to help, and yet his heart sinks when you shake your head. He feels so useless.

"I just have to wait it out" You try to move again, but it brings tears to your eyes as you gasp a second time. All he wants to do is protect you, to be your hero, but how can he protect you from your own body?

He hesitantly reaches out, half pulling back for a split second before resting a tentative hand on your back and trying to rub calming circles there.

"I... think I have a heating pad somewhere?" He offers.

"That would be great"

"Okay" He doesn't move to go get it until you're able to move on your own again. He couldn't bring himself to leave your side.

"Alright, I have a few other things that might help too" He returns with a bag he'd loaded with supplies, "Let's go to your room, MC"

He knows the bed-tub probably isn't the best place for you to properly rest in, and he also knows that there's really no place like your own room when you're not feeling well. So, he helps you limp to your room and into bed with his Ruri-chan heating pad, supporting you the whole way and blushing furiously. Then, he puts on an anime on your tv so the two of you can continue your binge more comfortably.

He pulls you in close, and with one hand, tilts your head to lean on his chest, still blushing at his own boldness.

Satan

He's in the library at the House of Lamentation, sitting on one of the couches reading when he hears a sharp intake of breath and a quiet whine. He puts down his book and gets up to investigate, where he finds you at one of the tables, half standing from your seat, but unmoving.

He quickly approaches you, noting the look of pain on your face, "MC, what's wrong?" He asks, sliding an arm around your waist to help support you. Without much thought he tries to help lift you into a standing position, but you moan in pain again and he stops immediately, eyes widening.

"I can't-! I can't move" You gasp, "It hurts"

Briefly his face reddens at the realization that the two of you are stuck like this for a little while, but his worry overshadows anything else.

"I'll be okay in a minute" You try to assure him, but the way your voice sounds is anything but reassuring. He just nods, prepared to hold you for as long as it takes. He looks down into your face with concern in his eyes.

"What brought this on?" He asks.

"It just happens some times. I guess I pushed myself too hard today, and my body just locks up" You explain. He nods, already mentally trying to figure out the best way to look up a phenomenon like this to try to calm his racing heart.

Eventually you try to move again, and he helps you stand up.

"You should rest, now. Let's get you back to your room to lie down" He says, pulling one of your arms over his shoulder and supporting your weight, one arm still around your waist as he walks you there. He takes it slow, and helps you into bed, making sure you're comfortable. He leaves for a little while but returns with a few books, some tea, and a bottle from the medicine cabinet for you.

"Do you mind if I read with you for a while?" He can't bring himself to leave your side just yet, though he knows you need some rest. He wants to be there in case you need anything. He'll likely be there until you fall asleep, possibly falling asleep next to you as well.

Amodeous

You two spent nearly an entire day doing Devilgram photoshoots, and you had no idea how exhausting and painful it was to be doing modeling poses for so long. Your muscles were burning after thirty minutes, but obviously Asmo wouldn't be satisfied with such a short photoshoot.

He'd noticed that you were getting tired, so the two of you were heading back to the House of Lamentation. He thought it would be romantic to stop at the park for a rest, and maybe a few candid Devilgram shots, and so he lead you to a nearby bench.

"Smile!" He pulls out his phone, and as you turn to lean into him, you jolt in pain as your body freezes awkwardly and you grab his thigh for support.

"MC! So forward today~! You know I lov-" He stops as he looks into your face, scrunched unpleasantly in pain, "Oh, dear! Are you alright?"

"It hurts..." You whine, tears prickling at your vision. He gives you a heartbroken look before sliding an arm around you to support you, and leaning over you to block you from anyone else's view. He brings his other hand to your face to stroke your cheek with his thumb and wipe away your tears. It tugs at his heart when one of your hands reaches up and grips his shirt for more support.

He peppers your face with soft, comforting kisses, assuring you that he's there for you, "Shhh, just focus on me, okay? I'm right here" he whispers.

Once you're ready to move again, he encourages you to put your arms around him so he can help you the rest of the way home, high key loving the excuse to have you touching him. The rest of the walk back is filled with promises of relaxing baths and massages. He is going to take such good care of you tonight.

