#playing cat and mouse | dash/tagging games

[deathdanse]

Dating Service!

"...Something wrong with my choice of dress? I thought I looked quite lovely in it!"

[switch-writer]

The Fate of the Cards

A/N: AHHH. Okay, despite all the requests I gotta do, I THINK THIS IS A PERFECT PROJECT TO COME BACK ON. THIS IS MY PART IN A ART/WRITING TRADE WITH @giggly-toybox WHO IS A SWEETHEART. Genuinely give them a follow. BUT! They’re the biggest Basil Hawkins and X Drake fan around, and they deserve some fun shenanigans 😤 BUT THANK YOU FOR THE PATIENCE AND I APOLOGIZE IF ITS SHORT. And I hope you enjoy very much🫶🫶

Ah, yes, The Supernovas, otherwise known as the worst generation, were known to be… aggressive. Monstrous pirates of thieves and brutality… similar to the warlords in a weird way, except the worst generation weren’t Government dogs.

Not that most warlord’s did their jobs anyways… But that’s besides the point.

The point is that the supernovas were brutal pirates who wouldn’t team up for nothing. Not a chance. At least that’s what most would assume. Yet, here they were, Basil Hawkins, the blonde who happened to enjoy tarot card readings, and X Drake, the former marine who swapped sides and who’s since been a pirate.

These two were… reasonable enough to get together and make a strange sort of team despite differences. Although they argued a bit. Drake was more quiet, so was Hawkins… but Hawkins certainly didn’t hesitate to ask questions and came across as harsh. But didn’t most Captains? Especially since X Drake would give him the same attitude back.

“Relax, Hawkins.” X spoke with his usual calm, dead serious tone. While Hawkins typically had that same tone, Drake managed to get him worked up. Over what you may ask? “I refuse to believe that you won fair and square.” Basil accused harshly. This wasn’t what he predicted after all! It had to be cheating!

“Then keep not believing it. Doesn’t make it any less true.” The former Rear Admiral spoke with a careless tone, scoffing in slight disbelief. “Are you actually upset?” Hawkins shot a glare towards the man in response, making it clear he was upset.

“…Oh come on.” X spoke with a deadpan tone, but nodded slowly. “Lighten up, Hawkins, I don’t want to—“ He was cut short by the tarot reader tossing the poker cards of sorts at him.

Silence… a long… dreading… moment of silence.

“Basil Hawkins.”

“…If I had to assume, something tells me that was the wrong choice.” Hawkins spoke calmly, but his eyes showed uncertainty. Was this supposed to be what his previous reading was about?

Drake kept his cold stare as Hawkins slowly shifted his foot, ready to dash if the situation called for it.

“Do those cards tell you when to run? Because only a fool would sit here.” X Drake spoke.

“…Does that mean—“ “yes, it means run!” And suddenly, the zoan devil fruit user dashed forward, and if Hawkins didn’t go in slight shock, he would’ve squawked. However, he didn’t! Instead, he had let out a much more manly noise! Instead of a squawk, he gasped dramatically and then yelped like a dog as he stumbled backwards and began to run.

The long haired Blondie found himself rushing around a room, practically playing tag and using a structure for ‘protection’ so you can’t be tagged. Except this wasn’t tag, in fact, it was cat and mouse. And Basil had no clue what happened when the cat caught him, the mouse.

“You… idiot—! Woah—!” Hawkins spoke with a strong spike of frantic nature in his tone as Drake attempted to fool him by double backing around the couch. “Don’t be stupid—! Stop playing this game!” Basil spoke harshly, attempting to be intimidating and tough.

“You accused me of cheating, I don’t take it lightly. And that was before throwing cards at me.” “You had to cheat—!” The paramecia devil fruit user accused. Which the man who had reddish-brown hair inhaled, before giving a slight smile.

“Accuse me of it, and I’ll do it—!” He claimed, suddenly jumping over the couch, his cape/cloak flowing in the force and wind from his dash and jump, and he almost tackling Basil, wrapping his arms around him as they stumbled together, Hawkins almost fell down as Drake caught both him and the card reader, getting strength in his position and firm in his stance.

And they were stable.

And silent. Hawkins didn’t want to say a word. No. He couldn’t. Or else the reddish-brown haired man would strike—

Suddenly, out of the blue, the man began to feel giggles bubbling in his throat, a smile twitching on his face, his body even feeling that tingly feeling, causing him to squirm. “H-Hehey—!” Hawkins reflectively squirmed upon recognizing the feeling. A ticklish feeling caused by the ‘former’ marine’s fingers.

“Didn’t run well enough.” Drake claimed cleverly before his fingers spidered up ‘the magician’s’ sides and ribs, causing the man to panic and finally let out built up bubbly giggles.

“Y-You’re sohoho insuhufferable!” Hawkins scolds, attempting to remain tough despite it failing miserably. He was a bunch of giggles! And now that the giggle dam broke, it couldn’t stop.

But in response to his tough reply, X decided the best course of action was simple, his fingers teased and tapped across his ribs, occasionally making a stop to scribble between and on the sensitive nerves through there, causing a small squeak followed by soft giggling, and Basil squirming side to side, trying to get out of his grasp.

“Q-Quhuhuit it! Yohou’re a evil, awfuhuhul man—!” The insults kept flowing, and suddenly, Drake moved his hands, making them crawl up to his neck and spidering around his neck. Those feelings across Hawkins neck made him straighten up his hunched over posture and squeal, causing chuckles and a small soft laugh.

“Apologize.” Drake required in exchange for mercy.

However, the fellow pirate was quite stubborn! He refused, shaking his head and grabbing at the ‘X’ tattooed man’s hands in a strong attempt to win. “N-Nehever!” The man in the white wavy sleeved shirt stuck up his nose, showing strength…

Until the marine strikes right at his stomach, scribbling and wiggling his fingers across it, causing the almost electric sensations to spike. And within seconds, that brave face was a smiling one at the least, Hawkins laughing out as he slowly went to the floor, throwing his head back in laughter.

While he squealed, his actual laugh was deeper. Granted, it wasn’t as deep as his speaking voice, but it was still deeper than those girly and sweet squeals and squeaks that only a group of mice could hear.

Drake however was amused by it, his fingers moving quick and effectively, causing the man to squirm and curl up, practically rolling around.

“DRAKE—!” He called out, squeezing his eyes shut with a sweet smile, kicking his legs a little bit as he felt those fingers scribble and poke at his belly, causing more cackles and laughs. “PLEHEASE—!” The blondie softly spoke, his voice weak due to his breathless laughter.

“Hm.” Drake acknowledged, sitting on the man’s legs to prevent him from rushing off, but his fingers stopped. His hands pulled away as the man giggled breathlessly, his hair messily in his face.

“Y-You’re ehevil—!” “I could be worse.” The man reminds the giggling blonde pirate, who begrudgingly agreed. “…But I have no doubt you cheated.” Hawkins states, a wobbly smile upon his face.

…He was still on about this?

Admittedly… Drake wasn’t completely honest. His morals were honorable, but he may of… fibbed and happened to rig the cards in his favor. He was just surprised that the man who always had cards in his hand noticed so fast, or rather was consistent in his accusations.

But due to the man being so quick on his feet and keeping up his accusations, Drake felt himself get… flustered.

“No denial—!” Basil spoke out, causing Drake to immediately claw his hands at the soft tummy, causing the man with the power of straw to start laughing with a happy tone, he certainly wasn’t opposed to this currently. “I’ll shut you up! No cheating was involved.” The darkly dressed man who happened to wear a feathered hat spoke with authority… although a smile grew on his face as he kept tickling Hawkins.

“qUHUHUIT—! BUFFOON!” Hawkins yelped, squealing before scrunching his nose up, a bright smile on his face. “Apologize, then say I won fair and square.”

And the tickling ensued due to stubbornness, the blonde shaking his head before laughing, using his hands to cover his mouth, refusing to show his smile now, his laughter still vocal and quite lovely to listen to even if muffled.

But, during that monent, Drake striked by wiggling a finger right into his belly button, causing a snort to suddenly come from the usually cynical man’s throat. With that, more laughter flowed from Basil’s mouth, a finger teasing and tickling right at his belly button. It was driving him crazy!

But it stopped, causing the magician to slowly open his eyes, shocked it stopped. But the moment he opened his eyes, the zoan user lifted his shirt and brushed a feather across his belly, causing a squeaky sound of a laugh to leave his throat, and immediately. He caved.

“eHEHE—! IT’S FAHAIR!”

Yelled the tarot reader, causing the man holding a feather to raise a brow. “Hm?”

“…And I’m… begrudgingly sorry.” Hawkins spoke softly with a huff.

“Much better.” And for good measure, Drake gave him a congratulations stroke from the feather in his hand, causing the straw-man to tumble over with a small laugh, causing him to hold his belly to attempt to block tickles. “T-THAHAT’S ENough—!” He exclaimed with a laugh, his hands batting at him now.

And with a nod, the reddish-brown haired man moved off his legs, letting his breathing even out… and finally… he relaxed. They both relaxed in silence. Hawkins was sprawled out on the floor, and Drake sat calmly nearby…

“…I did cheat.”

“…” and a slow head turn with a glare occurred, and within a moment, the blonde was on top of Drake. “You’ll pay for feeding into a delusion!”

As dramatic and loud as his wording was, it was silly… and X Drake found enjoyment in challenging Hawkins… as for Hawkins… if anyone were to tickle him, he supposed it’d be best for it to be him…

Especially when he could get his revenge.

[jaladwolf]

AGATD Fear Diner: The first encounter

Encounter 1: Toy Bonnie

Tagging Toy Bonnie - Dream world, Diner

Rule #1: Catch him quickly

TB was always seen as the brave type, always putting himself in dangerous situations. It was like he didn’t fear anything. So it was really a surprise to everyone when he was begging for his life as Foxy ripped into him.

Freddy, you knew how he was. Always playing cat and mouse with danger, almost like it was a game of tag…

When you approach his portrait, be aware of faint laughter. It belongs to him. You’ll know the game has started when you hear the words, “catch me if you can!”. Once he says this, he manifests himself before dashing off. That’s your cue to try and catch him. You’re only given a limited window of time to catch him each time you encounter them. Catch him, he’ll leave you alone for a while. But be careful if you fail. Because then, it’ll be his turn… and let’s just say he’s gotten better at this after his death.

Bonus:

Age: 15

Height: 4’8

Status: ??

Type: Chaser

Abilities: Increased agility and reflexes, heightened senses

Weapon(s): Barbed wire Baseball Bat

The Dreamer belongs to @drechastory

[thegoblintoadie]

Devotion and Desire

Summary: Briar, a cleric of Malar Tav, doesn't do hand outs. So when she wakes up with Astation looming over her, poised to bite, she feels for his plight but can't just hand over her blood that easily. She really does want to help her new friend though, and this fun little game of cat and mouse proves to be just the way to do that. or- Tav's god forbids giving hand outs so she proposes that Astarion hunt her so she can feed him guilt free. Primal play ensues.

Astarion X Tav ( OFC)

My first foray into writing for BG3 and my first attempt at writing in years but this vampire has rotted my brain to the core.

Read the full here on A03 and see a03 for full tags.

The pounding of her heart may well be the thing that gives her away. A rhythmic beat, so thunderous that she could feel it in her throat. The excitement coursing through her was to be expected- the thrill of the hunt was a sensation that she was all too familiar with, and she would never tire of it. Even though life had seen fit to throw her into an abundance of hunts since the nautiloid, and, in spite of the near constant mortal peril that faced them all daily, it was very rare that she got to indulge quite like this. In fact, she wasn’t sure that she had ever fully indulged this particular desire, there had never been a chance to show such weakness without it coming around to have severe consequences but here she was, finally, well and truly surrendering to being prey.

Well, surrender might be a bit too strong of a term- this little game was her idea after all and the cards where all in her hand when it really mattered. She was the one that set this ball in motion by volunteering to be the hunted, to become the fawn that ducks and dashes from Astarion’s fierce pursuit, but she certainly did not intend to lie down and make it easy for the vampire. After all, the only meal worth indulging in is one that has been well and truly earned and that’s precisely why they were here.

Surprises were abundant in these strange times but rousing from her trance to a body over her, sharp fangs poised and ready to strike at her throat had certainly been a big one. Even in the privacy of her own mind, Briar knew how crazy it sounded that even then she had felt the beginnings of that intoxicating sensation she had so longed for, the forbidden indulgence of feeling like a rabbit before a starved fox.

She should have seen him for what he really was, in hindsight it was all so obvious, his deep red eyes, his flawless alabaster skin, the canines that were more than a little too sharp and prominent. He hadn’t exactly been doing an amazing job of hiding his condition and it was likely only the distraction of the unprecedented circumstances they all found themselves in that no one had noted it so far. He bore a deep-seated scar in the shape of two fang marks nestled along the column of his own slender neck that should have been a dead giveaway and on any normal day she would have discovered his true nature in a heartbeat.

Even caught off guard as she was, it wasn’t hard to read the look in his eyes, clearly, he had expected her to run him through. Perhaps stake him on sight. But the fierce gnawing hunger of a starved monster was a sensation that she was intimately acquainted with and as she gazed into his eyes and found them full of desperation and soul deep aching, she was startled to see something that was too close to a reflection for comfort.

Living so closely in tune with the wilds, Briar knew that life was full of countless calls from all directions. Desire and need were restless companions and if one were to succeed in life, you had to learn when to act and when to stay your hand. Mastering your desires was as important as embracing them- but when your nature calls to you, ravenously empty and screaming, you have no choice but to obey.

Gazing upon his chastened face, it had felt like the cruellest punishment to reprimand him. To watch the most genuine emotions she had ever seen grace his handsome face entirely spring from the fount of sorrow. Still, her lord forbade pity upon the weak. Survival of the fittest was her creed and snatching up a forbidden drink in the dead of night, whilst your prey lay sleeping, was hardly proof of your hunting prowess. If Astarion could only win his meal by subterfuge, Malar’s teachings would have her state that he did not deserve to eat at all.