Beelzebub

The two of you had spent the day on a hiking trail that Beel had been excited to check out, and really wanted to share the experience with you. However you felt about hiking, you did not expect the trail to be so intense.

Beel checked in with you regularly, making sure you were doing alright, but he had been so excited about this trail that you were determined to make it through. Unfortunately this meant that by the time the two of you made it to the top you'd already pushed yourself too hard.

You supported yourself with one arm against a tree, breathing heavily as Beel happily took a look at the scenery from where the two of you stood. You try to straighten up and move to join him closer to the edge of the cliff where he stood, but you froze.

His head whips around when he hears you whine in pain, and he's at your side in a second, "Are you okay?"

"I'm stuck"

"Stuck?" His eyes widen, hands hovering near you, unsure what to do.

"I overdid it" You say with an apologetic look, "It hurts to move"

"I'm sorry" He says sadly, moving closer, "Where does it hurt?"

You slowly move your arm to point to the locked up portion of your lower back, and he kneels behind you, "Will it hurt if I touch you?" He asks tentatively. When you give him permission you feel his strong hands begin gently rubbing the sore muscles there. The way his thumbs and palms massage your back feels so good you can't help but sigh, and you blush a little as you feel how big his hands really are. He's slow and gentle, and has a knack for finding all of the knotted muscles, and he doesn't stop until you give him the signal that you're feeling better.

Once you're able to move again you turn around to thank him and see a hint of pink dusting his cheeks as he looks up at you, "I'll carry you back. Here" He turns on his knees, offering you his back.

"Are you sure?" You ask guiltily, remembering the arduous trail.

"Yea!" He smiles over his shoulder at you, "You should take it easy, and it'll be a great work out for me too"

You feed him trail snacks as he happily carries you all the way back to the House of Lamentation. He'll run you a bath and get some food together for the two of you and make sure you're resting comfortably before he goes and gets cleaned up himself.

Belphegor

It had been a long day and you were looking forward to getting home and laying down. Of course you and Belphie are nap buddies, and today you can't think of anything better than a big bed full of soft pillows and blankets, so you head off to find him.

He's in the attic today, and your body doesn't particularly want to climb all of the stairs, but neither of you can help but smile when you see each other. He greets you with a laugh as you flop down in bed next to him, your greeting muffled in pillows.

"Aww, what's the matter?" He laughs, and the little shit begins tickling you so he can see your smile. And at first you do. You're laughing and twitching, trying to escape his touch, when suddenly your body jerks and you moan in pain. Belphie immediately pulls away in shock, seeing you frozen at an awkward angle, face scrunched up in a heartbreaking expression.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He's afraid to touch you now, feeling guilty. Unwanted images of the last time he hurt you surfacing in his mind.

"Hurts to move..." You whine, "I'll be okay... in a few minutes" You try to breathe but even that hurts your stiff body in this position. He leans back over you and slowly reaches out to stroke your hair.

"Try to relax" He says softly, feeling quite helpless and unsure of what else to do. So, he stays like that, stroking your hair and giving you gentle, comforting caresses as he encourages you to breathe and relax. He'll kiss your forehead and help you get more comfortable once you can move again before showering you with more kisses.

He'll curl up next to you and hold you close for the rest of the night, still patting your head, and running his hands over your arms or sides or wherever he can reach to comfort you and let you know he's there. He'll help you fall asleep quickly and makes sure you have good dreams tonight.

Diavolo

You've been bent over your Devildom History paper for hours, and you knew you needed a break but you were nowhere near done. You were working on it at the castle, because you thought that there couldn't be a better place to go for references than somewhere so central to Devildom history and Diavolo was happy to open his home to you. Diavolo was working on his own paperwork nearby in case you had any questions, and as an excuse to allow himself to be distracted.

You stood to stretch, but immediately regretted it. As soon as your back straightened, you collapsed forward to support yourself with your fists balled on the table before you, arms rigid and body trembling with pain.

You don't even hear him get up, but he's at your side almost instantly, "MC! What happened, are you alright?" Worry clear in his tone. He thinks his heart may stop as it stutters in his chest.

You try to straighten again, but whine in pain, body forcing you to stay put, "I'm stuck"

"Stuck?" He's surprised, confused, and concerned in equal measures. He didn't know humans could get 'stuck,' and what's more, it's breaking his heart to see the pain you're in.

"I think I sat in a bad position for too long... It hurts to move"

"I see. It hurts... here?" He asks, placing a heavy hand gently on your back. When you nod you feel a soothing, tingling sensation spread out from where his hand lay. He rubs your back in comforting circles as the magic spreads from nerve ending to nerve ending and slowly, you feel your body start to relax and the pain subside.

Standing hesitantly, you test your body, and find only the remnants of a dull ache as you straighten fully.

"You've worked hard today," He looks down at you with kind, sad eyes, "I think it's time for some rest and a reward!" One hand still against your back, he bends down and places the other behind your knees, picking you up slowly so as not to jostle you too much and cause your muscles to tense again. "How does dinner in bed sound? You can stay here tonight"

Barbatos

It had already been a long day of chasing the brothers around and participating in their antics, and it was barely past lunch. You were leaning against a nearby wall for support when Barbatos walked by.

"Ah, MC! I was preparing to take a walk in the gardens, care to join me?" He asks with a pleasant smile. A relaxing walk sounded like just the thing you needed. You nodded with a smile and moved to step away from the wall only to wince, and fall back against it for support.

His eyes widen, "Mc? Are you quite alright?" He steps nearer, worry plain in his usually composed features. He extends a steadying hand to you, which you gladly accept.

"I'll be okay..." You gasp, "It hurts to move, but it'll pass"

"I see. Allow me to support you" Gently, he wraps his other arm around you, taking your weight easily. You wince again as you lean away from the wall and into his embrace and he feels a harsh tug at his heart as you let out a small whine. "I apologize, MC. I did not realize you were feeling unwell today. If there is any way I can be of assistance, please tell me"

"I appreciate you," He blushes a little at your words, "I just need a little rest. It's been a long day" you continue.

"In that case, I'm happy to stay like this as long as you need. I must say it does feel nice to be able to be this close" He admits, looking into your eyes with a soft expression.

Once the pain begins to fade, you let him know. He slowly helps you shift your weight back. You still limp a little as you take a few hesitant steps, but he never lets you go.

"Shall I escort you home? I could call a car" He offers.

"I think I'd like to take that walk with you" You smile.

"If you are sure, then we shall take it slow" He can't help but return your smile. He remains quite attentive as he supports you along the walk. One arm remains around you even after your walk returns to normal and you assure him the pain has gone. He just can't bring himself to let you go, "I'll stay by your side as long as you'll allow me to"

Solomon

Solomon had invited you to Purgatory Hall to work on an experiment with him. It had been a long day, but you were looking forward to spending some time with him even if you were tired. You sat next to him as he worked, getting completely wrapped up in the experiment, as he often tended to.

Simeon and Luke were out for the evening, so it was quiet, particularly compared to the House of Lamentation, and it afforded you some time to relax. Today was one of those days where there wasn't much for you to help with, which your achy body wasn't going to complain about, but you still found Solomon's company soothing and enjoyed watching him work.

"Do you mind if I go grab a drink real quick?" You say, standing from your spot beside him and heading to the door.

"Sure" He responds absently. You leave and after a few moments he realizes something, and calls out to you from his desk without looking up, "Be careful though, some of my other experiments are in th-"

His voice dies in his throat when he hears your gasp of pain, immediately followed by the shattering of glass on tile. He stands so quickly he knocks over his chair and stumbles over it as he runs toward the kitchen, long fingertips pushing his upper body away from the floor as he struggles not to lose his momentum.

In seconds he's in the kitchen, noting the clear liquid pooling around the shards of glass on the floor and the way you're supporting yourself on the counter, unable to stand up fully. He does a mental inventory of the unlabeled experiments in the refrigerator and comes up short. He can't remember which one that was, but he knows any of those unfinished potions could mean a painful demise.