She felt these urges every now and then, the desire to give in and take pity on those who were so clearly in need. A whole life spent trying to please Malar, to prove herself as devout as any other in her village, and a whole life spent pretending that a hollow, cavernous pit didn’t open up inside her gut and threaten to swallow her as she ignored the pleading glances of the hungry and needy.

The discomfort bought on by these urges to be weak were familiar by now, she had suppressed them before, and she would continue to do so. It did not matter how much her heart ached to see the raw and honest starvation within her companions’ eyes. To see the hunger that she knew all too well and refuse to help when it would be all too easy. She knew the laws she must abide by, and Malar must not be displeased, her powers depended upon it.

Malar must not be displeased and perhaps he need not be- she had always been an innovator. Those forbidden desires sprung to the forefront of her mind again as she remembered the ravenous way Astarion had been looking at her in the split second before he had realised that she had awakened, and she felt a spark of warmth in her centre. Perhaps there was a way that they could leave this situation under more desirable circumstances.

When she had suggested that Astarion hunt her if he truly expected to taste her blood, the vampire had been dumbfounded and furious. Clearly, he had taken her offer in jest, perhaps thinking that she was mocking his monstrous nature, but she had doubled down on stating her intent. Affirming that any hunter worth their salt should catch their meal, not shamefully steal it away whilst their prey lay sleeping.

She could tell by the look on his face that he still didn’t quite believe her, but his doubt was faltering, and he had regained enough composure to slip back into his familiar rakish mask.

Then he had become confident, cocky. Briar had put a lot of work into concealing the nature of her worship and the nature of her own inner beast, from the rest of her motley crew and although at times, as friendships blossomed and grew amongst them all, this had been a contributor to her sizable mountain of guilt, in this case it had given her an advantage.

Astarion believed that he had seen her full skillset in battle, she was a cleric after all, a little more savage than most of the other clerics he knew when it came to finishing off enemies, but that was no matter of concern. She would still be no match for a vampire with over 200 years of experience, right?

Briar smiled to herself in the darkness, she hoped this confidence would be his downfall. She still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve and her winning hand had been held closely to her chest. The distant snapping of a twig jolted her from her reminiscence. She was confident that the sound had not come from Astarion, the rogue would never be clumsy enough to make such a simple hunting mistake, but it reminded her to refocus on the task at hand. Eluding her hunter.

[outpost51]

Playlist tag game

many thanks to @void-botanist for the tag!!

Rules: post a screenshot or a list of your playlist titles and tag some friends. If you're tagged, send op an ask about one of their playlists.

so. funny story. i....have. a lot. lmao

putting it under a cut for the sake of y'all's dashes

no pressure tagging (grabbing a bunch of you since i haven't done a tag game in a while): @sparatus @thetrashbagswasteland @writernopal @tabswrites @manicdepressivedaisy @nightingalesighs @commander-krios @princess-prawn @kiran-wears-science-blues @aceouttatime @straypurplebread @discoeffect @bambino1294 @breadedsinner @beelzebby666 and leaving it OPEN feel free to hop on and tag me i love music

two wrongs.

badder.

to be anointed in gold.

f*ck me yourself, coward

though she has shown me where her bones lie

white dove

six seeds

i don't wanna be your friend

there is no fog in the next town

desire

bare to the bone

pushing buttons crossing lines

damage control

he's a liar

fallen star.

the stars we wander, the hands we're dealt

thy will be done

lightning tracers

it's alright.

confidence interval

the space between relays

gone but not forgotten

three lost stars.

decaying orbit.

kerosene.

the hundred-year distance

advanced security measures

no room for innocence

stay.

o, icarus

toxic bastard syndrome

avi. avi. commence. stars.

i'll follow you anywhere.

i'll follow you down.

if not, winter

playing with fire

and she was an arsonist

cat::mouse

it's alright. i'm fine.

shimmer/scream

you were always my favorite

for love, i will handle your sins.

tell me lies.

blinding neon.

once bitten.

sparks on the pavement

if you don't grieve it didn't happen

harder places

no strategy

easy doesn't do it

record player static

racing comets

fuck em only we know

the last laugh

neon gravestones

voices

the boy who cried wolf

i was their revenge.

power surge

john can't dance.

[tlacehualli]

[ STRADDLE ] : while sparring, sender gains the upper hand and pins the receiver in place, straddling their waist in the process.

"What's this supposed to be?" Turns out, Jolene has an entire trophy shelf, and one of them looks particularly funny to her. It's a smaller trophy (she figures maybe grade school or something, she didn't go to school for sports or like at all so), cast in bronze but it came out with a goofy blank expression and flat features like a Ditto.

"It's mine. Put it down."

"Awww..." Something overtakes her and her expression grows sly. Trophy in one hand, she winks - then takes a translocator and tosses it, dashing in the opposite direction as the wrestler moves (people that are nearly twice her size shouldn't be that fast, surely) towards her and swipes. A snap of her fingers and she's at the opposite end of the room and laughing, as carefree as if they were playing tag (the other woman is not similarly delighted).

She's absently cognizant of the fact that there's something in the glint of aggression in the younger woman's eyes is doing to her. Most of her is consumed with their impromptu game of cat and mouse, except the mouse cackles and can teleport and go invisible. It's a war of attrition that she knows she'll lose eventually but she already had what she wanted; for the wrestler to drop her gentle disposition in favor of something more forceful.

When Jolene finally catches her, it's sudden. She is literally a frame off of a frame perfect escape when the wrestler snatches her circuit hand out of the air mid-snap and then Sombra's back is on the floor (Jolene is mercifully gentle not to slam her lest the circuits in her back fry her nervous system with warnings).

Well. This is a familiar position. Heat spreads across her cheeks and her expression turns hungry, fingers slack when one of the woman's hands wrests the trophy from her and sets it aside - the other keeps her hands where they are and she straddles her waist as if to make her point. Something primal overtakes her and she's smirking.

"I'm going to need you to fuck me until I cum so hard, they can hear me on the moon base." She says it matter of factly, even with dilated pupils, a racing heartbeat, and a half-lidded gaze. She was gonna deal with these consequences later.

[implexaanima-a]

CHARACTER  ZODIAC AESTHETIC.

ARIES.  bonfires, competitiveness, hand veins, loud laughs, messy hair, sneaking out at 2am, abandoned beaches, stray dogs, candle lights, body language, creaking floorboards, ouija boards, having no regrets, karaoke nights out.

TAURUS. house plants, oversized sweaters, soft hands, fuzzy socks, visiting big cities, snoozing your alarm clock, the color yellow, vanilla-scented candles, aloe vera, fruit smoothies, baking cookies, the mom friend, loves the ukulele.

GEMINI.  femme fatale movies, in love with female villains, sharp eyeliner, quick-witted, does things out of spite, do no harm but take no shit, in love with dogs, probably cries during sad movies but won’t admit it, easily excited, ripped jeans.

CANCER. mermaids, easily infatuated by love, smelling flowers, picnics in open fields, gets sad when thinking about the past, impressed easily, daydreaming in class, plucking fresh fruit, loves fashion, would die / kill for their friends.

LEO.  confident in what they do, kill them with kindness, high ponytails, probably wants to visit paris once, not afraid to tell the truth, in love with cute animals, the one to lift others up, good at teamwork, the warm feeling of summer, dragons.

VIRGO.  pastel markers, the smell of lavender, has a welcoming vibe around them, actually organized, scrunchies, neat notes, loves going to museums, probably into photography, neutral colors, handwritten letters, stardust.

LIBRA.  soft blankets, cuddling the ones you love, always standing up for your friends, hopeless spurned romantic, can be very distant, can be a little dramatic, pretty hair, dresses nicely, tries to be popular on social media, optimistic, humorous.

SCORPIO.  cottages in the woods, in love with greek mythology, vintage t-shirts, really emotional but doesn’t want anyone to know, determined, moonlight, pretty handwriting, into the retro aesthetic, rainy days, doesn’t judge people, bugs, cats.

SAGITTARIUS.  always ready for an adventure, street smart, wants to travel the world someday, doesn’t easily trust people, alcohol, paintbrushes, can’t sit still, untied shoelaces, tangled up earphones, blasting music at midnight, eye-gazing.

CAPRICORN.  cold aura, coffee is what keeps them going, probably hasn’t slept in two days, actually a big softie, high-waisted jeans, cute pet videos, small apartments, has too many notebooks, often goes to the library, writing essays.

AQUARIUS.  loves to paint and do any kind of art, wants to live at the seaside, knows a lot of random facts, shares food, messy notes, bullshits an entire essay, graffiti, has their own distinct style, wants to live their life like they want to.

PISCES.  old teddy bears, unsent love letters, mom-jeans, loves to sing, feels at home by the ocean, writes poetry, hard-workers, always up.

tagged by: @hobakusho​ tagging:  @multi-mused-menagerie​ @allquirked​ @reflectionbound​ @quirkaddled​

[mtsuyas]

* ˚ ✰    — ‘ FAIRYTALE ’ t.mitsuya

. . . WARNINGS / TAGS: smut - 18+, minors do not interact, dark content, knife play, blood play, marking, getting aroused at seeing blood, breeding, royalty au, king!mitsuya, assassin!reader, enemies to not lovers but they fuck. wc - 1.5k

. . . SYNOPSIS: your plan to assassinate king mitsuya on the day of his coronation was… unsuccessfully successful.

it was the event of the century, to say the very least. people from across the world were there to witness the coronation of mitsuya takashi, including yourself.

though, being one of the rebel assassins set to kill the royal family didn’t deem you worthy of an invitation to the extraordinary event.

it was a game of cat and mouse, you and the prince - soon to be king. every time there was a rebel attack you’d leave a trace of yourself for the dashing royal: a hair-tie, an earring, one time it was a dagger with your name engraved on it. mitsuya takashi would take it before anyone would notice, but you did. he prayed that one day he would catch you and stop your silly movement for good.

the ball was breathtaking. the light of the chandeliers bounced off the gold accessories of the attendees, shining from head to toe in only the most expensive attire. at the far end of the room a prince - no, king, sat on his throne, his mother to his right and his two little sisters to his left. a golden crown encrusted with diamonds and pearls graced his head, looking lavish on his lilac hair. he has already been crowned as king. maidens flocked around near the steps of the throne, waiting for the king to come down and dance with one of them. but he didn’t glance in their direction, no. he was looking at you.

how bold of you to sneak to his coronation, and how bold of you to look like the most gorgeous person there. your blue gown sparkled in the light. it looked as though icicles were gracefully falling from your neck to your torso. the blue brought the silver embellishments to life, giving the gown a winter wonderland feeling.

mitsuya wanted nothing more than to paint the gorgeous gown in red.

the king got off his throne and descended down the stairs. all the ladies rushed over to him, begging and pleading for him to dance. but he paid them no mind as he strode over to you, his hand out in invitation.

“may i have this dance?” the king asked the rebel. with a soft smile, you accepted as the orchestra began playing a new song.

you knew this one, it was a classic. you knew every step as the king twirled you around the ballroom floor. you were aware all eyes were on you, yet you didn’t mind at all. you thoroughly enjoyed the attention that was on you and your dance partner right now. after all, this is probably the last time they'll see their precious king alive.

the song came to an end and you graciously curtsied. the king bowed back, his eyes not breaking contact with yours. “shall we take a walk?” the king suggested. with fire burning in your veins you agreed and took his arm as you walked out the hall.

your plan was finally working. you’ll kill him, that’s what you’ll do. a knife will slice his throat, and before the guards will be able to scream that their king is dead, you’ll be long gone, far away from the glittering palace.

however, you didn’t think the king would push you into a storage closet, a sharp, rubied knife a centimeter away from your throat.

“you think i don’t know who you are?” mitsuya whispered. it was dark and you couldn’t see him in the damned closet, but you didn’t need to see his face to know that there was a dark glint in his eyes. “the rebel assassin sneaking into my palace. how foolish of you.”

“i’m honored you remembered me,” you answered, sliding a hand up his clothed chest, completely ignoring the sharp blade by your neck. at your actions, mitsuya faltered.

he scoffed. “if you think i don’t know the rebels of my own kingdom, you’d be dead wrong.”

“dead? that’s a funny joke.”

“it’s funny until you’re the one on the ground, assassin.”

your hand moved up to his neck, soft skin gracing your fingertips as you wrapped your arms around him. at the same time, mitsuya’s knife traveled down your neck to your collarbone and gently pressed down, hard enough to indent your skin, but soft enough where he didn’t draw blood.

“you’re playing a very dangerous game, your majesty,” you muttered, inching your face closer to his.

mitsuya didn’t hesitate to close the distance between you two, knocking the breath out of you in an instant. his soft lips felt hot against yours and he bit down, hard. a quiet moan left your lips as mitsuya dropped his knife from your collarbone and pulled you closer to him. his free hand pressed against the wall, caging you in.

your plan was to assassinate the king, not make out with him.

but the way his lips trailed down your neck had you gasping for air. keep to the plan, keep to the plan, you said to yourself, however, your thoughts were clouded when mitsuya bit down and continuously sucked on a certain spot on your neck. you resisted the urge to moan as he continued sucking and licking your neck, bruising everywhere his lips would touch. finally, he pulled away and leaned his forehead against yours. “by the time i’m done with you, the guards will find you dripping with my cum down your legs and your blood down your neck.”

his words aroused you and you didn’t hesitate to start unbuttoning his pants, which immediately fell to the floor. his strong hands ripped the tulle skirt of your dress, leaving only an inch or two of skirt to cover your soaking panties.

mitsuya stripped you of your panties and held it in display for you to see despite the darkness of the closet. “so wet for me.”

“i can’t help but get aroused at the thought of your blood on my hands.”

“is that so?”

he angled himself at your entrance, the tip of his cock teased your cunt. again, you fought the urge to moan and beg him to fuck you, but you didn’t allow yourself to open your mouth. mitsuya noticed and bit your earlobe. “don’t be shy. moan, assassin. scream my name, because it’s going to be the last words that ever leave your mouth.”

without warning, he inserted his cock in your wet cunt, slipping inside more easily than he expected. an accidental gasp left your lips as you grasped onto mitsuya’s shirt, resulting in a smirk from him. he slipped out and thrusted, first slowly, then quickening. his pace was brutal, pounding into you with no sense of stopping at all. it felt so good, too good to be true. the king had you seeing stars, but still you refused to moan his name, and he noticed. he removed his hand from your waist and pressed the knife against your arm.

“still not moaning my name?”

you laughed in his face, not wanting him to see your pleasure, although he was able to feel it. “i never will.”

he cocked his head and pressed the tip of the knife to your arm and carved a line, not ceasing his thrusts for even a second. your blood dripped down your wrist and the droplets fell to the floor, and you felt pure bliss.

mitsuyas hand fell from the wall and to your clit instead, harshly rubbing it as he pounded into you. he growled in your ear, “say it. say my fucking name.

it was too much. way too much for you to handle, but you refused. another line on your arm.

“scream it, sweetheart.”

“no,” tears were streaming down your face at this point. mitsuya rubbed harsher with one hand and carved another two lines on your arm when you realized.

he was writing the letter M with his dagger on your skin.

marking you.

you were so close to cumming, he was making you feel so damn good. he could tell you were close from the way you tightened around his cock. you told yourself you wouldn’t cum, you wouldn’t show how much the king was pressuring you, but you weren’t able to hold back much longer as you came, your juices dripping down to the ripped tulle on the floor.

“fuck, fuck… mitsuya!” you screamed, releasing all the moans you were holding back. your fingernails clawed at his clothed back, ripping holes into his silk shirt. your fingers dug themselves in his thick, lilac hair, pulling at the feeling. the blood on your arm continued to drip as your legs shook around him.

“your moans are so beautiful, assassin,” mitsuya said. with a heavy grunt and a moan, mitsuya came in you. his cum dripped down your legs and mixed with the blood on the floor.

the closet was silent, the only sounds being your pants in the tiny room. chest heaving, he lifted his dagger to your neck and you lifted your hidden dagger to his.

— © mtsuyas 2022: do not repost

. . . TAGLIST: @sakusins @mitsuika @lumilovessanzu @p-antomime @ghoejo @winterv-black

[dark-mnjiro]

crown of thorns .03.

Author’s Note: Welcome to part three - again I’m SHOOK at how much you guys are enjoying this series over here on tumblr. I know everyone seems to enjoy it on ao3 - which if you’d like to binge  up to part 5 (which I just posted) its all over there on my ao3. I’m slowly moving it over to my tumblr account, but I believe the story will end at part 6 considering where I ended the last AO3 update. :) Hope you guys enjoy - and as always please be mindful of the warning and tags for this fic. I would hate for someone to get triggered or upset. Thank you!

Warnings: sukuna x f!original character, king of curses!sukuna, dubcon, a dash of noncon here and there, slavery, human trafficking (in a sense), sexism, master/slave relationship, explicit s*xual content, oral s*x (female and male receiving), explicit language, murder, torture, blood rituals, marking, angst, rough s*x, sukuna using his multiple mouths, manipulative relationship (both sides), eventual queen, choking, extreme violence, a very realistic (and not nice) sukuna.

---

Part Three

“You’re not happy?”

Aruna looked up at Sukuna as he stared at her blankly as his finger still twirled strands of her hair between his fingers. She was unsure how to answer truthfully in fear her answer would anger him in some way. 

“…answer me,” he demanded.

“He frightens me,” she admitted softly as she looked down at her lap. “I don’t like how he stared at me.”

His hand moved to her chin before lifting her face to look at him again. “Do you not trust me?”

“How am I supposed to answer that?” Aruna asked, flatly. “You kidnapped me…”

Sukuna chuckled. “Merely a nuance.”

A sigh fell from her lips as her eyes moved from his gaze. She wished she could ease the uneasy feeling their visitor had left in the back of her mind. Sukuna called her by name before motioning her to sit in his lap. Her cheeks flushed as an annoyed expression flashed over her face at his demand, but she obliged. She plopped down onto his lap just to aggravate him further, earning a grunt from Sukuna before he adjusted her position to straddle his waist. The blush dusted her cheeks darker as she felt his touch teasing up her legs. 

“Embarrassed?” he growled, leaning into her ear. 

“Hush…”

He chuckled again. “This side of you is so much more fun to play with.”

Aruna rolled her eyes. “You say that and then complain,” she replied. 

Shrugging, Sukuna sat back against his throne. “Well… true. But I do enjoy a nice game of cat and mouse.”

“Am I the cat?”

“No, the mouse.”

Aruna scoffed. “Of course you’d say that…”

“I would kill him,” Sukuna said. “The instant he would make me believe he threatened you.”

“How can I believe that?” she asked. “Considering…”

“…I enjoy killing after all,” he replied as his lips curled into a smirk. “And you are mine after all.”

His hand pushed further up her kimono causing the redhead to shift in his lap. Her eyes glanced up at him nervously. He didn’t seem to notice as his fingertips moved up at down the length of her thigh before a sigh fell from his lips. He wasn’t looking at her anymore, but staring into the distance seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

“Suk-” she caught herself midsentence before correctly her words. “Master?”

His eyes fell to meet her gaze. “Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking,” he replied. “Don’t interrupt right now.”

“So I just sit here?”

Sukuna nodded before breaking the gaze getting lost in his own thoughts again. He almost seemed to mumble to himself as he sorted through his mind. Aruna’s eyes traced the dark lines that littered his skin before stopping at his chest. Chewing on her lower lip, her hand reached out as her fingertips traced along the length of the markings before slipping underneath his own kimono. She felt his skin tighten under her touch before her hand moved further.

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Looking.”

“At what?”

“These marks.”

Sighing, Sukuna looked down at her. “Why?”

“What are they?”

“Just markings. Similar to the one on your wrist,” he said before his nails moved along the marking on her wrist. His lips curled back into a smirk as he watched Aruna shudder when he \touched the mark. “Feel that?” he cooed. “It connects us. Forever.”

Aruna jerked her wrist back toward herself. “That’s a long time…”

“Mmm, should have thought about that before you became so interesting to me,” he teased, leaning down into her crimson locks. He closed his eyes before inhaling deeply as he buried his face in her hair. “Your hair is so perfect. Like fresh blood.”

“That’s not exactly a compliment…”

Sukuna chuckled. “Maybe in your pathetic village,” he commented before his hands moved to her waist, grinding her against his lap. A small, pathetic whine fell from her lips causing him to laugh again. “But from me… it should be an honor.”

“I-Is that right?” she managed out as her hands came to his chest to try and slow his movements. Humming in response, Sukuna merely moved her hips against him faster, earning another pathetic cry to fell from her lips. “M-master… stop.”

“I don’t think I will…” he whispered. “Take this off.”

Her cheeks flushed. “What?”

Sukuna tugged on her kimono. “Take this off,” he ordered. “Before I claw it off.”

Aruna nodded before slipping off of his lap and standing in front of him. Her eyes averted his gaze before removing the fabric from her body and it hid the floor, pooling at her feet. The exposure she felt made the embarrassment in her cheeks beam darker. Despite him always ordering her not to cover her more intimate regions, she could not stop her natural reaction to cover her body.

“Aruna.”

His voice cut through her thoughts as she looked up at him, catching his intense gaze. “Sorry,” she mumbled before allowing her hands to fall to her sides.

“Don’t move.”

Her throat was dry as she watched him stand and approach her. His hand came out and brushed her hair back, revealing more of her body but immediately causing her to flinch. Sukuna tilted his head at her response before his index finger ran along her jaw and just stopped under her chin, making her look up at him. Her cheeks flushed once their eyes locked. 

“You still shy away?” he asked. “Why is that?”

The corners of her lips fell into a frown before sighing understanding what he was insinuating. It was clear she was still nervous to be around him, not only because of his reputation of violence but also the idea of any man seeing her body - unnerved her. 

“No.”

Sukuna’s hand dropped just as he quirked a curious eyebrow at her. “No?”

Aruna turned her face away from him quickly, squeezing her eyes shut. “No.”

What had she done now? Of course, she had to open her big, fat mouth and reject him without a second thought. She had regretted the words the instant they slipped past her lips but it was too late. She could only pray death would be swift, but she had a feeling Sukuna wouldn’t be that merciful. Her hands trembled at the thought of what was about to come…

But it never did.

Aruna managed to open one eye and sneak a peek at Sukuna, who remained standing there staring back at her. She stumbled a few steps back and fell on her bottom before scrambling to gather her clothing scattered on the floor. “I-I apologize!” she exclaimed, clutching her kimono to cover her chest.

His crimson eyes narrowed at her. “...what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“I was scared,” she admitted. “I apologize.”

“Get up.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Get up and get dressed. You may head back to your quarters.”

She watched as Sukuna turned around and walked away. Scrambling to her feet, Aruna managed to slip her kimono back onto her body practically panting now from nervousness. Tears beaded at the corner of her eyes as she quickly ran back to her quarters, slamming the door behind her. She covered her mouth with her hand to silence the sob that was prying at her throat. She couldn’t begin to process what had just transpired and her thoughts were scattered… He was going to be furious with her and she knew it. The fear of what he would do to retaliate for her rejection was growing in the back of her mind. She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. What was she going to do? 

“Aruna?”

She gazed up to find Kaede’s eyes filled with worry. “K-Kaede…”

Her servant rushed toward her as Aruna’s legs finally gave out and held her close.

===

“She’s resting now. Once she’s awake and cleaned up I’ll send her for breakfast.”

Aruna stirred from under the plush blankets at Kaede’s voice. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting immediately at the bright sunlight spilling into the room. She used her forearm to shield her eyes, rolling onto her side and curling into a fetal position as she pulled the blankets closer to her body. The warmth alone was enough to almost lull her back into slumber, but she knew she would not be able to sleep for much longer.

She assumed the servants that had come to disturb her were those of Sukuna’s trying to force her to join him…for something. Aruna pulled the blanket over her head. “It can’t be morning already…” she mumbled to herself. 

“It is, Aruna,” Kaede replied,walking toward her bed. “Do you need to rest longer? I can send word that you’re ill.”

“…what does Sukuna want?”

“I believe he wanted you to accompany him at breakfast.” Kaede paused for a moment. “I can tell him you’re unwell this morning—”

Shaking her head, Aruna rose from bed before trying to smooth out her crimson locks. “Explain to his servants that I need to bathe and I will join him.”

Kaede bowed before preparing Aruna’s bath and then rushing to the door and explaining that Aruna would join him in an hour or so. The servants left before Aruna stepped up to the tube and stripped off her clothing. She dipped her toe into the hot water to check the temperature, when she was satisfied she stepped into the tub before submerging her body. The smells of lavender and rose mixed in the air as Kaede began adding oils to help Aruna’s skin. A content sigh fell from Aruna’s lips as her eyes slipped shut. Relaxing against the tub she felt Kaede pick up her limbs and begin scrubbing her skin. 

“Are you sure you’re well enough?”

A smile curled over Aruna’s lips. “He wasn’t unkind to me yesterday,” she said softly. “I feel like I owe him some kindness back.”

“You were in tears?”

Aruna nodded. “Because I was scared but when I refused his touch… he didn’t retaliate. He simply let me leave. I was scared about the retaliation that never came.”

Kaede said nothing more before rinsing Aruna’s body off. She helped Aruna stand up before stepping out of the tub. A towel was held open for Aruna before wrapping the plush towel around her body. Aruna sat down at her vanity before grabbing her brush, running it through her hair. 

Her bedroom door swung open, slamming against the wall before she heard Sukuna snarling as he entered her bedroom. Sighing, Aruna looked at Kaede as she shook her head. 

“He’s so impatient…”

The door to her bathroom swung open before slamming against the wall. His eyes were redder than usual. “You dare to keep me waiting?”

“You’re so impatient,” Aruna said as she resumed brushing her long hair. “I was going to join you after my bath.” Aruna motioned for Kaede to exit the room. She watched his reflection approaching her from behind before she felt his hands rest on her bare shoulders. His nails pressed into her delicate flesh leaving behind small indentations littered across her skin.

She watched him in the mirror as he continued to stay silent. His gaze met hers in the reflection before his curled into a smirk. An amused chuckle moved past his lips before releasing his grip on her shoulders.

“That easily?”

Aruna was confused by his words. “What?”

“So easily you join me when you put up such a fight yesterday?”

“…I can always change my mind if you’d prefer me not to accept your invitation, master.”

His fingers slipped through her hair before chuckling again. “Such sharp words for a lady…”

Aruna ignored his statement. “May I get dressed?”

Sukuna tilted his head. “No one is stopping you.”

“You can’t be in here while Kaede helps me with my kimono,” she hissed. 

Sukuna hummed clearly still amused before exiting the bathroom and sending Kaede to assist Aruna with dressing. “I’ll be waiting, pet.”

Aruna cursed under her breath before standing up and allowing the towel around her body to fall to the floor and pool at her feet. Kaede held up another red and white kimono that she had picked out for Aruna to wear for the day. 

“It’s beautiful Kaede,” Aruna said thoughtfully as she slipped on the fabric with Kaede’s assistance. “It’s very me.”

“Of course,” she said, smiling. “Red and white are your colors… I think Sukuna noticed. He made sure several more were made in these colors…”

Confusion filled her face. “…I wonder why?”

“Perhaps because you are beautiful Aruna…regardless of being a slave to him and he knows that.”

She began to wonder if that was in fact true. She recalled the events that led up to her father selling her to Sukuna, despite him seeking her out beforehand. Her eyes fell to her hands resting in her lap as the images of that elderly merchant naming price after price for a dowry to wed Aruna. 

And she had refused. 

The image of her father’s furious face and words flashed through her mind for tarnishing the family’s name. A harlot, he had called her, despite explaining the inappropriate touching from the elderly man. How he had followed her into a field while she was gathering ingredients for dinner and attempted to disrobe her. 

And the man expects her to marry that monster?

It was laughable. 

“Aruna?”

Forcing a smile, Aruna stood up from her chair before thanking Kaede and took her leave into the hallway to join Sukuna for dinner. While yes, he has also touched her inappropriately at times, disrobed her without her consent, among other atrocities he had committed against other humans - not just her… Aruna felt safer here than she ever did with her family. 