He's standing in front of you without even realizing he had crossed the kitchen, gripping your upper arms and staring into your face with wide, worried eyes.

"What did it taste like? How do you feel?" His words are rushed with panic.

"What?" You're confused, but the pain in your voice makes him feel like the ground might slip out from under his feet.

He swallows past the lump in his throat, "I need to figure out what you drank so I can counteract the effects! Please-" The plea in his voice gripped your heart and something he once told you floated into your mind uninvited; 'I don't think I could remain calm if I lost you.'

"It was water" You assure him. He looses a deep sigh of relief as the panic begins to subside at the realization that he hadn't poisoned you, and is suddenly aware of how fast his heart is beating. He has to stop himself from hugging you, realizing with new worry that you still looked like you were in pain.

"Then what...?" He searches your face for answers.

"I'll be okay in a few minutes... I'm just stuck"

"..." He blinks a few times, "Stuck?"

"It hurts... I can't move" You try to breathe an explanation. He looks so worried that you try to move again to show him you're alright, but it's too soon. You wince and freeze again with a small whine, failing to make him feel any better as you'd intended to.

His expression shifts from worry to sadness. "I might be able to help. If you'd like, I could offer a temporary magical solution?" He asks.

"Please"

One word from you and his heart skips a beat. He rolls up his sleeves and moves to stand at your side where he can reach behind you. He rests a large hand on your back, eyes never leaving your face, and you feel something soothing and cool move through your muscles, relaxing them and easing the pain. Soon you're able to stand again without supporting yourself on the counter.

"Feeling any better?" He asks, still looking concerned.

You look into his eyes, "So much better. Thank you," You look down at the floor, "The glass! I'm sorry..." You sigh, looking for something to clean it up with.

He chuckles, "I don't give a damn about the glass, MC" with a wave of his hand the liquid evaporates and the shards dissolve into a glittering dust that is carried away on an otherwise imperceptible breeze.

You give a somewhat embarrassed smile, "And... I'm sorry I scared you"

It's his turn to look embarrassed, "No" He shakes his head, "I'm just happy you're alright. I don't know how I'd live with myself if I'd... If I'd lost you like that," 'If I'd killed you,' he's unable to even vocalize the fear that had opened a yawning hole in his heart just moments ago.

He sets his experiment aside and the two of you spend the rest of the night together enjoying each others' company.

Simeon

Luke had suggested another exchange student sleepover at Purgatory Hall, no demons allowed!

The four of you always had such fun with these sleepovers, playing games, baking, watching movies, and just spending time together that it became something of a regular thing. It was almost a tradition. Simeon loved the way you played with Luke, how your smile lit up the room, and just getting to spend time with you. Though it was rarely time spent alone together, he still cherished it and would often find ways to get closer to you; holding your hand under the table, partnering with you in a game, leaning against you as the two of you giggled at a funny movie, sleeping next to you on the common room floor when it was time to go to bed.

It was long since lights out, and though you and Simeon stayed up talking well past the time when the others had fallen asleep, you'd both since gone quiet and you assumed that he'd drifted off as well.

You moved to get more comfortable, and a surge of pain caught you by surprise, a quiet moan escaping your lips as you froze, half held up by one elbow.

"MC...?" Simeon's voice in the dark followed by the sound of rustling fabric as you sense him moving closer to you "Are you alright?" He whispers. You can feel his breath on your skin. You nod, both pairs of eyes having long since adjusted to the dark.

"I'm stuck" You whisper back, pain evident in your voice even at such a low volume, "It hurts to move...!" Even in the dark you can see the look of concern on his handsome face, and he can see the tears brimming in your eyes. He slides even closer to you until you're hip to hip.

You look up into his eyes as he leans over you, "Here," He slips an arm under you to support your weight and holds you, "Relax, I've got you" He says, hair falling into his face as he looks down at you in his arms. His normally cheerful face is uncharacteristically serious.