Sukuna had time and time again mentioned he very much enjoyed her retorts and her attitude. It was strange, but refreshing to say the least. And while she knew she couldn’t keep him away from her innocence forever, she was managing to prolong it as long as possible. He, at least, seemed to respect when she would firmly tell him no. Not like the other men out there who just viewed her as a prize to be won and used up however they saw fit. And perhaps, this arrangement would have its benefits too, while selfish of her yes… it was nice to be spoiled and desired.

It all felt different.

“Aruna.”

His voice cut through her thoughts nearly causing her to freeze in place in the doorway. His eyes roved up her body before smirking at the kimono Kaede had picked out for her to wear. Quickly, she regained her composure before bowing and taking her place across from him at the table. Spying up and down the length of the table were other women he used for his own needs…

All were staring at her. 

Whispering. 

Aruna’s eyes fell to her plate as she decided to focus on eating despite all eyes being focused solely on her. It was evident she had become his “favorite” being lavished with gifts and even a special bedroom. Something these other girls could only dream of… except one other girl. 

“Sukuna—”

Her voice dripped like honey as she appeared behind him, her blonde hair braided into a special kind of updo. She repeated his name as her arms draped around his shoulders before his hand shot up and he nearly shoved her away. “Not now,” he ordered with his gaze fixated on Aruna. “I’m busy.”

“Master,” Aruna said, frowning at the treatment of the other girl. “You shouldn’t shove her-”

“I’m focused on you right now. She can’t wait.”

“…why exactly?” she questioned. “I’m merely eating.”

“I’ve told you before,” he replied, tilting his head playfully at her. “I find your hair just magical, like blood.”

Shuddering, Aruna returned her attention back to her meal. “…thank you, Master.”

He smirked. “You are very welcome.”

God, she could feel her stomach begin to churn at the thought that he fetished her hair to that of blood. While he had mentioned it several times, it still didn’t seem to normalize with her. But she had to thank him, to keep appeasing him. This was all a game she had decided she would win, and make sure her family paid for what they had done to her. 

One move at a time.

She had to keep his interest in her piqued. 

“Master,” Aruna said, looking up at him. “I’m finished eating. I’ll be heading back to my room.”

Aruna stood up from her place at the table before turning to walk back down the corridor that led to her bedroom. She didn’t give him a chance to respond to her statement, sighing as she slowed her pace once a fair amount of distance was between her and him. A sigh moved past her lips before leaning against the wall. This plan she had… It was manipulative, but being a saint here would get her killed. She knew that. But some days, it was harder to keep up the facade that his stares and the growing hunger in his eyes didn’t bother her. 

“I don’t exactly see what the fuss is about…”

Aruna turned to see the girl from earlier. “I’m sorry?”

“Aruna,” she said, taking another step toward her. “You're just another phase that quickly fizzles out. You know that right? And he’ll come right back to me.”

“Hoshi…” Aruna said, rubbing her eyes. “Do you truly believe I want to be here? I was sold here, practically as a slave. I’m merely doing what I need to do to survive, like all of us here.”

Her eyes narrowed at Aruna. “Just remember. I’ve been here long before you and I’ll be here after you’re gone.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Aruna said before taking her leave toward her bedroom. She shut the door before a frustrated sigh fell from her lips. While the handful of other women who managed to live this long all had expiration dates over their heads, it was strange that Sukuna had found interest in keeping her and Hoshi alive. 

“Aruna,” Kaede said, frowning. “Are you alright?”

“…I just need a moment alone.”

—

The sun warmed her face as she walked barefoot through the grounds outside with Kaede following close behind her. Her lips curled into a smile as a small breeze blew through her long locks before she sat down in the tall blades of grass. She reached out and managed to pick some of the wildflowers growing near her. Moments like this were rare where she was allowed outside with just her servant, but she always appreciated them. Calm and quiet… It was perfect.

“Kaede. Leave us.”

Aruna’s quiet moment was interrupted by Sukuna’s voice commanding her servant. She glanced over her shoulder, watching him come closer. 

“Did I do something wrong?”

Sukuna was behind her now and shook her head. “No.”

“Am I not allowed to be here?”

Sukuna sighed. “You may. It’s not like you could escape,” he commented before grasping the wrist with the blackened mark. “I’d always find you.”

“Then why did you come?”

“Do you enjoy it out here?”

She was afraid to answer truthfully, unsure of what his reaction would be. Would he forbid her from coming here? Would he destroy this place so she could never enjoy the peace and quiet? But the fear of what would happen if she answered with a lie… it overrode the fear of the truth. 

Aruna frowned. “I love wildflowers… So yes.”

“…then it’s yours.”

“The field?” she questioned, tilting her head. 

“Yes.”

“…why?”

A sour expression flashed across his face. “I can’t do something nice without being questioned?!”

“Well, no. I’m just confused…”

He didn’t respond. His eyes were once again fixated on her flowy locks of crimson hair before he reached out, moving his fingers through her hair. “Will nothing make you happy here?”

Aruna scoffed. “Why would I be happy in a place I was sold into…like a slave?”

“You’re going to piss me off…”

A sigh moved past her lips. “What a surprise.”

“What can I possibly give you that will make you happy?!”

Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned toward Sukuna, confused by his words. Happy? Why would he care if she was happy? Her stormy eyes narrowed as she locked eyes with his crimson gaze. Suspicious by his words, she was sick of this game and just wanted answers at this point. 

“…why do you want me to be happy?”

His hand came out as one of his claws gently moved along her cheek before his lips turned up into a smirk. “We’re going to be together for quite some time,” he said, leaning into her. “And perhaps I’m trying to make this as comfortable as—”

Aruna pulled back before cutting off his sentence with her sudden movements. “What do you want?”

“Is it always about what I want?”

“You said it yourself,” Aruna replied, rolling her eyes. “You never make deals without some gain on your end.”

His smirk grew wider. “Ah yes,” he whispered. “It seems you do pay attention to my words. You. I want you.”

“What do I get in return?”

“Name your price…”

She hadn’t honestly expected this event as she sat back on her knees and looked away from him. She wondered if she should be so bold as to ask for him to punish her family… or the disgusting man they attempted to force her to marry. The same man who attempted to… 

Tears formed in the back of her eyes as the memories formed in the back of her mind. Her finger came up, wiping them away quickly as she tried to regain her composure. She prayed Sukuna had not noticed her moment of weakness.

“Aruna,” he said simply. “Name your price. Anything you want. Money, flowers, clothes-”

“A man’s head.”

He seemed a bit taken aback by her words. “A man’s head?” he repeated her words back.

Aruna merely nodded. “He was a monster… kill him and I’m yours.”

“Do you wish to watch him die?”

“…yes.”

“Give me the name,” he said. “And we have a deal.”

—

“You little, red headed witch!”

Aruna had been summoned to Sukuna’s domain where he sat on his throne with a smirk curled over his lips as he pointed casually at the man held captive in front of the throne. Shackles held his limbs down as the man glared up at her. Aruna swallowed hard as she too a few steps toward the very merchant she was supposed to marry.

“You little, fucking witch!”

Her lips dipped into a frown. “A witch?”

“Yes,” he spat, tucking on his shackles. “You’re nothing more than a curse to your family… bringing the wrath of Sukuna on us—!”

“If I recall,” Aruna interrupted. “You were the monster in the alley who attacked me because I rejected your proposal. What gives you the right to try and disrobe me when I didn’t wish to marry you!”

His eyes narrowed. “You were asking for it. Flaunting your figure like that. Like a whore.”

Her eyes caught Sukuna’s hand twitching at the man’s insults hurling toward her. Aruna scoffed in response before crossing her arms over her chest. “Perhaps… that’s exactly what my family needs. A curse,” she said simply. “For selling their daughter like a slave.”

“You bitch!”

The man continued to hurl insults at Aruna as her mind fell back to the night after she rejected his proposal. Her father’s anger and disappointment ringing in her ears as she had run off to escape his tirade. She had found herself in town, trying to take her mind off everything… especially her family. 

When she was grabbed. 

She was grabbed and pulled into an alley and met with the eyes of the wealthy merchant who had to be twice her age who had wished for her hand in marriage. Aruna had always wished for more in her life than to be a “trophy wife” as many men her village had labeled her. Her family’s wealth and her “exotic” red hair was something that gave her status. 

But also so much trouble. 

This disgusting human being, she recalled, pulling at her kimono trying to disrobe her and violate her in an alley. Was she nothing more than property to be owned? By a man? A man as pathetic as one who had to try and force himself on a woman? There was no way she was going to allow this man and his insults to change her thoughts on what punishment he deserved in this life. 

“You disgusting woman!” The merchant shouted, tearing her from her thoughts. “Your demonic hair is a curse to your entire family! Red haired demon.”

“That’s enough,” Sukuna said, clearly bored with the conversation as he hopped down from his throne and stood behind the man. His eyes darted up to Aruna’s before a hand grabbed the man’s hair, jerking him up. “Remember our agreement, pet. Are you sure you want me to do this?”

Her eyes moved back to the merchant’s eyes which were blown out in fear as his body became rigid. “What would happen if I changed my mind?” she questioned. 

“I still kill him. I’m bored.” Aruna opened her mouth to respond when his free hand shot up to silence her. “But I would remind you, pet… do you want a man like this to continue to exist after all the vile things he tried to do to you?”

“…as if your attempts weren’t vile.”

Sukuna smirked more. “You seem to enjoy our game… deny it all you like,” he replied. “Decide now. There’s no going back after this.”

“…kill him.”

He seemed pleased with her response as he showered with praise before his claws elongated and moved to the merchant’s throat, toying at the location of his main artery. “You wanted his head, didn’t you?”

Aruna nodded. “…yes master.”

His claws sliced through the man’s throat before his body fell limp and collapsed to the floor. Sukuna held the head up by the man’s hair as blood began pooling around the body. An eerie cackle erupted from Sukuna before he tossed the head of the merchant to Aruna’s feet. 

“Are you happy now?”

It was an odd sensation as relief washed over Aruna before she watched the decapitated head stop at her feed. She looked up at Sukuna. She was surprised that he so easily killed this man… her abuser. 

“Aruna.” His voice became stern. “Answer me.”

“…you don’t use my name often. I apologize.”

“Are you happy now?”

Was this happiness? Her emotions were confusing her as the relief continued to wash over her and tears beaded in the corner of her eyes. 

“…yes.”

Sukuna motioned for her to come stand next to him as she quickly stepped through the blood before standing next to him. “Are you lying?” he asked. 

Aruna shook her head. “No.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“…he was a monster,” she whispered, looking away. “One that kept me up at night.”

“And I'm not?”

Aruna swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m not scared of you,” she replied. “Not like I was him.”

His fingers threaded through her hair. “Do you remember your part of the deal?”

“Of course.”

“And you’re still willing?”

She turned to look up at him. “You gave me his head.”

“And?”

“It’s my part of the arrangement,” Aruna replied before sighing.  “You’re asking a lot of questions. It seems you may not be the one willing…”

His smirk grew at her small jab. “Ah yes. Come on then,” he said, tugging her toward the blood pooling on the floor. 

“Here?”

“Of course. Your hair is like blood. How fitting, right?”

A visible look of disgust flashed over Aruna’s face. “You’re disgusting…”

Sukuna merely shrugged before moving behind her as his hands snaked around to the front of her kimono. His claws ripped at the fabric before it fell to her feet, revealing her nude form. 

“How ironic for him…” Sukuna commented, scoffing as he kicked the corpse. 

It was strange as Aruna didn’t feel as uncomfortable being naked her as she had in the past. Perhaps, she was used to him just disrobing her whenever he saw fit. And while Sukuna was a monster, she felt she owed this to him not only for her own survival, but for destroying such a disgusting human being. His hands moved down the curve of her waist before one disappeared and suddenly a couple of torches were lit. She assumed he had used some sort of curse technique to cause that. 

“Lay on your back.”

“In the blood?” she questioned. 

“I need you to.”

Aruna frowned before she laid back into the pool of blood. It felt sticky and hot against her skin… and the smell was strange. She looked up at Sukuna as his eyes darted around at certain points of her body. She couldn’t figure out what all this was for. 

He smirked before grabbing her marked wrist, bringing it up to his mouth and biting the tender flesh. Aruna winced as her own blood seeped from the bite. She noticed that his other two arms were no longer hidden. One swift movement and wrists were pinned down over her head by one hand, another over her mouth to silence her protests, and the other two grasping her thighs for the time being and holding her in place. 

“Now,” he said. “You’re going to listen to me or I’ll end up hurting you. Do you understand?”

Aruna nodded. 

“Good,” he said as he removed the hand from her mouth. “Close your eyes…”

She obeyed without protest. 

He leaned into her neck, biting. “You’re mine now…”

“Yes master,” she replied before a soft moan moved past her lips at the sensation on her neck. 

“Now… just keep your eyes closed, until I tell you otherwise. Can you do that?”

“Yes, master.”

He began to disrobe.

“That’s right…” he said. “That’s my girl.”

[dismal-alien-darling]

Cat and Mouse

Alcina Dimitrescu x gender neutral reader

Summary: A playful game turns into something that could potentially save you. 

Warnings/tags: reader is a vampire, being chased, bodily harm, gore, violence, harming someone you love, but it’s for a good cause don’t worry your heads

You and Lady Dimitrescu loved playing cat and mouse. It had all started before she had turned you. You had been preparing a snack for the girls in the kitchen when Lady Dimitrescu had entered and seeing the bowl in your hand she had wanted some. You had told her you would make her her own portion because the girls were insane when it came to their snacks. She had then tried to take the bowl out of your hand and you had dodged out of her way. She then began to chase you around the kitchen when you had finally managed to dash under her legs and out of the kitchen the two of you both giggling madly. This had started your game which would always end with you being taken into her arms, out of breath and then most of the time her just taking you. 

Now you were her vampire lover, so naturally now that you were a Dimitrescu you would learn how to fight like one. Initially the girls had been in charge of teaching you but when you had got the basic moves down Alcina had stepped in, wanting her lover to be just as swift and strong as the rest of them, Mother Miranda forbid anything should ever happen to you. 

When she had turned you, your cute sweet game of cat and mouse became even more intense with your new abilities. You could go for so much longer and sometimes your lady couldn’t catch you but you would always end up in her arms because you couldn’t help yourself. Then one day after you had a fierce training session with the girls Alcina had come to you with a proposal. She had the idea of turning your game into a training opportunity. 

“You will face foes that are like me but don’t have undying love for you,” Alcina had explained taking your face in her hands. You were concerned however, not wanting something you two had been doing for quite some time to be ruined. However, the prospect of an enemy who was as large and strong as your lady with every intention on harming you scared you more than you feared your game being ruined so you agreed. 

The first time....didn’t go well. Lady Dimitrescu was absolutely and purely terrifying when she was angry or out to hurt someone who had hurt you or the girls...but having that ferocity directed at you was another thing entirely. You two had talked beforehand discussing how neither of you would hold back (only holding back as to not kill each other) and any injuries sustained were out of love and devotion. You had been shaken to bone when she had you pinned with her full strength on your neck as you struggled to get a grip on her. Her eyes had no emotion, they were empty. It wasn’t so much you were afraid of her hurting you but of how easily she had switched off her emotions. You had screamed the safe word you had agreed on flinging yourself into her arms and sobbing. She had taken you into the gardens and once you had calmed down she said, 

“You see my dearest love...if that wasn’t me..you would be-” she didn’t finish the sentence. The full realization had then hit you and you understood. She was right, if that had been someone wanting you dead you would have been so. She was able to shut off her emotions out of sheer love, wanting you to be the strongest you could be, wanting to push you beyond your limits so you could stay with her. After that the games continued. She would take you by surprise most of the time seeing as you weren’t going to a get a formal invitation if someone were to give chase. She would chase you through the castle, the basement, the grounds, the gardens, the forest, the village and sometimes all the way down to the ocean. The first dozen times she would always catch you and “kill you.” Every time you thought you had the advantage she would come barreling from behind a tree or from above crushing you under her grip. You would end your game with tears running down your face in frustration as Lady Dimitrescu chastised you saying things like “you need to be quicker,” “don’t hold back I can take it,” “if you had taken the higher ground you could have gotten me” and “you need to be aware of every single aspect of your surroundings at any given moment.” One time she really hurt you and you had hurt her back just to spite her which you immediately regretted. 

“I’m doing this for your benefit dammit!” she had screamed as blood had dripped from her arm. 

“Just give it a rest Alcina! It’s clear that if anyone who holds a candle to you wants me dead I’m fucked!” you had yelled back seeing this as a lost cause. 

“No! I refuse to stop this game simply because you’re getting frustrated because it could be the difference between me having you and not having you anymore!” Alcina had finished tears now falling down her cheeks. You had softened straight away at seeing your lover upset. 

“I’m sorry draga mea...” you had said wrapping your arms around her neck after kissing the wound you had caused. Alcina had pulled you in close stroking your head. 

“I know it’s frustrating but we have to keep going, you’ll improve I promise, I can’t loose you,” Alcina cooed sweeping you up and carrying you back to the castle. 

**************************************

You halted, not moving a single muscle, listening as as blood dripped from a wound on your leg as the rest of your body ached from being body slammed and assaulted. As you listened you tried to think of a plan to disable your pursuer. You needed a plan or else it would be lights out forever. You heard a distance twig snap and dove into some undergrowth flattening yourself against the ground your small sword in hand ready to be plunged into flesh. An animal could have broken that branch but you weren’t taking any chances. You lay in the undergrowth scanning, smelling, waiting. You needed to get the higher ground, that or attack from the ground but you would have to be quick, that was the only way you were going to get out of this alive. You surveyed your environment trying to make the terrain work to your advantage. Another noise and your thoughts stopped focusing on what was happening now. A large shadow loomed about twenty feet away from you. Even though your attacker was so tall they could move deadly silent. They were smelling for you, their eyes darted over every square inch of the surrounding wood. You should have climbed a tree while you had the chance. ‘Do they see me?’ They did. Your pursuer charged forward giving you mere seconds to scramble out of the undergrowth just missing your attackers claws. You didn’t run, the trees were thinning up ahead and your attacker would without a doubt catch you. It had to be now. You caught a glimpse of a thin but tall rock out of the corner of your eye and you had a plan in less than a second. Grabbing your smaller knife from it’s holster on your thigh you threw it with exact precision as it pierced your attackers cheek. They howled in pain and made another stab at you which you dodged. You then dashed around them in an attempt to get to the rock but your attacker spun around this time their talons connected pinning your leg to the ground. You yelled out as blood spurting from your already injured leg. They lunged forward now having you pinned but you were ready. You twisted to the side talons twisting inside your leg even more. Your attacker face planted into the dirt as you reached over pushing your knife even further into their cheek and mouth. The extreme pain caused their claws to retract giving you an opportunity to flip backwards, jump onto the the crest of the rock and with a feral scream you drove you sword into the back of your attacker’s neck and with one strong motion the sword twisted causing their head to detach from their body. You stood there for a moment, watching, waiting as if you were expecting them to get back up but they didn’t. Their body made a death rattle causing you to jump but then they laid still. You hobbled over to remove your knife from their cheek with a satisfying squelch. You were badly hurt but not hurt enough to drink their vile blood. You heard a commotion and readied yourself for another attack but a familiar voice came at you through the trees. 

“Y/N!? Y/N?! DRAGA MEA WHERE ARE YOU!?” Alcina screamed. It sounded like she was taking the whole forest down to get to you. 

“Here! I’m here!” you yelled back dropping to the ground as the adrenaline had worn off and every single injury that your body had taken was now throbbing. Alcina came crashing through the last leg of the wood before seeing you and the vampire man in the clearing. She looked at you, then at his decapitated body, then back you, then back at his body and then back at you. 

“Oh my...fuck my love you’re hurt!” Alcina wailed scooping you up in her arms cradling your battered body. You let your heart relax being in the arms of your lady, your lady who just saved your life by insisting you continue your game, a simple game that had just saved your life. 

“I’m fine lubirea mea, I promise,” you said as Alcina examined your body. 

“My dove, look what that bastard did to my sweet dove,” fretted Alcina glaring at your attacker’s very dead body. “Mama dracului!” 

“You tell him Alci,” you laughed now fully relaxed in her arms sheathing both of your weapons. 

“It’s not funny my sweet he nearly killed you!” Alcina said still spiraling in worry.   “But he diiiidn’t,” you sang triumphantly. It had all been worth it. Every chase, every ounce of pain, every argument and every tear shed in anger and frustration. “Cat and mouse...” you said taking your lady’s face in your hands nuzzling your nose next to hers breathing in her sweet scent in an attempt to flush out your attacker’s rancid stink. You pulled away so you could look at Alcina, the woman who loved you more than anything, enough to put you through all that so you could be staring at her right this moment. The two of you stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments saying nothing until Alcina placed several kisses on your face and lips saying, 

“Cat and mouse.” 

[theodora3022]

Playing tricks with the trickster

Summary: Failed escape attempt from yandere Childe. He lets you play your cards, even playing along, just for his own amusement.

Notes: My first genshin piece yay... I had a sweet and terrible dream of me running from Childe in the woods. Also some inspiration was drawn from @cinnamonest‘s this post, one big virtual hug to her! I hope I did Childe justice, what can I say I love manipulative smiling boys. It has become a pattern as I dash from one fandom to another. This is had turned out to be longer then I expected...Ginger boy demands my time and energy too much omg. Mind the warnings, although there is nothing extreme in this.

Fun fact, I was looping to Nintendo game by Alessia Cara when writing this down. I believe it fits the theme of this fic quite well.

Tagging: @akutaguagua a great friend who patiently beta-read this mess of a horror dream and gave me lots of kind praises! 

(Offical art belongs to miHoYo! This is a cover page of this video, if there is any issues, contact me and I will remove it at once)

Warnings: Implied past abduction,dub-con touching, mild degradation, drugging(not on reader), implied non-con/dub-con at the end, this is not healthy love and I do not condone this irl.

It has been nearly a month since the youngest Fatui Harbinger had “taken you in”. After a few tries, you were too horrified by the punishments to continuously fight him. You learned on the first day that Childe’s smiling, the friendly mask would come off towards you. Your behaviour would decide if that is a curse or a “blessing”.

So you had quieted down, struggling to restrain yourself from yelling or screaming, carefully not to provoke his anger. Despite being compliant to his orders, you never truly showed him any affection either. Sure, you would sit on his lap if he asked, but you never initiated anything intimate with him. No matter how much Tartaglia spoiled you with clothes, books, jewelry or other luxuries, he is still the one who holds the commanding end of your shackles. It’s the best not to get used to all of that when your sight is set on the door.

Although he has taken your freedom away, you are not kept in a windowless room. On the contrary, you have too many outings now. Wherever he goes, you have to be present in a 2m radius, including meetings. Being a Harbinger is no easy job, so he prefers not having to worry about your safetly during buisness hours. The best way to do that is never let you out of his sight.

“Love, no one should witness our little problems. Well, no one alive that is.” Of course you wouldn’t want to put innocent people's lives at stake. You never dared to act out when you two are in public, and no one would bat an eye if a Fatui had taken a lover. 

You had taken an emotionless approach towards him. If Childe wants a kiss on the cheek, you’ll give him a quick light peck. If he wants breakfast, you’ll go make some pancakes with the topping he likes. Luckily, Childe had not done anything too extreme yet. If cuddling to sleep does not count as extreme that is. The only time you slipped up is when he suddenly hugs you from behind when you’re cooking.  

You thought maybe, just maybe, by being as boring and dull as you could, this bastard might just get tired of you and let you go. Childe only loves the fun of it right? Or maybe it could lower his guard.

Oh, how naive you are. You should have known better than to underestimate a Fatui harbinger. See, this is exactly why he needs to keep you around. Yes, unfortunately for you, Childe loves you, so very much. Speaking to him with a monotone voice isn’t going to alter that fact.

You have been devoid of emotions as of late. While Childe does appreciate fewer screams for the sake of his eardrums, this schemer can sense you are up to something. Perhaps this is the peace before your “storm”(he thought of it more like a drizzle)

You want to play a game? Okay, why not? Childe cannot wait to see what tricks you got on those sleeves. Are you ever getting away? Does an amateur ever win when they play a game with a professional trickster? Never.

Still, nothing bites like a cornered rat. You are no airhead, and he is fully aware of that. Just not as cunning and observent as him, that’s all.

The way you just kept your emotions sealed up is impressive, even to someone like him. Even when he got hansy, you did not flinch and just stared at the corner. Childe can only catch faint glimpses of anger when you thought he wasn’t looking.

Hm, when are you pulling your trigger? Tonight, or tomorrow night? Not that Childe is impatient, anything from you is worth waiting. But he would need to dismiss his patrolling underlings in the nearby woods beforehand. No extras would be allowed to disturb this game.

There is no chance during the day, a somewhat mutual understanding for you two. Night time in comparison, is a different story. 

Anyone’s sleeping hours is their most vulnerable time of the day, Childe is no exception. You do not plan to harm him, not that you don’t want to. But you are willing to swallow the pent up frustration towards him if you would never see his face again after this. Maybe beating up some slimes would help with the release?

You somehow managed to slip a mixture of herbs into his tea. Since he would buy cooking ingredients for you from time to time, you had requested a bunch of herbs along with the ingredients of a sleep inducing medicine you remembered. Although Childe does all he can to keep you near him, there are inevitable hours that he needs to be somewhere without you. He cannot jeopardize your safety with troublesome monsters. On a side note, he loves showing you off to anyone, his colleagues, acquaintances, business partners, anyone he does not deem a threat.

Enough time for you to make those herbs into powder and cover it up with a few spoons of milk. Tea with milk has become quite popular in Liyue as of late. Childe has grown to love them, so you have learned how to mix it up. He always let you handle his food and drinks, saying that he “trusts you”. What you do not know is this is one of the openings he exposed on purpose. It’s not like you can aquire anything deadly under his suffocating supervision.

Your plan will work, or so you think. Childe will not wake up when you wiggle out of his grasp, because dreamland will keep him occupied. All you need is a glider and a usable sword from Liyue and you’ll get your life back. Bottling up extreme emotions has certainly taken a toll on your mind, but it will be worth it if that is the prerequisite of being free.

Something about this being so easy sits ill with you. Have you really been with the youngest Fatui Harbinger this whole time? But that was brushed off your shoulders by the sheer excitement of regaining your long lost freedom. You know Liyue is in walking distance, all you need to do is cross these woods and-

The moment you dive into the forest, you think you heard an amused chuckle. 

That smooth voice terrifies you to no end, the same voice you took orders from for the past month.

Oh, how Childe loves seeing you happy. It’s priceless, both literally and figuratively. No matter how many things he buys you, you had not shown him even one small smile. Enjoy your sweet freedom, because it ain’t going to last. You certainly will know your place after this right? If not you are just dumber then he give you credit for.

That glow of relief in your eyes is worth every last bit of this intense dizzying feeling to Childe. To make sure your plan go through, he had drunk the tea without hesitation, quick enough to catch the momentarily excitement you expressed. He knows the game is on, therefore he had given the night patrol guards the entire evening off. Forcing himself to stay concious by digging his nails into his palms, Childe followed you into the woods.

Your potion is quite strong. Excellent, you’ll have to give him the recipe for informational purposes later. Especially how you managed to achieve such effects with a few herbs you had. He never took you to be anything less than a smart girl, but this has exceeded his expectations. Where’s the fun in a game without challenges?

How you storm through the forest wearing that cute terrified expression looks so endearing, it’s surely not his fault if he wants to enjoy this sight to be longer right.

So, each time you feel the slightest at ease due to whatever reason, expect Childe to make some sound to send you running like your life depends on it again. The sadistic man is hunting you down playfully, like a cat chasing a stray mouse to the inevitable corner.

You know he is toying with you. There is nothing you can do to make him shut up though.

“Love, you had scratched your leg. Must hurts by the looks of it.”

“Liyue is that way, you know.”

“Are you tired? If you want to jog in the middle of the night, you should have called me to come along!”

How can he say those things nonchalantly while you are trying to escape from him?  Here he is, daunting you with that signature smile he wears so very often. That is when reality slaps you right in the face. No matter how hard you plan, no matter how fast you run, there is no getting rid of him.