Humans are fragile, mortal creatures with short lives. He knows this, he's always known this but... This is perhaps the first time that you're mortality has really hit him. And it hits him hard.

His wings appear behind him, and wrap around the two of you. They radiate warmth as he tries to embrace you with his whole being, but they also serve to further remind him of the distance between the two of you. How different he is from you. The rules he's supposed to follow, though their rules were never going to stop him. He can't help but feel angry at the unfairness of it all for a moment.

He'd always thought he'd understood why the brothers fell for their sister, but in this moment everything became so much clearer, and now he felt like he understood Lilith too. Why she risked her life and fell to help a sick human. And he realized, that if he'd known then what he knew now, he happily would have fought and fallen for her too. Seeing you so fragile, in his arms, he vows to himself to protect you no matter what it would cost him.

The two of you stay wrapped in his wings in silence for a long time. Even after the pain subsides, he can't bring himself to let you go. You reach up to caress his face, and he leans his cheek into your palm, allowing your touch to soothe his worries away. Eventually the two of you fall asleep wrapped up in each other.

Luke and Solomon are surprised at the sight the next morning; You curled against Simeon's chest, and Simeon's wings still wrapped around the two of you. They both secretly snap pictures, and their excited 'Awwww!'s and teasing eventually wake the both of you.

#Obey me #obey me characters and mc with chronic pain #lucifer #mammon #leviathan #satan #asmodeous #beelzebub #belphegor #diavolo #barbatos #solomon #simeon #I'm really happy with how I wrote Solomon's ngl

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emily-the-fae · 4 years ago

Text

Sound of a Heartbeat

Part 2. Edge of the Water

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Okay so apparently this piece has formed some more or less coherent storyline and I just had to write it down...well at least try to. So if anyone enjoyed part one and is in to hear the further turn of events, here we go.

Pairing: Dracula x OC

Warnings: um, none again, suicidal mood a little bit if that counts

Watch out for the side effects of slowly dying by vampire bites (and no, it's surprisingly NOT turning into vampire)

***

Shari woke up in a strangely lit place. Woke up - big word, rather jumped into consciousness with total clarity as to what she is and what happened to her and total frustration as to where she may be located. It was definitely not the place she left. The forest around her seemed to glow light blue, fireflies dancing in the air with their bluish sparks. She didn't feel cold nor warm, all the pain seemed to leave her body together with most of her senses - Shari felt light, almost weightless and when she looked upon herself, she saw that her own body was glowing the same bluish color as everything around her.

She stood up hesitantly. She had no idea what the place was - the campfire was gone and the forest around was nothing like the spot she stayed at before. What was this? A magic trick? A hallucination? Was she dead? Shari saw particularly bright light behind the trees and decided to walk in its direction - perhaps it was a trap, perhaps she's dead and in purgatory and there are punishing beasts waiting to see her. Shari could never be sure, but felt surprisingly at peace even in her current state, strangely at peace.

The source of light turned out to be a lake. A long and seemingly deep lake that ripped its way through the forest, no end of it seen any near, it might also be seashore, although she doubted that due to abscence of waves - there were fireflies dancing above it and the water seemed crystal clear, even though she couldn't see far below the surface because of the light emanating from it. Shari felt the urge to go closer - to dip her feet in the shiny water, almost felt the need for it, but something restricted her from doing so. She could hear whispers too - as if there were hushed voices coming from the depth of water and that scared her off quite a lot: whatever that thing was, it was definitely not as simple as it tried to look. Her witching life has taught her - if something looks nice and calls out to you, but is also magical: in most cases it wants you to be its lunch. A rule that definitely worked in practice.

The healer stopped still, then sat down on the ground abruptly, feeling awkward in her position; but she needed time to think. This all seemed unexplainably odd - the water, the indecisiveness, the whole place - it seemed like a vague dream even though she felt completely awake. Dracula said it was going to be like sleeping. But by Dracula's deeds she should already be dead. This did not look like afterlife.