When your stamina runs out, a simple pull and push on your left wrist is enough to let you fall onto the ground panting. Even now, you still refuse to beg for mercy. You would take the cold grounds to the warmth of Childe’s embrace anyday. 

“Aw, burnt out already? Pathetic. Looks like we need to work on your stamina more. But this is not the place for exercise.”

“Look at me.” His slender but forceful fingers tilt your head up, making you look into those ocean blue orbs. There is anger present in his eyes, but those emotions are more a mixture of delight and that. His smile had also been replaced by a mocking smirk. “You, trying to leave me? Your sense of humor is...well, let’s just call it unique. Lucky for you, you amused me nonetheless.”

“I know what you’re thinking. How I’m a selfish jerk and you hate me. Why be so ungrateful? You get to live in luxury thanks to me, you know. I am selfish, yes, but look how stupid you are. I know you added something extra in my evening tea, my beloved.”

“Come now, we are going to do some exercises suited for a night like this once we’re back home. It is our one month milestone, after all. You had already given me your gift, it is only fair for you that I do the same.”

Childe is not making a sarcastic remark. The thrill of that chase was the best fun he had in months. And you are going to love his gift too, maybe not right away, but surely sometimes after. 

You have to mentally prepare yourself for the worst as he dragged you back to the prison, hopefully you’ll still be able to walk properly after whatever Childe got in store.

[deathdanse]

What Flower Fairy Are You?

The Snowdrop Fairy

You are resilience personified; no matter the hardships you've faced, you're still standing. you may be somewhat reserved, but your presence gives others hope. have faith in your own ability to survive, you've overcome so much — but be gentle with yourself, too.

Tagged by: @clarafell Tagging: Anyone wearing a red shirt or shorts when reading this!

[chosonore]

part one | oblivion

oblivion [noun. the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening around one]

pairing: kamo noritoshi/f!reader

summary: your relationship with noritoshi was like a game of cat and mouse; no matter how hard you tried to escape from him, he would always find his way back to you.

wordcount: 3.9k

content/warnings: friends to enemies to lovers, language, noritoshi is kind of a dick but i promise it gets better so please don’t lose faith in him, we’re not strictly following the manga timeline bc while i am reading it, i do have a goldfish brain, lowercase intended

a/n: hello, here’s the first installment of my sanguine series! it’s the prequel of this drabble (nsfw) i wrote the other week while i was working on the outline of the fic. it’s a little slow burn because i wanted to spend some more time exploring their relationship and the groundwork for it, so yeah. i’ll try to update it regularly, but since i’ve only planned five parts for sanguine, it might take a while bc i want to take my time with it. if you want to stay updated with the series, i’ll post the masterlist to it shortly! i do hope you enjoy it though :) and stay safe, everybody! [tagging @sukirichi​ the sukuna to my yuuji, who just gets spammed when i start rambling about my aus but always screams with me (´• ω •`)]

masterlist - next 

"y/n!" you look up to see miwa storming towards you, thrusting a book in your direction. "could you- could you please give this to noritoshi? i borrowed this book from him like a week ago and if i don't return this anytime soon, i think he's gonna kill me." 

scowling at her, you look at the book in disdain. you wanted to avoid crossing paths with noritoshi as much as possible and miwa was well aware that you didn't like hi- 

"please," miwa pleaded again, taking your hands and placing the book in it. "i'm really scared of him. he always looks like he's going to shoot me soon. even todo is pretty nice if you don't interrupt his takada-chan time!" 

you sighed in annoyance, you just couldn't say no. ever since coming to the kyoto metropolitan curse tech, miwa and you had been pretty close because you strongly disliked the other students. most of them were arrogant and stuck-up, thinking they were better than the other; the two that belonged to the three clans were even worse. on your first day here you'd promptly gotten into a fight with mai, disliking how haughty she was and trying to prove everyone that she was better than them. much to your chagrin, the fight ended in a tie.

"fine, but you owe me some mango," miwa's face lit up in relief and she gave you a thumbs up before dashing to her room, most likely to escape noritoshi's wrath. you inspected the book. was it even worth returning it? maybe you could just throw it in the trash. if noritoshi ever found out, he'd kill miwa first and then you. you let out another sigh before making your way towards the training grounds. he most likely was outside to practice, either with one of the guys or alone. as you were nearing the training grounds, you could already hear the sound of arrows whistling and the dull thuds of them hitting the target. it was hard to spot him through all the trees; you weren't entirely sure where he was. your ears perked up when you heard him release another arrow until you realized that it was heading your way. this bastard. fortunately, you were able to slash the arrow clean in the middle, angrily pointing your sword in his direction. you still couldn't see him anywhere.

"you fucking idiot! you could've killed me," you snarled, stomping deeper into the forest. an amused laugh echoed through the trees. 

"you're acting like i can't control my arrows. it's not my fault you let your guard down," noritoshi retorted smugly, lowering his bow as he saw you approaching. you were fuming, hurling the book at him. how dare he? you watched with satisfaction as it hit him square in the chest - who was caught off guard now, huh? he deserved it anyways. 

"miwa asked me to return your book," you curtly explained and turned back around to leave but apparently, noritoshi had other plans. instead of saying anything else, he just followed you which unsettled you even more. 

"stop following me." 

"who said i was following you? i'm just going back to the dorms. i'm sorry you can't handle me being near you."

you whirled around, sword pointing dangerously close to his neck. he smirked at you triumphantly, it was just too easy to get a rouse out of you. "another word and i'll cut you, seriously. you're pissing me off," you gritted your teeth, hating that you always fell for his stupid games. he knew you all to well, what made you angry, what made you happy, what motivated you. once upon a time, you'd thought the same about him; until he changed so rapidly, so unlike your expectations. you were worlds apart and yet you'd reserved an ounce of hope that he wouldn't turn out to be as arrogant as the clan heads. swift as the wind, noritoshi grabbed your wrist, dragging it upwards and towards him until he could lean down to you. your heartbeat sped up - holy shit why was he so close to you - and you froze in shock. 

"i'd like to see you try, princess," he whispered in your ear, the grip on your wrist tightening. "you wouldn't dare to."

the first time you met noritoshi, he was sitting outside in the garden with his mum. both seemed to have a good time. noritoshi's hair was tousled from the soft summer breeze and he had a soft smile on his face, happily munching away on the snacks that were displayed on the table. while he looked friendly enough, you were wary of meeting and talking to him because you felt kind of queasy around the kamo family. you couldn’t quite place a finger on the feeling, the older members of the family intimidating you to no end. much to your dismay, you felt like you had to be watchful - your parents worked for the kamo family, so naturally the apartment you lived in was close to the estate. you avoided any run ins with the adults, they weren’t exactly friendly to you. noritoshi’s mum had befriended your mum and they spent a lot of time together when possible. and yet you’d never met noritoshi before, seeing how busy he was with his various classes.

the fit that you threw, not wanting to tag along with your mum, was long forgotten when you’d spotted the jar of cookies on the table. before your mum could react, you pulled your hand away from hers and quickly ran towards it. “hello miss!” you greeted enthusiastically, your eyes shining at the sight of the sweets. “my name is y/n! i’m here with my mum and i uhm… could i have some of the cookies? please?” when your mum finally caught up to you, she scolded you quietly and greeted the other two, taking a seat beside noritoshi’s mum. you pouted, immediately climbing on her lap as you refused to sit next to the boy. his mum handed you a cookie which you happily took and thanked her politely. noritoshi was curiously eyeing you; it wasn’t often that he saw other children around his age and he didn’t have any friends to play with. his everyday life revolved around reading books, studying, taking archery classes and sometimes spending time with his mum. noritoshi barely even knew what fun was - he’d only ever felt at peace when he was around his mum.

“y/n, sweetie, why don’t you go and play with noritoshi?” your mum prompted but you immediately shook your head, hiding your face in her chest. she simply laughed and shook her head, brushing your hair back softly. “come on, noritoshi is really nice. you can be his friend one day, right? didn’t i tell you that friends are important?” 

you frowned. then huffed. when she worded it like this, there was no way you could refuse. the cartoon that you religiously watched featured a group of friends that went on adventures and helped each other out. you’d told your mum that you wanted to be like that too! begrudgingly, you slid off her lap and trudged towards noritoshi who looked at you with big eyes. you held your hand out, waiting for him to shake it. “my name is y/n. uhm… nice to meet you,” you shyly whispered, eyes darting away from him. 

it took a while until noritoshi reacted, shaking your hand gently and answering: “hello y/n, i’m noritoshi.”

much to your surprise, noritoshi was actually fun to be around with. he showed you his collection of books, the bow that he was practicing with and you often played the card game you’d received for your birthday together. he was smart and witty, often explaining you things that he’d read in a book but he was also attentive when he listened to you ramble about the other kids in school or when you told him about the cartoon that you were watching. for you, noritoshi was becoming your best friend - for noritoshi, you were his first friend. he cherished you and how unabashedly true to yourself you were. spending time with you was something he looked forward to; you always made him laugh and you didn’t care whether he lived up to the kamo family name or not. to you, he was simply noritoshi. you were like a fresh breeze of air in his life.

noritoshi didn't quite understand why the elders were always so hard on him, so strict and unrelenting. they expected only the best results from him and didn't show any understanding when he exhausted. he didn't enjoy practice anymore, the lessons becoming a chore and burden on his mind. but whenever he saw your face light up at his newly acquired skills, he thought it was worth the trouble. you came to visit him everyday after school, never skipping a day. sometimes he questioned why you weren't visiting your friends from school but you shook your head, poking his chest indignantly. "you're my best friend, 'toshi. of course i'd want to spend more time with you." noritoshi was glad you always chose him, without fail.

even though your parents had always warned you to be careful around noritoshi because his family was strict and didn't like outside influences distracting the heir, you never really strayed from his side. noritoshi didn't have any other friends, who would keep him company or listen to his troubles then? you didn't understand why your parents were suddenly going back on their word. they'd always told you that family and friends were important. you couldn't pinpoint your feelings for him - but your parents saw it. it was obvious; the stars in your eyes when you looked at him, the slight blush on your cheeks when he complimented you and how happy you were when you got to spend time with him. the more time you spent with him, the more they were worried for you. 

"'toshi!" you yelled in excitement as you ran towards him, waving wildly. he dropped his bow and turned to you, a soft smile gracing his lips as he opened his arms to hug you. you squeezed him tightly. two weeks you hadn't seen him due to a school trip after which you got sick and weren't able to leave the house. you'd missed him a lot and you were excited to show him the souvenirs you brought him. 

"look, i bought you an omamori!" you handed him the small object, then pointing on your bag to show him the one you'd bought for yourself. "i got myself a matching one too! my teacher said it wards off evil spirits and brings you luck." noritoshi's smile was bright, so bright. he was happy you thought of him and were always kind to him. your eyes widened as he leaned in to kiss your cheek before thanking you. the two of you were blushing, neither saying a word but not minding what had just happened.

the day noritoshi's mother left the estate was the day you were slowly starting to lose him. noritoshi grew more forlorn and didn't seem to easily find joy in anything anymore. the departure left a deep, deep gap in his heart. it had shocked him deep to the core when she left him. him. why couldn't she stay? why did she leave him when she was the only person who protected him, loved him? she did say that she was hindering his growth but who was she to decide that? he didn't want to become stronger, didn't want to protect other people like she'd told him to. he wanted to stay with her. "'toshi? 'toshi!" a concerned voice broke through his trance, pulling him back into reality. "i asked you a question! you weren't even listening to me." 

you were pouting at him, tugging at his sleeve impatiently. noritoshi apologized, patting your head to soothe your temper. "what do you want to do in the future? mum said it's important to work towards your dreams!" you asked him curiously, grasping his hand to hold it. the gesture filled him with indescribable warmth, drawing him in like a moth to the flames. "my mum said i have a special power, i can heal people! i want to become a doctor in the future, so i can help everyone that got hurt," you explained to him so earnestly that he felt bad for the lie he was about to tell. noritoshi didn't have big dreams or ambitions just yet. he didn't even know what would be suitable to him - he was strictly following orders, never allowed to think for himself. 

but when he looked at you, he only had one wish. "i think… i think i want to help people, protect them. especially those that i love."

with each year passing, you noticed that noritoshi was putting more and more distance between the two of you. at first you'd brushed it off as the stress of his training and number of classes he was attending. but as you spent less and less time together, the weight of the situation didn’t escape you. he was easily irritable, cold and arrogant, often rude towards employees of the kamo estate. every now and then when you’d scold him for being an asshole, he’d simply scoff at you and haughtily ask you how it was any of your business. you sighed, tossing and turning in your bed as you thought about how much noritoshi had changed. it kept you up at night, just thinking about how he wasn’t your ‘toshi anymore. you didn’t know this person. ‘toshi was always gentle and kind, he tended to overthink many things and sometimes he was a little bit of a crybaby but you still loved him regardless. you sneaked out of your room, finally mustering up enough courage to ask your mother for advice. the thought of her discovering your blooming crush on noritoshi was scaring you. your parents were wary around the kamos despite working from them - even more so ever since noritoshi’s mother left and the elders had free reign over her son.

“noritoshi! noritoshi, stop walking away from me! hey, i’m talking to you!” you yelled frustrated as you were trying to keep up with him. noritoshi was crossing the garden in long strides, it was nearly impossible to stop him as you couldn’t catch up to him. you lunged forward, getting hold of his sleeve and tugged him back harshly. noritoshi yanked his arm out of your grip, glaring at you annoyed. 

“what do you want from me? i have better things to do than to quibble with you,” he hissed irritated. you couldn’t believe him, he had the nerve to dismiss you like this when he was in the wrong? 

“you know exactly what i want from you! you can’t just go around and talk to people like you did before just because they’re not from a reputable family! noritoshi, you’re not any better than them just because your last name is kamo.”

as much as noritoshi scared you, you stood your ground. you knew he didn’t take you serious, not with the amused look he gave you. in the past month or two, noritoshi was suddenly hit by a growth spurt - you barely reached his shoulder now and he took advantage of that to mock you, often treating you like an armrest. he pat your head condescendingly, pouting at you in fake regret. “aw, did i hurt your feelings? did i make itty bitty little y/n sad?” he mocked you, before abruptly grabbing your cheeks to make you look at him. “i don’t care what you think of me, cry all you want. i strongly suggest you hold that sharp tongue of yours if you know what’s good. know your place.” 

tears filled your eyes; noritoshi had never talked to you this way. what has gotten into him? your heart broke in pieces, unable to take the pain any longer. you were no longer his equal but below him, much like everyone else.

“mum?” you cautiously knocked at the door of her study, waiting for her response. your mother was most likely still awake and dealing with paperwork like she usually did. upon hearing the affirmative noise she made, you flitted inside, closing the door behind you so your father didn’t catch any wind of this. it was already embarrassing enough and you were sure your mother could offer you better advice. you gingerly took a seat on the armchair, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close to your body. how were you going to approach this? hey mum, i have a crush on noritoshi and he’s weird to me now and i don’t know why? uh yeah mum, i caught feelings for the guy you warned me about and now i look like a fool crawling up to you like this? 

“it’s about noritoshi, isn’t it?” your mother interrupted your stream of thought, spinning her swivel chair towards you. 

“huh? oh no it isn’t, why would it be? i have-” 

“y/n.” 

“ugh okay fine, maybe it is about him,” you sighed defeated, of course she would look right through you. she always seemed to know what you were thinking, even when you hadn’t confided in her before. “but promise me you won’t judge me!” the look in your mother’s eyes told you that she was going to judge you regardless but you knew she meant well - she simply wanted the best for you.

“i- i just don’t understand why he’s been such a pain in the ass lately. and he’s been treating everyone like dirt too, including me! mum, he’s becoming someone else and i… i don’t know what to do,” you sniffled inconsolably, wiping at your eyes with the sleeves of your sweater. she wasn’t supposed to see you getting emotional. “he’s always busy and when we do get to see each other, he doesn’t want to spend time with me. what if he doesn’t like me anymore? and i don’t like how he’s treating you! it’s the same issue with the elders, they don’t know any human decency at all!” 

your mother motioned you to scoot over a little and sat next to you, wrapping her arms around you and patting your back to console you. while she meant well, it accomplished the opposite - you broke down in tears, unable to stop your sobs. “i just want my ‘toshi back,” you whimpered upset, burying your face in the pillow to muffle the sound of you crying. “i know you didn’t like that i became good friends with him but i couldn’t help it and i just really like him and- you weren’t supposed to find that out.”

“sweetheart, i know you love noritoshi,” she handed you a tissue. “you let a lot more on than you were aware of; dad and me always knew you were in love with him.” as if on cue, your sobbing stopped and you just looked at her in disbelief. she knew. she knew. you wanted the earth to swallow you whole. “i think it was always pretty obvious, to be honest. you always looked at him as if he was your entire world and no matter what happened, you were always by his side. i know it’s hard to accept when a dear friend is changing but sometimes you just have to, right? both of you are still growing, there’s no way of telling how your personalities change.”

“but i don’t want him to change like this,” you protested stubbornly, glaring at her. she was talking about it as if it was a matter of simply discarding a bad apple in the trash. it wasn’t easy and it made you anxious. you grew up together, shared secrets and memories. he was the person you’d always looked up to.

“y/n.” your mother sounded stern but you didn’t back down, not yet. “is it really worth it? if a person is changing so rapidly and you’re not getting through to them, you’ll have to let it go. there’s only so much you can do. people grow apart sometimes, it’s only natural. you have to let go of them, temporarily, so you both can heal and grow. y/n, i know you’re being stubborn about this but you’ll have to let him figure things out on his own. fate has curious ways to bring people back together.”

when the time came, noritoshi left to attend the kyoto metropolitan curse tech school without telling you a word. you were disappointed, apparently you weren’t worth saying goodbye to. whatever his reason was, it must’ve been pretty important. important enough to forget the promise that you’d always stay in contact. you wondered whether he'd change again, for the better maybe? maybe you would reconcile when you could finally attend the school as well and train together. you were excited to show him your sword skills, having received your family's heirloom, an elegant steel blue sword. though your skills probably weren’t up to par with the other students, you still wanted to show them off, show him what you’d learned in the year that you spent apart.

noritoshi had changed but not for the better. holy shit, did he get on your nerves. the first time he'd practiced with you, you realized that he had mutated into an insufferable know-it-all. he would give you backhanded compliments or make snide remarks about your posture, how you were supposed to hold your sword, how inefficient your fighting style was. sometimes you wished you could just beat him for once and have him shut up. there was no denying though, noritoshi was way too strong and you had a long way to go. judging from the reactions of the others, barely anyone had beat him either. 

and just like that, your feelings for him were buried. you’d taken your mother’s advice to heart, keeping conversations and interactions with him to a minimum but somehow noritoshi always found his way to you. he was everywhere and a quarrel was inevitable. noritoshi got under your skin and he knew how to push your buttons. why he chose to pick on you was beyond your comprehension; he didn’t pay much attention to the other students nor was he particularly liked by them. just how much was he going to get on everyone else’s nerves? out of all the second years, todo aoi was the most amicable; you had the (dis)pleasure to run into him on your first day and for some reason, he took a liking to you. while he was loud and boisterous, mostly doing whatever he wanted, you couldn’t deny that he was a good friend. even though he didn’t care about anyone as much as he cared about takada-chan. at one point, he’d looked at you in sympathy when he caught you staring at noritoshi, patting your shoulder (too forceful): “i’m sorry, y/n, i’m so sorry.” 

you still didn’t know what he meant by that.

ps.: todo knows and he’s kinda judging you for your taste in men 

[sims2bellaswan]

Fascinating [Childe | Tartaglia x Reader]

[TW: STALKING, DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE] [SFW]

AO3 VERSION

After a monumental loss, Tartaglia becomes fascinated with you. [AFAB reader]

Here, you stood before the 11th Harbinger, Tartaglia. In a cold, stone chamber, echoing the gentle sound of water and scented with the smells of soft moss and rotting wood. Your shoes clicked on the cobble almost hesitantly.

“Oh, no! Please, don’t hesitate for my sake, you were doing so well.” The smile he wore was laced into his voice. “You killed the fatui agents, yes?”

All you could manage was a nod, then a thick swallow. Your nerves ran wild. You weren’t prepared to fight him. Trying to relax, you moved from your ready position to a casual stand, the grip on your weapon loosening ever so slightly. You’ve learnt on more than one occasion that frayed nerves lead to a loss.

“Good, good! Then, you’ll be quite the challenge.” Beyond the cheery voice was something different. Something malicious that knew you’d fail.

He knew he’d prove victorious. If the mighty beasts and monsters of the underground couldn’t kill him, what made you think you could? You were weak, it was humorous to even attempt.

No, he wanted to prove to you, specifically, that he was the superior warrior. This game of cat and mouse the two of you had been playing grew boring at this point. He let you catch him here. He wanted to see if you had it in you. To see if you had the guts to give your all.

The battle ended unceremoniously. Routinely boring. You had given it your all, clearly that wasn’t enough. It certainly wasn’t enough for him.

Enough time had passed where you had eventually gotten over your complete defeat. Your bruises faded from a deep purple to yellow, the gashes in your muscles healed well, which you thanked medicinal herbs for. You had new scars, blooming red holes from the arrows that pierced the little armor you had then. But, you knew they would fade with time too. Thankfully, you remained emotionally unaffected from the battle. Sure, it sucked to lose but you knew that if you kept up your hard work, it wouldn’t happen again.

The same could not be said for Tartaglia or rather, Childe, as he was known outside of ‘business’ related circles. He won; normally, he’d move on and find bigger baddies to bully.

Normally, he wouldn’t feel a need to keep an eye on you.

In the first week following your battle, it began as scientific curiosity. He was far more interested in who you trained with than what you did in your free time. Until, he reasoned with himself, it became necessary to look out for you in your free time.

Weeks grew into months of simply studying. Learning your go-to moves by watching you train, knowing how you’d respond by eavesdropping on your conversations. Your group was nothing to bat an eye at, not nearly as interesting as you proved to be.

Waiting for the perfect moment to approach you was probably one of the most stressful moments of his life. You were always with someone, whether it be that levitating, little woman or one of your teammates. They all seemed fiercely protective of you and despite his need to lord himself over you again, he didn’t need their heat as well.

The sun filtered down through the clouds, offering little warmth in the cooling day. You weren’t training or off doing quests for the Knights. Nor, were you with your damned team or that little lady. Now was perfect. Leaving his hiding spot, where he had quietly noted every movement of yours, he dashed to catch up to you.

“You know, wolves run around all over this area.” His arm snaked over your shoulder. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

You froze for a moment before breaking away from his grip and readying your weapon. There was a silent moment of growing tension between the two of you.

He laughed, not even bothering to match your energy. “I only came to offer a rematch!” He held up his hands in defense. “I beat you so mercilessly, I felt bad afterwards.”

You relaxed, standing back up and sheathing your sword. “What are the terms?” You were nothing if not careful, he liked that about you.

“You’re on your way to Snezhnaya, yes?” He began walking, which you had to scramble to keep up with. “I’ll meet you there, we rematch then.” Turning on his heel, he walked backwards to get a good look at your reaction. “My turf, my rules.”

Your face fell, annoyed that you’d have to follow along with whatever dirty tricks Tartaglia had planned for you. “Fine.” You gripped the strap of your bag as you walked. “But, I reserve the right to decline if I don’t like your rules.”

“Don’t be a spoil sport.” He grinned, waving to you. “See you there!” And, off he went.

The journey to Snezhnaya was cold, which was the only word you could come up with to match how you felt. Snow fluttered down and stuck in piles around the path. Little wildflowers, shining with a blue sheen in the winter sun, frame the signposts and fences. Your fingers felt like they were going to fall off.

Meeting with Tartaglia wasn’t as cold, in fact, the inn was pleasantly warm. The two of you held a comfortable silence for a moment before beginning your discussion, quietly drinking your tea while he took a quick shot of some clear wine. He said it would warm you up but you declined.

The terms of your rematch were as follows, this is what you agreed to: The two of you would rematch exactly as you did the first time, weapons and all. No teammates, no tag-ins, which was good because your team didn’t accompany you to Snezhnaya. No dirty moves, but hand to hand was permitted. Unlike your first fight, it wasn’t life or death.

“What happens when one of us loses?” You stir honey into your tea.

He grinned, he had been waiting for you to ask after all. “If you win, I will beg you to be gracious enough to train me.”

“And if I lose?”

“If you lose, I want to train you.” Which essentially means, he will get to be by your side either way. And, he knows he won’t lose. While the fight itself is fair in every sense of the word, Tartaglia has done his homework. He’s studied you since you lost the first time, but you didn’t need to know that.

“Train me in your dirty fighting style? I think not.” You sneered slightly, not worried about how rude you came off.

“Dirty?” He acted mock-offended. “I won fair and square.” He found himself enthralled in your bitterness.

Beyond the agreement, you two continued in light banter. He found it delightful to get to actually speak with you. Watching you pour yourself glass after glass to give yourself a reason to ignore his prying questions. You powered through until you retired for the night, the real battle would be the next morning.

Here, you stood before the 11th Harbinger. Tartaglia’s cockiness became almost tangible as he strut about the arena, awaiting your ready.

The cold cobblestone would shiver beneath you if it could. You did shiver, painful tears pricking at your eyes when the wind picked up. Your knuckles whitened as your grip on your sword tightened. Knees bent, you readied.

You were able to dodge the first few arrows, much to Tartaglia’s discontent. “You’ve gotten better, girlie!” You lunge forward and he uses it as a chance to pull you in.

Inches from your nose, his breath warms your cheeks. He opens his mouth to say something but you pull away before he can put it together.

Running a hand through his hair, he readies another arrow. Pulling, letting go, hitting you in the arm. It lodged itself in your muscle, right in the gap between your armors. You pull in a tight breath, then continue with your stance.

Swallowing the pain is the hardest part. His arrows feel barbed when they rip through your skin and plant themselves in your flesh. You break the arrow at the base, if you pulled it out, you’d bleed out sooner.

Tartaglia sees this as another window of opportunity. “Nevermind, I think you’ve gotten worse.” He taunts you. He doesn’t actually think this. If he hadn’t done his homework so well, you would’ve taken him by surprise. That’s something that doesn’t happen often. “Though, I’ve seen you train.” He has the upper hand here.

“Do you hold yourself back when we fight?” You break his train of thought. “Because you’re doing an awful lot of chatting.” He didn’t chat nearly this much the first time you two met. You grimaced. Your arm hurt.

“Not anymore.” He smiled, dashing towards you. His elbow rips through the air and hits square on your shoulder, opposite the arrow wound. Breath escapes you. “You know, I wondered if you were holding back.” His foot keeps you to the ground, you think you might puke. “But, when I saw you train, you were sloppy.”

“Saw me train?” You gasped out, chest heaving. The cold air felt too thin to breath.

“Among other things.”

“I win.” His foot removed, he held out his hand. Waiting, patiently, for you to take it, hoist yourself up. You never took it. He wasn’t offended.

In fact, it invigorated him. He takes a knee over you. “I can’t quite figure out why I do the things I do.” He grabs your jaw. “You cast some spell on me. All I can think about is you.”

[heli0s-writes]

“let me walk you home.”

for @that-damn-girl​, with Bucky. It got longer than expected-- and a little bit steamier than expected. 1.7k words. Smitten, pining, shy Bucky.

[28 WAYS Masterlist // Prompts]

When Bucky finally returns to Wakanda, it seems like nothing has changed. 

Five years of oblivion, one year of grieving, and he finally pulls himself together enough to visit the country that made him whole.

The fields are lush. The city, animated. The people, kind. The royal family is expecting him, still full of easy care for this broken boy. T’Challa sends his best to accommodate The White Wolf even though Bucky had refused to be treated with so much attention.

In response, and with some cheek, the king assures him his new accommodations are even more luxurious than before and Bucky thinks it must be Shuri’s doing.

No, Bucky smiles to himself, nothing has changed. It makes him feel steady and safe again, like both his feet are on solid ground and not slipping off another train.

Until he disembarks and steps down from the ramp where the sun catches in his eye a little, makes him blink out the afterimage of its bright glare. When he’s finally able to see the figure at the edge of the landing pad, the Earth rocks with a tremendous lurch.