Suddenly Shari sensed, rather than saw a movement behind her, ready to jump to her feet and defend herself the best she could, she turned her head to face the source of it. It was a woman. Shari could swear she wasn't there before - a young woman stared at her, standing some distance away. Her beautiful, intelligent face looked somewhat concerned, her long blonde hair thrown over her shoulder, she was glowing the same bluish light as everything else around them. Shari recognised her, very vaguely, but she did remember: Adrian had shown her portraits before.

- Lisa? You're Lisa, right? Lisa Tepes, I know you! - Shari wanted to jump up, but the woman held her back with a gentle gesture of her hand. Lisa - or whoever it was that looked like her - floated rather than walked closer, then sat down next to a very confused and excited Shari, giving her a reassuring smile. There were a few moments of silence, while her guest studied her face intently.

- You are beautiful, you know, - Lisa smiled warmly.

- Wh-What? I mean thanks, but why? I mean... Umm what kind of a conversation starter is that? Are you?... Are we?... Am I not dead or...? - Shari was startled to say the least.

- Yes, you are... Heading in the direction of death, though your friends and specifically my son are very insistent upon the opposite. I believe, you'll have to live up to their expectations and survive now... although it all depends on you, really.

A pause. Shari nodded slowly, taking in her words.

- But-but hasn't your husband killed me? I thought he was definitely going to finish me off...

- He was going to, I'm sure. But he didn't have enough time to do so... or will, for that matter, - the woman turned somewhat remorseful. - I hope he didn't hurt you too much.

- He... tried not to, at least in the end. That's a pity he didn't succeed. I almost felt grateful to him for doing so, - Shari turned away to look at the lake. - It wasn't going to end well anyway...I wasn't going to end well.

- Don't. It's probaly his poison wearing off on your mind, but stilll.Just don't say that. Value what you have while it's still in you. You have to live. Trust me, it's not as pleasant as it seems to be when you get to the other side.

- Why excatly? - a chuckle. - You know, I'm not far from death anyway, it is going to be pain and waiting for me. To go like that is the best way now, I am afraid. Going to be there soon, why not strip myself of needless agony, - she hesitated for a moment. - You are actually dead by the way. If you say I'm still alive, how are we even talking?

- I am not quite sure I can explain this properly, - Lisa frowned, her gaze drifting off to the lake. - The simplest way to place it is: sometimes the people who die are not yet ready to leave this world - and then they stay between life and death, like...

- Essentially, you're telling me that you're a ghost, - Shari felt a bit sceptical.

- Essentially, yes.

- And why am I seeing you out of all people?

- Because I wanted so?

- Why? To tell me to survive?

- Yes.

Shari arched an eyebrow, looking at Lisa with mistrust.

- I don't like this simple tone.

- You are not going to like it, - she hesitated, then continued. - You have to save Wallachia, - the words left her mouth so easy and obvious, that Shari burst out laughing.

- Oh no-no-no, now I'm definitely hallucinating. Is this some fairy tale for children or something? Listen here, you ghost of Christmas past, I'm no kind of warrior-saviour person. I'm not going or willing to catch up to the pathos of "you are the chosen one" or whatever it is that they say in those situations. I believe you confuse me with your son, madam, - Lisa listened silently to her monologue with an amused smile on her face; it was obvious that the reaction was quite expected. When Shari finished, the ghost carried on:

- That is exactly why you have to do it. You are no chosen one. But you are one who has at least a chance. Adrain doesn't. He thinks he does, everybody thinks he does, but in reality it will only go worse if he works out his plan. I know... I don't need you to save all of Wallachia after all, - Lisa paused after that sentence and Shari looked up confused, trying to catch her meaning. - Just one person - and that will do the rest, - the woman was very serious, and Shari suddenly understood this conversation was somehow real, even if happening in a dream realm.

- And who might that be? - she asked carefully, in a hushed voice.

- Dracula.

Shari actually laughed. Loudly. Not quite rolling on the ground, but close to doing so. Lisa looked at her, with a raised eyebrow and calmly waited for the small hysteric to finish.