You stand comfortably at the end of the ramp, fingers linked in a loose weave, eyebrow quirked at him.

Six years but you’re just as he remembers. Lopsided mouth a little lifted at one corner, forever affixed in a state of watchful amusement. Your deep amethyst gown is free-flowing and beautifully patterned, arabesque lines curving against the arch of your thighs when you turn from the jet. It dips low in the back, and he can see the glisten of shea rubbed over the grooves of your skin.

“Sergeant Barnes,” you greet over your shoulder, “Welcome back to Wakanda. Let me walk you home.”

Undoubtedly Shuri’s doing.

-

The Golden City is resplendent. Against the backdrop of sky-spiraling towers and illuminated technology, you are a singular beauty to behold. Bucky feels cracked open in all the ways he used to be: unstitched, untethered, barely holding on in a light breeze.

“Remember this, Sergeant?” You ask, leading him forward, pointing down a pathway, “Didn’t the children corner you once?”  

“Yes,” he remembers.

“And the mandazi cart? Didn’t you prefer the cinnamon sugar topping best?”

“Yes,” Bucky replies quietly, “Just a little. Not too sweet.”

“I remember you didn’t like anything too sweet.”

And the shudder that follows sends his blood straight to his head.

Bucky’s knees feel like they could give out as he coughs with a stammer, shoving his hands in his pockets, staring at his shoes scuffed up with dirt. Anything to distract himself from the memory of a mid-morning bruise growing on his collar and the subsequent teasing from Shuri.

A bite. A scratch. The way your face looked with the hot white streak of sun falling in your open mouth. Bodies still encased in free-flowing cotton, but it was enough to sear his entire being. That pretty, perfect, picture of you on his thigh.

Jesus fucking Christ.

He coughs again.

  You keep on coolly, stepping side to side and avoiding the crowd with ease as if your comment didn’t mean a thing. As if it didn’t trip him up almost physically through the street.

“Have any plans while you’re here?” You ask innocently, stopping at a booth of flowers and browsing through orchids. Daisies and irises peer back at you, beckoning your touch. Bucky reaches into his pocket, buys a violet that matches your dress with the intention of – he doesn’t know, tucking it behind your ear? Six years later and he still doesn’t know what to do with you.

But, of course, it’s been six years for you, and only one for him.

His stomach drops at the thought of a separation only oblivion can create between two people so damn close to a beginning. An irreconcilable distance of time that will never align and how could he be so naïve to think nothing has changed?

“No,” he replies a little dumbly as your hand jingles with change. “No plans. Just…” A melancholy look at the way you turn from him.

“Missed it?”

“Yeah.”

 The stroll continues. One violet in his hand, two Calla Lillies in yours. You turn them round and round, pressing your nose to the spathes, letting their soft points flick over your lips. He feels forgotten altogether until he hears your tepid voice, shaded with the slightest of sorrows.

“They’re a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. I thought it was fitting; you do look reborn, after all.”

Bucky runs his hand instinctively through his hair—cut short now, and he’s still trying to get used to it. His throat constricts. He suddenly aches all over.

“Thank you,” he says finally, after a long while. “For, uh, walking me.”

“We’re not there yet.”

“I just meant—”

“I’m teasing, Sergeant.”

Up the iron stairs you ascend, looking back at him every few steps with a grin. At the door, you pause, both hands coming together to grasp onto the waxy stalks of the flowers, turning them again. “Hope my teasing didn’t offend you?”

“No,” Bucky replies, watching the way you unlock the door deftly, reaching inside to turn the light on for him. “… I remember you liked to tease.”

The smack of the blooms against his chest is abrupt and it takes him by surprise when you laugh sharply.

“Oh! Is that right? What else do you remember?”

He stutters, a little eager, a little hesitant. “I remember—” a thick swallow and you trace the motion of his throat with gentle eyes, walking backwards, hanging your hopes on the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. Bucky presses his lips together.

“I remember us.”

“Yeah?” You take the violet and cross into the kitchen, grabbing a tall glass from the counter and placing the flowers inside, going quiet. “Remember us doing what?”

He’s no good at this— this game. This cat and mouse tension of your provocation. The heady atmosphere of growing closer together but somehow drifting further apart. Every question is a challenge, a play for something from him—an admission? An apology? A funeral?

You call him Sergeant. You hardly look at him. But then you stand, hip jutting, palms flat on the counter, chin on your shoulder and just the sweet shock of your profile is enough to cut him clean through.

“Lots of things.” Bucky steps on the eggshells because he might as well crush them now. 

Reaches the small of your back with his hand, palming the straight column of your exposed spine and counts all the goosebumps that break across your skin. Flesh on flesh, his lips on your shoulder and then neck. He remembers this. Remembers the way you sigh and lean into him. Remembers the heat. Remembers his heart, stitched back together by your loving fingers.

His right hand slips through the open space of your dress. All five warm fingers splay out, gripping your side and curling over your lower ribs. And god, he’s trembling head to toe, feet so unbalanced now he might fall completely.

Your head leans back onto his shoulder, weight of it holding him down, “You’re shaking.”

With a slow turn, you face him, fingertip trailing up his neck and along the curve of his throat to his chin. Tilting him up to the ceiling, you press a blazing kiss onto his neck, “Am I making it better or worse?”

He doesn’t mean to do it—or maybe he does, but the speed of it surprises even Bucky when he lifts you by the thighs and places you on the sink counter. He cuts off your sharp gasp and turns it into an exhilarated moan, presses your chest to his with frantic hands, nudges your legs open to nestle himself in between.

And hell, the way you feel in his arms—delicate but full of fight, softly pulsing with the strength he’s always admired about you—it feels safe. Steady. The kind of stable that’s always been taken from him too soon.

It’s been six years—or one—or whatever, and his entire being is vibrating with the magnitude of a catastrophic earthquake, but Bucky can’t be bothered to care about any of that now. Your mouth is open, tongue sweeping over his, teeth playfully nipping at his bottom lip, and it dashes away all his good sense.

When he breaks away, he’s overly aware of his erratic heartbeat and swollen mouth. Kissed tender, and it takes what’s left of his breath to see that you match him just as well. You lean forward again, and he meets you for another two, three, five kisses. He loses count after a few more, eager and fumbling and dizzy as he peppers them over your cheek, down to your collar.

“Don’t even think about it,” you warn, hand tugging him away by his hair, “Bite me and I’ll kick you out.”

Bucky pauses and snaps upright, confused at the statement and the way your eyes sparkle with amusement. Knowingly, you nod to the space behind him, “I live here, Bucky.”

“What?” He mutters. It takes him a minute, but he finally looks around and notices the simple decorations. The well-cared for plants, the soft blanket over the couch, the mug of coffee with a stirring spoon stuck inside. The small plate of—his heart skips a beat—half-eaten mandazi with cinnamon sugar on top.

“Oh, god.”

Bucky presses the heel of his palm to his eyes, doesn’t know if he might laugh or sob. Maybe both.

Still in the hold of his one hand, you twist halfway, moving the glass further in case either one of you might knock it over. The spathes of the lilies turn idly to look at him, draped over the tufts of violet petals. Two stalks in perfect symmetry. Symbols of resurrection for both him and you.

Smoothing the shorn chestnut strands gone a little awry from your grip, your eyes search his face, memorizing his lines. All things of his old and new.

“Welcome back to Wakanda, Sergeant.” Your mischievous mouth finds his again, holding him steady with familiar sweetness, “I missed you.”

-

perm tags: @whothehellisbucky @serpentbaby @badassbaker @alagalaska @cake-writes @crist1216 @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @infinity-saga @jamesbarnesthighs @pinknerdpanda @xoxabs88xox​ @imsoft-barnes​ @momc95​ @typicalangel​ @wretchedgoddess​ @readeity​ @iwannasail​ @ya-lyublu-tebya​ @geeksareunique​ @wildefire​ @satanxklaus​ @jhangelface0523​ @wkemeup​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​

[schraubd]

Should I PlagueWatch It?: Series Finale!

In March 2020, I inaugurated on this blog what I said "may but hopefully won't(?) become an ongoing series": Should I PlagueWatch It? Basically, it took the thing Jill and I do best -- watch TV -- and offered our recommendations for what you should watch to get you through the pandemic.

Over a year later, Should I PlagueWatch It? did, indeed, become a series. In addition to the first entry -- HBO's Avenue 5 -- I also did entries on Gentleman Jack, Marvel's Runaways, Alpha House, Never Have I Ever, Jelle's Marble Runs, Making the Cut, and a "roundup" post that covered Billions, Insecure, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimate Tag, Titan Games, and Holey Moley.

But now, it feels we're finally closing the chapter on the pandemic. Jill and I are vaccinated, my parents came to visit this past weekend, we're seeing friends, the CDC says we can go unmasked. It seems, alas, that all good things must come to an end. And while the pandemic itself is certainly not a good thing, some of us may be feeling a bit bittersweet at the prospect of being expected to interact with other humans rather than sit around and watch Netflix all day.

So to wrap up the series, one more omnibus "quick hits" review of all the shows we PlagueWatched that haven't yet gotten their own entry.

* * * Mild spoilers * * *

Blown Away

Reality TV can be wonderful in its formulaicness. Take a random hobby, find ten people who are pretty good at it, dangle $50,000 in front of them, and bang, you've got a competition show. This one's about glass blowing. I know nothing about glass blowing, but the competitors seem pretty talented to me?

I was impressed at how versatile a medium glass is. I worried when I started the show that the challenges would end up being pretty one note (how many vases can one make?). But the competitors actually made a lot of really cool material!

There's a lot of running and swinging and flailing given that they're handling molten-hot material.  It stressed me out. Also, apparently "glory holes" are an essential part of glass blowing, and nobody made a joke about it.

This show is definitely more in the "everyone likes and supports one another" mold of reality TV compared to the "constant cat fights and 'I'm not here to make friends'" mold. No judgment, just letting you know what to expect.

Sexify

A Netflix series about a young college student with no sexual experience who decides she needs to develop an app to optimize the female orgasm. It's not the most innovative concept, but it works well enough.

Of the core trio, my favorite character is Paulina -- the religious Catholic best-friend who is having (bad) sex with her fiancé and feels guilty about even that sin. She does a lot of great expressive work and has some superb character beats (her popcorn addiction -- just casually munching away while watching porn). 

Speaking of Paulina, at the outset I told Jill she looked like someone and Jill's first guess was "a plainer Emily Blunt" (that's not an insult -- who isn't plainer than Emily Blunt?). It wasn't who I was thinking of, and soon I realized the answer was like six women I've known over the years. So maybe "plainer Emily Blunt" is a more common face than I realized?

The show is in Polish (with subtitles), and I'm very proud that I managed to identify the language as Polish right away (I do not speak a word of Polish).

The musical motif for the show combines one of the catchiest guitar riffs I've ever heard with a sample loop of a woman's sex moans. It fits the show perfectly, but it's a bit awkward to listen to on its own.

Wandavision

You shouldn't need me to tell you about this show. It's good, but my hottest take -- and I stand by it -- is that as an exploration of grief Never Have I Ever does it better and it's not close.

Can we concede that Wanda is the unambiguous villain of the show? With only the barest shift in perspective, Wanda could be the nemesis with an admittedly sympathetic motive. To some extent, I think the show was far too forgiving of her. Motives aside, how different is she from Kilgrave on Jessica Jones?

Poor Emma Caulfield. So much build-up for her character, and it's only a head-fake.

Space Force

I liked it. It's not in the most elite of the elite comedies, and maybe that's the standard when Steve Carrell is the lead, but it was quite funny. That said, I keep on almost forgetting that I watched it, and have no substantive commentary to offer. So take from that what you will.

AOC lookalike alert (the character even gets the nickname AYC -- "Angry Young Congresswoman")!

Mythic Quest

I love that Ubisoft is actually involved in the show (which is set at a game studio producing a popular massively multiplayer online RPG).

Surprisingly, given my love affair with Community, Danny Pudi is one of the least interesting characters on the show.

The actress who plays Poppy isn't the very strongest (though she's improving), but Poppy herself may be my favorite character. Of course, everyone knows I'm a sucker for an Australian accent.

The show has some great characters in side parts who don't get enough attention, like Sue the community manager and Carol the HR director. Also, Aparna Nancherla has a small recurring role in the first season and apparently doesn't come back for season two? I don't get why she keeps getting sidelined like this -- she's funnier than the rest of the cast put together.

Ted Lasso

Good, sweet, endearing, fun. British soccer comedies with heart are a winner for me (Bend It Like Beckham, anyone?).

Ted's estranged wife is played by the same actress who plays Linda in Better Off Ted. This was very strange, though admittedly I'm probably the only person who cared enough about Better Off Ted to notice or care.

Lupin

Dashing gentleman thief who's always a step ahead of his adversaries, except maybe the one nemesis who actually can match him step for step in a constant cat-and-mouse game? Look, it's a cliché for a reason. I'm not going to say Lupin breaks the mold, but it certainly is a well-crafted entry into the mold.

If there is anything innovative, it's how Lupin particularly leverages stereotypes about race and class to maneuver more freely in certain spaces (e.g., he can smuggle himself into prison because the guards can't tell him apart from another inmate -- sad commentary, but useful for Lupin!).

It did do something I hate, which is release "half a season" and just leave the audience hanging at the end. Maybe it was the pandemic's fault, but one could really feel its incompleteness.

Kim's Convenience

Of the Canadian shows I've been watching, I'd say Working Moms (not in this post because it is pre-pandemic) is the stronger of the two. But this is fun as well.

It just got cancelled, unfortunately depriving it of the chance to wrap up its single greatest storyline (that's been ongoing since season one). That's a real, real shame.

Simu Liu as Jung is the latest iteration of the Jason Mendoza trend of "dumb male Asian hottie leads". I guess it's a blow against stereotypes?

Pastor Nina also could be an AOC lookalike. I think the show struggled a bit to draw a bead on her character.

Legomasters

I actually mentioned this show in my post about Jelle's Marble Runs, but it is such a joy to watch. I can't wait for season two, which is dropping very soon. For pure, simple, uncomplicated happiness, Legomasters beats out everything on this list.

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