- Done yet? - were her only words, when Shari seemed to calm down a little bit.

- Listen, ok, I get it, you want to protect your husband, but...

- You don't understand! It's not only about protecting him - it's about stopping this war. Peacefully. It's about stopping Adrian from killing his own father - you need to persuade Dracula to call back his army, - Lisa was looking at her earnestly, determination in her stare. Shari only huffed.

- You... How do you imagine me do it? Persuade him? Are you insane? He would tear me apart and finish what he started, he didn't listen to Adrian, he actually almost killed Adrian, his own son. Why would he listen to me now?

- That is quite the point. He would listen, because it's you, - Lisa leaned back, smiling at the confusion on the girl's face.

- Oh yes, and what's so special about me? - Shari replied sarcastically.

- Nothing.

- Ouch.

- Apart from the fact that he pities you, - sensing that she was about to be interrupted, she quickly added. - I've watched both him and Adrian, thinking of a way to figure this out and stop them from tearing at each other's throats, and you suddenly came as the most valid solution I can think of for the time being.

- He... "pities" me? - Shari rubbed her neck, raising her eyebrow. Sure. He pities her so much; she flinched slightly at the memory of their encounter.

- Don't go witty. He does. He was merciful to you, he almost didn't want to kill you, that's why he didn't succeed. You're the first human after my death that he feels this way to... You are a person he did not know before all of this, you evoke his pity and you seem to have the skill to negotiate your way into people's good side and out of conflicts. You may actually have something in you to change his mind.

- That's not how it works, he...!

- You remind him of me. You may persuade him that there are people worth fighting for... That there is a life worth fighting for, - her tone was growing louder with each word, getting more insistent.

- Wait a minute, so you want me what? To replace you? Remind him of you and tell him you wouldn't want it? Tell him your final will, you think that'll stop him? - Shari jumped to her feet, backing away.

- I want you to go to find him. To reassure him, show him pity, show empathy. You will remind him of me. And he will come back to understanding that humanity is not all bad, that some people are still worth keeping alive. And that awar against them is not worth his own or our son's lives, - Lisa stood up too, sensing the tension rise and stepped closer once again. Shari did not like it. She didn't just die heroically to come back and search for yet another heroic and probably much more painful death.

- No, Lisa, I-I see what you want me to... But I'm not you! You see, I'm not you! I can't just go and drag - who? Dracula-the-vampire-king-that-just-killed-me - out of his murderous depression! - she backed away.

- If you had a choice: you can surrender or you can come back to fighting with a new way...

- Yes, I think if I had any kind of choice and if I survived, I would keep away from trouble and try to hold onto my final bits of life for as long as possible, thank you very much! - Shari argued loudly.

- You have to do it, if you live, Shari. It is the only way to protect you and... - Lisa made another step towards her.

- And die a much more painful death, yeah, thanks, great, - Shari almost hissed. Her attention suddenly turned to the pool of water behind her. So that was the whole trick, why Lisa appeared to hold her back from dying. - Oh. I know how this works. The lake is the entrance. My decision if I do or don't die, right?

- Precisely, though it's not really you, who decides. You touch the water - you either leave or wake up. Can't be sure until you do... - Lisa answered. - But before you decide and step in I want you to think. Shari, you have to fight for it, for yourself annd for Adrian, for all the people out there you've been trying to help!

- I am not your son, - she answered barely audible, but firm.

- Shari! - Lisa stepped yet again closer.

- No! I've had my bunch of suffering. I'm not going back in just because you believe I am good for the fight, I'm not! I'm selfish, okay? I did not ask for this, - she paused, glancing at the water. - Whatever it is, let it be. If I die - I die, right? - Shari turned away decisively and with a moment of hesitation made a small step forward, into the water, not looking back at the ghost.

She awaited darkness or light, hell or heaven or emptiness and quiet. Whatever escape was about to come, she threw herself at its mercy.

#castlevania #dracula #alucard #sypha belnades #trevor belmont #lisa tepes #fanfiction #writing #dracula x oc #dracula x reader #adrian tepes

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